The Midlife Chrysalis

Will Life Break You Open or Close You Off? | Elizabeth Lesser

The Midlife Chrysalis

Show Notes

After everything you’ve been through, keeping your heart open can feel like a lot to ask. But there’s still room for connection, beauty, and a life that feels more like you.

Author and Omega Institute cofounder Elizabeth Lesser joins Chip Conley to explore how divorce, loss, and aging can deepen our lives without hardening our hearts. Drawing on her books Broken Open and the forthcoming Stay Open, she shares insights on how to:

Find new possibilities when your old life falls apart. Question the stories that keep you apart from people you love. Make room for joy and grief at the same time. Meet your aging body with kindness and care. Stay open while holding healthy boundaries.

Join Chip and Elizabeth for a heartfelt conversation about what it takes to stay soft, stay curious, and keep growing through life’s changes.

Timestamps: (02:37) What Is the Soul? (05:47) Let Your Soul Lead in Midlife (08:45) When Life Breaks You Open (11:54) The Stories That Keep Us Apart (13:40) How to Have Difficult Conversations (18:00) How to Stay Open When Life Is Hard (24:03) Finding Beauty Alongside the Pain (26:20) Growing Older, Becoming More Whole (28:47) What Gets Better With Age (32:59) How Omega Institute Began (38:13) Behind the Scenes of a Retreat Center (42:30) Do No Harm, but Take No Shit

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/ Check out Chip's Celebrating Life's Wisdom Oct 25-29 2026 workshop: https://www.meawisdom.com/celebrate

#ElizabethLesser #ChipConley #MidlifeChrysalis #BrokenOpen #StayOpen #OmegaInstitute #MidlifeTransformation #HealthyAging #PersonalGrowth #EmotionalHealing #SpiritualGrowth #Relationships #GriefAndLoss #SelfCompassion #Boundaries

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