This week’s MIDLIFE CHRYSALIS episode features a soulful conversation with writer and global nomad Pico Iyer, whose reflections on stillness, solitude, and the inner journey have inspired readers for decades. In a culture obsessed with movement and reinvention, Pico offers a gentler invitation: to go nowhere, and discover everything. At the same time, he talks about spending the past 50 years traveling the world with the Dalai Lama who has been a role model for Pico’s infectious, playful and wise spirit.
We spoke about how midlife is often the moment we stop racing toward achievement and start longing for meaning—and how that longing can be met not through more action, but more attention. Pico shared stories from Japan, the monastery, and his own heartbreaks, revealing how silence is not the absence of life, but the place we go to hear its truest notes.
We touched on impermanence, what travel has taught him about identity, and why he believes spiritual life begins when we finally allow ourselves to be ordinary. For anyone feeling the turbulence of transition, this episode is a balm—and a compass. And, so will be our upcoming workshop in Santa Fe Aug 18-23, “Finding Your Center: Building Resilience to Withstand Any Storm,” an instructive and inspiring program perfectly-suited for these times.
No human has given more TED talks in the past dozen years than Pico, so I would suggest checking out a few of his talks (unfortunately, his 2025 talk isn’t posted on the TED website yet). Hope to see you in three weeks in Santa Fe as we have just a few spots left for the workshop.
-Chip