The Power of Music: From Piano Bars to Parenting - Greg Offner

Send us a text Thank you, Henna Pryor for making today"s episode possible!!! Greg Offner lived a compartmentalized life—corporate sales professional by day, piano bar performer by night. Though successful in both worlds, he felt disconnected from his authentic self, keeping different aspects of his personality in separate "buckets." Then disaster struck: a severe vocal cord injury threatened everything, leaving one vocal cord paralyzed after years of overuse, smoking, and untreated acid reflux. Greg poured his experience in music, business, and behavioral psychology into a framework for creating emotionally resonant, high-impact workplace experiences. The result became a keynote—and a book—focused on transforming disengaged workplaces into cultures where people thrive. Today, Greg helps organizations around the globe design Encore Experiences™—workplace moments so meaningful, people can"t wait to come back and do it again. Through fifteen surgical procedures and periods of complete silence (communicating only through a whiteboard while healing), Greg spiraled into depression. The turning point came unexpectedly at a Tony Robbins event when a stranger named Svetlana observed: "You"re trying to keep all these different parts of your life in buckets... But what if you didn"t have those buckets? What if it was all brought together in one thing and that was you?" Pointing to the stage where Tony was speaking, she said, "I think you"d be doing something like that"—a lightning bolt moment that changed everything. Today, as a keynote speaker and father to two young daughters (Frankie, 4, and Trixie, 2), Greg brings his whole self to every aspect of life. He shares profound insights about balancing his driven personality with the unpredictability of parenting: "Replace expectations with hopes. Instead of mapping out my day, maybe replace it with "wouldn"t it be nice if..."" This shift creates space for grace when things don"t go as planned. Drawing from his musical background, Greg teaches his daughters to "play your instrument in a way that elevates the performance of the players around you"—a philosophy that extends beyond music to life itself. His remarkable journey reminds us that sometimes our greatest setbacks lead to our most authentic path forward, especially when we stop compartmentalizing and bring all parts of ourselves together. Please don"t forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!