Thriving in Your 20s & 30s: Building a Life That Matters

Brian gets the specific challenges of being in your 20s, 30s, and early 40s right now because he’s living through his own version of it. After walking away from the fast track at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) during a quarter-life crisis, he didn’t just pivot, he went deep into understanding what actually works for people navigating modern young adulthood.

He trained under Harvard’s happiness researchers, earned his MBA, and started teaching at UCLA while building a practice specifically for people tired of generic self-help advice.

Working with experts like Harvard’s Tal Ben-Shahar and UCLA’s Cassie Holmes, Brian developed the MAGIC framework, a practical system for building genuine happiness that works with your real life, not some idealized version of it.

Derek Gehl is a serial entrepreneur, speaker, and author whose journey has been shaped by a passion for empowering entrepreneurs and transforming lives. After building one of the world’s first Internet marketing companies, the birth of his first son in 2008 sparked a pivotal realization: he wanted to create a life that balanced family, business, and personal fulfillment. This led him to sell his company and refocus on building businesses that supported his vision of being present for his children while pursuing his entrepreneurial passions.

As he entered his forties, his path evolved naturally toward helping people in midlife pursue their entrepreneurial dreams while simultaneously venturing into the health and longevity space, where from 2017 to 2024, he built numerous successful natural health supplement brands. Yet despite his success, Derek missed the direct human connection that had characterized his earlier work with entrepreneurs worldwide.

At 47, Derek and his wife of 20 years were planning their next chapter together as they prepared to launch their youngest of two sons when MEA unexpectedly entered their lives. Initially skeptical of the concept of a “midlife wisdom school” – having seen behind too many curtains in the personal development industry – his experience at MEA’s Navigating Transitions workshop transformed his perspective entirely. There, he discovered something authentically different: a community of intelligent, caring individuals, each charting their unique paths through midlife’s transitions.

That unexpected journey from skeptic to believer led Derek to join MEA as the CEO. Today, he leads MEA’s mission to reimagine midlife and build a vibrant global pro-aging community. His unique background in entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and wellness, combined with his personal understanding of midlife transition, positions him perfectly to help expand MEA’s impact while preserving the magic that makes it unique.

Caitlin creates experiences where personal growth meets real-world impact, because working on yourself shouldn’t happen in a bubble. As Social Impact Manager for MEA Baja, she helps people connect their inner work with outer change, from wellness practices to environmental action.

She co-founded Alianza Cero Basura, a sustainable waste management initiative in Baja California Sur, proving that transformation works best when it includes the world around you. 

Caitlin designs immersive experiences that help you figure out who you’re becoming while contributing something meaningful.