Most marriages don't fail because of surprises. They fail because we ignore the early signs.

This week on The Back 9, we sit down with Kevin Thompson, marriage and life pastor at California's Bayside Church, to break down the real reasons relationships struggle, and how we can fix them before it's too late.

Kevin dives into attachment styles, love patterns, communication breakdowns, and why the problems couples fight about years into marriage are usually there long before the wedding. He explains the predictable stages of marriage stress and why most couples wait until they're near the end to get help.

If last week was about toxic relationships and missed red flags, this one is about awareness, growth, and building a relationship that can make it to the finish line.

So if you're dating, married, divorced, or just willing to try again, this is one you need… on the Back 9.

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Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

Four marriages led to four divorces. You'd think a successful, well-known international life coach would know the signs.

But when he met a former supermodel, he walked straight into a relationship he couldn't control, couldn't fix, and couldn't leave.

Stephen Paul Edwards tells a story that's as seductive as it is destructive. His attraction was instant. The warning signs were obvious. The chaos kept increasing. Yet he still stayed.

Because when you're the fly in the trap, it doesn't feel like a trap. It feels like connection. Like passion. Like something you don't want to lose.

We've been there. We get why so many men stay in toxic relationships. And in this episode we hear the details of this story when intensity masks dysfunction, and how even self-aware, successful people ignore what they know deep down.

It's about recognizing the pattern, owning your role in it, and finding the strength to finally break free…on The Back 9.

Connect with Stephen

Website: https://vft23.com/

Link to Free Chapters: https://vft23.com/bonus/

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Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

Dr. Achim Zinggrebe spent his life treating cancer—until he became the cancer patient.

After being diagnosed with lymphoma, everything changed. Not just his own situation, but also how he saw medicine and how he viewed life. He realized that even in the middle of cancer, most of his body was still working for him. That became the mantra of his practice.

Our conversation explores life after cancer, remission, and what it really means to heal the body, mind, spirit, and soul. Achim shares how his experience reshaped the way he practices medicine and how patients can move from surviving to truly thriving.

This is a conversation about perspective, resilience, and learning how to live fully again…on The Back 9.

Contact Dennis & Josh

Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

What if the hardest things you've been through weren't holding you back, but are instead shaping your strength?

Author and Advocate Misty Carson joins us to kick off season 12, by challenging one of the most common beliefs around trauma: that it's something to "get over." Instead, she shares how trauma, adversity, and early instability can become the foundation for resilience, perspective, and purpose.

Misty defines the moment when one decides whether your past will define you or drive you. We go through the steps of how it takes intention, accountability, and sometimes creating distance from the patterns and people that shaped you, even if they love you. Even if they mean well.

This is an inspirational conversation about how we turn pain into purpose when we realize that the difficulties we go through can be the very things that moves us forward…on The Back 9.

Pre-order your copy of Misty's book, The Unbreakable Advantage, here.

Contact Dennis & Josh

Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

We have spent years learning what it really takes to rebuild our lives —and find love again—after divorce.

As Season 12 of The Back 9 begins, we reflect on why these conversations matter. After more than 100 episodes exploring all aspects of midlife transitions, one theme that keeps resurfacing is that divorce can shake a man's identity to the core.

It's also the question shaping the book we're currently writing—about how men heal, rebuild, and eventually find love again.

We talk about the real work behind that process: learning to be alone, facing disappointment, and doing the personal work before stepping into a healthy second relationship.

Because love after divorce is less about the comeback story, than it is about becoming the man who's ready for it…on The Back 9.

Contact Dennis & Josh

Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

Have you noticed the moment when the Back 9 of life stops being a metaphor and starts feeling real?

As Season 11 of The Back 9 wraps, we reflect on the shifts that come with midlife. Our daughters are grown. Our health and longevity feel personal. Time carries more weight.

This season we explored fatherhood, friendship, identity, reinvention, and building the next chapter. In this 19th Hole, we turn the conversation inward.

We talk about mortality, letting go of roles that no longer fit, and the clarity that comes when we realize time matters more than ever.

Because while none of us knows how many holes are left—but we can choose how we play them…on The Back 9.

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Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

What happens when the dream ends before you're ready?

Heavyweight contender Joe Mesi once carried the pride of his hometown on his back. They packed arenas, he had the Olympics within reach, and the path seemed clear—until a brain injury ended his boxing career overnight.

Joe joins us to talk about the identity crisis that can follow when athletes lose the one thing they were built to do. We explore life after sports, rebuilding purpose after career loss, and how reinvention often begins in the hardest moments.

From the spotlight of professional boxing to marriage, fatherhood, and a new career, Joe shares what it really takes to move forward when the first dream disappears.

It's a conversation about valuing fulfillment over fame…on The Back 9.

Contact Dennis & Josh

Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

40 years of marriage. Three sons raised into men. This is the long game of fatherhood.

Veteran sportscaster Vince Cellini joins The Back 9 for a steady, practical conversation about healthy masculinity in fatherhood, long-term marriage and evolving identity in midlife.

We talk about raising sons into capable men, balancing career ambition with presence at home, and staying consistent when work never really turns off. Vince shares how his blue-collar roots shaped his leadership as a husband and father and what changes when your children become adults.

It's a grounded discussion about how consistency becomes our most important stat…on the Back 9.

Contact Dennis & Josh

Instagram: @Back9_Podcast