Men, Midlife & Menopause
Let her fire become your forge.
Her menopause has changed everything at home. Most men leave, or wait it out. There is a third way.
A six-month rite of passage for men in midlife who are ready to become the man they know is in there.
Former U.S. Air Force officer · 30 years in men's work · Five-time Amazon bestselling author
Explore the Path
The Moment You're In
She's changing. So are you.
The intimacy has faded, or stopped. You're walking on eggshells in your own home. Some days you don't recognize the woman you married, and she doesn't seem to recognize you.
And if you're honest, it isn't only at home. Thirty years into your work, you're good at what you do, but the fire has gone quiet there too.
Most men take one of two roads.
They leave, telling themselves they're the problem and she'd be better off. Or they stay and grit their teeth, waiting for things to go back to how they were. They won't.
There is a third road.
Make this your own rite of passage. Her change is the call you would never have answered on your own: to become the man you've always known you could be. Your marriage needs that man. So does the world.
On intimacy. It doesn't come back through pressure, or by waiting her out. It comes back when she feels safe with you and drawn to you again. That happens when you become someone new, not when you try harder at being the old you.
The Path
From knight to king.
Not a marriage fix, and not tools to get you through her menopause. A rite of passage into the second half of your life, in four phases.
01 · REGULATE
Steady the ground.
When the fire rises at home, stop fighting, fleeing, freezing or pleasing. Learn to stand.
02 · REFRAME
See clearly.
What she's going through isn't about you. What you're going through is. See both for what they are.
03 · RESPONSIBILITY
Own your life.
Stop waiting for her to change first. Discipline, integrity, your word kept.
04 · RISE
Lead from who you are.
Grounded, generous, clear. The king steps forward, and closeness follows.
The Capstone
The King's Code
A knight lives by a code written for him. A king writes his own. Over six months you forge yours: who you are, what you stand for, how you love, and what you give the world. Then you live it.
Work With Me
Two ways in.
Both are a rite of passage. Both start with a short application. Investment is shared on the call.
SMALL GROUP · SIX MONTHS
The Six-Month Initiation
Walk the passage with a circle of men who won't let you stay small.
- Group sessions through all four phases
- Monthly one-on-one with Mark
- An in-person gathering
- Your King's Code, written and witnessed
PRIVATE · THREE OR SIX MONTHS
One-on-One Coaching
The same passage, built around your life.
- Weekly one-hour sessions
- Practices between sessions
- Email check-ins
Is This You?
This work isn't for every man.
It's for you if
- You're in a committed relationship and you're staying
- Her perimenopause or menopause has changed the ground between you
- You've built a good life, and you know there's more of you than you've been living
- You're ready to be challenged and do the work
It's not for you if
- You're separated or divorced
- You want tricks to change her
- You'd rather wait it out
- You're not open to direct feedback
You don't need to be perfect. You need to be willing.
Apply NowAbout Mark
I've walked this road.
When my wife went through menopause, I did what I'd always done. I tried to fix it. I tried to solve it. I wanted to be the knight in shining armor, and I showed up with every tool I had.
None of it worked. No matter what I did, I was wrong. It took me a long time to understand why. She didn't need me to fix anything. She needed a different man.
Becoming him was my initiation, and it's why we're living the best years of our marriage today.
The knight fixes. The king stands.
Fixing, solving and proving belong to the first half of life. The second half asks for something deeper: a man anchored in who he is, present without needing to rescue, clear about where he's going. Not looking back at the younger man he was, but forward at the man he's becoming.
That's the work here. A knight serves someone else's story. A king lives his own.
I bring 30 years of men's work and ceremony to this: rites of passage for every stage of a man's life, more than 50 Inner Quests, and a men's group still meeting after 20 years. I've sat at the chairman's table, and I've sat alone in the wild for days without food. The work I do now lives where those two meet.
Mark J. Platten
Two rooms. I know both.
Leadership
- 15 years as one of 15 executive leads at the chairman's table, on international projects of $100 to $700 million
- 16 years as faculty at Colorado State University
- Former U.S. Air Force officer
- MBA
Initiation
- 30 years guiding men through rites of passage and ceremony, at every stage of a man's life
- 50+ Inner Quests: days alone in the wild, fasting, in ceremony
- 29 years of shamanic practice
- Founder of a men's group still meeting after 20 years
Free Resources
Not ready to apply? Start here.
Take the Quiz
32 questions. See which pattern takes over under pressure, and get a personal report.
Watch on YouTube
Short, honest videos for men in midlife.
Apply
Answer the call.
1. Apply. A short application, about five minutes.
2. Talk. If it's a fit, you'll book a conversation with Mark.
3. Begin. If you're both a yes, you set your start date.
Confidential by design. What you share in this work stays between us. Client names and stories are never made public.
The Six-Month Initiation
Six to twelve men. You'll hear from Mark when the next circle forms.
One-on-One Coaching
Weekly, for three or six months. Start once you're accepted.