The Back 9 - Midlife, Best Life.

TB9, S11, E17: Vince Cellini — Fatherhood & Playing the Long Game

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  

TB9, S11, E16: Kee Kee Buckley — The Road to Shama (Inner Peace)

What happens when you achieve the life you planned… and realize you're still not happy? Kee Kee Buckley had the Hollywood executive title, the resume, the access, but she felt she had lost her identity.  When she got laid off she packed her Prius, grabbed her rescue dog Yoda, and drove across the country searching for Shama — the Sanskrit word for inner peace. On this episode of The Back 9, we talk with Kee Kee about identity loss, career pivots, spiritual awakening, and the courage to leave a life that looks successful but doesn't feel aligned. From spiritual communities to long stretches of silence on the open road, Kee Kee shares what it really takes to reset your life in mid-chapter. This is a conversation about burnout, red flags in relationships, reinvention, and why inner peace isn't a destination — it's a daily practice, and it's one that's never too late to undertake...on the Back 9. Contact Dennis & Josh Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

TB9, S11, E15: Jim Brock, Jr. — The Rarity and Power of Adult Male Friendship

Men need strong friendships.  Few of us are lucky enough to keep them for decades. On this episode of The Back 9, we sit down with Jim Brock Jr. — a 30+ year friend — to talk about the rare power of long-term adult male friendship and what it takes to stay connected through the peaks and valleys of life. What makes a friendship survive decades? What allows two men to be instantly available for each other no matter the circumstances. How can you pick up the phone after years and feel like no time has passed? Jim shares what it was like coming out as a gay man later in life, navigating sexual identity in a polarized political culture, and how real friendship holds steady even when beliefs and identities shift. We talk about emotional trust, loyalty, and adult male connection, and why those bonds become more meaningful as life moves forward. It's an episode that explores true masculinity through the kind of friendship that lasts a lifetime...on the Back 9 Contact Dennis & Josh Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

TB9, S11, E14: Gus Ramsey — The Art of the Career Pivot

What do you do when your industry shifts — and your 21-year run suddenly ends? This week, we sit down with longtime ESPN producer Gus Ramsey to talk about career pivots, layoffs, reinvention, mentorship, and retirement planning on the Back 9. After producing SportsCenter's most important shows during its peak, Gus was forced to recalibrate. Instead of chasing relevance, he focused on usefulness — launching a coaching practice, leading the prestigious Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting, and mentoring the next generation of broadcasters. Now, at 59½ — emphasis on the half -- he's made another intentional pivot: retiring, relocating, and redesigning life on purpose. This episode is about reading the signals, protecting your integrity, and making bold midlife career moves without losing yourself…on the Back 9. Contact Dennis & Josh Instagram: @Back9_Podcast

TB9, S11, E13: Author and Therapist Colette Fehr — Why Staying Quiet Leads to Divorce

Most relationships don't end because of one big blowup.  They end because too much goes unsaid. This week on The Back 9, therapist and author Colette Fehr returns to the show to talk about her new book, The Cost of Quiet, and why avoiding conflict can quietly push couples toward distance, disconnection, and divorce. The three of us dig into how "keeping the peace" turns into resentment, how intimacy fades when hard conversations don't happen, and why this pattern shows up so often in midlife relationships and second marriages. If you've ever stayed quiet to avoid a fight — and wondered later how things slipped so far — this conversation will hit home.  It's a topic worth shouting about, on The Back 9. Contact Colette Preorder The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure, Lasting Love https://www.colettejanefehr.com/new-book Website https://www.colettejanefehr.com Instagram and TikTok @colettejanefehr Substack https://colettejanefehr.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips TEDx Talk, "Secrets from a Couples Therapist" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tSUOB2yEd0 Contact Dennis & Josh Instagram: @Back9_Podcast