Midlife Man Rising
Midlife Man Rising is a podcast for men after 50 who sense something’s off — the quiet grief of identity loss, the ache of midlife crisis depression, and the restless urge for midlife reinvention.
If you’re tired of performing roles, chasing what no longer fits, or waking up with that hollow ache in your chest, this space is for you.
Through stories, reflections, and experiential practices, I help midlife men:
- Reclaim who they once were and honor what they’ve lost
- Face the hidden grief of midlife instead of pretending it doesn’t exist
- Redefine purpose beyond legacy, expectations, or success metrics
- Begin a midlife transformation that feels authentic, aligned, and meaningful
Each episode blends evidence-based experiential techniques with narrative reflection — helping you move forward with agency, not guilt.
Join me, Nelson Pahl, Ph.D., experiential psychologist, as we help the midlife man rise — and turn midlife crisis into personal reinvention.
Current and upcoming series include:
- Good Grief, John Doe mini-course
- Midlife Resurrection series
- Midlife Plan B series
- Legacy Lab mini-course
Follow the show if you’re ready to stop surviving midlife and start rebuilding it with clarity and courage.
Midlife Man Rising
Men After 50: 5 Signs Your Midlife Crisis is Really Grief in Diguise (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 1)
Why Your Midlife Crisis Isn’t What You Think: 5 Hidden Signs of Grief
Most men think a midlife crisis is about buying sports cars, switching careers, or chasing thrills. But beneath the surface, midlife is often something deeper: grief — the quiet loss of old identities and roles.
In this episode of Good Grief, John Doe, experiential psychologist Dr. Nelson Pahl reveals five hidden ways unresolved grief disguises itself as the midlife funk. You’ll see why this so-called “crisis” isn’t an ending, but an invitation to grow.
👉 You’ll learn how to recognize:
- Why unexplained sadness may actually be grief for your younger self
- How nostalgia signals midlife identity loss, not just fond memories
- Why old passions feel empty — and what it really means
- The link between restlessness and unprocessed grief in men after 50
- How feeling like a stranger to yourself is actually a call to evolve
Whether you call it a midlife crisis, transition, or reinvention, this episode will help you name what’s really happening — and begin the grief recovery process that frees you to reinvent yourself after 50.
🎧 Tune in now and discover how unspoken grief can become the key to midlife renewal.
Episode Highlights
- Midlife as Death of Old Identities
- Historic Study of Midlife Crisis in Men
- Five Signs Midlife = Grief
- Growth Through Midlife Grief
Healing Links
5-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp
Supporting Links
Empirical Research: Core Identity Transition Research
Foundation Research: Successful Midlife Development Study
HelpGuide Article: Analysis of Midlife Research
Next Episode: Men After 50: Why You Struggle to Let Go of Old Identities (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 2)
About the Host
Nelson Pahl, Ph.D. is an experiential psychologist that helps midlife men move from midlife crisis depression to midlife reinvention. Through his proprietary approaches — Resurrection Camp, the Six Stones Retreat Arc, and his Legacy Lab — he guides men after 50 through identity loss, midlife transformation, and personal reinvention. He's also author of the book, Escaping Sartre's Hell: A Guide for Self-Validation in Midlife.
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Most men think of a midlife crisis as buying a sports car, or changing careers, or chasing new thrills, or, maybe…trading in the older wife for a younger one. Hell, man, you might even be wearing your high school class ring again.
Whatever the case, you must understand this:
Midlife…is a grief event.
It’s the death of former identities. For us men, it’s the death of the athlete, the romantic, the dreamer, the son, the student, the rebel, the stallion, the provider…even The Future Self…that once-idealized version of you that you thought you’d become “by now.”
I’m Nelson Pahl, an experiential psychologist that makes it easy for midlife men to reclaim identity and reinvent themselves.
And in this podcast episode, we’ll explore five signs your midlife funk might actually be unresolved grief.
Way back in 1999—back when Yugoslavia was still a country, people trembled at the thought of Y2K, gas was just a buck-nineteen a gallon, and Ricky Martin recorded a song we still can’t get out of our heads…
“She's into superstition…black cats and voodoo dolls…”
Well, way back then, when a younger, more virile version of both you and me roamed this world…
Dutch researcher Hubert Herman and Polish researcher Piortr Oles carried out a study that examined the concept of midlife crisis in men. In their research—which was published in the academic journal Human Relations—the pair concluded that this midlife funk is "a process of intensive transition of the self including the reinterpretation of time perspective, reevaluation of life values and goals, confrontation with death as a personal event in the future, and planning of the second half of life."
In other words…
They described midlife much like an identity crisis triggered by bereavement.
With that said…
Sign # 1: You feel a deep sadness you can’t explain.
If you wake up with a heaviness that isn’t about money, work, or relationships, you may well be grieving a version of yourself you used to be. This is so typical for us midlife males.
In fact…
HelpGuide’s analysis of gender-specific midlife patterns finds that “Men might be more likely to (one) feel as if their past decisions have limited their future options and (two) experience deep sadness and regret."
Sign #2: You’re nostalgic for old times.
Constantly looking backward, reliving your twenties or thirties, is a common way we midlife men mourn our lost identities. It’s like, when and where did life get so trite and boring? So passionless, ya know?
Now, before we get to signs 3, 4, and 5, I’d like to introduce a second study. Here, research from the MacArthur Foundation Study of Successful Midlife Development found that 23% of participants experienced what they called a "midlife crisis," but only 8% of the total linked it to aging awareness, while 15% experienced it due to major life transitions.
With this in mind…
Sign #3: You’ve lost interest in things that once defined you.
Maybe you were the “career guy” or the “athlete.” When those no longer feel like you, it can leave an empty, hollow space in you.
Sign #4: You feel restless but don’t know why.
Restlessness is often unresolved grief searching for direction and/or outlet.
Sign #5: You feel like a stranger to yourself.
Identity grief can make you feel like you’ve outgrown your old self but, at the same time, haven’t yet stepped into a new version of self.
If these sound familiar, your midlife “crisis” may actually be a call to grieve — and to grow.
If what I shared today resonates with you, I created a free 3-part private audio course called The 3 Hidden Deaths of Midlife. It’s where I go deeper into how to shed outdated identities and start your own resurrection. You can get instant access at MidlifeCourse.com.
And if you’re ready to take the next step, Resurrection Camp is my 28-day challenge for midlife men who are ready to rise again. You can learn more at Resurrection.camp.