Owning Wisdom with guest faculty Kelly Wendorf

Applying Ancient Wisdom for Personal Transformation

Aug 19 - Aug 24, 2024 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Kelly Wendorf, Christine Sperber, Sue Izzo, Lee Johnson, Amie Tullius
Enroll Now

Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Nature can set you free and help you find the wisdom and deep sense of connection you yearn for.

When you’re searching for answers to the big questions about life, the universe, and everything else, there is no better teacher than the natural world around us.

Nature is a vast repository of ancient wisdom – the ongoing result of 3.8 billion years of evolutionary intelligence derived from seeing what works, then doing more of it. As you become attuned to its intricacies, you discover that the natural world is a mirror that reflects who you are in a way that the purely human world can never match.

And when you open yourself fully to the wisdom it has to offer, you will uncover powerful truths that point your way forward to a life of deep meaning and significance. 

In this Owning Wisdom workshop co-facilitated with EQUUS founder, coach, author, and “CEO whisperer” Kelly Wendorf, you will be invited to enter through Nature’s doorway into a deeper, more profound relationship with yourself and the world around you.

What You’ll Gain

Through a combination of our MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum and Kelly’s nature-based practices involving ritual, mindfulness, and equine-assisted activities, you will:

  • Dismantle confining narratives and social/internal constructs that are holding you back from connecting with the wholeness you share with all living things
  • Expand your understanding of the “big picture” – and the role you can play in proliferating greater connection and wisdom in the world
  • Gain powerful clarity into what’s not working in your life and the resolve to step outside of your comfort zone and do what you need to do to find your joy
  • Identify and create the conditions you need in your life to thrive in these times
  • Find the freedom you seek: freedom of spirit, freedom of creativity, and freedom of self

By the end of your five days with Kelly and the MEA faculty, you will feel more awake, inspired, peaceful, and empowered, knowing that you’re an integral part of the world, intrinsically connected to everything around you – and that you have dominion over your own capacity for wisdom and impact.

Meet Your Faculty

Kelly Wendorf
Nature-Based Leadership Coach and Spiritual Mentor

Author of Flying Lead Change | Founder of EQUUS | “CEO Whisperer”

Kelly Wendorf is an author, executive and personal coach, disruptor, and socially responsible entrepreneur. Her work has been featured in such publications as Forbes, the Wall Street Journal Magazine, Vogue, and the Huffington Post, and has been the inspiration inside several award-winning documentaries.
 
She spent 15 years of her life immersed in the field of neuroscience and neuropsychology and its relationship to social justice and transformative cultural change, and has studied with spiritual and Indigenous leaders in India, Africa, Indonesia, and Australia. Her immersion in multicultural perspectives has broadened her understanding of the human condition and what we really need to live happy and meaningful lives.

In her role as an executive and personal coach, she has worked with a wide spectrum of clients and organizations – from top Fortune 100 companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft, to some of the nation’s most underserved communities.

As the founder of EQUUS, her mission is to liberate the leadership capacities of the conscientious, empathetic, accountable, and kind individuals who are most qualified to guide humanity into a future where we live in greater communion and connection to nature and to ourselves. 

As seen in
Forbes, the Wall Street Journal Magazine, Vogue, and the Huffington Post

What Kelly’s workshop participants have to say...

"From the moment we arrived to the moment we left the whole experience was incredible, life changing and overwhelming in a very positive way. I would highly recommend this to anyone."

Charles Sidi
Founder, CEO, BizBox

"Words can’t express my thanks to you. My EQUUS Experience was truly life-changing; I can feel it at the core of my being."

Carrie McCarthy
Marketing Creative Director, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

"Kelly Wendorf collaborated with my coach to customize a weekend filled with sparks of brilliance, 'aha' moments and insightful lessons from amazing four-legged beings (e.g. horses, cats, dogs) that continue to resonate with me today."

Micki McMillan
Blue Mesa Coaching

This workshop is for you if...

You’re yearning for greater connection to something larger than yourself.

You’re a truth-seeker wanting to deepen your connection to your own “inner sage” so you can make better choices for yourselves and others.

You’re ready to expand beyond your own limited perspective and broaden your understanding of the universe and your place in it.

You’re feeling called to do something more with your life and are looking for insight and clarity on what that path might look like.

You want to break free from old narratives and use your gifts and abilities to propagate a better way of being in the world.

You are ready to spend five life-changing days in Nature discovering the powerful lessons the natural world has to teach you.

Do this powerful work on our beautiful regenerative ranch in Santa Fe

Santa Fe, USA

Rising Circle Ranch

An upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and spanning nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, with ancient petroglyphs, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.

  • Big-sky desert country
  • Breathtaking nature
  • Interaction with horses and donkeys
  • Evenings around the campfire
  • Star-gazing

Meet Your MEA Facilitators

In addition to the powerful sessions conducted by Kelly Wendorf, you will be guided through the core MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum by our faculty members: 

Christine Sperber

MEA Co-Founder and Chief Experience Office (CXO)

Christine Sperber is a former professional snowboarder and seasoned entrepreneur who has launched and operated hotels, managed pro athletes, and worn the hats of writer, restauranteur, and more.

She has been with MEA since the beginning and is a devoted team builder whose authenticity, values-based leadership skills, and empathetic engagement create community wherever she focuses her attention.

Christine is an ardent activist and igniter of new ideas. You’re going to love her boundless energy and dedication to creating transformative experiences that change people’s lives. “I had the sheer pleasure of working with Christine in a number of capacities over 10 years. I have met very few people as passionate, open, personable, and dedicated as she is in any line of work she was engaged in. I look forward to any opportunity I might have to work with her in the future.” – Scott Owen, Executive Sales Management & Strategy

Sue Izzo

MEA Head of Facilitation

Sue Izzo is the former female “Jerry McGuire” who founded an industry-leading sports agency and represented top Olympic athletes, X-Game medalists, World Champion surfers, ESPY winners, and television personalities, before evolving into a growth consultant and coach for business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals.

After a battle with cancer, Sue realized she was ready for a change and now she leads equine-assisted learning workshops at our workshop in Santa Fe. She has dedicated her life to helping others achieve their dreams and deeply understands what it takes to get what you want in all areas of your life.

Lee Johnson

Land, Livestock, and Mindfulness

Lee likes to say that he’s as ordinary as dirt but as complex as soil. He’s resident “cowboy sage” at our campus in Santa Fe, where his love for the simple yet complex hum of nature has led him to work in holistic land management. As steward of our four-square mile regenerative ranch, Lee translates nature’s teachings into simple insights that encourage us to tune into the inner and outer landscape of the world around us.

You will appreciate the opportunity to be in his presence and slow down, listen to nature, and gather around the campfire of shared understanding.

Amie Tullius

MEA Experience Facilitator

Amie Tullius is a New Mexico-based writer, gallerist, and creative collaborator. She’s spent over a decade as a gallery director, helped launch an international dance company, and has profiled and promoted artists and creators from around the world. She has an MFA in writing and is currently working on a book about place, home, and how our bodies keep time.

Amie has a deep passion for the mountains, history, and cultures of New Mexico. You will appreciate her creative perspective and the deep passion for the mountains, history, and cultures of New Mexico.

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Chip Conley

Founder

A three-time TED speaker on the big stage, Chip Conley is one of the world’s leading experts at the intersection of business innovation, psychology and spirituality.

As one of the creators of the boutique hotel movement and the “modern elder” to the young Airbnb founders, Chip’s been a disruptor and expert on entrepreneurship and business leadership. He’s a globally-recognized thought leader on the future of work and the competitive advantages of a multi-generational workplace.

Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a “modern elder” at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary success, Chip founded MEA and has since dedicated his midlife years to reframing the concept of aging and supporting people in navigating midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

Tapping into nature’s ancient wisdom doesn’t mean going back to the Stone Age and living in huts

It’s about returning to a sense of deep connection with nature that many of us have lost in modern society – and bringing that connection forward into a future where humans and the rest of the natural world co-exist in more harmonious equilibrium.

It’s not about giving up our quality of life, or our essential modern tools and conveniences. It’s about recognizing what’s really important and what we really need to live joyful and deeply fulfilling lives.

The good news is, even though it may sometimes feel like we humans are lost as a species, we are mere toddlers in terms of geologic time, and we are learning the hard lessons we need to learn to evolve beyond our current situation and create a world in which all of us thrive. We are right on track to where we need to go!

During this five-day workshop with Kelly and the MEA team, you will find renewed optimism and the inspired commitment to help create the kind of world you want future generations to live in. 

The wisdom you seek is all around you, available at any moment – and Nature is the doorway through which you can reach it.

People come for the workshops,
but they stay for the community

This is truly MEA’s “secret sauce” and something you can only experience in person: the powerful connections you will make, not only with your fellow participants and the incredible MEA faculty, but also the deeper sense of connection you will feel to your own inner self and the natural world around you.

Research into aging shows that your relationships play a HUGE role in your health and wellbeing later in life. At MEA, you will make deep and lasting connections and become part of a larger community that will make your life richer and more meaningful.

Many of our alumni cohorts have stayed in close touch for years after their workshop and we have a growing number of local alumni chapters all over the world. It’s a joy for us to see them continuing to offer each other community, friendship, and support as they create thriving midlives for themselves. So if you have been feeling at all disconnected or isolated on your journey, we would love to have you join us!

Have we mentioned the food?

The MEA experience was designed by Chip Conley, a world-renowned boutique hotelier, and from the first bite you will taste the difference.

All of the ingredients are locally sourced and organic, and the food is made from scratch in our kitchens by incredible chefs.


The delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners will leave you feeling nourished inside and out – not to mention blended drinks made with fresh fruit and other top-shelf ingredients.


Each retreat center has multiple kitchens that always have snacks and beverages available. At MEA, we believe that thriving is delicious!

Your workshop includes

  • 5 days and nights of lodging at our boutique luxury retreat center in Baja or Santa Fe with all of your meals, snacks, drinks and other amenities included
  • Daily sessions and experiential activities to help you connect with your inner self, envision your desired experience, and release what no longer serves you
  • Meditation covering a range of practices to soothe your nervous system and help you cultivate greater mindfulness and presence in the moment.
  • Movement to get the energy flowing and build your strength and agility as you chart your course forward to the life you want to live.
  • Incredible bonding experiences with the most amazing humans you’ll ever meet.
  • Three delicious, chef-prepared meals plus snacks throughout the day prepared from scratch with the freshest local ingredients.
  • Festive gatherings to cultivate connection and celebrate the joy and beauty of life.
  • Prices start at $4,500

Ready to start your journey?

Applying Ancient Wisdom for Personal Transformation

Aug 19 - Aug 24, 2024 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Kelly Wendorf, Christine Sperber, Sue Izzo, Lee Johnson, Amie Tullius

Step into your next chapter with confidence and ease, knowing that every detail of your experience is being taken care of by our world-class faculty and hospitality team.

Starting at

$4,500 per person

Enroll Now

Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Still deciding or have questions?
Connect with our helpful team of Advisors

Our Advisors are all MEA alumni who can offer genuine insights into our programs. They’re passionate about helping you finding the right fit to make your next chapter the best one.

Daniel Booz

Dana Anton

Lucas Erie