Wisdom at Midlife and Beyond with Chip Conley

Midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a calling. In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and Modern Elder Academy founder Chip Conley sits down with host Alexia Brue to reframe aging as a powerful phase of reinvention. Drawing from his work with Airbnb and MEA, Chip explores how emotional resilience, community, and “life literacy” can become the true metrics of a long, meaningful life. With wit and wisdom, he challenges conventional career arcs and invites listeners to consider what a purposeful second (or third) act could look like.

Beth McGroarty of the Global Wellness Institute also joins the conversation to share data on the demographic shifts driving this reframing of midlife. She unpacks how aging boomers are rejecting traditional retirement, how longevity is reshaping work itself, and why we need bold new models for connection, housing, and purpose in later life.

Inside this Episode:

• Why wisdom—not youth—may be the most undervalued longevity asset
• Emotional, cognitive, and social well-being as pillars of healthspan
• New rites of passage: why we need a midlife curriculum
• The Modern Elder Academy and the future of multi-generational living
• Beth McGroarty: Rise of “Don’t-Call-It-Senior-Living” concepts like Mather, the wellness industry’s opportunity to support older workers, and the economic imperative to reimagine purpose after 60
• Why longevity solutions must go beyond biology to meaning, contribution, and community

Resources Mentioned:

• Modern Elder Academy
• Global Wellness Institute
• Mather Institute

Hosted by: Alexia Brue, co-founder of Well+Good; founder of a new healthspan training studio, The Practice; member of the Global Wellness Institute Board of Advisors

To learn more about the Global Wellness Institute please visit us at global wellness institute.org, connect with us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

Produced by: Emily Roberts and Ali Alquiza of Over Lunch 

Music provided by: Myndstream    

Thank you to our sponsor, Fountain Life, for supporting the GWI Podcast. Head to FountainLife.com to learn more.

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