Top Episodes

Greg and Rachel are still in Norway leading two trips. The first took place in Tromsø, 225 miles north of the Arctic Circle where they fed reindeer, went dog sledding, and saw the Northern Lights while cruising the harbor. The 2nd trip spans from Oslo to Flåm to Bergen and back where they're cruising fjords, taking spectacular train rides, and learning about Viking and Hanseatic history. Because of these trips, this week’s podcast is a special treat -- an audio taken from an exclusive presenta...

Hey everybody! Greg and I are in Oslo, Norway with our family, recovering from jet lag. In a few hours, we fly to Tromsø, 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Tomorrow begins our first Norway trip where 18 other people will be joining us for reindeer sledding, dog sledding, and the Northern Lights. (Check out our 2023 travel schedule and join us here!) This week’s podcast is audio taken from our most recent coaching session for the Extraordinary Family Life Formula. We discussed why boys and...

We like to get our podcast topics from issues that really ‘fire us up’ (it makes for better discussions). This week, I was fired up by some comments left on an Instagram Reel I created about allowing ‘boys to be boys’ with audio taken from our recent Workshop on Boys Adrift — The Growing Epidemic of Undermotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. Some of them said things like: This post really misses the mark. The toxicity that exists around masculinity has nothing to do with children h...

"My husband and I have been struggling a great deal in our marriage, mostly over parenting issues. We have specifically been struggling with our 13 year old daughter who told us she is gay." Many emails and questions we receive from parents begins with something like this statement above. Spouses are struggling in their marriage, and it's often because of disagreements in parenting approaches or issues they're facing with their children that they're not sure how to handle. They will tell u...

I remember the first time I realized that humanity’s desire for luxury was actually a driving force for improving the world. Previous to that I often felt that wanting luxury and comfort was wrong or bad… perhaps from generations of Puritanism passed down through religion and culture? But as I lay in the comfort of a luxurious hotel room feeling perfectly at home, I finally understood that this desire was a positive thing. Without (a woman’s?) desire for indoor plumbing, a comfy bed, and the ...

We’ve been asked several times over the years by coaching clients and others regarding masturbation. Specifically, they want to know how to approach masturbation in general — with their children or teens, and in their marriage. Is it normal for teens to masturbate? What are the side effects or outcomes? And what about in marriage? Is masturbation okay or normal, especially if your sex drive doesn't match up with your spouse? We’ve also been asked by young adults and college students IF or WHY ...

We’ve all had the experience of being around someone who’s grumpy — even our spouse or children — and then soon we’re feeling grumpy as well. A mother of multiple children recently asked us, “When the people around me (aka my children) are grumpy, negative, or ‘down’, how do I not let that affect me?” Negative emotions and grumpiness are inevitable and a normal part of life. But when those around you are moody or grumpy, how do you keep that from bringing you ‘down’ as well? Is it possible t...

We are busy people. And so are you. We have a LOT going on, as I’m sure you do too. Human nature often makes us feel that we’re “too busy” to do things like morning routines or rituals. We’re “too busy” to do morning discussions with our family. But because you are so busy is exactly why you MUST do family discussions and devotionals. (When we use the term devotional we don't necessarily mean it as a religious activity, although it certainly can include religion and spirituality.) Daily family...

Fear is a universal emotion. We’ve all experienced it at some point. It is very real and very relevant. As a teenage girl, Edith Eger was a prisoner in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. She said that after she was released once the War ended, it was then that she learned that the greatest prison is the one in our own minds. Fear makes us prisoners of our minds. With all the people we work with — and through our own experiences — we’ve learned that so many of us are living far below our privilege, po...

Every great story, movie, or book contains elements of what’s been called the ‘Hero’s Journey’ — a series of events and experiences that makes the story meaningful and transformational. It’s the process by which the hero-to-be becomes the hero of the story. The interesting thing is that the same elements which make a great story also make a great life. YOU can become the hero of your own life by living and following the ‘Hero’s Journey’. When you do, you finally get out of the bleachers and int...

All of us have been ‘conditioned’ by society when it comes to things such as HOW to behave and WHAT to care about. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It fact, social conditioning can be very positive. Caring what other people think or how others view us helps us to be law-abiding citizens — which keeps order and civility in communities and nations. But sometimes, social conditioning can cause us to believe and behave in ways that our detrimental to our own well-being. Social conditioning can l...

Can we start with a ‘slap’ in the face? In all sincerity, most of us suck at communicating with other people, especially in our family relationships. Plus, ‘communication’ seems like such a vague or broad topic. What exactly does it mean? And how do we improve it? We’re not the experts. And we still struggle communicating in some relationships or situations. We came to our marriage with giant deficits in ‘communication skills’. We both suffered with shyness and were terrified to even talk ...

Many, if not all of us, know of someone — are ARE someone — who has dealt with the devastating effects of anxiety and depression. Methods for dealing with these issues can be very charged. It’s a subject that’s often difficult to discuss, for a variety of reasons — shame, guilt, anger, frustration, despair. But they are subjects that NEED to be addressed — least of all because it’s becoming a crisis for youth and adults today. And what those who are struggling need most are advice and strategie...

Many of us have been taught or grown to believe that unconditional love is the highest of virtues. And in many ways it makes sense. Loving others — without conditions — seems to be the highest level of love possible, partly because it sometimes seems so unrealistic, especially when it comes to family members. (It’s even difficult to get clear on exactly what we’re talking about because we only have one word for ‘love’ in English. In Latin there are at least three — Eros, Agape, and Philia). Bu...

Getting things done is one of the most critical ingredients for achieving your dreams and goals and building a lasting family legacy. Yet it’s also one of the hardest things to do because of the natural ebbs, flows, and interruptions of family life. There are mouths to feed, diapers to change, laundry to fold, meals to prepare, and dishes to wash. How can you even think about taking action toward your big dreams and goals? Well, that’s what we’re going to dive into in this episode. I’ve spent ...

Greg Denning often says, “Tell me your habits and I’ll tell you your future.” Habits are the MOST important thing to determining the outcomes and happiness of your life. Habits will make or break your mental, emotional, spiritual, social, physical, family, and financial life. Where you are right now — and the quality and happiness of your life — is a DIRECT result of the habits you have had to this point. Where you want to go, who you want to become, and what you want to do, will be the DIREC...

In our line of work coaching families for the past 20 years, we get an up-close-and-personal look into the lives of many different types of people. It’s a sacred privilege and we learn so much. We often experience a wide range of emotions, from empathy to despair to elation. And not going to lie, sometimes we get fired up or frustrated about the things that people do — or don’t do — especially the things that THEY know they NEED to do. They will receive a clear insight about something they sho...

"I would like to be more confident but my face turns red if I am embarrassed, nervous, shy, afraid, or just talking with someone. Without that handicap, I know I would be more confident, but unfortunately, I let it stop me all too often. But I heard that Mr. Denning used to be really shy and his face would turn red anytime people would even ask him a question in class. I'm heading off to college soon and am a bit overwhelmed. I do the same thing, I am generally an introverted person, but I reall...

As a parent, if you knew there was ONE major characteristic which — if developed — would drastically increase your child’s chances of success and happiness, not only now but as an adult… wouldn’t you want to know what it is? And wouldn’t you do everything in your power to help your child develop that characteristic? As parents of seven children, we give a definite ‘Yes!’ We want to know and we want to help them develop it as fully as possible. Well, researchers have followed a large group of ...

Emotions can be big and scary — for both parents and children. But it is possible to teach — and model — emotional management for your kids. Emotions are EVERYTHING. Our lives our experienced through emotions, so by default, the quality, quantity, and content of our emotions determine the quality and content of our lives. We can and should educate our emotions — and teach our children to do the same. How? That’s what we’ll cover in this episode. Strategies for dealing with a range of...

There is a lot of ‘surface tension’ in the media today -- social and mainstream. Lots of polarity and opposition about intense topics. And it bothers me. Because it paints the picture that there are only two sides to any issue. And that’s just not true. We (as individuals and society) have to look beyond the ‘surface tension’ of topics to the underlying problems and underlying causes of those problems. There is so little we know — we as a society, (and especially ‘we’ as in Greg & Rachel)....

We get a little serious in this episode -- and Greg sheds a few tears -- because in our work with clients, we've seen the trauma caused by yelling parents. We do not use this word lightly. “People are people no matter how small.” Your children are people. And when you yell at them — consistently and in anger — you’re traumatizing them. A child's self-worth comes from the view their parents have of them. How dare you treat a precious being in your care with such contempt. Stop it! You’re the adu...

Have you ever thought of chores as child abuse? I haven’t either. But I shared a post on Instagram about our system for organizing chores and I was shocked at the number of NEGATIVE comments I received from people who believe that giving your children chores is akin to child labor and abuse. One comment said, “Parents who want to do less [sic] things by dumping it on kids should be ashamed of themselves. Kids do not need to have regular chores in order to learn responsibility and you know it VER...

When Greg Denning was out on his own as a teenager it wasn’t difficult for him to realize that his life sucked… but he desperately wanted it to be better and different. Nobody wants to live a sucky life and stay there. But it was so interesting to him to watch people live a sucky life — and stay there. They would keep doing the same things that would produce the same sucky results. As a 16-year-old he was able — miraculously enough — to look around and say, “Dude, stop doing what you’re do...