Over the internet, we come across a few of the topics that are trending all the time. Everyone talks about them, on social media, news articles, magazines, TV, and even newspapers.
Now, trending topics are a concept on which the internet has little bearing. Even decades back, when there was no Internet, there used to be trending topics that were discussed all the time.
So, these trending topics were trending because people liked to hear about them. On a deeper note, these trending topics became trending because the generations wanted to hear about them. These trending topics actually had something in store, to benefit the people.
Midlife crisis is a trending topic in this day and age. One outlook is that midlife crisis has little to do with this day and age. Midlife crises have affected people since time immemorial.
When an individual reaches midlife, the body experiences certain transformations and one feels that he or she is on the verge of giving up. They feel that there are little odds of getting a pay hike or a promotion. They just might have to make do with the bulging waistline.
However, at this hour, faith needs to be restored in people. They need to manage their lives better in a holistic bid. This way, they will come to see that their best years still lie ahead of them.
The Midlife Mentors
In life, inspiration sometimes comes from the most unexpected quarters. James and Claire Davis are the co-founders of The Midlife Mentors, an organization dedicated to challenging the lows that people experience during midlife.
The co-founders help people understand that many of the challenges that midlife brings alongside may be nothing more than mental blocks.
The co-founders tell us that midlife is a time of change and challenges but it’s also an exciting time where we can take our experience, and meld that with an understanding of what’s happening to us physically, emotionally, psychologically as a result of our hormone and neurotransmitter changes, and utilize tools to really make this a positive time of transformation.
There’s so much we can do to work with our hormones, reclaim our physicality, bolster our libido, to upgrade our psychology, so why not do it to get the best from life?
The Midlife Mentors: The Beginnings
The co-founders tell us that they met in Ibiza where James was running transformational retreats. Together, they launched The Midlife Mentors in 2019.
The goal was to give people hope at midlife, to reinvent this stage of life as a positive evolution, and to show that not only could you be healthy and happy, but that you could still achieve so much. The aim is to inspire others to live their best midlife and beyond.
They started with their podcast ‘The Midlife Mentors’, which stood in the top 1.5% of global podcasts. Then, they went on to launch their own evidence-backed transformational program that has positively transformed hundreds of lives and won multiple awards.
They’re constantly improving, the co-founders specify, and they get a real buzz out of working with clients on it.
Aside from that they also offer one-to-one coaching, retreats, and work with organizations on aspects of health like menopause, andropause, stress, communication, relationships…
The Complementary Skills of James and Claire Davis Are the Driving Force behind the Midlife Mentors
Working together, the Davis tell us, was an education! It wasn’t easy at first, but now, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, they work together really well.
Claire is very detail-oriented and great at planning and execution. James is good with ideas, connections, and tech. They bounce off each other well and always make sure they’re having fun doing what they’re doing.
That comes out in their programs and coaching and clients appreciate the mix of masculine and feminine, plus their life experience and honest approach to discussing health matters and life issues like relationships.
What Makes Midlife Challenging?
The Davis tell us that when we’re young, we look ahead at midlife and think how great it will be. We assume that we’ll be at the pinnacle of our careers, financially sound, in a strong relationship, and so on. But, actually, though those things might be true, it can also be a time of stress and uncertainty.
Do we really want the things we’ve achieved or accumulated? Are we where we want to be? What’s next? Plus we might have aging parents, kids to parent, that career is actually still soaring up a lot of time, we have relationship issues, financial pressures…
Sometimes we might even feel shame for not being happier or more grateful. It’s okay, we need to practice self-compassion and that’s central to our approach, the Davis say.
A lot of people feel alone with their feelings at midlife, or that what they’re feeling, no one else is – that’s not true. The Davis want to let people know that it’s okay to feel what they’re feeling, that you don’t need to feel shame; that your best years are still ahead of you.
As per the Davis, their approach has a lot to do with bringing awareness. So, for example, hormonal changes can trigger changes in mood or cognition. That’s not you; that’s your hormones. Once you understand that, you can bring compassion to the situation and also have a plan on how to work with what’s happening.
So, the Davis say, they are looking to inform, support, and provide tools and a framework for people to embrace the second act with joy. They want people to feel seen, heard, and understood, and be part of a supportive community that’s there for positive action.
Holistic Approach to Midlife Wellness
As per the Davis, all too often, people focus on the external fix, for example, the diet, or the workout. But that will only get you so far for so long unless you take the time and energy to look at your underlying beliefs, and your patterns of behavior.
We’re interconnected beings – for example, we know what we eat affects our gut health; which in turn has an impact on our mood. Conversely, our mood will affect what kind of food we crave.
When we understand how all these parts work together it becomes about making small easy changes in multiple areas for a big result.
James has a Master’s in Applied Psychology as well as a host of other qualifications including NLP coaching. Claire is qualified in Stress Management and Life Coaching (and more), so they take a psychology-first approach because this is how you create lasting change.
Once we can look at our beliefs and model new ones based on who we want to be or our goal, then the behavior follows and the path becomes easier. It gets easier still when all parts are working together: moving our body to feel healthy, eating well, looking after our gut health, practicing gratitude…
The Midlife Mentors in action!
The Davis say that a lot of clients come to them because they want to lose some weight. But in fact, although that is a goal, in reality, they want to feel happier and more confident.
By the end of the program, they’ve achieved their physical results. But what they’re surprised by are the changes in habits, beliefs, in positivity. It’s about becoming more psychologically positive and seeing the opportunities in life.
That’s the essence of what they do, the Davis say. Hence, they have people quit jobs, get promotions, launch businesses, start families…
James and Claire Davis have their own app for their Midlife Reset programme and really, although that was a lot of work, the benefits for their clients have been amazing, they tell us. In the app, everything is scheduled.
Because it’s an app, it drip feeds information and prompts, and the Davis can influence beliefs and behaviors with unconscious learning, as well as in-depth workshops, movement programs, nutritional coaching, and mindset coaching.
As per the Davis, getting that in place really accelerated the client experience and of course, they are on live calls every week with their clients too. This lets them deep dive into blocks and issues, and coach them through it, and it really helps the clients feel connected to them and their community.
Success stories at The Midlife Mentors
The Davis say that there is no dearth of success stories atThe Midlife Mentors. In fact, there are way too many to recollect.
There was a lady in her sixties who wasn’t happy with her weight. She had injuries and it was stopping her from doing the outdoor physical things she loved with her partner. After working with The Midlife Mentors, she was climbing mountains, going on cycling expeditions, and even played on stage at a major UK music festival.
Another client had no energy. A persistent shoulder injury he’d had for years was handicapping his hobby of drumming. He got stronger, leaner, and more energized, the shoulder injury went away and he started gigging as a drummer regularly (as well as being the CEO of an international company!).
The motto of The Midlife Mentors has a lot to do with supporting people to rediscover the joy and purpose in their lives, letting them prioritize themselves, and setting them up with the tools they need for success. That’s what The Midlife Mentors do.
Moments That Make the Midlife Mentors Proud
The Davis share that they perceive reaching so many clients and having so many stories of profound transformation as the greatest achievement of their career journey.
Along with that getting to go into organizations like KPMG, CitiBank, NBC Universal, and Soho House and run workshops, talk about different aspects of midlife, and make people feel heard and understood.
They’ve had clients with chronic fatigue who were struggling to make it through the day getting up and running 5k plus and feeling energized.
They’ve had clients struggling to conceive go on to become parents, people who have launched new businesses, gone on to new jobs…. so many success stories.
They’ve seen such turnarounds in clients’ lives, in health, in their physicality, in their emotional well-being, in their psychological well-being….
James and Claire Davis say that really for us, seeing people go from feeling like their best years are behind them, to knowing they have so much more ahead of them is just the best feeling.
Qualities Crucial In the Realm Of Midlife Mentoring
James and Claire Davis say that the factors that make a difference include having experience of midlife yourself, having a good level of knowledge across various disciplines like hormones, psychology, physical training, nutrition, and so on to give that cohesive holistic approach, which is so important at midlife.
For mentoring, genuinely caring about your client’s success, and being empathetic.
Above all discipline. Discipline to keep going when times are hard, to keep going after your goals, to keep pushing forward, it really is a superpower that will help you build success in any area of your life, and this is something we really work with clients on.
The Road Ahead For the Midlife Mentors
James and Claire Davis are launching a new 10-day program called Midlife Boost. This is designed to be a short kickstart to their approach.
They are launching it in their app. Over 10 days you’ll get a midlife-specific exercise plan, nutritional coaching, mindset coaching, habit coaching, and more… It’s called boost because, at the end of the 10 days, you really will feel and see a difference in yourself.
Some Factors That Bind James And Claire Davis Together
Unsurprisingly, they both enjoy keeping fit, so they train together – at the gym, and run. They outdoor swim together even in winter when they’re breaking the ice on the ponds they swim in. Fun fact; they DJ together playing classic house!
Discussing a memorable moment outside of work, James and Claire Davis tell us that aside from their wedding day, it would be taking time out to travel around some of the southern states of the US last year.
They hadn’t taken a holiday since they got together, so to take time out, have a car, an open road, and no real plan was so refreshing! They also loved the US, met some inspiring people, and had time to reconnect with each other and what’s important to them in life.
Message to the Readers
For James and Claire Davis, the vision really came from so many of their friends hitting midlife and saying “Well, this is it. I’m not going to progress my career, I’ve just got to accept the expanding waistline, the low energy, the flagging libido… it’s all downhill from here…”
Midlife can be a truly exciting, positive time, it is possible for you. What are your dreams, and your goals?
Go out and follow them and make sure you’re in the best shape of your life while doing it, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Wherever you’re at now, transformation is possible for you.
If you’re struggling to believe in yourself, borrow belief from us. We’ve done it ourselves, we’ve helped others, it is possible for you. So go out and live your best midlife and beyond!
