Education

The Midlife Chrysalis

The Midlife Chrysalis is a one-hour podcast hosted by Chip Conley, bestselling author of Learning to Love Midlife and founder of MEA (Modern Elder Academy). Chip and his high-profile guests – including Maria Shriver, Hoda Kotb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Michael Franti, and more – dive into raw, vulnerable conversations about the profound transitions they’ve experienced in midlife.

Listeners get a rare look at how even the most successful individuals have to navigate life’s pivotal changes – and gain practical wisdom they can apply in their own lives for a more fulfilling and purposeful next chapter.

Latest Episodes:

Designing the Second Half of Life: Meaning, Curiosity, and Becoming | Bill Burnett & Dave Evans Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

Most of us try to solve midlife. What if that’s exactly the wrong approach?

In this episode, Chip Conley sits down with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, the minds behind Designing Your Life, to rethink one of the most misunderstood seasons of adulthood. Drawing from design thinking, human curiosity, and decades of real-world experimentation, they offer a refreshing alternative to the pressure of “figuring it all out.”

Instead of chasing the right answer, Bill and Dave invite us to prototype our way forward gently, curiously, and without fear of getting it wrong.

Key insights from the conversation:

Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a chrysalis, a space for becoming
There is no single “right” life, only many good lives you can design
Stop solving your life and start prototyping small experiments
Curiosity matters more than certainty
Meaning isn’t found in big answers, but in everyday moments of flow

This is a hopeful, grounding conversation for anyone who feels stuck, restless, or quietly ready for what’s next.

👉 Click to watch and discover how to design the next chapter of your life without pressure, panic, or pretending.

Timestamps:

03:48 What Designing Your Life is

06:55 What is design thinking

09:22 Designing yourself as a wicked problem

10:20 Gravity problems and anchor problems

12:32 Opening the aperture of choice

14:03 Applying design thinking to midlife

16:49 Creativity and reinvention after success

18:03 Are midlifers more stuck than younger people

19:14 Permission to change in midlife

21:50 Prototyping your next chapter

24:08 Self-criticism fear and resistance

25:00 Learning to be incompetent again

27:49 Personal midlife transitions

31:14 Dark night of the soul

36:53 Introducing the meaning book

38:11 Designing meaning in everyday life

40:21 Redesigning midlife as a culture

44:01 Rethinking work and education

48:25 Reframing midlife identity

52:07 Wisdom bumper stickers

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#MidlifeChrysalis #DesignYourLife #MidlifeTransition #FindingPurpose #SecondHalfOfLife #LifeDesign #MidlifeMeaning #PersonalGrowth #MidlifeReinvention #DesignThinking #CareerTransition #CuriosityMindset #ModernElder #MidlifeWisdom #LifeAfter40

Why You Keep Repeating the Same Conflict Patterns | Diana Chapman Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Real growth rarely happens when life feels comfortable. It begins when we slow down, question our patterns, and face the deeper truths about how we live and lead.

In this episode of Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley talks with Diana Chapman, leadership coach and co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. Drawing from decades of coaching founders and CEOs, Diana shares practical wisdom on how awareness can transform relationships, leadership, and personal growth.

In this conversation, she explores:

How the Drama Triangle fuels conflict and how to step out of it
Why playfulness is essential in long-term relationships
The difference between your zone of excellence and your zone of genius
Why midlife transformation often requires quiet and surrender

The episode also turns deeply personal as Chip reflects on mortality, purpose, and stepping away from constant busyness to reconnect with what matters most.

Watch the full episode to explore what a true midlife chrysalis can look like.

Timestamps:

03:43 Diana’s path to conscious leadership

07:37 Teach the Class tool

09:03 The Drama Triangle explained

10:43 Personas and playful awareness in relationships

12:31 Lessons from a 44-year marriage

14:32 The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

16:55 Conscious leadership in today’s polarized world

17:53 The new book No Drama Teams

22:05 Trust vs threat in team dynamics

24:26 Coaching leaders through crisis

27:53 What makes a great coach

33:10 Discovering your zone of genius

36:28 Diana’s midlife chrysalis experience

39:42 Chip’s idea for a “month of dying” retreat

44:20 Lessons from a founder facing death

46:04 The value of fallow ground and quiet time

47:18 Designing a life of aliveness

48:36 Wisdom vs knowledge in the age of AI

49:26 Diana’s wisdom bumper sticker

50:21 Childhood truth and trusting your inner knowing

52:30 Reflections on truth, growth, and love

55:17 Closing reflections and invitation to the workshop

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#DianaChapman #ConsciousLeadership #15CommitmentsOfConsciousLeadership #DramaTriangle #ConsciousLeadershipGroup #ZoneOfGenius #LeadershipCoaching #ConsciousLeadershipTools #NoDramaTeams #LeadershipMindset #EmotionalIntelligence #SelfLeadership #LeadershipTransformation #ConsciousLiving #MidlifeChrysalis

From Ego to Soul: Rewriting the Second Half of Life Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

The drive that made you successful may not be meant to lead you forever.

In this Wisdom Wednesday episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley and Derek Gehl explore the shift from ego to soul, the defining transition of the second half of life. Drawing from his personal journey, his role as a “modern elder” at Airbnb, and insights from Richard Rohr and Connie Zweig, Chip reflects on what happens when achievement stops being enough.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Why ego builds the first half of life but can limit the second
How to move from performer to elder
What generativity really means
Why awe and space are essential for soul growth

If you’ve felt a quiet nudge that there’s something deeper beyond success, this episode will resonate.

Tune in and consider who’s driving your life now.

Timestamps:

01:13 Gehl’s Proud Dad Moment

04:17 Enneagram and Early Identity

06:20 Coming Out and Authenticity

09:40 The Ballroom Dance Metaphor

11:47 Richard Rohr and Falling Upward

14:14 Living Stuck in Ego

15:24 Ego, Generativity, and Aging

18:22 From Frontman to Guide

19:30 Reincarnation & Evolving Conciousness

21:32 Where People Get Stuck

25:07 Spirituality & Seeking Awe

26:06 Practices to Soften the Ego

27:26 Richard Rohr Workshop in Santa Fe

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#MidlifeCrisis #MidlifeTransformation #FindingPurpose #LifeAfter50 #PersonalGrowth #SpiritualGrowth #SelfDiscovery #IdentityShift #PurposeDrivenLife #EgoVsSoul #SecondHalfOfLife #MeaningInLife #InnerGrowth #ModernElder #MidlifeAwakening

Mortality Was My Wake-Up Call | Dr. Brad Jacobs Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

What if the real key to longevity isn’t a biohack but a wake-up call?

In this episode, Dr. Brad Jacobs, longevity expert, integrative medicine pioneer, and former UCSF professor, shares what truly helps us thrive in midlife.

After losing his father to cancer at 27, Brad made it his life’s work to understand how we can live longer and better.

In this episode, we explore:

What actually extends your life (and what’s a distraction)
Why sleep and stress matter more than most supplements
How psychedelics are reshaping emotional healing
What modern masculinity has to do with longevity
Why midlife is a powerful reset, not a decline

If you’re in your second half and ready to live with more vitality, clarity, and purpose, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.

Press play! Your midlife upgrade starts here.

Timestamps:

04:10 Martial arts to longevity medicine

08:58 Rethinking US healthcare

11:26 Integrative health in midlife

14:42 Sleep optimization and wearables

18:02 Longevity myths and overtraining

19:13 Food philosophy and Blue Zones

21:59 Stress overload and chronic disease

25:50 Love, partnership and second chances

29:57 Psychedelic medicine and ketamine

35:11 Ketamine vs. Psilocybin

37:45 Modern masculinity redefined

41:08 Chip on coming out & courage

48:50 Live Longer Age Better workshop

50:28 Wisdom Bumper Sticker

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#Longevity #MidlifeHealth #HealthyAging #IntegrativeMedicine #LiveLonger #PsychedelicTherapy #KetamineTherapy #ModernMasculinity #MidlifeReset #SleepOptimization #BlueZones #EmotionalHealth #Biohacking #PreventChronicDisease #MidlifeTransformation

Why Midlife Feels Like Exile And Why That’s a Gift | David Whyte Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Midlife Chrysalis, poet and philosopher David Whyte explores why midlife often feels like losing your way and why that experience may be exactly what opens the door to deeper meaning.

Drawing on poetry, psychology, and Dante’s famous “dark wood,” David explains how moments of uncertainty can become powerful turning points in our lives.

In this conversation, he shares:

Why midlife can feel like exile from your old life
What Dante’s “dark wood” teaches about transformation
Why silence and the unknown are essential for growth
How vulnerability and grief can lead to wisdom

If you’ve ever felt lost, stuck, or questioning the direction of your life, this conversation offers a powerful new way to see it.

👉 Watch the full episode and discover why getting lost in midlife might be the beginning of something greater.

Timestamps:

02:29 What “Midlife Chrysalis” Really Means

06:37 Dante and the Exile of Midlife

13:00 Aging, Eldership and the Inner Horizon

17:40 The Power of Silence and Contemplation

22:55 Poetry, Discipline and Inner Transformation

27:01 Why People Turn to Poetry in Midlife

33:13 Masculinity, Friendship, and Emotional Isolation

37:39 Work as a Spiritual Pilgrimage

44:22 The First Step to Deeper Conversations

50:00 Friendship with the Unknown

52:30 Vulnerability, Care, and Asking for Help

55:09 Wisdom Learned Between 50 and 70

58:27 Final Reflections on Caring and Presence

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#midlifecrisis #midlifetransformation #midlifeawakening #midlifejourney #personalgrowth #selfdiscovery #lifeafter40 #lifeafter50 #purposeinlife #innertransformation #philosophyoflife #poetryandwisdom #dantesinferno #spiritualgrowth #meaningoflife

Letting Go in Midlife: What Has Run Its Course? Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Midlife isn’t about adding more. It’s about letting go.

In this Wisdom Wednesday episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley joins Derek Gehl to explore The Great Midlife Edit, the courage to release what has quietly run its course.

Drawing from his near-death experience and the sale of his company, Chip shares what it really means to “empty your cup” and create space for what’s next.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Why midlife shifts us from accumulation to editing
How to recognize what’s ready to “graduate” from your life
The three stages of transition — endings, the messy middle, and new beginnings
A powerful question to help you begin your own edit

If something in your life feels heavy, outdated, or complete, this episode is your gentle invitation to let go and begin again.

Listen in, reflect, and share it with someone ready for their next chapter.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday

00:18 Heated Rivalry and Mark Carney

03:29 The Great Midlife Edit

07:10 Empty Your Cup Japanese Story

10:15 Transitional Intelligence and Endings

11:46 Surrender and the Serenity Prayer

15:15 Chip’s Major Life Edits

18:45 Gut Check Practice

20:22 Editing Family Relationships

22:29 Question to Begin Your Own Edit

24:10 Ritualizing Letting Go

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#MidlifeChrysalis #MidlifeTransition #MidlifeReset #LettingGo #LifeTransitions #SecondAct #PersonalGrowth #Reinvention #EmptyYourCup #TransitionalIntelligence #PurposeInMidlife #LifeAfter50 #EmotionalWellbeing #SabbaticalLife #ChipConley

Greg Louganis: Olympic Gold, Public Masks, Private Truth Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the world sees a champion… but you’re still figuring out who you are?

In this episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Olympic legend Greg Louganis opens up about the life behind the gold medals and the deeper journey beyond fame. From childhood wounds and public adoration to living with HIV and facing mortality at 28, Greg shares how his identity has evolved over decades.

You’ll hear:

• How early trauma shaped his drive to perform

• Why love, not medals, fueled his career

• What midlife taught him about letting go of personas

• How meditation, shadow work, and silence helped him heal

This is a conversation about reinvention, mortality, and becoming whole, not despite your past, but because of it.

If you’re navigating midlife, identity shifts, or personal healing, this episode will speak to you.

👉Press play and enter the chrysalis.

Timestamps:

02:50 Welcome to Midlife Chrysalis

03:13 Moving to Panama and new chapter

04:50 First trauma and feeling abandoned

11:20 Performing and early competition

16:01 Olympic journey and first medals

17:14 Fame and public attention

20:40 Coach Ron O’Brien and motivation

24:55 Identity, HIV, and sponsorship struggles

29:28 Living with public persona

33:29 Evolving identity and being content

36:37 Meditation yoga and inner work

42:11 Looking inward for answers

44:39 Life wisdom and 45-year relationship

49:22 Mortality, HIV, and acceptance of death

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#GregLouganis #MidlifeChrysalis #OlympicLegend #HIVAwareness #MidlifeTransformation #PersonalGrowthJourney #IdentityShift #HealingJourney #ShadowWork #MeditationPractice #FacingMortality #Reinvention #LGBTQVoices #ResilienceStory #FromFameToFreedom

Midlife and the Moral Pressure of Limited Time | Kieran Setiya Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Midlife can feel unsettling even when life looks successful on paper. This episode explores why that discomfort appears and how it can become a source of clarity rather than crisis.

Our guest is Kieran Setiya, MIT philosophy professor and author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. Drawing from philosophy and lived experience, he offers a calm, deeply human way of understanding regret, time, ambition, and meaning in the middle years of life.

In this conversation, you will learn:

Why midlife is shaped by the past we cannot undo and a future that feels shorter
How goal chasing can quietly drain meaning from everyday life
The difference between living for outcomes and living through meaningful processes
Why regret and existential FOMO are signs of a rich value system, not personal failure
How attention, attachment, and acceptance create a more grounded way to live

This episode is thoughtful, reassuring, and deeply practical for anyone questioning direction, purpose, or satisfaction in midlife.

Listen now and discover a wiser, steadier way to meet the second half of life.

Timestamps:

02:59 Early interest in philosophy

05:28 Philosophy and physics connection

07:03 Why write about midlife

10:15 What defines midlife

12:46 Pressures, regret, and time poverty

15:27 Telic and atelic activities

20:03 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

21:23 Flow and engagement

22:37 Finding atelic activities

25:24 Chronos and Kairos

30:00 Anticipated regret as wisdom

34:48 Choosing a personal philosophy

37:38 Philosophers Kieran admires

40:47 When midlife ends

43:42 Philosophy and young people

48:19 Philosopher as president

51:03 Making philosophy practical

53:26 A life philosophy bumper sticker

57:37 Attachment and responsibility

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#kieransetiya #midlifephilosophy #telicvsatelic #midlifereckoning #existentialregret #meaningoverachievement #philosophyofmidlife #timeandmeaning #midlifereflection #existentialfomo #processovergoals #lifewithoutburnout #modernelderacademy #attentionandmeaning #livingwellmidlife

What a Cancer Diagnosis Teaches You About How to Live Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

What happens when time stops feeling endless and starts feeling real?

In this episode of Wisdom Wednesday, Chip Conley shares how living with cancer reshaped his relationship with time, purpose, and urgency in midlife.

Joined by Derek Gehl, Chip reflects on cancer scans, mortality, and why remembering that life is finite can actually deepen meaning, not fear.

Together they explore:

Why memento mori can bring clarity, not darkness
How midlife urgency is about intention, not panic
What legacy really means beyond achievement

This is a warm, life-affirming conversation about choosing what matters most when you realize tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

👉 Watch now, and join the conversation by leaving a comment or review.

Timestamps:

00:00 Opening and setup

00:42 Episode introduction

01:00 Workshops and unexpected contrasts

03:12 Ricky Williams and walking away from football

04:28 Cancer scans and living with uncertainty

05:20 Death as a daily presence

06:00 Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment journey

10:43 Hormone therapy and energy loss

13:46 Feeling mortality in the body

14:16 Memento mori and midlife urgency

16:30 Legacy and ripple of impact

18:24 Near death experience story

22:47 Succession planning and leadership wisdom

23:18 Talking about death without fear

26:10 Purpose usefulness and meaning

28:20 Wisdom bumper sticker on mortality

30:04 Gratitude and closing reflections

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#MidlifeWisdom #CancerJourney #LivingWithUrgency #MementoMori #MidlifePurpose #FacingMortality #LifeAfterCancer #ModernElder #MeaningfulLife #LegacyAndPurpose #MidlifeReflection #WisdomWednesday #PersonalGrowth #LifePerspective #ChipConley

From Ambition to “I’m Enough” | Brian Chesky Feb 22, 2026

Show notes

In this candid and heartfelt conversation, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky joins Chip Conley to explore the hidden side of success. From imposter syndrome to the emotional aftermath of the IPO, Brian shares what midlife has taught him about ambition, belonging, and finally realizing he is enough. In this episode, you’ll hear:• Why success didn’t fix his loneliness• How leadership evolved from control to connection• The wake-up call that followed Airbnb’s $100B milestone• Why midlife is a chance to redefine what truly matters This is a conversation about growth, vulnerability, and choosing relationships over relentless achievement.If you’re navigating success, questioning your next chapter, or redefining what fulfillment means, this one’s for you.Listen in and reflect on what “enough” means in your life. Timestamps:00:00 Reunion and reflecting on 13 years since Airbnb began01:02 How Brian recruited Chip and the early Airbnb vision02:27 Chutzpah and learning from mentors04:00 Discovering hospitality as Airbnb’s true business06:43 Early partnership dynamics and mutual mentorship11:21 Advice to his 26 year old founder self12:20 Imposter syndrome and leadership growth15:42 From creative outsider to Fortune 500 CEO17:26 Childhood, not belonging and ambition22:48 Loneliness after success and the IPO realization27:54 Investing in friendships and rebuilding connection29:00 Founder mode and evolving leadership style37:24 Redefining success in midlife38:17 Hoffman process and realizing he is enough41:35 Fear of intimacy and unfinished business50:03 The Airbnb Open and scaling with soul54:20 Wisdom bumper stickers and life lessons56:04 In you lies unknown potential1:00:48 I am enough and always was Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

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