Your Brain, Your Body, and What Comes Next: A Workshop for Women
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.
Tamsen Fadal
Emmy Award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, filmmaker, menopause advocate
Understand the science of how women age, and how to thrive in the decades ahead – with journalist and women’s health advocate Tamsen Fadal
You spent decades knowing your own body – what to expect from it, what it needs. In the second half of life, that certainty starts to slip, and no one hands you a guide to what's taking its place.
Your hormones shift, your sleep gets lighter, and your memory and focus start working differently. Energy, metabolism, mood, even your sense of who you are – all of it is changing at once.
The hardest part is the story you've been told: the one that says this stage is all about decline, something to manage on your own and apologize for, as if growing older makes you less than you were.
If you believe that story, you start to live by it.
You make decisions about your health, your work, and your relationships based on guesswork and outdated assumptions. You spend energy wondering whether something is wrong with you instead of understanding what's changing and what to do about it. And you count yourself out of things you're still capable of, on the assumption that this is simply how aging goes.
Listen to Chip and Tamsen Fadal on the Midlife Chrysalis podcast:
From Hot Flashes to a Global Mission: Tamsen Fadal’s Menopause Journey
The good news is, you have more control over your brain and body health than you might think
When you understand what's happening in your body and your brain – the biology, the research, the levers you can actually pull – the whole picture changes. You stop bracing against your own body and start working with it. You ask sharper questions, make better decisions, and walk into any doctor's office knowing what to ask for.
This is true at 50 and just as true at 70. The science of how women age is moving fast, and almost all of it points the same direction: there's far more room for strength, clarity, and growth in the second half than the old script ever allowed.
None of this is intuitive, and most women are never taught it. It helps to learn it from someone who has spent years figuring it out.
This is the work you'll do with Emmy award-winning journalist Tamsen Fadal
Tamsen built her second act on the questions most people avoid. After three decades as an Emmy Award–winning news anchor, she spent years being told her own symptoms were anxiety, holding it together on camera while her hair fell out at home. It was perimenopause, and no one had told her. That experience sent her from the anchor desk into women's health, where she produced the PBS documentary that took menopause from a whispered side conversation into global dialogue.
Menopause was the door. What she found behind it was bigger: how women's bodies and brains keep changing for decades afterward, well into your 60s, 70s, and beyond, and how little of that science ever reaches the women living it. She has since interviewed leading voices in longevity, brain health, and women's wellbeing, and she brings a reporter's precision to translating that research into things you can use – in your doctor's office, your kitchen, and your own head.
For four days at MEA's Rising Circle Ranch in Santa Fe, in a small group surrounded by the high desert, you'll do that work together: weaving neuroscience, story, and real-life strategy into a clear understanding of what's happening in your body and brain, and a plan for the chapter you're in and the ones still ahead.
Here's what you'll experience during your time with Tamsen:
Day 1: Decline vs. Design
Reframe the story of aging and creativity. Learn how neuroplasticity and mindset fuel lifelong growth, and design the next version of yourself with purpose and intention.
Day 2: The Science of Change
Discover the biology of transformation. Understand how curiosity, movement, and emotional regulation activate the brain’s motivation system and help you embrace change with confidence.
Day 3: The Power of Meaning
Explore how purpose fuels longevity and emotional coherence. Connect with your “why,” uncover the moments that light you up, and rediscover what makes you feel most alive.
Day 4: The Future Self
Design your next chapter with clarity and compassion. Through guided visualization and writing, you will meet your future self and leave with a personal pledge for the life you are still creating.
You’ll leave with a personal Design Plan for your next chapter along with practical, science-based tools for emotional, cognitive, and physical renewal – and the confidence and clarity to consciously create what comes next.
And you’ll get to do this powerful work in a small-group setting surrounded by luxury and the stunning beauty of the New Mexico high desert.
This Workshop
Is For You If…
Meet
Tamsen Fadal
Journalist | Filmmaker | Women's-Health Advocate | Host of The Tamsen Show
In addition to being an Emmy Award-winning journalist, Tamsen Fadal is the New York Times bestselling author of How To Menopause, and one of the most recognized women's-health advocates in the world. She's also the creator and host of The Tamsen Show podcast and executive producer of the PBS documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, the first film of its kind to take menopause from whispered side conversation to global public dialogue. She has testified before the FDA on the estrogen patch shortage and serves on the national board of Let's Talk Menopause, advocating for better care, policy, and workplace support for women.
Her work has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, and Forbes, and she has spoken at Milken, Davos, SXSW, Blackstone, and Google.
She won't tell you to age gracefully. She'll tell you what's actually changing and what to do about it.
Supported By the MEA Team
Christine Sperber
MEA Co-Founder
Christine Sperber is a former World Cup snowboarder and serial entrepreneur and innovator who has launched and grown award-winning hotels, businesses, and industry-evolving ideas in the sports and hospitality worlds and beyond. The word her workshop participants use most often to ...
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 BioWhat you'll gain
A clear picture of what's changing
Language for what your body and brain are doing, and the science to back it, so you stop guessing and start understanding.
A brain-and-body plan for the long run
What the research supports for protecting your strength, energy, and cognition through the decades ahead.
The confidence to advocate for yourself
The questions to ask and the language to use so you get real answers in any medical setting.
A community of women who get it
Four days alongside women who are honest about what's shifting and serious about what comes next.
Our Agenda at a Glance
Sunday:
4:00 PM: Arrival/Check-in
5:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner
7:00 PM: Orientation Session
Monday:
7:00 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
5:30 PM: Free Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Free Time
Tuesday:
7:00 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
5:30 PM: Free Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Free Time
Wednesday:
7:00 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
5:30 PM: Graduation
6:30 PM: Celebration Dinner
Thursday:
7:00 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Checkout/Departure
Friday:
Saturday:
*Please note that not all “classroom time” 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
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 Also Includes:
Stop guessing about your own body and brain.
You can keep piecing the picture together from scattered articles and rushed appointments, or you can spend four days getting the full story and a plan you can actually use. This workshop runs once in Santa Fe in 2026, and the group is kept small on purpose.
You'll leave with:
Get the answers, make the plan, and walk into the next decade on your own terms.
Book your spot today
Your Brain, Your Body, and What Comes Next: A Workshop for Women
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?
Women in the second half of life who want to understand what’s happening in their bodies and brains, and what to do about it. Some participants are in the thick of perimenopause or menopause. Others are years past it and focused on protecting their health, energy, and clarity for the decades ahead. The workshop is built for all of it.
I'm in my 60s or 70s and already through menopause. Is this still for me?
Yes. Menopause is one chapter in a much longer story of how a woman’s body and brain change, and the years after it are when a lot of the most useful science applies. This workshop covers brain health, strength, energy, identity, and purpose well beyond the menopause transition, and many participants come precisely because they want a plan for living well in the years ahead.
Is this only about menopause?
No. Tamsen is best known for her work bringing menopause into the open, and we cover it honestly. But the workshop is broader than that: how women’s bodies and brains change across the whole second half of life, what protects long-term health, and how to design the years ahead with clarity rather than guesswork.
Will there be information about hormone therapy? What if I can't take it?
Yes, and both paths are fully covered. We explore what the research on menopausal hormone therapy actually says and the questions worth bringing to your own care team. We give equal time to the full landscape of non-hormonal approaches, including nutrition, movement, sleep, supplements, and cognitive tools.
Is this a health workshop or a personal-growth workshop?
Both. The science of what’s changing is the foundation, and the work of deciding who you want to be in this chapter is built on top of it. You’ll leave with practical health knowledge and a clearer sense of direction.
How big is the group, and how much access will I have to Tamsen?
Groups are kept intentionally small so you can work directly with Tamsen and the MEA team throughout the four days, not from a distance in a lecture hall.
What's included in the tuition?
Everything but travel: four nights of accommodations at our Santa Fe campus, all programming, chef-prepared meals, snacks, and drinks. The only additional costs are transportation to Santa Fe and any personal incidentals.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. We offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis to help make MEA accessible to those who’d otherwise face financial barriers. If cost could keep you from attending, we encourage you to apply.
What if I'm not sure this is the right fit?
Book a free call with our team. We’ll help you decide based on where you are, what you’re navigating, and what you’re hoping to get out of it.
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