How midlife men can let go of old blueprints and create their own path.
Many midlife men still live under the shadow of their fathers’ expectations — chasing approval, success, or strength defined by someone else’s rules. But what happens when those inherited blueprints no longer fit your life?
In this episode of Midlife Man Rising, experiential psychologist Nelson Pahl, Ph.D., explores why so many men after 50 feel stuck in identity loss, midlife crisis depression, or a restless need for reinvention. Drawing on research and lived experience, he reveals how midlife is not just decline — it’s a season of transformation, plasticity, and freedom.
You’ll learn:
- Why unresolved father-son dynamics surface in midlife
- How to recognize when you’re carrying a story that isn’t yours
- Why this stage of life is a powerful opportunity for midlife reinvention
- A simple, evidence-based somatic exercise (Voo Breathing) to help release old approval-seeking patterns
If you’re ready to shed the weight of your father’s unfinished dream and embrace your own midlife makeover, this episode is for you.
Episode Highlights
- Fatherly expectations & midlife identity
- Why old stories resurface after 50
- Science of midlife reinvention
- Living your own blueprint, not his
- Voo Breathing for nervous system reset
Healing Links
5-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp
Supporting Links
Empirical Research: Adult Male Identity Formation
Empirical Research: Midlife as Developmental Pivot Point
Next Episode: Men After 50: The Midlife Resurrection (Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 6)
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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