- Midlife Male
- Posts
- What Takes 30 Years to Build and 1 Minute to Ruin?
What Takes 30 Years to Build and 1 Minute to Ruin?
PLUS: 3 Types of Bucket List Trips You Must Take, How Jim Curtis Sees It, and Ron Speaker Remembers His Mentor
Greg Scheinman
August 24, 2025
Presented By:
NADS isn’t just an underwear upgrade, it’s a better choice for your health. And you know what I always say: “Make better choice the majority of the time, the majority of your life gets better”. That’s why my family and I choose NADS. NADS is made with certified organic cotton, no toxic dyes or harsh chemicals. Just clean, breathable comfort that keeps you feeling good, all day long. Your boys are counting on you.
Morning, Greg here!
Welcome to Midlife Male, the #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. Every week, 25,000+ guys read our columns, interviews, and stories built to inspire, inform, entertain, and help you maximize midlife. If a buddy sent this your way, subscribe here:
Here’s This Week’s Midlife Male Lineup:
It Takes 30 Years to Build A Reputation… and 1 Minute to Ruin It
When to Say F*ck It and Take the Bucket List Trip
‘How I See It’ with Health & Wellness Advocate Jim Curtis
6Fs: Ron Speaker Remembers His Mentor, Why Old-School Gyms Rule, the Ugliest Shoes Ever, and more
Let’s get to it!
It Takes 30 Years to Build a Reputation… And 1 Minute to Ruin It
Here’s a fact about business we all must accept: People will disappoint you.
Sometimes it’ll be a stranger. Sometimes it’s someone you’ve trusted for years. Sometimes it’s someone you’ve put your own reputation behind.
If you’re in business or the head of a company, you can talk about leadership all day, but if you don’t back it up when it matters most, the platitudes are worthless.
The most dangerous words in business aren’t “we failed” or “we’re broke.” They’re “we can’t talk about it.”
A reputation takes decades to build and minutes to destroy. Most of the time, the destruction is self-inflicted.
When it happens, as I’ve recently witnessed once again, the reasons are simple:
You were asleep at the wheel.
You trusted blindly.
You were ignorant.
You were negligent.
Or you were complicit.
None of these are acceptable. Not in life. Not in business. Not in leadership.
When To Say F*ck It and Take the Bucket List Trip
By Jon Finkel
Fact #1: There’s never a perfect time to do something.
Fact #2: Often, right now is the perfect time to do something.
These two rules will be our guiding light for this column, because when we’re talking about bucket list things, sweating the details is what’s kept you in the planning stages and the “one day I’ll do it” mindset.
Today, we say “fuck it” to all that. Today, we outline how and when to take that bucket list trip.
Why am I writing this now?
Because I am on the heels of a weekend destination golf trip with my dad and my brother that reminded me we all need to take these trips more often, when we can and while we can, because tomorrow is promised to none of us.
To begin, there are three types of bucket list trips: Evergreen, Timely and Bonding.
We’ll tackle Evergreen first because it’s the easiest to plan.
An Evergreen Bucket List trip is one that can be done almost any time because the destination is likely not going anywhere.
Think: Hawaii or Iceland or the Aurora Borealis or the pyramids of Giza.
When it comes to these types of trips, they often begin with a fascination and end with a “One day I HAVE to go see the pyramids”. But too often, that day never comes because you have “too many priorities”…
‘How I See It’ with Jim Curtis
This week I got to spend some time with Jim Curtis, a profound voice in the wellness world who has transformed adversity into purpose. I first met Jim at Jen Cohen’s house in LA when I was guesting on her Habits and Hustle podcast. As I was wrapping up, Jim was coming in to record. We chatted for a few minutes, and I began to dig into his story.
Jim’s been all over the news these days as he’s dating Jennifer Aniston. It was the one thing we did not talk about. He politely asked me not to bring it up during our interview, and I respected that request. What we did talk about, though, gave me real insight into how he approaches relationships, friendships, clients, his work, and his own personal confidence, security, and focus.
One of the things that stood out most to me was his commitment to being the elite version of himself. Often when individuals face disabilities or challenges, they see themselves as “less than.” With Jim, I found someone secure, confident, humble, and committed to being the very best he can be.
From contending with a debilitating spinal condition in his early twenties to guiding others toward emotional freedom through hypnotherapy and spiritual work, Jim has channeled his healing into powerful teachings. As a sought-after transformational coach, author of The Stimulati Experience and Shift, and a leader in the intersection of science, consciousness, and real-world living, he brings a unique perspective, especially for men navigating the midlife journey.
We’ll dive into his personal path, his philosophy of healing, and what midlife men can learn from his journey toward true transformation.
One Week West of L.A.
5 Bullet Points from Greg’s Trip Out West
Airbnb Over Hotels Airbnbs are our way to go. I can’t stand tiny hotel rooms, and I refuse to pay big bucks just to upgrade to a larger one. With Airbnb, we get exactly what we want—a kitchen for grocery runs, a washer and dryer to stay on routine, and a space where I can take morning meetings before the rest of the family wakes up.
Why Culver City? For this trip, we stayed in Culver City. It was perfectly central between LMU, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, and Abbot Kinney, where we like to spend a lot of our time.
Abbot Kinney Favorites: On Abbot Kinney we love Gjelina and their takeout, One Golden Thread for clothing, coffee and snacks at Community Goods, shopping at Holidays, and pretty much everything from the people watching to the stores along the street.
Mornings and Movement: Mornings were spent walking the beaches of Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach and getting bodyweight workouts in at the outdoor stations along the way.
Evenings and Connection: One night Kate and I grabbed a sunset dinner at the Proper Hotel. The perfect way to slow down, connect, and soak it all in.
We Love Old School Gyms like SixPax in Culver City
Greg found a hidden gem while in Los Angeles: an old school, bare bones gym with a ton of free weights and a giant poster of Arnold up on the wall. Can’t beat it. When you go to these places, forget the lift you were planning on. Go heavy. Go Olympic. Bench. Squats. Deadlifts. Military Presses. Use all the tools.
What a 40-Year Mentor Taught Me About Money, Risk, and Life
By Ron Speaker
One of the many roles thrust upon us midlife males is learning how to say grateful goodbyes to those who’ve had a notable impact on our lives. Each time I say these goodbyes, I’m reminded of how fragile and inevitable my own future is.
This funeral was for one of my mentors of more than 40 years. He kept tabs on my career, advised me with wise counsel, keen wit, tireless optimism, and an endless supply of one-liners. He began as a retail stockbroker, went on to found his own advisory firm, and became one of the best money manager talent scouts in the business. His skills earned him seats on the boards of some of the most successful financial companies of the past 50 years, and his old-school Rolodex was a treasure chest of helpful friends.
He was a master at spotting opportunity and building relationships—two keys to creating wealth for himself and others. A voracious reader with strong opinions, he was both a fascinating person to visit and a sought-after guest. I always felt…
These Are the Ugliest Shoes of All Time
These team-themed HeyDude shoes don’t cut it for us. Dorky. Cheesy. Even in Greg’s beloved Michigan Wolverine maize and blue, they’re a hard pass. No thanks.
NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp on Trying a 2nd Career
“I never thought I wanted this job… now I’m addicted.”
Sometimes you get to a point in your 40s or 50s where you want to switch things up and try something new. It can be nerve wracking. It can be scary. But it can also be fun and light you the hell up.
Read Our MOST POPULAR Cover Stories:
MLM Founder: Greg Scheinman / Follow Greg on Instagram & LinkedIn
Love Greg’s Viewpoint column? Visit the full Viewpoint Vault HERE where he shares his personal insights, experiences and perspectives on everything affecting midlife.
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.
As you’re reading this right now we are likely to cross 22,000 weekly readers. It seems like just yesterday we were at 2,000, but thanks to your incredible word of mouth we’re growing by thousands of readers every month and now we’ve got enough readers to fill one of our favorite towns on earth: Jackson, Wyoming.
Yes, that’s right. There are as many readers of Midlife Male in the US as there are residents of the home of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
By the Fall we’ll likely be at 30,000 readers and our goal for 2025 is to surpass 50,000 readers. With your help, we can do it.
If you read Midlife Male most weeks and you loved this issue, we encourage you to share it with just ONE guy you know who would like it. That’s it.
One share would mean a ton to us.
Let’s call it our Midlife Male Gentlemen’s Agreement:
We’ll keep writing the #1 newsletter for midlife men for free and if you get anything out of it, our ask is that you pass it along to another guy who’d enjoy it too.
And if you do, we’re going to email you our popular Summer Style Guide as a thank you.
Deal? Deal!
Use this link to share with your brother, buddy, colleague, friend, training partner or whoever you think would enjoy it and we’ll send you the Style Guide right away.
Thanks!
Greg & Jon
Reply