The EXTRAORDINARY Family Life Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Extraordinary Family Life podcast, hosts Greg and Rachel Denning dive into practical strategies for managing resistant children and helping them develop positive routines and habits. If your child struggles with resistance or has difficulty adjusting to structure, this episode is for you. Greg and Rachel explore how small changes in family dynamics—like improving self-awareness, fostering emotional connections, and creating flexible routines—can make a significant difference in your child’s behavior and happiness.

They discuss the importance of balance between work and play, how understanding a child's emotional needs influences their actions, and why a parent’s demeanor and attitude are crucial to creating a nurturing environment. They emphasize the value of sleep, nutrition, and play in a child’s overall well-being, and how these factors can help even the most resistant children become more cooperative and content.

Tune in for actionable tips on transforming resistance into resilience, and learn how to nurture independence, responsibility, and emotional growth in your children—so they’re happy most of the time.

The topics discussed in our episodes are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. They should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional for any medical concerns or questions.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠28-Day Challenge⁠⁠ for Moms

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• ⁠Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠Be The Man Coaching and Tribe

• Download the ⁠⁠⁠Be The Man app on iOS⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠

• Take the ⁠⁠⁠Be The Man 7-Day Challenge.⁠⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/ 

• --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/extraordinary-family-life/message 

#ExtraordinaryFamilyLifePodcast #WorldschoolFamily #RachelDenning #FormidableFamilyMen #FamilySuccess #ParentingTips #Extraordinary #BecomeABetterYou #MarriageAdvice #MarriageGoals #RaisingKids #SelfHelp #PersonalDevelopment #GrowthMindset

In this episode of the Extraordinary Family Life podcast, hosts Greg and Rachel Denning explore the challenges parents face when encouraging their children to practice musical instruments, emphasizing the role of music in promoting lifelong learning and brain development. They tackle the common struggle of balancing practice with enjoyment, and share strategies to foster a love for music while building skills. 

One participant from their 28-Day Challenge asks, “How do you address problems with kids that don’t want to practice musical instruments? I feel like it’s so important for their education to have this skill, but I’m so tired of trying to get them to practice. It’s always a struggle. They say they love playing but hate to practice. I seriously feel like a crazy person going between wanting them to play and telling them we are going to cancel lessons because it’s pointless to pay for them if they don’t practice.” Greg and Rachel dive into this question, offering practical advice for parents on how to motivate kids without the constant tension. 

They share insights on how to make practice more enjoyable, set realistic goals, and keep music a fun and integral part of family life. Tune in for actionable strategies to help your children thrive in their musical journey, turning challenges into opportunities for growth.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠28-Day Challenge⁠⁠ for Moms

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• ⁠Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠Be The Man Coaching and Tribe

• Download the ⁠⁠⁠Be The Man app on iOS⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠

• Take the ⁠⁠⁠Be The Man 7-Day Challenge.⁠⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/ 

• --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/extraordinary-family-life/message 

#ExtraordinaryFamilyLifePodcast #WorldschoolFamily #RachelDenning #FormidableFamilyMen #FamilySuccess #ParentingTips #Extraordinary #BecomeABetterYou #MarriageAdvice #MarriageGoals #RaisingKids #SelfHelp #PersonalDevelopment #GrowthMindset 

In this empowering episode of the Extraordinary Family Life podcast, hosts Greg and Rachel Denning explore the essential theme of facing your fear in the pursuit of an extraordinary life. Through heartfelt personal stories and insightful discussions, they illustrate how confronting fear and overcoming feelings of overwhelm can lead to profound personal growth.

Greg and Rachel emphasize that living a fulfilling life isn’t about avoiding fear but embracing it. They share practical strategies for stepping outside your comfort zone and making bold decisions that can unlock new opportunities. This episode offers listeners inspiration and actionable advice on how to face your fear and transform challenges into stepping stones for a richer, more meaningful existence.

Whether you’re seeking to take a leap in your career, enhance your relationships, or simply cultivate a deeper sense of fulfillment, this episode will motivate you to tackle your fears head-on. Join Greg and Rachel on this transformative journey and discover how facing your fear can lead you to a truly extraordinary life. Tune in and start your adventure today!

The topics discussed in our episodes are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. They should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any medical concerns or questions.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Don’t miss out on the Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method class!

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Get Rachel’s Extraordinary Family Life Planner

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

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 to people. And when we tried it was superficial or strained.

When we got married we struggled sharing our feelings or discussing sensitive or ‘touchy’ subjects.

But through specific practices — such as growing in awareness, or developing the ability to articulate through writing — we’ve been able to drastically improve our communication skills — ESPECIALLY in the relationships that matter most.

That doesn’t mean they’re perfect. But they are much, much better than they would be otherwise.

In this episode we discuss specific techniques for developing communication skills for important relationships such as marriage and parenting.

We’ll explain how simple processes like writing can help you learn to think which can help you better speak to those you love.

We’ll also discuss why the freedom to ‘be offensive’ and imperfect in your speech can help you discover the truth of what’s happening in your relationships. That’s how the thinking process works.

We need to have grace for one another in order to ‘think out loud’ in our communication with each other.

And we’ll also cover how sharing the same ‘vocabulary’ can drastically increase your ability to connect and how your ability to communicate (or lack thereof) ties into your personal levels of growth and maturity.

Everything in life is so much easier, better, and flows smoother when you can effectively communicate with those closest to you — especially your spouse. So it’s worth every effort to improve your ability to communicate.

Listen to this very useful episode for strategies to radically increasing familial closeness through effective communication.

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 strategies that ACTUALLY work — and, as you’ll learn in this episode, more often than not, it does NOT include medication. The research is becoming VERY clear that most people on anti-depressants are still depressed. Medication is simply not the savior many hoped it would be.

The truth is that the greatest limiting factor to overcoming anxiety and depression are your own limiting beliefs and erroneous or outdated conclusions about this topic. What you don’t know — and what you think you know that’s just not true — are hurting you.

After decades of research, studying, and multiple-lifetimes of experience — including our work with thousands of youth and families across five continents — we have come to some very solid conclusions about anxiety and depression — what causes it, how to prevent it, and how to overcome it FOR GOOD.

We guaran-dang-tee that some of what we discuss in this episode will NOT be popular. But it is scientifically, biologically, and psychologically-based and will WORK for the vast majority of people — 97% or more — so it’s worth considering.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Enrollment is open for the Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method!

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/

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).

But as Greg and I have thought about, discussed, and researched it over the years, we’ve come to believe that unconditional love is a lower, shallower type of love that is the foundation for higher, deeper types of love. And those more meaningful types of love are actually conditional. In reality, our closest relationships are — and should be — based on this ‘conditional’ love.

For example, I can have unconditional, accepting love for my neighbor, despite what he does or how he treats me. But I can’t have a deep, meaningful relationship with my husband unless our love is conditional — i.e. we treat each other with respect, loyalty, and fidelity. 

Otherwise, is there any difference between our relationship and the one I have with the neighbor? It is ONLY because of these ‘conditions’ that our marriage relationship exists.

In this episode, we dive into what this ‘conditional’ love actually looks like, and how it works so that it doesn’t become toxic or manipulative — which is the risk if it’s not built on a foundation of unconditional love for self and others.

We explain how spousal, parental, and even God’s love has conditions, and when unconditional love, non-judgment, and tolerance become vices instead of virtues (and can lead to extremes such as school shootings).

Listen to this fascinating episode discussing the pros and cons of unconditional love as well as the depths and levels of love and loving others and how to reach greater heights of love.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Enrollment is open for the Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method!

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/

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 years reading business management and productivity books and always come away thinking how absolutely unrealistic their advice is for parents with children, especially if you work from home.

But in this episode, I’m going to share with you the strategies I have learned and developed that help us to seriously get stuff done. These are the ‘secrets’ to our success in being able to ‘do it all’ — homeschooling seven kids, traveling the world, creating an Extraordinary marriage, AND building a multi-six-figure location independent business.

Learn how you can become more productive without neglecting the things that matter most — your spouse, children, or household.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Become a Founding Member of our Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/ 

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 DIRECT result of the habits you cultivate or break today.

And yet, this is something that is not even taught to children, teens, or young adults anytime during their school years. It is something that few adults even understand.

Instead, we’re taught to sacrifice our habits — or to develop bad habits — in the name of grades, tests, or graduation.

This is a major contributing factor to the mental health and obesity crises we’re seeing in the world today.

This is despite the research that shows there is NO correlation between academic success and life happiness and success.

Let’s change that. Listen now to learn what the habits are for a successful life and how to develop and cultivate them intentionally in your own life and that of your children.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Become a Founding Member of our Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/ 

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 should do or should NOT have done… but then they don’t act on it. This is usually because it’s big, frightening, requires too much work — or all of the above. In this episode, we dive into the long-term consequences of avoiding or ignoring these important moments of clarity. Plus, we'll cover what to do about your fears of the 'unknown'.

If you’ve ever had a very clear moment, thought, or feeling about something you should do, or realized clearly that something you did do was a mistake but didn't know how to fix it, then you don’t want to miss this episode. Because doing so could be sabotaging your future happiness and success. Listen now!

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Enrollment is open for the Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method!

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/

"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 really enjoy talking with people and learning, but I don't want to miss out on that because my face looks like a fire engine."

We answer this question in this episode and share our personal stories about being shy and introverted as children and teens (my face also turned red while talking to people). We discuss how we overcame these challenges and how gaining confidence can help you not only in college but in marriage and as a parent, too.

If you feel that you could use some more confidence in your life then you definitely want to listen to this strategy-filled episode.

RESOURCES:

Let us help you in your extraordinary family life journey.

• How We Raised 7 Well-Adjusted Kids - Without Yelling, Tantrums, Punishments or Power Struggles (+ get THE CHECKLIST: Things We Do Every Day to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids)

• Rachel’s ⁠⁠Must-Read Booklist for Well-Read Moms⁠⁠

• Greg's ⁠⁠Recommended Reading List for Parents & Youth⁠⁠

• Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@worldschoolfamily⁠ or ⁠@greg.denning⁠

• Enrollment is open for the Extraordinary Parent Mentoring Method!

• Get Rachel's ⁠⁠Family Systems & Charts⁠⁠

• Join the Do More With Less Stress Workshop Series for busy moms

• Join Greg’s 7-Day Challenge 

• JOIN GREG'S 90-DAY HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE! 

• Join the Formidable Family Man Masterclass and Tribe

• Gather with us at the ⁠World School Family (Beach & Farm) Resort⁠ in Portugal

• Read our reviews here: https://podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com/reviews/