Henrik von Scheel
Industry 4.0 Originator | Professor of Strategy Management | Strategic Advisor to Fortune 500 Companies & Governments | Renowned Futurist & Keynote Speaker
Chip Conley
Founder, Modern Elder Academy | Former Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy, Airbnb | 3x TED Speaker | NYT Bestselling Author of 7 Books | Pioneer of the Midlife Chrysalis Movement
Chip Conley disrupted hospitality twice — first building the second-largest boutique hotel brand in the US, then shaping Airbnb's global culture as its "modern elder." Now, as founder of the world's first midlife wisdom school and author of Learning to Love Midlife, he gives leaders a science-backed framework for turning midlife — and intergenerational tension at work — into a competitive advantage.
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Chip Conley biography
Chip Conley has disrupted the hospitality industry twice, reinvented his own career at midlife, and built the world’s first school dedicated to the wisdom of getting older. He is a three-time TED speaker, New York Times bestselling author of seven books, founder of Modern Elder Academy (MEA), and one of the most compelling voices in the world on the intersection of longevity, purpose, intergenerational collaboration, and the future of work. His career is proof of the very thesis he teaches: that life — and leadership — genuinely gets better with age.
At 26, with no industry experience, hospitality speaker Chip Conley founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality, converting a rundown motel into a boutique concept that would grow into the second-largest boutique hotel brand in the United States. In 2013, at 52, he reinvented himself again — joining Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy and in-house mentor to the three millennial co-founders. Twice the age of the average Airbnb employee, he became the company’s self-described “modern elder”: someone as curious as they are wise. His guidance was instrumental in transforming Airbnb from a fast-growing startup into the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, and the experience gave him his next great idea.
The Modern Elder Academy and the Midlife Chrysalis
In 2018, Conley co-founded MEA — the world’s first midlife wisdom school — on a beachfront campus in Baja California, Mexico. In 2024, MEA opened a second campus at Rising Circle Ranch, a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, named one of Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2024. MEA has served alumni from over 42 countries, helping professionals navigate midlife transitions with a renewed sense of purpose, curiosity, and direction. Its curriculum rests on three pillars: navigating transitions, cultivating purpose, and owning wisdom. Conley’s 2024 book Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age — a New York Times bestseller, a WSJ Best Book on Aging and Retirement, and a #1 Amazon bestseller in Happiness/Self-Help — distills the MEA philosophy for a mass audience and sparked appearances on Good Morning America and The Today Show. His earlier works include the NYT bestseller Emotional Equations and Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, which forms the core of MEA’s curriculum.
As a speaker, Chip Conley delivers something rare: the intellectual credibility of a researcher, the storytelling gift of a veteran entrepreneur, and the lived authority of someone who has actually navigated the transitions he teaches. Whether he is addressing senior leadership teams on the competitive advantage of intergenerational workplaces, HR executives on the future of work, or general audiences on the science of a well-lived midlife, Conley leaves rooms not just inspired but genuinely reoriented — toward purpose, toward wisdom, and toward what comes next.
Chip Conley Speaking Videos
Chip Conley - 3 Key Rules Around Innovation and Disruption
Chip Conley - What baby boomers can learn from millennials at work and vice versa
Chip Conley Keynote Topics
Based on his viral TED talk and NYT bestseller Learning to Love Midlife, this is Chip Conley's signature keynote — a sweeping reframe of one of life's most misunderstood chapters. Drawing on social science research, longevity studies, and thousands of MEA alumni stories, Conley makes the case that the 40s, 50s, and 60s are not a time of decline but of profound reinvention. Audiences leave with 12 concrete, evidence-backed reasons why life genuinely gets better with age — and a personal framework for navigating their own transitions with curiosity and purpose rather than anxiety.
With five generations now sharing the workforce simultaneously, and a growing majority of professionals reporting to younger bosses, organizations face a new leadership challenge: how to harness the full spectrum of human wisdom rather than defaulting to youth as the primary measure of value. Drawing on his landmark experience at Airbnb — where he mentored millennial co-founders while learning digital fluency from them — Conley introduces the concept of the "mentern": someone who mentors and interns simultaneously. This keynote gives organizations a practical framework for intergenerational collaboration that turns age diversity into strategic advantage.
Chip Conley has disrupted an industry not once but twice — building Joie de Vivre into America's second-largest boutique hotel brand, then helping transform a San Francisco startup into the world's most valuable hospitality company. In this keynote, he distills his three rules of disruptive innovation: how to spot a wave before it crests, how to build culture that survives rapid growth, and how to lead through reinvention without losing your core. Essential for entrepreneurs, CEOs, and innovation leaders navigating their own moments of inflection.
Drawn from his bestselling book Peak, this keynote applies Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs to the modern organization — arguing that the most enduring competitive advantage is not strategy or technology but the quality of human experience you create for employees, customers, and stakeholders. Conley shares how Joie de Vivre used this framework to build extraordinary loyalty and culture across more than 50 boutique hotels, and how any leader can use the PEAK model to move their organization from transaction to transformation.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Chip Conley
Why Chip Conley?
Booking Chip Conley for your event means delivering a speaker who has lived the ideas he teaches — and who can move a room from laughter to reflection to genuine strategic rethinking within a single keynote. As a serial entrepreneur who built two landmark hospitality companies, the in-house mentor who helped shape Airbnb's global culture, and the founder of the world's first midlife wisdom school, Conley brings a depth of real-world experience that few speakers can match. His talks are simultaneously personal and evidence-based, weaving social science research, business case studies, and his own story into frameworks that senior audiences find both immediately applicable and genuinely memorable. For events focused on leadership development, organizational culture, the future of work, employee wellbeing, or navigating change, Conley is one of the most versatile and impactful bookings available. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss availability.
What is the Modern Elder Academy?
The Modern Elder Academy (MEA) is the world's first midlife wisdom school, co-founded by Chip Conley in 2018. Originally based on a beachfront campus in Baja California, Mexico, MEA expanded in 2024 to a second location at Rising Circle Ranch — a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. MEA offers immersive retreat programs built around three core pillars: navigating transitions, cultivating purpose, and owning wisdom. Its alumni community spans more than 42 countries across 26 regional chapters. In 2024, Time magazine named MEA one of the World's Greatest Places, recognizing both its physical campuses and the cultural movement Conley has built around reframing midlife as a time of possibility rather than decline.
What does Chip Conley mean by "midlife chrysalis"?
The midlife chrysalis is Chip Conley's reframe of the midlife crisis — a concept that he argues is not only outdated but actively harmful. Rather than viewing the turbulence of one's 40s, 50s, and 60s as a breakdown, Conley draws on social science research showing that the U-curve of happiness bottoms out around 45 to 50, before rising sharply in the decades that follow. The chrysalis metaphor captures what he sees as the genuine nature of midlife: a period of shedding, transformation, and emergence — uncomfortable, yes, but ultimately generative. His 2023 TED talk on the midlife chrysalis and his bestselling book Learning to Love Midlife explore this framework in depth, backed by longevity research, psychology, and the real-world stories of MEA alumni.
What topics does speaker Chip Conley cover?
Chip Conley speaks on midlife transitions and the longevity economy; the competitive advantage of intergenerational workplaces and what it means to be a "modern elder" in a youth-obsessed corporate culture; the future of work and how organizations retain experienced talent; disruptive hospitality and the leadership lessons of building Joie de Vivre and advising Airbnb; emotional intelligence and the psychology of peak performance; and the science of purpose, wisdom, and flourishing in the second half of life. His talks can be tailored for HR, leadership, wellbeing, innovation, or general executive audiences. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help design the right engagement for your event.
How to book Chip Conley as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Chip Conley as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Chip Conley's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Chip Conley or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Chip Conley speaking fee?
Chip Conley speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Chip Conley to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Chip Conley.
How can I contact Chip Conley?
We only work with Chip Conley on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Chip Conley and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Chip Conley speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Chip Conley for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Chip Conley for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Chip Conley is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Chip Conley for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
