You’ve sensed it for a while: something is off and he won’t say it. Adventurer and author Brian “Dixon” Dixon spent 20 years living a life that wasn’t his until a near-fatal pulmonary embolism woke him up. In this edition of Design Your Life, Your Way, Dixon and I talk about midlife drift, why women sense it first, and how to reclaim your life after 50 without waiting for a crisis.
This conversation is for anyone who’s been carrying a quiet knowing that your partner, or you, has drifted far from the person you used to be. Dixon shares how a career he never chose, a painful divorce and a life-threatening health scare showed him he’d been living someone else’s life, and how launching a paraglider at 52 helped him find his true north again. I also share my side of the story: staying silent out of fear, the grief of losing my sister and the moment I knew my values and marriage were no longer aligned. Togther, we explore midlife reinvention, rediscovering your passion, and when to start honoring your own path. You’ll leave with less self-blame, more clarity, and the courage to have one honest conversation about what you still want to do in this life.
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In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why midlife “drift” happens even when you’ve done everything right, and how roles like provider, mom and caregiver can quietly water down who you are.
- Why men often don’t need motivation so much as permission, and how to encourage the man in your life to name his own “lookout dream.”
- The difference between intending and committing, through Dixon’s “hold my beer energy” and the paragliding idea of a committed launch.
- How to recognize when it’s time to stop trying to wake someone else up and start honoring your own alignment.
- A simple conversation you and your partner can have about the “big thing” still undone in each of your lives.
About My Guest
Brian Dixon, who goes by Dixon, is a Colorado-based adventurer, author and speaker who helps men recognize and recover from the quiet misalignment so many carry into midlife. After twenty years of what he calls “drift,” including a career he never wanted, a brutal divorce and a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, he returned to a dream he’d set aside at 27 and launched a paraglider off Lookout Mountain at 52. His work resonates deeply with women who sense something is “off” before men do. Dixon’s upcoming book is built around three arcs: Wake Up, Realign and Move Forward.
Connect with Dixon
- Website: gowithdixon.com
- Substack: gowithdixon.substack.com
- Book: “Hold my Beer: I’m Going Back in the Game” (Coming Fall 2026)
Resources & links mentioned:
- Carl Rogers’ concept of incongruence, living out of step with your own values
- My book, “Live. Love. Engage.”
- Watch more conversations like this one, completely free, on New Reality TV. Consciousness, healing, the paranormal, the unexplained, all in one place. Available on Roku, FireTV, iOS, and Android. newrealitytv.com
Design Your Life, Your Way – next steps:
- Learn more about working with me one-on-one in Elevate & Empower: gloriarand.com/coaching
- If this episode spoke to you, leave us a review.
- Follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode.
- Share this with a friend who has been sensing that something is off and waiting for someone else to say it.
- Connect with me on LinkedIn @GloriaGraceRand to continue the conversation about midlife, meaning, and living on purpose.
