Windmills: Mastering Midlife is about finding and maintaining your identity at a point in life when you may be lost amidst all of the different roles and responsibilities you have.
On it you will hear discussions (individual, one-on-one, and roundtable group) of people navigating mid-life, like progressing from a successful career to a new career adventure (or retirement,) helping children become successful adults while caring for aging parents, finding and focusing on hobbies and activities that provide meaning and identity, and staying physically, mentally and emotionally healthy when time and energy are at a premium.
You should listen if you are an adult facing any life change, whether that be starting a new career, beginning a new relationship, becoming a parent or grandparent, considering taking up a new hobby, or just want to know that you're not alone in what you are experiencing.
In this special podcast episode in honor of America's semi-quincentennial, guest Matt Nagel shares a poetry unit on America that he taught while a high school English teacher.
Starting with Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing," then Langston Hughes' "I, Too," this poetry unit traces the development and voices of America as represented in poems by Allen Ginsberg, Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Ed Bok Lee, and Tony Hoagland.
Where possible, I have included the recording of the poet reading his or her own work.
30 Jun 2026
A Conversation with Matt Nagel
This episode is part of a conversation I had with a dear friend from our graduate school days in Nashville, Tennessee. Although our time at Vanderbilt only overlapped for about two years, we developed a friendship that we still cherish nearly a quarter of a century after the time Matt and his family moved.
We begin briefly discussing Matt's current career change, but the focus of this episode is on one of Matt's passions, which in his own words is, "Dad band cosplay."
19 May 2026
Thoughts on Motivation
This episode of Windmills explores the nature of motivation through personal stories of academic, professional, and athletic challenges. I reflect on how meaningful goals, accountability, and clear plans have shaped my successes, from learning Spanish in Chile to earning a PhD and completing Ironman triathlons. I contrast vague dreams with actionable goals, emphasizing that motivation often fades without structure, support, or purpose. Through failures, setbacks, and eventual breakthroughs, we discover that external accountability and personal commitment are key to sustained progress. This episode encourages listeners to examine their own dreams and consider what motivates them to turn aspirations into achievable goals.
5 May 2026
An Interview with Dr. Rob Dickson, Part 2
In this episode, Rob and I discuss common medical complaints and the importance of getting things looked at and taken care of before they become serious. (If you're over 45 and haven't had a colonoscopy, you're already past due!) Aligning with my conversation with Dr. Craig Witt, Dr. Dickson and I also discuss the importance of exercise as the primary key to improving and extending your health span within your life span.
21 Apr 2026
An Interview with Dr. Rob Dickson, Part 1
In this episode, I interview Dr. Rob Dickson, who shares his professional journey from graduating from college with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics to building furniture and having a cabinetmaking business, to starting medical school at age 35 with a wife and five young children. He is now a successful family medicine practitioner and proud "Papa" to two beautiful grandchildren.
7 Apr 2026
An Interview with Craig Witt, Part 2
This episode is Part 2 of my conversation with Craig Witt, a Ph.D. candidate in Kinesiology at the University of North Alabama. In this episode, Craig shares specific exercise information and we talk about some of the myths and issues that people have surrounding fitness, wellness, and just getting started exercising.
31 Mar 2026
Own Your Mess
Against the backdrop story of witnessing a neighbor fail to comply with a basic social obligation, I discuss responsibility and ownership of the different situations we face (messes we make) in life.
17 Mar 2026
An Interview with Craig Witt, Part 1
This episode is the first of a two-part series. This is the first half of my interview with Craig Witt, a PhD candidate in Kinesiology at the University of North Alabama. In this interview, Craig shares his unexpected personal journey into Act 2 of his professional life after a medical incident effectively drew the curtain on a successful Act I.
3 Mar 2026
Why Windmills?
An introduction to the host, Scott Infanger, and an explanation of why I chose the title "Windmills: Mastering Midlife."
Join me as I examine the challenges and opportunities we face in midlife. How do you balance all of the responsibilities and demands on your time? Who are you as you look at life as a parent, grandparent, child, professional, retiree, hobbyist, community member and/or leader? How do you keep the roles straight? What does it mean to be in midlife? What are the challenges and opportunities associated with midlife? Is this a time for crisis, or for growth and personal improvement?
I explore all of these issues using the famous literary madman, Don Quixote and his early misadventure of jousting at windmills as a metaphor for life.
Come along with me as I joust at the windmills of midlife!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Contact Windmills: Mastering Midlife
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Windmills: Mastering Midlife?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
