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: One Question that Instantly Shifts Your Midlife Crisis (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 2)
How midlife men can face identity loss, release old roles, and begin true personal reinvention.
For men after 50, a so-called midlife crisis often feels like restlessness, irritability, or a vague emptiness. But what if your midlife funk isn’t about cars, careers, or escape — but about grief and identity loss?
In this episode of Midlife Man Rising, experiential psychologist Nelson Pahl, Ph.D. reframes the midlife journey as an opportunity for growth, not decline. You’ll learn how the hidden grief of outdated roles and old identities can trigger what feels like midlife crisis depression, and why facing it head-on can open the door to midlife reinvention.
Discover how to:
- Recognize when your “crisis” is really grief in disguise
- Use one transformative question to release outdated identities
- Begin the process of personal reinvention after 50
- Shift from midlife funk to midlife transformation
If you’re a midlife man stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode gives you clarity, courage, and a starting point. Stop surviving and start rebuilding with proven tools for midlife men ready to evolve.
🎧 Listen now — and if you’re ready for deeper change, join Nelson’s 28-day program, Resurrection Camp, to reclaim your identity and create your midlife makeover.
Episode Highlights
- Escape vs. Surrender in Midlife Crisis
- Opportunities for Personal Reinvention
- One Question That Shifts Your Midlife Crisis
- Why a New Value System Emerges
- The Need for Identity Reconstruction
- A Simple Midlife Practice to Try
- Conscious Individuation for Midlife Men
Healing Links
5-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp
Supporting Links
Empirical Research: Midlife Transformation, Not Crisis
Clinical Research: 3 Case Studies of Male Midlife Crisis
Jungian Research: Midlife Individuation
Professional Article: Identity as Dynamic Process
Next Episode: Men After 50: 5 Ways to Channel Your Midlife Anger(Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 3)
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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If you follow this podcast space, you know I see midlife not as a crisis but, rather, as a grief event.
And if you’re stuck in that midlife funk, there’s one question that can instantly reframe everything.
My name’s Nelson Pahl. I’m an experiential psychologist that makes it easy for midlife men to reclaim identity and reinvent themselves.
And in this episode, I’m going to ask you that very question.
Most men try to escape this midlife season—with new cars, new careers, sometimes even new partners. Yet, what if the real answer isn’t escape…but, instead, surrender?"
A 2019 study, one published in the Royal Society’s academic journal, Notes & Records, finds that “while midlife crises may lead to periods of distress, they can also offer opportunities for personal redefinition and growth.”
Additionally, The Centre for Male Psychology, after a review of empirical research, states that 10 to 20% of all men experience a traditional midlife crisis, suggesting that the real process is more about transformation than it is “crisis.”
However, many of us ardently resist those calls for transformation, don’t we? I mean, change can be a trip, right?
So…
Here’s a question that changed my life, and it can change yours too:
What part of me needs to die…so a truer part of me can live on?
With this question in mind…research from the International Association of Analytical Psychology concludes that after a man successfully navigates a midlife crisis, deep shadow contents rise to the surface and he is challenged to live through the unlived, where his inner value system, oftentimes, becomes significantly different, even opposing the previous version.
So, again, I pose…
What part of you needs to die…so a truer part of you can live on?
It’s a question of identity. It’s not about losing yourself—it’s about shedding the outdated version of you that no longer serves who you’re becoming.
It’s viewing identity as a dynamic process. This approach is supported by longitudinal research published in the study Identity Formation in Adulthood, which finds that "identity is not a static entity, but instead remains fixed, once initial resolutions are made. Rather, changing life circumstances, coupled with changing biological and psychological factors, requires ongoing identity reconstruction.
Because our midlife funk isn’t really about age. It’s about grief. The grief that comes with letting go of old roles, old dreams, and even old versions of yourself.
And what’s the best way to approach grief? Well, it’s through Neimeyer’s theory of reconstruction—the reconstruction of both meaning and identity.
Because, if you don’t face this grief…it simply festers.
And as it does, it debilitates, and can even cause you long-term misery.
But if you do face this midlife grief…
It can transform you.
So here’s what I want you to do right now. Grab a notebook or a post-it note or even your phone. I want you to write a single sentence that finishes this prompt:
“The part of me that needs to die is ___, so a truer part of me, ___, can live on.”
Don’t overthink it. Just write the first thing that comes to mind.
That single sentence is the starting point.
Now, I know all this might feel uncomfortable. That's actually a good sign. Psychological research tells us that 'midlife is an initiation, and initiations are supposed to be hard – but they're a necessary part of any journey toward growth and wholeness.'
What you're doing right now - identifying what needs to die - is what psychologists call 'conscious individuation.' You're not running from who you are. You're choosing who you become.
Most men get stuck because they try to hold onto everything - the old identity AND the new one. But transformation doesn't work that way. Something has to be released so something better can emerge. That's not loss, my friend. That's conscious evolution.
So, if you’re ready to go deep, to really transform and reinvent yourself, to redefine your present and future existence, I invite you to enroll in my powerful 28-day challenge, Resurrection Camp. It’s the game-changer you’ve been waiting for. To learn more, just log onto Resurrection.Camp. You’ll find that link in the show notes of this podcast.
Until next time…