Why You're Miserable In Your 40s (It's Not Your Fault) with Dr Marny Lishman

Why You're Miserable In Your 40s (It's Not Your Fault) with Dr Marny Lishman

What does a psychologist do when she hits her own midlife fog? She writes a book about it. Marny Lishman is a psychologist, author, columnist, and media commentator who has spent years helping people navigate the messy middle of adulthood. Her books Crisis to Contentment and Only You: The Unexpected Gift of Being Alone grew out of her own lived experience — from recognising herself in Ben Affleck's cigarette-and-dead-eyes paparazzi shots, to finding genuine contentment in solitude while the rest of the world rushed to swipe right. In this conversation, Marny brings her signature warmth and directness to some of the big questions of midlife: Why are we statistically most unhappy at 47.2? Why do grumpy men make the best clients? What is burnout actually telling us — and what's the one word she says to everyone who has it? Why can't men make deep friendships? And why is loneliness one of the most useful emotions you can feel? This is a conversation for anyone who's ever stared at the cereal aisle and genuinely could not choose. You're not broken. You just need to stop. 00:00 — Welcome 01:44 — The grumpy Ben Affleck moment 03:12 — The U-curve: you're unhappiest at 47.2 05:57 — What grumpiness is really hiding 09:22 — Crisis to Contentment: the framework 11:14 — Burnout: signs, symptoms & just stop 20:51 — Why men can't make deep friendships 23:47 — Learning the language of emotions 29:36 — Only You: the gift of being alone 43:08 — Grab a backpack and go You'll learn: * The science behind the U-shaped happiness curve and why midlife is the statistical low point * What grumpiness is actually communicating — and why Marny loves a grumpy client * The four dimensions of burnout (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) and how to recognise it before you hit the wall * Why men struggle with deep friendship and what psychological safety has to do with it * How to talk about your emotions when you don't have the words * The case for staying single long enough to actually find yourself * Why loneliness is a signal, not a sentence * Marny's one piece of wisdom for every middle-aged man: grab a backpack and go 📚 Content & People Referenced Books * Crisis to Contentment — Marny Lishman * Only You: The Unexpected Gift of Being Alone — Marny Lishman Research * The U-Shaped Happiness Curve — Professor David Blanchflower (Dartmouth College). Research drawn from 500,000+ data points across 132 countries showing life satisfaction follows a U-shape, with the low point around age 47.2. Referenced in Crisis to Contentment. Organisations Mentioned * Men's Table — CEO David Pointon cited; research shared on how men's participation reduces anger and aggression in the home * Mongrels Men — men's community organisation mentioned as part of the broader shift in men's mental health culture * Just One Reason — men's mental health/suicide prevention organisation mentioned ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

3 Actions To Be Fulfilled In Midlife

This week on Don't Let the Old Man In, we sat down with Dan Foster, CEO of The Centre For Men and Families, to unpack the problems men are facing in the transition to midlife and why so many men feel unfulfilled. In this special follow-up episode, host Pod O'Sullivan shares the top things he wants our listeners to take away from Dan Foster's episode, and provides three actions you can do at home to take his wisdom on board. Watch the full episode with Dan Foster: https://linktr.ee/dontllettheoldmanin Subscribe to our newsletter: https://dontlettheoldmanin.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

What Men Carry (And How To Put It Down) | Why Unprocessed Grief is Costing You More Than You Know with Dan Foster

Dan Foster is the CEO of the Centre for Men and Families, a rites of passage organisation heavily influenced by the work of Richard Rohr. After spending years in ministry and theology, Dan found himself in the middle of his own midlife deconstruction — which is exactly where his work now lives. The Centre runs two programs: one for young men navigating the first half of life, and one for men in midlife and beyond who've ticked all the boxes and still feel the ache. This conversation is for every man who's hit 40, 45, or 50 and quietly wondered — is this all there is? It's also for the man who's been carrying something for decades and hasn't yet found a safe enough place to put it down. Books mentioned: * Adam's Return by Richard Rohr * Iron John by Robert Bly * Falling Upward by Richard Rohr Also referenced: * Poetry of David Whyte and Rumi * Documentary: The Manosphere * Bruce Springsteen on "trying to get home to a home he never had" Other men's work mentioned: * Men's Tables — David Pontin * Men's Circles UK — Pascoe Ashton * Mongrels Men Sydney — Tim Houston Connect with Dan Foster & the Centre for Men and Families: [centreformenandfamilies.com] 00:00 — Intro & Welcome 02:35 — Richard Rohr, Adam's Return, and the 5 Hard Truths 07:14 — You're not in control — and why that's actually good news 08:27 — Mens Programs - Forged (18–30) and Men's Rite of Passage (30+) 15:05 — Why rituals work — the 3 reasons men open up 20:25 — Men communicate better side by side — fire, circles, and brotherhood 24:44 — What men actually leave with: relief, peace, self-acceptance 31:36 — The manosphere, elders, and what young men are really hungry for 41:39 — Whatever you don't process, you project ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

3 Small Actions That Will Help You Live Longer

Earlier this week, we sat down with longevity educator and author Professor Scott Fulton to discover the top secrets about improving your healthspan that most people will never know about. In this follow-up episode of Don't Let the Old Man In, host Pod O'Sullivan reflects on the key lessons from Scott's years of expertise, and provides you with the three things you can take with you into your own life. Watch the full interview with Scott Fulton here: https://youtu.be/8MyxAgoS5-g Let us know what topic you'd like us to cover: https://dontlettheoldmanin.com/suggestions/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

One Number That Predicts Your Future with Professor Scott Fulton

Professor Scott Fulton is a research engineer turned functional health span expert, author of the #1 bestselling book Function, and chair of the National Aging and Place Council in the US. After a career troubleshooting complex systems across industries, Scott turned his engineering mind to the one system nobody was looking at properly: the aging human body. His work draws on over 700,000 participants and 10 million person-years of data to answer a question most men don't think to ask until it's too late: what will actually determine how well you function in the second half of your life? This conversation is for every man over 40 who thinks being fit means being healthy. It's also for the man who's never tested his balance, flexibility, or reaction time, and doesn't yet know that one of those is quietly becoming his weak link. Book mentioned: Function by Scott Fulton — available now, currently #1 bestseller Connect with Scott Fulton: scottfulton.ca 00:30 — Why You Should Listen 04:28 — Why Runners Can't Walk: The Biomechanics Explained 09:34 — The Statistic That Will Change How You Walk Today 13:10 — Falls Aren't a Strength Problem — They're a Reaction Time Problem 16:39 — The 5 Domains of Functional Health Span 21:42 — If You Don't Demand It, You'll Lose It 26:12 — The Top 4 Self-Assessments to Do This Week 35:28 — Why Disease Is Not Your Biggest Threat — Function Is (2:1) 40:04 — Why Men Lose Their Social Network the Day They Retire 48:18 — What Your 80-Year-Old Self Is Asking of You Right Now ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.