A 3-day Business Workshop with Chip Conley

Wisdom at Work:
How to Become an Impactful Modern Elder

Mar 19 - Mar 22, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Chip Conley, Sarah Byrden

Hone your ability to adapt, thrive, and make a meaningful impact in a rapidly changing business landscape

For the first time ever, we have five generations together in the workplace: the silent generation, baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z.

Knowing how to communicate and collaborate effectively with diverse generations is crucial for making a meaningful impact and providing real value to your organization.

That’s why, if you want to hone your leadership skills and make a more valuable contribution to your team, it’s important to understand how to take on the role of a “Modern Elder” at work and combine your wisdom and experience with a growth-focused beginner’s mindset that allows you to adapt, evolve, and thrive in our constantly changing world.

By cultivating curiosity, learning how to ask better questions, and honing your emotional intelligence and mentorship skills, you can inspire a higher level of collaboration, innovation, and growth and make yourself invaluable to your organization.

In this three-day workshop with MEA co-founder Chip Conley, author of Wisdom of Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, you will learn how to step into your role as a Modern Elder and leverage curiosity, continuous learning, and synthesized wisdom to make a meaningful impact and elevate your organization’s performance and results.

What You’ll Gain

Through Chip’s experiential activities and evidence-based training, you will discover how to:

  • Cultivate a beginner’s mindset and the willingness to evolve and adapt to change
  • Elevate your mentorship skills and foster a “mutual mentorship” dynamic in which both parties learn from each other
  • Ask catalytic questions that uncover your blind spots and empower you to learn, grow, and thrive
  • Effectively share your knowledge and experience with younger employees to cultivate their talent and leadership
  • Lead with empathy and foster a supportive work environment that promotes effective communication and relationship-building
  • Empower others by recognizing and utilizing their unique strengths, leading to a more engaged and committed workforce

You will leave the workshop equipped with a clear vision and next steps to step into your role as a Modern Elder, make a more meaningful impact, and help boost performance across your team or organization.

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

Chip Conley is a three-time TED speaker on the big stage and 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 is 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, and serves on the board of Encore.org and the advisory board for the Stanford Center for Longevity.

Chip was inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a “modern elder” at Airbnb – where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary success – to found his latest company, MEA (Modern Elder Academy). He is now on a mission to disrupt the aging industry by giving people the tools they need to thrive in midlife and beyond and create long, healthy, purposeful lives for themselves.

He and his team are dedicated to providing transformative growth experiences in breathtaking natural environments that inspire people to become their best selves.

Reviews for Chip’s book:
Wisdom At Work: The Making of a Modern Elder

Being smart comes from studying or understanding complex things, yet wisdom is something deeper. We don’t become wise simply because we get old, wisdom is something we must actively cultivate in order to accumulate. Every one of us should learn what it takes to gain wisdom, and Chip Conley is the wise guide for our journey.

Simon Sinek
Optimist and Best Selling Author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last

This is ultimately a book about how we can develop deeper connections, disrupt how we think about teaching and learning, and make more meaningful contributions in our lives and our careers. With stories, questions, and strategies, Chip shares his heart and wisdom on every page. This is exactly what we need right now!

Brené Brown, Ph.D.
LMSW, Author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Braving the Wilderness

An engaging, timely exploration of how to bring more wisdom into our work lives. Chip Conley has lived it, and here he teaches you what it takes to find more of it.

Adam Grant
New York Times bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg

I love the idea that society needs more Modern Elders who offer generosity without an agenda. Chip Conley's articulation of the growing need of wisdom and emotional intelligence in a world obsessed with speed and digital intelligence is spot-on! Every young company could use some 'wisdom insurance'.

Marshall Goldsmith
Thinkers 50 World’s #1 Executive Coach, #6 Most Influential Business Thinker 2017

Wisdom at Work beautifully illustrates the opportunity that each of us has to embark on an encore career. Bravo to Chip Conley for writing this timely and inspiring book. Having begun my third chapter at the age of 60, I can attest that this is the most productive and rewarding time of my life. Applying one’s knowledge and passion in the service of missions larger than ourselves is the greatest gift of being a Perennial.

Sherry Lansing
Founder & CEO, the Sherry Lansing Foundation, Former Chairman & CEO, Paramount Pictures

In an era in which a brilliant idea or even gut instinct seems to be celebrated as success, Chip Conley’s book is a great reminder that wisdom, including analysis, hard work, patience and the like, is still essential.

Arne Sorenson
President and CEO, Marriott International

Chip Conley embodies the generosity, insight and spirit of an elder. He understands that it's not an age, it's a state of mind, and he shares his wisdom here with all of us. Precisely the sort of long-game thinking we need today.

Seth Godin
Co-author, Business Rules of Thumb

This transformational leadership workshop is for you if…

You are in (or approaching) midlife and seeking to harness your wisdom and experience to make a more meaningful impact at work

You’re ready to embrace the role of a Modern Elder and be recognized as a valuable resource in your organization

You want to communicate more effectively with colleagues across generations and foster a more collaborative work environment

You’re eager to share your experience while also learning from younger team members and honing your ability to adapt to change

You are eager to develop mentorship skills that empower others and enhance team dynamics

You desire to create a workplace culture that values wisdom and encourages continuous growth

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

The World Needs Your Wisdom – And Your Ability to Learn, Adapt, and Evolve

By synthesizing your wisdom with an open-minded curiosity-driven mindset, you unlock the potential for more effective collaboration, innovation, and growth. You will become a better mentor and leader and help to foster an inclusive work environment that promotes engagement and delivers better results for your organization.

Are you ready to step into your role as Modern Elder and make a more valuable contribution by sharing your wisdom and insight with others?

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

  • 3 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 $3,600

Ready to start your journey?

Wisdom At Work: How to Become an Impactful Modern Elder

Mar 19 - Mar 22, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA
Led by: Chip Conley, Sarah Byrden

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

$3,600 per person

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