Midlife Remix

Midlife Remix
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Midlife Remix is a podcast exploring the complexities and opportunities of midlife transitions, focusing on personal growth and career evolution. 🎙️ Through authentic, insightful interviews, I speak with inspiring individuals who have successfully pivoted, aligning their careers with the lives they want to live. These conversations offer wisdom, practical advice, and empowerment, helping you reflect, embrace change, and pursue a purposeful, balanced midlife with confidence and clarity.

  1. Jul 22

    10 Midlife Wake-Up Calls: Burnout, Identity Loss & Finding Purpose

    What does a midlife crisis actually look like? Sometimes it's a heart attack you drive yourself to the hospital for, an award that feels like nothing once you finally hold it, or burnout that puts you on the kitchen floor.In this Midlife Remix compilation, I bring together the most honest moments from ten conversations about midlife reinvention — career change after 50, burnout recovery, identity loss, loneliness, and what it takes to stop pretending and live more intentionally.Every person in this episode built a career most of us would envy. And every one of them hit a point where the life they'd built stopped making sense. Nobody here tells you what to do. It's ten people describing the point where they stopped pretending, and what they did after. I put it together because I don't think this question should have to wait for an emergency.I'm Steven Miyao, executive coach and founder of Coaching Metta, and this is Midlife Remix — the podcast for high performers rethinking success, purpose, and what comes next in the second half of life.FEATURING: Mike Ma — founder of Sidecut Ventures, formerly head of digital innovation at Bank of America Joel Hempel — founder of Fernweh Guided Expeditions, after 28 years on Wall Street Thomas Droge — physician and Chief Mindfulness Officer at Tiffin Simon Verhoeven — award-winning German filmmaker João Perre Viana — founder of the Walking Mentorship Brittanni Hendricks — leadership coach and author of It's My Turn Molly Carroll — therapist and founder of Cracking Open Erin Collins — executive recruiter and founding partner at Human Capital Acquisition Jack Swift — former Janus Henderson executive and CEO of TiffinCHAPTERS: 00:00 What a midlife crisis really looks like 00:54 Mike Ma: leaving Bank of America — "you just fly in planes and swear at people" 01:34 Turning 50: the wake-up call 02:17 Joel Hempel: losing his parents, his marriage, and his job of 28 years — "corporate heroin" 03:02 Thomas Droge: a heart attack at midlife — "do I want to be doing this right now?" 03:39 Simon Verhoeven: winning a German Film Award and feeling nothing 04:29 Redefining success and choosing the right ambition 05:08 João Perre Viana: identity crisis after leaving corporate life 06:10 Why career transitions take longer than you expect 06:42 Brittanni Hendricks: authenticity, code-switching, and fitting in at work 07:46 ADHD as a superpower 08:12 Why high performers get passed over for promotion 09:11 Molly Carroll: burnout, collapse, and the loneliness epidemic 11:09 How to stay connected: water the plants 11:44 Why me time isn't selfish — advice for leaders 12:54 Fear, control, and Alan Watts 13:32 When your routines stop working 14:19 Faith vs. belief 14:58 Simon: losing his father while filming 16:23 Erin Collins: intuition, asking for signs, and the white butterflies 18:04 Living aligned with your values 18:37 Jack Swift: gut feelings vs. thoughts — leading by sensing, not knowing 21:36 Finding work you'd do for free (and why AI makes it urgent) 22:31 Letting go of your old identity 22:42 Life is a book you can't page back throughConnect with me: Website: https://www.coachingmetta.com#MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #MidlifeCrisis #CareerChange #Burnout #Reinvention #PersonalGrowth #Over50

    10 Midlife Wake-Up Calls: Burnout, Identity Loss & Finding Purpose

  2. Jul 6

    How to Lead in the Age of AI | Jack Swift

    What happens to humans in the age of AI? Steven Miyao welcomes back Jack Swift — a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger who became an executive at Janus Henderson and then CEO of the AI fintech Tiffin — to discuss his new book, Level 7 Leadership. Jack explains why leaders must shift from knowing to sensing, why "I don't know" and "I made a mistake" are the two most powerful phrases an executive can say, and why AI amplifies whatever a leader brings — clarity or chaos. From breathing resets and meditation to moving beyond servant leadership, this conversation is a practical and spiritual guide to leading (and living) on your terms in the age of AI.Chapters00:00 AI amplifies what the leader brings01:36 Welcome back, Jack Swift02:13 Why Jack wrote Level 7 Leadership06:15 From knowing to sensing: the new leadership operating system09:51 What is sensing? Feelings vs. thoughts12:31 Why feelings are faster (and truer) than thoughts16:33 Daily practices: meditation, nature, and the 30-second reset19:59 Beyond servant leadership22:45 Dispersed leadership: everyone leads at the edges25:29 From practical frameworks to spiritual territory28:50 Ancient practices, Taoism, and aligning with nature31:30 "If I do what I love, I can't make money" — the old framework35:12 Two things to start doing tomorrow36:35 Closing#MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #JackSwift #Level7Leadership #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #Leadership #AgeOfAI

    How to Lead in the Age of AI | Jack Swift

  3. Jun 15

    A Wave Hit Me. 15 Min Later, My Dad Was Gone | Simon Verhoeven

    What happens when you finally win the award you spent your whole life chasing — and it gives you nothing?In this episode of The Midlife Remix, Steven Miyao sits down with Simon Verhoeven — one of Germany's most successful film directors, son of Senta Berger and the late Michael Verhoeven, and the filmmaker behind the acclaimed, award-honored tragicomedy Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke (Die Lücke). But this conversation has nothing to do with making movies. Simon and Steven have been friends for more than 50 years — their families go back generations, and they were photographed together as babies in the same backyard.Both men recently lost their fathers. Both have mothers in their eighties. In a rare, unguarded talk, they explore what it means to suddenly become "the adult" in the family, why external success no longer brings satisfaction, and the difference between chasing validation and finding it within yourself. Simon shares the surreal moment a "wave of warmth" washed over him on a film set — fifteen minutes before he learned his father had died — and why he believes the void grief leaves behind shouldn't be closed, but carried.Along the way: how to find stillness in a world built to prevent it, how to care for aging parents without trying to "fix" their pain, and what we hope to pass on to our children — independent thinking, presence, and the courage to keep saying hello even as we learn to say goodbye.Host: Steven Miyao — The Midlife RemixGuest: Simon Verhoeven — award-winning German filmmaker and director (Die Lücke)—Für unsere deutschsprachigen Zuschauer: In dieser Folge spricht Steven Miyao mit Regisseur Simon Verhoeven (Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke) — über Trauer, das Erwachsenwerden mit 50, den Tod seines Vaters und warum man die Lücke, die ein geliebter Mensch hinterlässt, nicht schließen, sondern in sich tragen sollte. Ein seltenes, sehr persönliches Gespräch zwischen zwei Freunden seit über 50 Jahren.CHAPTERS00:00 — A Wave, and a Goodbye (cold open)00:58 — Meet Simon: 50 Years of Friendship02:58 — The Fire to Make Films05:54 — When "Making It" Feels Like Nothing09:26 — Internal vs. External Validation12:02 — The Void You're Not Supposed to Close15:35 — The Wave on the Film Set18:31 — Finding Stillness in a Noisy World22:05 — Caring for Our Aging Mothers31:27 — What We Pass On to Our Children#SimonVerhoeven #DieLücke #Grief #MidlifeJourney #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #SentaBerger #agingparents

    A Wave Hit Me. 15 Min Later, My Dad Was Gone | Simon Verhoeven

  4. Jun 2

    Daddy, You Just Fly in Planes and Swear at People

    What if the resume everyone wants — Harvard, Vanguard, Bank of America — was the one you needed to walk away from?In this episode of The Midlife Remix, Steven Miyao sits down with his friend and former business partner Mike Ma, founder of Sidecut Ventures, a pre-seed fund built on a thesis most VCs would call upside down: advice before capital, mission before AUM, impact before optics.Mike left a senior role at Bank of America after his son delivered the line every midlife professional secretly dreads: "Daddy, I think you just fly in planes and swear at people." What followed was a complete remix — of work, identity, fatherhood, and what it means to honor the sacrifices of immigrant parents while writing your own story.They talk about the privilege of risk, the paradox of a partner who says "sell it all," investing in companies like Hapware (a wearable that helps blind people feel facial expressions), and why grinding at the kitchen table at 6 a.m. is the legacy Mike actually wants his kids to inherit.If you've ever wondered whether you're building the life you wanted — or just becoming very good at building the one you were supposed to want — this conversation is for you.CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS00:00 — "You finally became the person you said you'd never be"01:52 — The Harvard / Bank of America resume he's "faking" through04:28 — Clipping coupons in Cleveland: the immigrant kid mindset07:04 — Death, luck, and making your own way12:02 — "Daddy, you just fly in planes and swear at people"13:01 — Raising a fund when 99 out of 100 say no15:17 — Hapware: helping the blind feel a smile19:14 — Twice as good, half the credit24:26 — What his kids are actually learning from watching him32:32 — Two things every midlife listener should start doing now#MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #SidecutVentures #MikeMa #VentureCapital #ImpactInvesting #MidlifeReinvention #PurposeDrivenLeadership

    Daddy, You Just Fly in Planes and Swear at People

  5. May 19

    Quitting the "Corporate Heroin": A 30-Year Wall Street Veteran Finds His Superpower

    What happens when a 28-year Wall Street career ends in a two-week exit, your parents pass within five months of each other, and your second marriage ends — all in the same season of life? In this episode of The Midlife Remix, Steven Miyao sits down with Joel Hempel, founder of Fernweh Guided Expeditions, who spent 30+ years in financial services helping grow a firm from $200 million to over $22 billion. After what Joel calls "the disruption," he made the radical choice not to run back into the fire of finance. Instead, he built a business taking small groups of strangers into wild places — the Adirondacks, the Black Rock Desert, the backcountry — where real conversations happen around the campfire, not the conference room table. This is a conversation about what it costs to play a role you didn't write, the faith it takes to walk away, the difference between what you're good at and your actual superpower, and Joel's hard-earned acronym for navigating the unknown: IAWO — It All Works Out. If you're standing at the edge of your own midlife transition — or thinking about one — this one's for you. Learn more about Joel's work: https://fernwehguidedexpeditions.com/ Chapters & Timestamps 00:00 — The Disruption That Changed Everything00:56 — Meet Joel Hempel: From Wall Street to Wilderness03:11 — What the Corporate Ladder Rewards (and What It Costs)05:23 — The Decision Not to Run Back Into the Fire06:30 — "What's Your Superpower?" The Question That Reframed Everything08:54 — The Power of Now and IAWO (It All Works Out)13:55 — Good At vs. Superpower: The Critical Distinction14:45 — How Fernweh Guided Expeditions Was Born17:27 — Trust, Vulnerability, and Real Conversations Around the Campfire22:14 — Three Things to Start Today If You're in Transition #MidlifeTransition #CareerChange #Reinvention #PersonalGrowth #FindYourPurpose #SecondAct #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #JoelHempel

    Quitting the "Corporate Heroin": A 30-Year Wall Street Veteran Finds His Superpower

  6. May 5

    The Executive Recruiter's Secret to Getting the Job (and the Life) You Want

    You walk into the room prepared. You've practiced your answers. You know your numbers. And somehow, before you even open your mouth, the people across the table have already decided. Erin Collins has spent over a decade as a founding partner at HCA, an executive recruiting and talent advisory firm in asset management, watching exactly that play out — over and over. In this episode of Midlife Remix, she sits down with Steven to unpack what's actually happening in those rooms, why two equally qualified executives can walk away with wildly different outcomes, and how the energy you carry in is doing more talking than your résumé. Erin grew up in a chaotic, hypervigilant environment, then adopted three special-needs children while building her business and designing a house — all at once. She knows what it feels like to operate from "more, more, more." And she knows what it took to stop. In this conversation:– Why faith is the only real antidote to fear– The white butterfly story that changed how she trusts the universe– "What do you control — what you get, or what you bring?"– Why an intention is not a wish (and the difference is everything)– How saying no became the most respectful thing she does– The morning practice that lets her run her day before her day runs her If you've been pushing harder and getting less — this one's for you. Subscribe for new Midlife Remix episodes Chapters 0:00 The cost of hypervigilance2:08 Three kids, a business, a house3:57 More, more, more5:24 Pressure vs. possibility7:36 Letting go of control8:43 When the door closes10:11 The white butterflies13:16 Life happens for you14:43 Energy enters first16:36 Intention vs. wish22:08 Saying no26:51 Run your day #ConsciousLeadership #IntentionalLiving #findingajob #interviewskills #LeadershipMindset #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #ErinCollins

    The Executive Recruiter's Secret to Getting the Job (and the Life) You Want

  7. Apr 21

    It's My Turn: Why High Performers Keep Getting Passed Over

    Brittanni Hendricks — coach, author of It's My Turn, and founder of her own coaching practice — joins Steven to unpack why high performers keep getting passed over, even when the work is strong. Brittanni built her coaching practice because she lived the story: a biracial woman who spent years code-switching, straightening her hair, and suppressing who she was just to feel accepted — at home, in rooms, and in her career.In this conversation, we go beneath the vague feedback ("be more strategic," "increase your visibility") to the real issue: what happens when you stop performing and start telling the truth about who you are and what you want. Brittanni shares her four-part coaching framework — clarity, courage, and the work of emotional integrity — and explains why ADHD, once a source of shame, became her superpower. We also talk about the "magnet effect" of authenticity: when you stop shrinking, the right people show up, and the wrong ones quietly fall away.If you've ever wondered when is it going to be my turn? — this one is for you.Chapters00:00 Cold Open01:16 Meet Brittanni01:44 Over-Functioning at Work02:28 Why Not Me?04:44 Code-Switching Early07:13 Biracial Identity08:22 Vague Feedback Trap09:50 ADHD as Superpower10:40 Relationships Over Grind13:53 Light Up the Room14:10 The Four-Part Framework16:18 What People Fear Most18:31 Two Things to Start Today#codeswitching #ItsMyTurn #HighPerformers #AuthenticLeadership #ImposterSyndrome #ExecutiveCoaching #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #BrittanniHendricks

    It's My Turn: Why High Performers Keep Getting Passed Over

  8. Apr 7

    A Heart Attack Taught Me to Start Living | Thomas Droge

    Thomas Droge had a heart attack at the exact age his father and grandfather died, and it shattered everything he thought he knew about himself. A healer for over 30 years, he'd built his identity around being the one who saves others. That heart attack forced him to confront the one person he'd never treated: himself. Now, as Chief Mindfulness Officer at Tiffin — a fintech incubator — Thomas embeds mindfulness directly into the operating rhythm of high-pressure teams. He opens Monday prioritization meetings with guided meditation, coaches leaders through a values-tracking practice six times a day, and helps executives move from hypervigilance to real presence. In this conversation, we go deep: why your best practices will eventually fail you, how to reframe stress so your blood vessels literally stay open, why boundaries should guide you forward instead of just protecting you, the neuroscience of fear and what it's silently doing to your body, how oxytocin repairs the heart when you let someone help you, and the one question Thomas started asking after his heart attack that changed his life — "Do I want to be doing this right now?" Whether you're a leader stuck in overdrive, a parent losing yourself in logistics, or someone sensing it's time to let go of an identity that no longer fits, this episode is a blueprint for what comes next.The Leader Within: 14 foundational practices for leading a meaningful life https://amzn.to/4e5cd30 Chapters & Timestamps:0:00 – The heart attack0:58 – Meet Thomas Droge2:36 – Monday meditation5:40 – When practices fail6:04 – Three generations9:19 – The savior trap14:19 – Too busy to notice22:32 – Facing the fear27:22 – Stress and the body33:37 – Start here#Values #MindfulLeadership #Qigong #BurnoutRecovery #MidlifeTransformation #MidlifeRemix #StevenMiyao #ThomasDroge

    A Heart Attack Taught Me to Start Living | Thomas Droge
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About

Midlife Remix is a podcast exploring the complexities and opportunities of midlife transitions, focusing on personal growth and career evolution. 🎙️ Through authentic, insightful interviews, I speak with inspiring individuals who have successfully pivoted, aligning their careers with the lives they want to live. These conversations offer wisdom, practical advice, and empowerment, helping you reflect, embrace change, and pursue a purposeful, balanced midlife with confidence and clarity.

Information

  • Creator
    Midlife Remix
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Midlife Remix
  • Show Website
    Midlife Remix