Introducing the First-Ever Collaboration Between St. John's College & MEA…
Crossroads & Classics:
Navigating Transitions with Art & Literature
Jul 14 - Jul 19, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: David Carl, Dr. Claudia Hauer, Mary Hofstedt, Daniel 'DL' Landes, Darby Rose
Calling all lifelong learners and lovers of art and literature:
Immerse yourself in the classics while gaining proven tools for navigating midlife challenges (and opportunities).
Are you looking for a powerful way to enrich your mind, body, and soul – while equipping yourself to thrive in times of change?
When you’re searching for answers on how to deal with life’s unexpected twists and turns, timeless works of art and literature can be a powerful source of wisdom.
That’s why MEA and St. John’s College are delighted to announce their first-ever collaborative workshop exploring midlife transitions and humanity’s search for meaning through the lens of classic literature and art.
You’ll gain powerful insights and practices to navigate life's transitions with grace and flourish in the second half of life while immersing yourself in renowned works that illuminate the human condition.
From Plato to Yeats, you will explore philosophy, poetry, and art and engage in profound discussions of humanity’s greatest works while rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit in the breathtaking landscape of MEA's Rising Circle Ranch near Santa Fe.
You’ll even get the chance to go on field trips to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and St. John's historic campus for a wine tasting and inspired conversation.
It will be five extraordinary days of transformative insight and inspiration that will feed your heart and soul for months to come.
In this first-ever collaboration, MEA and St. John’s College invite you to 5 days of discovery and renewal – where great books, meaningful dialogue, and desert skies create space for clarity, purpose, and meaningful change.
The Texts That Will Guide Your Journey
During our five days together, you'll engage with carefully selected classics that speak directly to life’s transitions and deeper purpose.
To support your journey, all registrants will receive two essential resources: a beautifully designed workbook with supplemental readings and reflection prompts, and a personal copy of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, a cornerstone of the retreat. These works will serve as both mirrors and windows—reflecting your own path while opening views to new possibilities.
What You'll Gain...
With thought-provoking discussion and experiential activities guided by St. John's College and MEA faculty, you'll explore life's biggest questions through both ancient texts and modern frameworks designed specifically for those navigating midlife transitions. Here's some of what you'll take away:
With classic literature as your guide and community as your support, this immersive experience will help you enrich your understanding of yourself and the world around you and embrace your next chapters of life with clarity and excitement.
"St. John's, with its famously demanding curriculum, hovers like a high-achieving angel over the landscape of American higher education"
- The Los Angeles Times
Meet your faculty
David Carl
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, St. John's College
As associate dean for graduate programs at St. John's Santa Fe campus, David’s been inspiring minds since joining the faculty in 2000, including a stint as assistant dean from 2008-2010.
With degrees from Pomona College, Claremont Graduate School, and UC Davis, David's academic journey is impressive – but it's his life experiences that truly enrich his teaching. Growing up amid the forests of rural Oregon, he later found himself lecturing on philosophy, religion, and literature across the globe, from the streets of India to classrooms in France and Germany.
His recent thought-provoking podcast for St. John's College, "The Fool's Paradise: To Where Does Travel Lead?", perfectly captures his gift for connecting timeless wisdom to our modern search for meaning.
A beloved fixture in the St. John's Summer Classics program, David's sessions leave participants seeing their lives through fresh, more illuminating lenses.
Dr. Claudia Hauer
Faculty, St. John’s College
Claudia has been opening minds and challenging assumptions at St. John's College since 1994, bringing ancient wisdom into vibrant conversation with our modern lives. After earning her Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Minnesota and teaching at Cornell, she expanded her influence as Visiting Professor in both Philosophy and English at the Air Force Academy.
Her 2020 book, Strategic Humanism: Lessons on Leadership from the Ancient Greeks, cuts through millennia to reveal how classical wisdom remains surprisingly relevant to today's leadership challenges. As a sought-after voice on numerous podcasts – including EconTalk, Combat & Classics, Classical Wisdom, and The Reeds – Claudia bridges scholarly depth with accessible insight.
Her recent thought-provoking St. John's podcast, "Practicing for Death: Integrating Mind and Body, East and West," exemplifies her gift for connecting seemingly disparate traditions into a coherent whole.
A beloved regular in the St. John's Summer Classics program, Claudia creates learning experiences that participants describe as both intellectually rigorous and deeply personal – exactly the transformative combination we've crafted for this retreat.
Mary Hofstedt
Facilitator Lead for MEA’s Santa Fe Campus
Mary Hofstedt has a master’s degree in education and is an experienced nonprofit leader and educator who strives to advance a more hopeful, caring, and connected world. Her background includes curriculum and program development, social science research, facilitation and strategic planning, and scaling programs and initiatives.
Mary works with organizations that support individuals and communities to promote education and wellness, community development, and civic engagement goals. She loves collaborating with others who seek to broaden definitions of “success” and honor diverse life pathways and ways of contributing to the world. She particularly enjoys bringing people together across sectors and generations to identify shared values and pursue common goals.
Mary’s passion for community development led her to work with Challenge Success, spearhead a coalition of youth and adult partners to develop a community arts center, and serve for over a decade within Stanford University’s John W. Gardner Center. She serves as a Senior Associate with Heartwise Learning and is thrilled to be based back in Santa Fe after a 22-year stint in the Bay Area. She is committed to efforts that advance wellbeing, equity, joy, and sustainability for people and our planet.
This workshop is for you if...
You love the idea of geeking out on great literature and art with fellow curious minds who also believe learning never stops
You’re interested in gaining new tools and practices that can help you navigate midlife transitions and thrive
You're overdue for some serious intellectual renewal at a sanctuary where seeking wisdom, clarity, and philosophical inspiration reaches a whole new level
You're seeking helpful frameworks to unravel midlife's mysteries with philosophical depth and transformative insight
You're fascinated by the science behind living longer, healthier, and happier than you ever thought possible
You've got that itch for growth and can't wait to reconnect with nature (and yourself) amid the magic of New Mexico's high desert
Meet your MEA facilitators
Our trailblazing facilitators guide transformative journeys across our Santa Fe high desert sanctuary and Baja beach haven. From sunrise mountain hikes and meditations to collaborative experiences – each experience is designed to inspire growth, connection, and lasting change.
Daniel 'DL' Landes
Experience Facilitator
View Bio
Before joining MEA, Daniel “DL” Landes spent decades as a restauranteur, author, and publisher. As the owner of multiple restaurants in Denver, CO – and then a hostel in Mexico – he dedicated himself to creating environments where people could work out their humanity while eating and drinking (which is why he fits in so well at MEA).
Now relocated to Santa Fe, DL says that “living in the Galisteo Basin impresses a unique and humbling perspective. Under the expansive, enchanted New Mexican sky I can feel so small and so big. I made a career of kicking up dust; living in the storm until the storm lived in me. When the dust settled two guideposts appeared: Spend more nights under the stars; provide a service.”
You will appreciate his dedication to creating memorable experiences during your time in Santa Fe.
Darby Rose
Experience Facilitator
View Bio
Darby Rose is a multidisciplinary artist, arts administrator, cook, actor and animal lover, currently living in Santa Fe, NM. Born into a family of travelers in Austin, TX, she’s lived more places than she can count — all over Texas, Boston, Jackson WY, Baltimore and Los Angeles, to name a few; and outside the US in Peru and Italy. After a long stint in Marfa, TX, the vast, mountainous horizons and monsoons of New Mexico captured her. This travelers life has built in Darby a deep curiosity and compassion for others, and a gratitude for the beautiful complexities of the human condition, with its myriad expressions of love, humor, struggle and strength.
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.
Breather Deeper, Think Clearer, Dream Bigger
The wisdom of great thinkers, the magic of the high desert, and the warmth of kindred spirits create an alchemy that participants describe as life changing. Don't wait for someday to invest in yourself – the next chapter of your story is waiting to be written among the mesas and big skies of Santa Fe.
