Greg Denning: Building a Formidable Family Life

From homeless at 16 to traveling the world with his wife and seven kids, Greg Denning has built a life defined by resilience, purpose, and adventure. In this episode of Masters of Resilience, hosts Ryan Seeger and Mark Phillips sit down with Greg to talk about what it means to be a formidable family man, why discomfort is essential for growth, and how to create a life you don’t need a vacation from.

Greg shares powerful stories - from a lonely Christmas Eve in a freezing shack to climbing Kilimanjaro with his family - and offers practical frameworks for building strong marriages, raising resilient kids, and leading with intention.

Chapters:

00:00 — Intro and Greg’s Journey

04:32 — The Inflection Point: Choosing family & purpose

07:00 — Formidable Family Man: Useful, valuable, family first

09:55 — Radical Ownership: Ditching victim mentality

16:47 — Fear, Ego & Identity: What really holds us back

19:49 — Brotherhood & Lifelong Learning

21:55 — Raising Resilient Kids & Family Travel (books + experiences)

29:13 — Family–Work Rhythms & Marriage

37:09 — Intentional Living: Align actions with values; starve fear/ego

41:55 — Embracing Discomfort + Greg’s Playbook, books & advice

Website

The Extraordinary Family Life Podcast

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