Second Acts: Why Midlife is the Perfect Time to Become an Entrepreneur

Tim Parr is the CEO and Founder of CADDIS, an eyewear brand that crushes age stereotypes. He believes in defying our society’s addiction to youth and fueling getting older and owning it.

Tim got his start as an entrepreneur when he founded Swobo, a California action sports clothing company that expanded into a bike company. After that he worked for some of the world’s most respected brands, such as Patagonia, L.L. Bean, Filson, and many more. He has lectured at the Stanford School of Design, Modern Elder Academy, San Francisco Academy of Art, and the California College of Arts.

In 2013, he formed a bluegrass band and hit the road touring the Western United States – despite not knowing how to play the guitar. He has made a successful life out of defying norms and expectations and exploring opportunities based on his interests and instincts rather than what mainstream thinking would have us believe is the “proper” way to do things.

Now he’d like you to understand how awesome your life can be when you embrace possibility and “do the thing” you have been dreaming about doing.

Derek Gehl is a serial e-commerce entrepreneur, speaker, and author. After spending the first decade of his professional career growing one of world’s first Internet marketing companies to over $30 million in sales, he decided that leading a company of 100 employees in offices in two countries wasn’t for him – so he sold the company to a private equity group and refocused his life on the things he loved most: spending time with his family, pursuing his passions, and building and growing online businesses. In 2024, after doing some consulting for MEA, Derek had his own transformational experience at a Navigating Transitions workshop, which inspired him to join the company as Chief Marketing and Technology Officer and then take on the role as CEO, spearheading our mission to reimagine midlife and build a global pro-aging community that inspires people to thrive in the second half of life.