Navigating Transitions with guest faculty Barbara Waxman

Building Your Empty Nest Plan: The Best is Yet To Be

Oct 21 - Oct 26, 2024 in Santa Fe, USA

Led by: Barbara Waxman, Robert King, Lee Johnson

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Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

You’ve spent years focused on your children’s wellbeing. Now it’s time to focus on yourself.

Launching your children into the world is one of the greatest transitions you’ll ever experience.

Yet there are so few support systems in place to help us navigate this journey and get to a place where we’re happy and thriving and have a great relationship with our kids – and an incredible relationship with ourselves.

But even though this kind of major life transition may seem scary or daunting, it's also a time of potent possibility.

Things are changing… which means you have the power to change them for the better.

You have so many options – more than you know! – and your life can be more exciting, rewarding, fulfilling, and FUN than you imagine.

In this Navigating Transitions workshop co-facilitated by leading gerontologist Barbara Waxman, you will reconnect with yourself and remember who you are (beyond “Mom” or “Dad”) – and clarify what you want your next chapter to look like.

Parents: this is a great workshop to attend as a couple.

What you’ll gain

Through a combination of our MEA Navigating Transitions curriculum and Barbara and Kari's process of guided self-exploration and engaging experiential activities, you will:

Discover the three stages of empty nesting and how best to thrive and meet your needs – and your children’s needs – in each stage
Grow your community and strengthen your relationships so you feel connected and supported and whole
Deepen your bond with your partner and clarify how you want to grow together as a couple in this next chapter
Discover “empty-nester hacks” that can make the journey smoother and less emotionally turbulent
Create your next-chapter action plan and design a life that brings you the joy, connection, and fulfillment you crave

You will leave with an inspiring vision, a clear action plan, and an abiding sense of self, secure in the belief that your future will be as fulfilling and joyful as your past, if not better.

Meet your faculty

Barbara Waxman

Author of The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife

Gerontologist | Life Stage Expert | Coach | Speaker

Barbara Waxman is a highly sought-after longevity and leadership advocate who translates cutting-edge research and collective wisdom in ways that enable others to understand how the dynamics of our aging world impact individuals, communities, companies, and the planet.

Her clients and colleagues know her as an expert coach, caring truth-teller, strategic thought partner, and accountability advocate, who buoys her approach with compassion, honesty, research-based expertise, and a light heart.

Barbara serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Stanford Center on Longevity, an Advisory Board Member for Stanford Lifestyle Medicine and ExtraFood.org, and an angel investor in the Active Aging and Longevity Fund with Portfolia. She has appeared on CBS This Morning, and has been featured in Marin Magazine, Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, Next Avenue, and is a frequent podcast guest.

This workshop is for you if...

You’re a parent whose child is moving out of your home for the first time

You’re in the “revolving door” stage of empty nesting, when your adult children come back home, then leave, then come back again

Your adult child is getting married or moving on to a new significant stage of their lives, and you’re feeling left behind

You’re ready to reconnect with who you are and remember what’s important to you – beyond your identity of “Mom” or “Dad”

You’re eager to expand your awareness of all the possibilities available to you and create a life that delights and inspires

You want to expand your community and circle of friends and cultivate relationships that make you feel loved and supported

You want to deepen your relationship with your partner (if you have one) as you evolve your relationship to fit your shared future

You’re excited to connect with others who are in the same situation and together explore what’s next – and how to embrace the rich and beautiful complexity of life.

Do this powerful work on our beautiful regenerative ranch in Santa Fe

Santa Fe, USA

Rising Circle Ranch

An upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and spanning nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, with ancient petroglyphs, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.

Big-sky desert country
Breathtaking nature
Interaction with horses and donkeys
Evenings around the campfire
Star-gazing

Meet Your MEA Facilitators

In addition to the powerful sessions conducted by Barbara, you will also be supported by our seasoned faculty members:

Robert King is a family medicine physician and award-winning ceramic artist with work in private and public collections all over the world. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklohoma and lives in Galisteo, New Mexico with his fearless and furry companion, Wilbur.

As an artist, Robert continuously seeks new ways to express himself, utilizing the natural resources found in the surrounding landscape. He describes his body of work as “a love letter to the high desert”. You will appreciate his creative perspective and deep appreciation for the natural environment in which you’ll be doing this soul-empowering work.

Lee likes to say that he’s as ordinary as dirt but as complex as soil. He’s resident “cowboy sage” at our campus in Santa Fe, where his love for the simple yet complex hum of nature has led him to work in holistic land management. As steward of our four-square mile regenerative ranch, Lee translates nature’s teachings into simple insights that encourage us to tune into the inner and outer landscape of the world around us.

You will appreciate the opportunity to be in his presence and slow down, listen to nature, and gather around the campfire of shared understanding.

The empty-nesting stage isn’t a “stage.” It’s the rest of your life.

And it will likely span a greater number of years than the time you’ve spent raising your babies to adulthood!

The truth is, you are just getting going on your journey to grow whole and become the person you were always meant to be.

It’s time to embark on a journey of self-discovery and unearth the hopes, dreams, habits, and passions you may have buried in service of your role as parent – and design a next chapter that excites and inspires you.

The rest of your life is ahead of you – and you have the power to make sure it’s amazing.

People come for the workshops,
but they stay for the community

This is truly MEA’s “secret sauce” and something you can only experience in person: the powerful connections you will make, not only with your fellow participants and the incredible MEA faculty, but also the deeper sense of connection you will feel to your own inner self and the natural world around you.

Research into aging shows that your relationships play a HUGE role in your health and wellbeing later in life. At MEA, you will make deep and lasting connections and become part of a larger community that will make your life richer and more meaningful.

Many of our alumni cohorts have stayed in close touch for years after their workshop and we have a growing number of local alumni chapters all over the world. It’s a joy for us to see them continuing to offer each other community, friendship, and support as they create thriving midlives for themselves. So if you have been feeling at all disconnected or isolated on your journey, we would love to have you join us!

Have we mentioned the food?

The MEA experience is designed in part by Chip Conley, a world-renowned boutique hotelier, which means the food is amazing.

All of the ingredients are locally sourced, organic, and made from scratch in our kitchens by hand-picked chefs. The delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners will leave you feeling nourished inside and out – not to mention the blended drinks made with fresh fruit and other top-shelf ingredients.

Each retreat center has multiple kitchens that always have snacks and beverages available. At MEA, we believe that thriving is delicious!

Your Workshop Includes

5 days and nights of lodging at our boutique luxury retreat center in Baja or Santa Fe with all of your meals, snacks, drinks and other amenities included
Daily sessions and experiential activities to help you connect with your inner self, envision your desired experience, and release what no longer serves you
Meditation covering a range of practices to soothe your nervous system and help you cultivate greater mindfulness and presence in the moment.

Movement to get the energy flowing and build your strength and agility as you chart your course forward to the life you want to live.
Incredible bonding experiences with the most amazing humans you’ll ever meet.
Three delicious, chef-prepared meals plus snacks throughout the day prepared from scratch with the freshest local ingredients.
Festive gatherings to cultivate connection and celebrate the joy and beauty of life.

Tuition starts at $4,000

Ready to start your journey?