Culture Editor
Writes sharp essays about masculinity, status, loneliness, money, confidence, and the second-half identity crisis.
Brooks Vale is an editorial pen name of the Not Done After 40 team — see our editorial standards.
FatherhoodYou maintain the car, the house, and everyone's schedule except your own body. Here is the accounting error behind dad guilt, and how to fix the ledger.
Brooks Vale / July 11, 2026
FatherhoodBecoming a grandpa starts a clock in your head. How new grandfathers face the mortality math — and what actually buys strong, healthy years with them.
Brooks Vale / July 11, 2026
FatherhoodVideo calls where the toddler drifts away. Gifts that land like ads. How a long-distance grandfather builds a real relationship in ten minutes a week.
Brooks Vale / July 11, 2026
FatherhoodYou love the grandkids and your body is filing complaints. How to set grandparent childcare boundaries without guilt — including the exact words to use.
Brooks Vale / July 11, 2026
DivorceThe real enemy is not the new boyfriend. It is the fear that you are replaceable.
Brooks Vale / June 26, 2026
DivorceGood income does not always survive child support, rent, legal fees, taxes, and the shame of starting over.
Brooks Vale / June 22, 2026
DivorceYou did not just lose a wife. You lost the calendar, the couple friends, the invites, and the social operating system.
Brooks Vale / May 24, 2026
DivorceDivorce can turn a father into a payment schedule with a pulse.
Brooks Vale / May 22, 2026
DivorceDivorce can turn a grown man with kids, a career, and a mortgage history into a freshman in his own life.
Brooks Vale / May 14, 2026