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 explores the complicated reality of living up to your word as a dad, Jon’s Manologue Profile shares the incredible story of fighter pilot, astronaut, and father Charles Duke, Ron Speaker shares his financial advice for balancing end-of-year expectations, and we share our curated list of recommendations, as always, in the 6Fs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

This week I was on a podcast called World’s Greatest Dad. It’s hosted by Ali Khan from the Food Network, who I interviewed last year. Unfortunately, this does not mean I’m suddenly part of an exclusive club of other “Greatest Dads” nominated by their families. Far from it. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a T-shirt.

We had a terrific conversation that covered fatherhood and a variety of topics, but what stuck with me is this notion of all of us trying to be the “World’s Greatest Dad,” and how so many of us end up talking about how we’d like to parent, rather than how we actually parent, me included. 

Case in point:

As I’m appearing on World’s Greatest Dad discussing my parenting philosophy, and  talking about standards and expectations and responsibility, real life is happening at the exact same time in my own house and it flies directly in the face of what I was saying.

While Khan’s team is reposting clips about the “Scheinman Family Scholarship” I talked about, how I’ll pay for college but our boys have to have a 3.0 minimum GPA and they have to exercise, stay in good shape, and they have to carry a job to earn some money and responsibility while they’re in school, I’m in my kitchen having a very real, emotional conversation with my wife about whether our son really needs to have a job this last semester of college (honoring the scholarship), or whether his time would be better spent taking a certified financial planner class, getting ahead, and looking for his, quote unquote, real job, if he wants to continue to stay and live in Colorado after graduation.

And as we were digging our heels in, things got heated, because while I talk about being objective and understanding about where your spouse is coming from on other podcasts, in the real world, I get emotional…

Read the full How I See It and explore the complicated reality of parenting standards HERE:

I read. A lot. Mostly for enjoyment. Partly for research. And I often come across the incredible true stories and accomplishments of men who have done things so unbelievable and so perfectly encapsulating of what guys are capable of, that I want to share them with you all. This is one of those stories. In fact, it’s the first story in an ongoing series I’m starting within the Manologue column.

The long-winded version of the series is called: Highlighting awesome men in history who have done awesome things (who you may not have heard of yet).

The short version of the series is called: The Manologue Profiles

This is Manologue Profile #1 on Charles Duke, who pulled off the coolest dad move in the world. Scratch that. The solar system.

His story begins in 1957.

Charles Duke is a tall, wiry Midshipman at the Naval Academy who learns two important things very quickly upon enrollment. 

One: He gets seasick. Two: He loves to fly. 

When he graduates, he joins the brand-new Air Force as a second lieutenant. He trains on prop planes and jets, and it’s immediately clear the kid’s a natural.

Duke becomes an Air Force stud. He outperforms everyone. He earns his wings and his choice of assignment and picks the most badass option available: fighter pilot. 

He joins the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base and volunteers for front-line work during the Cold War.

After three years in Europe, Duke heads home. He’s not just a stick-and-rudder guy. He’s brilliant. He enrolls at MIT and then gets accepted into the Aerospace Research Pilot School run by a living legend, Chuck Yeager. Once again, he excels.

Then he reads about an exciting opportunity in the newspaper.

In 1965, Duke scans a Los Angeles Times article announcing that NASA is recruiting a new group of astronauts and it hits him immediately: he fits every requirement. He applies. Makes the first cut down to 44 candidates. Nails every physical and mental test.

On April 4, 1966, Charlie Duke is named one of NASA’s 19 new astronauts. And then things get crazy…

Read the full Manologue and find out how Charles Duke kept a seemingly impossible promise to his kids HERE:

Every December, three dates circle my calendar like financial landmines: my wife’s early December birthday, Christmas, and our early January anniversary. All within five weeks. All while I’m trying to end the year within a reasonable budget.

I’m a pleaser, and I don’t want to disappoint my loved ones. But living below our annual income is my primary goal so we can save for upcoming college expenses and stay out of debt. The mixed emotions of trying to deliver surprise and excitement for my family without seeming like the Grinch can easily trigger my early childhood conditioning, that scarcity mindset. And I know I’m not alone in this. 

Many dads feel this tension during the holidays, striving to balance money management with family expectations. If I act like Scrooge, “Silent Night” will take on a whole new meaning in my house, the kind where nobody is talking to me.

December is when the rubber meets the road. We’re faced with the final tally on our annual spending and the closing results of our investment portfolios. Any debts accumulated during the year add extra weight to the year ahead, like starting a marathon while wearing a ruck vest. This is the time for me to take a deep breath and face the reality of our family’s cumulative spending decisions.

I highly encourage using an app like Monarch or Origin to see where your money actually went during the year. It’s simple to keep up to date, but sometimes painful to see where we’re all wasting money. Consider setting a spending cap for holiday expenses and making it a habit to review last year’s spending before the season starts. These steps can help maintain a sharper financial focus as the celebrations approach.

The Clark Griswold in All of Us

I see the Clark Griswold in myself, anxiously checking account balances the way he checked the mailbox for that bonus check. Christmas carries a lot of pressure for men. I have real compassion for those awaiting decisions from corporate during annual reviews, and for business owners trying to meet employee expectations while often sacrificing their own take-home pay. I’ve been there.

If establishing and protecting a family’s financial well-being is truly the ultimate gift, how do we balance the emotions of the holidays and wanting to start a new year financially strong with the reality of living within our means?

Watch/listen to Greg talk all things fatherhood and midlife male on Ali Khan’s podcast, World’s Greatest Dad. This was a fun conversation that covers serious topics all the way to a lightning round with answers from Greg that just might surprise you. WATCH THE FULL POD HERE

Let’s be honest. Most fitness benchmark tests are created by fit guys, for fit guys, who want to compare themselves to other fit guys.

This isn’t that.

This is for the guy who wants a real baseline. Something honest. Something he can do on his own, without feeling embarrassed, judged, or pressured. A test that meets you where you are, not where you used to be at 28.

We should all be running our Midlife Performance Test. It’s simple, revealing, and humbling in the right way. Not to shame you—but to give you clarity. From there, you can improve with intention instead of guessing.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. This test tells you exactly where you stand.

The supplement world is absolute chaos.

We get constant questions from guys asking, “What do you think about this?” or “My wife’s brother’s friend swears by this stuff.” Everyone’s confused. And I get it.

Here’s Greg’s answer, every time: I take two supplements. Every morning. Creatine and aminos. That’s it.

Creatine helps build and maintain lean muscle mass. Aminos support muscle protection, recovery, and repair. They’re proven. They work. I’ll take them forever.

Everything else? Noise.

If you want to keep it simple, high-quality, and trustworthy, we recommend KION. Full stop. Transparency, efficacy, and integrity matter to us. We know the people behind the brand, and consistency is everything.

The wild west ends here. Get yours now.

A great watch is one of the only acceptable pieces of jewelry for men. Period.

If you want yours to stand out without being flashy, the smartest move isn’t buying another watch. It’s upgrading the strap.

Greg recently ordered a bespoke strap from The Strap Tailor for his IWC Pilot Chronograph, and it completely changed the watch. He said, “For $165, it felt like I was wearing something entirely new.”

Handmade. Incredible materials. Great service. He even ordered the wrong size, and the exchange was painless.

This is one of those quiet upgrades that people notice without knowing why.

We’re into managed risk around here.

So instead of jumping out of a plane, my son and I went to iFLY on a whim a couple of weeks ago. Yes, it’s a little cheesy. Yes, we’re probably a little old for it. And yes, we had an absolute blast.

They suit you up, strap on a helmet, and drop you into a massive wind tunnel that gives you the free-fall feeling while an instructor makes sure you don’t slam into a wall. We laughed nonstop, sharing the space with a ten-year-old’s birthday party.

That’s the point.

Try something different. If it’s great, it’s great. If it’s not, you still get a laugh, a story, and time with your kid. That’s a win either way.

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.