Breaking Barriers

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer. She has spent decades traveling in this and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles, and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, the cultures of Indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice. She lives in New York City.

Amy Richards is an author, producer and organizer. Most recently Amy authored We Are MAKERS, a book based on the PBS documentary series MAKERS. She produced the Emmy nominated series WOMAN for Viceland and executive produced The Glorias, among other stage and video projects. Amy is the president of Soapbox, Inc., the foremost feminist lecture agency, and the affiliated Soapbox Foundation, creators of Feminist Camp. Her first book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism & the Future just issued a 20th anniversary edition. Amy lectures at dozens of venues each year and contributes, though her writings and media appearances, to the current public conversations on feminism.

Chip is a three-time TED speaker and the New York Times bestselling author of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder and Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age. As founder of the second largest boutique hotel chain in America and “modern elder” to the young Airbnb founders, Chip is a globally-recognized thought leader on the future of work and the competitive advantages of a multi-generational workplace.

Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring at Airbnb – where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary success – Chip founded MEA in 2017 to help other people in midlife find their own meaningful way to keep learning and sharing the wisdom gained from their lived experiences to create fulfilling and exciting second adulthoods. Since then he has dedicated much of his life to reframing the concept of aging and helping people navigate midlife with renewed purpose and possibility.