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Morning, Greg here!

Welcome to Midlife Male, the fastest-growing, #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. In today’s issue we’ve got my Viewpoint on why it’s BS that everyone automatically blames men for midlife divorce, Jon’s Manologue on why you need to embrace small talk, our How I See It with pro boxer, author and speaker Ed Latimore, and, as always, our 6F recs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

Why Is It Always The Guy’s Fault?

By Greg Scheinman

When middle aged couples get divorced.  Here’s the narrative.  Every time.

He’s having his midlife crisis.
He bought the sports car.
He wants a younger woman.
He blew up the family because he couldn’t handle turning 50.

That’s the default story. That’s the assumption. And it’s bullshit. 

The celebrity ones make the news.  For the rest of us, we just become the latest gossip in town, until the next one, and so on.  Most recently; Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. I’m reading this shit (don’t ask me why…) and here I am thinking: what if Nicole Kidman just kinda sucks? Honestly, I’ve always thought she was kinda weird. What if Keith’s just had enough? Why isn’t that the headline? Why is it always “Nicole’s inner circle thinks Keith’s going through a midlife crisis” instead of “Nicole Kidman’s a high maintenance pain in the ass with too much botox and Keith doesn’t want to spend 52 to 92 with her”?  None of us will ever know the real story, but whenever a couple in midlife breaks up, the coverage, whether it’s in your community or the papers, is always one-sided.

It’s always the guy’s fault. The woman is assumed to be the hurt, scorned, cast aside good wife. While the man is assumed to be weak, selfish, thinking with the wrong head and reckless.

But the men I know? The ones I hear from every day? They’re good guys. They’ve been grinding for 20, 30 years. They’ve worked themselves to the bone. They’ve carried the load. They’ve been good dads, good husbands, good providers. And when they finally get to their 50s, they’re tired of being unappreciated. Tired of not feeling desired. Tired of years of feeling like a sperm donor and a bank account…  

Make Small Talk Great Again: When Random Chats Have Cool Payoffs

By Jon Finkel

I know. You hate small talk. I get it. You hear the phrase “small talk” and you think of some boring neighborhood dork saying things like “can you believe all this rain?” when you randomly pass them walking the dog.

You fight the desire to roll your eyes, so you muster up a short, one-word response: “Crazy”. Then you give a quick smile and you shuffle off, happy to be rid of this time-sucking exchange you deem worthless.

You think this exchange is worthless because you feel like you’re not going to get anything out of it. Yeah, it’s rained a lot lately. You know it. I know it. Why do we have to talk about it? 

You probably have the Seinfeld bit queued up in your head about how he hates pointless conversation and how humans get stuck in them because of dumb social norms. The punchline is that he’d rather just walk by everyone and say “acknowledge”, meaning, whatever boring daily drivel you’re about to drone on about or say because you think you have to, I acknowledge it and let’s just move on.

It’s funny. It’s classic Seinfeld. It’s also ironic that a guy who made a billion dollars from a show based on meaningless conversations is trashing meaningless conversations. Obviously, he loves meaningless conversations.

I do, too. And so should you and I’ll tell you why with examples in a second.

The problem right now is that in our modern society it’s way too easy to avoid people and we’re losing the art of the random exchange; the serendipitous moments that happen when you chat with a stranger.

Don’t avoid them. Trust me. Need proof? Read the rest of the column and it’ll reignite your faith in small talk, I promise:

Author and Heavyweight Boxer Ed Latimore on the Benefits of Curiosity, Taking Action & Making Choices

By Greg Scheinman

This one was a lot of fun. A few months back, our Editor in Chief, Jon Finkel, told me about his friend Ed Latimore, and I’m glad he did.

Ed’s a former professional heavyweight boxer, U.S. Army National Guard veteran, competitive chess player, and writer whose work blends intellect and grit. He grew up in Pittsburgh’s public housing projects, fought his way through addiction, earned a degree in physics from Duquesne University, and rebuilt himself through discipline, reflection and truth.

He also mentioned he’s fluent in Spanish and just got back in the ring at 40-years-old and won his latest heavyweight bout, bringing his professional boxing record to 14-1-1 . 

Ed’s stoic, humble, and as real as they come. What I love about conversations like this is getting to learn from men who’ve lived completely different lives, yet still end up on a similar path. How the places we come from, the hits we’ve taken, and the choices we’ve made shape who we are and who we become.

His new book, Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business: Boxing and the Art of Life, hits hard. It’s raw, honest, and full of lessons on how life’s toughest blows—poverty, trauma, failure—can forge purpose.

In our conversation, we got into all of it: how Ed learned to take pain without breaking, how he turned physical discipline into mental and emotional strength, and what it really means to fight for yourself in midlife and beyond.

Ed drops truth in every answer. I walked away inspired, impressed, and sharper for it and I know you will too.

The Financial Revolution You Can’t Afford to Miss

In this article, Midlife Male’s Financial Consigliere, Ron Speaker, breaks down all the ways the financial market is changing right before our eyes, and what you can do to capitalize on the upcoming trillion-dollar markets that are in their early stages today. Read this and then take action ASAP.

The Real Value of Martial Arts for Kids

Our Editor in Chief’s son just earned his red belt in Taekwondo and here’s what Jon had to say about it: “I’m super proud of my boy. He’s been on this martial arts journey for almost four years and this was his hardest belt to earn by far. He wasn’t ready for the last testing period and the instructor told him flat out: ‘You haven’t put in enough work on your forms. You need to focus and train harder before I let you test.’ Let me tell you something. In a world of participation trophies and “everyone wins” mentality, I loved this. My son was half-assing it and falling behind. He was embarrassed when some of his friends got tested and passed and he couldn’t. It was a perfect wake up call that you have to work for your success. Nobody gives it to you. He buckled down, started practicing between classes and three months later, boom, he passed. Most importantly. He earned it.”

Walk Heavy, Live Longer

There is nothing simpler or more beneficial for our health than walking.  The benefits are unchallenged. Physically, you’ll improve.  Mentally, you’ll improve. Bonus points if you leave your phone at home and allow yourself to just let your mind relax, think and expand.  Emotionally you;ll improve as walking has been shown to increase happiness.  Here’s Arthur Brooks take on it. And when you want to take your walking up a notch, get on an incline or get yourself a GORUCK backpack or weighted vest.  

Fuel Like Laird

When it comes to morning rituals, few men do it better than Laird Hamilton. His Superfood Creamer turns your daily coffee into rocket fuel, packed with functional fats, minerals and clean energy that keep you steady instead of spiking and crashing. For midlife men chasing focus, strength, and stamina, this is how you make your coffee and tea work better for you. We use it daily, because mediocre coffee doesn’t cut it anymore. 

BONUS: Read Greg’s piece here about the week he spent with Laird in Hawaii, learning how the surf legend sees it.

It’s Finally Red Wing Season!

There are no better, more iconic boots than Red Wing. You can literally own one pair and wear them for life.  Naturally, I have to have more than one pair because they have several styles that I “Can’t live without”.  The Iron Ranger is a favorite as is the Classic Moc.  Check them out HERE

F*ck it, Let’s Rip

We love this story of 24 year old pitcher Troy Melton and Brad Stulberg’s take on it.  Check it out HERE.  For all the intellectualizing we do around life, performance and success, sometimes the best thing to do is the simplest:  Try hard. Have fun. F*ck it.  Let it rip.

Read Our MOST POPULAR Cover Stories:

Troy Aikman on Reinvention, Wrestling Demons and What Success Looks Like

Laird Hamilton’s Blueprint for Ageless Living and Unstoppable Energy

15 Pieces of Wisdom from Chef Robert Irvine

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.

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