I arrived on the shores of MEA’s Baja beaches, awash in midlife turmoil.
I was grappling with the lifequakes of divorce, restarting a business, managing a child with mental health challenges, and general menopausal health disorientation.
I felt a little desperate. I needed a place to land, breathe, and reflect.
More than anything, I needed to know that I was not alone.
That the challenges of my life were actually common midlife transitions – and that this newfangled midlife wisdom school could help me find a compass, a guide, and a map to find my way.
I left MEA with a restored faith in humanity and the understanding that this stage of life requires certain rites of passage. And rites of passage aren’t meant to be done alone.
In the seven years since then, as MEA’s Chief Content Officer, I’ve had the great privilege of witnessing people experience this journey back to themselves and back into community over and over again.
I’ve seen thousands of people regain their sense of purpose and direction – and the light return back into their eyes as major life decisions fall into place with grace and joy, rather than fear and restriction.
Why am I sharing this?
Because right now, so many people are dealing with lifequake transitions of their own.
With the recent government cuts and economic uncertainty, thousands have lost their jobs and been displaced without warning or support.
My mama bear heart ached when I read the news about their predicament, and I wished there were some way to help them.
Then I realized I COULD help them.
In fact, I had the perfect solution to help them regain their footing and take meaningful steps toward creating their next chapter.
That’s when I made the decision to throw open the doors to our upcoming online immersion programs geared to people going through life-changing transitions – and let anyone who’d lost their government job or grant take them for free.
You can learn more about our current scholarship opportunity here:
Learn more and apply for your scholarship
Government workers are kind, hard-working, loyal, and generous professionals who have dedicated their lives to serving others and making the world a better place. Not just for themselves, but for all of us.
The intention behind this scholarship is to offer them the opportunity to recognize that they are not alone. To give them a place where they could rest in the goodness of humanity, find the sameness in their transitions, and explore their next chapters together.
Since announcing the free scholarships a few weeks ago, we’ve had folks from 20 different departments including: USAID, NIH, Departments of Education, Defense, Health, Social Security, EPA, and CDC apply for them to join our programs.
Reading their stories of loss and displacement has been heartbreaking.
While we can’t fix the problem, we can offer these people a place to reflect, connect and learn vital life skills to navigate the uncertain waters.
If you know someone in your life who has been impacted by these federal cuts and could use a midlife wisdom school right now, send them to our shores.
They can apply for a full scholarship to our Reframing Retirement online program here: meawisdom.com/scholarships
Reframing Retirement isn’t just for people who have voluntarily retired and are wondering what’s next – it’s for anyone who finds themselves facing a career pivot and needing clarity on their steps forward.
We would love to help anyone in need get the support to take those next steps.
Other ways you can help
From the very beginning of MEA, founder Chip Conley has made it part of our company mission to ensure that people from all walks of life can join our workshops and programs.
That’s why he established and funded our non-profit – the AGE Foundation – to provide scholarships to people in need.
Over the years, the AGE Foundation has offered over $2 million in scholarships to help people come to MEA at a time that they needed it most.
As a result of our decision to offer full scholarships to displaced workers, one of our major supporters recently donated $100,000 to help us open our doors even wider.
Wow.
That one donation was enough to bring over 100 people into our workshops and programs. We are so grateful to receive that kind of support.
If you feel inspired to contribute to the AGE Foundation – and help more people get the tools and support they need to navigate job loss and other challenging lifequake transitions – we would be forever grateful.
TQ Coaches: Are You Able to Lend a Hand?
Finally, if you are one of our Transitional Intelligence TQ-certified coaches, you may want to consider offering pro bono coaching packages for those who have been impacted by these federal cuts.
Several of your fellow coaches have already done so – and my heart swells with pride and gratitude for their generosity.
One of my favorite mentors and thought leaders is Margaret Wheatley. In her book Who Do We Choose To Be: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity, she speaks about the importance during turbulent and uncertain times to build an “island of sanity” around us.
She writes:
“I know it is possible for leaders to use their power and influence, their insight and compassion, to lead people back to an understanding of who we are as human beings, to create the conditions for our basic human qualities of generosity, contribution, community, and love to be evoked no matter what.”
Wheatley reminds us that we can create pockets of stability and positive influence within chaotic or disruptive environments – by prioritizing compassion, generosity, and community, even in difficult times.
When we come together it is possible to experience grace and joy amidst tragedy and loss. We may not be able to have an impact on the bigger picture, but we can have an impact in the small circles around us.
Let’s keep building those islands of sanity and support – one act of generosity at a time.