James Davis, the founder of The Midlife Mentors, has traversed a diverse career path that reflects his multifaceted interests and expertise. With a background in psychology, James initially pursued a career as a psychologist before transitioning to journalism, driven by his passion for storytelling.
Over the years, James ventured into the realms of strategy and business development within the media industry, holding positions at prominent organizations such as Warner Bros., The Times, and MTV. Along the way, he pursued further education, obtaining an MBA to enhance his strategic acumen.
In 2011, seeking a new direction, James embarked on a journey to Ibiza, where he established wellness retreats. Eager to expand his skill set, he delved into various disciplines, including personal training, hormone practitioners, NLP coaches, Master Coach, and gut health practitioners.
The success of the retreat business served as the catalyst for the inception of The Midlife Mentors in 2019. James’s dedication to continuous learning and personal growth is evident both in his professional endeavors and his disciplined approach to life. He maintains a structured daily routine, balancing work commitments with personal time and prioritizing his relationship with his wife, Claire.
Outside of work, James finds joy in outdoor activities such as wild swimming and long walks, relishing moments of relaxation and connection with nature. Additionally, he enjoys DJing alongside Claire, further enriching their shared experiences beyond the workplace.
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and James Davis:
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
My wife Claire and I originally started with a podcast called The Midlife Mentors, which was all about how to have a happy, healthy, and successful midlife. We saw so many of our friends and contemporaries stuck, and we wanted to share the knowledge we had about the lifestyle changes anyone can make pretty easily to get more from midlife and beyond.
From the podcast, we launched a coaching program called The Midlife Reset, which is a truly integrated program looking at psychology, movement, nutrition, hormones, resilience, and accountability, really bringing everything together in one place to build the last transformation. Clients get great results in body and mind, and that’s our flagship program, but we also do corporate work, speaking, and one-on-one coaching.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I think our focus is always on the client experience, and the result for the client. We’re constantly thinking, “How can we make this better?”. So we have our program in an app, which is like having us as coaches in your pocket, and we’re always adding new content and improving the experience. I think also building a strong community around what we do so people feel supported and part of something is important, and of course being available for clients so they feel they have a good direct relationship with us.
We’re really proud of having won 16 awards since 2019 for our work in coaching and retreats, and we’ve been shortlisted or finalists for others. I do a lot of work around men’s midlife health, it’s more of a passion project as I feel it’s a cohort that’s overlooked for support currently, but who badly needs it, so I run workshops, events, and coaching for men, and it was great to have that recognized and be a finalist for two men’s health awards last year.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
Our flagship offering is our Midlife Reset 8 week program. We also have a 6-month mastermind that offers multiple touch points, not just with us but with experts in related fields like sleep, relationships, finance—anything you might need at midlife—along with in-person events so people can meet in person, as connection is so important.
Aside from that, we are fortunate to deliver workshops and talks for organizations on subjects like menopause, stress, mental health, and andropause, alongside executive coaching.
We offer one-on-one coaching, and we also run Midlife Reset retreats with luxury 5 star resorts for a really immersive experience. We’ve got lots more exciting things planned too.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
Discipline is a superpower that will allow you to achieve so much, but it’s important to have that energy channeled towards a goal, a shared and communicated vision, and a clear plan of how to get there. Underpinning that is the often overlooked “why.” The reason that we’re going for this goal is because that’s the thing that will motivate you, the team, and keep you all engaged and heading in the same aligned direction.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Innovation is important for sure, but I’d say don’t let innovation negatively impact the customer’s experience or results. It can be tempting to try to fit new technology into existing solutions simply because it’s new, rather than figuring out how it actually adds to the experience. Beware of the shiny object syndrome, and don’t let it distract you from your goals while also keeping an eye on what’s coming down the track.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.
Individual heroics can get that eye-catching result, but even then, those results are often the result of a team effort, if you dig a little. A strong and capable team unified and aligned what’s going to allow you to build and scale consistent results over time rather than relying on individual flashes of brilliance.
What are your responsibilities as the CEO / President / Managing Director of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
Claire and I are very hands on. Claire tends to handle the marketing, social media, and PR sides. I’m more operations focused, and when it comes to our client facing, then it’s both of us there for our clients.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Have belief in yourself, know your own personal “why,” be clear on what your goal is and your framework to achieve it, communicate openly, and crucially, have a mentor or mentors you can lean on and run things by.
