Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half

Earlier this year at our Santa Fe campus, filmmaker Nic Askew set up a single camera inside the old chapel with no script, no prompts, and zero agenda. What followed surprised everyone: alumni lined up for hours just to sit in the chair, drop their everyday armor, and speak from the heart.

That impromptu shoot became the foundation for the short film The Soul of MEA, premiering at the MEA Film Fest in Santa Fe this December.

In this live conversation, host Derek Gehl sits down with Nic to get the inside story behind making The Soul of MEA. Nic will share how he discovered the chapel, how the setup came together, the driving idea behind the project, and what it felt like watching alumni wait in line just to share their honest truth on camera.

Whether facing the loss of a loved one, a divorce, a career pivot, or an empty nest, the hardest part is often feeling like you’re supposed to have it together when you can barely see the next step. Most of us cope by outrunning it – packing our schedules and soldiering on out of fear that if we open the door to what hurts, we’ll fall into a dark well and never climb out.

As trauma therapist Meghan Riordan Jarvis explains, our bodies won’t let us outrun heartbreak forever. In midlife, buried losses resurface as insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, or deep exhaustion. The good news? Our nervous system comes equipped with built-in biological guardrails to keep you safe through the storm.

In this candid conversation, host Mary Hofstedt sits down with Meghan to explore what loss actually does to our physiology, and how to navigate the aftermath without losing yourself. We’ll also preview Meghan’s upcoming in-person workshop at our Santa Fe campus, Moving Through Loss: From Grief to Grounded Renewal. 

If you’re carrying a loss or transition that feels heavier than you can hold alone, join us live. You’ll walk away with practical relief, self-compassion, and steadier ground beneath your feet.