In this Wisdom Wednesday episode, Chip Conley, entrepreneur, author, and founder of MEA, opens up about the quiet disappointment many high achievers feel after they’ve “made it.”

Through stories from building iconic companies, guiding Airbnb’s founders, and navigating midlife reckoning, Chip explores the success treadmill, and why chasing the next win so often leaves us unsatisfied.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

- Why success can feel addictive but never fulfilling

- The crucial difference between happiness and joy

- How a simple gratitude practice can change how life feels day to day

- What midlife teaches us about meaning, ego, and impact

Thoughtful, honest, and deeply human, this episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what actually matters.

👉 Watch now and step off the success treadmill.

Timestamps:

01:00 Holiday plans and family time

01:51 MEA Film Festival vision and growth

04:28 Defining success and ambition

06:30 Happiness vs. Joy

10:03 Making gratitude intentional

11:27 Realizing the success treadmill

15:21 Ego shift at Airbnb

16:32 Getting off the treadmill sooner

16:50 Near death experience and perspective

18:30 Service as gratitude practice

19:40 Facing illness and loss

21:33 This too shall pass

21:49 Collective gratitude and closing

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

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