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Midlife Man Rising

Midlife Man Rising

By: Nelson Pahl Ph.D.
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About this listen

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 a hollow ache in your chest, this space is for you.


I bring clarity and courage through stories, reflections, and experiential practices that help midlife men:


  • Reclaim who you once were and honor what you’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 simple, evidence-based experiential techniques with narrative reflection so you can move forward with agency, not guilt.


Join me, Nelson Pahl, Ph.D., experiential psychologist, as we help the midlife man rise — turning midlife funk into personal reinvention.


Current and upcoming series include:


  • Good Grief, John Doe mini-course
  • Midlife Resurrection series
  • Six Stones Reclamation suite
  • Legacy Lab mini-course


👉 Follow the show if you're ready to stop surviving midlife and start rebuilding it with clarity and courage.

© 2025 Midlife Man Rising
Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Man After 50: 7 Signs You're Living Someone Else's Life (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 4)
    Sep 21 2025

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    A seven-question survey to reveal identity loss and start your midlife reinvention

    For Men After 50 — feeling like you’re playing a role instead of living your life? This episode of Midlife Man Rising helps answer a simple question: Is this your life…or someone else’s?

    I’m Nelson Pahl, an experiential psychologist that helps midlife men reclaim identity, face hidden identity loss, and begin true personal reinvention. In this episode I walk you through a quick, clear 7-question survey that exposes whether you’re living a borrowed life...and gives you the honest signal you need to start changing course.

    Topics in this Episode

    • Male Role Expectations Impact Self-Expression (0:53)
    • Men After 50 Often Live by Societal Conformity (1:07)
    • 7-Question Self-Survey for Men After 50 (1:57)
    • What Your “Yes” Answers Mean (3:31)


    Healing Links

    28-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp


    Supporting Links

    Empirical Research: Masculinity & Social Conformity Pressures
    Empirical Research : Male Role Conformity and Mental Health


    Next Episode:
    Men After 50: Breaking Free from Your Father's Expectations (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 5)


    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.


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    If this survey moved you, drop a note or a timestamped comment — or send a private message. Naming it is often the first step.


    Hashtags

    #MenAfter50 #MidlifeMan #MidlifeCrisis #IdentityLoss #MidlifeReinvention #PersonalReinvention

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    5 mins
  • Men After 50: 5 Ways to Channel Your Midlife Anger (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 3)
    Sep 19 2025

    Transform anger into personal reinvention and midlife growth.

    For many men after 50, midlife brings an unexpected weight: anger. But beneath that frustration is often grief, identity loss, and the pressure of outdated roles. The truth? Anger isn’t your enemy—it’s energy. And if you learn to channel it, that energy becomes fuel for your midlife transformation.

    In this episode of Midlife Man Rising, Dr. Nelson Pahl—an experiential psychologist that helps midlife men reclaim identity and reinvent themselves—shares 5 healthy ways to channel your midlife anger. Instead of wrecking your relationships or your health, these strategies help you move, create, speak, protect, and release in ways that spark personal reinvention.

    You’ll learn how to:

    • Move your body to metabolize hidden anger
    • Turn rage into creativity and expression
    • Talk it out instead of bottling it up
    • Set boundaries that protect your energy
    • Use ritual to release the weight of the past

    If you’re a midlife man wrestling with anger, this episode will show you how to redirect that fire into strength, clarity, and forward momentum. Because your midlife crisis isn’t the end—it’s the opening to a powerful reinvention.

    Topics in this Episode

    • Turning Anger Into Energy (0:55)
    • 5 Healthy Ways to Channel Midlife Anger (1:15)
    • Using Movement to Release Tension (1:23)
    • Anger as Creativity and Expression (1:51)
    • Talking It Out vs. Bottling It Up (2:03)
    • Boundaries as Self-Protection (2:16)
    • Rituals for Releasing Midlife Grief (2:27)


    Healing Links

    28-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp


    Supporting Links

    Empirical Research: Masculinity & Social Conformity Pressures
    Empirical Research : Male Role Conformity and Mental Health


    Next Episode:
    Men After 50: 7 Signs You're Living Someone Else's Life (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 4)


    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.

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    4 mins
  • Men After 50: One Question that Instantly Shifts Your Midlife Crisis
    Sep 17 2025

    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.


    Topics in this Episode

    • Recognize When You’re Escaping Instead of Surrendering (0:53)
    • Discover How Midlife Opens Opportunities for Personal Redefinition (1:13)
    • Ask Yourself the One Question that Can Change Your Life (1:51)
    • Understand Why an Opposing Value System May Emerge (2:23)
    • Learn Why Identity Reconstruction is Essential (3:19)
    • Try a Simple Practice to Begin the Shift (4:05)
    • Choose Who You Become: Conscious Individuation (4:54)


    Healing Links

    28-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.

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    6 mins
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