When Thomas Droge realized he was having a heart attack, he drove himself to the hospital and left the car running in the parking lot. He's a doctor. About fifteen minutes into it, he understood that this could be the moment three generations of men in his family had gone through; he was six months from the age his father was when he died, and his grandfather before him. And he still drove himself. If you've built a career on being the person who handles things, that reflex p

"AI amplifies what the leader brings. If the leader brings confusion, you get confusion at speed. You get chaos. If the leader brings clarity, you get clarity and execution at speed." That's Jack Swift, back on the Midlife Remix this week. If a leader walks into Monday's meeting confused about what it's even for, everyone goes back to their desks, opens Claude or Copilot, and starts querying from that confusion. The leader's inner state has become a business variable.

Simon Verhoeven spent years dreaming about a particular German Film Award, and the moment it was finally in his hand, the first thing he felt wasn't satisfaction, it was "okay, so what's next?" He's one of the most successful directors in Germany, with films that became hits and got remade across Europe. The film that won for him, Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke, roughly "this gap, this terrible gap," is about loss, and he made it during the same years he was lo

Mike was 40, head of digital strategy and innovation at Bank of America, with a job that looked great on paper. He says that's the moment he realized he had become the corporate version of the person he'd spent his whole life saying he never wanted to be.

The bonus clears, and for a few weeks, you can stop asking yourself if this is really what you want. Then the check settles into the account, time passes, and the question comes back.

Most of the senior leaders I work with say yes too often, and they're paying for it in ways that don't show up on any quarterly report. I recently had Erin Holland-Collins on the Midlife Remix podcast, and one of the threads I keep coming back to is what I've started calling the "half-yes": agreeing to something not because you want to do it, but because the no felt harder than the yes.

“I didn’t even realize that I wanted this promotion until someone else got it.” That came up when I was talking with Brittanni Hendricks on Midlife Remix, and she hears some version of it regularly from high performers. I keep coming back to it because it names what happens to the executives I coach, who have managed their own wanting for so long that, when it surfaces, someone else is already in the role.

Thomas had that question forced on him in the most extreme way possible. In 2021, he was six months from the exact age his father was when he died, and his grandfather before him. When he had a heart attack.

In the latest episode of the Midlife Remix (full conversation link in comments), I talked with Molly Carroll, MA, LPC, a therapist, author, podcast host, and TED Talk speaker.

Joao Viana left a successful corporate career and created something that didn’t exist before. He called it Walking Mentorship. He walks alongside people for seven days through places like the Camino de Santiago. Not as a guide. As a thinking companion. And what he’s found after hundreds of walks is that the insights that change people aren’t dramatic. Slowly, one day at a time, until you look back and realize you’re facing a completely different direction.

He shared that leadership teams increasingly recognize that inner work is closely tied to high performance. He also offered insights on noticing when you’re avoiding feelings, blaming instead of taking responsibility, clinging to being right instead of staying curious, and developing awareness through meditation—all of which transformed not only my perspective on leadership but also how I engage day to day.

In a recent podcast conversation, I spoke with contemplative psychotherapist David Redish about how psychedelics and meditation can support people navigating these midlife transitions. Not as escapes, but as tools for awareness and reflection.

What happens when the life you've built starts to feel disconnected from the person you're becoming?

Most people don’t walk away from a powerful title and a big paycheck. And even fewer talk openly about what comes after. That’s why this conversation with Paul Hatch felt so important. If you know Paul, you know he’s always been sharp, driven, and steady under pressure. But the honesty he brought into this episode surprised me. It’s the kind of clarity that comes only from hitting a few walls, learning from them, and choosing a different way forward.

There’s a midlife phase where you’re actively engaged, meeting expectations, but the sense of fulfillment has changed. This occurs because we're midway through life, facing health issues, children’s problems, and aging parents. Typically, it’s a sign that the motivations that once drove you aren’t as strong or relevant anymore.

We spend our lives chasing success; climbing the corporate ladder, making more money, and proving ourselves. In midlife, we question what to do once we achieve it, or why we keep pursuing it when we haven’t.

We hear the word 'midlife' and immediately think 'crisis' . The sports car, the divorce, the panic that life is over. But what if midlife isn't about falling apart, but about finally understanding what is important to you in life? Over the past year on the podcast, I’ve spoken with people who’ve done precisely that. In this episode, I feature conversations with Larry Kihlstadius, Paul Hatch, Kim Mustin, and Mike Ma. They stopped pursuing someone else’s idea of success and s

In this week’s Midlife Remix, I sat down with Paige Scott, Senior Partner and leader of the Asset Management practice at Kingsley Gate, to talk about the crossroads many Gen X leaders are facing: career transition, changing values, multi‑generational teams, and the courage it takes to live and lead from alignment. Below are the core themes from our conversation, the questions I’m asking clients right now, and a simple practice Paige swears by to re‑center your path.

“The people whose identity is tied to their work… when that work goes away, many get lost. For them, work is purpose, importance, growth, learning, making money. But once it ends, they’re stuck. The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.”“The people whose identity is tied to their work… when that work goes away, many get lost. For them, work is purpose, importance, growth, learning, making money. But once it ends, they’re stuck. The only difference betw

“I was afraid the whole thing would collapse. That I’d have to tell the people who trusted me that I lost their money. I was under pressure. And I wasn’t s