What Modern Elder Academy does

Modern Elder Academy (MEA) is a private, founder-led midlife wisdom school that operates destination-based and online educational programs targeting adults aged 40–70+ who are navigating career transitions, purpose discovery, and aging-related identity shifts. The company delivers its curriculum through the proprietary MEA Method—a science-based framework developed in collaboration with academics from Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Yale, organized around three pillars: Navigating Transitions, Cultivating Purpose, and Awakening Wisdom. Its core product portfolio includes 3-day to 5-day destination workshops at physical campuses in El Pescadero, Baja, Mexico (starting at $3,500) and Santa Fe, New Mexico (starting at $2,100), complemented by a digital campus offering immersion programs, live masterclasses, and on-demand courses, a 12-week Semester at MEA, and a forthcoming 9-month Purpose Fellowship limited to 28 participants per cohort.

MEA monetizes primarily through one-time workshop fees, premium cohort programs, and online course sales, with pricing ranging from $2,100 for a 3-day Santa Fe Deep Dive to bespoke pricing for the Purpose Fellowship, plus a new MEA Homes residential offering in Baja and Santa Fe. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, leveraging content marketing (the Midlife Chrysalis podcast, Wisdom Weekly newsletter, quizzes, gated eBooks), alumni-driven word-of-mouth referrals from a community of 8,000+ members across 60 countries, and personalized consultations with alumni advisors. An associated nonprofit, the Association for Growth and Education (AGE), provides scholarships covering nearly half of workshop attendees, supporting both mission alignment and pipeline development. The company has 101–250 employees and maintains no disclosed institutional funding, operating as a bootstrapped private entity led by founder Chip Conley, with no enterprise/B2B revenue concentration and a global but US/Mexico-anchored operational footprint.

Name

Modern Elder Academy

Legal name

Modern Elder Academy

Website

https://modernelderacademy.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Modern Elder Academy is a private midlife wisdom school that runs immersive 3- to 5-day destination workshops in Baja and Santa Fe, online programs, and a 9-month Purpose Fellowship for adults 40+ seeking purpose, career transition support, and community in the second half of life.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Personal Development Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher/OLLI-style) & Senior Academies (EDAAAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online & Hybrid Senior Learning Platforms (EDAAAMAD), Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes (EDAAAEAJ), Senior Workforce Transition & Encore Career Learning (Post-retirement work) (EDAAAMAE)

Keywords

• Midlife education programs
• Adult learning workshops
• Life transition retreats
• Destination immersion workshops
• Personal development seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

El Pescado

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Destination Workshop Fees: In-person workshop fees for 3, 4, and 5-day immersive experiences held at the Baja and Santa Fe campuses. Pricing ranges from $2,100 to $3,500 depending on workshop duration and format.
2. Online Programs: Digital campus offerings including immersion programs, live masterclasses, and on-demand courses available through the MEA digital platform.
3. Semester at MEA: 12-week intensive program for individuals seeking deep exploration of purpose and midlife transitions with a global cohort.
4. Purpose Fellowship: 9-month premium program featuring 3 destination workshops, monthly online gatherings, quarterly 1-on-1 sessions with Chip Conley, and intimate fireside chats with thought leaders. Limited to 28 participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Modern Elder Academy sells immersive educational workshops, multi-week online programs, and a 9-month Purpose Fellowship aimed at adults navigating midlife transitions. Its core catalog includes 3, 4, and 5-day destination workshops held at its Baja, Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico campuses, online immersion programs, live masterclasses, and on-demand courses delivered through a digital campus, all built on the proprietary MEA Method developed with academics from Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Yale.

Product overview

Modern Elder Academy (MEA) operates as a midlife wisdom school offering a multi-format educational platform centered on helping adults navigate midlife transitions and thrive in the second half of life. The core portfolio includes Destination Workshops (3 formats: 5-Day Immersions in Baja, 4-Day Intensives and 3-Day Deep Dives in Santa Fe), Online Programs (Immersion Programs, Live Masterclasses, and On-Demand Courses through the Digital Campus), and the 9-month Purpose Fellowship co-led by Chip Conley. Supporting offerings include Semester at MEA (12-week online program), seasonal Baja Retreats, MEA Homes residential communities, The Midlife Chrysalis Podcast, assessment quizzes (Midlife Pathfinder and What's Calling You Next), free wisdom resources (blogs, eBooks, sessions), and Guest Faculty Workshops featuring prominent thought leaders. The curriculum is organized around three pillars: Navigating Transitions, Cultivating Purpose, and Awakening Wisdom. With over 8,000+ alumni from 60 countries, MEA also maintains a nonprofit arm (Association for Growth and Education) providing partial scholarships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Destination Workshops In-person multi-day immersive workshops for adults in midlife, held at the Baja, Mexico (El Pescadero Resort) and Santa Fe, New Mexico (Rising Circle Ranch) campuses, organized around the MEA Method's three pillars. Available to individual consumers seeking structured midlife transformation.
• Online Programs (Digital Campus) Online catalog of multi-week Immersion Programs, two-day Live Masterclasses, and self-paced On-Demand Courses delivered through MEA's Digital Campus to a global audience of midlife adults.
• Semester at MEA A 12-week intensive program that helps participants clarify their purpose and navigate midlife changes alongside a global cohort, delivered online via the Digital Campus.
• Purpose Fellowship A premium 9-month cohort program limited to 28 participants that combines three destination workshops, monthly online gatherings, quarterly 1-on-1 coaching with founder Chip Conley, and fireside chats with thought leaders, designed for senior leaders and professionals seeking deep next-chapter reinvention.
• Baja Retreats (Baja Summer Immersion & Baja Winter Refresh) Seasonal immersive retreats at MEA's El Pescadero, Baja campus, including the Baja Summer Immersion and Baja Winter Refresh, offering oceanfront accommodations, beach and pool access, and MEA Method-based programming.
• MEA Homes Year-round residential living communities at MEA's Baja and Santa Fe locations, designed for ongoing connection, access to retreat centers, and continued community support for adults building their next chapter.
• Guest Faculty Workshops Intimate in-person learning experiences at MEA retreat centers led by prominent guest faculty and authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Arthur Brooks, Martha Beck, and Krista Tippett, offered as standalone workshops in addition to the core destination workshop catalog.
• Private Groups Customized private retreats for groups and executive teams at MEA's Baja and Santa Fe locations, used for team building or group learning, marketed through a dedicated mearetreats.com site.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ alumni worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Association for Growth and Education (AGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGE is MEA's associated nonprofit focused on diversity and inclusion, ensuring workshops are accessible to everyone navigating midlife regardless of financial situation. Nearly half of MEA workshop attendees are scholarship recipients through AGE. MEA encourages tax-deductible donations to the MEA Scholarship Fund through AGE.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Miraval Resorts: Luxury wellness resort and spa brand offering mindfulness and personal growth programming at destination properties. Comparable premium experiential learning for adults seeking transformation, though broader wellness focus.
• Canyon Ranch: Established luxury wellness resort brand offering multi-day destination experiences focused on health, longevity, and personal transformation. Overlaps with MEA's premium destination workshop positioning but serves a broader wellness/health audience.

Direct peers

• Mindvalley: Online personal development and lifelong learning platform offering courses on transformation, longevity, and purpose from notable teachers. Comparable digital learning model serving adults seeking midlife reinvention and self-actualization.
• Esalen Institute: Long-running holistic education and personal growth retreat center in Big Sur, California offering multi-day workshops on transformation, consciousness, and human potential. Directly comparable to MEA's destination workshop model and midlife/personal growth target audience.
• Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: Yoga and wellness retreat center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts offering multi-day residential programs on health, transformation, and conscious living. Comparable destination-workshop model with similar adult self-improvement audience.
• Omega Institute for Holistic Studies: Nonprofit educational retreat center in Rhinebeck, New York offering workshops on wellness, spirituality, and personal development with both residential and online programs. Closely comparable to MEA's combination of destination workshops and digital learning campus.
• Wisdom 2.0: Conference and media platform originally focused on mindfulness and technology, now addressing meaning, purpose, and life transitions for older adults. Highly comparable target audience around wisdom and purpose in midlife.

Others

• Insight Timer: Largest free meditation and wellness app with courses, live sessions, and community features from thousands of teachers. Comparable digital delivery of midlife/wellness content at scale, though primarily app-based versus MEA's workshop-led model.

Emerging players

• Landmark Worldwide: Personal development seminar company offering multi-day intensive programs on transformation, purpose, and breakthrough. Comparable experiential learning format targeting adults seeking life transformation.
• Second Half of Life Coaching: Specialized coaching and educational offerings focused on midlife transitions and reinvention for adults 40+. Narrowly comparable in midlife audience but lacks MEA's destination retreat and community infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Modern Elder Academy