Morning, Greg here!

Welcome to Midlife Male, the fastest-growing, #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. In this issue, my How I See It shares how I'm drastically cutting my Instagram following and social media use, Jon’s Manologue revisits the golden age of getting Sports Illustrated in the mail, and we share our curated list of recommendations, as always, in the 6Fs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

Social media makes me feel like crap and I’m tired of it. Many of you probably feel the same way. For me, “social media” means spending a little time on LinkedIn and a lot of time on Instagram. But starting this week, I’m drastically reducing the number of people, brands, and products I follow because I’m sick of consuming things that don’t add real value to my life.

At some point, you have to take responsibility for what you’re allowing into your head every single day.

And if I’m being honest, I have to admit, I allowed myself to get sucked into the vortex. I told myself I was there to engage, to learn, to support people, and to put out content for my “followers.” But if I strip that down to the truth, there was also a part of me chasing validation. I was watching the likes, refreshing for comments, measuring my worth in engagement metrics. 

I read that back to myself now and it sounds ridiculous, but it’s real. And none of it really amounts to anything meaningful.

My theme this year is ‘focus’. And nothing fractures focus like doom scrolling. It breaks your attention into a thousand pieces and leaves you thinking you were productive when all you did was consume.

On our weekly editorial call with Jon, Ben, and Eric, I joked that I’d like to get to a place where I’m not following more accounts than my age. If I’m 53, I should follow 53 accounts. They immediately called me out and said I couldn’t do it. They’re probably right. I can’t do it yet. But I want to. And the call forced me to take action.

At the time, I followed more than 630 accounts, which is embarrassing when you actually say it out loud. You meet someone and you follow them. You go to a restaurant and you follow it. You drop into a gym, click on an ad, listen to a podcast guest, and suddenly they’re in your feed. You don’t even remember making the decision. 

Over time, you stop curating and start being fed. The algorithm takes the wheel, and you’re just along for the ride.

I went on a serious purge and got myself down to around 200 accounts. And even that number bothers me. If I were getting married tomorrow, there is no chance I could come up with 200 people I’d want at my wedding. So why am I giving 200 people daily access to my attention?

Read the full How I See It and explore my methodology for cleaning up my feed HERE:

These recent Winter Olympics have me thinking about the death of Sports Illustrated. Again. Specifically, the iconic covers they’d run that seemed to capture the entire point of Olympic excellence in one photo. 

Michael Phelps had several I can picture off the top of my head. The “Golden Age” one where he wore about four pounds of gold medals on his chest. The “King of the Pool” one where he was mid-butterfly and his face took up the whole cover. The famous Usain Bolt “Warp Speed” cover. And those are more recent.

Growing up I remember the Jackie Joyner Kersee “Super Woman” cover. The Flo-Jo “Fastest Woman in the World Cover”. The original Dream Team cover is one of the most famous sports photo shoots ever.

When the USA Hockey Men’s Team won their first title in 46 years on Sunday and we got this instantly iconic, incredible photo of Jack Hughes (up top), my first thought went to Sports Illustrated, and how if this happened when I was a kid, that photo would have been on the cover and then I’d have instantly taped it to my bedroom wall.

And when I told that to my son, who got up at 8AM on a Sunday (no small feat for a 13-year-old boy who would happily sleep until 11AM), I began explaining to him how IMPORTANT Sports Illustrated used to be to a generation of young dude sports fans.

These iPad watching, Netflix streaming, YouTube shorts online kids don’t know what they missed.

Hell, nobody under 35 knows. But dads and 80s/90s sports fans KNOW.

There was nothing like rolling home from school on a Wednesday or Thursday and grabbing that sweet, fresh issue of Sports Illustrated out of the mailbox. Yes, the physical mailbox. Tangible. In print and glorious.

If you remember those days and you read the magazine from the back for Rick Reilly, you’ll love this. Also, I share my favorite Kathy Ireland SI Swimsuit cover:

I sat down with Chip Conley, founder of Modern Elder Academy, for his Midlife Chrysalis podcast to talk about why so many men struggle with identity and purpose right now.

This one pushed me. We went into places most men aren’t comfortable discussing: insecurity, relevance, success, and what happens when the title you’ve been chasing no longer defines you.

We talked about why modern men feel untethered, how easy it is to drift into quiet mediocrity, and how to turn what feels like a breakdown into a life designed on purpose. If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “Is this it?”,  this conversation is for you.

Listen to how I turned my own breaking point into a breakthrough and how you can do the same. Listen here:

If you enjoyed this podcast, join Greg in Baja Sur at Modern Elder Academy this April here.

Turtlebox is basically the YETI of outdoor speakers.

Indestructible. Loud. No apologies.

It was started by four guys in Houston who kept blowing through every “rugged” speaker on the market. Beach. Boat. ATV. Backyard. Nothing could survive real use. So they built one in a garage, not to launch a company, but because they were sick of products that couldn’t keep up.

Most portable speakers aren’t actually made for the outdoors. The ones that can handle the elements aren’t loud enough to matter. If you’re on the water, in the wind, or anywhere with engines running, you need sound that carries.

Turtlebox built the loudest, most rugged outdoor portable speaker on the market.

Mission accomplished.

If your version of “fun” includes boats, beaches, garages, tailgates, or training outdoors, this is up your alley. Check them out here.

Short-term studies make machines look just as effective as free weights.

They’re not. Not over the long haul.

Free weights adapt to your body. Machines force your body to adapt to them. Over time, that creates dysfunction. Real strength requires stabilization, coordination, and full-range control.

A few principles that actually matter:

• Slow, controlled reps (4-2-2 tempo) dramatically reduce injury risk
• Full range of motion builds more muscle for almost everyone
• Steady-state cardio beats HIIT for sustainability

Master the basics before chasing intensity. Strength is built on discipline, not novelty.

Credit: 1% Better (b-e-t-t-e-r.com)

Be Kind Let’s Rewind is a smart, funny, and sharp deep dive into the movies and TV shows we grew up on. Middle school. High school. College. The stuff we can quote by heart.

Jon’s been on the show a few times, and they do it right: clips, context, analysis, cultural impact, and the stuff you forgot you remembered.

Their recent episode on Silence of the Lambs is terrific. Watch it here:

This heavyweight cotton canvas shirt jacket is what happens when utilitarian meets intentional.

Garment-dyed for that broken-in, vintage feel. Classic melamine buttons. Reinforced double-needle stitching. A relaxed fit that layers easily without looking sloppy.

It’s built like old-school surplus gear but refined enough to wear anywhere.

Throw it over a tee. Pair it with matching pants. Keep it simple.

Quality over quantity. Always. Get yours here.

This week Greg shared his thoughts on the men’s hockey team on Instagram from the perspective of a father of two boys. The piece went viral with over 60k views and 100 comments so far. See what it’s all about here:

As a father of two young men, I’m proud of you.

I see young men who understand sacrifice, discipline, and what it means to commit to something bigger than themselves. I want my sons to see that.⁣

I don’t want them growing up under a microscope that assumes guilt before intent. I don’t want them believing that one imperfect reaction, one reflexive laugh, one unfiltered moment in an emotionally charged setting can define their character.⁣

What I saw was a locker room full of men in their 20s who accomplished something almost incomprehensible. Years of early mornings. Missed holidays. Busted knuckles and missing teeth. Pressure most grown adults couldn’t handle. You poured your lives into a single outcome, and you delivered…

We get a ton of replies every week, and we read all of them.

The best conversations don’t happen in the comments section. They happen in replies. If something hit, if something missed, if you’ve got a take, just reply to this email let us know what you think!

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

Love Greg’s How I See It column? Visit the full How I See It Archive HERE where he shares his personal insights, experiences and perspectives on everything affecting midlife.

Buy My Book Here / Book Coaching/Speaking Here

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.