There is an entire culture out there telling us that getting older means becoming less relevant.
Luckily we’re old enough to know better.
There is an entire culture out
there telling us that getting
older means becoming
less relevant.
Luckily we’re old enough
to know better.
MEA is the first midlife wisdom school and is dedicated to “long life learning”… helping people create a life that is as deep and meaningful as it is long.
Located on the spectacular southern tip of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, the original MEA campus has welcomed over 1,500 people from 25 countries to participate in workshops that help to inspire and empower people in midlife and beyond.
So what is MEAx?
MEAx has been created in the spirit of MEA’s mission to inspire and empower people in midlife and beyond. The first MEA experience outside of North America, MEAx is being brought to Australia by a group of Australian MEA alumni who are passionate about sharing the ethos behind MEA – helping people to navigate midlife transitions and reframe their mindset on aging.
MEAx will host both in-person and online workshops, designed to help you think, explore and feel your way through midlife and beyond. The MEAx pilot phase will include in-person workshops, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, and the online course Your Roadmap to Navigating Midlife Transitions. MEAx Australia plans to expand nationally in 2022, Covid permitting. You have the chance to become one of the MEAx pioneers by signing up for an MEAx experience now, in our pilot phase.
MEAx Australia is an affiliate partner of MEA LLC.
Meet The MEAx Team
The MEAx team are a diverse group, but what we do have in common is a passion for sharing wisdom and creating a life that is as meaningful as it is long. Our team ranges in age from 35 to 80. Between us we’ve lived in 19 countries and speak 6 languages. Our professional backgrounds span careers from management consultants, to academics, writers, entrepreneurs and CEOs. We were all drawn to MEA for different reasons, but we are united in our motivation to share what we’ve learnt.
Why Do We Need A Mid Life Pit Stop?
Since 1900, global life expectancy has increased by more than thirty years. Unlike our grandparents, at age fifty, we are blessed by only being half way through our adult lives. However we’re also blighted by society’s binary and anachronistic views of aging. We need a new roadmap for the second half of life, because as Mike Rungie, Longevity Specialist and MEA alum says; “We like to think of MEAx as a midlife pit stop where you can draw breath and tweak your mindset to one that opens doors to way more than the world had in mind for you.”
CHIP CONLEY
A man on a midlife mission
Chip founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality at age 26 and grew the company from a single inner-city motel to the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. But after 24 years at the helm, Chip felt burnt out, stuck, and depressed. So, in the midst of an economic downturn, and against the advice of just about everyone he knew, Chip sold Joie de Vivre. He was fifty at the time and experienced a seismic shift, full of reflection and reinvention.
A few years later, the young founders of Airbnb asked Chip to help guide their promising start-up. He served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years during which time he helped to transform Airbnb from a homesharing start-up into what is today the world’s largest hospitality brand. But in addition to his wisdom, he also shared his curiosity, humility, listening skills and a willingness to learn. This intergenerational, mutual mentoring became the inspiration for Chip’s book Wisdom@Work – The Making of a Modern Elder. And in turn, the book became the inspiration for his founding the world’s first midlife wisdom school, Modern Elder Academy (MEA).
A few years later, the young founders of Airbnb asked Chip to help guide their promising start-up. He served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years during which time he helped to transform Airbnb from a homesharing start-up into what is today the world’s largest hospitality brand. But in addition to his wisdom, he also shared his curiosity, humility, listening skills and a willingness to learn. This intergenerational, mutual mentoring became the inspiration for Chip’s book Wisdom@Work – The Making of a Modern Elder. And in turn, the book became the inspiration for his founding the world’s first midlife wisdom school, Modern Elder Academy (MEA).
Chip, together with his two co-founders, Christine Sperber and Jeff Hamaoui, have created a place where people come to work out how to best navigate their midlife transitions, to better equip them to flourish during the second half of their adult lives. MEA may be the first midlife wisdom school, but Chip hopes it will serve as a catalyst for much, much more. He sees MEA as just one piece of a larger movement to give midlife the attention it deserves – from government funding and public policy, to academic study and cultural change.
Find out more about Chip and MEA
What do we mean by “Modern Elder”?
While “elderly” refers to years lived on the planet, “elder” refers to what we do with those years. Modern Elders have deep wells of wisdom to share with the world. They reflect on what they’ve learned and incorporate it into their relationships with younger generations. Being a modern elder is about relevance, not reverence. It’s about nurturing a growth mindset and being as curious as you are wise. Modern elders have a desire to learn, connect, and act as both mentor and intern, sage and student, teacher and learner, all at the same time. They are deep listeners.
Modern Elders in Australia
In Australia, we can also draw on the traditions of our indigenous elders from whom we can all learn a lot about eldership.
In this wonderful conversation between Chip Conley and Emeritus Professor Judy Atkinson, a Jiman (central west Queensland) and Bundjalung (northern New South Wales) woman, with Anglo-Celtic and German heritage, Professor Atkinson talks with Chip about her work, the value of intergenerational connection, the wisdom in story-telling and so much more.
The Modern Elder in Uncertain Times
Chip Conley in conversation with Prof Judy Atkinson
Explore our Newsletters
Each week we publish a MEAx newsletter exploring different themes around ageing, wisdom and what it means to be a modern elder. Click the button to see previous content.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MEA ONLINE COURSE – Navigating Midlife Transitions
We know that our entire community is made stronger when everyone has the opportunity to learn, participate, and grow, no matter how much they make for a living. We are offering scholarships to attend the upcoming Navigating Midlife Transitions on a financial-need basis. Please click the button to apply for an MEA Online Scholarship, before 20 February 2022.
