Creating a New Life at 60

Several years ago, I felt an urge I could no longer ignore. It was not about traveling somewhere specific, nor about chasing a vacation. It was a deeper kind of curiosity - I wanted to truly understand what it means to turn 60. Not retirement. Not the closing of doors. But the opening of a new chapter, one that could be rich with creation, contribution, and continued dreams.

Without knowing where exactly it would take me, I booked a ticket to Mexico. After a long international flight and a two-hour car ride along the coast, I arrived at a breathtaking retreat. 40 rooms only, all designed with quiet elegance, blending seamlessly into the lush green surroundings and the shimmering line of the Pacific Ocean.

Every detail spoke of sustainability: organic gardens, local farming, community involvement, careful architecture that respected the landscape. It was as if the entire place breathed in rhythm with nature.

And at the heart of it all stood one man: Chip Conley.

Conley is no stranger to reinvention. He founded "Joie de Vivre", one of the most successful boutique hotel groups in the United States, and later joined Airbnb in its early, scrappy years. There he became Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, mentoring the company's young founders while simultaneously learning from them in return.

Over time, he began to sense a new mission forming, one less about rooms and reservations, and more about people's lives. This new focus inspired him to redefine the age of 60+ by calling it midlife.

In Conley's view, midlife is not a cliff but a threshold. It can be the doorway to renewal, meaning, and wisdom. That vision crystallized in the founding of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), which he calls "the world's first school of life wisdom."

A moment of openness and curiosity
I attended one of MEA's week-long retreats, known as the "Wisdom School." 25 professionals, aged between 40 and 60, gathered from across the globe. Each arrived with a personal dilemma: a lingering question, a yearning for change, a sense of something unfinished.

The week was designed to be both reflective and practical. Mornings began with yoga by the ocean, a reminder that midlife renewal is about body as much as mind and spirit. The days unfolded with a mix of lectures, group dialogues, surprise encounters, and plenty of unstructured time for conversation.

Every participant left with a tangible plan for their own "next chapter." Yet what struck me most was the depth of connection formed - strangers who within days became confidants, bound by the shared desire to reinvent.

And then there was Conley himself. Not merely a facilitator, but a companion on the journey. He shared stories of triumphs and stumbles, moments of doubt and flashes of insight. He spoke with candor, humor, and generosity. For me - and I believe for everyone in the room - his presence was the most powerful lesson of all.

Since its modest beginnings in Baja California, the Modern Elder Academy has blossomed into a global movement. Today, MEA offers programs in Mexico, Santa Fe, Australia, and online. Its alumni network has grown into the thousands, stretching across more than 60 countries.

What unites them is a refusal to see midlife as decline. Instead, they embrace it as a moment of openness and curiosity, a chance to serve as ambassadors of purpose, connection, and wisdom.

This is not a members-only club. It is a living, breathing community, one that continues to evolve, experiment, and expand.

A stage of transformation
The academic experience profoundly enriched my professional and personal worlds, especially by honing my perspective on the human experience of midlife at age 60. This new life view was put into practice, manifesting in the deep thought and wisdom applied to the SEA ONE project.

When I later sat down with Conley for an extended conversation, I asked him about the term "modern elder" that he himself had coined.

"It was actually the founders of Airbnb who started calling me that," he recalled with a smile. "They said I was both a Mentor and an Intern - so they nicknamed me a Mentern. It captured the duality perfectly. I had experience and wisdom to share, but I was also learning every day. And that's the reality of longer lives and longer careers - we may find ourselves working alongside five generations at once. That creates extraordinary opportunities for cross-generational collaboration."

What surprised you most about your own journey through midlife?
"I discovered how essential it is to release old identities and step into new ones. That requires the courage to make mistakes, to be willing to learn again. Midlife isn't a crisis; it's a cocoon. It's a stage of profound transformation, shedding the old in order to grow into something new."

Many people in their 60s wonder if their wisdom is still valued in today's fast-paced world. What have you learned about the power of experience in a multi-generational environment like Airbnb?

"As we get older, our fluid intelligence (speed and focus) goes down, but our crystallized intelligence (holistic thinking and connecting the dots) grows. That's why it's so important to have multiple generations on a team, because our minds function differently and we can learn from each other."

The chance to bloom
Many people, Conley notes, wrongly equate aging with irrelevance. He is determined to dismantle that misconception. He points to research by Yale Prof. Becca Levy, showing that when individuals shift their perspective on aging from negative to positive, they actually extend their lifespan, by an average of 7.5 years.

"We talk about the so-called 'U-curve of happiness'," he explained. "There's often a dip in life satisfaction around ages 45 to 50. But beyond that, each decade tends to bring more joy. Aging, when embraced positively, can actually be liberating."

The Modern Elder Academy is described as a "school for the wisdom of midlife." What kind of transformation do participants go through there? Could you share a story or a moment that was particularly moving for you?

"There are very few learning institutions for people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and older, yet one of the assets we've accumulated over time is wisdom. We help people distill the wisdom of their experience to make better decisions for the future and share that wisdom with others. The proof lies in the alumni. With over 7,000 alumni from 60 countries and 56 chapters around the world, we have countless stories."

Could you share one meaningful story with us?
"A 60-year-old attorney, weary after decades in litigation, came to MEA uncertain whether she could endure another ten years of courtroom battles. At first, she believed her only option was to transition into advisory work. But over the course of the retreat, she remembered something vital: as a teenager, she had dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. Her father, himself a lawyer, dismissed it as impractical. At MEA she decided to reclaim that dream. Today, she owns a thriving bakery."

"That", Conley says, "is the essence of this stage of life: rediscovering the passions that may have been buried, and giving them the chance to bloom."

At SEA ONE, we believe that quality of life includes beauty, connection, purpose, and a vibrant community. What, then, do you believe are the essential ingredients for a full and meaningful life in midlife?

"I believe the essential ingredients for a meaningful life after 50 are social connection and community, a strong sense of purpose, and physical and emotional well-being. Research consistently shows those three factors, in that order, as the most significant. And I would add one more: the cultivation of awe, of passion, of wonder. That spark keeps us alive."

For Conley, even the language of aging needs to be rewritten. "I prefer to say we're growing whole rather than growing old. Too often we split ourselves into fragments, But the gift of midlife is integration. We become more complete, more balanced, more fully ourselves. Personally, I've discovered that I am both curious and wise, deep and lighthearted, extroverted and introverted, spiritual and secular, masculine and feminine. I feel more whole than I ever have, and it feels wonderful."

"Always hold on to your sense of humor"

Conley has lived and worked in some of the most dynamic cities in the world. When I asked him what "home" means to him today, his answer was layered. "There's an inner home, which is about feeling at one with nature, finding peace through meditation, creating a sanctuary inside yourself. And there's the outer home - the community you live in, the place that connects you to others. True fulfillment comes when the inner and outer homes work in harmony."

Technology and the digital world are sometimes seen as "a young person's game." How can older adults bridge that gap and bring their emotional intelligence to tech-driven environments, just as you did at Airbnb?

"I always tell people: I don't understand it yet… but yet. That single word changes everything. It moves us from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Being open to technology, even if it means fumbling and failing at first, is essential. Otherwise, we cut ourselves off from the very tools that can keep us engaged and connected."

Finally, after meeting thousands of people over 60, I asked Conley what common challenges he sees and what advice he gives.
He smiled.

"Of course we may lose some senses as we age - sight, hearing, maybe even stamina. But there is one sense we must protect above all others: our sense of humor. Even in the face of difficulty, humor gives us humanity. It adds soul to the experience of living. So, protect it. Nurture it. Never let it go."

Michal Gaon Avihay is the founder and CEO of "How to Wow", a consultancy that helps organizations design outstanding customer experiences. She previously served in senior management at Sheraton-Moriah Hotels and co-founded "Pyramid Customer Experience"

In collaboration with Oranim Group