Home Podcasts Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast
Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

Philip Briscoe 101 Episodes Oct 20, 2026

Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast is a series where host Philip Briscoe talks to mid-life men about their personal stories of mental health challenges, including isolation, depression, addiction, and PTSD. The podcast aims to break the stigma around men's mental health and encourage open discussion. It is not a replacement for professional support and provides signposting to relevant organizations.

Episodes

What Happens When Starting Again Goes Wrong? with Mike Karame
What Happens When Starting Again Goes Wrong? with Mike Karame Oct 20, 2026 2405 What happens when you lose the life you love—and discover that the freedom you’ve been chasing means something different from what you thought? Mike Karame left a career in law to build a life he loved around horses, nature and adventure. For years, he felt he was where he belonged. Then his relationship with his father broke down, and he moved to Australia for a fresh start.Instead, his business
Christian O’Connell: Are You Tired of Pretending?
Christian O’Connell: Are You Tired of Pretending? Oct 13, 2026 3725 You may know Christian O’Connell’s voice from the Absolute Radio in the UK or his  eponymous breakfast show in Australia, but this conversation is about something many men find much harder than talking: admitting they’re struggling.The award-winning broadcaster and author joins me for an honest, insightful and often funny conversation about the pressures of midlife, feeling trapped by the person e
Retirement: Who Am I Without My Work? with Chris Maduri
Retirement: Who Am I Without My Work? with Chris Maduri Oct 5, 2026 2237 You might know when you want to retire. But what do you want your life to look like when you do?Long mornings, no commute, nobody telling you what to do. It sounds appealing. Yet work gives us more than we sometimes realise: people to talk to, a reason to get up, a sense of achievement and an answer to the question, “What do you do?”So what happens when all that changes?Chris Maduri joins me to ex
How Do You Live With the Childhood You Survived? with Chaz Holesworth
How Do You Live With the Childhood You Survived? with Chaz Holesworth Sep 24, 2026 2627 Chaz Holesworth grew up in Kensington, Philadelphia, a neighbourhood gutted by poverty and an opioid crisis that hasn't let up since the 1980s. His father was a heroin addict for over 20 years. His mother, overwhelmed and unsupported, pulled the family into a fundamentalist born-again church that cut them off from the outside world, banned music and movies, and taught Chaz from age four that
Would You Paint Your Nails for a Week? with Daniele Fiandaca
Would You Paint Your Nails for a Week? with Daniele Fiandaca Sep 18, 2026 3086 In this episode, I do something I have never done before: I have my nails painted during the interview and agree to keep them that way for a week.My guest is Daniele Fiandaca, co-founder of Hard As Nails, a campaign inviting men to paint their nails to challenge some of the unwritten rules around masculinity, mental health and start conversations that might not otherwise happen.Even choosing the c
What Happens When Men Sing Together? with Dom Stichbury
What Happens When Men Sing Together? with Dom Stichbury Sep 9, 2026 2421 When was the last time you did something that made you feel slightly exposed, a little uncomfortable, but might just have opened up a whole new part of your life? In this slightly different episode of Mid-Life Men, my guest is Dom Stichbury, founder and musical director of Chaps Choir, a London-based singing gang that's been bringing men together through music, performance and friendship sinc
The Grief of Losing Who You Were, with Martin Pemberton
The Grief of Losing Who You Were, with Martin Pemberton Aug 29, 2026 2899 Content note: This episode includes discussion of depression and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, there are organisations you can call now. In the UK, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, you can call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. As always, the advice is to speak to a GP or mental he
Is Chasing Money Making You Happy? with Tom Papasian
Is Chasing Money Making You Happy? with Tom Papasian Aug 22, 2026 2373 Growing up with a single mother in a one-bedroom apartment on the French Riviera, Tom Papasian saw extraordinary wealth all around him but experienced a very different reality at home. As a young boy, he quietly decided that he would make enough money to ensure that neither he nor his mother ever felt financially vulnerable again.That decision shaped the next two decades of his life. Tom worked re
When You Feel Trapped and Can’t See a Way Forward, with Ian Kinnery
When You Feel Trapped and Can’t See a Way Forward, with Ian Kinnery Aug 16, 2026 2421  Content note: This episode includes a frank discussion of depression, suicidal thoughts, a suicide attempt and psychiatric treatment. Please listen with care. If the issues raised affect you, speak to someone you trust or seek appropriate professional support. From the outside, Ian Kinnery appeared to have everything: a successful business, financial security and the status he had worked relentle
Why Didn't Success Make Me Happy? with Lewis Hackney
Why Didn't Success Make Me Happy? with Lewis Hackney Aug 6, 2026 2127 Everything looked successful from the outside. A thriving business. A modern apartment. A career many people would envy. Yet behind closed doors, Lewis Hackney found himself standing on a balcony, overwhelmed by the urge to jump. In this deeply honest conversation, Lewis shares the story behind that moment, what led him there, and why so many men silently find themselves questioning their purpose
Antidepressants Didn't Work for Me, with Erik Peers
Antidepressants Didn't Work for Me, with Erik Peers Jul 27, 2026 2086 Most of us assume antidepressants are there to help. For many people, they do.But for Erik Peers, the experience was very different.In this deeply personal conversation, Erik shares how he was prescribed antidepressants during a stressful period in his life, despite believing he wasn't depressed. What followed was nearly ten years of medication, repeated attempts to stop, severe withdrawal, a
The Men We Think Are Fine... But Aren't, with Alfie Ruffell
The Men We Think Are Fine... But Aren't, with Alfie Ruffell Jul 17, 2026 2791 From the outside, many of the men Alfie Ruffell knew looked like they were doing just fine. They were working, laughing with their mates and getting on with life. But behind the smiles, some were carrying struggles no one else could see. Several of them would later take their own lives. After experiencing his own breakdown and losing close friends to suicide, Alfie realised that awareness alone is

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