Modern Elder Academy set to open at former Saddleback Ranch
An academy focused on helping middle-aged people and founded by a former Airbnb executive and hotelier is set to open soon on a sprawling ranch just south of Santa Fe.
Chip Conley, who previously led global hospitality and strategy for Airbnb, told The New Mexican the Modern Elder Academy at the former Saddleback Ranch — now called Rising Circle Ranch — is set to open fully by May.
The academy sits on about 2,600 acres, and guests will have the opportunity to “feel deeply connected to something bigger than yourself,” Conley said, through a mix of workshops tailored to midlife issues for improved outcomes both spiritually and physically.
“We believe that if you want to change your habits, you have to change your habitat,” Conley said. “And going to a place that feels a little bit unique and different means that you’re sort of not in your normal habitat and you’re more willing and open, maybe, to having a transformative experience.” Conley said he and his team started to look for a spot to create its first U.S. campus during the coronavirus pandemic. He said setting one up in the U.S. made sense, considering most of Modern Elder’s customers are from here.
“We had a list of 20 places we were looking. Santa Fe or … New Mexico in general was on the list,” he said. “Then we had a list of … the qualities we’re looking for in these places. And at the end of the day, number one on the list was Santa Fe — and for a variety of reasons.
“Santa Fe has a long history of being a place where people go to make sense of themselves, whether they’re artists or writers or going to a workshop, and so Santa Fe has always been a place of enchantment, and a place where people sort of go to maybe try something new,” he continued.
A second Modern Elder Academy is set to open in Santa Fe at the former Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat and Conference Center on Mount Carmel Road. A date hasn’t been set for opening at that location yet — the earliest would be 2026 — but Conley said “we
will start a historic renovation of that [property] later this year.”
He said the second location will focus more on intergenerational wellness, with a potential partnership with St. John’s College.
“We’ll do some intergenerational programs there, we’ll have wellness programs there, so a little bit more health and wellness oriented, as well as a little bit more academic programs,”
he said. “St. John’s is a ‘Great Books’ school, so you can imagine going to a program at that campus where we’re studying one of the great books for a week, and how it’s relevant to you and your life today.”
Modern Elder Academy’s other current location is in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. More information on the academy can be found at meawisdom.com.