How midlife men can face identity loss, release old roles, and begin true personal reinvention.

For men after 50, a so-called midlife crisis often feels like restlessness, irritability, or a vague emptiness. But what if your midlife funk isn’t about cars, careers, or escape — but about grief and identity loss?

In this episode of Midlife Man Rising, experiential psychologist Nelson Pahl, Ph.D. reframes the midlife journey as an opportunity for growth, not decline. You’ll learn how the hidden grief of outdated roles and old identities can trigger what feels like midlife crisis depression, and why facing it head-on can open the door to midlife reinvention.

Discover how to:

• Recognize when your “crisis” is really grief in disguise
• Use one transformative question to release outdated identities
• Begin the process of personal reinvention after 50
• Shift from midlife funk to midlife transformation

If you’re a midlife man stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode gives you clarity, courage, and a starting point. Stop surviving and start rebuilding with proven tools for midlife men ready to evolve.

🎧 Listen now — and if you’re ready for deeper change, join Nelson’s 28-day program, Resurrection Camp, to reclaim your identity and create your midlife makeover.

Topics in this Episode

• Recognize When You’re Escaping Instead of Surrendering (0:53)
• Discover How Midlife Opens Opportunities for Personal Redefinition (1:13)
• Ask Yourself the One Question that Can Change Your Life (1:51)
• Understand Why an Opposing Value System May Emerge (2:23)
• Learn Why Identity Reconstruction is Essential (3:19)
• Try a Simple Practice to Begin the Shift (4:05)
• Choose Who You Become: Conscious Individuation (4:54)

Healing Links

28-Day Challenge: Resurrection Camp

Supporting Links

Empirical Research: Midlife Transformation, Not Crisis
Clinical Research: 3 Case Studies of Male Midlife Crisis
Jungian Research: Midlife Individuation
Professional Article: Identity as Dynamic Process

Next Episode: Men After 50: 5 Ways to Channel Your Midlife Anger(Midlife Resurrection Series - Part 3)

About the Host

Nelson Pahl, Ph.D. is an experiential psychologist that helps midlife men move from midlife crisis depression to midlife reinvention. Through his proprietary approaches — Resurrection Camp, the Six Stones Retreat Arc, and his Legacy Lab — he guides men after 50 through identity loss, midlife transformation, and personal reinvention.