Last year, while celebrating both Thanksgiving and my 40th birthday, I had what I now call a quiet collapse.
It wasn’t dramatic. No headlines, no breakdowns. Just a moment — sitting around the dinner table with my wife, twin daughters, extended family and friends — when I realized I didn’t recognize my own life anymore.
On paper, things looked fine. I had the “success markers.”
A Harvard MBA. Corporate experience with FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Chick-fil-A. A beautiful family. Masters in Divinity. A full calendar.
But on the inside? I was running on empty. My energy was gone, my health was fading, and my identity felt tangled in other people’s expectations.
Burnout had become my baseline.
And worst of all… I thought it was normal at my age.
But something stirred in me that day — a realization: This isn’t a midlife crisis. This is a midlife invitation.
That was the beginning of Life After 40.
At first, it was just for me. A journal. A sketch of what life could look like if I stopped pretending I was fine and started rebuilding with intention.
No longer believing that “it’s too late for me to change.”
No longer agreeing with everyone else that “Self-care is selfish.”
No longer cosigning to the common excuse that “I don’t have time to be healthier.”
And soon afterwards, I started hearing echoes of my story everywhere — friends, colleagues, parents, business leaders. People who felt trapped between who they used to be and who they were meant to become.
People burned out from always being “on.”
People frustrated by their lack of health, energy, or purpose.
People waking up to the quiet truth: This isn’t sustainable anymore.
So I turned that quiet sketch into a platform. A movement. A mission.
Life After 40 is for purpose-driven adults between the ages of 35-50 who feel stuck—mentally, physically, or emotionally—and are ready for a reset. Not a complete overhaul, but a deliberate realignment through simple, sustainable and healthy habits rooted in what I call the Core Four:
- Nutrition – Fuel your body like it matters… because it does.
- Exercise – Rebuild strength and energy without overtraining.
- Mindset – Challenge beliefs that no longer serve you.
- Recovery – Reclaim rest, peace, and presence in your daily life.
It’s not about six-pack abs or hustle culture. It’s about wholeness.
It’s about creating a life rooted in vitality, purpose, and values—not just productivity.
At MEA, I know the language of transitions is familiar. That’s why I’m honored to share this story here.
Because I believe we need more elders with energy.
More midlife mentors.
More second-half starters who say, “Let me show you how I reset.”
The work we do helps people who’ve lived enough life to know what no longer works—and are finally ready to do something about it.
I’ve seen this shift firsthand:
- The dad who finally prioritized his health after a scary lab result
- The executive who reconnected with her purpose and started coaching others
- The mom who let go of guilt and chose herself—not selfishly, but sacredly
These aren’t just transformations.
They’re homecomings.
And now, this is the work I’ve committed to for the next decade of my life—maybe longer.
Not because I have all the answers.
But because I’ve walked through the fire… and found a better way.
Life After 40 is my offering to anyone standing in that in-between space — between burnout and breakthrough, confusion and clarity, fatigue and fire.
If that’s you, you’re not alone.
And you’re not too late.
In fact, you’re right on time.
You can learn more at LifeAfter40.com.
This isn’t the end of your story.
Whether you’re facing burnout, identity confusion, or long-term health frustration, you’re not broken — you’re just being invited to reset.
Because it’s time now to thrive in the second half of life.
-Philip
At 40, Philip Blackett looked successful on the outside but was quietly unraveling on the inside—burned out, disconnected, and wondering what was next. That wake-up call became the catalyst for Life After 40, a movement helping purpose-driven adults redesign the second half of life with clarity, energy, and purpose.