Thriving in Your Empty Nest Chapter

A 4-week immersion for parents navigating their child’s “launch decade" – as their world expands and yours evolves

DATES

September 22 – October 17, 2025

LED BY

Kari Cardinale

Early bird offer ends in…

36
Days
:
 
13
Hours
:
 
58
Minutes
:
 
29
Seconds

You missed out!

Register now and save

They’re starting (or restarting) their next chapter. Are you ready for yours?

You poured your love, time, and energy into raising your kids.

And now… they’re gone. Or mostly gone. Or maybe they moved back in after being out on their own for a while.

Whether you’ve just said goodbye, are bracing for the last one to leave, or dealing with a longer, more complicated launch than expected – one thing is clear:

Your role as a parent is changing.

Nobody gave you a guide book for this. 

And the timeline may be longer than you realized.

Your house might be quieter – or full again in a way you didn’t expect.

Your calendar might be emptier – or still shaped around their needs.

Either way, your mind is crowded with questions:

  • Who am I now that I’m not needed the same way?
  • How do I stay connected without overstepping?
  • What do I do with all this space – in my home and in myself?

You’re not just adjusting to their absence and evolution.

You’re being invited to rediscover the parts of yourself that may have been quietly waiting – tucked away during the busy years of raising a family.

Introducing

Thriving in Your Empty Nest Chapter

Support, insight, and community for the long goodbye – and the deeper becoming that follows.

Join Kari Cardinale – MEA Partner, Chief Content Officer, and four-time empty nester – for a new four-week online program designed to support parents through the long, looping launch into adulthood.

Whether your child just left for college, moved back in after a breakup, or is hovering somewhere between independence and interdependence, this experience meets you where you are – and helps you navigate what’s next.

What you’ll gain

In this four-week journey, you’ll explore the realities and possibilities of your new chapter – and gain tools and support to help you:

  • Understand what’s really happening during your child’s launch decade (18-28) – and why their path to independence may look very different from what you imagined (or experienced yourself)
  • Make sense of the emotional swirl – from pride to grief, emptiness to relief – and learn how to stay anchored when your role and routines are in flux
  • Shift your parenting posture from manager to mentor – so you can support your adult children with warmth, respect, and healthy boundaries (especially during returns, re-entries, and college breaks)
  • Reclaim the parts of yourself that have taken a back seat – including your creative energy, your voice, and your right to imagine a future that’s about you, not just them
  • Design a more spacious and meaningful next chapter – with clarity, purpose, and renewed joy in your relationships, home, and inner life
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Four spacious weeks to reflect, reimagine, and move forward

Each week is built around a core theme designed to help you understand this transitional period and move through it with clarity and intention. You’ll get tools, insights, and space to reflect on what’s changing inside your home and inside you.

Week 1

Reframing the Transitions of Empty Nesting

We’ll begin by exploring the deeper story behind today’s extended launch years – and how to make sense of the emotional, cultural, and logistical changes happening in your home and heart.

You’ll gain valuable insight into:

  • The long and winding road of letting go – and how the “Revolving Decade” (ages 18–28) is redefining parenting
  • The conflicting emotions of empty nesting: grief, pride, relief, and confusion – and how they can co-exist
  • Where you are in your own transition – and what you need to feel anchored, no matter what your child is going through

“This isn’t just about them leaving. It’s about you arriving – in a new stage of life you didn’t know you’d been preparing for.”

Week 2

Embracing The Complexities of Modern Empty Nesting

Empty nesting probably isn’t the only major life transition you’re navigating right now. For many parents, this season overlaps with a cascade of midlife changes – from shifting relationships and careers to caring for aging parents or managing health concerns.

You’ll explore:

  • The long and winding road of letting go – and how the “Revolving Decade” (ages 18–28) is redefining parenting
  • The conflicting emotions of empty nesting: grief, pride, relief, and confusion – and how they can co-exist
  • Where you are in your own transition – and what you need to feel anchored, no matter what your child is going through

“Empty nesting looks different for everyone – there’s no roadmap, just the life you create, step by step.”

Week 3

Navigating Your Child’s Longer Launch Cycle

Remember when turning 18 meant being independent as an adult? This may be true for some, but for many families, the launch cycle is taking much longer these days. The good news is, you’re not alone.

You’ll explore:

  • Why more young adults are returning home – and how to approach it with clarity, empathy, and evolving expectations
  • How to rethink the milestones of the launch decade – and release outdated timelines or comparison
  • What it looks like to design a next chapter that feels aligned and intentional – even if the path there isn’t linear

“What if the emptiness isn’t a loss… but space for something new to emerge?”

Week 4

 Flourishing in Your Next Chapter

This is a season of reinvention – not the retirement but the evolution of your role as parent. Whether you’re rediscovering creativity, building new friendships, or stepping into deeper purpose, this is your time to flourish.

You’ll explore:

  • How to reconnect with your identity beyond parenting to define who you are now, and who you’re becoming
  • What the research says about purpose, joy, and longevity in midlife and beyond – and how to apply it to your life
  • How to take clear, grounded steps toward a chapter that reflects your growth, your needs, and your vision for what’s next

“You’re not done parenting. You’re just becoming someone new – alongside them.”

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Insights from Experts Who’ve Studied It and Lived it

You’ll gain valuable inspiration and clarity from renowned experts across fields like adult development, family dynamics, midlife psychology, and purpose-driven living. Each one brings a unique lens to the realities of parenting during your child’s launch decade.

You’ll hear from:

Gretchen Rubin

Bestselling author of The Happiness Project, on the “Open Door” stage of life and how to embrace what’s next with intention

Julie Lythcott-Haims

Bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult, on the modern challenges of intergenerational living

Barbara Waxman

Gerontologist and life stage expert, on redefining midlife and the new dynamics of empty nesting

Seth Streeter

Conscious wealth advisor and solo dad, on navigating identity and growth after the nest begins to empty

Dr. Stacie Foster

Arizona State University faculty and developmental psychologist, on what’s unfolding inside your emerging adult

Dr. Frank Infurna

Resilience researcher, on the psychology of midlife transitions and why they hit harder than we expect

Aaron Hurst

Social entrepreneur and thought leader on purpose, on finding your “third purpose” in midlife and beyond

Their insights will help you make sense of this complex chapter – and support you in moving through it with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Live Session Schedule

Each of our four weekly live sessions will be offered twice on the same day, so you can choose the time that works best for you. Join us for any or all sessions – and show up ready to rediscover your purpose, identity, and joy in this evolving chapter of life.

Live sessions take place on the following dates:

  • Monday, September 22
  • Monday, September 29
  • Monday, October 6
  • Monday, October 13

Each session will be held at two different times so you can attend at the time that works best for you:

  • 8–10am PT | 11am–1pm ET
  • 4–6pm PT | 7–9pm ET

Lifetime Access to Recordings

Can’t make a live session? No problem. Every two-hour group gathering will be recorded and available in your member dashboard within 24 hours.

And with lifetime access, you can revisit them anytime – whether you need a boost of clarity or a reminder you’re not alone.

Weekly Community Café Meet-Ups

In addition to our weekly learning sessions, you’re invited to join us every Wednesday for an optional drop-in Community Café. These 60-minute Zoom gatherings are designed for deeper conversation, personal sharing, and connecting with our MEA team.

Choose the time that works best:

  • 8–10am PT | 11am–1pm ET
  • 4–6pm PT | 7–9pm ET

These relaxed meet-ups are a chance to stay connected, share your experience, and be supported as you navigate your own Empty Nest chapter.

Meet Your Guide

Kari Cardinale brings nearly three decades of experience as a pioneer facilitator and social entrepreneur to her role at MEA.

With a rare gift for creating meaningful connections both in-person and virtually, she’s mastered the art of bringing wisdom to life through community building and thoughtful conversation.

Kari’s expertise in the longevity industry has led her to collaborate with hundreds of thought leaders worldwide, produce global summits on aging innovation and caregiving, and develop MEA’s online programs that have served thousands across the globe.

As a former Huffington Post contributor and featured guest on Dateline NBC and PBS’ This Emotional Life, Kari has contributed to the #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Embracing Your Authentic Self.

Driven by insatiable curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning, she embodies MEA’s core belief that wisdom grows through experience, reflection, and genuine connection with others.

This is for you if…

  • You’ve recently sent a child off to college, or are preparing to
  • You’re living in a “revolving door” nest – they come and go (and so do your emotions)
  • You’re feeling untethered, unneeded, or unsure who you are now
  • You’re ready to reclaim your time, identity, or purpose – but need a roadmap
  •  You’re looking for grounded guidance, real stories, and a warm place to land

“I thought this chapter was about letting go. Now I see it’s about letting in – wisdom, purpose, joy, and possibility.”

Why This Work Matters

The old map of parenting said: they leave, you breathe, it’s done.

But the world has changed – and so has the experience of supporting your children as they launch themselves toward adulthood.

Today:

  • 52% of young adults return home at least once in their 20s
  • The “launch” is not linear – it’s looping, evolving, and complex
  • Parents are living longer, healthier lives – with more time to grow
  • And our identities? They deserve as much tending as our children’s

This isn’t just about parenting. It’s about becoming. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

What people saying

Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in MEA. It was the best gift in my adult life.
– Upkar Arora, CEO Rally

MEA was the most radically transformative journey I’ve ever embarked on.
– Irene Edwards

Highly recommended to anyone interested in exploring the roles they play in the world.
– Tina Seelig, Professor, Stanford University

My MEA experience was life-changing. It wove a sense of peace into my life that still remains.

– Ken Page, psychotherapist

MEA is a beacon for the soul, seeking renewal and inspiration for the next phase of life.
– Shilpa Sankara, entrepreneur

I became part of a community focused on mindful aging and embracing the beauty of liminality.
– Wanda Whitaker, visionary artist

What’s Included

  • Four weeks of guided curriculum led by Kari Cardinale
  • Four Live Zoom sessions to go deeper and connect in real time
  • Four weekly Community Café drop-in sessions
  • Lifetime access to four video modules of insightful and inspiring video content – including expert clips and real stories from parents just like you
  • Weekly reflection prompts, rituals, and tools
  • Transitional Intelligence (TQ) self-assessment
  • Private online space for sharing and connection

Ready to Begin?

Join us for Thriving in Your Empty Nest Chapter – and step into this next season with clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of who you are.

September 22 – October 17, 2025 

Live online via Zoom + self-paced content

Includes lifetime access to materials

Early bird offer ends in…

36
Days
:
 
13
Hours
:
 
58
Minutes
:
 
44
Seconds

You missed out!

$497 

$397 

Register by September 12th and save

Count Me In

FAQs

Who is this masterclass for?

This masterclass is designed for anyone in midlife or beyond who’s craving more meaningful friendships and ready to invest in their relational wellbeing. Whether you're feeling isolated, navigating a life change, or just looking to reconnect with others in a more authentic way, this experience is for you.

Do I need to attend both days live?

We highly encourage attending live to get the full experience of guided practices, community reflection, and real-time insight with Jeff and the MEA team. That said, if you can’t make both days, we offer a Recordings Pass so you can revisit everything at your own pace.

What’s included in my registration?

Depending on the pass you choose, you’ll receive:

  • Access to all three live teaching sessions

  • A downloadable workbook for guided reflection

  • Community connection in a private, supportive environment

  • Lifetime access to session recordings (with the All-Access + Recordings Pass)

What if I can’t make it both days?

No problem. When you choose the All-Access + Recordings Pass, you’ll have lifetime access to all session replays so you can catch up or rewatch anytime.

 

Is this just about making new friends?

Not exactly. This masterclass is about building a friendship practice – one that helps you strengthen existing connections, make space for new ones, and feel more confident, intentional, and aligned in how you show up in your relationships.

What’s the time commitment?

You’ll attend three 90-minute sessions – two on June 17 and one on June 18. Beyond that, the amount of time you spend on the guided exercises and reflection is up to you. Even small shifts can lead to lasting change.

Is this therapy or group counseling?

No. While this experience may be deeply reflective and even therapeutic in nature, it is not a form of clinical therapy or counseling. It’s an educational and community-building experience grounded in research, storytelling, and real-life practice.

Will there be opportunities to connect with other participants?

Yes! Part of what makes this masterclass powerful is the chance to engage with others who are on the same journey. There will be optional partner discussions and community sharing woven into the sessions.

Is there a refund policy?

Yes. If you register and can’t attend for any reason, please contact us at [email protected] at least 48 hours before the event starts, and we’ll be happy to work with you on next steps.

Their next chapter doesn’t mean the end of yours.

It might just be the beginning of something deeper, truer, and more expansive. Are you ready to give yourself the space you’ve given everyone else?

Count Me In