What Really Matters? Finding Strength & Purpose in Challenging Times
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
BJ Miller
Palliative care physician and founder of Mettle Health Author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End TED speaker with over 15 million views
Bridget Sumser
Licensed Clinical Social Worker | Palliative and End of Life Care
Find the strength to meet life’s hardest moments with courage and self-compassion.
You didn’t choose these circumstances, but they’ve arrived all the same.
Maybe you’re living with a chronic illness, navigating grief, or facing a diagnosis that’s turned your future upside down.
Maybe you’re caring for someone you love as their health declines, or you’re grieving a loss that’s left you unmoored — the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or the closing of a chapter you thought would last forever.
Whatever form it takes, suffering can upend your world and leave you reeling.
It leaves you asking:
How do I go on from here?
How do I keep living when life feels broken beyond repair?
This workshop is built around those questions.
Not to offer easy answers or a tidy roadmap, but to create a rare kind of space — one where you can explore what it truly means to live with mettle: the inner courage, clarity, and self-compassion to face what's hard, and find meaning on the other side.
The Mettle Health framework gives that exploration structure, offering practical tools and honest conversation in an intimate small-group setting, with the world-class hospitality MEA is famous for.
This workshop
is for you if…
Meet your faculty
BJ Miller, MD
Palliative care physician | Co-Author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End | TED speaker with over 15 million views
Dr. BJ Miller has dedicated his work to improving how we care for ourselves and one another through suffering and life’s hardest transitions.
A practicing palliative care physician and the co-founder of Mettle Health, he is internationally recognized for reshaping how we think about illness, mortality, and meaning. His TED Talk, What Really Matters at the End of Life, has reached more than 15 million viewers, and his book A Beginner’s Guide to the End has become a compassionate roadmap for people navigating their mortality.
Grounded in his own lived experience of loss, disability, and resilience, BJ brings an uncommon depth of wisdom to his teaching. His work isn’t about “fixing” what can’t be fixed, but about helping people discover clarity, presence, and agency even when circumstances can’t be changed.
A gentle but honest guide through life’s hardest truths
BJ meets people where they are, naming the realities others avoid while offering compassion and dignity.
A physician who honors the full human experience
BJ’s work goes beyond symptoms and diagnoses, centering humanity, dignity, and meaning in every interaction.
A guide who has walked the path
Having faced his own near-death experience and life-altering disability, BJ brings lived empathy to those navigating their own thresholds.
“We all need a reason to wake up. For me, it just took 11,000 volts.”– BJ Miller
Check out BJ's popular Ted Talk
"What really matters at the end of life"
with 13 million+ views:
Bridget Sumser, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker | Palliative Care Specialist
Bridget became a social worker to help people living with serious illness. Over the course of the last 10 years, she has worked across settings, providing support and companionship to patients, families, community members, and providers.
Bridget received her MSW from NYU in 2012 and has been in private practice since 2019. She has worked in palliative and end-of-life care for over a decade, which informs who she is and how she shows up as a support and helper in myriad ways.
She holds dearly the power of transitions, and looks to unearth untended to grief and sadness, as a means to be more in touch with our lives, more in touch with awe. In addition to her clinical work, she is a writer and educator and edited Palliative Care: A Guide for Health Social Workers (Oxford University Press, 2019).
Her practice is rooted in a commitment to social justice and understanding illness and caregiving within the context of a unique life. Above all, she looks to promote connection and well-being.
BJ and Bridget have known each other for nearly 15 years and worked together in various capacities throughout.
Supported by the MEA team
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 an ...
View BioT'ai Jamar Hanna
Experience Facilitator
Before joining MEA, T’ai spent years dancing between worlds: organizational change management and embodied wisdom, business consultant and community organizer, spreadsheets and bodywork. She’s led international retreats, facilitated yoga teacher trainings, and designe ...
View BioOur Agenda at a Glance
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
4:00 PM: Arrival / Check-In
5:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner
7:00 PM: Orientation Session
9:00 PM: Free Time
Friday:
7:30 AM: Mind + Body
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Free Time
3:00 PM: Classroom Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
Saturday:
7:30 AM: Mind + Body
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Free Time
3:00 PM: Classroom Time
6:30 PM: Dinner, Dessert & Graduation
8:00 PM: Evening Gathering
Sunday:
7:00 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Checkout / Departure
*Please note that not all âclassroom timeâ activities take place in the actual classroom.
*Please note all times are estimates as some activities go longer or shorter depending on the group. This agenda is meant to give you an idea of the general flow of activities.
Step into transformation in the high desert
Rising Circle Ranch | Santa Fe, USA.
Our spectacular Santa Fe campus is located on an upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.
PLUS: Gourmet from-scratch meals, snacks, and drinks featuring locally sourced ingredients, made by our in-house chefs
Optional: Explore the Ranch on Horseback
Our Rising Circle Ranch spans 2,600 acres of New Mexico high desert, offering guided horseback riding for all experience levels through diverse terrains under the vast Southwest sky
You’ll experience highlights like:
Horseback riding is an optional add-on activity you can book once you arrive on the ranch. Whether you’re seasoned or brand new to horseback adventures, this guided experience lets you discover the ranch’s natural wonders alongside our gentle horses.
Your workshop includes:
There is a way forward – and you're not alone.
When illness, loss, or upheaval strips life of its certainty, it can feel impossible to imagine anything beyond the pain. This workshop will help you build the resilience, courage, and self-compassion you need to face what’s in front of you – and to discover that even in the hardest times, life can still hold meaning, connection, and moments of peace.
You can learn to live fully, even in life’s hardest moments. And we’d love to help.
Book your spot today
What Really Matters? Finding Strength & Purpose in Challenging Times
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
The program was spectacular. It really surpassed my expectations. I was really surprised about how the course was curated. There was such a warm intensity and personal touch to it.
I experienced MEA as a newly diagnosed multiple myeloma cancer patient, and as a result of the things I’ve learned - I’ve banished the anxiety of being a cancer victim, am in remission, and living with a newfound energy and purpose.
Just know how grateful I am for the joy fuel you all put in my rocket ship. When I want to feel loved or just need a good smile I can think of my time at MEA, which came at the perfect time to encourage me on my journey. Thank you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this workshop for?
This experience is for anyone navigating illness, loss, or major life change — whether you’re facing your own diagnosis, caring for someone you love, grieving a loss, or rebuilding after a disruptive transition. If you’re seeking support, tools, and a way to keep going with resilience and self-compassion, this workshop is for you.
Do I need to be dealing with illness to attend?
Not at all. While many participants will be living with illness themselves or walking alongside someone who is, others may be navigating grief, divorce, financial upheaval, or other life-altering changes. The Mettle Health framework applies to anyone facing suffering or uncertainty.
Is this a clinical or medical training?
No. This is not a medical or clinical skills course. It’s an experiential, relational workshop designed to help you reflect, process, and build inner resources for living with hardship. The focus is on meaning, presence, and connection — not medical instruction.
Do I need to talk about my personal story?
Only if you want to. You’ll be invited into guided conversations and exercises, but no one will be pressured to share more than feels comfortable. You’ll benefit simply from listening, reflecting, and being part of the community.
Is this workshop religious or spiritual?
No. MEA welcomes people of all backgrounds and beliefs. BJ’s approach is grounded in medicine, psychology, and lived human experience. While we’ll explore themes of mortality, meaning, and love, the workshop is not tied to any religious tradition.
What’s included in the tuition?
Your tuition includes all programming, three nights of accommodations, chef-prepared meals, snacks, drinks, and access to MEA’s beautiful Rising Circle Ranch campus in Santa Fe. The only additional costs are your travel to the venue and any optional activities (like horseback riding).
How do I know if this workshop is right for me?
If you’re facing illness, loss, or major change and wondering how to keep going, this workshop will meet you where you are. If you’re still unsure, book a free call with our team. We’ll listen, answer your questions, and help you decide if this is the right next step for you.
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
Lucas Erie
Leslie Bartlett