Chip Conley's Book Recommendations

"Pragmatic and thoughtful, [the author] shows how networking can move from being transactional to being transformational in your life."

"I have given Meditations away to a number of people."

"One of the best books on hospitality ever written."

"A really interesting, observational book."

"[Has] become a favorite to gift."

"If I were to take the meaning of Man's Search for Meaning, and turn it into an equation, it would be despair equals suffering minus meaning."

"[The author] is a wise guy. Sincerely. He’s one of the wisest and most thoughtful business leaders of the modern age."

"Beautiful book."

"@marc_freedman, one of the wisest thought leaders and most committed students in the aging and longevity world, has been my Modern Elder. This book is his masterpiece. @EncoreOrg"

"I love the humanity of Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. While this book is nearly 12 years old, it captures some of the vulnerability & bewilderment that people over 50 felt during the Great Recession that might be even further amplified by these pandemic times."

"Says something about the fact that it’s not so much the shortness of life, it’s how we waste it."

"So far, my favorite book of 2021 is @lucykellaway's recently published book called “Re-educated: How I Changed My Job, My Home, My Husband and My Hair”. Her personal memoir doubles as a Modern Elder Academy manifesto."

"Has become required reading at the Modern Elder Academy."

"Here’s my list of recommended books for the first half of 2021 (a book a month), featuring authors @harari_yuval, @Isabelwilkerson, @konmari_co, @anthrowittering, @AdamMGrant, and @PaulHawken. Hope you enjoy!"

"Adam Grant’s books are reliable bestsellers and this one is made for our times as it explores the science of rethinking our own opinions, opening other people’s minds, and building cultures that prize humility, curiosity, and mental flexibility over foolish consistency. He writes, “If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.”"

"Isabel Wilkerson’s book, with the subtitle “The Origins of our Discontents,” was my most insightful, jaw-dropping read of last year as it helped me understand race relations in the U.S. with a whole new lens. And, she’s a poignant storyteller."

"I invited author Marie Kondo to our Airbnb Open festival in Paris in 2015 and found her a delight as we both are fascinated by the topic of Joy. Here she applies her “tidy up” point of view to our career. Sounds like she might appreciate MEA’s “Great Midlife Edit” ritual."

"This is required reading."

"This book has become our manifesto for creating MEA Regenerative Communities."

"There are few books I’ve read that personally embrace the idea of #growthmindset (without using that term in the book) more than this one. It is a memoir forged on the foundation of forgiveness, resilience, autonomy, and generosity."