The Midlife Chrysalis

He Died 11 Years Ago. Their Relationship Never Ended. | Lucy Kalanithi

Eleven years after losing her husband, the pain has changed. The love hasn’t. Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, physician and widow of Paul Kalanithi, author of When Breath Becomes Ai

Why Life Can Get Harder and Happier After 50 | Jonathan Rauch

Jonathan Rauch had reached the top of his career, yet each year he felt less satisfied. Then came the loss of his parents, his job, and a startup he had tried to build. T

The Hardest Leadership Lesson: Let Someone Else Be the Hero

Being the person who saves the day feels good. But letting someone else do it can make you a better leader. MEA founder Chip Conley joins Derek Gehl to talk about one of

What Changes When You Finally Let Go of Control? | Thomas DeLong

Success can look impressive on a résumé and still leave you wondering who you really are. At 76, Harvard Business School professor and former Morgan Stanley executive Th

Let Life Lead: A Different Way to Navigate Midlife | Nic Askew

Sometimes the most powerful way forward begins by doing less. Filmmaker Nic Askew has spent more than two decades capturing what happens when people stop performing and

Be Useful, Not Youthful: The Secret to Aging Well

At some point in midlife, achievement stops being enough. The titles matter less, the phone may stop ringing, and the question becomes: where does your value come from no

Can Your Beliefs Actually Change How You Age? | Shawn Achor

We’re taught to expect decline as we get older. But the science tells a far more hopeful story. In this episode, bestselling author and positive psychology expert Shawn

He Spent 10 Years Filming the World’s Oldest People | Sam Green

What can the world’s oldest people teach us about time, aging, and being alive? Academy Award nominated filmmaker Sam Green spent 10 years filming people who held the ti

Why Birthdays Matter More as We Get Older

Why do we celebrate birthdays as kids, then slowly stop celebrating ourselves as we get older? In this episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley joins Derek Gehl for

Surfing at 87, Writing at 91: James Flaherty’s Rules for Life

At 91, James Flaherty isn’t slowing down. He’s still writing, creating, learning, and planning what comes next. A former advertising executive, entrepreneur, innkeeper,

From Role to Soul: Who Are You Without What You Do? | Connie Zweig

Aging isn’t just about getting older. It’s about discovering who you are when the roles that once defined you begin to fall away. In this episode, Chip Conley sits down

You Can’t Rush Grief: Learning to Feel What We’ve Lost

Some losses hit harder than we ever expect, and grief doesn’t follow our timeline. In this deeply personal episode of Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley opens up about the u

What Happens After You Achieve Your Biggest Dream? | Paul Harris

What happens when the identity you've spent your entire life building suddenly disappears? Former South African international cricketer Paul Harris reached the highest l

From Doing to Being: The Power of Presence | Teddi Dean

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is stop doing and simply be present. In this episode, Chip Conley talks with Teddi Dean, former Bones Brigade skateboarder tu

Curiosity Is the Secret to a Richer Life

Happiness and purpose may not be enough for a truly rich life. In this episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley joins Derek Gehl to explore psychological richness a

We’re Living Longer. Why Isn’t Society Ready? | David Sinclair

The longevity revolution isn’t coming. We’re already living it, and we’re not ready. In this episode, David Sinclair of the International Longevity Centre joins Chip Con

From Achievement to Fulfillment: Building Your Life 3.0 | Seth Streeter

Success can look impressive on the outside and still leave you feeling like something is missing.Seth Streeter, co-founder of Mission Wealth, spent decades building a suc

Could Living Together Be the Secret to Aging Better?

Growing older is changing. Maybe the way we live should change with it. In this episode of Wisdom Wednesday, Chip Conley joins Derek Gehl to explore a new approach to la

You Got Everything You Wanted. Now What? | Edward Sullivan

What happens when you achieve the success you've worked for... and it still doesn't feel like enough? In this episode of The Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley sits down wit

Follow the Energy, Not the Career Script | Arun Gupta

Your job title tells people what you do. The problem you care about tells them who you are. Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach and co-author of The Mission Generation, joins