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Morning, Greg here!

Welcome to Midlife Male, the fastest-growing, #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. In today’s issue we’ve got my Viewpoint on how to make sure you bring value to any conversation, Jon’s Manologue on the the bliss he experienced in Costco with an unlimited budget, our How I See It with the award-winning Chef Mark Allison, and, as always, our 6F recs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

Don’t Be a Conversational Liability

By Greg Scheinman

One of the best compliments a man can get is when someone says, “That guy brings value to every room he’s in.” 

One of the worst things they can say? 

“Don’t invite that guy. He’s a conversational liability.” 

You know that guy. 

We’ve all been trapped next to him at dinner. He’s got nothing to say, no curiosity, no interest outside his narrow little lane. He doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t bring energy, doesn’t connect dots. He’s just…there. A conversational black hole. 

Meanwhile, across the table you’ve got guys locked in, fully engaged, lit up, and you can see it - you want to be part of that conversation because it’s alive. And let me be clear, this isn’t about bullshit small talk. 

A few weeks ago, our Editor-in-Chief, Jon, wrote a great column in his Manologue about the benefits he’s seen from making small talk around his town. In that setting, sure, there are some benefits. He makes a good case. As for me? I loathe small talk, especially in a corporate or event setting. Forget it. I’m out.

I’ve been through enough rubber chicken dinners and corporate networking events to last ten lifetimes. 

I’m over pleasantries and nametags and bullshit.

What I’m after are real conversations with real energy, real curiosity, and stories that connect and make people want more.

Inside the Hidden World of Luxury Costco

By Jon Finkel

In my 20s I experienced Dad Nirvana:  

Unlimited budget Costco runs on someone else's dime.  

$10,000+ trips. Assistants. 5 Flat Beds. All true.   

Let me tell you about the secret world of luxury Costco:

Way back in the day I was a Production Assistant for The Man Show on Comedy Central.  

The PA is the bottom of the Hollywood totem pole. It sucks.  

4 hours in LA traffic running a top secret script somewhere...  Jamming 18 people's lunch into your front seat.  

Coffee runs...

85% of what you do as a PA is bullshit...  It's like being a professional pledge.  

Somehow, I got stuck with stocking the kitchen early on.  Initially, I thought it was going to be the worst assignment...   

The kitchen was a disaster and we fed like 90 people daily...

I pictured hours on end at the grocery store. Every day.  Until a veteran PA said the magic words:

"Finkel, here's the production company Costco card."  

Me: "Oh. Um. What's the budget?"  

"Whatever. Just keep everyone happy."  

Me: "Whaaaaaat!!!!".…..

Fellas, if you’ve ever been to Costco (and who hasn’t) you are going to want to see the damage I was able to do here. Picture everything you always wished you had room for and could buy, then quadruple it. Enjoy this trip to Luxury Costco with me. You’ll love it. Read on and let me know what you’d grab if you could:

Chef Mark Allison on Elevating Wellness Through Culinary Innovation

By Greg Scheinman

This week’s How I See It is with my new friend and midlife inspiration, Chef Mark Allison. Mark is a man whose life and career embody the transformative power of food and the power of showing up every day. Born and raised in England, Mark fell in love with cooking at just 16, landing his first job in a hotel kitchen. Nearly five decades later, that passion is stronger than ever. His journey has taken him through some of the world’s top kitchens and culinary schools, into leadership roles as Dean of Culinary Arts Education at Johnson & Wales University, Director of Culinary Nutrition at the Dole Food Company, and Corporate Executive Chef at Forever Oceans.

But Mark’s story isn’t just about food; it’s about resilience. After his wife’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis and his sons’ battles with type 1 diabetes, he discovered firsthand how food can be more than fuel; it can be medicine, strength, and hope. That experience continues to shape his work and mission today, from his nutrient-dense recipes to founding FORK Cancer, an organization uniting chefs, businesses, and communities to fight cancer through culinary excellence and compassionate giving.

And here’s what I love: this year Mark made a simple commitment to walk 5 miles a day. Nothing extreme, just consistency. Ten months later that small daily choice became over 1,500 miles; the equivalent of 58 marathons. That’s what midlife wellness is all about: showing up, staying consistent, and proving that small steps build a stronger, longer life.

I’m excited to share this conversation with you, because Mark Allison’s journey reminds us that the recipe for total life wellness in midlife isn’t complicated, it’s built one day, one choice, one step at a time.

Make Money to Make Memories

This week Jonathan Goodman, who appeared on our Midlife Male cover several months ago, posted about something he did and we had to share it and applaud it. Goodman grew up a die hard Toronto Blue Jays fan. He watched every game with his brother as kids. When Toronto faced a rare Game 7 at home against Seattle on Tuesday, Goodman put his wealth to work. He bought tickets, bought his brother a plane ticket and texted him: we’re going. Read his whole post here. It’s why we all do what we do: to make memories with the people we love:

GoRuck Makes Its Flex Factory Debut!d

For those who may not know, the Flex Factory is what our EIC Jon Finkel affectionately calls his garage gym. And following our super successful Signature 5K Sunrise Ruck in South Beach this past weekend, Jon took his official Midlife Male GoRuck home and put it to work. Here’s his new favorite set:

Greg uses his GoRuck pack while walking his dog three miles every day. It’s a versatile way to add weight, resistance, build stamina, endurance and fend of sarcopenia as we all age. Or, as Jon says, “it’s perfect to add weight to pull-ups and push-ups and other meathead things.”

Get your own GORUCK here.

Smuckers Sues Trader Joes Over Uncrustables Knock Off

Normally, breaking financial news is not what we cover here in the Finance section of our 6Fs. We typically have columns from our Financial Consigliere, Ron Speaker, or useful strategies you can employ in your own financial life.

However, we’ve got a lot of endurance athletes and competitive athletes who read this newsletter, and who also attended our Excellent Adventure in Miami. And a surprising hot topic was the popularity of the once-only-for-kids-snack, but now darling of the racing community, Uncrustables, and how the parent company, Smuckers, is suing Trader Joe’s for their knockoff PB&J crimped bread sandwiches.

It’s a fascinating story. Check it out here. FYI: We’re partial to the strawberry jelly variety.

When It’s Been Years Since You Had to Suit Up

From Greg:

On our Midlife Male Excellent Adventure last weekend, one of the guys asked me when the last time was that I wore a suit. I told him, it’s been years.  

Since leaving “corporate”, I moved all my suits to the upstairs closet; you know the one where you put stuff you don’t really want, but don't really want to get rid of either…

Well, unfortunately one of my close friends' father passed away and on the morning of the funeral I went upstairs to dust off one of my suits and none of them fit. The good news? The waists were all fine. The better news, I’m so jacked now at 52 that my thighs and ass almost split the pants, and I couldn’t move in the jacket because of my enhanced, thick back…But enough about me, ha! 

I’m only part joking… So I made a run to J.Crew. Why? Because the Ludlow suit is one of the best sub $1000 suits you can buy AND when you’re on short notice, like I was, they offer it in a variety of jacket sizes and pant sizes and lengths right off the rack so you may be able to get away with minimal to no tailoring.  I picked up a 42S jacket and 32/30 pants and I was good to go.  Simple, navy, two button, iconic. Done. 

Our Super Simple Post-Workout Breakfast

There’s no need to overcomplicate what you eat after a hard workout. Simple works, even if you like cereal. Greg’s go-to when he’s craving a bowl is this:

Seven Sundays Oat Protein Cereal

Califia Farms Coconut Milk

MindBodyGreen Protein Powder (Use code MidlifeMale20! for 20% off)

Fresh Strawberries

Fresh Blueberries.

Done.

And don’t ask about macros. We don’t care. Train hard. Eat clean. Get enough protein. The rest takes care of itself.

Comedian Tom Papa on Why We Have Empty Nesting Backwards

With our Founder Greg Scheinman currently in month 2 of being a full-time empty nester, this bit by Tom Papa hits home. Why are the kids the ones who are leaving the house? We build an entire life around what the kids need and then they leave for college? Shouldn’t we be the ones to leave??? Great delivery and point here from Papa. Check it out.

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MLM Founder: Greg Scheinman / Follow Greg on Instagram & LinkedIn

Love Greg’s Viewpoint column? Visit the full Viewpoint Vault HERE where he shares his personal insights, experiences and perspectives on everything affecting midlife.

MLM Editor-in-Chief: Jon Finkel / Follow Jon on Twitter/X and Instagram

Love Jon’s Manologue column? Check out the full Manologue Archive HERE where he writes about pop culture, parenthood, sports, nostalgia & everything in between.

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