Midlife is a relatively new concept, and as we live longer, it has become a significant and challenging period in our lives. Full of transitions – family, careers, health and more – it’s hard to find a guide to lead you through it. Chip Conley is one and you would do well to follow his wise counsel in his TED talks, books and at the Modern Elder Academy (MEA) which he co-founded with Jeff Hamaoui and Chrstine Sperber in 2018.
Chip has authored his eighth book, “The Midlife Manifesto,” and he used its content as a jumping-off point for an inspiring conversation with renowned Canadian journalist and former CBC news anchor, Alison Smith, in an online event hosted by What’s neXT50. Close to 200 people joined these two icons as Chip dove into prescriptions for age-fluidity, the value of wisdom, or treating friendship as a social wellness practice. Chip is clear that our extra years don’t occur at the end of our lives but in the middle, and to make the most of this additional time, he is adamant about the importance of reinvention and discarding old concepts of aging. A successful midlife is a time of transformation, not simply transition, and Chip uses the metaphor of a chrysalis to drive this point home.
Running through his commentary is the value of relationships to help create this chrysalis. Your transformation is not done in isolation but with the energy and wisdom of those around you, something that is essential to what we enable at What’s neXT50. As we launch our platform later this year, join us to discover your own chrysalis.
About Chip Conley
Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, Chip co-founded the MEA, the world’s first ‘midlife wisdom school.’
Dedicated to reframing the concept of aging, MEA supports participants to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. Chip has popularized this approach to “modern elderhood” through eight bestselling books, articles and TED Talks. Building on a TED Talk he gave in 2023 on the “midlife chrysalis,” Chip’s new book “The Midlife Manifesto” is a bold new call to revolutionize our most pivotal decades with a powerful new blueprint that transforms anti-aging anxiety into pro-aging purpose while converting life’s challenges into our greatest assets.
About Alison Smith
Alison Smith is a What’s neXT50 community member and one of Canada’s best-known and respected journalists and broadcasters. For nearly four decades, she brought the stories of Canada and the world home to Canadians. She has hosted numerous programs on television and radio including Sunday Report, CBC News Morning and the World at Six. She has reported from every Canadian province and territory and across the globe, covering major news events of the day including the first Gulf War, South Africa’s first multi-racial election, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the election of Pope Francis. As Washington correspondent, she covered the historic election of Barack Obama. Alison has won international recognition including a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media, a Friendship Award from South African Women for Women, and was named a Woman of Achievement by Hadassah-WIZO Canada. She is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Okanagan University College.
