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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 Why Simplicity Wins, Jon’s Manologue on Fight Club & Why Guys Need Single Serving Friends, our How I See It with the award-winning Dr. Drew Ramsey, and, as always, our 6F recs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

The Hard Lesson on the Complexities of Simplicity

By Greg Scheinman

I was a guest on the World’s Greatest Dad podcast yesterday. And let me be clear, I’m far from claiming that title myself. What I can say, though, is that I’m doing my best.

They asked me: What’s the single biggest lesson I’ve learned? After interviewing over 250 of the highest-performing, middle-aged men in the world, and through my own personal growth and transformation, the answer was obvious: simplicity.

Why Simplicity Wins

Every man I’ve spoken with—married or single, fathers or not, CEOs or creatives—who has sustained success shares one common thread: they don’t major in the minors. They have simple, measurable, quantifiable standards and systems. They don’t chase every new trend or fad. They prioritize the basics over biohacking. They don’t live on the extremes of “all in” or “all out.” There's an understanding of productivity over perpetual busyness. They’ve learned to master their own middle.

And here’s the truth: simple is hard. 

And I’ll even take it one step further: 

Doing simple well is exceptionally hard. Which is why most people don’t do it.

If things are “complicated” we can use that complication as an excuse to do nothing because, you know, “it’s complicated”.

Looking back, I was one of those people. I complicated the shit out of my life for too many years to count… But here’s what I did…

Fight Club Was Right: Why Dudes Need Single-Serving Friends

By Jon Finkel

There’s a scene early in one of my favorite movies, Fight Club, where Ed Norton as The Narrator delivers a monologue on the misery of a life spent traveling.

You know the one:

Everywhere I travel, tiny life. Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit. Shampoo-conditioner combos, sample-packaged mouthwash, tiny bars of soap. The people I meet on each flight? They're single-serving friends. Between takeoff and landing we have our time together, but that’s all we get.

Shortly after, he “meets” Tyler Durden on one of his flights and after a brief conversation, he says, “Tyler, you are by far the most interesting single-serving friend I've ever met…”

And the rest of the movie is about their “relationship” and the forming of Fight Club and masculinity and consumerism and all the things that make it a great novel and film.

BUT… I want to focus on the single-serving friend thing.

Because one, it is clever, like they acknowledge in the scene, and two, I didn’t understand how clever it was when Fight Club came out because I was only in college.

Back then, the very concept of single-serving friends made no sense to me and it probably made no sense to you. But once you read this, I promise you’ll see the genius of having single-serving friends and you’ll learn how to cultivate them.

I am Jack’s excellent column (if you get this reference, you HAVE to read this haha):

Dr. Drew Ramsey on the Power of Small, Action vs. Awareness, Communities for Men and More…

By Greg Scheinman

The first thing I noticed about Drew Ramsey is his voice; deep, serious, commanding. It immediately makes you think he’s all business. And while Drew is a highly educated, articulate, and intelligent doctor tackling some very serious work in the world of mental health, and nutritional psychiatry (we talked a lot about food…) what struck me is how laid-back and normal he is. He’s conversational, sometimes even slightly profane; in the best way possible, a good man-to-man kind of way.

I found him to be relatable, extremely credible, and aspirational. Here’s a guy who’s followed his own path, relocating from New York to Jackson, Wyoming, working on his own personal challenges, growth, and well-being, while practicing what he preaches. There’s something powerful about people like Drew who can take very serious, often complicated subjects and break them down into something guys like me can actually use. I don’t tend to gravitate toward science-heavy conversations or get lost in the weeds of clinical research. What I enjoy, and what Drew does so well—is giving you the Cliff Notes. It’s like being at a keynote and, when the Q&A comes, someone asks, “Okay, just give me the three things I can do today that will actually help.” That’s what Drew delivers. Simple (and I’ve got an entire viewpoint on simplicity this week). Practical. Actionable.

Drew Ramsey, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author. His work focuses on evidence-based integrative psychiatry, Nutritional Psychiatry, and male mental health. He founded the Brain Food Clinic, a digital mental health practice, and Spruce Mental Health in Jackson, Wyoming. Using the latest research along with decades of clinical experience, he helps people improve their mental health and build resilient mental fitness.

Dr. Ramsey is also a leading advocate and compelling voice in the field. He co-hosts Men’s Health’s Friday Sessions with Gregory Scott Brown, MD, and has delivered three TEDx talks, a Big Think video series, and appeared in the BBC documentary Food on the Brain. His work and writing have been featured on The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, TIME, NPR, and Lancet Psychiatry.

So enjoy this conversation - and how Drew Ramsey sees it.

The Heart of John Candy

We grew up on John Candy’s movies, and now our kids have, too. Uncle Buck. The Great Outdoors. Home Alone. Spaceballs. And this weekend we watched the new documentary I Like Me as a family. And one thing you’ll learn is that aside from being a comedic genius and a genuinely excellent human, at his core, John Candy was a family man and a community man. Our kind of guy. A reminder that success, laughter and legacy all start at home.

Train Simple & Stay Consistent: How Greg Uses AI

A coaching client texted me this week: “Hey Greg, can you share what prompts you use with AI to generate workouts?”

Here’s my answer: I keep it basic. I use the XPT Life app for mobility and breathwork, LADDER for most of my strength work, then mix in rucks, pool sessions, and boxing. For rowing, I love the ErgZone app. 

If I’m looking for something new, I’ll use ChatGPT prompts like:

“Build me a 3-day full-body strength program based on Gunnar Peterson, Don Saladino, and Ben Bruno.”

Or: “Design a 12-week HYROX plan for a 52-year-old with previous times of 1:06 and 1:15.”

But mostly, I train on feel. If I want to lift, I lift. If I want to sprint or row, I do that. I’ve shifted from total volume to total wellness: mobility, recovery, and consistency. The program matters less than just moving your body 4–5x per week.

Our New Favorite Finance Software: Origin

Simplify your money. That’s the theme lately, and why we like Origin. It lets you track, sync, and visualize everything in one clean dashboard. Monitor investments, forecast growth, and manage money as a couple. One shared, intelligent home for your finances. Easy to use. Easy to understand.

Try Pancakes That Perform

Manukora protein pancakes have become a weekend staple. Extra protein to build muscle and sustain energy, nutrient-rich grains for the gut and heart, and antioxidants from Manukora honey. Simple, sustainable, and delicious fuel for midlife.

Ingredients:

1 cup Sunrise Flour pancake mix
1 scoop mindbodygreen vanilla protein
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp avocado oil or ghee (for cooking)
Manukora honey (for topping)
Directions: Mix, cook, flip, drizzle, and enjoy

The Duck Canvas Utility Jacket You Need This Fall

The Wallace & Barnes duck canvas utility jacket nails that balance of style and substance. 100% cotton canvas, riveted pockets, corduroy collar, plaid lining—classic, rugged, and built to last. Inspired by old workwear and military uniforms, made for today. I went with black. Perfect layer for fall.

Adventure Equals Happiness

If you missed The Middle this week, you missed the full recap of our Miami Excellent Adventure. This is what fun looks like: great hotel, sunrise rucks, beach workouts, long dinners, real conversations. The perfect mix of movement, connection, and downtime. We’ve got a full 2026 calendar coming soon so more of you can join us.

Read Our MOST POPULAR Cover Stories:

Troy Aikman on Reinvention, Wrestling Demons and What Success Looks Like

Laird Hamilton’s Blueprint for Ageless Living and Unstoppable Energy

15 Pieces of Wisdom from Chef Robert Irvine

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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