Empower Over 50

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Empower Over 50 episodes

August 01 Why I Wouldn't Trust LinkedIn. Here's What I Did Instead.
Fewer than 1 in 1,000 LinkedIn applications leads to a hire. That is not my opinion. That comes from LinkedIn's own published data.

In this episode I break down what the platform has actually become: the application math (11,000 applications per minute, 6 to 8 hires), the ghost jobs (up to 1.7 million fake listings, reported by the BBC), and the fake recruiter warning issued by five countries' intelligence agencies in June 2026.

Then the part that matters: the two doors in front of you. Keep looking but change the toolkit, or step out of the system and build your own. Both are valid. Both take courage. The only wrong answer is another year of feeding the machine.

Sources cited: LinkedIn published hiring data, Resume Genius analysis of US government data, BBC Worklife, Five Eyes joint bulletin "Safeguarding Our Secrets" (June 2026), Kauffman Foundation.

This episode is also available as a video on YouTube with on-screen graphics, stat cards, and visual breakdowns. Search "Why I Wouldn't Trust LinkedIn" on the Empower Over 50 channel, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@EmpowerOver50

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Free resources: https://empowerover50.com

#LinkedIn #GhostJobs #JobSearch #CareerAfter50 #EO50Investigates
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15 min
May 08I’m 57. Nobody warned me about these 2 regrets.
When you hit your 50s, two things happen that nobody prepares you for: you start to feel invisible, and you start to look back with regret. In this video, I break down "Ghost Mode"—that moment in the workplace or social circles where your ideas are bypassed and your messages are ignored. Statistics show that age discrimination and feeling irrelevant are the primary drivers of identity crises for those of us over 50.
I also dive deep into the psychology of regret. Whether it’s a career move you didn't make or a relationship you ended decades ago, we often mourn "what might have been" without realizing that the alternate outcome was never guaranteed to be better. If you are dealing with involuntary job loss, financial pressure, or the feeling of being sidelined, this is a conversation for the fellow traveler, not the guru.
In this podcast, we cover:
How to handle "Ghost Mode" in a multi-generational workplace.
The math behind regret and why your "what if" scenarios are likely wrong.
Navigating the "Autumn" of life with dignity and a plan.
Join the community: Visit EmpowerOver50.com to join our free board and access the Second Act Navigator quiz.
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My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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20 min
May 01 At 57, I Realized Two Things — and the First One Is That Nobody Cares
I was thinking about an old mortgage chart I was shown years ago when I bought my first apartment in England. The advisor walked me through how the early years of a mortgage are mostly interest, and only later does the balance shift toward paying down the principal.
That chart came back to me recently in a way I didn't expect. Because life works the same way — and somewhere in your 50s, the graph flips.
In this episode I sit with two realizations that have been turning over in my head since I lost my job at 56. The first is about time, and how losing a paycheck has a strange way of making the clock visible for the first time. The second is about other people, and the slightly uncomfortable truth that nobody really cares what you do — and why that turns out to be one of the most freeing things you can ever hear.
Whether you're navigating job loss, thinking about reinvention, sitting on an idea you've been afraid to start, or just wondering what the next chapter looks like, this one's for you.
If any of this resonates, come find me at empoweroverfifty.com. I just put up a message board because I want this to be a conversation, not a broadcast. There are also free resources and tools on the site if you're at the start of your own next chapter.
Until next week.
— Max
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16 min
April 24 Over 50? The 7 Resume Mistakes That Get You Instantly Rejected (And What YOU Can Do)
In the 80s, job hunting meant scanning the Sunday paper, typing up a resume, and mailing it off in a crisp envelope. Today, we upload our resumes into an invisible digital void and often hear absolutely nothing back.
The reason for that silence? The Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
In this episode, we break down how employers train their ATS to act as an invisible bouncer, quietly looking for "generational habits" to filter out older candidates. Did you know that the decades-old habit of leaving two spaces after a period can cause the AI to assume your age and immediately reject your application?
We also dive into the frustrating reality of LinkedIn "ghost postings"—fake jobs that exist purely to collect data on salary expectations, not to actually hire anyone. Mass-applying is no longer the answer and might actually be extending your unemployment.
Tune in to learn how to fight back. We cover how to start using AI to your advantage, why simple formatting wins the day, and why real human conversations are the ultimate way to bypass the robots.
Resources Mentioned: To help you navigate this massive shift, we have just launched a brand new Free Resource Tools page! Access 22 FREE PDF guides covering job loss, career reinvention, retirement planning, finances, and relationships. 👉 Download them all at: HERE.
Send us Fan Mail
Sign up HERE for a weekly email
Join the Community Message Board: Join our community
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My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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email: [email protected]
17 min
April 21 56% of Workers Over 50 Are Forced Out. Here’s How It Could Happen To YOU.
Most people believe retirement is something you choose.
You work for decades, reach your late 50s or 60s, and decide when you’re ready to step away.

But for many, that isn’t how it happens.

In this video, we break down the reality facing workers over 50. Backed by data from the Urban Institute, ProPublica, AARP, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the truth is uncomfortable but important. More than half of workers over 50 experience a job loss before they ever choose to retire.

This isn’t just about layoffs. It’s about being performance managed out, reorganized out, or quietly replaced.

If you’ve felt something shifting at work, this will help you understand what’s really happening and why.

You’re not alone in this. Not even close.

#Over50 #AgeDiscrimination #JobLossAfter50 #CareerChangeOver50 #employment crisis #LifeAfter50
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My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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8 min
April 17 57 Years Old and Beginning Again | Your Resume Never Reaches a Human — Here's Why
The job market has changed, and if you're over 50, the systems screening your application can detect your age before a human ever reads your name.

In this episode, Max goes deeper than yesterday's video and shares the full story: losing his job at 57, how it compares to being made redundant in 2013, and why the old playbook no longer works. He breaks down exactly how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) filter out older applicants; from double-spacing after periods to outdated email addresses and what you can do to get past the gatekeeper and in front of a real person.

Topics covered:
Starting over at 57: the financial and emotional reality
- 2013 vs 2026: what's changed in the job market. How ATS systems like Workday, Taleo, and Greenhouse screen you out. The hidden age markers in your resume you don't know about. Why getting to the interview is the real strategy. Using your network and LinkedIn to bypass the algorithm. What Max is building with the Empower Over 50 community
Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4CnjsBNkiw

Read the blog post: https://bit.ly/eo-50Blog

Join the community: https://bit.ly/eo50-community

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/eo50-channel

00:00 — Introduction

01:30 — The Reality: Starting Over at 57

04:30 — 2013 vs Now: What's Changed

08:30 — The ATS Problem: How They Detect Your Age

10:30 — The Strategy: Getting Past the Gatekeeper

12:00 — What I'm Building & Community

13:30 — Outro
Send us Fan Mail
Sign up HERE for a weekly email
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Visit our YouTube channel for all our videos: @EmpowerOver50
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My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
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🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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email: [email protected]
14 min
April 14 Losing Your Job After 50? Your Health Insurance Could Hit $24,000. What Would You Do?
If you thought that losing your job after 50 was bad enough, the potential loss of health insurance is truly terrifying. In this episode, Max Farnon shares his personal $20,000 hospital scare and lays out the shocking reality: a married couple could face up to $24,000 a year for health insurance on COBRA. He compares this financial burden to the system in the UK, where he received care with no bill.

Max discusses the dangerous lack of a social healthcare system in the US and the sobering figure that 24% of people over 50 who are laid off never work again. Discover why the cost of health insurance is the single biggest threat to your financial future and explore alternatives, including the option of moving to East Asia for more affordable care.

Watch the full video on YouTube: youtube.com/@empowerover50
Send us Fan Mail
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Join the Community Message Board: Join our community
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Visit the Website: Empower Over 50
My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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email: [email protected]
17 min
April 12 Tax Shock: 57, Out of Work, and Staring Down the IRS
The reality of unemployment gets worse: a recent conversation with an accountant confirms a massive tax bill is due, intensifying an already precarious financial situation. At 57, facing a difficult job market and dwindling runway, the pressure has led to "analysis paralysis" — the inability to choose the next move out of fear of making the wrong decision. In this unscripted episode, I discuss the emotional toll of this uncertainty, the struggle for employment after 50, and the high-stakes options being considered: starting a new business or renting out the house and moving to a cheaper country in Southeast Asia (like the Philippines or Thailand).

Watch the full video on YouTube: youtube.com/@empowerover50
Send us Fan Mail
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🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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email: [email protected]
20 min
February 13 24% of Workers Who Lose Their Jobs After 50, Will Never Work Again.
Millions of men over 50 are discovering the truth: experience no longer guarantees opportunity. The same skills that once made you valuable now make you "overqualified." In this episode, we unpack why this is happening and what it really means. If you're feeling pushed aside, you're not alone — this is the new reality of work after 50.

Watch the full video on YouTube: youtube.com/@empowerover50
Send us Fan Mail
Sign up HERE for a weekly email
Join the Community Message Board: Join our community
Visit our YouTube channel for all our videos: @EmpowerOver50
Visit the Website: Empower Over 50
My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

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email: [email protected]
16 min
February 12 The Vintage Advantage: Human Skills in an AI World
What if the skills you built in the 1990s — before Google, before smartphones, before AI — are exactly what the 2026 workplace is desperate for? In this episode, we explore why your "analog" toolkit — real conversation, deep focus, first-principles problem-solving, and the ability to read a room — isn't a relic. It's a competitive advantage. As AI takes over routine tasks, the human skills you've been sharpening for 30 years are becoming more valuable, not less. If you're over 50 and navigating career reinvention, this one's for you.

Watch the full video on YouTube: youtube.com/@empowerover50
Send us Fan Mail
Sign up HERE for a weekly email
Join the Community Message Board: Join our community
Visit our YouTube channel for all our videos: @EmpowerOver50
Visit the Website: Empower Over 50
My Book "Coming Home After 50: A Journey of Rediscovery is available from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/injkC3b

🌿 FREE Resource Guide Download HERE.

https://www.instagram.com/the_english_musical_nomad/

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email: [email protected]
15 min

About Empower Over 50

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Empower Over 50

Honest, grounded conversations about life after 50. Hosted by Max Farnon, this podcast is for anyone navigating job loss, career reinvention, identity…

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Empower Over 50 episodes

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