Top Episodes

In Greg's work as a coach, he often hears something like this: "Yes I agree, but how do I talk to my spouse about that???" Sometimes we're shocked that a spouse feels like they can't bring up a topic with their 'better half' -- even if it is a sensitive one. But then we remember that we used to be there too. And in this episode, we share a personal experience about a topic that was off-limits for about a decade or more... and how we worked through it. Eventually, we got to the point where we...

Greg received an email from a friend who said, "My son needs a life coach :)" His response was, "EVERYONE needs a life coach." The stigma is that only people with problems or those who 'can't figure it out' need a life coach. But the truth is, if you want to have a truly EXTRAORDINARY life, you NEED a coach. You understand this when it comes to learning the violin or tennis -- if you want to be good you get a coach. Yet somehow too many people don't connect it when it comes to parenting, marria...

No matter if you homeschool or send your kids to public or private school, YOU are responsible for the outcomes of their education. The first step is for YOU to define what EDUCATION means to you. Is it academic learning? Grades, tests, and ACT scores? Getting into the 'best' colleges. Or is it MORE than that? Does it include their mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social, and financial development? If it doesn't, it should. What about experiences and exposure to people, places...

This episode would not be complete without listening to these episodes as well: What Wives Need to Know About Their Husband's Sex Drives And What Men Need to Know About Themselves Sex-quel Follow-Up Episode with Rachel Denning ⁠Husbands, How to ACTUALLY Listen to Your Wives (And Why She Needs It)⁠ Masturbation & Cheap Sexual Acts are a Poor Substitute for Real Connection -- A Message for Teens & Spouses This episode was in response to a question we received: I just listened to on...

Do you feel stuck? Or like you're constantly dealing with the same problems -- in your marriage, with your kids, or your finances? Does it feel like you can never 'afford it' -- no matter what it is? Or that you keep having the same health issues crop up? Do you feel like "life sucks and then you die"? Did you realize that you can PREVENT most of these problems before they happen? Most people think that when things like this arise that it's 'just life'. But our research, study, and experien...

As part of the 28-Day Challenge we ask participants to choose one food to give up. Some choose sugar. But it’s not always easy to give it up. As one mom said: “…the sweet tooth got the best of me. I don’t drink soda and haven’t had a donut in two years; those our out. I don’t eat things with corn syrup, and I mostly use olive and coconut oils. But every time I decide, no more sugar, I can almost feel my brain go into panic mode. And it’s like a wave of dessert ideas comes in and the abi...

At work, home, family life, and marriage, it’s easy to blame the circumstances of life or to say ‘That’s just the way things are’… But the reality is that we’re often participating in, perpetuating, or creating our own chaos in marriage and family life — but that means we also have the power to prevent it with intentional planning and preparation. Of course, many couples and parents think “I don’t have time to be intentional and strategic like you’re describing. Our life is so crazy busy!” But...

"I'm feeling sooooo burnt out of motherhood... My kids are fighting so much. Last week we did a 'no fighting' challenge for 7 days. They did pretty well and each got a prize. This week has been a total dumpster fire. I keep circling back to me. Making sure I am good, but I'm just not. I feel so drained at the end of my day after so much fighting. Any advice?" Conflict is often seen as an unavoidable part of family life—whether it’s sibling rivalry, marital disagreements, or parenting struggles. ...

We received a great question from a mom which we answer in today’s episode. Just a reminder — we love receiving questions. Feel free to ask us anything by visiting podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com where you can leave us a voice or text message. This mom asked: “I have a 13-year-old daughter. She gets homework from coop & every week it’s a battle. I remind her about her assignment- she says yes, I know… and gets mad at me every time I bring it up but then either doesn’t do it or is up late ...

This topic is one that can be sensitive so we want to handle it appropriately. As usual, the subject came up because of an activity in Greg’s online class for teens — Habits for a Successful Life — and a resulting email from a mom. (We love getting emails). The students were asked to take a self-assessment of multiple areas of their life — mental, emotional, physical, etc. As part of the physical assessment, different activities were done — holding their breath, touching their toes, counting p...

In our podcast episodes, we like to answer questions we’re asked or to discuss topics that impact — or fire — us up. Lately, we’ve been discussing together the most recent school shooting in the United States (and the resulting usual public discussion about the need for gun control). As American citizens, we also have a unique viewpoint because of the near decade or more we’ve spent living outside of the United States (in more than 50 countries). It’s allowed us to gain a unique perspective of ...

In this episode, it seems as though we start talking about one subject and end with another. Yet, they are connected. We begin discussing how to deal with children who are ‘high spirited’ with minds of their own (which can sometimes be aggravating or embarrassing) and who grow up feeling ‘not good enough’ or as though there’s something wrong with them because of the constant correction they receive. We also mention the ‘quiet’, ‘good’ kids that ‘go along to get along’ but who interna...

In our work with couples and clients, we often come across marriages that are struggling. One of the MANY reasons this happens (or at least continues as an issue) is because of the husband’s inability or lack of skill in listening to his wife effectively in a way that she needs him to. Just as women need to understand a man’s need and desire for sexual intimacy, he needs to understand her need for emotional intimacy. This is challenging because it is often communicated in a way that can be undes...

Every year on our birthdays and anniversaries we love to reminisce and ask ourselves, "Where were we celebrating last year? I wonder where we'll be next year?" Last year we celebrated in Portugal while we were scouting out the country to see if it could be a place we wanted to make a permanent home base. (We did a podcast episode about it because it was so serendipitous.) We could have never guessed then that this year we would be celebrating 22 years together in Turkey on the Aegean Sea! In th...

After episode #211 about What to Eat we received a lot of follow-up questions (thank you!) and were asked to do a follow up episode to clarify some things, such as: What if I'm lactose intolerant? What do you recommend to replace grass-fed milk? What about food storage? I store a lot of grains and legumes. What's the best way to eat them. Where do I find grass-fed meat, cheeses, butters, milk, etc.? How do I know I can trust package labels at the store and that they're actually what...

Thanks for all of the questions! They help us to have relevant conversations in these podcast episodes. If you have a question about anything in life or family, send them to support@extraordinaryfamilylife.com This week’s question is related to full-time family travel vs. home base travel but the answer is relevant for all of us — it’s principle-based and applicable to every area of life. So if you’re not a full-time family traveler, you still need to listen to this episode because you’re likely...

In many of our episodes, we often reference food and its connection to behavior and emotion. So it’s not surprising that we received this request: “I would LOVE to hear an episode on food! YES it is confusing and hard to navigate! We've already made some good changes, but I'd love to hear your specific thoughts about how you implement this both at home and on the road. I'd also love to hear some scientific evidence from books but mainly how you guys apply it… especially when your kids when th...

We truly love receiving emails and questions from followers, clients, and listeners because it gives us specific situations and challenges to address. We’ve learned that even though we (as humans) often feel that we’re the ‘only one’ dealing with a problem or circumstance, the truth is, we’ve discovered, if it’s happening to one person it’s likely happening to hundreds of others as well. That’s why we answer these questions in a podcast episode so that it doesn’t just help the person who asked, ...

We received another question from a mom who was interested in joining my Family Charts & Systems course and community. In an email I sent out, it said: As a mother of seven children, my life seriously changed forever once I learned how to FINALLY get organized. So when moms tell me they don't have a system for chores or study time, I'm like... "Say what?!" I get it. Some of you don't like systems. You'd rather live free-flowing and in the moment. I was that mom too, about ten years ago. Bu...

Welcome to today’s episode, we’re coming to you from Vienna, Austria this time. We just finished leading a WWII trip where we learned about the start of the war with the invasion of Warsaw, visited Auschwitz & Birkenau concentration camps, and explored Krakow and Vienna. We love to receive questions from listeners, coaching clients, and members of the Extraordinary Family Life Formula. One question we’ve received more than once in the last month is about misbehavior in young children. What do...

You might not realize it, but as a parent, YOU have a moral obligation to make sure that your child (or children) are NOT annoying. Why? Because in order for your children to function normally in the world — and to have a healthy, happy life — they need to be able to interact effectively in society. They can’t do this if they haven’t gained the skills of social interaction. One of the major signs (at any age) that they’re lacking these skills is if they have annoying behavior. If your children a...

Welcome to the podcast! We’re coming to you from Warsaw, Poland. Our kids are on the other side of town in an Airbnb and we’re spending the weekend at a luxury hotel to celebrate Greg’s 45th birthday. (Please excuse any sounds of the city such as sirens, etc.) There is a philosophy in parenting and education (perhaps started by TJED) that states ‘Inspire, Not Require’. The idea is that instead of requiring your children or students to do things — chores, reading, studies, being kind — you insp...

We’re coming to you today from the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. We have loved traveling through the Baltic States. Today we’re going to continue answering some questions (since we were accidentally cut short in the last episode). We were asked about certain types of activities and whether or not our children participate in them because of our unique lifestyle. For example, ballet, piano, gymnastics, sports, and other activities that require mastery. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons...

We spent the New Year in Tallin, Estonia! We’re keeping the Denning family dream alive with family adventures. In December, we traveled through NYC, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, & Estonia. We’ve had some questions about the logistics of traveling with a family which we’re going to discuss in this episode. How do we do it? What do we do with our stuff? How do we make it work? We also get philosophical and talk about how travel has been a tool for helping us (and our children) to become as...