As we kick off another NFL season, it feels like the perfect time to revisit my two-hour conversation with NFL Hall of Famer, three-time Super Bowl Champion, and Monday Night Football host, Troy Aikman.
Troy shared knowledge, wisdom, and experience that go far beyond the field. In fact, we went back and pulled even more from that interview, because he had so much to say about family, fitness, finance, food, fashion, and fun; the 6Fs at the heart of Midlife Male, that we wanted to share with you and not leave on the cutting room floor.
If you missed our first feature, you can read it here. If you haven’t listened to the full podcast, you can tune in here. And now, you get something brand new: deeper insights into how Troy sees life today in this part two.
It’s not just timely because football is back. It’s timely because the state of masculinity is back in the headlines; thanks to GQ’s recent exposé and my VIEWPOINT on it in today’s issue.
Troy represents a version of masculinity that resonates with me, and I suspect with many of you as well. Strong, steady, humble, improving with age, embracing failures as well as successes, and putting his heart and passion into everything he does.
On the field, Troy is a Hall of Famer. Off the field, he’s building a brand with EIGHT Elite Light Lager, and being a great dad, staying fit, showing up for his family, and continuing to raise the bar for himself.
That’s why I’m excited to share this expanded conversation with him. It’s about more than football, it’s about how to maximize midlife, one play at a time.
On Fulfillment:
“At a very young age, I knew that achieving certain milestones wasn’t going to fulfill me. Even though my goal as a player was to win a championship, I never was under the illusion that winning a Super Bowl was going to somehow end any issues or problems that I had in life.”
On Routines:
“My routine, my daily routine, has changed so much, and it’s evolved to where we are now. I’ve always made health and wellness a priority, but as I’ve learned more, especially after covid, I dialed everything up a notch. Now, sleep is a non-negotiable, and I build my day around it.”
On Boundaries:
“There was a time in my life where I had a real hard time saying “no”. But I’ve gotten a lot better at establishing boundaries and making my health a priority, and if something just doesn’t fit into that, I’m able to say no without the guilt.”
On Aging:
“I still feel like I’m in my 30s. I feel the best that I’ve ever felt. With age, you begin to realize that time is precious, and my life is really shaped with that premise. I’m trying to maximize it as best I can.”
On Mindset:
“I don’t think my mindset has changed so much. I just think that with age, you begin to realize there’s only a limited amount of this time left for us, and I’m very aware of that, almost obsessively.”
On Parenting:
“Being a dad, being a good dad, has always been the most important thing in my life. I feel like I was there every step of the way, but even I look back and think, ‘Gosh, could I have done more?’ Maybe that’s just part of being a parent.”
On Meditation:
“I began meditating about 12 years ago, initially to deal with social anxiety and panic attacks. Meditation took me down a deeper path, and it’s really helped me shed a lot of layers and become a much lighter person than I’ve ever been.”
On Success:
“My scoreboard is different now. I still feel that I’ll get just as much satisfaction out of what lays ahead as I did from winning those Super Bowls back in my 20s. It really just depends on how you define it.”
On Challenges:
“I just feel like I’ve got to have a challenge. I’m a competitive guy by nature, and when I have a goal in mind, I tend to run pretty hot, so I have to try to keep things in their proper perspective.”
On Balance:
“For me, balance is time with family and friends. With Eight Beer I wanted to make a beer that complemented the parts of my life I was trying to improve upon, health, wellness, and enjoying time with people I care about.”
On Friendship:
“My friends are, for the most part, people who have been in my life for a long time. My favorite thing outside of spending time with my girls is being with those buddies of mine that I’ve known for so many years.”
On Public Life:
“I think by nature, I’m a relatively shy person. When I became a public figure, it influenced how I conducted myself in public, but I’ve come to terms with it. I’m not a prisoner of it the way I maybe was at one time.”
On Divorce:
“It’s my biggest disappointment, my biggest failure, because it was what mattered most to me. The fact that I couldn’t give my girls a home with a mother and a father that respect and love one another will always be a source of pain and disappointment for me.”
On Contentment:
“There was a time when the word content or contentment was a four-letter word in my world, that’s no longer the case. It’s a constant juggling act for me: my desire to achieve and my desire to find peace.”
On Priorities:
“We all have the same amount of hours in a day, and you just figure out what your priorities are. If you can’t point to what your priorities are, then you find yourself wandering anyway.”
On Journaling:
“I’ve bought some journals to start, and I’ve never gotten started. I just kind of find myself staring at a blank sheet of paper and not really writing, but I know the benefits from it are enormous, and I really want to get into the habit of doing it.”
In health,
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Greg Scheinman
Founder, Midlife Male
52. Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. Coach.
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