- The Midlife Male
- Posts
- Midlife Male Issue No. 1
Midlife Male Issue No. 1
Troy Aikman on challenges, cereal wars, and the only Bitcoin conversation worth listening to.
Greg Scheinman
August 04, 2024
Introducing the NEW Midlife Male Evolution: Day 1, Issue No. 1
Freshly made, nutritious, delicious.
When I first started writing about my midlife experiences in 2017, I never imagined it would lead to where we are today. What began as a personal outlet for thoughts I rarely voiced aloud has evolved into a calling, a purpose, and now a movement aimed at helping men maximize their middle years.
The journey to this point hasn't been smooth or predictable.
Fact: The middle is messy.
Like many of you, I've grappled with career dissatisfaction, health issues, marriage, kids, financial pressures, and the struggle to find meaning and direction in midlife. I've experienced both the highs of unexpected windfalls and the lows of personal and professional challenges.
Through it all, one question has driven me forward:
What does life look like when we choose to live by design, not by default?
Here’s a confession:
I started Midlife Male to help myself.
I needed help and I didn’t know how to ask for it or where to get it. So I began by asking the right men the right questions, then I did three things:
I applied what I learned to my life.
I turned those interviews into a podcast.
I turned my experiences into a newsletter.
And here we are…312 weeks later.
A bestselling book, coaching program, podcast and thousands of you reading this newsletter every Sunday.
I could tell you that I had it all mapped out, but I'd be lying.
I could tell you that I have it all figured out now, but I'd be lying about that as well.
The truth is, I’m simply doing the best I can, and what I’m about to share with you will help you do the same.
THE BIG NEWS
Today, I'm excited to announce the rebrand and relaunch of Midlife Male, featuring our new website, podcast, and magazine in the form of our flagship newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning or right to our app on your phone.
This represents the realization of a long-held vision – a magazine by midlife males, for midlife males. It's a platform where we can speak our truths, share our experiences, and explore the questions that keep us up at night.
This magazine isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating a space where we can be unapologetically real about the joys and challenges of midlife. It's about building a community where we can learn from each other, support one another, and grow together. It’s about sharing great stories that have an opinion, viewpoint, perspective, reverence and humility. Also, humor. There’s a lot of self-deprecating humor around here.
At its core, Midlife Male is dedicated to helping men gain access, insights, network, accountability, and the support they need to make better life choices. We're here to show that it's possible – and necessary – to pursue happiness, health, wealth, and fulfillment in our middle years and beyond.
Because when you start making better life choices the majority of the time, the majority of your life gets better.
It’s that simple.
As we embark on this new chapter, I invite you to join us. Whether you're feeling lost, seeking inspiration, or simply curious about what's possible in midlife, there's a place for you here. Together, we can challenge the narrative that our best years are behind us and instead embrace the idea that midlife is for growth, reinvention, and living life on our own terms.
This isn't just about me anymore. It's about us – a community of men supporting each other, sharing our stories, and daring to imagine what else is possible. When you're part of Midlife Male, you're in a room with people who could be anywhere and do anything but choose to be here – and that's when you know you're in the right place.
So here's to new beginnings, to asking tough questions, and to maximizing every moment of our middle years. Here’s to the starting line of the rest of your life.
Here’s to the new Midlife Male.
In Health,
Greg
PS: If our movement and mission resonates with you, please share this with the other midlife men in your life. You can forward here.
It started with a Dallas Flywheel class in 2012.
Let me tell you about a full circle moment.
In 2012 I attended the opening of a Flywheel spin bike studio in Dallas and found myself on the bike in the first class next to 3x Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. Me, just a guy in his early 40s at the time, trying to figure out middle age, sweating it out in Dallas next to a bona fide icon in the city.
And you know what I learned, other than how humbling it is to compete against a world class athlete? I learned that Troy, even with all his success on field and as a broadcaster, was also just a guy in his 40s trying to figure it out. Marriage. Divorce. Kids. Finances. Fitness. Business. He had all the same stuff going on as I did and as you do.
Fast forward ten years. I get a call from a friend who’s involved with EIGHT Beer.
“What’s EIGHT Beer?” I ask.
“It’s Troy Aikman’s new beer and they’re looking for guys to get involved with,” he tells me. “Ads, brand ambassadors… I thought of you.” Next thing I know, I’m doing a video shoot in Austin for their first commercial. I got to be a bartender next to Troy at an event in Houston.
Bucket list moment.
The coolest part has been texting and DM-ing with Troy about plunges, saunas, workouts, experiences, sunglasses and all the stuff we’re into.
We were finally able to get an interview done a couple months ago, and I’m proud to have him on the Midlife Male podcast and to have him grace the first cover of our relaunch. Troy is the embodiment of what we aspire to at Midlife Male, as we all constantly learn and evolve and strive to make the next year the best year of our lives.
On Maximizing Middle Age
“When I finished playing football I knew that guys either go one of two ways. They either continue to workout or they let themselves go. That’s probably true of men in middle age in general. My health and wellness has always been a priority to me. I’ve always eaten well. When COVID hit, I knew most people were gonna come out of it in worse shape. But I was determined to come out of it in the best shape of my life. So I got really, really disciplined, and dialed everything up a notch. And for those who knew me, they thought, how can you dial it up a notch?”
On Saying “No”
“There was a time in my life where I had a real hard time saying ‘no’. And I think that's probably true of most people, especially when I first came to Dallas. I was 22 years old. I was being asked to do a lot of things, more things than I'd ever been asked to do in my life. Everybody had a worthwhile charity event that they wanted me to attend or a speaking engagement or whatever it might be. And I just quite honestly, I kind of ran myself ragged… As I've gotten older I’ve gotten a lot better at saying “no”. And I've been able to do that. I think people have to learn more and more about what exactly boundaries mean and what they mean to themselves. And I've gotten better at establishing boundaries and making my health a priority. And if something just doesn't fit into that, I'm able to say no. And the important part of that, Greg, is that I'm able to say no without the guilt.”
On Challenges
“I just feel like I've got to have a challenge. I'm a competitive guy by nature. When I first retired from football, I took up golf. I got down to a three handicap and was obsessed with it. And obsessed is not a great word. I've used that word a couple of times. I'm not proud of that. And I've got to dial it back a little bit because I tend to run pretty hot when I have a goal in mind. And I have to try to keep things in their proper perspective.
So where I'm at right now with the broadcasting and then the launch of the beer, it's keeping me extremely busy. But I still feel, and I say this all the time, I still feel there's another frontier for me.”
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.
A word from today’s partner*
BUBS Naturals
BUBS Naturals makes quality collagen supplements in powdered format. They even have a coffee creamer product, perfect for nourishing your vitality and recovery on the go.
*Partner content
Reply