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How do you define a midlife transition?

Every transition has three phases: an ending, often a “messy middle,” and a beginning, but few of us have been schooled on how to ease ourselves through this cycle with resilience and adaptability. This framework will help you understand that there’s a reliable cadence to transitions.

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- The MEA Team
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Anatomy of a Transition Ebook
Transitional Intelligence

The only way out, is through.

Have you experienced a lot of life changes recently? As we age, both the number and complexity of shifts in our professional and personal lives increase. We are asked to transition from one role to another, and that is not always easy. 

Transitions can be intense, consuming, painful, exciting, or gradual in their unfolding. No matter where you are in life, understanding the anatomy of a transition can help accelerate the navigation process instead of remaining stuck. This eBook dissects the process of transition and helps you recognize where you are with a light twist. It turns out all transitions move through the same process — consider this your roadmap or guide. 

You can begin by identifying a particular transition in your life right now: divorce, empty nesting, health changes, or new purpose. Then, use this guide to walk through the anatomy of your transition to achieve greater insights and clarity.

What’s Inside?

Gain immediate and practical tools to manage transition.

No matter what transitions you are facing, the roadmap is the same

Discover the Endings, Messy Middle and New Beginnings of a transition

Gain clarity on how to be more present and patient with change

Apply the anatomy of a transition to personal relationships, your profession, health or larger purpose

Table of Contents

The End
Phase 1
External Kick or Internal Shift
Phase 2
Denial
Phase 3
The Emotional Bath
Messy Middle
Phase 1
In Competence
Phase 2
In The Soup
Phase 3
Finding the Thread
New Beginnings
Phase 1
Becoming
Phase 2
Taking Flight
Phase 3
Finding Flow
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Reframe this stage of life with a new framework to understand transitions.

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- The MEA Team
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Anatomy of a Transition Ebook

Why Midlife Transitions Matter

In a world where we’re living longer, power is moving younger.

Wisdom used to flow from old to young, but if you’re 55 years old, there’s a 70% chance your boss is younger than you. By 2025, half of Americans will have a younger boss.

No adult life stage has more transitions than midlife.

Career shifts, being an Empty Nester or a “Sandwich Generation,” menopause, divorce, downsizing home and moving to a new region: the midlife marathon is an obstacle course of transitions.

Having a positive mindset on aging gives you more life.

Yale professor Becca Levy has shown that transitioning to a positive mindset on aging adds 7.5 years to your life. More than stopping smoking or starting exercising.

The world is changing faster, thus we’re navigating more transitions.

Half of our transitions are personal and voluntary, but the pandemic has been a collective, involuntary transition that will vastly change our world. How are you preparing to master this change?

When it comes to transitions, wisdom isn’t taught, it’s shared.

Many mid-lifers go through normal transitions suffering silently, thinking they’ve gotten the game of life wrong. We have so much to learn from each other including best practices for changing careers, spouses, or homes.

Learning to end something well allows you to start something new with confidence.

Every transition has three phases: an ending, often a “messy middle,” and a beginning, but few of us have been schooled on how to ease ourselves through this cycle with resilience and adaptability.

How are you preparing to master change in your life?

Meet The Authors

Published by MEA

MEA is the world’s first midlife wisdom school dedicated to long-life learning to help people live a life that is as deep and meaningful as it is long. With a beachfront campus in Baja California Sur (Mexico), an MEA Online program, and a new Regenerative Community that will be opening on a 2,600-acre ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, MEA has 3,000+ alumni from 40 countries.

Jeff Hamaoui
Co-founder/ Chief Education Officer

Jeff Hamaoui

Co-founder/ Chief Education Officer

Jeff is an MEA co-founder, founder of Baja Sage, and master facilitator. Sustainability + Systems + Surfing = an alliteration of an entrepreneurial mind, a teacher’s heart, and a seeker’s soul. After key stops on the journey—from Wharton Business and Presidio Graduate Schools to NASA, IKEA and Nike—he landed in Baja at midlife. Jeff is the Director of Education and Programming at MEA.

Kari Cardinale

MEA Online Director

Kari is an MEA alum who co-led our alumni advisory board, designed virtual events, and is the Director and developer of MEA Online. She is a master host with a knack for creating deep connections both live and virtually, with an upcoming book on Digital Intimacy & Building Community. Founder of Community Without Borders, she consults in strategy, instructional design, facilitation, and the longevity industry.

Kari Henley
MEA Online Director
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The Anatomy of a Transition

Gain immediate and practical tools to manage transition.

Success! Your free download link is on its way to your inbox. If you don’t receive it shortly, please check your spam/junk folder.

- The MEA Team
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