Owning Wisdom with guest faculty Barbara Waxman

Your Longevity Life Plan: Vitality, Purpose, Joy

Mar 3 - Mar 8, 2025 in Baja, Mexico

Led by: Barbara Waxman, Janis Nakano Spivack, Jed Tarlow

Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Vitality has no expiration date. Neither do you.

If you’re overwhelmed by contradictory wellness advice, you’re not alone. Routines promising energy often leave us exhausted.

You’re ready to embrace a new definition of vitality, but finding a clear path to wellbeing into your 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond can feel overwhelming. If you're done with outdated aging myths and want to find what truly works for you – this is your retreat.

The Pioneer Rewriting Aging's Rules

Barbara Waxman, a gerontologist, coach, and Stanford advisor, saw firsthand in Brooklyn nursing homes how purpose shapes longevity. Now, she blends cutting-edge science with practical wisdom to help people unlock their most energized chapter yet.

Why Now?

Your longevity story is shaped by every ritual, choice, and bold decision you make. This workshop isn’t about rigid rules – it’s about crafting a personalized approach that energizes you right now while building a foundation for decades of vibrant living ahead.

Join gerontologist and longevity expert Barbara Waxman to craft your personal Longevity Life Plan in this powerful workshop. Design your unique path to sustainable energy, authentic joy, and purposeful living – starting today.

What you’ll gain

Through a combination of our MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum and Barbara’s experiential teachings and activities, you will:

Discover a revolutionary approach to longevity that frees you from rigid protocols and empowers you to design your version of a life well-lived
Design and chart your path to your ideal Trophy Years™ with a framework for planning that connects your present choices to the vibrant future you crave
Discover how to curate a life that brings you joy while maximizing your health and fulfillment now and into the future
Create a Longevity Life Plan that’s as unique as you are and charts your path to your ideal Trophy Years experience
Choose Your Own Adventure, blending your personal preferences with proven practices to create energizing, sustainable habits that truly fit your life
Unlock the power of the Seven Lifestyle Levers Assessment™: evaluate your current state, identify opportunities, and track your progress as you craft and refine personalized strategies

Walk away with more than a plan – Your Longevity Life Plan is your springboard to fulfilling action and sustained vitality. Your transformation starts right away.

Meet your faculty

Barbara Waxman

Author of The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife

Barbara Waxman is a life stage expert with 40 years of experience as a leading voice on positive aging and midlife vitality. Her passion for redefining aging began in Brooklyn nursing homes, where she volunteered as a child alongside her father. She has made it her lifelong mission to transform outdated perceptions of aging.

➥ Longevity Pioneer: Creator of the Longevity Life Plan framework, transforming how people approach aging.

➥ Stanford Advisor: Shapes aging research at the Stanford Center on Longevity.

➥ Thought Leader: Featured on CBS This Morning and major publications.

➥ Author & Visionary: Challenges conventional aging narratives in her book, The Middlescence Manifesto.

In this workshop, Barbara will reveal how your best years are ahead, helping you craft a fulfilling longevity life plan today.

This workshop is for you if...

You want to enhance your longevity, but not just to live longer – to live with more vibrancy, purpose, and joy in every moment.

You're ready to reject outdated aging myths and society’s limits about what's possible in midlife and beyond.

You're feeling burnt out by conflicting longevity advice and craving clear, evidence-based guidance that actually works for you.

You sense there's deeper meaning and connection waiting for you but need a roadmap to discover and embrace it.

You understand that vibrant aging isn't found in quick fixes – it's built through meaningful relationships and authentic living.

You're ready to embrace new approaches that will energize your body, spark your spirit, and bring more joy to everyday life.

Do this powerful work on our awe-inspiring beachside campus in Baja

Baja, Mexico

El Pescadero Resort

A stunning oceanfront property offering all of the amenities of a luxury hotel with beautiful beaches perfect for swimming or surfing. Located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, just a short drive from Todo Santos, the “Pueblo Magico”.

Beach walks
Poolside lounging
Warm ocean waves
Fire pits
Magical sunsets

Meet your experience facilitators

Our trailblazing guides share hidden wonders across our 2,600-acre sanctuary, leading you from sunrise mountain hikes to secret Sangre de Cristo overlooks for unforgettable moments.

Janis Spivack is the founder and CEO of Brite Catalyst, a Wellness intelligence and insights company. She is an award-winning executive and business transformation strategist with over 30 years of experience in democratizing the skills and knowledge necessary for personal change.

After getting her start in advertising, she moved to the field of tech innovation, where she nurtured startup leaders to Fortune 100 executives looking for reinvention. Integrating the real with the virtual to better serve people’s lives is her personal mission. She enjoys bringing together diversely talented teams and discovering better paths to summit their peak.

Jed is a student of the world and the human condition. He came from a nomadic career in river exploration, conservation, and guiding to settle in Baja Sur and build a B&B to help people connect with this powerful landscape. He’s passionate about taking care of people, creating enriching conversations, and chasing another dreamy wave.

Forget the biohacks and anti-aging gimmicks. Longevity isn't about outsmarting time – it's about embracing it fully.

The science is clear: what truly extends life isn't found in a pill. It's in our connections, our sense of purpose, and a deep sense that we matter. That’s what this workshop's Longevity Life Plan brings together – the science of living longer with the art of living well.

The goal isn't just more years – it's more life in your years.

Are you ready to chart your path forward to your best possible trophy years and discover what a long and happy life looks like for you?

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?