Mount Everest Marathoner Michael Clinton on Visiting 126 Countries, Running Esquire & Life Layering

Morning, Greg here! Welcome to Issue No. 15 of Midlife Male, the lifestyle magazine for midlife men, by midlife men. I wanted to personally welcome all our new readers, and if this newsletter was forwarded to you, subscribe below.

This November, we’re proud to be partnering with mindbodygreen. MBG is one of our Midlife Male Approved brands and my family and I use their products daily.  I’m very picky about what I put in and on my body, and I trust mindbodygreen, as well as the people behind the products.  My personal go-to’s are the daily Multivitamin, Creatine (and I love their new travel packs), Omega 3’s, probiotics and their protein powder.

Learn more about MBG here, and use GREG10 to get 10% off your next order.

Michael Clinton is an absolute powerhouse. In his 60s, he’s achieved tremendous professional success, pushes himself to the physical limit with rigorous training and annual adventures, dresses impeccably, and writes passionately about topics that matter. 

He’s leading the charge on “roaring” into the next phase of life, using a blend of data and common sense to challenge companies, advertisers, and marketers to recognize the most powerful yet underserved consumer demographic in the world: us—the Midlifers. His latest book, ROAR Into The Second Half of Your Life, underscores his philosophy. Michael is also a writer-at-large for Esquire and a regular contributor to Men’s Health. The former president and publishing director of Hearst Magazines, he now serves as both CEO and founder of ROAR Forward and as a special media advisor to the CEO of Hearst Corporation.

Michael lives the ROAR Forward life. He’s a published photographer, has traveled to 126 countries, run marathons on all seven continents—including the Tenzing Hillary Mount Everest Marathon in Nepal—earned his pilot’s license, serves as CEO of a nonprofit foundation, co-owns a vineyard in Argentina, and holds multiple degrees (a bachelor’s, two master’s, and an honorary doctorate). He’s won numerous awards for his contributions to the media industry and his work in redefining longevity.

I got to know Michael when a friend passed along a copy of ROAR. I subscribed to his newsletter, and he graciously featured me as a “ROAR Re-imagineer” and in an article for Esquire. Since then, we’ve exchanged stories, experiences, and challenges, discussing how we approach life as we age and what we truly value. Michael is a wellspring of practical, relatable, credible, and aspirational knowledge—someone I look up to as he leads by example, helping me see what’s possible and probable as I move into my 50s and envision what the next stages in my 60s might look like. 

- Greg

“How I See It” with Michael Clinton

MLM: Thank you so much for joining us. I’ve been following you both personally and professionally for a while, and it’s clear you’re a hard man to pin down with all your travels and adventures. You’ve really championed the idea of “roaring” into the second phase of life. Can you tell us a bit about the tipping point or epiphany that started you on this path?

Michael Clinton: Great question. My career started with me as the president of a major magazine company in New York City, managing titles like Esquire, Car and Driver, Runner’s World, Oprah, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more. I’d reached the top of my game in the magazine business, even served as chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America. But I found myself ready for something new.

As I began to look around, I encountered this vibe that suggested I should start winding down—retiring to Florida, playing golf (which I don’t play, by the way). And I thought, "Wait, this isn’t for me." I realized that with today’s life expectancy, especially if you’re healthy at 60, you could easily live to be 90 or even 100. That’s 30 or 40 more years of living! I wasn't ready to just fade away.

So, I wrote a book called Roar Into the Second Half of Your Life to put my thoughts out there. It resonated with people—it's now in its fourth printing, and I've launched a business around it. My “aha” moment was realizing that midlife is far from the end. In fact, it’s a time to think about what you want to do with yourself every day because the idea of traditional retirement just didn’t fit my personality.

MLM: I love that. I had a similar experience at 47—seeing midlife as a starting point rather than the beginning of the end. I lost my father when he was just 47, so for me, that age brought an awareness of time and opportunity. But as you said, today we’re healthy, with careers that have given us financial stability, and we’re looking at the next 20, 30 years as an open door. How did this mindset lead to the adventurous side of your life?

Michael Clinton: I actually had another realization around age 39 or 40. At that time, I was the publisher of GQ, which was an incredible job—dinners with actors like Cary Grant, cover shoots with Michael Jordan. I had a great family life, but I realized that I was becoming the most boring human on the planet because all I did was work. A lot of us fall into that pattern of identifying solely with our careers.

I decided to shake things up by taking a flying lesson, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with friends, and taking a race car driving class (though I didn’t love the race car driving as much). 

Those experiences reignited a sense of adventure in me. I ended up becoming a pilot, climbed more mountains, and ran marathons on all seven continents. For my 60th birthday, I even ran a marathon in Antarctica. I call it “life layering”—adding layers to life that are for you, beyond work or parenting. These layers keep you connected to who you are at your core.

MLM:  I agree, that concept of "life layering" is powerful. You’re not only a corporate leader but also an unassuming adventurer. And you didn’t just drop everything to pursue this new path. How did you balance these passions with your professional life and relationships at home?

Election Reminder: You Are the President of Your Life

What’s changed since Tuesday?

We had an election. A candidate you’ve likely never met won. A candidate you’ve likely never met lost. No matter who you voted for you woke up in your own bed, with the same family, friends, job and life the next day.

Here’s how I see it.

The same exact things that were happening in my life on Tuesday are still happening today.

I am still serving my lifelong term as President of my well-being, my family and my happiness.

And my goals for Midlife Male haven’t changed:

• To continue to put out the best weekly newsletter for midlife men

• Build the MLM Inner Circle into the most impactful community helping men maximize middle age (more on this soon).

• Create 3-4 MLM experiences in '25 that are the types of things I want to do with my friends.

• Speak on new stages & events.

• Climb another mountain.

• Have a few mil in the bank 

Quite frankly, I don't watch the news, traditional media or rely on politicians or policies for my success, happiness or mental, physical and financial wellbeing.

The day after election day is just another day.

At almost fifty-two, I’ve seen a lot of presidents come and go. And you know what? I don’t want to have dinner with any of them. I don’t want to play golf with them, and I’m not looking for any of them to be my friend. Each election season, I vote for the candidate whose values align most with mine and who I think will do right by my family and our country. But I never fall into the trap of believing that my future, my happiness, or my success is riding on who wins.

I can’t recall a single time in my life when a politician’s decisions directly affected my ability to live on my terms, make choices for my family, or pursue my goals. Sure, policies shift, and administrations change, but my life’s direction has always been something I control. Voting is just one of many choices I make to shape my world; it’s far from the only one.

Millions of stories are posted online every day and 99.9% are noise. We sifted through the nonsense to share standouts with actionable takeaways you can use to maximize your life in each of our 6Fs: Fitness. Family. Finance. Food. Fashion. Fun. Let’s go.

-

FAMILY - How 5 Minutes Can Transform Your Relationship with Your Kids

FITNESS - The Ultimate Tool to Reinforce Your Glutes & Hamstrings

FINANCE - The 20 Most Confusing Finance Terms Explained Simply

FASHION - The “Other” Legendary Casual Nike Shoe: Air Force 1

FOOD - Visitor Non-Alcoholic Beer: Unwind Without Compromise

FUN - Drinks Are On Me! How to Buy a Round at a Bar

Jerry Seinfeld made news when he shared that his kid’s prep school wanted to give students the day after the election off to deal with the stress of their candidate not winning. How would you feel about this?

Listen to the audio book of Midlife Male, read by author/founder Greg Scheinman, on Audible today!

For more midlife content in your feeds, follow our new Midlife Male channels on Instagram, YouTube, and Threads.