Mastering Midlife Podcast

Skills to Accelerate Your and Your Employees’ Careers with Mark Herschberg

Naomi Judd - This One Hit Hard

Living with Inspired Action with Alex Dumas

How You Create Your Own Overwhelm and How to Fix It!

Part 2: Marijuana and the Elephant in the Room

Part 1: Ayahuasca, Psychedelics And Healing Our Deepest Wounds

Building the Pillars of a Sustainable Business to Get the Life You Want with Jeffery Shaw

Creating the You - You Want to Be

Building a Community, Serving Your People, and Keeping Your Passion with Paige Buscema

Mens Helpline: Supporting Men After a Miscarriage with Daniel Landau

Daniel Landau is the Founder and Executive Director of Mens Helpline, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting men seeking emotional support after losing a child due to a miscarriage, still birth, and infertility. Following a successful career as the head of various organizations’ fundraising, sales, and business development departments, Daniel and his wife experienced the emotional trauma of losing a child due to a miscarriage. After realizing there were many resources available fo...

Three Forms of Self Inquiry: Your Keys to Freedom

For me, freedom has come almost entirely from getting free of my thoughts and beliefs, rather than people or situations. Self Inquiry is as old as philosophy and religion.  Today we are blessed with many forms and structures to the practice.  Join me today as I touch on 3 favorites.  Check out the links in the show notes to go deeper. "When you argue with reality, you only lose 100% of the time.”  – Byron Katie This week on Mastering Overwhelm: Self Inquiry is the way to freedom. Fi...

Make That Doctor’s Appointment

As we grow older, we start talking about the maladies bothering us. We men, however, are also tough guys who tend to “forget” to make those appointments. Instead of taking the time out of our day, we struggle and fight through those maladies. Men, read this carefully: make that doctor’s appointment.  When I suddenly couldn’t read the nameplates of my CEO-guests at a workshop I hosted, I had a tiny breakdown and went to the eye doctor for the first time in six years. It turns out I have catar...

Discovering and Living Your Passion with Debra Cooper

Debra Olshan-Cooper is the Founder of Your Career Design Lab, a career coaching firm dedicated to curating people’s career goals. Debra is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience serving as the CEO of two successful public relations and marketing firms, Real Life Communications & Marketing and FreshConnect Solutions. As Founder of Your Career Design Lab, Debra leads her clients on a journey of self-discovery while turning their passions into a paycheck. Debra joins me today ...

Imposter Syndrome and the Ark of the Covenant.

An ancient rabbi from the time of Socrates taught that we humans are like the Ark of the Covenant. The most sacred relic of the Israelites, the Ark was a wooden chest covered in pure gold with an elaborate lid called the Mercy Seat. Relating humanity to a gold-covered wooden box may be confusing, but if we examine the dynamic between how we present ourselves to the world and what we perceive to be our shortcomings, we may understand our true value underneath the wood. In this episode, I di...

The Journey from Start-Up to Grown-Up with Alisa Cohn

Alisa Cohn is an executive coach. She has worked with C-suite executives at prominent start-ups such as Venmo, Etsy, and DraftKings, as well as Fortune 500 companies, including Dell, IBM, and Google. A highly-regarded and sought-after speaker, Alisa was named by Inc. as one of the top 100 leadership speakers and was recognized as the Top StartUp Coach in the World at the Thinkers50/Marshall Goldsmith Global Awards. She is also the author of From Start-Up to Grown-Up, a book sharing her insig...

The Heart of a Servant-Leader with Garry Ridge

Garry Ridge is the Chairman and CEO of the WD-40 Company. Garry has been working with the WD-40 Company for nearly 40 years and, as its CEO, is responsible for driving the company’s culture and values. In addition to his role at the WD-40 Company, Garry shares his experience and insights as an executive coach, consultant, and speaker through his platform, the Living Moment. He has been instrumental in re-igniting excitement and cultivating cultures that foster breakthrough innovations in org...

Redefining Entrepreneurial Success with Jeff Hoffman

Jeff Hoffman is an award-winning entrepreneur, the CEO of several startups including Priceline and Booking.com, a motivational speaker and producer. Jeff is best known for his many business achievements, but his most impactful work is done as CEO of Driving Force Enterprises, performing philanthropic work worldwide. After years of achieving commercial success, Jeff felt ready to leave the hustle and grind behind in favor of using the skills and resources he had accumulated to give back. He n...

How An Exciting Personal Life Adds Rocket Fuel to Your Career with Uneeb Khan

Uneeb Khan is an Electrical Engineer with one of the most prominent engineering companies in the nation. He was presented The Propel Leadership award in 2016 and a teaching award in 2017. Uneeb's expertise has allowed him to work on high-profile projects such as the World Trade Center (Freedom Tower), several United Nations Buildings, and many other notable institutions. Uneeb craftily executes the work-life balance. He has backpacked to over 30 countries, most notably, climbing Mount Kilima...

What To Do With Grief with Diana Bonnici

Life brings grief in all flavors. Yes, death and loss of loved ones, but also in job loss, fading youth and vitality, heck – even losing your phone. Diana Bonnici helps us understand how grief presents itself (it’s not always how we think), how to process and ultimately move through to find the gifts and deeper experiences. Having just lost my mother and my dog in the last few days, every word she offered has been spot on. For a better understanding of the Grief Wheel, please download a co...

Self Esteem VS Self Worth with Valari Jackson

Valari Jackson is a speaker, life coach, business strategy advisor, and the founder of Fierce Focus Strategies, a company that provides professional coaching to business owners as well as individuals who are looking to take control of their life and move forward from where they are. Valari is also a Myers-Briggs Certified Practitioner, and she works with large organizations in improving communication, collaboration, and understanding. She believes she works best during one-on-one coaching se...

Reinventing You: Marc Jay to Mark J. Silverman

Having been a people pleaser, I used to be all things to all people. I wore my intelligence, confidence, and energy as a badge of honor. But ever since I woke up to the fact that I am free to choose how I spend my time and attention, freedom has been at the forefront of what I do and what I’m trying to impart to the world. Part of that freedom is the power to create and recreate ourselves—and, as an act of reinventing myself, I changed my name. In this episode, I discuss how I changed my n...

Where Overwhelm Actually Lives

When you encounter the word “overwhelm,” what are the things that immediately come to your mind?  Your kids? Work? Or the stream of news about COVID-19? What if I told you that overwhelm isn’t caused by something external to you? You see, as a recovering people-pleaser, I used to get overwhelmed whenever someone made a request; I didn’t have the fortitude to say no. But once I understood that I could decline, agree, or renegotiate a request, I realized that it wasn’t these people asking fo...

Mastering Midlife is Becoming Mastering Overwhelm

Thank you for 3 years, here’s what's next.  

Climbing Ladders: Leaving Corporate America to Start a Gutter-Cleaning Business with Andy Brennan

Andy Brennan is the Founder and Co-owner of the Cape Cod Gutter Monkeys and its parent company, the American Gutter Monkeys, which are both gutter cleaning and installation companies. Alongside his college roommate, Dennis Siggins, Andy founded the company in 2014 after a 35-year stint in the corporate world. Since then, the American Gutter Monkeys has grown and expanded with two locations in the South Shore and South Coast of Massachusetts. In addition to its dedication to delivering excell...

Becoming Your Own Muse with Katie DePaola

Katie DePaola is the Founder of Inner Glow Circle, a company dedicated to helping women become certified life coaches and build profitable personal brands. She is the author of the book, At Least You Look Good, in which she reflects on her life’s challenges and shares her advice on how people can “glow through what you go through.” A staunch advocate for mental health, Katie has been featured on TIME, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and over 50 podcasts. Katie also serves on the board of Bo’s Effort, ...

Dude! You Too?

My son called the other day.  “Dad, Dad, Dad… I can’t wait to tell you what happened.” In this episode we find out what happened when four 20-something young men got together and shared some things they thought only they dealt with.  "We are only as sick as our secrets.”  – AA Saying Are you a busy, overwhelmed business leader? Through my work as an author and executive coach, I’ve discovered the 10 lies we all tell ourselves that keep us away from true productivity and creativity.  ...

Men - Be Your Best at Any Age with Dr. Jean-Luc Le Provost

Originally from Nevada, Dr. Le Provost moved to Arizona to attend the University of Arizona where he received his Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences. He received additional training in homeopathy, botanical medicine, acupuncture, hormone replacement therapy, Chelation, IV nutrient therapy and nutrition to complement his medical training. Prior to medical school, Dr. Le Provost was the manager and owner of successful personal training and nutritional guidance practice i...

How Are Those New Years Resolutions Going?

I know you made some New Years Resolutions.  We all have.  But a week in, how you doing?  Today’s show will help you get back on track with those promises you made to yourself… at least the ones you really mean.  "You probably bit off more than you can chew…..”  – Mark J. Silverman  New behaviors are hard to establish  Are you committed to the items on your list?  Is your “why” strong enough or is it a should?  How do we know if this is a “10?”  Are you a busy, overwhelmed bu...

Advocating for Women’s Midlife Health with Vanessa Ford

Vanessa Ford is an author and menopause/perimenopause expert, as well as the Co-founder of the women’s health company, MenoLabs. Backed by two decades of research, MenoLabs delivers an ecosystem of support to help women in their menopause journey. Before co-founding MenoLabs, Vanessa served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Magnitude Management Services and the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. As the Co-founder of MenoLabs, Vanessa is focus...

Tea and Leadership Series - Listening to Improve Influence

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. In life and business, we spend a lot of time trying to get people to see things our way.  In today’s show, we explore how listening, really listening, can help improve your impact. "Often the first level argument...

Curiosity: A Gardener’s Secret to a Vibrant Life with Fran Sorin

My friend, Fran Sorin, is a coach, best-selling author, gardening and health evangelist, futurist, and an advocate of open-heartedness, joy, and deep connection. Her mission is to help people design a life they’re meant to live–one that’s aimed at joy, wellbeing, and freedom. In her highly-regarded book, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots through Gardening, Fran teaches the art of living creatively and encourages us to discover the magic taking place every day. Fran joins us toda...

Tea and Leadership Series - The Power of a Mastermind

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. Helen and I met in a mastermind six years ago.  In that mastermind, we developed deep, lifelong friendships that are invaluable to us today.  But friendship isn’t the only benefit. "I hang with people who think s...

Honoring Your Health, Honoring Your Word with Carl Ficks Jr.

Carl Ficks Jr. is the Founder of No Surrender, a venture he created after his 30-year career as a trial lawyer. Through No Surrender, Carl helps busy professionals get back in the fitness game so they can lower their stress and reclaim their wellness. He also created the “Ficks System,” a proven road map for endurance athletes and weekend warriors. Being passionate about educating people on building consistent, healthy habits, Carl shares strategies, tools, and inspiration in his bi-weekly n...

Tea and Leadership Series - The Power of Listening

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. Today’s show explores the power of deep listening in all the relationships of your life. "Do you know what is important to your direct reports?”  – Mark J. Silverman “Men tend to interrupt twice as much as wome...

How Walking Wires Us for Connection with Joyce Shulman

Joyce Shulman is the Co-founder, CEO, and Pack Leader of 99 Walks, an organization aiming to get a million women walking with a powerful app. An idea junkie, self-branded “recovering lawyer,” and former CEO of the digital media company, Macaroni Kid, Joyce has shifted her focus to being an entrepreneur committed to building authentic communities. She also hosts the Weekly Walk podcast, where she and her co-founder and husband Eric Cohen, interview thought leaders and explore a wide range of ...

Tea and Leadership Series - Limiting Beliefs

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. Today’s show explores how our self-limiting impact every aspect of our lives. "Uncovering the beliefs we formed when an event happened helps us right size it for who we are today .”  – Mark J. Silverman “Some e...

Leading with Love and Teaching Others to Fly with Peter Docker

Peter Docker is a speaker, executive coach, leadership consultant, and author who is passionate about teaching leadership that is focused on commitment and human connection. After serving as a Royal Air Force senior officer for 25 years, Peter worked as an international negotiator for the UK government. He worked with Simon Sinek for seven years and was one of the founding “Igniters” on Sinek’s team. Alongside Simon Sinek and David Mead, Peter co-wrote Find Your Why, a book that has been tra...

Tea and Leadership Series - Work as Play

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. Today’s show explores how we take everything, especially work, too seriously.  And how the heaviness of our day-to-day costs us productivity, creativity and enjoyment.  "It’s ok to play hard when you are on the f...

Transcending the Box and Focusing on the Human Condition with Kleo Curry

Kleo Curry is a certified financial planner and chartered retirement planning counselor. She currently serves as a financial advisor and wealth strategy associate for one of the world’s largest wealth management firms, UBS. In addition to helping her clients meet their financial goals through volatile market conditions, Kleo is committed to serving her community as a member of the Loudoun County Transit Advisory Board and the Loudoun County Abused Women’s Shelter. Kleo joins me today to re...

Tea and Leadership Series - Overcoming Distraction

My friend, Helen Appleby and I recorded a series of conversations for LinkedIn last year discussing the challenges our clients face in their Senior Leadership positions.  We received so much great feedback that I decided to release them as podcast episodes for you to experience. Today’s show explores how we help our clients (and ourselves) carve out the time to do the important work that needs our full attention.  "Billions of dollars are spent on getting your attention.  It takes unnatu...

Yeah, People Suck Sometimes

When you do things publicly, you’re going to have haters. If your alive, you’re going to run into not-so-great people.  What do you do with that?  And in 2020, we are all running on fumes, not at our best.  How do we navigate the knees and elbows of the times? "When I give an asshole a break, I’m free.  I have a better day.”  – Mark J. Silverman Today on Mastering Midlife: Social media is a magnification of both the good and the bad People are grey… good one minute, rude the next Ho...

Creating Career Shifts In 2021 and Beyond with Stephanie Eberhart

Stephanie Eberhart is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of TalentRemedy, a company revolutionizing the staffing and recruitment industry. With over 25 years of recruiting and business development experience, Stephanie works closely with emerging organizations to ensure that they hire the best talent. Stephanie has previously worked as a business development manager for Adecco and ALEX, and currently serves as the President of the Washington Executive Association. Stephanie joins me today...

The Keys to Time and Freedom with Joe Perrone

Joe Perrone is a business coach who helps business owners reclaim their time and freedom. Since August of 2020, Joe has been helping his clients find full enjoyment in everything that they create and do without burning out. Joe—a serial entrepreneur himself—owns and operates Astro Auto Repair and New England Collision in addition to working with his coaching clients and raising his family. Joe joins us today to share his journey into personal development and becoming a productivity coach. ...

Where is Your Ego Not Allowing You Help?

Mastering Midlife...Together! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of the Mastering Midlife Podcast: How to Thrive When the World Asks the Most of You with Mark Silverman. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. Be sure to visit our website and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and don’t forget to share your favorite episodes on social media.

Navigating Conversations in a Polarized World with Vicki Shillington

Vicki Shillington is an executive coach as well as the Chief Happiness Officer of ThingqShift, a company dedicated to creating adaptable leaders and organizations that easily thrive from their start-up stage. She has led business and digital transformations for Fortune 500 companies as an executive coach and organizational development executive. For over two decades, Vicki served as an executive and consultant at North Highlight, Andersen, and IBM. She received her Master’s degree in Applied...

What Have I Learned Over 350 Episodes of Mastering Midlife?

350 Podcast Episodes 70,000+ Books Sold to Date 100s of Talks to 1000s of People 1000s of Coaching Conversations 100 Essays in 100 Days   What have I learned?  Not what you think!   If I can write a book, so can you. If I can make a million dollars, so can you If I can change my career, so can you If I can create deep, meaningful relationships, so can you If I can be free of addiction, face my fears, become a new version of myself...   So can you!   If my improbable...

Building a Leader-Leader Relationship by Giving 100% with Karen Davis

Karen Davis is an executive coach, author, and speaker. After 25 years in managerial and executive leadership roles in B2B tech and services, Karen changed her life by working to transform the lives of others. Karen’s practice focuses on one-on-one coaching with executives, entrepreneurs, and other executive coaches. Alongside Alex Mill, Karen authored How to Get the Most Out of Coaching: A Client’s Guide for Optimizing the Coaching Experience. Karen joins me today to reveal the characteri...

Made Up or Real? We React the Same

Walking home from the gym one morning, I remembered something traumatic from a show we watched the night before.  My body stiffened.  Grief washed over me. It’s a TV show.  I know the actor is on other shows.  It’s not real! Then I realized…. My body doesn’t know the difference. "We have a far deeper and more interactive relationship with our thoughts and perceptions about the world… than the actual world.”  – Mark J. Silverman   In this episode of Mastering Midlife: When somethin...

Recovery Expert, Omar Pinto, Talks, Addction, Humanity, and Winning At Life.

Omar Pinto is a Life Transformation Coach, Addiction Recovery Specialist and Lifestyle Entrepreneur.  He impacts and transforms people’s lives daily through my podcast, thriving Facebook communities and coaching platforms. Omar also a recovered alcoholic in long term sobriety, and as a recovering alcoholic, understands the challenges associated with maintaining sobriety. Omar helps his clients in the following areas: Heal emotional wounds Build a strong foundation for sobriety Creat...

Fear: What it costs and what to do with it.

My marketing people often use excerpts from the chapter called “fear” in “Only 10s – How to Use Distraction to Get the Right Things Done,” because they are the most relatable and compelling.  I reread this chapter for myself when I get stuck.  In today’s episode, I read from the chapter and talk about how and what fear costs me… and what to do about it. “I am amazed at how much time and life fear has stolen from me.” – Mark J. Silverman Today on Mastering Midlife: You know you want to s...