It's never to late to reinvent yourself (Chip Conley - Modern Elder Academy, Airbnb, Joie de Vivre)

Chip Conley is the founder of Modern Elder Academy, the world's first midlife wisdom school, and a bestselling author who has become the leading voice on conscious aging and midlife transformation. Before creating this revolutionary educational platform, he spent 24 years building Joie de Vivre into the second-largest boutique hotel company in the US then joined Airbnb at age 52 as the strategic advisor to the founders. He helped guide the startup to become the world's most valuable hospitality company.

In this conversation, we explore Chip's complete reinvention journey and the practical framework he's developed for midlife transformation. We discuss the neuroscience of aging, the shift from ego to soul-driven living, and how to leverage accumulated wisdom in new contexts.

I've always been fascinated by people who successfully reinvent themselves, especially later in life when it seems riskier and harder. Chip represents the gold standard. His journey from hotel mogul to tech sage to wisdom educator offers a practical blueprint for anyone feeling stuck in their current identity and ready for something new.

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

🌀This podcast is sponsored by Conscious Talent - where business leaders and companies who value both inner work and professional excellence connect. Learn more and join the Conscious Talent network here: https://www.conscioustalent.com/

(00:00) Introduction & Defining the Modern Elder (01:38) From Ego to Soul (03:31) A Near-Death Wake-Up Call (05:34) The U-Curve of Happiness (09:20) Midlife Crisis or Midlife Chrysalis (13:20) Redefining Midlife (16:19) Self-Worth, Bracing, and Overachievement (19:00) From Attaining to Attuning (22:02) Resilience vs. Adaptability (23:37) Can You Achieve from Attunement? (27:23) Lessons from Airbnb (30:55) Ripples of Impact (34:22) Living Soul-Led (39:30) Where Are the Elders? (43:15) Sharing Wisdom Across Generations (45:15) Knowledge vs. Wisdom