E55. Getting off the “Hedonic Treadmill” - with Chip Conley, Hospitality Entrepreneur & New York Times Bestselling Author

“For me, being more vulnerable made me more of a visionary. I really do believe that. It allowed me to move beyond the past and to see the future.” - Chip Conley Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Chip Conley. Chip is a man that has disrupted the hospitality industry twice in his lifetime - once as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, and again as a key strategic advisor during Airbnb’s rise. What does it take to build two industry-transforming businesses, all while being a New York Times Bestselling Author? While taking off his mask with Ashanti, Chip explores how he has found peace and balance by getting off the “hedonic treadmill.” (0:55) Ashanti’s introduction (5:42) Chip introduces himself, his background, and his career. Then, Ashanti shares some “emotional equations” he has learned from Chip, for example, despair = suffering - meaning. (10:50) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - dedicated, serious, persistent - and he shares how this mask plays a role in his work. (14:15) Chip shares the front of his mask - wise, curious, playful - and he explains how being a “curious white boy” led to harvesting wisdom through weekly journaling. (17:35) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - fear, not enough, midlife “WTF” - and he looks back on how he searched for a father figure while growing up. (21:10) Chip shares the back of his mask - intensely competitive, restless, horny monk - and he explores how his consciousness has evolved over time, and what it is like to get off the “hedonic treadmill”. (29:50) Ashanti and Chip go deeper into the challenges of harnessing competitiveness and passion so that they remain at sustainable, healthy levels. (36:20) Then, Chip and Ashanti discuss the pros and cons of distilling emotions down to equations. They also extend the metaphor and think about how emotions accumulate over time in a “vault”. (42:40) Chip shares why it was important to “be the other”. (47:00) Chip shares how you can get in touch with him. --- Connect with Chip Conley: Website: chipconley.com Website: modernelderacademy.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf Twitter: twitter.com/ChipConley Instagram: instagram.com/chipconley --- Create your own mask anonymously at www.100kmasks.com If you are interested in being on the Face to Face podcast, email us at [email protected] --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: instagram.com/branchspeaks Facebook: facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch Website: branchspeaks.com --- Send in a voice message: anchor.fm/branch-speaks/message