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In this episode of Midlife Man Rising, we explore why men after 50 often discover that midlife isn’t a crisis but a crossroads — a turning point between identity loss and personal reinvention.

Hosted by experiential psychologist Nelson Pahl, Ph.D., Good Grief, John Doe — a 3-part limited series — helps the midlife man navigate midlife transformation by reclaiming identity, reestablishing purpose, and finding meaning after loss: the loss of youth, energy, roles, relationships, and direction.

Each episode blends practical tools and experiential practices to help men after 50 and men after 40 process midlife crisis depression, shed outdated identities, and step into a midlife makeover that feels authentic.

In this episode, Part 1, Nelson explains how midlife, for a man, is really a grief event — the death of former selves — and he offers a simple practice to start addressing this midlife grief.

Topics in this Episode

• The Old Map No Longer Works (0:49)
• Midlife Crisis as Grief (1:19)
• What Men After 50 Rarely Admit (1:37)
• Language for the Ache (2:11)
• Writing a Midlife Elegy (2:33)
• Elegy Prompts for Men After 50 (3:15)
• A Midlife Elegy Example (3:46)

Healing Links

28-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp

Supporting Links

EBSCO Research: Midlife Crisis Statistics & Definitions
Academic Article: Jungian Individuation Theory
Professional Article: “The Grief of Midlife Crisis”
Academic Resource: Masculinity and Grief

Next Episode: Men After 50: Sensory Mapping for Calming Midlife Angst (Good Grief, John Doe mini-course - 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.