So we listened.
This year, we’re launching a new format at MEA Santa Fe: powerful 3- and 4-night workshops designed for those who want the essence of MEA in a more accessible, flexible format. These shorter deep-dives allow people (particularly our American community) with demanding schedules, tighter budgets, or caregiving responsibilities to experience midlife transformation without needing to commit a full week or travel internationally.
What won’t change is the heart of the experience. You’ll still find the thoughtful curriculum, the soulful conversations, the fireside moments, the sense of belonging, and the extraordinary faculty that define MEA. You’ll still be invited to pause, reflect, reset, and see your life with fresh eyes. The only difference is that we’ve distilled the magic into a slightly smaller container—one that’s both efficient and profound. The good news is that we’ve tested this in the past year with both some public workshops and private retreats and have gotten very positive feedback.
And Santa Fe is the perfect setting for this next evolution. With its expansive skies, ancient wisdom traditions, and creative spirit, the landscape does half the teaching. We’re pairing that inspiration with new programming tailored to the most essential elements of MEA: purpose, transitions, reinvention, relationships, emotional fluency, and the quest for a meaningful second half of life.
In offering these shorter workshops, we’re widening the doorway to transformation. Because midlife wisdom shouldn’t be a luxury—it should be accessible, practical, and within reach for anyone ready to evolve. And, our MEA alums – who’ve already experienced an MEA workshop – will appreciate that our 3-night weekend programs focus exclusively on the theme of the workshop and not on the foundational MEA curriculum that we require to be taught in every 5- or 4-night program.
I’m excited to be your faculty member for our first two weekend retreats in Santa Fe: Chip’s Wisdom Weekend Jan 8-11 and Golden Girls, Santa Fe Style Jan 15-18. If you can’t make the January date for Golden Girls, there’s also a weekend workshop on April 2-5. And, here’s a brief video from me outlining my thoughts about these shorter programs.
-Chip