Owning Wisdom with guest faculty Mark Nepo

The Power of Friendship

Feb 10 - Feb 15, 2025 in Baja, Mexico

Led by: Mark Nepo, Jeff Hamaoui, Thérèse O'Neill, Teddi Dean

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Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Cultivate Deep and Lasting Friendships

that Bring Joy and Meaning to Your Life

Even the best friendships can feel distant at times. Life gets busy, priorities shift, and meaningful connections slip away.

Maybe you’ve felt the sting of loneliness, even in a crowded room, or the ache of disconnection from people you once felt close to. You long for deeper friendships but aren’t sure how to create them. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the pain of friendships fading and wonder how to nurture relationships that truly last.

What if friendship could be more than just social connection—but a source of strength, wisdom, and deep fulfillment that boosts your health and longevity?

Join poet and author Mark Nepo and MEA Co-founder Jeff Hamaoui for five days in Baja and you'll gain valuable insight on how to cultivate relationships that bring joy, resilience, and purpose to your life – and discover how meaningful connections can become a source of wisdom, support, and belonging that actually extend your lifespan.

What you’ll gain

Through guided introspection, engaging discussion, and thought-provoking experiential activities, you will:

Discover how deep, lasting friendships provide a foundation for joy, emotional strength, and a greater sense of belonging.
Understand how shared truth-seeking, authenticity, and presence create the most fulfilling and enduring connections.
Discover how opening up, embracing uncertainty, and sharing honestly can strengthen and transform relationships.
Recognize how letting go of ego, admitting when we don’t have the answers, and embracing life's unknowns deepens our ability to connect and cultivate intimacy
Experience how true friendships become a sanctuary in life, offering comfort, wisdom, and unwavering support.

You will leave with powerful insights, tools, and practices that will empower you to cultivate deeper, more meaningful friendships that will enrich your life for many years to come – and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a good friend to others, to yourself, and to life itself.

NOTE: This is an excellent workshop to experience with a friend or loved one.

Meet your faculty

Mark Nepo

Poet, Philosopher, Teacher, Student

NY Times bestselling author

Mark Nepo is a New York Times best-selling author and has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” Beloved as a poet, teacher, and storyteller, Mark has published twenty-six books and recorded sixteen audio projects. He has received Life Achievement Awards from AgeNation (2015) and OMTimes (2023).

In 2016, Mark was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN's SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using their gifts and voices to elevate humanity. He became a regular columnist for Spirituality & Health Magazine and is a multiple Nautilus Book Award winner, who has appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday program and Good Morning America.

Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. You are going to appreciate the open and sacred heart space he creates for you to explore the power of friendship in this workshop.

Jeff Hamaoui

Co-founder and Senior Content Facilitator

Jeff is the creator of the MEA curriculum (on and offline) and one of MEA’s most beloved facilitators. He is a teacher, writer, speaker and community builder who started his career as sustainability geek in the 1990s. Working globally as an investor, grant maker, and innovation consultant, Jeff spent decades building startup companies and working with governments and Fortune 500 companies to help seed ideas that might help make the world a little better.

In 2017, Jeff traveled to Baja to start the next chapter of his career and soon found himself partnering with Chip Conley and Christine Sperber as a co-founder to develop something called MEA, the world’s first midlife wisdom school.

Jeff’s work at MEA unexpectedly led him to becoming a content expert in midlife and wellness. Writing the curriculum, workbooks, and leading online courses, Jeff has helped shape MEA’s content, philosophy and teaching style and has led workshops with dozens of different teachers and hundreds of people in midlife transition who are seeking purpose and another life path.

This workshop is for you if...

Cultivate deeper connections with others and the world around you

Live a full and whole life in authentic relationship with yourself and others

Discover how to be a better friend and show up for others with your full attention and presence

Learn how to care for yourself and others when relationships fail

Know how to repair damaged relationships when possible and desirable to do so

Enter into a deeper conversation with the universe through the context of friendship

This workshop is an excellent opportunity to experience the magic of MEA with a friend or loved one. If there’s someone you’d like to deepen or celebrate your friendship with, be sure to invite them to join you.

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 MEA facilitators

In addition to the powerful sessions conducted by Mark, you will be guided through the core MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum by our faculty members:

Thérèse O’Neill is the Facilitator Lead for MEA’s Baja campus. She is a longtime educator in California and in Mexico, working with Nest Global to provide education access to young asylum seekers and refugees. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley and Stanford, with a background in trauma-informed education and psychology. She is a resident of Baja, where she makes textiles and travels in her free time.

Teddi Dean is the Head of Mindfulness and Movement here at MEA. He offers a fun, accessible and wisdom filled approach to both mediation and yoga. Teddi loves working with beginners and has a gift in showing that each and every one of us is capable of dropping into stillness.

Teddi Dean grew up in Southern California where he was immersed in surf and skateboard culture. He was part of skateboard royalty as a team member of the infamous Powell and Peralta Bones Brigade.

“A friend may be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”

Each of us is on a journey to be who we are. It’s a never-ending process by which we discover our gifts and how we can be of most use to the world. With good friends at your side, the journey becomes so much richer and rewarding.

During this workshop with Mark, you will be invited to look closely at the discovery of our kinship, the nature of friendship, the inevitable trials by which our bond is strengthened or broken, and the acceptance of our humanness.

Nothing is quite like the space of tenderness and truth that arises when we are comparing notes on being alive. It’s time to affirm the spirit of friendship and praise what it takes to love another well – and better understand how friendship helps us live.

Are you ready to embrace the power of friendship more fully and discover what it means to be fully alive?

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?