Entrepreneur, author and speaker Chip Conley is on a mission to rebrand midlife, encourage intergenerational collaboration, and help people in their 40s, 50s and beyond approach their second act with curiosity and optimism. Here's what he wants you to know.
What would be your next move if you had already disrupted the hospitality industry not once, but twice—first as the founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre, the world’s second largest boutique hotel chain, and then as the head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb? For Chip Conley, the decision was clear: he would now disrupt the concept of aging. And he would do it by opening the very first school dedicated to helping people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
Chip and I touch on so many important things, including:
- The tragic events that prompted him to embark on a mission to reframe midlife, as well as the profound personal experience that woke him up to how he needed to approach his own second act
- How his time at Airbnb, where he was referred to as a “modern elder” (and he dubbed himself a “mentern”), helped him realize how crucial intergenerational mentorship is and the unique skills people in midlife and beyond possess
- Why Chip thinks the concept of midlife desperately needs a makeover (midlife crisis, anyone?) and should be rebranded as a time of enormous personal growth and transformation; how consciously curating your life can help you cope with messy midlife transitions
- The ways in which your personal operating system shifts as you get older (think: if the first half of life is about ego, the second is about soul growth), and the brain changes that give you a special kind of intelligence
- Why Chip believes aging is "alchemy," or the point in life when you've finally integrated all those parts of yourself so you now show up as your full self wherever you go
- How cancer propelled Chip into “manopause” (technically speaking, andropause), what he wants men (and the women who love them) to know about the biological changes guys over 40 experience, and how we can communicate with one another about all of it
- Why he started Modern Elder Academy (MEA), what he hopes students get out of the program, and why you’re going to want to enroll ASAP (did I mention the first campus is located in Baja, Mexico?)
I am so excited for you to listen to this enlightening conversation with Chip. Complete show notes are available at Morebeautifulproject.com.
