All Episodes

September 16, 2025 6 mins

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 You’ll learn how the hidden grief of outdated roles and old identities can trigger what feels like midlife crisis depression, and why facing it head-on can open the door to midlife reinvention.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  • Use one transformative question to release outdated identities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.


Want to Share?

If his episode resonated with you, drop a note or a timestamped comment — or send a private message.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.