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Most men sidestep catastrophe in their twenties, only to crumble invisibly in their forties and fifties.
James Davis's story is a stark warning of this reality.
This episode is for every man who’s ever asked, “Is this all there is?” and feared the answer might be yes.
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The Life That Looked Perfect
James Davis had it all.
Besides a thriving wellness retreat business in Ibiza. He also had a wonderful relationship. The lifestyle was based on purpose and presence. But the comfort was fragile. Behind the beach sunsets and smiling clients, cracks had already begun to form.
Then, without warning, his relationship ended. James was left alone, heartbroken, confused, and quietly unraveling.
On top of that COVID hit and the business he’d spent years building vanished overnight. He found himself in a studio flat in London, with no income, no plan, and no idea who he was anymore. Like so many men, he kept smiling on the outside while drowning in isolation, low testosterone, and shame.
But instead of giving up, he wrote the book he wished he’d had and turned his breakdown into a mission to help others survive midlife.
You don’t need to have a grand purpose. Sometimes, it starts with just surviving—and deciding to build from there.
Alone in a Foreign Land
Most people never see it coming.
One day you’re holding everything together; the next, you’re wondering who you even are anymore. James kept showing up for his clients, smiling through the sessions. But after the guests left, the silence set in.
He wasn’t just lonely. He was lost.
And the hardest part?
No one knew. Men tend to keep it to themselves. Especially not at midlife.
Watch the full podcast:
The Crash That Changed Everything
Just as James began piecing himself back together, the world collapsed.
COVID hit. His fully booked season vanished. Income evaporated. Retreats cancelled. He moved from a sunlit rooftop in Ibiza to a tiny studio flat in London. He had a dog, a partner, and no clear way forward. And that’s when it got worse—fatigue, low mood, and zero motivation. Something deeper was happening.
This wasn’t just emotional burnout. It was physiological. It was hormonal.
And no one had warned him.
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
James realized what millions of men experience—but almost no one names:
Andropause. The slow, invisible decline of testosterone, confidence, and emotional clarity is known as andropause. Not a dramatic crisis—but a quiet erosion of energy, ambition, and identity. Instead of numbing it or ignoring it, he leaned in.
He wrote The Midlife Male Handbook to give other men the map he never had.
Today, he coaches men through the internal storm of midlife, turning silence into strategy and collapse into clarity.
Key Takeaways
Most midlife breakdowns don’t start loud—they start quietly, with disconnection.
Emotional collapse often has a physiological trigger—testosterone, burnout, or stress.
Men are less likely to ask for help and more likely to suffer in isolation.
Purpose doesn’t disappear; it just demands a new definition after 40.
You’re not broken. You’re being invited to evolve.
Ready to take control of your midlife story?
Explore James’s work, coaching, and The Midlife Male Handbook at themidlifementors.com
Thats a wrap,
Thanks for reading!
Talk soon,
Roman
Struggles? Good.
I help founders achieve 7-figure breakthroughs by using their stories and personal struggles as fuel, along with proven systems I developed over 16 years of experience as an entrepreneur and CEO of a nanotech startup.
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