donowens.com
Books by
Don Owens / Danae Owens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 4, 2026
New Book Asks the Question Every Parent Should Be Asking: Are We Raising Our Kids or Just Shuttling Them Around? How to Build an Adventurous Family by Don and Danae Owens Makes the Case That Shared Adventure Is the Missing Ingredient in Modern Family Life.
LEADVILLE, COLORADO [July 4,2026) -- Most parenting books want to fix your child. Don and Danae Owens’s new book wants to fix your calendar. In “How to Build an Adventurous Family,” the Fort Worth couple draws on more than 30 years of marriage, parenting, and now grandparenting to make a simple but countercultural argument: the families who do things together build something no after-school schedule can replicate.
The book arrives at a moment when gray divorce is climbing, kids are increasingly sedentary and screen-absorbed, and many couples discover after the nest empties that they no longer know each other. Don Owens, who has spent 22 years as president of an insurance group while co-leading The Port Royal Society nonprofit alongside Danae, argues this isn’t a tragedy that happens to families. It’s a slow accumulation of choices that prioritize activity over adventure and productivity over presence.
What sets this book apart from the usual parenting shelf is its refusal to make adventure a luxury. The Owens family homeschooled their children, Sarah and Don IV, specifically to preserve the freedom to travel and explore. But Owens is equally likely to write about watching a winter sunset from a kayak on a lake five minutes from home as he is about climbing a Colorado fourteener in the dark. The intention matters more than the itinerary.
The book is written in Don’s voice, grounded in specific stories: a 12-year-old daughter stepping off a cliff face in full commando rappel, a teenage son packing headlamps the night before to watch a sunrise with his friends, a marriage deliberately protected from becoming a logistics partnership for the kids’ schedule. Chapter by chapter, those stories are paired with practical action steps that require no exotic destination and no significant budget.
This is Owens’ third book. His previous titles include “A Trip to the Beach Won’t Cure Your Worries” and “Ancient Friendship for Modern Men,” which has been used widely by men’s groups as a guide to building real community. Danae Owens, a former social worker turned real estate professional, co-authors this volume. Together they split their time between Fort Worth and Leadville, Colo., and continue to lead adventure-oriented groups for adults.
Book Details:
Title: How to Build an Adventurous Family
Authors: Don and Danae Owens
Release Date: September 17, 2026
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-966596-36-3
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-966596-37-0
Media Contact:
Donald Owens
817-307-0657
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