Chip Conley and Spirituality & Health Magazine founder Stephen Kiesling present...

Spirituality + Health in Midlife and Beyond

Jan 14 - Jan 19, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Chip Conley, Stephen Kiesling, Mingtong Gu, Darby Rose, Lee Johnson
Enroll Now

Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Discover how to achieve “total aliveness” in your mind, body, and spirit

When you enter midlife, your primary operating system begins to shift from your ego and your body to your soul.

This is a profound change – and yet none of us are given an operating manual that shows us how to navigate the transition with ease and take good care of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves as we embrace the second half of our lives.

And with more people than ever disconnected from the faith traditions of their ancestors, this means they may be lacking the kind of spiritual guidance or community that could help them experience the awe, transcendence, and deep sense of connection they need to feel spiritually healthy and whole as they grow older.

That’s why it’s so important to consciously incorporate into our daily lives spiritual practices and healing modalities that enhance all aspects of our wellbeing.

When we take care of our spiritual health, we are more likely to thrive in all aspects of our lives.

In this workshop with Chip Conley and Spirituality & Health Magazine founder Stephen Kiesling, you will discover simple but powerful new practices that promote the wellbeing of your body, mind, and soul. Mingtong Gu, one of the world's leading Qigong teachers whose well-known Chi Center is two ranches away from MEA's campus, will also lead a session focused on how to bring energy back into your life through connecting with spirit.

What you’ll gain

Through a combination of mindfulness practices and experiential activities that speak to your body, heart, and soul, you will:

  • Gain a newfound appreciation for nature, spirituality, and all things bigger than yourself
  • Explore the intricate interplay of body and soul as we journey through different stages of life
  • Draw wisdom from a multitude of traditions and cultures, including the rich indigenous heritage of New Mexico
  • Enhance your understanding of mindsets and practices that aid in reframing our relationship with aging
  • Contemplate the connection between “whole,” “health,” and “holy”
  • Craft and commit to an action plan for nurturing both your spirituality and your overall well-being in the future
  • Examine the difference between living a regenerative lifestyle versus a traditional retirement
  • Recognize how rejuvenating one's sense of purpose can yield the most significant positive impact on health

You will leave with a much deeper appreciation for the inextricable connection between your physical health and your spiritual health – equipped with powerful spiritual and physical wellbeing practices that help you feel more completely alive in every moment.

Meet your faculty

Chip Conley

MEA Co-Founder and Author of Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age

Bestselling Author | Entrepreneur | Innovator | Disruptor | Speaker

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 helping people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

Stephen Kiesling

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Spirituality and Health Magazine

Bestselling Author | Entrepreneur | Innovator | Disruptor | Speaker

Stephen Kiesling is a founder and editor-in-chief of Spirituality & Health magazine. He was the youngest member of the 1980 US Olympic Rowing Team and the oldest competitor at the 2008 Olympic Rowing Trials. A Scholar of the House in philosophy at Yale, he was a founding editor of American Health magazine and a spokesman for Nike Cross Training.

Stephen Kiesling is the author of The Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence and Walking the Plank: A Year Aboard the Pirate Ship Whydah. He has written for the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated, has been featured in the New York Times and Boston Globe, and has appeared on Today and All Things Considered.

A lifelong journalist, Stephen was a Scholar of the House in philosophy at Yale University. His passion is building parks and playgrounds and is current project is a whitewater park and sculpture garden at Ti’lomikh Falls on the Rogue River in Oregon. He grew up in Los Altos, California, with a Zen priest in the basement and the Parapsychology Research Group in the living room and is currently writing No Risk of Enlightenment.

Mingtong Gu

Founder of the Chi Centre

Qigong Master of the Year | MFA | BSc Mathematics | Artist

Mingong Gu was named Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine. He possesses a profound ability to harness energy in order to accelerate personal and global healing, making him a sought-after healer, practitioner, and teacher.

Master Gu has practiced qigong for more than 27 years and trained in China under Dr. Pan Ming, a qigong grandmaster trained in Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, and the founder of the world’s largest qigong hospital.

During his training, Master Gu observed thousands of cases of chronic and “incurable” diseases being healed at this “medicine-less” hospital, which has now treated over 200,000 patients with over 185 different illnesses, with a 95 percent effective improvement rate. Witnessing these profound healing experiences inspired Master Gu’s dedication to the teaching and practice of qigong healing, which he now teaches to thousands of people in the United States, China, and Europe through his workshops, books, and education programs.

Through practice, Master Gu has recovered from his own chronic conditions of asthma, scoliosis, back pain, and kidney weakness. His teaching emphasizes activating the power of inner self-healing, facilitating the release of chronic illness while improving health and well-being. Master Gu lives and teaches with his wife Linling, also a gifted healer, and their two children.

This workshop is for you if...

1. Searching

You’re searching for answers to the big questions about life, the universe, and everything.

2. Yearning
You yearn to experience more awe, wonder, and transcendence in your life.

3. Exploring

You want to explore your own spirituality and create new rituals and practices that feed your soul

4. Wanting

You want to take good care of your body so you feel healthy and strong for years to come.

5. Looking

You’re looking for a deeper sense of connection to others and to the world around you.

6. Searching

You’re searching for a new way to access the eternal or divine because the old ways no longer work.

7. Feeling

You’re feeling disconnected from nature and want to reimmerse yourself in the vast beauty of the world in a breathtaking location.

8. Learning

You want to learn simple daily practices that can reduce stress and anxiety and cultivate lasting joy and gratitude.

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 Chip, Stephen, and Mingtong, you will be guided through the core MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum by our faculty members:

Darby Rose

Experience Facilitator

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.

Lee Johnson

Head of Land, Livestock, and Mindfulness in Santa Fe

Lee likes to say that he’s as ordinary as dirt but as complex as soil. 

A former Course Director for the Colorado Outward Bound School and Certified Holistic Management Teacher, he has managed ranches in Nebraska and Tennessee as well as several ranches here in New Mexico. As steward of our four-square mile regenerative ranch, Lee translates nature’s teachings into insights that encourage us to tune into our inner landscapes as much as the outer landscape. His holistic approach to life and spirituality creates a warm invitation for you to step into a deeper relationship with yourself, nature, and each other.

You will appreciate his laidback presence and the opportunity to slow down, listen to nature, and participate in the ancient ritual of gathering around the campfire.

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Exploring the mysteries of life with awe and curiosity is what helps you feel alive.

It’s time to discover the proven tools, rituals, and practices that will help you integrate spirituality into your life while also caring for your 'rental vehicle' – your body – so you can thrive more fully in all aspects of your life.

Are you ready to explore your spirituality in a more profound and impact-driven way?

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 is designed in part by Chip Conley, a world-renowned boutique hotelier, which means the food is amazing.

All of the ingredients are locally sourced, organic, and made from scratch in our kitchens by hand-picked chefs. The delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners will leave you feeling nourished inside and out – not to mention the 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.

Tuition starts at $4,000

Ready to start your journey?

Spirituality + Health in Midlife and Beyond

Jan 14 - Jan 19, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Chip Conley, Stephen Kiesling, Mingtong Gu, Darby Rose, Lee Johnson

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

$4,000 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