Man in the Middle Show w/ Kevin & Joe

About Man in the Middle Show w/ Kevin & Joe

Man in the Middle Show with Kevin & Joe Are you a middle-aged man feeling trapped in your life? Stuck in a relationship, career, health situation, or financial rut that leaves you unfulfilled? Do you find yourself asking, "Is this it? Is it me? Is there more?" You're not alone, and the Man in the Middle Show is here to prove it. Join Kevin and Joe, two regular guys living in the "middle", as they dive deep into the challenges, triumphs, and existential questions that plague men in midlife. This isn't your typical self-help podcast – it's a raw, honest conversation between friends who've been there, done that, and are still figuring it out. Meet Your Hosts: Kevin at 54, he's a bald, bionic entrepreneur with a metal heart valve and 20 years in the "bonus round" of life. A former stand-up comic turned business owner, Kevin's journey includes: - 25 years of marriage - Raising two newly adult children - A near-death experience and open-heart surgery at 35 - Navigating major career shifts and life transitions Joe is The 42-year-old "regular guy" with an extraordinary story: - 15 years sober after a 13-year battle with addiction - High school dropout turned successful restaurant industry leader and now COO in digital marketing - Father to a teenager and expecting a newborn (talk about a midlife shake-up!) - Proof that it's never too late to turn your life around Why Listen? Real Talk, No BS... Kevin and Joe aren't therapists or gurus – they're guys just like you, sharing their experiences and struggles without filters. You're Not Alone! Discover that those feelings of emptiness, confusion, and restlessness are normal and part of the midlife journey for many men. Diverse Perspectives are critical. With their vastly different backgrounds and life experiences, Kevin and Joe offer unique insights into common midlife challenges. Inspiration to Ask Bigger Questions. Instead of easy answers, you'll be motivated to dig deeper and rediscover what truly matters to you. A Safe Space for Men. Finally, a place where you can hear open, honest discussions about the topics men often feel they can't talk about. Practical Wisdom. Learn from the hosts' successes and failures as they navigate relationships, career transitions, health scares, and major life changes. Finally... some Humor and Heart. Expect laughs alongside the deep stuff – because sometimes, you've got to find the funny in life's challenges. The Man in the Middle Show isn't about having it all figured out. It's about embracing the messy middle, finding meaning in the struggle, and realizing that your best years might still be ahead of you. Whether you're feeling lost, looking for a change, or just want to hear from guys who get it, Kevin and Joe are here to bring you into the middle of the conversation. You're not above, you're not below – you're right there with them, part of a community of men facing midlife head-on. Tune in and discover: - Strategies for reigniting passion in your relationships and career - How to navigate major life transitions with grace (or at least a sense of humor) - Ways to redefine success and fulfillment on your own terms - The power of vulnerability and authentic male friendships - Tools for managing stress, health concerns, and the infamous midlife crisis Don't let society tell you how to age or what your life should look like. Join Kevin, Joe, and a growing tribe of men who are rewriting the rules of midlife, one honest conversation at a time. Subscribe to the Man in the Middle Show w/ Kevin & Joe because midlife doesn't have to be a crisis. It can be your awakening. New episodes drop weekly. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Remember... You're not stuck. You're not alone. And there's definitely more to life – let's find it together.

Publisher

Kevin Rogers & Joe DiRoma

Category

education · education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

6 Nov 2024

Latest episode

9 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Mar 2026

   Episode 19: The Silent Midlife Crisis: How To Step Back and Check-in

   "The Silent Midlife Crisis: How To Step Back and Check-in" Episode Overview What if the real danger in midlife is not collapse, but noise? In this episode, Kevin and Joe explore a quieter kind of midlife crisis: the overwhelm that builds when a man carries too much for too long without time to process what his life is asking of him. Kevin shares from a season of major transition, sunsetting his business, watching relationships change, and moving through some of the darkest emotional territory of his life, only to discover that space, solitude, and honest processing can become the doorway back to clarity. Together, they unpack what happens when life gets loud, when responsibility crowds out reflection, and when men start mistaking constant motion for strength. The deeper invitation is not to withdraw from life, but to step back long enough to check in, with your energy, your priorities, your friendships, and the life you’re actually building. Why listen This episode is for men who feel stretched thin, quietly overwhelmed, or trapped in a life that leaves no room for themselves. Kevin and Joe offer a grounded way to think about stress in midlife: overwhelm is often not proof that you are weak, it may be proof that something in you is trying to grow. They talk about the value of a few real friendships, the danger of living only in online noise, and why hobbies, movement, music, travel, and community are not luxuries. They are stabilizers. If you’ve been leading, providing, performing, and holding it together, but haven’t asked yourself how you’re really doing, this episode gives you a way back to center. Key Quotes “Most of our anxiety comes from the collision between our smallness and the tasks that life asks of us.” “The only reason you’re overwhelmed isn’t because you’re weak. It’s because something in you is trying to grow.” “Do the minimal things that get you through: move your body and allow for processing.” “Solitude becomes a prison that you have created for yourself rather than a refuge of restoration.” “Find your tribe.” Main Topics Covered Midlife overwhelm and the hidden cost of constant responsibility Why stepping back can be a form of wisdom, not weakness Leadership, masculine responsibility, and emotional load What happens when you finally have space to process your life The difference between restorative solitude and self-made isolation How to check in with your energy and reframe your state in real time Why some commitments drain you while others energize you The importance of a small circle of honest male friendship Finding community through fitness, hobbies, music, business groups, and shared interests Why real life feels healthier than online life Travel, novelty, and changing your environment to change your mind How passion, movement, and music help reduce overwhelm Key Takeaways Overwhelm is often a signal to pause and examine, not just push harder. You need a few honest friendships where support runs both ways. The right commitments can energize your life, not just burden it. Check your state: your pace, your tone, your body, your breathing, your urgency. Online life can distort reality; get back into rooms, communities, and real conversations. Healthy solitude restores you. Unchecked isolation traps you. If you want connection, put yourself where good people gather. Recommended Resource Living an Examined Life by James Hollis (referenced directly in the conversation) As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (quoted in the episode) A practical self-check practice: pause and ask, “What is my energy like right now, and what do I need?” Next Steps If this episode described something you’ve been unable to explain, share it with one man you trust. Use it to start a real conversation: not about life “updates,” but about what’s actually changing inside you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help more men find the show during a season when isolation can turn dangerous. And for Kevin’s companion newsletter tied to each episode, sign up for the SubStack at maninthemiddleshow.com (http://maninthemiddleshow.com) Connect with Us Watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ManintheMiddleShow) Listen on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/man-in-the-middle-show-w-kevin-joe/id1778308163) Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1kJcIQJWFYYVcIxqrHNNk5) Sign up for the Newsletter (https://maninthemiddleshow.com/)

2. 

   2 Mar 2026

   Episode 18: "The Father You Had… and the Father Living Inside You"

   "The Father You Had… and the Father Living Inside You" Episode Overview What did your father give you, on purpose and by accident? In this episode, Kevin and Joe explore one of the most defining midlife questions: how much of your life has been shaped by chance, and how much by choice, especially when it comes to your father and what he passed down. Kevin reflects on seeing Deliver Me from Nowhere (the Springsteen film) and how it highlights the complicated bond between a son and a father who did his best, but was often ruled by fear and anger. That becomes a doorway into Kevin’s own experiences with his dad: the “toughen up” approach, the lingering charge of old conflicts, and the heavy cost of carrying anger for decades. Joe then takes the conversation deeper with a question that turns the mirror inward: where does the father live inside you? Together they examine what gets inherited (anger, reactivity, control), what gets healed (through mentors, counseling, intentional practice), and what it means to integrate both the wounds and the wisdom, so you’re no longer a prisoner of your history. Why listen This episode is for men who are starting to see their father more clearly, not as a hero or villain, but as a complex human being shaped by his own unresolved history. Kevin and Joe offer a grounded framework for midlife growth: making peace with the father you had, while taking responsibility for the father living inside you. If you’ve struggled with anger, emotional shutdown, jealousy, or overreaction, this conversation shows how those patterns can be understood, softened, and transformed without denying where they came from. It’s also a practical episode: they discuss counseling, marriage dynamics, emotional regulation, and how small choices, repeated over time, become generational change. Key Quotes “That’s a lot of power to give someone you don’t even like, from three years ago or thirty years ago.” “The real work of midlife is to make peace with the father, both the one who raised us and the one who lives within us.” “I got tired of having to make amends for my overreaction rather than what the overreaction was about.” “Passed down, passed down, passed down… and you can see these elevations in consciousness over generations.” “We’re all prisoners of our histories until we become the authors of our own lives.” Main Topics Covered Choices vs. chance: the crossroads that shape a man’s life Father-son dynamics through the lens of Springsteen’s story How fear-based memories can dominate a father’s inner world Anger as a learned response to pain, fear, and powerlessness Seeing your father differently as you spend more time together The father “inside you”: inherited patterns like jealousy, road rage, reactivity Why “That’s just how I am” is often a refusal to grow The role of mentors, brothers, and community in rewiring a young man’s path Hollis’s midlife frame: integration over rejection or idolization How Joe learned to stop yelling: counseling, partnership, practice, and accountability Parenting with presence: how a man’s voice and energy affect children Emotional release and the cost of numbing (and what changes when feelings return) Generational healing: taking the good, naming the harm, and choosing better Mentorship as responsibility: pouring into other people’s kids with courage and care Key Takeaways Midlife invites you to re-evaluate your father with clarity and compassion, not denial. The goal is integration: hold the wounds and the wisdom without becoming either. Anger is often fear in a louder voice, and it can be unlearned with practice. Real accountability means addressing the real issue, not constantly repairing your reaction. Generational change is usually incremental, but it becomes powerful over time. If you lacked what you needed at home, you will seek it elsewhere, so choose your people well. Mentorship matters: a caring word from a steady adult can become a turning point. Recommended Resource Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis (referenced directly) The Middle Passage by James Hollis (core framework for midlife transition) Journaling or reflection practice using the question: “What did my father pass down, and what am I choosing to keep?” Next Steps If this episode described something you’ve been unable to explain, share it with one man you trust. Use it to start a real conversation: not about life “updates,” but about what’s actually changing inside you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help more men find the show during a season when isolation can turn dangerous. And for Kevin’s companion newsletter tied to each episode, sign up for the SubStack at maninthemiddleshow.com (http://maninthemiddleshow.com) Connect with Us Watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ManintheMiddleShow) Listen on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/man-in-the-middle-show-w-kevin-joe/id1778308163) Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1kJcIQJWFYYVcIxqrHNNk5) Sign up for the Newsletter (https://maninthemiddleshow.com/)

3. 

   23 Feb 2026

   Episode 17: "From Performance To Presence: Escaping The Need To Be Liked"

   “From Performance To Presence: Escaping The Need To Be Liked” Episode Overview What changes when you stop performing for approval, and start living from a quieter, truer center? In this episode, Kevin and Joe unpack a powerful Alan Watts passage that names what many men feel in midlife but struggle to explain: the usual way of connecting stops making sense. You don’t hate people. You’re not “better than.” You simply can’t keep participating in conversations built on status, gossip, and shared illusions. They explore what happens when a man begins to see the hidden performance underneath everyday interaction, the need to be liked, to belong, to say the right thing, and how stepping back isn’t loneliness. It’s the space between who you used to be and who you’re becoming. Along the way, Joe connects this inner shift to his triathlon journey: long hours of training alone, learning what’s real, what can’t be faked, and what it means to endure discomfort without needing an audience. Why listen This is an episode for the man who feels himself pulling away and isn’t sure if it means something is wrong, or something is finally becoming honest. Kevin and Joe give language to the internal transition from performance to presence, and remind you that this is a normal part of waking up. They also offer a grounded perspective: meaning deepens when you stop chasing approval, stop pretending, and start choosing relationships and rituals that are real. If you’ve been feeling less interested in shallow connection, more protective of your time, and more aware of what’s false in yourself and your environment, this conversation will make you feel seen. Key Quotes “Loneliness does not come from not having people around you, but being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you.” “He didn’t cut ties. He didn’t burn bridges. He simply stopped pretending.” “It’s not loneliness, just space between who he used to be and who he’s becoming.” “People might still wave… but the connection is no longer there because it was never real to begin with.” “Faith is what keeps you going through the unknown in the belief that there’s something better on the other side.” Main Topics Covered Alan Watts on awakening and pulling away from the crowd Why the “usual way of connecting” can stop making sense in midlife Performance, approval-seeking, and the need to be liked The difference between solitude and loneliness Carl Jung’s view: loneliness as an inability to share what matters Triathlon training as real solitude: no headphones, no distractions, no faking it Why discipline earns respect in a world of curated images Breaking consumer patterns and cultural “shared illusions” Legacy, family values, and choosing experiences over stuff The role of faith when you’re between identities and outcomes aren’t clear Why men need deeper...

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Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

29 ratings

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