Back Pew Sessions

In this episode James reflects on turning 55, family, and the slow work of healing. After a birthday weekend of friends, bourbon, and backyard stories, he revisits a chapter about his biological mother and realizes he has been telling his life through the voice of a wounded child.
That quiet revelation — "she didn't skip me" — frees him from an old verdict and uncovers the voice he was meant to tell his stories from: an older, gentler narrator by the campfire. James explains how reinterpreting the past changes the story without changing the facts and invites listeners to sit by that fire and tell the truth.

On this episode the host wakes up confronted by an old voice whispering "you're not enough" and spends the night unpacking how men chase achievement to prove their worth. He shares personal stories, from family and writing to bourbon on a deck, showing how success can change circumstances but not the wounds that shape us.Through honest reflection he urges connection, vulnerability, and consistency as real paths to healing — acknowledging the ghosts without letting them narrate your life, and finding grace in the ordinary steps forward.