Welcome to Middle Man, for midlife men and the people who love them.
Midlife can be challenging for multiple reasons, so if you're feeling lost or trapped or unhappy, you're not broken and you're far from alone. You're just human.
Middle Man is focused on helping you to understand and transition through midlife with ease. On this site you'll find articles, news, podcasts, books and experts, all focused on helping you live a more joyful, purposeful and meaningful life.
As a start point, take the quick Check In so we can point you in the right direction.
LATEST PODCAST EPISODE
Living With Constant Self Doubt
Comparison can be a paralysing trap that it’s very hard to break free from. Clouded in a mindset of self-doubt, nothing ever feels enough, no matter what you achieve or how outwardly successful you appear. Comparison slowly erodes self-worth and leads to a life full of unsatisfaction that comes to a head in midlife.
Features
If Midlife Feels Empty, You’re Asking the Wrong Questions
Something quietly shifts as you move through midlife. It’s not dramatic, and it doesn’t arrive with a trumpet fanfare. It’s more like waking up one morning and realising you’re less interested in impressing people and far more invested in feeling […]
Read More >>>You’re Not Afraid of Change. You’re Afraid of Being Trapped
Most stalled lives don’t look dramatic. They look like curiosity that never goes anywhere. You think about doing something different. A course. A side project. A new direction at work. You feel a flicker of interest, maybe even excitement. And […]
Read More >>>The Impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder
This time of year can be tough for many people. There’s a long-upheld belief that January is the worst month of the year, but for me and others like me, […]
Read More >>>The Quiet Crisis Behind a “Successful” Life
Have you ever felt that something’s not quite right in your life, but you’re unsure what? I have. At the start of 2024 I knew that something was off. It […]
Read More >>>What is The Emotional Cost of Being a Man?
I recently read the story of David Williams, a man who explained that despite a life with a number of major traumas, he had never cried in his entire life. […]
Read More >>>Why It’s Time for Men to Evolve
For generations, masculinity has been defined by rigid expectations; strength, stoicism, and the ability to provide. Men were conditioned to suppress emotions, prioritise financial success, and avoid anything perceived as […]
Read More >>>News & Insights
Why Men Don’t Go To Therapy
There was an interesting article in The Guardian this week, with a psychologist lamenting the […]
Read More >>>The Biology Behind ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’
An article in the Daily Mail by columnist Tracey Cox raised a few hackles in […]
Read More >>>Long-term Physical Inactivity Linked to Higher Midlife Stress
Adults who are insufficiently physically active across adulthood experience a significantly higher burden of chronic […]
Read More >>>Midlife Exercise Protects from High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure affects more than 1.4 billion adults globally, yet nearly half remain undiagnosed, […]
Read More >>>Sleep Apnea Linked to Mental Health Conditions in Middle Age
Adults over the age of 45 at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are […]
Read More >>>Subscribe to the Middle Man Newsletter
Featured Expert
Book of the Month
FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS
by OLIVER BURKEMAN
Four Thousand Week is essential reading for midlife men who feel permanently busy yet oddly unfulfilled. It confronts the uncomfortable truth that life is brutally finite (roughly four thousand weeks) and that trying to “get on top of everything” only deepens anxiety. Read More >>>
Popular Middle Man Episodes
The Cost of People Pleasing
with Daniel Glyde
Many midlife men have a problem with saying 'yes'. In that they do it all the time out of habit, regardless of what's best for them.
How You Can Live a Soft Life
with Dr Sarah Nicholls
Living a 'soft life' is all about living in a way that reduces stress and priorities mental wellbeing, ease and personal fulfilment.
Add 10 Years to Your Life!
with Dr Federica Amati
Most content about what we should eat and how we should eat it is confusing. This is a down to earth way of being healthier and fitter.
Midlife Stories: Overcoming Self Doubt
with Simon Burgess
Self doubt and lack of confidence plague many midlife men, contributing to loneliness and poor mental wellbeing.
SPEAKING
If you run a conference or a corporate wellbeing initiative, I provide presentations that are both moving and inspiring. I have been speaking publicly 20 years, and my Middle Man presentations draw upon three core elements. The first is the lived experience of the 100+ men who have contacted me with their own experiences since I launched the show. The second is the collated wellbeing wisdom of all of the guests who have appeared on the show. And the third is my very personal story of my own midlife challenges, about which I talk openly and honestly. Find out more...
FREE DOWNLOAD: THAT THING I DID
“I just wanted to email to say thank you. I found it fascinating and very emotional. A few people have already asked me about it, and I will also be sharing this with my partner and encouraging him to listen.”

