The Midlife Chrysalis
The Midlife Chrysalis
Podcast Description
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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on themes of personal transformation, emotional healing, and the pursuit of purpose in midlife, with episodes discussing topics such as redefining success and letting go of past identities, exemplified by guests like Maria Shriver exploring identity beyond legacy and Michael Franti sharing his journey of emotional recovery through music.

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.
What if everything you’ve believed about aging and retirement is wrong?
In this week’s Wisdom Wednesday, Chip and Derek dive into the surprising truth about aging. Why retirement often makes us less healthy, how community and purpose keep us alive longer, and why our “crystallized intelligence” actually gets stronger well into our 60s and 70s. They explore the real ingredients of a meaningful midlife, the magic of third-vault conversations, and the stories of people who’ve traded old scripts for more inspired lives.
If you’re ready to feel hopeful, energized, and a little more excited about the years ahead, watch the full episode.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:34 Welcome to Wisdom Wednesdays
01:43 The origins of age 65 retirement
02:59 How retirement affects lifespan
04:08 Fluid intelligence vs crystallized intelligence
06:01 What people need the most after 50
08:27 Chip’s own “mini retirement”
10:07 Rethinking the three-stage life
11:58 The litigator who became a baker
14:11 Keeping your options open
16:15 Changing habits by changing habitat
17:16 The concept of the third vault
20:12 Deeper conversations with aging
20:56 Episode wrap-up and closing remarks
Learn more about MEA at https://www.meawisdom.com/
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