In this Wisdom Wednesday episode, Chip Conley, entrepreneur, author, and founder of MEA, opens up about the quiet disappointment many high achievers feel after they’ve “made it.”
Through stories from building iconic companies, guiding Airbnb’s founders, and navigating midlife reckoning, Chip explores the success treadmill, and why chasing the next win so often leaves us unsatisfied.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
- Why success can feel addictive but never fulfilling
- The crucial difference between happiness and joy
- How a simple gratitude practice can change how life feels day to day
- What midlife teaches us about meaning, ego, and impact
Thoughtful, honest, and deeply human, this episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what actually matters.
👉 Watch now and step off the success treadmill.
Timestamps:
01:00 Holiday plans and family time
01:51 MEA Film Festival vision and growth
04:28 Defining success and ambition
06:30 Happiness vs. Joy
10:03 Making gratitude intentional
11:27 Realizing the success treadmill
15:21 Ego shift at Airbnb
16:32 Getting off the treadmill sooner
16:50 Near death experience and perspective
18:30 Service as gratitude practice
19:40 Facing illness and loss
21:33 This too shall pass
21:49 Collective gratitude and closing
Learn more about MEA at https://www.meawisdom.com/
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