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Book Summary and Reviews of Learning to Love Midlife by Chip Conley

Learning to Love Midlife by Chip Conley

Learning to Love Midlife

12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age

by Chip Conley

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2024, 240 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

New York Times bestselling author and co-founder/CEO of The Modern Elder Academy "reminds us all to savor the wisdom, self-knowledge, and joy that accompanies [the middle decades] of our lives" (Father Richard Rohr) and "provides a clear blueprint for creating the lives we want" (Gretchen Rubin)

The midlife crisis is the butt of so many jokes, but this long-derided life stage has an upside. What if we could reframe our thinking about the natural transition of midlife not as a crisis, but as a chrysalis—a time when something profound awakens in us, as we shed our skin, spread our wings, and pollinate our wisdom to the world?

In Learning to Love Midlife, Chip Conley offers an alternative narrative to the way we commonly think of our 40s, 50s and 60s. Drawing on the latest social science research, inspiring stories, and timeless wisdom, he reveals 12 reasons why life gets better with age. They include:

  • The relief of "my body doesn't define me:" We finally grow comfortable in our own skin
  • Stepping off the treadmill: We redefine what a successful life looks like
  • The "Great Midlife Edit:" We let go of our emotional baggage, mindsets, and obligations that no longer serve us
  • Growing whole: We begin to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves

No matter where you are in your midlife journey, this perspective‑shifting guide will inspire you to find joy, purpose and success in the years that lie ahead—and how those years can be your best ones yet.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[An] engaging, conversational guide...Conley's enthusiasm for grasping the full potential of the midlife years is contagious and inspiring." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Conley, cofounder of the Modern Elder Academy, a 'midlife wisdom school,' celebrates in this sage outing the joys of midlife, a period with a 'colossal branding problem'...While Conley sometimes hits his message a bit too hard ('For many of us, life begins at 50. Before that, life is just a dress rehearsal'), his astute and well-informed insights are sure to uplift. It's a welcome corrective to ageism." —Publishers Weekly

"Rarely have I read a book that so succinctly captures the upside of midlife, a life stage that is more an opportunity than a crisis. Chip Conley reminds us all to savor the wisdom, self-knowledge, and joy that accompanies this time in our lives." —Father Richard Rohr, bestselling author, speaker and spiritual thought leader

"Does aging give you a sense of dread? If so, you need to read Learning to Love Midlife right now. In this wonderful book, Chip Conley will show you that aging is a superpower, capable of changing you (and our world) for the better." —Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength

"If we are lucky enough, midlife will find us all, but that doesn't mean crisis has to accompany it. The brilliant and beloved Conley reminds us that with transition and uncertainty comes possibility. No, our doors are not closed after forty, fifty, sixty: in many ways, they are more open than ever. Read this book to reimagine every stage of midlife." ―Esther Perel, psychotherapist, author and host of Where Should We Begin

This information about Learning to Love Midlife was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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More Information

At 26, Chip Conley founded what became the second-largest boutique hotel brand in America. Twenty-four years later he sold his company and joined Airbnb as the in-house "modern elder" to the three young founders. Today he is CEO of the Modern Elder Academy, with a campus in Baja California Sur and two forthcoming locations in Santa Fe, NM. He is a popular keynote speaker and the author of seven books.

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