Before You Spend $5k On a Weekend Retreat, READ THIS:

Morning, Greg here! Welcome to Issue No. 17 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.

‘How I See It’ with Jason Feifer, Editor In Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine

When you consistently derive value from someone’s work, I think you should pay it forward. That’s how I feel about Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine, author, podcast host, and one of the most straightforward and relatable voices out there when it comes to business and self-improvement. I’ve followed Jason’s work for years—listened to his podcast, consumed his social media content, read his book—and all of it has delivered real value to me, often at little or no cost. So when he launched a paid community, I didn’t hesitate. I happily joined. Not because I thought I’d have the time to make every call or dive into every piece of content, but as a thank you. It was my way of saying, “I’ve taken a lot from your work—let me give something back.”

The thing I appreciate most about Jason’s content is how he takes complex ideas and breaks them down into digestible bites. He doesn’t overcomplicate things, but instead gives you practical insights that you can actually use. In fact, if you’ve followed his work, you already know how he sees it because he’s constantly showing us and telling us through his content. That’s why I knew he’d be ideal for this.

A few months ago, Jason announced that he’d be offering 15-minute one-on-one calls to the first five people in his community who responded. It was framed as an opportunity to ask him for entrepreneurial advice, but I saw it differently. I saw it as a chance to flip the script, take a shot, and ask Jason to share his experiences and how he sees life in areas he doesn’t often get asked about. Instead of asking about business and entrepreneurship, I wanted to dive into the six pillars I focus on with Midlife Male—Family, Fitness, Finance, Food, Fashion, and Fun. 

This was the first time I'd met Jason and the first time we’d spoken.  Sometimes, you gotta get creative and shoot your shot.

I’ve always believed there’s something to be gained by taking the business guy and asking him about health and family, or flipping it and asking the fit guy about money and relationships. It pushes people out of their typical lanes and into a space where their answers feel more raw, more reflective, and more revealing. I wanted to hear Jason’s thoughts on the areas we don’t normally hear about, not just so I could learn from him, but so I could share that perspective with all of you here.

What excites me most about this interview is the chance to step back and really see how Jason’s perspective has evolved over time. He’s built a career combining personal passion with professional expertise, and it’s clear that his views on the 6F’s—how he prioritizes and allocates his time, energy, and resources—have matured as he’s grown. You’re going to enjoy this conversation. 

- Greg

“How I See It” with Jason Feifer

MLM: Jason, first off, thank you for taking the time to do this. I run a lifestyle platform called Midlife Male, and I focus on six key areas of life—Family, Fitness, Finance, Food, Fashion, and Fun. I’d love to hear your thoughts on each of these from your perspective. Let’s start with family. How do you see it? What’s your philosophy on family?

Jason Feifer: My perspective on family is deeply rooted in my own experience. I came from a very loving, supportive family. My parents just celebrated their 48th anniversary, and I’ve always admired the relationship they built. Growing up in that environment, I was easily programmed to want to replicate it. I didn’t challenge or rethink it; I just assumed that because it was good, I would replicate it.

The downside to replicating something that didn’t contain a lot of hardship is that you might take it for granted. You might not think as much about how to build it or make it work. I have friends who came from broken homes and have had to be incredibly intentional about how they build their relationships, while for me, it feels almost natural, given my upbringing.

Now, with a wife and two kids of my own, I find myself repeating what my parents did. I see the great success that my family had, and I’m fortunate to have had those models to follow. I think that’s my philosophy on family—replicating what worked and appreciating what I was given.

MLM: Let’s move on to fitness, which is really about health. How do you see fitness? What’s your approach?

Jason Feifer: Fitness is something I’ve struggled to define for myself. I don’t feel particularly authoritative on the subject, and I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I know that I need to do better. At 44, I realize that I need to devote more time to my health, and I’ve been trying to make small steps to get there.

Recently, I decided to downshift on desserts. My wife and I used to sit down after the kids went to bed and have bowls of ice cream while watching TV. Now, I’m only doing social desserts—if there’s dessert as part of a larger social experience, I’ll have it. But I’m cutting out the mindless snacking.

I also got a rucksack from GORUCK and have been trying to incorporate longer walks into my routine. It’s all about baby steps for me right now, and that’s how I see fitness for myself at this stage of my life.

MLM: I love that. Baby steps are key, and the rucksack is a great tool. How do you approach food and nutrition?

Jason Feifer: My relationship with food is unique. I literally don’t have a sense of smell or taste, which has been the case since childhood, so I’m not that motivated by food. I can turn on a dime when it comes to food—I have no cravings. For me, food is primarily about being social or convenient.

My diet is pretty standard. For breakfast, I have a toaster waffle with peanut butter and sliced banana. Lunch is usually Greek yogurt with a tiny amount of jam and a slice of bread with peanut butter. Dinner is where my wife takes over—she loves cooking, and I appreciate the balanced, healthy meals she prepares. Last night, we had salmon.

I don’t snack during the day, and as I mentioned earlier, I only do social desserts. That’s my approach to food—it’s simple, social, and convenient.

MLM: It’s amazing how you’ve tailored your approach to food given your unique circumstances. Let’s move on to finance. For a lot of men in midlife, finance is a touchy subject. How do you see it?

Before You Spend Thousands On a Weekend Retreat to Change Your Life, READ THIS:

I’ve been to countless retreats, coached hundreds of men, and experienced a wide variety of events and programs all over the world. From weekends in the woods to luxury getaways on the beach, from mountain climbs to sessions led by Navy SEALs, I’ve seen it all. And while these retreats offer powerful moments and incredible experiences, there’s one mistake I see over and over: 

People believe these retreats will change their lives.

They spend thousands of dollars, take time away from work and family, and show up expecting that a single weekend will transform everything. They think they’ll leave with the tools, traits, and abilities to finally live the life they’ve always dreamed of.

That’s not how it works.

Yes, you can have a great time. Yes, you can learn valuable lessons, connect with others, and even push yourself in ways you never thought possible. But here’s the truth: you always come home. You return to your life, your routines, and the environment that created the challenges you wanted to escape in the first place.

Despite what everyone says during those final group hugs—“We’re family now! We’ll stay connected forever!”—reality hits. The group text is buzzing the day after the retreat, 50% of the guys are still active by day two, and by the end of the week, the chat is a ghost town. Everyone is back to their lives, wondering why the magic they felt at the retreat didn’t carry over.

Here’s why: You cannot build on an unstable foundation.

Most men approach retreats the wrong way. They think the retreat will fix their problems or create the foundation for the life they want. But a retreat isn’t a shortcut to success—it’s a tool to enhance the success you’ve already started building.

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

FITNESS

Don’t Drop $65K on a Red Light Therapy Bed: I’m Trying This Instead

Suffice to say that the science on red light therapy is still undecided. And while we’re all for investing in our health, buying an at-home red light bed for the same cost as a fully loaded Ford Bronco seems a bit unwise at the moment.

However, I’ve been dealing with a shoulder injury for months now. I’ve tried everything: rest, physical therapy, massage, dry needling, injections, sauna, cold plunge—you name it. These are big commitments that take time, money, and scheduling. While I’m not one for quick fixes, I wanted something I could use at home that was simple, convenient, and effective.

Continue reading

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FASHION

How to Dress for a Holiday Party without Trying too Hard with Stylist Andrew Weitz

Andrew Weitz sends out an email called “The Style Effect” that is extremely valuable for men interested in fashion. It’s one of our favorite weekly reads here at MLM. One of his readers recently sent in this question and we wanted to share his advice.

Q: How do I dress up for a festive party without looking like I tried too hard (or not enough)?

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FAMILY

How to Give a Youth Sports Halftime Speech (When You’re Getting Crushed in a Flag Football Super Bowl)

It’s halftime of my son’s 6th grade flag football Super Bowl. I’m the head coach and our undefeated season and title hopes are on the line. We’re down 6 - 20. Two kids are in tears. Two are yelling at each other. One kid says his stomach hurts. It’s a mess. 

These kids rolled through the season and now they were choking. And they knew it: Dumb plays. Missed routes. Confusion. Nerves.

The pressure was crushing them.

I took a knee in the huddle. Told the kids to look me in the eyes…

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Weekend leadership & men’s retreats are often billed this time of year as “the gift you give yourself” for high achieving men.

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.

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