Connect With Jody
What do you do when the identity you have carried for twenty-one years is about to end, and the next chapter is a completely blank page? Most people wait until the page is thrust into their hands. Dr William Thomas started writing on it years before.
William spent twenty-one years as a United States Air Force officer. In 2007, he was deployed to Afghanistan and, at forty-two, watching much younger soldiers run around the base, he made a decision that quietly changed his life. He went home, laced up a pair of trainers, and started running. Nine months later, he ran his first marathon. He is now approaching his fiftieth. Along the way, he has completed the Marathon Grand Slam, a marathon on all seven continents plus the North Pole, one of a small group of runners in the world to do so. His book, Cross the Lines, tells that story.
But this conversation is not really about running. It is about the biggest question of Season 2, asked right at the level of identity. If your job, your title, your role as a parent, partner, or leader has been carrying you for decades and is quietly coming to an end, who are you now? William's answer is a masterclass in Understanding, and it is exactly the doorway Jody wants you to walk through this week.
Inside the conversation, William unpacks why getting to the starting line is harder than the finish line, how to spot the friends who lift you off the sofa and the ones whose insecurity is dressed up as concern, why "tell everybody you're gonna do it" is one of the most under-rated tools in a midlife transition, and how a middle-aged consultant with no athletic background became a marathon runner on Everest at sixty.
If you are staring at your own blank page, whether it is retirement, redundancy, an empty nest, a business change or a quiet knowing that the old life is ending, this is the episode.
About Dr William Thomas
Dr William Thomas is a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, PhD, leadership consultant and executive coach based in Singapore. He is the author of Cross the Lines: A Journey to Complete the Marathon Grand Slam. Find him at drwillthomas on LinkedIn.
New here? Search "Messy Midlife It's Not A Crisis" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and follow the show so every guest episode arrives in your feed automatically.
Follow us on Instagram @the_authenticcoach, subscribe to the Messy Midlife weekly email at authenticcoaching.me, and come and join the free Messy Midlife Community for the tools, worksheets and honest conversation that go with every episode.
Because it's not a crisis. It's a calling.
Connect With Dr William Thomas
Website
https://designingleaders.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/drwilliamthomas
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwillthomas/
Be A Guest On The Show
If you have a story you want to share on the Messy Mildlife, get in touch through PodMatch
Book Jody As A Guest On Your Show
You can book Jody on your show through PodMatch
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Follow the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Join The Free Community https://messymidlifepodcast.world/join
New episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Find Jody: https://authenticcoaching.me
Podcast: https://messymidlifepodcast.world
Instagram: @messymidlife_podcast and @the_authenticcoach
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Authentic-Coaching
Want to sponsor the show or partner with Messy Midlife? Email [email protected]
Loved this episode? A quick Apple review takes 30 seconds and helps someone else find the show.
© 2026 Messy Midlife: It’s Not A Crisis, It’s A Calling to Connect.