Code 3: Life. Reinvented.

He built a boutique hotel empire, helped Airbnb become a global powerhouse, and founded the world's first midlife wisdom school. But Chip Conley's greatest transformation began when he died. Nine times. At 47, Chip flatlined nine times over 90 minutes following a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic. What he experienced during those terrifying moments would eventually change everything he believed about success, ambition, and what it means to live a meaningful life. In this extraordinary conversation, I sit down with Chip Conley, bestselling author, former Airbnb executive, and founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), to explore a question that haunts so many accomplished people: What happens when the life you've worked so hard to build no longer feels like the life you want to live? Chip shares why so many successful people remain trapped by their own identities, what living with cancer has taught him about holy urgency, and why he's redefined ROI from return on investment to "ripple of impact." We explore the psychology of reinvention, the fear of letting go of who we've been, and why midlife may actually be our greatest opportunity to become who we're meant to be. And we confront a question at the heart of my work with MORE: What are you postponing? Chip also reveals why he once considered himself an "admiration addict," the daily mantra that helps him separate his self-worth from his achievements, and a practical exercise anyone can use to envision and begin creating a more fulfilling future. This isn't just a conversation about getting older. It's about getting wiser, redefining success, and finding the courage to live differently before life forces your hand. Because you don't have to abandon ambition to live a more meaningful life. You might just need to reconsider what you're ambitious for. And you shouldn't have to nearly die to discover that. Learn more about Chip at chipconley.com and the Modern Elder Academy at MEAwisdom.com. Learn more about MORE at bemorealigned.com.

What if the thing you're most afraid of is standing between you and the life you really want? In this special Halloween bonus episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., I'm joined in person by my friend and MORE coach, Jon Binder, for an unscripted conversation about fear, courage, vulnerability, and the things that keep us from living authentically. Inspired by Joseph Campbell's famous quote, "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek," Jon and I explore why our deepest fears often stand guard over the very things we want most. Jon shares his experience with debilitating anxiety, the pressure to pretend everything was okay, and the terrifying but liberating decision to publicly share his struggles. I reflect on my own fears after surviving my first heart attack, particularly the prospect of walking away from a successful career, financial security, and an identity I'd spent decades building. Together, we explore the two fears that shape so much of human behavior: survival and belonging. We discuss how fear shows up through avoidance, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and catastrophizing, and why courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the willingness to act despite it. And because I believe every episode should leave you with something you can put into practice, Jon guides us through a simple visualization exercise to identify the treasure you're seeking, recognize the fear standing in your way, and take one meaningful step toward it. This Halloween, forget the ghosts and goblins. The fears worth confronting might be the ones quietly keeping you from the life you already know you want to live. The question is: What's inside your cave? Learn more about MORE and our community at bemorealigned.com.

What if the secret to lasting success isn't working harder, but learning when to push and when to recover? As a two-time widowmaker heart attack survivor, I've learned that pushing yourself to the limit can come at an enormous cost. But here's something I believe deeply: You shouldn't need a health crisis, a diagnosis, or some other wake-up call to rethink how you're living. In this episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., I sit down with award-winning science journalist and author Elizabeth Svoboda to explore why so many high achievers get trapped in cycles of overwork, exhaustion, and burnout, and how we can break free without sacrificing our ambition. Elizabeth's latest book, The Art of Pacing: A Guide to Balancing Short-Term Demands with Long-Term Thriving, challenges much of what we've been taught about success and productivity. Drawing on research involving Olympic athletes, high performers, and the science of recovery, she makes a compelling case that knowing when to rest is just as important as knowing when to push. We talk about her personal battle with depression and how it forced her to reconsider a career driven by external validation. We explore why hustle culture can be so destructive, why scrolling through your phone isn't actually giving your brain a break, and how simple changes to your daily routine can dramatically improve your energy, focus, and well-being. Elizabeth also shares practical strategies for preventing burnout, including batching meetings to protect deep thinking time, working with your natural circadian rhythms, and even taking a 24-hour personal retreat to reconnect with what matters most. But what I found most compelling about our conversation wasn't really about productivity at all. It was about purpose, alignment, and the difference between achieving more and actually thriving. Elizabeth makes a powerful observation: You can work 70, 80, even 90 hours a week and still be moving in the wrong direction. That really hit home for me. Because what's the point of being extraordinarily successful if the life you're building isn't the life you actually want to live? This is a conversation for anyone who's ambitious, driven, and committed to making a difference, but who suspects there might be a better way to pursue success without sacrificing their health, relationships, or happiness. Connect with Elizabeth Svoboda:Website: https://elizabethsvoboda.comInstagram: @svobodsterBook: The Art of Pacing: A Guide to Balancing Short-Term Demands with Long-Term Thriving Learn more about MORE:https://bemorealigned.com You don't have to wait for a crisis to start living differently. Stop postponing the life you already know you want to live.

What happens when the thing that once made you feel most alive disappears from your life? For Chris Bennett, racing had been part of his identity since childhood. He went from enlisted Air Force mechanic to pilot, spent 20 years serving his country, and eventually achieved his dream of driving an NHRA Nitro Funny Car. But after walking away from racing, Chris slowly found himself in a dark place—disconnected from his passion, his family, and ultimately himself. In this episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., Chris shares how he found his way back—not by simply returning to racing, but by reinventing what racing meant to him. Today, through Bennett Motorsports Support, he helps other people get behind the wheel, pursue long-delayed dreams, and discover what they’re capable of. AJ and Chris talk about Numb Success, the danger of postponing what makes you feel alive, surrounding yourself with people who move you forward, redefining success, and avoiding the “wish ghost” of regret. Chris’s message is wonderfully simple: stop sitting at idle. The light is on. Stomp the throttle. Connect with Chris Bennett Learn more about Chris and Bennett Motorsports Support at driveBMS.com. Email Chris at [email protected], or find Bennett Motorsports Support on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Connect with MORE® Ready to stop postponing the life you already know you want to live? Learn more about MORE® and reach out to AJ and the team at bemorealigned.com.

What if the answer to burnout, career dissatisfaction, or feeling completely stuck isn’t finding a better job? What if you need to stop working for a while? In this episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., I sit down with Katrina McGhee, career break and sabbatical expert and author of Taking a Career Break For Dummies, to talk about what actually happens when you give yourself permission to step away. Katrina shares the moment she realized, “You don’t want another job. You want a break.” At the time, she had roughly $1,500 in the bank, more than $50,000 in debt, and absolutely no obvious reason why taking an extended sabbatical should have been possible. But she built a plan, saved $40,000 in 18 months, left her corporate career, and eventually spent more than a year traveling, grieving, reconnecting with people she loved, and figuring out what she wanted the next chapter of her life to become. We talk about the real mechanics of taking a career break: how much money you need, how to plan for it, how to talk to your boss or spouse, and why a sabbatical doesn’t have to mean quitting your job and traveling the world. But the conversation goes deeper than that. Katrina and I explore the hidden cost of living a life that no longer fits, the ways we spend money to compensate for unhappiness and exhaustion, why misalignment can become incredibly expensive, and what happens when staying where you are becomes more frightening than leaving. We also talk about grief, burnout, career reinvention, AI-driven job anxiety, and Katrina’s challenge to stop organizing your life around the red flags you’re trying to avoid and start moving toward the green flag you actually want. If you’ve ever thought, I can’t keep doing this—but I have no idea what comes next, this conversation might give you another option: You don’t necessarily need to have the next chapter figured out. You may need enough space to hear yourself again. Links & Resources: Katrina McGhee — Career Break & Sabbatical Coaching: kmcgheecoaching.com BreakSpace — Career Break & Sabbatical Community: gobreakspace.com Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee Podcast: Listen on Apple Podcasts Katrina McGhee on LinkedIn: Follow Katrina on LinkedIn Taking a Career Break For Dummies: Book + Career Break Blueprint To learn about MORE® please visit bemorealgined.com.

What if, instead of asking “What should I do next in my career?”, you asked a bigger question: “What do I want my life to look like two years from now?” In this episode, I sit down with Kate Crane, whose career has taken her from management consulting to corporate strategy, DoorDash, Flock Safety, OpenTable, and now entrepreneurship as the founder of Direction Over Perfection. Kate has made a lot of pivots—and not all of them worked out exactly as planned. She deliberately stepped off the consulting “rocket ship” after burning out in her twenties. She later joined DoorDash and helped grow its Drive business from roughly $9 million in annualized revenue to more than $500 million. She changed roles as her ambitions changed, reconsidered what work should look like after becoming a mother, walked away from jobs that weren’t the right fit, and eventually found herself drawn toward helping other people navigate their own career decisions. What I love about Kate’s story is that there was never one grand master plan. Instead, she kept paying attention. What am I good at? What do I want to learn? What matters in this season of my life? What am I willing to risk? And perhaps most importantly: Does the career I’m building actually support the life I want to live? We talk about burnout, fear, risk tolerance, identity, parenthood, career experimentation, and why something not working out doesn’t necessarily mean it was the wrong decision. Kate also makes a compelling case for abandoning the traditional five-year plan. Rather than trying to predict some distant future, she encourages people to think about where they want to be in two years—personally and professionally—and then identify the experiences, skills, and choices that might move them in that direction. If you’ve been wondering whether your current career still fits—or you know you want something different but don’t have the whole path mapped out yet—this conversation is a reminder that you don’t need perfect clarity before you move. Sometimes direction is enough. Connect with Kate: Website: directionoverperfection.com Instagram & TikTok: @directionoverperfection Podcast: Direction Over Perfection with Kate Crane — conversations about the often-meandering career paths behind successful people and the pivots that shaped them. Connect with MORE®: bemorealigned.com.

What happens when success no longer feels like enough? In this episode, I sit down with former emergency physician Dr. Matt Harmody, whose life took an extraordinary turn after his father's kidney failure inspired him to leave engineering, become a doctor at age 30, donate one of his own kidneys to a complete stranger, and eventually retire early to advocate full-time for living kidney donation. But this conversation goes far beyond medicine. Matt and I explore the difference between success and fulfillment, why so many accomplished professionals become trapped by lives that no longer fit, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself before a crisis forces the decision. We discuss the power of service, the importance of creating mental space to think clearly, why quitting isn't always failure, and how pursuing purpose often requires the courage to leave behind something that already looks successful. We also dive into Matt's incredible Guinness World Record journey summiting the highest point in all 50 states to raise awareness for living kidney donation, proving that one person really can make an extraordinary impact. If you've ever wondered whether there's more to life than achievement alone, this conversation will challenge how you define success—and might inspire your next chapter. In this episode we discuss: Why fulfillment outlasts success Leaving a successful career to pursue meaningful work Living kidney donation and saving a stranger's life The mindset required to reinvent yourself Why high achievers struggle to walk away The surprising power of "quitting early" Finding purpose through service to others Lessons from climbing the highest point in every U.S. state Books by David Epstein, Cal Newport, and Annie Duke that can change how you think about work and life To learn more about Dr. Harmody: Website: MattHarmodyMD.com Book: Ascending America To learn about MORE®, please visit bemorealigned.com.

What if the parts of ourselves we judge most harshly aren’t trying to sabotage us but protect us? In this deeply personal conversation, I sit down with psychologist, executive coach, and ConsciousU founder Nadjeschda “Nadja” Taranczewski to explore self-acceptance, identity, consciousness, intergenerational trauma, and the inner conflicts that can keep us trapped in lives we have outgrown. Nadja shares how falling in love with a woman at age 29 forced her to confront beliefs and prejudices she never knew she carried—and how learning to meet those hidden parts of herself with compassion transformed her relationship and her life. She also reveals how her family’s experiences during World War II shaped her interest in trauma, human behavior, and consciousness. Together, we examine why high achievers often confuse money, status, and professional success with personal worth, and how golden handcuffs can quietly become a prison. We discuss the identity loss that accompanies major life changes, why self-compassion is essential to personal reinvention, and how neuroplasticity allows us to change at any age. Nadja also introduces the powerful “inner house” metaphor and demonstrates Voice Dialogue, a practical exercise for uncovering the competing voices behind a difficult decision. Whether you are considering a career change, relocation, relationship decision, or complete life reinvention, this episode offers a new way to move beyond fear, understand yourself more fully, and make choices from clarity rather than conditioning. In this episode, we explore: • Why self-acceptance begins with listening to the parts of ourselves we dislike• How intergenerational trauma can influence identity and behavior• Why money and achievement cannot create lasting freedom or self-worth• How golden handcuffs keep successful people stuck• What Voice Dialogue is and how it can clarify difficult life decisions• Why personal reinvention does not require rejecting who we used to be• How multiple perspectives can help us escape circular thinking• Why it is never too late to change our minds, our stories, or our lives If you have achieved success but sense that your life no longer fits who you have become, this conversation will help you approach change with greater compassion, courage, and consciousness. Connect with Nadjeschda Taranczewski Website: ConsciousU LinkedIn: Nadjeschda Taranczewski Conscious Sisters Society: Conscious Sisters Society

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your circumstances… but the story you've been telling yourself? In this episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., I sit down with actor, author, educator, and entrepreneur Blake Cooper Griffin to explore how we rewrite the narratives that shape our lives. Blake shares the painful childhood experiences that convinced him he would never belong, why perfectionism and people-pleasing kept him playing small, and how one decision to believe things could be different changed the direction of his life forever. We also dive into why action—not awareness—is what creates momentum, why confidence is built instead of discovered, and how serving others often becomes the fastest path to finding yourself. Whether you're feeling trapped by success, struggling to make a difficult change, or simply wondering what comes next, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your future isn't determined by your past. In this episode you'll discover: Why the stories we inherit don't have to become our future. How one small action creates momentum long before confidence arrives. The surprising connection between community service, purpose, and self-belief. Why perfectionism keeps so many high achievers stuck. A simple exercise to help you start writing your next chapter today. If you've been postponing the life you already know you want to live, this conversation is your invitation to begin. To follow Blake, you can find him here: Website: https://www.blakecoopergriffin.com/ Educational company: brainworksteam.com Instagram: @blakecoopergriffin Book: The Story of You: A Life Rewritten, available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers. To discover MORE® in your life, visit us here.

In this episode of Code 3: Life. Reinvented., I reconnect with Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang, a palliative care and hospice physician, TEDx speaker, coach, and host of The Purpose Filter podcast. Kathy has spent years sitting with people at the end of life, and what she has learned is both sobering and strangely hopeful: most people are not afraid of dying as much as they are haunted by the life they postponed. We talk about her own near-death experience at 13, the emotional toll of practicing palliative care in New York City during COVID, and how that breaking point became a catalyst for her own reinvention. Together, we explore why our brains keep us stuck on autopilot, why failure feels immediate while regret feels distant, and how small, intentional “daily doses” of courage can help us change before crisis forces the choice. Kathy also shares what she calls the ABCs of deathbed regrets: authenticity, bravery, and connection. This conversation is a powerful reminder that life is not just short. It is unpredictable. And the work is not to wait for the wake-up call, but to take one tiny step toward the life you already know you want to live. To find Kathy, please check out: Her website On Instagram @drluyikathyzhang Her TEDx talk To learn about MORE, please go to bemorealigned.com.