Surviving Midlife Crisis and Emotional Reinvention

In this episode of the Men’s Therapy Podcast, host Marc Azoulay sits down with Dr. Scott Conkright. He is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Affect Relational Therapy. He is also the host of the Meaningful Happiness Podcast. He is known for his pioneering work on chronic shame syndrome and relational therapy. Dr. Conkright is presenting a bold new framework that he calls Late Adolescence. It is a psychological stage that helps men reimagine life after midlife.

“I decided I’m going to redefine old age,” Dr. Conkright says. He reflects on a moment of deep personal pain triggered by sciatic nerve pain and seasonal depression. Lying in bed during a freezing D.C. evening, he begins to confront the story he’s internalized about what it means to age. “There’s a narrative that things just start falling apart. But I thought—this is not my life.”

His revelation becomes the foundation for a developmental theory he calls Late Adolescence. It challenges the cultural myth that a midlife crisis marks the beginning of decline. Instead, he views it as an opportunity for emotional growth, reinvention, and the reclaiming of agency over one's life narrative.

For more podcasts, blogs, and to get involved in the Men's Therapy Online Community, visit www.menstherapy.online.

Follow us on social media: https://mtr.bio/mens-therapy-online.