School Of Awesome Sauce With Greg Denning

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, marriage, or finances. You NEED a coach in those areas of life, too. And in fact, that is the ONLY way you'll actually be GREAT in those roles -- if you get some coaching. But you have to be careful. Not all life coaches -- or therapists -- are competent to provide advice that works -- even if they are 'certified' or 'qualified'. In this episode, we dive into WHY you need coaching -- especially if you think you do NOT -- and how to determine if you should actually list

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, and ideas? Too many people and students pursue academics at the expense of their mental, emotional, or relational development. They pursue 'book learning' at the expense of living in and experiencing the world. They develop negative sleep or eating habits in the pursuit of good grades. But this has a cost on their life as a HUMAN being -- not to mention their sense of purpose and fulfillment. If you're interested in helping your children to get an education that will benefit EVERY aspect of their youth an

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 one of your trainings and you guys mention having sex 4-7 times a week. If there is a podcast or a training on this somewhere please direct me to it. I’m a morning person and my husband is a night owl. I wake up at 4 and go to bed at 9 he wakes up at 8 and goes to bed at midnight. I have 6 kids and homeschool and do my business on the side. How do you create time to do it that many times?

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 experience have shown us that most problems in life are self-inflicted. Of course, there are things that happen to you that are outside of your control -- especially as a child. Some people are victims of abuse, tragedy, and trauma. But once you become an adult, you have the opportunity and obligation to "Pull the weeds and plant the seeds" of the things you want and don't want in your life. And you can learn to reframe the past so that it has new meaning and can become a positive fo

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 ability to resist seems impaired.  I want to lose weight, but it feels like Mount Everest is in front of me.  If “the obstacle is the way”, I am not sure how to proceed here.  I know that eventually I get mad enough and then I am strong enough to resist sugar for a good few months.  But I want to make it the lasting change and TRAIN my brain to love NOT getting the sugar fix.” If you’ve ever felt the desire to improve your overall health and well-being and lose weight by eliminating sugar and replacing it with healthier alte

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 if you don’t take the time now to prepare, you’ll be FORCED to take the time later to repair. There IS a better way. You don’t need to wait until your marriage is in crisis or on the verge of divorce. There are intentional action steps you can take TODAY to make your marriage better now. And if you already have a good or great marriage, then there are intentional actions and strategic strategies you can use to make it EXTRAORDINARY.  Listen to this episode now for specific tips, strategies, and tactics we have used ours

"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?" We get it. Fighting is exhausting -- mentally, emotionally, and physically. It takes away from family and personal productivity and peace. How do we best handle it and put an end to it -- for good? And is it actually possible? In this episode, we outline the strategies we use from the Pyramid of Peace to 'help things go right' in order to prevent problems and fighting AND how to 'fix what's gone wrong' when fighting actually occurs (which is rare when you spend 80-90% of your time and energy 'helping things go right'.) We'll show you how to basically eliminate fighting in your family -- for good

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 the night before it’s due. Wisdom - please!!!!” This is a challenge that all of us have faced — likely more than once — as parents. And it’s something that can be extremely irritating and draining — mentally and emotionally. So how can we reduce the battles, not just around homework, but chores and anything else our kids 'should' do — and ultimately, help our children to WANT to do the things they’re ‘supposed’ to do? Because that’s the IDEAL — not just that our kids do what we ask them to, but that they lea

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 pushups, and measuring ‘grabbable’ skin/fat on their belly. This last assessment is similar to what is done during a BMI examination (Body Mass Index test), except they measure belly, triceps, and inner thigh fat/skin. One parent was concerned that grabbing the stomach… brought “attention to this area of their body and was damaging to their confidence… As a certified personal trainer and in my training it was strongly emphasized to never ask a client to assess the health of their bodies in this manner, it creates body sha

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 the problems plaguing nations — and to compare and contrast their similarities and differences.  School shootings are an almost uniquely U.S. problem. While violence and terrorism do occur in other countries — including genocide — a single shooter whose goal is to take out innocent lives (children) is a crime that is nearly exclusive to the United States.  What’s going on here? Why is it happening? Of course, it makes complete logical sense at first glance to blame it on the guns. We did about nine years ago while l

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 internally might be (unconsciously) building resentment to the arbitrary rules and restrictions of their parents (which often leads to some sort of rebellion or rejection of values when they become adults). Both types of kids struggle because of the (often arbitrary) rules their parents and/or society have for them. Out of the best intentions, parents create rules for their family life so that children can be safe, they can have high standards and values, and some sort of order and control can be maintained. The rules are often commun

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 undesirable to men and can sometimes come off as complaining, whining, illogical, irrational, or incorrect. This is something we’ve had to figure out in our own marriage — the best way for Greg to ‘listen’ in a way that produces the results we both want — deeper connection, more intimacy, vulnerability, and security in our relationship and with each other, with the freedom to express feelings that don’t always have to be taken as absolute facts. (Of course, there are other things that Rachel’s had to figure out too in order

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 this episode, we reminisce about the 15 different countries we've celebrated our anniversaries, as well as discuss the principles and strategies we've used to celebrate our marriage -- because your marriage SHOULD be celebrated as often as possible. It's worth doing something 'big', momentous, or festive on special days to make them memorable.  If you haven't done this as part of your marriage then it's time to make a change. Yes, we get it. It's not just about the one special day of the year. Every week you should b

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 they say they are? How do you eat healthily while traveling? What do you recommend for nutrient-dense snacks? Do you guys eat much bread? How do I get my family on board with eating healthier? Do you have any recipes? What can I cook daily at home that's easy and can be done quickly? What do you regularly buy and WHERE do you buy it? If you had similar questions after listening to episode #211, then get them answered by listening to this episode now! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/extraordin

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 experiencing something similar in one or more areas of your life. Many of us think that balance means equal. But really, contrast — the yin and yang — is more accurate to how we develop. It’s why we have two hemispheres in our brain and it’s why we need ‘opposition’ in all things. It is how we find meaning and purpose in our life. But the challenge is we sabotage ourselves. We don't want to let go of what we know to puruse something different, especially when we feel like what we have is 'right'. We want to stay with

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 they are surrounded by all the not-so-good-foods of their peers... And I got confused: Rachel said, in the same breath when talking about bad foods/chemicals, almond and soy milk, and then whole foods....meaning those milks are considered bad or good?! I think your intention was that those milks are bad...I didn't know that!” It’s true, I did mention in a previous episode that soy and almond milks are not good for you. In this episode, I expound how and why we came to those — as well as other ‘shocking’ — conclusions a

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, but the hundreds of others who did not ask who are facing similar circumstances. Today’s question is very relevant to young mothers and fathers especially. I remember feeling this way when I had four children under the age of four, and five children under the age of eight. But let me share her words: Where I am: I feel swamped with homeschooling 5 kids age 10 and under (one with severe special needs), have a scarcity mindset about my time like I’ll never have enough time to do everything, and I’m too stressed keeping t

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. But then I discovered the incomparable power of having family systems and it changed my life and family. Systems bring sanity. Systems teach responsibility. Systems provide accountability. Systems empty your plate so you can focus on the things YOU want to do as a PERSON. Systems help you be a better parent. Systems help your children learn adult skills. She responded saying, “This email sounds great about systems, BUT here's the question

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 I do when my four-year-old acts out? They will purposely interrupt what their siblings are doing and disturb the peace. They’ll lash out, and it’s becoming violent lately. They’re even getting destructive and destroying things and are into everything.  They keep interrupting the home education and family routines, and they’re extremely jealous of the new baby. They won’t listen to either parent and they’re becoming a disturbing force in the family. What do we do about it? If you’ve ever had a child misbehave, es

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 are annoying to you, they’re also annoying to others. And that’s a problem. If a young child develops annoying behavior (we discuss WHY this happens in the episode) they don’t fully understand WHY others find them annoying. And so they grow up knowing that people don’t like them but not understanding why they’re not liked. This is psychologically unhealthy. If you want your child to be able to develop healthy, long-lasting relationships with others — which is essential for a life of happiness and fulfillment — then they