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Chip is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), where a new roadmap for midlife is offered at a beautiful oceanfront campus in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and forthcoming campuses in Santa Fe, NM. His five books have made him a leading authority at the intersection of psychology and business. Chip had tons of wisdom to share in this talk, including how to use regret as fuel for the future, what founders can learn when they shift their identities, how to manage people older than you, what Chip learned from the people that he mentored, and his favorite interview question. Love the show? Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share! Resources MentionedFinish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top: https://bit.ly/3jtlA2NLife Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age: https://amzn.to/3HFPjOaWisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder: https://bit.ly/3YjOxwQFollow Chip Conley on:Website: https://chipconley.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChipConleyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf/Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/chipconleyauthorConnect with Alisa! Follow Alisa Cohn on Instagram: @alisacohn Twitter: @alisacohn Facebook: facebook.com/alisa.cohn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/ Website: http://www.alisacohn.com Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better) Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from AmazonLove the show? Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share!
Chip Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, an advisor to Airbnb and the author of 5 books, including his most recent work; Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder https://amzn.to/2FGPUAI. In this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, he talks about wisdom, curiosity, and what it means to live a good life as you age. [Original Air Date: Feb 5, 2019] SHOW NOTES: How Chip Conley lived and died 9 times within a 90 minute period [2:24] What he says about a divine intervention [5:10] Chip Conley talks about psychedelic experience and why art is at the center of life [6:15] How we're being possessed by smartphone screens and not having real-life experiences anymore [8:11] How to “tap into” the atmosphere of burning man without going to a big festival [9:03] The nametags people wear without realizing it and the mindsets we carry about our lives [10:37] Chip Conley provides thoughts on the value of society. [12:40] The U-curve of happiness and how you get less happy each decade until mid-life [15:39] Why he joined AIRBNB at age 52 and became the modern elder [16:54] The value of energy, curiosity, passion. [18:54] Why pattern recognition is so important for living an awesome life [19:12] How to foster curiosity [21:25] The recipe for Chip Conley's success [22:40] Check out appreciative inquiry [23:17] Why the difference between presence and absence is an iPhone. [25:54] Why presence is more valuable now than it's ever been before [26:02] The ritual of burning man and the hero's journey [27:27] What's interesting about life? [29:30] One of the most valuable questions in business is “what business are you in?” [32:41] Maslow's hierarchy of needs [34:34] Why 5 of his friends committed suicide and what he took from that [38:05] The difference between attain mode vs. attune mode in life (important!) [39:37] Why he wants to make aging aspirational again [41:15] SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Get 5 free AG1 Travel Packs and a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D with your first purchase at https://impacttheory.co/AG1pod. Secure your digital life with proactive protection for your assets, identity, family, and tech – Go to https://impacttheory.co/aurapod to start your free two-week trial. What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here: If you want my help... STARTING a business: join me here at ZERO TO FOUNDER SCALING a business: see if you qualify here. Get my battle-tested strategies and insights delivered weekly to your inbox: sign up here. Join me live on my Twitch stream. I'm live daily from 6:30 to 8:30 am PT at www.twitch.tv/tombilyeu Feeling stuck? Check out Billion Dollar Habits and unlock the mindset strategies that helped me achieve all my goals. This community will show you how to gain clarity and build discipline so you can become the person you've always wanted to be. Click here to learn more. LISTEN TO IMPACT THEORY AD FREE + BONUS EPISODES on APPLE PODCASTS: apple.co/impacttheory FOLLOW TOM: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if midlife is not a crisis, but a chrysalis for transformation?This compelling question drives the conversation in this episode of Life in Transition with guest Chip Conley, best-selling author, hospitality entrepreneur, and founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA). Chip, who has navigated his own midlife challenges—including a near-death experience and redefining his identity—shares profound insights on how midlife can be a time of renewal and reinvention, rather than a period of crisis.At age 50, after building a highly successful boutique hotel company, Chip faced a turbulent period where his personal and professional life crumbled. But instead of seeing it as the end, Chip reframed his experience as a period of shedding—letting go of old identities to embrace something new. “I molted my identity, much like a snake sheds its skin,” Conley shares, describing the necessity of outgrowing old roles and labels. This process of molting allowed him to reimagine his life, eventually leading to his role as a mentor to the founders of Airbnb and later the creation of MEA.In this enlightening episode, Chip's reflections offer listeners practical wisdom on how to navigate the messy middle of midlife and emerge stronger on the other side. Whether you're going through your own transition or looking to support someone else, these insights serve as a powerful reminder that midlife can be a time of flourishing, not fading.In this episode, we'll talk about:Molting Old Identities: Chip Conley discusses the process of letting go of outdated identities and roles, and how this creates space for personal growth and reinvention in midlife.Navigating Transitions: Chip's near-death experience offered him a new perspective on life, prompting him to embrace urgency and purpose in every moment.Midlife Wisdom: Chip explains how the Modern Elder Academy helps people cultivate wisdom and reframe their relationship with aging, turning midlife from a crisis into an opportunity for transformation.The Importance of Community: Chip highlights the lack of social infrastructure for people in midlife and how having a support system is crucial for navigating life's transitions.Relationships and Growth: As we change in midlife, so do our relationships. Chip stresses the importance of empathy and recognizing how personal growth impacts others.Letting Go of Toxic Relationships: In some cases, personal growth may mean leaving behind relationships that no longer serve us, and Chip discusses how to navigate this difficult process.Living with Urgency and Purpose: Inspired by his experiences, Chip advocates for living every day as if it were your last, focusing on what truly matters.Connect with Chip:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedInMentioned on the Show:Books:Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder – A book by Chip Conley where he shares his journey at Airbnb and his insights on becoming a modern elder.Learning to Love Midlife – Chip referenced his writing on midlife transitions, particularly focusing on the concept of becoming "nobody" and shedding old identities.Becoming Nobody by Ram Dass – Chip mentioned this book while discussing the shedding of identities in midlife.Modern Elder Academy (MEA):Website: MEAwisdom.com – Chip's academy focuses on helping people navigate midlife transitions and cultivate wisdom through in-person and online programs.The Anatomy of a Transition: A free resource available on the MEA website that outlines the stages of transition (Ending, Messy Middle, New Beginning).Podcasts and Fireside Chats:Chip mentioned his popular online fireside chats featuring thought leaders like Gloria Steinem and Dr. Mark Hyman, which draw hundreds of attendees for intimate discussions on various topics.Movies and Talks:Chip referenced Ellen Langer, a prominent psychologist, during his conversation about aging and mindfulness, highlighting a fireside chat he had with her.Let's connect! Follow us on social media for a daily dose of inspiration, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments.FacebookInstagramXLinkedInYouTubeExplore our website for more in-depth information, resources, and to download the 8-step guide to mastering mid-life transitions.My new book PURPOSEFUL LIVING is out now. Order it now: https://a.co/d/cJKOpo6The views and opinions expressed on the Life In Transition podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Life In Transition, and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2024.
On this episode, Doro and Tricia welcome Chip Conley, co-founder of Modern Elder Academy, for an enlightening conversation on redefining aging. Chip presents the idea that midlife spans from 35 to 75 years, suggesting we have more ahead of us than we realize. He delves into the possibilities surrounding physical health, emotional intelligence, social relationships, and finding purpose during these years. Chip advocates for age fluidity, social wellness, and shedding societal expectations. Drawing from his book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, he shares personal anecdotes and practical advice, blending wisdom, joy, and spirituality to embrace the transformative journey of aging.
How can entrepreneurs and business owners avoid getting bogged down in the doom and gloom of midlife? How can they reframe this phase of life as an opportunity for wisdom and growth? In this episode, Bill and his guest explore coping with uncertainty, consciously curating your life, and the need for modern elders to be curious and wise. Today's guest is Chip Conley, a hospitality disrupter, bestselling author, and the co-founder of the Modern Elder Academy, a “midlife wisdom school” that helps people get unstuck and cultivate purpose. Key topics that Bill and Chip explore in this episode: - Aging and wisdom. - How both Bill and Chip felt depressed and anxious in their 40s, yet found happiness and fulfillment in their 50s and beyond.- How the Modern Elder Academy is helping people reframe their midlife crisis and find joy in the second half of life.- The intersection of curiosity and wisdom. - Why wisdom is different from being smart or savvy.- Bringing wacky ideas to leadership team meetings.- Diffusing criticism and reaching out to critics.- Learning from stories and events, rather than simply following a suggested approach.- Bill's experience selling a hotel chain to Hyatt.- Chip's experience as a mentor at Airbnb. - How people over 50 can stay relevant in the workforce. - Aging, purpose, and authenticity. - Living in the present moment and prioritizing relationships when faced with mortality.- Chip's near-death experiences. Thanks to Chip Conley for being on the show! Learn about the Modern Elder Academy: https://www.meawisdom.com/ Get Chip's book, Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age: https://amzn.to/3X7zuJ6 Get Chip's book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder: https://amzn.to/457A5g4 Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth. Join Bill in the Growth Navigator Coaching Program: https://ScalingCoach.com/workshop Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/BillGallBill on YouTube: https://www.YouTube.com/@BillGallagherScalingCoach Visit https://ScalingUp.com to learn more about Verne Harnish, our team of Scaling Up Coaches, and the Scaling Up Performance Platform, which includes coaching, learning, software, and summit. We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around people, strategy, execution, and cash so that they can scale up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.Subscribe via Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PGhWPJSubscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PKe00uBill on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billgall/ Bill on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/billgall Chapters in this episode: (0:05) Midlife crisis, happiness, and the Modern Elder Academy. (3:45) Wisdom, aging, and leadership practices. (8:14) Leadership lessons. (13:01) Sharing wisdom through storytelling. (17:30) Entrepreneurship and mentorship. (22:12) Finding purpose and meaning in life after 50. (29:00) Curiosity in personal and professional growth. (33:41) Finding...
Welcome to Building Brand You™, the podcast that helps you accelerate your success by unlocking your greatest asset – you. KEY TAKEAWAYS We are all in the moving business and that means any movement i.e. taking action, starts with you. YOU are the first mover. Being a leader means being able to move from the individual to the team, from me to we, and acting for the team, rather than just being part of it. Our longevity creates value, because it provides human beings with a mechanism for improving the lives of all ages. Shifting others' perspectives and opinions about what we'd like them to believe and the actions we would like them to take involves changing our patterns of behaviour out in the world for a bigger impact. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Wisdom at Work: The Making of the Modern Elder by Chip Conley; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Work-Making-Modern-Elder/dp/0241367719 Podcast - A Little Bit of Optimism: The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt https://open.spotify.com/episode/5fXc96IhTIecvv6N5SeZgL?si=a35dace2fb5d4490 ABOUT KYM HAMER: Kym Hamer is an international leadership, visibility and impact coach, a personal branding expert and serial entrepreneur, and the creator of Building Brand You™, a methodology helping organisations, teams, and individuals to build visibility and reputational rigor as essential building blocks for delivering sustained business value. In other words, accelerating results by unlocking your greatest asset - YOU! In 2020, just one year after launching her first business, she was nominated by Thinkers360 as one of the Top 100 Women B2B Leadership influencers and is currently in the Top 25 Personal Branding and Top 12 Marketing Influencers in the world. For 4 years running Kym has also been one of Thinkers360's Top 10 Thought Leaders on Entrepreneurship and in 2023, was recognised as one of their Top Voices for 2023 globally. Kym is the Founder & CEO of Artemis Futures International, a Founding Board Member of the Customer Experience & Service Association Middle East, and co-founder of CXSA Group Ltd. She has been part of the faculty with Homeward Bound Projects, a global initiative reaching 1.8 billion people, equipping women and non-binary people with a STEMM background to lead conversations for a sustainable future. She voyaged to Antarctica in 2023 for 19 nights delivering the immersive component of the HB programme for more than 170 women, and is currently Faculty Lead for Homeward Bound's 8th leadership cohort. In between all of these things, you'll find her curled up in a corner with her nose in a book. Building Brand You™: JOIN the BBY Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildingbrandyou SUBSCRIBE to the BBY Podcast on: (Apple) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/building-brand-you/id1567407273 (Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ho26pAQ5uJ9h0dGNicCIq SIGN UP to The BBY Bookshelf - https://bit.ly/BBYBookshelf CONNECT WITH KYM HAMER: LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/kymhamer/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kymhamerartemis/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kymhamerartemis/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kymhamer Thinkers360 - https://bit.ly/thinkers360-kymhamer-BBY Find out about BBY Coaching - https://calendly.com/kymhamer/bbychat/ HOSTED BY: Kym Hamer DISCLAIMER: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Building Brand You™ podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved. They do not necessarily represent any other entities, agencies, organisations, or companies. Building Brand You™ is not responsible and does not verify the accuracy of any of the information in the podcast available for listening on this site. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast does not constitute legal advice or services.
In this episode of The Impulsive Thinker, André delves into the transformative nature of transitions as he sits down with Chip Conley. Chip is the founder and CEO of MEA (Modern Elder Academy) and a NYT bestselling author, shares insights from his new book "Learning to Love Midlife" and provides a fresh perspective on transitions. Key Points Covered: - Embracing Transition: Chip Conley redefines midlife as a chrysalis rather than a crisis, shedding light on the transformative power of this phase. - The Three Stages of Transition: The discussion uncovers the three crucial stages of transition - the end, the messy middle, and new beginnings. - Harnessing Social Support: Chip highlights the role of social support as a vital tool in navigating the messy middle and propelling a successful new beginning. Summary Points: 1. Embracing transition as an opportunity for growth and transformation. 2. Understanding the significance of each stage within the transition process. 3. Harnessing social support as a crucial tool for navigating transitions effectively. transition with Chip Conley, providing a fresh perspective on embracing change and growth in the entrepreneur's journey. One Question for Listeners: Reflecting on the transitions in your own life, André challenges listeners to consider the support systems they have in place. Are you investing in the right kind of assistance that not only understands your journey but also propels your personal and professional growth? This episode is a must-listen for high-achieving entrepreneurs with a growth mindset, offering valuable insights into leveraging transitions for personal and professional development. Join André as he explores the anatomy of transitions. Chip Conley, acclaimed for his rare blend of curiosity and wisdom, has not just excelled as a “Modern Elder” but also embraced this role wholeheartedly. Over seven pivotal years, he was instrumental in steering Airbnb towards its IPO, serving four years in a full-time capacity and three and a half years part-time. In the midst of these endeavors, Chip retreated to Baja for inspiration and authored "Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder." During a reflective beach run, the "Baja Aha" moment struck, igniting the concept of a revolutionary retreat for midlife transformation. Acting on this insight, he founded the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), the first learning sanctuary of its kind, dedicated to empowering individuals in midlife to rediscover and reshape their futures. You can reach Chip Conley through his website, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. We are pleased to offer the following free ebooks: · The Anatomy of a Transition · Why Do Successful Leaders Value Wisdom Check out the ADHD Transform Journey Program that is now available. We would like to hear from you! Please send show ideas, questions, or feedback to podcast@tacticalbts.com and join our mailing list here! Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Check out our website at Tactical Breakthroughs. André Brisson can also be found on LinkedIn. You can find other Podcast Episodes here!
New York Times bestselling author Learning to Love Midlife on why life gets better with age, midlife as a chrysalis & awakening and how we can create the ideal condition for a Creative Life.*ABOUT CHIP CONLEYChip Conley is on a mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the world, and then as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded Modern Elder Academy, the first-ever ‘midlife wisdom school,' in January 2018.Conley is also the award-winning author of New York Times bestseller Emotional Equations, alongside Peak: Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow, The Rebel Rules, Marketing That Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World, and Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, which forms the core of the Modern Elder Academy's curriculum. Conley's book A Year of Wisdom is based on daily inspiration and insight from his Wisdom Well blog. His latest book is Learning to Love Midlife, a book about rebranding midlife to help people understand a life stage that is misunderstood.*RESOURCES & LINKSLearning to Love Midlife by Chip ConleyModern Elder AcademyJoie de Vivre hospitalityThe Practice by Seth GodinChip's daily blog Wisdom WellCarol Dwecks' Growth MindsetPeak by Chip ConleyCollective Effervescence conceptAwe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.comFor free writing sessions, join free Writers' Hours: writershour.com
In this episode, Emma shares her list of must-read books for personal and professional development in 2024. From redefining retirement strategies in "Quit Like a Millionaire" to discovering the power of purpose-driven leadership in "Start with Why," Emma shares titles such as "Glossy," providing a behind-the-scenes look at Glossier's rise and marketing innovations. This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for those seeking inspiration and actionable insights from noteworthy reads. Listen in as we speak about: Quit Like a Millionaire: Redefining Retirement Start with Why: Leadership and Marketing Insights Glossy Ambition: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Glossier Come up for Air: Streamlining Team Efficiency The Making of a Manager: Navigating Leadership Challenges And much, much, more! Connect with Ninety Five Media: Website Instagram Ready to work with a strategic Social Media Marketing team? Apply to work with us here Need Support with Your Podcast? We've got you covered Looking for a marketing expert to help you with setting your goals and building a custom strategy? Book a Strategy Intensive with Emma here: strategyintensivecall.co Books Mentioned: Quit Like A Millionaire Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier Come Up For Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You Rich As F*ck: More Money Than You Know What to Do With
The notorious midlife crisis is that time in our lives when many of us ask: “whose life am I living?” For many, it can be an emotional roller coaster generating confusion, challenge, and mystery. We start to question the meaning of our life and what we really want out of it. It can be overwhelming to confront these questions. The good news is that it doesn't need to be. It turns out that a healthy injection of wisdom is a big part of the solution. This is precisely why we're thrilled to welcome world renowned midlife and wisdom expert, Chip Conley, to this episode of Geeks Geezers and Googlization. Among Chip's many accomplishments, he's the CEO and Founder of Modern Elder Academy - the world's first "midlife wisdom school," where attendees learn how to repurpose a lifetime of experience for the modern workplace. He's also a NY Times best selling author including his most recent book, "Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder." It's a testament to rethinking the value of having five generations in the workplace and why more companies are doing their best to encourage their older workers to stay in the workplace longer. Who should attend: Any one who wants midlife (at whatever age that is) to be fulfilling and filled with meaning instead of regret. Order your copy of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder here. Learn more about the Modern Elder Academy for navigating midlife and beyond here.
What if your best days were ahead of you not behind you? What if aging was something to look forward to, not resist? Nathan's guest today is Chip Conley, "Modern Elder" and founder of the first Midlife Wisdom School. Chip is a hospitality maverick and visionary who founded America's second-largest boutique hotel company before selling it to Hyatt Hotels and becoming the Strategic Advisor and Global Head of Hospitality for Airbnb. He was instrumental in guiding the founders of this start-up into the unicorn, global hospitality brand it is today. Chip is also the founder of Modern Elder Academy, the first midlife wisdom school dedicated to transforming aging and a New York Times bestselling author. He has another brand new project called Generations over Dinner. Links from the episode: Bruce Feiler's Book: Life in the Transitions Joseph Campbell: The Hero's JourneyPhillip Pizzo, MD: Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute Harvard Longitudinal Study: George Vaillant Richard RohrArthur Aron's 36 QuestionsLynne Twist Book: The Soul of MoneyBecca Levy: Yale School of AgingChip Links: Wisdom Well BlogWisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern ElderModern Elder AcademyGenerations Over DinnerLinkedinFacebookTwitterInstagramShow Notes: The Happiness U-Curve [8:38]What leads to a low point in happiness around mid-life [10:32]Chip's hotel background and building an empire [13:38]Becoming a modern elder and the mid-life chrysalis [15:41]The factors that prompt mid-life "crisis" or "lifequake" and middleessence [18:15] 3 stages of transition [21:52]Long-life learning and a rich and meaningful life [25:00]Obstacles to fulfillment in life [29:50]#1 Factor in long-term life satisfaction [34:26]Chip's beliefs on creating financial wealth and what it can offer [34:26]Reconning with identity [42:45]4 Pillars of the Modern Elder Academy [47:15]Generations Over Dinner [49:29]www.richlifeguy.com
..of Believing, Beholding, Worshiping , Adoring, Loving…
Today, I'm talking to Chip Conley. Chip founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality at the age of 26, turned it into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America, and sold the business 24 years later. Soon after, the founders of Airbnb came to him for advice, and he joined them as their Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy before settling into a role as their Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. He's also the founder of Modern Elder Academy, the world's first “midlife wisdom school,” with a campus in Baja California Sur and one soon to open in Santa Fe. In his most recent book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, Chip writes about the value of humility, emotional intelligence, and wisdom–and how companies like Airbnb benefit from skills that can only come with age. In this conversation, Chip and I discuss the identity crises that come with exits of all sizes and the lessons he learned by joining Airbnb, how our calling evolves over the course of our lives, and how to find (and take advantage of) the incredible opportunities that life transitions give us. GET A FREE COPY OF CHIP'S BOOK, WISDOM AT WORK! Here's all you have to do... Step 1.) Subscribe to the podcast and leave an honest rating & review over on iTunes. Step 2.) Text BOOK, that's B-O-O-K to 866-482-9559 for a link to our book request page, complete the form and we will ship you the book for free. It's that simple! In this podcast interview, you'll learn: What it means to be a modern elder. The difference between calling, purpose, and meaning. How Chip is working to teach wisdom at Modern Elder Academy. What midlife is and isn't–and why Chip believes “midlife crisis” to be a misnomer. The equations that can help us identify (and learn from) our emotions. Chip's advice for anyone over the age of 50 who's thinking about taking a big leap. Show Notes: RetireWithPurpose.com/306 Rate & Review the Podcast: RetireWithPurpose.com/review Weekly Retirement Newsletter: RetireWithPurpose.com/weekend-reading
In this episode, Mary connects with Everett Harper, a CEO, entrepreneur, strategist and author of the new book, Move to the Edge, Declare it Center, which offers a pragmatic take on solving complex problems and making decisions through uncertainty and offers leaders a new framework for success in an increasingly uncertain, and unpredictable world. Everett is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Truss, a human-centered software development company, recently named as an Inc 5000 fastest-growing private company. He is a rare combination of a Black entrepreneur with Silicon Valley pedigree, a proven record for solving complex problems with social impact, and the foresight to build a company that's been remote-first since 2011, salary-transparent since 2017, anticipating the importance of hybrid work and diversity, equity and inclusion by a decade. Everett has a history of firsts, among them: first in his family to go to college and participated in the first NCAA National Championship for Duke University — in any sport. In his career, he's leveraged those firsts to help millions of others, from helping fix healthcare.gov at Truss to fighting poverty worldwide as a Board Member of CARE. Everett's distinctive voice and unique history makes him a sought-after speaker on DEI, leadership during uncertainty, remote/hybrid work, and social entrepreneurship. He has been featured at conferences such as Dent, Tugboat, TechStars and Velocity, podcasts like the Commonwealth Club and AfroTech, and writing for Forbes, Thrive Global, and TechCrunch. Move to the Edge, Declare it Center is his first book, to be published by Wiley in March 2022. Everett has worked for Bain & Co, has an MBA from Stanford, is a Duke Scholar from Duke University, with a BS in Biomedical & Electrical Engineering. Everett grew up a small-town kid in New York's Hudson Valley. He currently lives in Oakland, CA, making limoncello when life hands him lemons. Resources mentioned in the episode: Move to the Edge, Declare it Center by Everett HarperWisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder Chip ConleyThe post Episode 35: Move to the Edge, Declare it Center with Everett Harper appeared first on Modern Career.
Episode Guest: Chip Conley, author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and founder of the Modern Elder AcademyEpisode Description: At age 52, after selling the company he founded and ran as CEO for 24 years, rebel boutique hotelier Chip Conley was looking at an open horizon in midlife. Then he received a call from the young founders of Airbnb, asking him to help grow their disruptive start-up into a global hospitality giant. He had the industry experience, but Conley was lacking in the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. He didn't write code, or have an Uber or Lyft app on his phone, was twice the age of the average Airbnb employee, and would be reporting to a CEO young enough to be his son. Conley quickly discovered that while he'd been hired as a teacher and mentor, he was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a mid-life worker: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner's mind, and a willingness to evolve, all hallmarks of the "Modern Elder."In a world that venerates the new, bright, and shiny, many of us are left feeling invisible, undervalued, and threatened by the "digital natives" nipping at our heels. But Conley argues that experience is on the brink of a comeback. Because at a time when power is shifting younger, companies are finally waking up to the value of the humility, emotional intelligence, and wisdom that come with age. And while digital skills might have only the shelf life of the latest fad or gadget, the human skills that mid-career workers possess--like good judgment, specialized knowledge, and the ability to collaborate and coach - never expire.Conley ignites an urgent conversation about ageism in the workplace, calling on us to treat age as we would other types of diversity. In the process, Conley liberates the term "elder" from the stigma of "elderly," and inspires us to embrace wisdom as a path to growing whole, not old. Whether you've been forced to make a mid-career change, are choosing to work past retirement age, or are struggling to keep up with the millennials rising up the ranks, Wisdom@Work will help you write your next chapter. About Chip Conley:Chip Conley is a New York Times bestselling author and the hospitality maverick who helped Airbnb's founders turn their fast-growing tech start-up into a global hospitality brand. In Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, he shares his unexpected journey at midlife - from CEO to intern - learning about technology as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, while also mentoring CEO Brian Chesky. Chip is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, where a new roadmap for midlife is offered at a beautiful oceanfront campus in Baja California Sur, Mexico. He serves on the board of Encore.org and the advisory board for the Stanford Center for Longevity. Get in touch with Chip Conley:Program Handout: https://revolutionizeretirement.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Chip-Conley-Resources.pdf Chip's website: https://www.modernelderacademy.com/ Purchase Chip's Book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder: https://revolutionizeretirement.com/modernelder Grab our free guide, 10 Key Issues to Consider as You Explore Your Retirement Transition, at https://10keyretirementissues.com/
What do modern elders bring to the table? Contrary to stereotypes of older workers being poor performers and resistant to change, among many myths out there, modern elders have a lot more to offer than most people think. In this episode, I'm doing a review of the book, “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” by Chip Conley, which has been instrumental in my thinking about an encore career. Working from his own experience, Chip ran a boutique hotel company for over 24 years before selling it in the early 2000s. With his extensive experience in the hospitality industry, Chip soon became a mentor to the CEO of Airbnb and, eventually, its employees, who were only half of Chip's age. Without knowledge of the technology side of business, Chip was also open to learning more about the things he needed to learn. Whether you're still figuring out what to do in the next phase of your life, or you're already transitioning to a new career, take insights from what I'm going to be sharing with you today. Be open to growth, hold on to curiosity, and get energized for the second half of your life! We'll dive deeper into these concepts: Moving from a knowledge worker to a wisdom worker What an elder could bring to the table What modern elders need to do Don't retire, but rewire Looking for examples of people who grew in their second half of life Start with making the world better for five people Myths and stereotypes of older workers The digital quotient Now, for some action steps: Download the free worksheet: Three Steps You Need for a More Productive Workday Grab the book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley Check out Modern Elder Academy Take the Encore Career Clarity Quiz Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook Please leave a Rating and Review: Since this podcast is new, I'm asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Creating Your Encore Career is all about. If you enjoyed this episode, we've created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at https://www.lynnfriesth.com/podcast to download it. I thank you so much for being here and I'll see ya next time on Creating Your Encore Career. — Lynn *** Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
At what point in our lives do we become an elder? Does anyone really want to listen to elder wisdom? And what does it actually look and feel like to be a "modern elder?" I get to explore these salient questions on the MY FOURTH ACT Podcast with a very wide range of very cool peeps. I knew I had to speak with Chip Conley, the former Head of Hospitality and Global Strategy at Airbnb. Not only was Chip instrumental in helping Airbnb become the global mega-brand it is today - Chip also wrote THE book that single-handedly reclaimed the word "elder" for our modern times: Wisdom at Work: The Making of A Modern Elder. Here are 3 brilliant guests who help me bust some misconceptions about what elder wisdom is - and what it isn't: Chip Conley, 61: Former Head of Hospitality and Global Strategy at Airbnb, Founder of the Modern Elder Academy Steven Petrow, 64: Acclaimed Washington Post & New York Times columnist, author of the best-selling Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old Marge Schiller, Ph.D., 83: Appreciative Inquiry Thought-leader, Author, Intergenerationalist
The Sisters wrap-up the series on generations in the workforce with a discussion of Chip Conley's "Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder."
In this episode, I speak to Chip Conley the author of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. Chip is a rebel hospitality entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, Chip disrupted his favorite industry... twice. At age 26 he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. He sold JdV after running it as CEO for 24 years, and soon the young founders of Airbnb asked him to help transform their promising start-up into the world's leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company's Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. In this episode, we discuss: - The Modern Elder Academy - The Beginner's Mind - How to navigate midlife transitions- How listening connects with wisdom and much more Connect with Chip Conley:Homepage: chipconley.com/Modern Elder Academy: modernelderacademy.com/Twitter: twitter.com/ChipConleyLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf/Follow In Search of Wisdom:Twitter: twitter.com/searchofwisdomInstagram: instagram.com/searchofwisdompodcastSign-up for our free email meditations (short reflections on wisdom).
As Carl Jung said, the operating system for the first half of our adult life is our ego, but for the second half, it is our soul. In light of this, there is a need for more resources to use as we age that can help us regenerate instead of simply retire. Chip Conley has created one such resource called the Modern Elder Academy and he joins us on the show today to share about the work they do there and the philosophy behind it. At age 26, Chip began building Joie de Vivre, the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. He also worked closely with the founders of Airbnb to grow the company into what it is today. On top of this, Chip is the bestselling author of books like Peak, and Wisdom at Work: The Making of the Modern Elder. The Modern Elder Academy is a school dedicated to helping people navigate midlife through intimate workshops that provide tools to change one's career, life, and relationships. Joining this conversation, listeners will hear how Modern Elder Community creates regenerative communities, and take a deeper dive into some of the programs and courses they have on offer. Chip also gets into his ideas about the kind of philosophy he believes people would benefit from adopting as they age. He highlights the need for curiosity and a feeling of being useful, the growing talent older folk have for thinking big picture, and the wisdom that elders can bring to the young in a business environment. For all this and more from a man who is pushing for greater emotional wellbeing and a feeling of vocation as we age, be sure to tune in.Key points from this episode:The work of shifting mindsets around aging done at Modern Elder Academy.New programs at Modern Elder Academy and how COVID has shaped these plans.Why Chip started the Modern Elder Academy to share wisdom relating to aging.The relationship Chip developed with Herb Kelleher and what he learned from him.Why Chip was attracted to entrepreneurship and disruption and how this steered his career.How Chip's disruptive spirit is playing out with MEA by creating ‘regenerative communities'.Chips perspectives on the role of curiosity in creativity and innovation.The value of having a growth mindset for staying vital as one ages.Changes in brain functionality as one age that can be confirmed as positive.Moving from the operating system of the ego to that of the soul as we age.The need to have a sense of usefulness for staying healthy as we age.Final words of advice from Chip about values that can sustain us as we age.Links mentioned in today's episode:Chip ConleyChip Conley on TwitterChip Conley on LinkedInWisdom WellWisdom at Work: The Making of the Modern ElderModern Elder Academy‘The Emergence of Long Life Learning'Herb KelleherErik EriksonLiz LambertBrian CheskyAirbnbCarl Jung
Curiosity can help us live richer, more vital lives. So how can we cultivate it? Author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Modern Elder Academy, Chip Conley discusses where curiosity comes from, how to fuel it, and what purpose it has in our lives. He explores its relationship to empathy, to a growth mindset, and opening our lives to new possibilities. “Curiosity is the fuel that makes creativity and innovation happen.”https://chipconley.comhttps://modernelderacademy.comWisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley
Chip Conley is the founder of the world’s first ‘midlife wisdom school,’ Modern Elder Academy, an organization on a mission to build a community of inspired and empowered midlifers. Chip is recognized as the iconic boutique hotelier that helped Airbnb grow from one of the fastest-growing tech start-up companies to become a global hospitality brand. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, The Rebel Rules, and PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow. Chip is also a member of the board of Encore.org and serves on the advisory board for the Stanford Center for Longevity. Chip strongly believes that curiosity is the ‘elixir of life.’ Chip joins me today to discuss why he’s rebelling for aspirational aging. He discusses what it was like to bring his wisdom and experiences from the hospitality industry into the tech startup world. He explains what it means to be a ‘modern elder’ and the unique midlife transitions many people experience when approaching their midlife years. He describes what ‘midlife metamorphosis’ is and why he believes the first half of your life is about accumulating while the second half is about ‘editing out the fluff’ - or letting go of the things that no longer serve you. He also explains what ‘The Great Midlife Edit’ is, how it helps you determine how you want to live the rest of your life, and why he believes life isn’t a ‘one tank’ journey. “You have mastery inside of you. The question is: How do you repurpose it in new ways?”- Chip Conley This week on Rebel Souls: How Chip is rebelling for the idea of aspirational aging and the philosophy of midlife metamorphosis What ‘The Great Midlife Edit” is and the three life stages Why Chip believes life isn’t a ‘one tank journey’ and the premise of ‘lifelong learning’ Chips career journey from working in the hospitality industry to becoming the iconic boutique hotelier that helped grow the Airbnb brand The defining moment that encouraged Chip to leave the hotel hospitality industry and propelled him into the modern elder he currently is today The three relationships you can have with your work and the ‘U-curve of happiness’ What a ‘Modern Elder’ is and the difference between a modern elder and a traditional elder The difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and the importance of adopting a growth mindset The steps for becoming a Modern Elder and the three qualities people over 50 value the most How the concept of the Modern Elder Academy began Why Chip believes the meaning of life is to find your gift, but the purpose of life is to give your gift away Resources Mentioned: Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think - The Atlantic Magazine Connect with Chip Conley: Modern Elder Academy Wisdom Well Book: Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder Book: The Rebel Rules: Daring to be Yourself in Business Modern Elder Academy on LinkedIn Modern Elder Academy on Instagram Modern Elder Academy on Facebook Chip Conley on LinkedIn Chip Conley on Facebook Chip Conley on Twitter Liberate Your Soul & Join the Rebelution Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Rebel Souls with your host, Shelley Paxton, the podcast dedicated to helping leaders reject the status quo, liberate their soul, and become a lifelong rebel. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, visit our website and grab your copy of Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life.
Today it's great to have Chip Conley on the podcast. Chip is a New York Times best-selling author who helped Airbnb's founders turn their fast-growing tech start-up into a global hospitality brand. In his book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, he shares his unexpected journey at midlife, from CEO to intern, learning about technology as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, while also mentoring CEO Brian Chesky. This experience inspired the creation of The Modern Elder Academy, where a new roadmap for midlife is offered to help students unlock their wisdom and expand their potential at a beautiful ocean-front campus in Baja California Sur, Mexico. His other books include Emotional Equations, Peak, Marketing that Matters, and The Rebel Rules: Daring to Be Yourself in Business.
The iconic boutique hotelier and New York Times bestselling author, Chip Conley, helped Airbnb’s founders turn their fast-growing tech start-up into a global hospitality brand by becoming a mentor and an intern at age 52. In his manifesto, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, Chip ignites a conversation about age and ageism in the workplace. In this episode of AKQA Insight he shares his own story of growth and transformation in his 50s with AKQA Chief People Officer, Amy Oliver. They discuss how we can re-think our mindset and re-define the second half of our lives, and Chip explains why he was inspired to build the world’s first midlife wisdom school, the Modern Elder Academy.
I find stories of leaders who have successfully reinvented themselves mid-career both compelling and informative. This is mainly because I have been on this journey for the past 4 years and am always on the look out for guides. Chip Conley has successfully made this transition, and is now helping many others take the same journey. Rather than being a “sage from the stage”, Chip describes himself as a “guide from the side”. His story of going from founder and CEO of the leading chain of boutique hotels in the US, Joie de Vivre, to being essentially an intern at Airbnb and mentor to founder Brian Chesky, will be of interest to anyone feeling overwhelmed by changes in their industry, or worried about becoming irrelevant in the workplace as a result of technology or other disruptive forces shaping our world of work. As a result of his experiences at Airbnb, and the success of his latest book "Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder," Chip has recently launched The Modern Elder Academy, with the tag line: Where midlife mastery is the launchpad to growing whole, not old. In our conversation he tells his story. What was covered: The emergence of a 20-year irrelevancy gap in the workplace for people in midlife What is The Modern Elder and how companies can benefit from age diversity in the workplace Four key lessons for bridging the irrelevancy gap and re-establishing value of this age category: Evolve, Learn, Collaborate, Counsel Key Learnings and Takeaways: How people in midlife can repurpose themselves as modern elders in order to integrate their mastery and wisdom with the digital intelligence and focus of younger generations Mutual mentorship - a new form of relationship where both sides are simultaneously learning from and teaching each other The need to regard midlife as a transition period and create modern rituals to support that transition Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Wisdom at Work: The Making of the Modern Elder, a book by Chip Conley The Modern Elders Academy Joie de Vivre hotels Airbnb Burning Man Fest300 Atlassian Man's Search for Meaning, a book by Viktor E. Frankl The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, a book by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life, a book by Louise Aronson The Restless Visionary, a book by Louisa Kasdon and Mel Zuckerman
“Change is a given,” says Chip Conley, author of “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” (https://amzn.to/2SDjkG2) and founder of Modern Elder Academy (https://modernelderacademy.com/), “the world’s first midlife wisdom school". “You need to adapt to it and be resilient.” Conley who sold his first business (a boutique hotel brand) and went on, after age 50, to become a mentor/intern at Airbnb speaks with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, about how to use your accumulated wisdom and connections to create a leg up in the job world. “Become an SME: Subject Matter Expert — the librarian, the person who knows how [an industry runs] and who is in that industry,” is one of his pieces of advice. Conley says women adapt better to the modern workplace than men because we have “less sense of entitlement…and know how to do the work.” And it all begins by asking yourself: “What mastery can you offer to the world?” Now ask it 5 times until you get a real answer.
Let me introduce you to Chip Conley. In business, the term disruptor is reserved for those individuals that completely change the rules in an industry so that every other person in that industry has to follow suit. Chip has done that twice. The first was at Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), which he grew to become the second largest independent boutique hospitality group in the country. And then at AirBNB as the chief hospitality officer where he helped guide the rocket ship and provide all of the expertise around hospitality so that the company could become what it is today. Chip is a New York Times best selling author. His five books have made him a leading authority at the intersection of psychology and business. Conley picked up a nickname at AirBNB as their 'modern elder' and it stuck. In fact, he's running the Modern Elder Academy in Baja, Mexico, where folks ages 35 to 75 are finding out that being an elder is just as much about being curious as it is about being wise. Chip Conley, welcome to Belly of the Beast Life Stories. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 EPISODE SUMMARY - Chip’s starts the story by noting that he felt the whole world was conspiring against him - He was sitting in his car, ready to drive to the Golden Gate Bridge and press the ‘reset button’ on his life - In that moment, the song Amazing Grace comes on and it softens him, a tearful moment - Conley provides the back story on what was going on in his life during this period in time - Several male friends had all committed suicide - Conley felt a huge heavy blanket on top of him - he felt cursed in life - He felt suffocated by his business, his relationship wasn’t working out - Conley talks about wearing the ‘mask of the achiever’ - Conley gives advice on how to spot suicide among friends and family and how to provide unconditional love to support - Chip talks about his work at the Modern Elder Academy helping folks 35 to 75 make the ‘midlife edit’ and find happiness QUOTABLES “I was at the stage in my life where it felt like everything was conspiring against me.” “I just immediately had the full tearful reaction to the idea that I could have another choice. I didn't have to imagine committing suicide as a way of pressing the reset button on my life.” “And you know, what we know about people today in their 40s is this is a very it's probably the hardest decade of adulthood. The U-curve of happiness, which has been studied by social scientists, shows that people between about age 45 and 50 hit the bottom of their happiness or satisfaction level in life. I just didn't want to wake up each morning. I had this book, Viktor Frankl's book, 'Man's Search for Meaning' in my backpack.” “So that was my solution from that day forward is on a daily basis I asked myself, what did I learn today? How do I have a sense of meaning or a sense of having created some wisdom in my life?” “So what was happening inside of me is I felt just this heavy blanket on top of me. I felt very dark inside. I felt.... I think the word I felt when anything was cursed. I felt cursed. And to feel cursed is an awful feeling. I was running the second largest boutique hotel company in the US called JdV and I wasn't feeling much Joie de Vivre, which means joy of life in French. And I was really in a state of disbelief that I was supposed to somehow in a time where I felt completely ill equipped to even show up at work, to somehow be figuring out how to save a company of 3,500 employees while I was just like, frankly, on a an internal basis, just trying to figure out how to save myself.“ “Men are much more likely to successfully-- I hate to use that word-- commit suicide than women. Women actually try it not as much as men. I think about half as much as men, but are less likely to have it work, partly because men use guns more and women tend to use pills more and a gun is more lethal in a lot of cases.” “And if it had been just purely my own life, that'd be one thing but trying to save this company and not have all my employees get fired because the company would go bankrupt was another element that was hard. I had more spaciousness to go inside and frankly, at the end of day the way I recovered from this was going inside.” “Looking in the mirror at myself, I didn't see somebody I knew. I saw somebody who looked scared and defeated definitely. And more than anything, I think I saw someone who just wanted to press the reset button on my life, and yet I had been trying to.“ “Nature can be such a healing cathedral. And so in some ways, what I started to do was a combination from that point forward, developed a weekly inventory of my my meaning inventory, my wisdom inventory. What did I learn this week, what what did I get through? How is this experience making me a better person? And where did I see beauty?” “I often talk about mask and masculinity. Some of it was a masculinity mask. Some of it was just my mask of the identity I'd given. I'd been portraying to the world. I was an achiever because to achieve meant I got love.But as much as I thought I was just living my own life in many ways, I was still on the treadmill of the admiration addict. And so I think the mask that was I was wearing was the mask of the achiever. I was portraying authenticity as opposed to being authenticity.And so but I know on a personal level, it did feel like a failure. I expected to run that company until I was 75 or 80, you know, selling at the bottom of the recession. But more than anything, the sense of freedom. The freedom from the mask, the freedom from the responsibilities. I started the company for creativity and freedom. And 22, 24 years into it, I didn't feel a lot of creativity or freedom.” “So there's an element for me that, you know, the comeback kid, I guess, of how do I find myself in peril. Get through it. And then actually become stronger as a result of it. There's no doubt that this experience, which is really my worst experience in my life, helped me get to get to the other side.” “And sometimes the trajectory feels like it's just unrelentingly down. At some point it started to feel like it was coming back.” “So what would I suggest? First of all, look for the signs. Look for someone who's withdrawing more, who feels like they have lost an appetite for life. Look for someone who talks in sometimes quite tragic terms about their life and help them to know that you love them no matter what. I think that's the key. I think conditional vs. unconditional love is a big piece of this.” “So I sold the company and then I said, I'm going to write this book called Emotional Equations because that equation 'despair equals suffering minus meaning' was a lifeline for me on a bad day. I would say that equation 30 or 40 times as just a reminder. “ “And so sometimes you have to actually open up space in your life to see what's going to emerge.” “And so I ultimately wrote this book called 'Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder,' as a result of that. But while I was writing the book, I came to the conclusion that I have had a bunch of friends who committed suicide in midlife because they couldn't make sense of midlife, especially couldn't make sense of how to repurpose themselves, how to press the reset button. And so I decided to create the world's first midlife wisdom school called the Modern Elder Academy” “And what it's really helped me to see is that we have an enormous gulf between the societal narrative on aging and the personal one. The societal one basically says you stumble into midlife, you have a crisis. And on the other side of that, if you can get through it, is decrepitude and death. Whereas the personal narrative as defined by the U-curve of happiness, which is hugely prevalent all around the world and been studied, shows that people actually do get happier in their 50s, 60s and 70s, partly because they do the 'great midlife edit.' And that's what we help people with down at the Modern Elder Academy. We help them to see what it's time to shed, whether it's a mindset and identity, responsibilities, certain kinds of friends or family. What is it that you're ready to let go of and evolve out of?” “But my indicator of my emotional intelligence today is how am I cultivating and harvesting joy in my life, not just for myself, but for others as well.” “I do know that that people in their 40s are really struggling. I think there's an emotional equation to describe the 40s, which is disappointment because expectations minus reality.” TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE https://inourbelly.com/season-1/episode-13-chip-conley RESOURCES National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Chip's website: http://chipconley.com Get Chip’s Best Selling Books Mentioned in Show: PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow https://amzn.to/2OZWoOT Emotional Equations: Simple Steps for Creating Happiness + Success in Business + Life https://amzn.to/32aLMCl Wisdom at Work: The making of a modern elder https://amzn.to/2u3u3Qp Get Man’s Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl) https://amzn.to/2vH2tco Chip’s Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/chipconleyauthor Modern Elder Academy http://modernelderacademy.org Chip Conley on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf/ @chipconley on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chipconley/ SHOW RESOURCES Subscribe, rate and review this podcast ♥️ Thanks for listening! http://inourbelly.com to preview all episodes coming up and future seasons Become a Patron https://www.patreon.com/bellyofthebeast @inourbelly on Instagram http://instagram.com/inourbelly @inourbelly on Twitter http://twitter.com/inourbelly @davidall on instagram (host) http://instagram.com/davidall
Generation gap can be a hindrance in the workplace, but not for Chip Conley. Chip is the Founder of Modern Elder Academy and a New York Times bestselling author of many books, including Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, a book that takes a look at the importance of experience and repurposing your wisdom. He is the hospitality maverick who helped Airbnb’s founders turn their fast-growing tech startup into a global hospitality brand. Today, Dr. Diane Hamilton interviews him about infusing wisdom in the workplace that is swamped with smart and young workers. He also differentiates smarts and wisdom and points out the importance of identifying your mindsets and evolving them over time. As much we try to understand the intricacies of business, how to scale, and all the different elements of operations, it’s all about the people. If you aren’t taking care of the people, your strategy falls flat. On today’s show, Dr. Diane Hamilton interviews Kim Bohr, the CEO of the Innovare Group and a highly sought after speaker. Believing in the strength of the people component of any venture, Kim shares how we can advance our careers by learning how to take care of the people around us. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Take The Lead community today:DrDianeHamilton.comDr. Diane Hamilton FacebookDr. Diane Hamilton TwitterDr. Diane Hamilton LinkedInDr. Diane Hamilton YouTubeDr. Diane Hamilton Instagram
Digital Enterprise Society is the authority on the transformation to a digital enterprise, impacting all areas of an organization. Tune in for discussions among industry leaders about operations and action needed to drive digitization principles forward for the future of product development and life cycles. On this episode, Thom Singer and Craig Brown welcome Donna Kastner, founder of Retirepreneur to take a look at the steps professionals in their 50s and 60s can take to wind down a full-throttle career intentionally and productively. Donna shares a snapshot of what today’s workforce and retirement really look like and how those realities impact people who aren’t quite ready to fully retire. She shares several tips to help safeguard careers against ageism, keep up with technology, and avoid becoming obsolete in their industry. This conversation is not just for those nearing retirement age as Donna also shares advice for Millennials and Gen-Zers to capitalize on their interactions with the older generation. Today’s podcast is for anyone that has ever thought about what they want their final chapters of their professional career to look like. On today’s podcast, you will learn: How today’s longevity economy affects retirement Does it make sense to complete your life’s work in your 60s if you plan on living into your 90s? The options that are available when you’re ready to dial back from your full-time career but are not quite ready for retirement. The health benefits associated with staying engaged in a field you love after retirement. The factors that affect professionals in their 50’s and 60’s Ageism is still a reality for too many companies. Economic downturns factor into advanced employee layoffs, so more experienced professionals need to be prepared for forced early retirement. Full-time positions are often not offered to older professionals despite their qualifications. Preparatory career steps that older professionals need to take Identify your strengths and take time to further develop them. Start thinking about this transition in your 50s so you are prepared for it in your 60s. Embrace the current technology that employers use to get your next job or side hustle, including LinkedIn and Zoom. Leverage your experience and wisdom in ways that will make you valuable to any company. Recognize that your weaknesses will never be your strengths, and still work to shore up those weaknesses. Advice for optimizing interactions between Millenials, Boomers, and Gen-Z-ers Be cautious of stereotyping — don’t make assumptions about the capabilities of any individual based on their generation. Recognize and prioritize the importance and value of face-to-face interactions. Cross-generational networking is a critically important factor to enhancing your career. Take risks, learn from them and keep trying no matter what stage of your career you’re currently in. Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org. Gallup’s StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley Sponsor: Today’s podcast is brought to you by The Digital Enterprise Society.
How does work change when we have five generations in the workplace at once? For the first time in history, there are five different generations working alongside one another in the workplace. In some organizations, that makes for a potential 60-year age difference among employees and, for that reason alone, it makes sense that there might be generational divides and misunderstandings. Lindsey Pollak, author of the book, The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, is quick to point out that being born to a particular generation doesn't necessarily mean we'll feel the way we're depicted. In fact, she argues, "It doesn't guarantee that you will behave that way or that will be your personal preference." Yet she argues that the likelihood is high they'll hold similar perspectives because of the era in which they entered the workforce: "[there] will be common understandings." Lindsey challenges us to rethink millennial stereotypes and reflexive views of older workers. For example, she talks about how leaders can reframe knee-jerk reactions to millennials' career aspirations, in order to respond more effectively. They can ask, "What are you eager for? Maybe it's leadership skills which I can help you get elsewhere without the next job. Maybe it's more learning and I can help you engage in training and development." Lindsey has served as an official ambassador for LinkedIn, a Millennial workplace expert for The Hartford, and as chair of Cosmopolitan's Millennial Advisory Board. Lindsey is also author of the books, Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World and Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders. The Host Head here to learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli. Episode Links @lindseypollak Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott Neil Howe and William Strauss -- Generational Theory Lindsey Pollak TEDx Talk: It's about Time We Stop Shaming Millennials Project Oxygen: re:Work User Manuals and Workplace Teams and How to Create a Personal User Manual Simple Ways to Support the Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, there are three simple ways you can support our work. First, subscribe. You'll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You'll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the podcast wherever you listen. You'll be helping listeners find their next podcast. Look for Curious Minds on: Spotify iTunes Tunein Stitcher Overcast Google Play
We often think of wisdom as flowing downhill, but that's not the case. Young workers and more seasoned employees have so much to offer each other, especially with the fast-paced changes in technology today. Instead of judging different generations, turn those feelings into curiosity so that you can learn. The world needs a different perspective on aging. We are going to be younger longer; it's time to think of middle age not just as a time to “wind down” but as a new opportunity to grow. By continuing to try new things and explore perspectives, the aging generation can avoid becoming “elderly” and instead be a “modern elder.” To dive deeper into the idea of creating a new narrative around age in the workplace, I've brought on rebel hospitality entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, Chip Conley. At age 26 he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming one inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. After running his company as CEO for 24 years, he sold it and soon the young founders of Airbnb asked him to help transform their promising start-up into the world's leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company's Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. To learn how to embrace aging, download this episode now. THE SERVANT WARRIOR “Let's retire retirement.” - Chip Conley Highlights - Karmic Capitalism - When you create joy for your employees, they create joy for your customers, and it ultimately comes back to you. We should no longer live our lives in three phases: learn, earn and burn. Perennials - People in their 60s, 70s, 80s whose spirits are ageless. We are constantly renewing and alive. A modern elder is someone who is not appreciated with reverence but for their relevance. Research shows that people who have a positive view of aging live seven years longer. If you have integrity, you don't live your life in two different ways. As you get older, you learn to edit out the things that don't allow you to be integrated. Liminality is the change that happens during mid-life. Intergenerational collaboration needs age diversity which is just as important as any other kind of diversity. A modern elder has reciprocity which involves listening and giving back. Guest Contact - Chip's Website Chip's Twitter Chip's Instagram Chip's Book: Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share! Mentions - Victor Frankl's Book: Man's Search For Meaning The Diamond Cutter By Geshe Michael Roach Rebecca Levy's Research on Aging Resources - Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website and are all your marketing materials speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Often it's not which is why you're not converting traffic and leads to clients and attracting your most profitable customers. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. If I have suggestions for you to improve your brand message (I almost always do), we'll set up a complimentary 30-minute call to discuss. A select number of websites are also chosen for my LINGO Review Video Series. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO! Music by Jawn
Rebel hospitality entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, Chip Conley, is the leading authority at the intersection of psychology and business. At the age of 26, Chip founded and grew Joie de Vivre into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America.Twenty-four years in, he sold the company. Soon after, he was approached by the founders of Airbnb to help transform the company into the world’s leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. Chip now heads the Modern Elder Academy and has written five books including his latest, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. In this episode we cover How do you describe what you do? [01:58] What has allowed you to have such a long and successful career? [02:46] Using a flat line experience to re-imagine his future. [05:23] The Definition of Joie de Vivre [08:55] Intentional living and navigating midlife. [10:40] Listening to your body's signals. [15:09] Attuning vs attaining [20:18] The power of curiosity [23:26] The benefits of a growth mindset [27:34] What song best represents your life? [28:37] Listening to the story and listening for the story. [30:19] Combatting 20 years of irrelevancy. [31:53] Removing things to attain more [34:04] Where to find Chip Conley Twitter: @chipconley Instragram: @chipconley LinkedIn: Chip Conley Website: www.chipconley.com Modern Elder Academy:https://www.modernelderacademy.com Other Links Transcription Lean more about Athletic Greens Subscribe To Newsletter Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Follow us on Spotify Subscribe on Google Podcast If you like what you hear, we'd be grateful for a review on iTunes - click here to see how. Happy listening!
At age 26 Chip Conley founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality, transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. After running his company as CEO for 24 years, he sold it and went on to help the founders of Airbnb transform their start-up into the world’s leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. Chip is a recipient of hospitality’s highest honor, the Pioneer Award, and holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University, and an honorary doctorate in psychology from Saybrook University. He serves on the boards of the Burning Man Project and the Esalen Institute, where the Conley Library bears his name. He recently launched the Modern Elder Academy.In this episode Stew and Chip discuss Chip’s latest book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder and the future of work wherein so many in midlife will be reporting to those younger than themselves. They review the many ways organizations can capitalize on the loyalty as well as the wisdom of the mature employee. They talk about how intergenerational mutual learning is beneficial for both the individuals involved and for the company. Chip enumerates the ways a modern elder can add value not merely by dint of loyalty to the company and the capacity to mentor younger people, but also because they’ve accrued considerable experience, emotional intelligence, and wisdom -- not so much factual information as hard-won knowledge about how to make the process of working together work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Today's guest is Chip Conley, the founder of Modern Elder Academy. Rebel hospitality entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, Chip Conley disrupted his favorite industry... twice. At age 26 he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. He sold JdV after running it as CEO for 24 years, and soon the young founders of Airbnb asked him to help transform their promising start-up into the world’s leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. His five books have made him a leading authority at the intersection of psychology and business. Chip was awarded “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times, is the recipient of hospitality’s highest honor, the Pioneer Award, and holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University. In today's episode, Brian & Chip Discuss: - What it's like to have your birthday fall on Halloween - Choosing to go to a high school where Chip knew he would be in the minority - Having a very engaged, passionate father who wanted nothing more than for Chip to become a better version of his dad - Starting a hotel brand in one of the worst neighborhoods in San Francisco - How Maslow's Hierarchy has influenced Chip's Leadership & Business Philosophy - Meeting AirBNB Founders & joining the company as both a mentor & an intern - Why today's workforce must embrace the wisdom of our Modern Elders Connect with Chip: Website | LinkedIn Check out Modern Elder Academy: Website Connect with Brian Mohr: Website | LinkedIn We Help Leaders Hire on Purpose: YScouts.com Chip Conley Podcast Interview Brian Mohr: [00:07:43] Well ladies and gentlemen welcome to another edition of the Built on Purpose podcast. Brian Mohr: [00:07:49] I am incredibly excited to have with me today hotelier, author, social alchemist, disruptor, student, sage, and modern Elder the one and only Chip Conley... Chip: Chip Conley: [00:08:08] What is up man. Chip Conley: [00:08:10] I am wearing way too many name tags... All different. Chip Conley: [00:08:17] You know I dig it. Brian Mohr: [00:08:19] It's a good thing. I guess you've been constantly reinventing yourself or should I say continuing to learn more about who you are and what you're capable of. Chip Conley: [00:08:29] Thank you. Thank you very much. Brian Mohr: [00:08:31] Absolutely great to have you. So I want to start off. Brian Mohr: [00:08:34] You were born on Halloween and I am just so curious. As a guy born on Halloween as a youngster was having your birthday on the same day as Halloween. An exciting thing? Or did it just piss you off that Halloween was robbing you of your special day? Chip Conley: [00:08:52] I think it meant it meant that my special day meant that I was just a weird kid, you know, everybody and you got dressed up really strangely on this, like "what was all that about" No, I - you know - I have lots and lots of photos of birthdays with people dressed funny and I still have those because every five years I do have a birthday somewhere in the world starting at age 30. Chip Conley: [00:09:17] And now I'm 58 so I've got the sixtieth coming up soon. But it's been everywhere from Bali to Marrakech and I promise you we do have a master party one night. Brian Mohr: [00:09:27] I love it. I love it. Brian Mohr: [00:09:28] So as you as you think back on all of these Halloweens is there any one particular costume of yours that just really brings back me or the most vivid memories as the costume itself. Chip Conley: [00:09:44] Interesting question. Chip Conley: [00:09:48] No not quite. I mean I you know. I did show up at one point in what looked like a birthday suit. Like.... Chip Conley: [00:09:55] Nothing. But it wasn't I actually; it was a body double... Gave me a suit, like showed me how to actually create in essence what looks like... Chip Conley: [00:10:06] A naked body, but it's not my naked body. And I did show up at a birthday party like that once. And the shock factor was enormous. You realize: Chip Conley: [00:10:16] Oh! Chips wearing something! Brian Mohr: [00:10:19] I'm sure the looks on people's faces were were pretty priceless. Chip Conley: [00:10:24] The good times good times. Brian Mohr: [00:10:25] Thanks for indulging me on that. I'm always curious there's you know you always meet folks who have their birthdays coincide with that with a big holiday and you were the first person I met who was born on Halloween social super curious about that. Chip Conley: [00:10:41] You know I will say one thing that's interesting Brian is that you know, I live in Mexico for more than half the time. And I was in San Miguel de Ndadaye which is not too far from Mexico City a couple of years ago. And going to the day of the dead which is actually after Halloween. It's in early November and doing the day of the dead experience in Mexico that is how they do their Halloween. Or their post Halloween, right? I mean it's really quite an experience. And I think probably of all the places in the world, there's no place that does that - That period around Halloween day. The dead are better than men in Mexico. Brian Mohr: [00:11:24] That's awesome. That's awesome. Well that sounds like a whole 'nother conversation we could probably hear. Brian Mohr: [00:11:30] And I'm really curious, and I want to kind of rewind the clock here, and this may be super interesting or maybe absolutely not an interesting topic but I'm curious when you attended Long Beach Polytechnic... You're enrolled in the PACE program which stands for the program of additional curricular experiences. And having not attended Long Beach Polytechnic or having not been a part of any kind of a program like that: Is there any impact? I'm curious as you think back on the impact that program had on who you are and the experiences that you pursued after you left Long Beach Polytechnic. Chip Conley: [00:12:12] Oh my gosh wow! Well I appreciate you doing the homework. I've rarely been asked that question or anything close to that. So Long Beach Poly is a famous high school. It's actually where Snoop Dogg went to high school. And Cameron Diaz. And it's pretty famous because it's the number one school in the country for being a feeder school for the NBA and the NFL. So it's a big inner city high school public school. But it's also the number one feeder school for the UC. System in the state of California for the public state universities system. So it's an academically relatively strong place. PACE, my program, was the first graduating class. PACE Was meant to be a way an alternative to bussing. So I'm 58 - this is back in the 1970s. There was a strong desire in us to integrate high schools. And one alternative was to create a bussing program and there are just all kinds of protests around bussing from school. So what long beach did was different. It actually took all of the best programs academically in the school district where there were five high schools and they put them all in the inner city high school. And they said if you want to do college prep programs, you can do it. And we've got great programs but they're all in inner city school. And what that was meant to do was, to sort of - Instead of forcing people to be bussed it was giving choice to say I want to go to school in a neighborhood that is generally not integrated. Chip Conley: [00:14:00] So I was known as curious white boy is my older nickname. Chip Conley: [00:14:06] And I would say that's the combination. To answer your question. Chip Conley: [00:14:08] The two elements to it. Number one is going to high school in an inner city school where I was a minority as a white guy was a great experience because I think all of us in our life need to live in a place for some extended period of time... Chip Conley: [00:14:23] Where we are the "other." And when I say the other I put that in quotes. The "other" being the person who is not in the majority because it helps students understand and have empathy for what that means. To be in the minority whether it's a woman in a boardroom or a person of color. In most companies or me at AirBNB as an old guy. So I was the "other" by being a white person in a predominately non-white school. And then the PACE program was a really intense college prep program that prepared me well for going to Stanford. And so, you know, you wouldn't expect an inner city high school to have had five or 10 grads be accepted into Stanford but that's exactly what happened because the program was strong enough that this. The Inner city public school system allowed that. So I think it really helped me also get really connected to purpose. My own sense of like... How do I give back? Because I was able to see in an inner city community how so much of society wasn't really giving back to that community. And so for me, one of my chief things I did with my foundation is to have it give money as well as project support to inner city youth programs because of my experience growing up there. Brian Mohr: [00:15:51] That's awesome. I appreciate you sharing that. Brian Mohr: [00:15:54] As you finished Stanford, and if my research is accurate, you spent a couple and a half years in the real estate business and from what I gathered it sounds like you realized pretty quickly that that was not where you were going to spend your career and after a couple and a half years you got out of it. Was there anything in particular about the industry or any incidents that you encountered where, you know, that sense of purpose you talk about where you just knew that that wasn't where you were going to dedicate your life's work? Chip Conley: [00:16:42] You know, I went directly to Stanford undergrad business school so the years you're talking about are after getting an MBA and I felt that business can be very money driven. It's somewhat of a mercenary business on the brokerage side on the development side, etc. and there are some visionary developers and I really admire them and the developer I was working for was moderately visionary. But at the same time it felt like I didn't have enough creativity. What was really fueling my decision that I wanted to take my real estate background and apply it in a more purposeful but also more creative way - was the need to sort of feel I was going to. And to do something that was pioneering that haven't been done before and that's when I decided to start a boutique hotel company in the mid 1980s at a time when boutique hotels were just getting off the ground in the US. And I love the fact that the purpose of the company or the mission of the company is to "bring joy of life." That was also the name of the company in French. I also like the fact that I can use my real estate background, but apply it in a more creative way and also in a way where if I did my job well and our team did their jobs well, we would make people happy and that's really what the hotel business is about. So yeah - that's how I got started. Age 26: got my first boutique hotel and in a bad neighborhood. Brian Mohr: [00:18:12] Yeah right. Right. Yep. Yep exactly. Chip Conley: [00:18:16] Yeah. Brian Mohr: [00:18:26] So at some point I would assume during the early part of you hotel career, you had - please correct me on how the interaction occurred - but you had a chance meeting or a chance connection with a legendary concert promoter Bill Graham and then I think there's somewhat of the story as Bill had impressed upon you that as musicians are coming in and out of San Francisco that there's really isn't a property that psychographs and there was a real opportunity there. I'd love to talk just a little bit about your experience with Bill: What you picked up from him and what kind of a figure he was in your life. Chip Conley: [00:19:03] So when I was working for the real estate developer for two and half years out of business school, one of the projects that I was assigned to was a potentially joint venture with Bill Graham and his organization to build the Shoreline Amphitheater which is right down your Google headquarters. Brian Mohr: [00:19:20] Now down near STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Yes. Chip Conley: [00:19:23] And so the truth is that there was a joint venture that didn't really need us. And so the question was: How are we supposed to be partners with them? And over time I got to know Bill a little bit, and that's when he said listen: "You know what you guys really should do instead of trying to be our partners on this project, is you should try to create a hotel that accommodates musicians on the road." And then he told me why. And that's what led me to saying: "OK you know I'm going to get a broken down motel in the tenderloin of San Francisco which is a tough neighborhood and turn it into a rock n roll hotel called the Phoenix. And that was more than 32 years ago and it became a surprising success against all odds. And led me to creating 52 boutique hotels over the next 24 years. As my role as the founder and CEO of what became the second largest boutique hotel company in the U.S. and yes it certainly was doldrum. Brian Mohr: [00:20:24] Yeah that's super cool and as I understand it the original name of the Phoenix was Magnolia Court, if I'm not mistaken. Chip Conley: [00:20:34] You've done your research. Funny, I saw my mom & dad yesterday at the Phoenix. We had an annual owners meeting at the Phoenix yesterday and they're investors and I laughed at my dad and I said that you wanted to call this place Magnolia Court. And I said: "We want to make sure we're in play and that our primary customers - families from the Midwest that were coming didn't say: 'Dad, this is a motel surrounded by hookers & pimps in the neighborhood...this is not where we're going to go' " Chip Conley: [00:21:08] And so the Phoenix is what we became because it was rising from its own ashes like the mythical bird. The Magnolia Court - My God - it sounds like a place where you go to retire for sure, at least a very nice assisted living facility or something like that. Brian Mohr: [00:21:34] Yeah, for sure. You know, I don't want to spend too much time on it, but was it hard to have your dad one of the lead investors in the Phoenix? Did that present challenges or was it pretty easy? Chip Conley: [00:21:46] I mean at first it was very hard because I was young and let's start with that - I was way too young to be doing what I was doing. So having my dad help.. He was a small investor but he was somebody I would bounce ideas off of. But what became clear was there are certain things like traditional business stuff -Yes he was helpful. Anything that related to theoncept of a hotel, what kinds of services were offering, the design of the hotel, the branding of the hotel. All of that... He was so much a fish out of water. And what was problematic was that he didn't really get my vision. And it was almost up to me, the way I thought it was. He didn't have confidence in me or my vision or what I was going to be doing, and it was it was a tough time. Chip Conley: [00:22:31] You know, we had almost a wrestling match & the hotel staff was watching like "What is going on here?!" Chip Conley: [00:22:43] But over time it was hard. And my dad you know let's also recognize, I was always in his shadow. Or he was always there right next to me and that was supportive. And yet it was also a little oppressive. And I'm even his Junior, which is another "Chip off the old block" which is part of the reason I have the name Chip. Chip Conley: [00:23:06] And I went to the same high school as my dad and swam and played water polo there just like he did and went to the same college as my dad - Stanford - and joined the fraternity just like he did. I'm a mathematics major just like he was. I went to business school just like he did. And he was my Boy Scout leader and Eagle Scout and I became an Eagle Scout. And he was my baseball coach and I was a star pitcher. So, bottom line is my dad was ever present in my life. And I would say if he had diluted that by 20 percent it would have been perfect. Because it was a little too much. And yet from those whose fathers were not in their life at all, you know, I would rather have my dad in my life the way he was not in my life at all. But I would say it would have been probably healthier for my dad if he had been about 20 percent less active in my life, because I felt like I was very much on my dad's path.. He wanted me to be a better version of himself. And he even admitted that yesterday we were talking he says: No, I want it. I want you to be a better version of myself." Chip Conley: [00:24:08] And it's like: "Well if you if you'd said you wanted me to be a different version of yourself that would have been helpful because I was a different version. I was just trying to be a better version of you." Chip Conley: [00:24:20] Because that would actually have limited my path in so many ways. And as it turns out, I am a better and different version of my dad - I'm both. It didn't have to be an either-or; it could be both. Brian Mohr: [00:24:32] Yeah, sure. Absolutely. I appreciate you sharing a little of that insight. That's really good stuff. Brian Mohr: [00:24:40] I want to shift a little bit here and I want to make a reference so Jerry Seinfeld. Brian Mohr: [00:25:02] I think he's an absolutely brilliant comic and I think so much of his brilliance comes from his keen awareness of paying attention to simple acts of daily life. And, you know, finding the humor in the daily things and I want to draw an analogy because I think in many ways your leadership follows a similar path - at least what I've seen and read and experiences I've had - Where you have looked to your frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy and instead of recreating the wheel you're finding what is a Truth. You adopt them and then figure out: "All right. How can I leverage this framework as the way to run a business?" And you talk about joie de vivre the joy of life and to bring a sense of joy to the people that you're serving. To me, using Maslow's hierarchy makes so much sense, but I'm curious. What might seem like common sense to some is very uncommon to many. So my question is: When did you know or how did you know to simply look for these common sense frameworks and use them as the basis from which to grow everything that you've been involved in? Chip Conley: [00:26:20] First of all, thank you Brian - I appreciate that. For me, I am a voracious learner and reader. So I like to constantly learn new things feed and feed my head. So I'll just give a couple examples using Maslow and Viktor Frankl. So with Maslow - I took one psychology class in college. I liked it but I didn't do anything beyond that. I do rememberin one classs that the guy who had the halo around his head as a psychologist was Maslow because most that most psychologists were focusing on neuroses and deficits as I was focusing on best practices and human behavior and what we learn. From them created this hierarchy of needs theory. So when I was struggling in the dot com bust we were the largest hotelier in the SF Bay Area. At that point we had 18 hotels in San Francisco alone. That's just in the city. And the city and everything was just falling apart. That's 16-18 years ago. I went to the local bookstore looking for a book or business book saying: "OK, I went out into business school so I learned something, like You know I need a clue right now" and I only after about 10 minutes in the business section I ended up in self-help and psychology and that's when I realized my problems are more serious than just business. And that's where I ended up running into one of massive books and I sat on the floor for two hours reading Maslov. I had to learn this stuff in college and this is really interesting, and I was really applying myself here to have actualisation on the level at the top. To myself, saying like "How can I feel self actualized in a time when I feel completely deflated right now?" And so I bought the book and then reading at night I just said "Well what if if companies are full of humans in masses - here is basically a human hierarchy of needs. How could you apply the same hierarchal image for an individual and apply it to a collective like an organization?" And that's again with my desire to read and learn it's sometimes a matter of reading, learning, and then reapplying it in a new way. And we took Maslow's pyramid, five old tiers, and turned it into a three level transformation pyramid to apply that hierarchy of needs principle and sort of paradigm to employees customers and investors who are our three most important stakeholders in our company. And ultimately we tripled in size in the dot com bust which was a big surprise to everybody because everybody said we were a goner we were the biggest foothold in Bay Area. Kimpton and Schrager who are two biggest boutique competitors were losing hotels to the banks & turning some hotels going into bankruptcy. And instead we know we did really well and it was partly because of this theory which ultimately led me to reading a book called: "Peak: How Great Companies get their Mojo from Maslow." And then a few years later, you know the great recession once again it was a Jewish psychologist who actually came out of it out of the woodwork... Chip Conley: [00:29:38] And you know on the library shelf it was like "OK I'm going to read that "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, a guy who had been in a concentration camp in World War II and apply it to myself. And that's how I sort of got reacquainted with the idea of: Chip Conley: [00:29:53] "How do you find meaning in the darkest of times?" And for anybody who's who's having a difficult time and lamenting, you know reading Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" about what it was like to be in a concentration camp and you'll realize that you are you are just in your pity pot because your life is probably not bad compared to what he was going through and the people he was in the camp with. But his books are very very powerful books and it lead to me reading a book called "Emotional Equations." And led to me just sort of start looking at how do we apply emotional intelligence in a more fundamental way in leadership in organizations. And that's what I did in my company and that's ultimately what I used when I went to AirBNB. Brian Mohr: [00:30:38] Yeah let's talk about that. It's a perfect segue. Brian Mohr: [00:30:42] You know I'd love to hear how did you originally connect with AirBNB as a gender neutral team there and you know clearly this sense of value from all of your experience and your your building of emotional intelligence and as you talk about that exchange of Iike EQ for DQ and I'll let you explain it. You know, how did you meet the team? How did you guys decide that this was a good idea? And how did you find your way through with the maze? [00:31:21] Yeah I mean, it was funny - when I read "Man's Search for Meaning" I read it at a time when I was struggling and it made me really realize I needed to sell my company which is a hard thing. You know when you start a company at age 26 you can run it for 50 or 60 years and 24 years into it, it's like"You know what I'm over this. I need to move on." It was a hard thing to do but I did and a couple of years later as I was in a new era, there's a great great quote from Robert De Niro in a movie where he says "Musicians don't retire, they quit when there's no more music left inside of them." And I think that really was appropriate for me I was 52 I knew there was a lot of music inside of me but. And that was when six years ago Brian Chesky Co-Founder of AirBNB and CEO approached me and said I'd love to have you be my intern and in-house mentor and help us become a hospitality company because we're a small tech company that's growing fast but we have no hospitality or travel industry people in the company. So I delved quite deeply into helping run the company with those three and a senior leadership team that helped. To work with them ws a full time job and what it taught me quickly when I was as much as I was the mentor - I was older than everybody else, twice the age the average person in the company - but I was the intern as much as I was the mentor. Yes I had a lot of wisdom around hospitality and leadership and strategy. I had a strategy for the company as well. But I didn't know a damn thing about technology. Didn't know a lot about millennial travel habits, didn't know much about the Silicon Valley tech world of investors, and so often I was learning as much as I was teaching. And so it led ultimately that coined the term in the company people started calling me "The Modern Elder" and the modern elder is different than a traditional elder in the sense that the modern elder is as much a curious learner as they are a wise teacher. And it's that combination of curiosity and wisdom that makes them relevant and elder. The past is all about you give reverence to your elders. But no one does that anymore in Western society. So it's about having relevance and relevance allows you to use your wisdom but apply it to modern day problems. And so that's what I did. And EQ for DQ that you mention is I traded my emotional intelligence for their digital intelligence. And the truth is that power is moving 10 years younger in most companies and we're all going to live ten years older and so all of a sudden create a 20 year irrelevancy gap. If powers were younger and were going to live older and that's what I've tried to do in terms of those speeches I have been giving and the book I wrote which is called "Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder." Chip Conley: [00:34:23] And then the Modern Elder Academy which we created in Mexico. Brian Mohr: [00:34:27] So I want to hang on this for a minute and specifically talk about - I'm not sure if there's a better word for it so feel free to jump in here - ageism and what is happening within the workforce right now. I think we are in the most fiercely competitive labor market certainly in the last 20 years if not longer. And you know with great technology and platforms out there like LinkedIn that have certainly proliferated the resume and you can find people and learn about what they're up to at the same time. You know you've got photos on there and people are making judgment calls based upon college graduation dates or what their photo looks like or the number of years of experience and you know whether we want to believe it or not people are discriminating. I'm curious: what have you learned or what did you learn from the AirBNB experience and what are you learning from the Modern Elder Academy as you are working with individuals that have had and gained such amazing wisdom and continue to share it but maybe are running up against these invisible brick walls? Chip Conley: [00:35:43] Yeah. Yeah great question. And yes ageism is the last form of socially acceptable bias in our society. Now the others still exist but they're less socially acceptable and we laugh about, we joke about, eccentric such a senior moments etc. And the truth is let's be honest that there are certain things as we age that don't get better with time. And other things do get better. What we've tended to do as a society is have a societal narrative that gets very fixated on what doesn't get better without focusing on what does. Let me use a specific example so it doesn't sound too abstract. As we get older our recall memory and our quickness with our mind isn't as good as it was say 25 years earlier. Fine. But what a lot of people don't know is there are a series of studies as shown in the last five to seven years. As you get older you're more adept at doing what I call the left-brain right-brain tango which means you actually have all wheel drive. You're better at being able to move from logical to artistic and back and forth and do that. Left brain right brain which what why is that valuable. It allows you to be more holistic in synthetic meaning - being able to synthesize things in your thinking. It allows you to get the gist of something faster. It allows you to actually tap into your intuition and use it in a more fundamental way. So what does that mean for a company? Well if you have somebody who's older who's got a great ability to get the gist of something, there's someone who actually doesn't get caught in the weeds. And that is exactly my role. I mean all this I've learned since joining AirBNB six years ago but it's exactly true of what happened to me. I joined and was like "Oh my gosh 30 strategic initiatives why don't we just have like four - let's get clear about what the four are what essential what's important what's good." So that's the kind of thing. Chip Conley: [00:37:58] So the point is that we have a narrative in society that much says as people get older, the best times are behind them and in some ways that's true if you're talking about the playing field of your body that may be true. If you're talking about the playing field of how much money you make a year salary wise you top out at age 45 in the tech industry and age 50 in the general population so when it's 55 or later you're late probably making less salary. Chip Conley: [00:38:31] But your emotional intelligence gets better with time: your ability to synthesize and have wisdom can get better with time etc. So what's my answer to the ageism society? Number one is is to go out and give lots of speeches write books like this one and try to help people see the value in intergenerational collaboration. I'm not suggesting we go back to the era where we revere our elders. That's not coming back but I'm also saying that diversity of all kinds is valuable in the workplace and we are very familiar with diversity of gender and race and sexual orientation but there's a lot less familiarity with gender of age and cognitive diversity which sometimes has nothing to do with age. Can be about neuro-diversity but often age is an element of cognitive diversity in the sense that you get somebody at the table who's going to look at things a little differently and that means you have less likelihood for group think. Finally I'll say one last thing on this subject which is I was talking with a well-known executive recruiter not long ago. And she said to me something really interesting s- she said "You're right if you just get caught up in the robots, the artificial intelligence looking at your resume you're in trouble because people perceive you as older and that could be a problem." So you have to use soft contacts -sometimes people who know people to get in the door. Or actually go to a networking event or things like that. But she says the key thing to know is this: when you do have that face to face time which will happen occasionally, the key thing to know is that when you are curious and passionately engaged your wrinkles start to evaporate and what people notice is not your face and it's wrinkles what they notice is your energy, and if you've got that kind of passionate energy that people want to sort of feel a part of it becomes a bit magnetic. You can overcome people sort of looking at you and judging you based on your age. And that's probably true of any bias we out there but the truth is I think it's more frankly for someone with age in terms of those two qualities: curiosity and passionate engagement. Brian Mohr: [00:40:49] So as you think about the team you built at the Modern Elder Academy and having folks on board like a resident Shaman and a yoga and meditation teacher and massage therapy are the folks who are enrolling in the academy embracing with open immeditely? Is there some resistance given that some of things like - I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that some of the folks coming to the academy may know what a Shaman is in principle or in theory but having one is probably a new experience for some of these folks. Chip Conley: [00:41:32] That's optional. No one has to work on that. That's an optional added benefit. Brian Mohr: [00:41:42] Got it. Got it got it. So really meeting people where they're at and allowing them to pursue what they believe is going to create the most impact for them. Chip Conley: [00:41:50] Yep yep yep. So I think that first of all, the key thing that people need to know is that they are not alone. And first of all one of the biggest surprises of the academy has been the following. That people are showing up at a much younger age than I thought. So almost 20 percent of the people who apply are are people under 45, when it was originally said there was a 45 to 65 year age range. But what we found is we've had people as young as 30 and people as old as 74 in the program. But we've had between five and 10 percent of our actual grads at this point have been in their 30s. So people are feeling a little irrelevant in their 30s or have a desire to sort of somehow start to cultivate their wisdom. The average age is about 52. So these are not people who are elderly. There are people who are at a stage where they may be an elder in a more relative term in the sense than it typically means. You are older than the people that surround you, so if you're a 35 year old surrounded by 20 year olds which is how it is many tech companies, you could be an elder. The key that we do at the academy is we help people frame their mindset, but on a personal level in terms of the actual world nd then also from the perspective of the societal narrative on Aging. The thing that's really interesting, Brian, is that there's a ton of evidence and a lot of them made this about the curve of happiness. There's even a book that we came out last year called "The Happiness Curve" that's quite good. And the happiness curve shows the following across all societies except Russia. Russia is the only one that's a little bit of an aberration. But across all societies on the planet, there is a huge curve of happiness where people start seeing a decline in their happiness that goes from about age 28 to about age 45 to 50 and then it bottoms out around 45 to 50. And then it starts getting better and people in their 50s are happier in their 40s. People in their 60s are happier than the 50s and people in their 70s are happier than in their mid-60s. There's a bunch of reasons for this but it's not actually woven into our societal narrative on aging. So that final narrative on aging is you hit midlife you have a crisis. You don't love your life as it is then you actually go out and, you know, have an affair and buy a sports car or whatever you do and then you get through the crisis. But on the other side of midlife is aging which is awful. It's for decrepitude and disease. And that's what people know and when we actually start introducing some action, some research - scientific information that helps people to understand that a new narrative that they could add a new mindset that they could actually adopt it it helps them to see I have some wisdom that I've learned along the way that it can be applicable. In a whole new industry that might be a better habitat for for me because. I am in you know I'm a I'm a computer engineer and I spent 20 years doing it but now I'm in my 40s and I feel. You know over the hill. But I've learned team collaboration skills and I've got to tell you those companies are full of really smart technology people but they're full of teams too. So maybe I start shifting my skill set to being a team leader. More than that the individual contributor is a rock star as an engineer. Brian Mohr: [00:45:55] So as a tech entrepreneur, since so much of this modern elder philosophy came from the experiences you had with AirBNB, Is there any advice that you would want to deliver to tech entrepreneurs who are brilliant in the products or services that are creating the technology that they're building but have yet to have that realization that there's this massive massive well or reservoir of elder talent - modern older talent that they can tap into to help them with building teams, collaboration, focusing on whittling down 30 key strategic initiatives... How do you help them realize that they need this when they are so smart smart and maybe you just haven't had those laps around the track - help them realize? Chip Conley: [00:46:43] The thing I'll say to them is the same to anybody is: do not hire people who are just like you. I mean your natural tendency is to do that because you like them, you're socially adept with them, and they agree with you a lot of the time. But actually go beyond that. Because I understand the age side of things: maybe somebody who has some experience. The thing I would also say is don't hire somebody who's just stuck in the past. If you're hiring somebody because they actually just tell you the way they always would have done it or they don't have a curiosity and an appetite for learning - that's not a modern elder, that's just sort of an older person who's trying to sort of live on the fumes of their past. So I think what's really important is to look at people, especially - let's say your technology is disrupting an industry like health care, and you know health care deserves to be disrupted because nobody likes the industry and all that's true. But that means maybe you should go out and hire a really serious modern elder. From the industry. He's got a big Rolodex and I know you don't know what that means. Both: [00:47:57] --Laughter-- Chip Conley: [00:48:00] But they also know how the industry works - that person while they are wedded to that if they're wedded to the past and they don't really believe in their technology, then don't hire them. I believed in Bryan and in AirBNB as a disruptor in the lodging industry. Not to actually take over the hotels. The good news is I'm still here. I still own hotels. I just don't manage the company but I still own the real estate of hotels. So I didn't think that AirBNB was going to come in and just ruin the hotel industry. So you know, it was easy for me to be part of a disruptor that I knew was going to still keep me in the industry, and intact in general. Chip Conley: [00:48:37] But the new way of doing things would actually help maybe improve innovation in an industry. So that's what you want to look for. How do you find those people? Maybe ask your parents, they may be an alma mater in common and you might need to actually go out and literally look for that person. Chip Conley: [00:48:57] If you've got a venture capitalist or an investor involved you might sort of say to them: "You know what? I want to hire somebody as our head of strategy that I actually want them to frankly be 10 to 15 years older than me." Let's look for that and not only exclusively deals for anybody exclusively based on a demographic. That's a very dangerous path to be going on but you can say that you want some of the following experiences as well. And so. Long story short is that this is part of what a lot of younger people don't think about as a possibility. Partly because they feel like they don't want to hire their parent. Or their preacher. And a lot of times that older person is a parent or a preacher and are lecturing most of the time. Brian Mohr: [00:49:39] You know, that's fantastic advice. So, I saved what I hope would be the best question for last. Are you ready? Chip Conley: [00:49:51] Yeah. Brian Mohr: [00:49:51] --Spanish words that this transcriptionist doesn't understand-- Chip Conley: [00:50:05] So actually give it to me in English. Brian Mohr: [00:50:10] I'll give it to you in English. And this is about the extent of my Spanish. Chip Conley: [00:50:16] It sounds like it was about listening potentially, or something. Brian Mohr: [00:50:19] You're super close. The question is I understand you are learning Spanish - How's it going? Chip Conley: [00:50:31] Yes - Oh, yes yes. I just answered. Still I'm learning Spanish and surfing in my late sixties and I'm enjoying it. But I mean I've only had six lessons for Spanish & my Spanish is better than my surfing.. Clearly it didn't work. Both: [00:50:42] Laughter Brian Mohr: [00:51:01] There ya go. It's my pleasure. What an amazing, amazing conversion - my curious white boy friend Chip. Thank you so much for joining us. And I could chat with you for hours. I really appreciate it. Take good care and good luck to you. Chip Conley: [00:51:10] All right. Thanks. Bye bye.
In this episode, Marc interviews Ashton Applewhite. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite has been recognized by The New York Times, The New Yorker, National Public Radio, and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism. She blogs at This Chair Rocks and speaks widely at venues that range from the United Nations to the TED main stage. Ashton has written for Harper’s, The Guardian, and The New York Times, and is the voice of Yo! Is This Ageist? The author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, Ashton is a leading spokesperson for the movement to mobilize against discrimination on the basis of age. Marc hopes you enjoy this episode. Key Takeaways: [1:11] Marc welcomes you to Episode 118 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings this podcast to you. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you, free of charge. [1:43] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your neighbors, and colleagues. The more people Marc can reach, the more he can help. [2:05] Next week, Marc will have a special interview with Queen Michele. Queen is a former schoolteacher and administrator who chucked it all in her mid-fifties to move to the North Shore of Lake Chapala and has now written a book called Considerations: A Guide For Moving Abroad, by Queen D. Michele. [2:19] This week, Marc is interviewing Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. [2:30] Marc introduces Ashton and welcomes her to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [3:29] Ashton believes short bios are always best. Marc loves her book, This Chair Rocks. Marc is writing a series on ageism and a lot of it comes from Ashton’s book. [3:45] Ashton self-published her book three years ago, and sold it last year to a new division of MacMillan, which is bringing it out on their inaugural list on March 5. Ashton started thinking and writing on aging about 12 years ago because she was afraid of getting old, although she didn’t recognize it at the time. [4:17] Ashton started interviewing older people who work and researching longevity. She learned “in about 30 seconds” that most of her ideas about what it would be like to be old were wrong. [4:35] Ashton shares some facts about aging. When she started her research, 4% of Americans over 65 were in nursing homes. In the last decade, that has dropped to 2.5%. [5:13] Older people, in general, have better rates of mental health than the young or the middle-aged and are better at dealing with negative emotions like anger, anxiety, and fear. The awareness that time is short does not fill older people with dread. They are less afraid of dying. [5:45] Ashton was surprised by the U-curve of happiness. People are happiest at the beginnings and ends of their life. The psychological underpinnings are that children live in the moment because that’s what they know, and the oldest do it because they are aware that time is running out, so they cherish the moment and appreciate things more. [6:13] There are exceptions. Ashton was very skeptical of these findings at first, thinking they interviewed only happy people. It turns out that the U-curve of happiness is independent of culture, health, wealth, or marital status. It is a function of how aging itself affects the healthy brain. [6:50] Ashton started to feel a lot better about getting older and she became obsessed with why so few people know these things. [7:00] Marc reminds listeners that Jonathan Rauch, the author of The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, was a guest on Episode 78 of this podcast. [7:11] Ashton expands the dictionary definition of ageism. We are being ageist any time we come to an assumption about a person or a group of people on the basis of how old we think they are. That they are “too old” or “too young” for whatever the assumption involves. Ageism cuts both ways and younger people experience a lot of it. [7:58] People think ageism is “an old-person problem.” Older people bear the brunt of ageism in the U.S. Not so much in Mexico, where Marc lives. The U.S. is a deeply youth-obsessed society fueled by our popular culture. [8:19] Ageism affects young and old. If you bridle at your boss being much younger than you, that’s ageism. [8:35] When you are ageist, you are discriminating against your future self. All prejudice is based on what sociologists call “othering” — seeing a group of people as other than ourselves. It could be another sports team. It could be other religion. It could be other nationality. The weird thing about ageism is that the other is your own future, aging self. [9:11] Ageism is rooted in denial. We pretend that we will not age — as if that would be a good thing. [9:46] Marc listened to Ashton’s TED talk and admits that he is an ageist! Ashton says we are all ageist because our culture has trained us to be ageist. Ashton says the first step in confronting bias is knowing that you have it. Everyone has prejudice. What we can do, if we want to, is become aware of our bias and not use it to guide our actions. [10:29] You can’t challenge bias, unless you are aware of it. Once you start to see ageism in yourself, that opens your eyes to seeing it in the culture around us — in magazines, on TV, and in conversations. You will see this is a widely shared issue that requires collective action and that we can do something about it if we come together. [11:07] Marc has noted that he uses the phrase CRS (can’t remember stuff). The moment can be funny but the discrimination it engenders is not funny, nor is the way it affects our own perception of ourselves in society when we never think to challenge those values but internalize them. [12:22] When you start seeing “the first sign of dementia” as you turn a certain age, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, all too easily. As these negative stereotypes become more potentially relevant, we tend to act as though they were true. That is really bad for us in every aspect of our lives. [12:58] Marc belongs to a hiking club with seventy-year-olds; Marc finds them to be positive role models. Ashton says it is important to remember that most of us will not be outliers. Most of us will end up in the middle — still able to do the things we really love doing, even if we do them differently than we did at age 20. Sex is a perfect example. [14:52] It’s important not to have a vision of “aging well” that consists only of the extremely active and the extremely healthy. Some part of our body is going to fall apart; not all of it. Some parts of our brain are likely to work less well. 20% of the population escapes cognitive decline, entirely. [15:17] We set ourselves an impossible standard by telling ourselves, “I have to keep hiking that mountain as fast as so-and-so.” A lot of people don’t have access to the gyms and the healthy habits. Acknowledge that we all age in different ways, at different rates and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. [15:52] The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College published a blog article “Careers Become Dicey After Age 50”. Marc says the audience for this podcast is seeing ageism in the workplace. How do you eliminate ageism in the workplace? [16:25] Looking at the culture as a whole, diverse workplaces are here to stay. Diversity makes companies more profitable and better to work at. Let’s put age on the list as a criterion for diversity. It is blindingly obvious that it belongs there, but nobody thinks of it. [17:05] If everyone is the same age in your workplace, question it. What is the reason used to justify it? It is not true that older workers are expensive, less creative, or less reliable. Older workers are slower at physical tasks but they hurt themselves less often. Older workers make fewer mistakes, so it’s a wash. [17:49] Research shows that, especially in creative industries, mixed-age groups are the most effective. There are intergenerational initiatives springing up in workplaces all over. Chip Conley wrote Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, which is all about mentoring. [18:11] Chip went to work at Airbnb in his fifties and realized he had digital intelligence to learn from younger people while they had emotional intelligence to learn from the older people. [18:24] Marc Freedman wrote How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations, by Marc Freedman. The title means we live forever if we contribute to the younger generations and those contributions live on after we are gone. [18:41] Marc Freedman’s book talks of intergenerational housing, programming, educational issues, where people of all ages support each other, learn from each other, and tap into what each age group has to offer. [18:59] Marc notes that the multi-generational family is incredibly common in Mexico and it’s refreshing to see. Marc sees women carrying their grandchildren as they walk. [19:28] In much of the developed world it used to be the same and then industrialization and urbanization promoted institutions that made age important in a way it hadn’t been. We also started living a lot longer and “old folks” homes cropped up. Schools began to be divided into ages. Nursery schools were created. [19:53] When you divide groups of people, segregation makes room for discrimination and prejudice. [20:07] Marc talks about the young white male culture of the tech industry. The Austin Business Journal called it a real problem. Technology Review ran an article shining a light on it a couple of years ago. It has received more attention because it became a problem for people at the top of the food chain -- educated, white men in their 30s. [20:50] Ashton says the quote that burned into her brain was a guy who went to a dermatologist for Botox, hair plugs, or both because he had a key interview and he said “I can’t look like I have a wife, and a mortgage, and two little kids.” [21:08] What does it say about our society that being a husband and father with financial obligations disqualifies you for employment? Think about the personal consequences of being told that the thing you spent decades getting really good at disqualifies you to continue to apply what you know. [21:39] Marc says we live in very strange times. Ashton refers back to the women’s movement that started as a grassroots movement, decades ago, that forced women to recognize that they were not at fault for the biases against them. It was a widely shared problem that required collective action. [22:23] We will not change things for older people for the better, unless we challenge the prevailing narrative that to age is to fail. Each one of us who is interested in it needs to become an ambassador for that message. [22:53] Marc says that the happiness U-curve is true in his life, comparing his 60s to his 40s. Ashton doesn’t know anyone in their later years that wants to actually be any younger than they are. Jonathan Rauch’s book is coming out in paperback and he interviewed Ashton for the foreword about the social and political context of ageism. [23:46] Ashton makes some final points. She knows not everyone is an activist. One of the best arguments for an anti-ageism campaign is its benefits as a public health initiative. Attitudes toward aging affect how our minds and bodies function. People who equate aging with decline, dismay, and despair, live an average of 7.5 years less long. [24:53] They don’t walk as fast. They are more likely to develop dementia than people with more realistic attitudes toward aging. Look around you at the evidence of the kind of lives old people are living, despite being surrounded by these messages. [25:21] You will be less likely to develop dementia, even if you have the gene that predisposes you to the disease. Rates of Alzheimer's are declining fast. No one knows that because only the alarmists’ side of the picture gets covered in the media. [25:44] There are more cases of Alzheimer’s because there are more aging people in the population and age remains the leading risk factor but the odds of anyone listening to this podcast getting dementia have gotten lower in the last few decades and people are getting diagnosed at later ages. Let’s tell both sides of the story. [26:14] Ashton has been “thinking out loud” about all this in blog form at ThisChairRocks.com/blog. The blogs are searchable by topic, including sources for the facts. It’s all there, available for free. [26:40] Consciousness raising was the tool that catalyzed the women’s movement. Look for the downloadable pamphlet “Who Me, Ageist: How to Start a Consciousness-raising Group” in the blog resources. Ashton urges listeners to download the pamphlet and think about convening a group, ideally of mixed ages, backgrounds, and colors. [27:26] Everyone ages. Everyone faces compound layers of discrimination. If we want the movement against ageism to lift all boats, we also need to address all the other “-isms” that make it hard to grow old the way we would like. [27:47] Marc thanks Ashton for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [27:58] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. Ashton has been an inspiration to many (including Marc) who are involved in the battle against ageism. [28:07] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc is currently recruiting new members for the next cohort. [28:19] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. [28:34] Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with group coaching and special content. More importantly, it’s a community where you can seek help. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more. [28:58] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you heard Marc on this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter. [29:25] Please come back next week, when Marc will interview Queen Michele. [29:29] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [29:33] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-118. [29:41] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, the Overcast app, or the Spotify app.
In the hospitality industry, Chip Conley is a legend. Back in 1987, he created Joie de Vivre, that grew to 52 hotels in California and set off a boutique hotel craze. But after 24 years of managing the company, he decided to retire and pursue other ventures. Writing. Speaking. He was on the board of the Burning Man Festival. He created a new website called Fest 300 which celebrated the best festivals in the world. He kept busy. But then out of the blue, he was contacted by Brian Chesky, a 31-year-old CEO of a start-up company with a new concept called home-sharing. The company was called Airbnb. And Brian said, “Come work with us and help me democratize hospitality.” Chip said “yes.” So over the past six years, his second act has been a fascinating ride at Airbnb. And it led to Chip’s latest book titled “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder.” So what exactly is a modern elder? According to Chip it is someone who can "marry an air of gravitas with a spirit of humility." In a business setting, that means serving as a sage counselor and learning like a wet-behind-the-ears intern at the same time. In today's episode, we'll also meet Sarah Goodnow Berry, Airbnb's Global Director of Brand. She is one of the millennials running Airbnb and one of Chip's mentees. Below is a photo Sarah took of Chip delivering his "farewell address" to the entire Airbnb staff in 2016 and the emotional post which she uploaded to instagram. DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Download Click here for more information on the Modern Elder Academy. And click here to purchase "Wisdom At Work: The Making Of A Modern Elder." Special thanks to Marci Alboher of Encore.org for connecting me with Chip Conley. It's good to have friends in high places.
Chip Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, an advisor to Airbnb and the author of 5 books, including his most recent work; Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder https://amzn.to/2FGPUAI. In this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, he talks about wisdom, curiosity, and what it means to live a good life as you age. Impact Theory is proudly sponsored by: The Jordan Harbinger Show: visit www.jordanharbinger.com/subscribe to start enjoying the show today! ButcherBox: Use the discount code: "TOM" at butcherbox.com to get 20$ off and FREE BACON Skillshare: Start learning on Skillshare today with 2 free months at skillshare.com/impacttheory Blinkist: Visit blinkist.com/IMPACT to try out the premium service completely free for 7 days! SHOW NOTES: How Chip Conley lived and died 9 times within a 90 minute period [2:24] What he says about a divine intervention [5:10] Chip Conley talks about psychedelic experience and why art is at the center of life [6:15] How we’re being possessed by smartphone screens and not having real-life experiences anymore [8:11] How to “tap into” the atmosphere of burning man without going to a big festival [9:03] The nametags people wear without realizing it and the mindsets we carry about our lives [10:37] Chip Conley provides thoughts on the value of society. [12:40] The U-curve of happiness and how you get less happy each decade until mid-life [15:39] Why he joined AIRBNB at age 52 and became the modern elder [16:54] The value of energy, curiosity, passion. [18:54] Why pattern recognition is so important for living an awesome life [19:12] How to foster curiosity [21:25] The recipe for Chip Conley’s success [22:40] Check out appreciative inquiry [23:17] Why the difference between presence and absence is an iPhone. [25:54] Why presence is more valuable now than it’s ever been before [26:02] The ritual of burning man and the hero's journey [27:27] What’s interesting about life? [29:30] One of the most valuable questions in business is “what business are you in?” [32:41] Maslow’s hierarchy of needs [34:34] Why 5 of his friends committed suicide and what he took from that [38:05] The difference between attain mode vs. attune mode in life (important!) [39:37] Why he wants to make aging aspirational again [41:15] QUOTES: “The more digital we get, the more ritual we need” [8:01] “The #1 thing that people have to do to understand their mindset is to first identify it, then imagine a different point of view for it, then own that new point of view for it, and then actually start talking from that new point of view.” [11:16] “The kind of questions that are asked in a leadership meeting tell me everything about the culture.” [24:08] PEOPLE MENTIONED: Brian Chesky [6:36] David Cooperrider [23:17] Tim Ferriss https://bit.ly/2FypAta [26:45] Steve Jobs https://bit.ly/IN1Lf8 [31:17] Peter Drucker [32:39] Ted Levitt [32:41] Abraham Maslow [34:22] Viktor Frankl [34:23] Lao Tzu [34:34] Bill Gates [37:30] BOOKS MENTIONED: “What Business Are You In?” Harvard Business Review https://bit.ly/1uUqakZ [32:41] Man’s Search For Meaning https://amzn.to/2FwKetL [34:56] Emotional Equations: Simple Steps for Creating Happiness + Success in Business + Life https://amzn.to/2CuLGJj [35:54]
In this episode I interview the great Chip Conley - the man who disrupted the hotel industry, twice. Chip first founded his own boutique hotel group, and grew it into 50 hotels, then sold it and later joined Airbnb to disrupt the industry another time. In this episode, Chip shares his ageless wisdom and he gives us a peep into his new book called Wisdom at Work - The Making of a Modern Elder. There is so much great wisdom in this episode. Make sure you subscribe and share with someone you think needs to hear Chip's messages. The interview starts at 3:03 www.chipconley.com https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Work-Making-Modern-Elder/dp/0525572902 If you want to this delivered to your inbox, along with other great content, go to www.tobiasdahlberg.com and sign-up for my newsletter.
After decades of working Chip Conley started all over again. Hired as an advisor at Airbnb he eventually became something of an intern to the young CEO. He’s written a new book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder which reframes how to approach work for older workers, both as a keeper of […]
Chip Conley is the author of the book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. He is also the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, and through these elements he is redefining midlife and making aging aspirational. After creating, running and selling a hugely successful and influential hotel chain, he helped AirBnB become the world's leading hospitality brand. Chip is an example of strong, balanced and mature leadership, and there is much to explore here about aging, leadership, and how to bridge the gap between humans of all ages.
When I first walked through the doors of CBS News several years ago, one thing was immediately clear: it’s an interesting mix of the old school and the new school. On one hand you have countless employees who have been in the building for 30 plus years. On the other hand, you have fresh college graduates looking to make it in journalism. And yet somehow we all come together and make it work. One big team with a crazy assortment of players. And according to our latest guest, Chip Conley, it’s these well balanced and diverse teams that hold the keys to success. Hence his latest book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. At age 52, after selling the company he founded and ran as CEO for 24 years, Conley was looking at an open horizon in midlife. Then he received a call from the young founders of Airbnb, asking him to help grow their disruptive start-up into a global hospitality giant. He had the industry experience, but Conley was lacking in the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. He didn't write code, or have an Uber or Lyft app on his phone, was twice the age of the average Airbnb employee, and would be reporting to a CEO young enough to be his son. Conley quickly discovered that while he'd been hired as a teacher and mentor, he was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a mid-life worker: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner's mind, and a willingness to evolve, all hallmarks of the "Modern Elder." In a world that places emphasis on the new, bright, and shiny, many of us are left feeling invisible, undervalued, and threatened by the "digital natives" nipping at our heels. But Conley argues that experience is on the brink of a comeback. At a time when power is shifting younger, companies are finally waking up to the value of the humility, emotional intelligence, and wisdom that come with age. And while digital skills might have only the shelf life of the latest fad or gadget, the human skills that mid-career workers possess - like good judgment, specialized knowledge, and the ability to collaborate and coach - never expire. If you have a money question, just email me! “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/ https://twitter.com/jillonmoney https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/ https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/ http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money https://apple.co/2pmVi50
Chip Conley Wisdom is One of the Most Valuable Components of Leadership Wisdom is one of the most valuable components any leader can possess – good judgment, unvarnished insight, and emotional intelligence are some of wisdom’s attributes. Do others consider you authentic, willing to say what is on your mind, and candid without sugar-coating insight? The people who choose to follow you want your shared wisdom, graciously helping them to develop theirs. Why are owls considered wise? Because they listen. Listen to others and help them learn and grow in their current path by offering the wisdom and insight you have gathered over the years. Be a powerful mentor and ‘modern elder’ who is willing to share as well as learn. Never stop learning about what fascinates you. It will keep you young and full of life and allow you to develop one of the most valuable components of leadership – wisdom. Learn more about Chip Conley by visiting his website or connecting with him on Twitter. You can also check out his new book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, by clicking here. Click here to check out our newest leadership development tool – LEAD – Leadership Education and Development Steve Caldwell is an executive mentor and coach to managers and leaders who desire to excel in their career and become the leader others want to follow. Steve is a leadership expert, host of the Manager Mojo podcast and author of the book Manager Mojo – Be the Leader Others Want to Follow. (www.ManagerMojo.com) Steve also coaches his followers not only on how to become great leaders, but how to effectively coach and lead their employees to find satisfaction and fulfillment from their jobs and life. Having started his work career at the savvy age of 13, Steve is also currently CEO of Predictive People Analytics based in San Francisco, CA, a firm specializing in helping leaders increase sales, reduce turnover, and attract key talent. (www.PredictivePeopleAnalytics.com)
Cal finds there can be life after one’s heart stops beating. Chip Conley tells him what it was like to flatline at age of 47, how he recovered and went on to sell his boutique hotel company, which put him in the surprising place where he could mentor Brian Chesky and a group of millennials who’d founded Airbnb. The combination of young minds and the wisdom of Chip’s experience in hospitality made history. Airbnb has transformed travel across the planet, reinventing the hotel industry by allowing people to rent out their homes and apartments in 80,000 cities in 190 countries around the world. Conley has taken the lessons from this experience and set them in his newly-released book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. In this episode, he shows Cal the benefits that mentorship can have for both those with youth and age. The takeaways are life-changing, and needed now more than any other time in history. As the author Yuval Noah Harari writes in his most recent book: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: “If you try to hold on to some stable identity, job, or worldview, you risk being left behind as the world flies by you with a whoosh. Given that life expectancy is likely to increase, you might subsequently have to spend many decades as a clueless fossil. To stay relevant — not just economically but above all socially — you will need the ability to constantly learn and to reinvent yourself...” Chip’s experiences and his book show you how.
Chip Conley, entrepreneur and author, discusses his journey from hotelier to Airbnb and his quest to help business leaders rethink the value of elders in the workforce. His new book, “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder,” will be released later this year.
Stanford Pathfinders with Howard Wolf" "Redefining What It Means to be an Elder w/ guest Chip Conley" Entrepreneur and author Chip conley talks about his journey from hotelier to Airbnb and his quest to help business leaders rethink the value of elders in the workforce. His new book, “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” is due out later this year. Originally aired on SiriusXM on June 2, 2018. Recorded at Stanford Video.