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
Goodbye Mum - the Grief of Parental Loss
On 4th February, my mum died from Alzheimers. Her passing follows the death of my dad less than three years ago after a long battle with a degenerative condition related to Parkinson’s. The grief and sadness I have felt have been intertwined with relief, guilt and shame, and so this episode tries to make sense of the grief of parental loss.
Features
Men Don’t Just Want Sex: The Emotional Truth We Don’t Talk About
There’s a story most of us have absorbed without ever consciously agreeing to it. Men want sex. Women want connection. End of discussion. It’s neat. It’s convenient. And it’s largely wrong. In midlife relationships, especially when sex has slowed down […]
Read More >>>The Upwards Happiness Curve Nobody Tells You About
We grow up assuming life satisfaction should climb steadily with age. Work hard, build a career, find love, raise a family, earn more money…and happiness will follow. But real life rarely follows a straight line. In fact, decades of global […]
Read More >>>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 […]
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 >>>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. […]
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 >>>News & Insights
Cycling for 10 Minutes a Day Can Delay Ageing
Regular exercise is well known to protect long-term health, but research suggests cycling in particular […]
Read More >>>Financial Confidence Low Among Middle Aged Due to Cost of Living Crisis
A newly released survey highlights mounting financial strain among those aged 50 and older, a […]
Read More >>>Low Midlife PSA Levels Tied With Low Prostate Cancer Risk
A single prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in midlife may help identify men at very low […]
Read More >>>Midlife Depression Symptoms Linked to Dementia Risk
Scientists have long recognised a link between depression and dementia, but a new study published […]
Read More >>>Why Men Don’t Go To Therapy
There was an interesting article in The Guardian this week, with a psychologist lamenting the […]
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.”

