Middle Man cover art

Middle Man

Middle Man

Written by: Paul Sutton
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From the outside my life looked wonderful. I had an amazing wife, three great kids, a beautiful house in the countryside and a successful consultancy business. But on the inside, I was deeply unhappy. I felt trapped by the very life that I had designed. I felt that I had no sense of purpose. And I’d lost all sense of who I was or what my place in the world was. But what I’ve discovered since is that it needn’t be this way. Middle Man is the show for midlife men and the people who love them. It helps midlife men to rediscover themselves and to embrace the second half of life with positivity, enjoyment and purpose. So if you’re a midlife man with a creeping sense of unease and unhappiness that you can’t put your finger on, if you feel unappreciated and isolated, or if you’ve looked around at your life and thought “is this really it?”, then Middle Man is the show for you. Join me on a shared journey of self-discovery. Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Why So Many Men Feel Lost in Midlife, with Jonathan Flynn

    Why So Many Men Feel Lost in Midlife, with Jonathan Flynn
    Jun 10 2026
    What happens when the life you worked so hard to build suddenly stops feeling like your own? Why do so many men in their forties and fifties quietly drift through life feeling disconnected, exhausted or emotionally flat without ever talking about it? And when careers change, relationships end, children leave home, or grief hits, how do you rebuild your identity and rediscover purpose in the second half of life? This week Paul talks to Jonathan Flynn, founder of The Hades Effect, about the emotional awakening that followed his 50th birthday. After losing his father, being made redundant, seeing his children leave home,and experiencing the breakdown of a long-term relationship, Jonathan found himself questioning everything about the life he had built. Rather than simply 'getting on with it', he began a deep process of self-reflection through journaling, shadow work, meditation and rebuilding his sense of identity from the ground up. Jonathan explains why midlife should not be seen as a crisis, but as an opportunity for transformation and self-awareness. He shares the thinking behind his Hades Effect framework, the importance of understanding subconscious beliefs, and why so many men lose sight of who they really are beneath careers, responsibilities and expectations. We explore vulnerability, purpose, male identity, fear, relationships and the possibility of creating a more meaningful and joyful second half of life. --------------- If you’ve found this episode insightful or interesting, you can support the show at www.ko-fi.com/middlemanpodcast I'd love to hear about your experiences, so if you'd like to get in touch email me at paul@middlemanpodcast.com and let me know what's on your mind or sign up to the newsletter at www.middlemanpodcast.com Middle Man on Instagram: @middleman__podcast
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    45 mins
  • Midlife Stories: Grief, Recovery and Resilience, with Jase Rowe

    Midlife Stories: Grief, Recovery and Resilience, with Jase Rowe
    Jun 3 2026
    Unresolved trauma can be incredibly tough to deal with when it shows up. Mental health issues, including serious depression and debilitating anxiety, can be part and parcel of a life filled with traumatic events. But it's not impossible to move past, and with resilience and determination, the second half of life can be rebuilt and reframed as something hugely positive. This week Paul talks to Jase Rowe about a relentless sequence of events that would profoundly impact his mental health for more than a decade. These included witnessing his father survive a devastating drink-driving accident, through major heart surgery and a cancer diagnosis, to eventually losing both parents and a lifelong best friend, all before he was 50. Jase opens up about emotional numbness, panic attacks, grief, counselling and the physical reality of anxiety, including nocturnal panic attacks that left him convinced he was having heart problems. But the conversation is ultimately about hope and recovery. Jase explains how counselling, creativity and many small changes to his lifestyle that slowly reconnected him with the things that once brought him joy, gradually transformed his wellbeing. He speaks candidly about learning to identify triggers, letting go of negative influences and rebuilding a life that felt manageable again. This is an honest, emotional and ultimately uplifting conversation about surviving grief, facing mental health struggles head on and discovering that small changes can slowly lead to profound transformation. --------------- If you’ve found this episode insightful or interesting, you can support the show at www.ko-fi.com/middlemanpodcast I'd love to hear about your experiences, so if you'd like to get in touch email me at paul@middlemanpodcast.com and let me know what's on your mind or sign up to the newsletter at www.middlemanpodcast.com Middle Man on Instagram: @middleman__podcast
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    53 mins
  • The Challenge of Connecting with Your Kids, with Bernadett Nagy

    The Challenge of Connecting with Your Kids, with Bernadett Nagy
    May 20 2026
    Many men feel pressure to become the father they wish they'd had. Others find connecting with their children increasingly challenging as both they and their kids grow older. But in all cases, men can be deeply self-critical as parents. Fatherhood is often both the most beautiful and the most challenging role in a man’s life, and to expect to be the perfect dad is unrealistic. This week Paul talks to life and relationship coach Bernadett Nagy, who argues that children do not need perfect fathers. Instead they need fathers who are present, self-aware, willing to grow and brave enough to be human. She says that becoming a good dad is not something that happens the moment a child is born, but something created daily through presence, self-awareness and emotional growth. There is a tension many fathers feel between being strong, authoritative and in control, while also being vulnerable, playful and emotionally available, and we explore why children often need fathers to stop fixing problems and simply sit with them, listen and hold space. We also talk about disconnection between dads and children, especially as children grow older, become more independent and spend more time online, and how we can tackle this in a way that creates the connections that most dads want and need. --------------- If you’ve found this episode insightful or interesting, you can support the show at www.ko-fi.com/middlemanpodcast I'd love to hear about your experiences, so if you'd like to get in touch email me at paul@middlemanpodcast.com and let me know what's on your mind or sign up to the newsletter at www.middlemanpodcast.com Middle Man on Instagram: @middleman__podcast
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
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