Grant Schnarr is not only a life coach. He is a spiritual leader.  An ordained minister for the New Church (Swedenborgian), he started his own church in Chicago for the young at heart in 1984.  There he developed one of the first twelve step programs for anyone who would like a more fulfilling and spiritual life.  This preceeded the twelve-step phenomena that swept North America in the 80's.  His first book Unlocking Your Spiritual Potential: A Twelve Step Approach, was one of the first books to bring the 12 Steps to everyone, and this particular book, which has now been revised and reprinted with the new title Spiritual Recovery, has been translated into several languages and has been used by recovery groups on five continents.  Grant has given speeches and led seminars about spiritual growth for over twenty years.  He has worked with men and women, both in groups and in private counseling on spiritual issues for over two decades.

Grant was one of the first to offer programs and support groups for men and men's issues in the early 90's, and was a trailblazer in new ritual and process work in this area.  He and therapist Lyle Keller developed a twelve week course devoted to initiating men into mature adulthood, offering insights into the masculine soul and identity.  These programs led to the development of men's spirituality weekends in the woodlands of Wisconsin, and are the basis for today's SWET (Spiritual Warfare Effectiveness Training) weekends for men and boys in the Moosic Mountains of Pennsylvania, and also now available in different forms for both women and men.  Grant is also the co-founder of the Bryn Athyn Men's Gatherings, now recognized nationally as a powerful constituent of the men's movement, and has shared the podium with Robert Moore, Robert Bly, John Lee, and others.  He has also presented at the Annual Chicago Men's Conference, and the Mankind Project and Woman Within International Conference.  Recently Grant was  invited to Fort Hood, Texas to honor the fallen soldiers from the 4th Infantry brigade.  His book, Art of Spiritual Warfare, based on Sun Tzu’s Art of War, has been published by independent publishers in both American and Indian English editions, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and other languages, and has been read by everyone from military generals to rock stars.

Grant and his wife Cathy have four grown sons, a daughter in law,  and a new granddaughter, and usually host an assortment of teenagers and young adults at all hours of the day and night.  His sons help in the initiation and mentoring of young men into adulthood, with an aim to live with love and integrity.  Grant and Cathy offer their home as a safe and healthy spiritual haven for young men and women to be the honorable selves that they are. 

Grant graduated with a Masters in Divinity in 1983 from the Bryn Athyn College of the New Church theological school, and was ordained into the priesthood of the New Church (Swedenborgian).  He, like his colleagues, is a biblical scholar and expert in the doctrinal teachings of the eighteenth century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.  Swedenborg's influence on modern spiritual thought can be traced down many paths, including the twelve step program, new thought philosophy, near-death experience research and thought, Suzuki's teachings of Buddhism, Burnham's design of the city of Chicago, Helen Keller, Jung and James, as well as many writers and poets such as Emerson, Blake, Borges, Yeats, Browning, Coleridge, and Balzac.  Swedenborg's teachings are expressed in The Way of Wisdom, a book of Swedenborg's most striking quotations put together with commentary by Grant Schnarr and Erik Buss.  Swedenborg's common sense teachings also show up in Grant's book, Return to the Promised Land, which delves into the symbolic meaning of the biblical Exodus story, and reflects the deeper journey each person encounters on his or her quest for spiritual growth and happiness.  Grant was the director of outreach for the world-wide New Church for thirteen years, and has also a teacher at the Bryn Athyn College. He is currently assistant pastor at the Bryn Athyn Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

What qualifies Grant as a mentor and spiritual leader can be seen in his introduction to the book Return to the Promised Land, where Grant speaks of his difficult childhood and teen years, and overcoming his spiritual challenges.  He is an expert in helping people overcome their personal demons because he has been there and knows the struggle of the human heart from experience.  He would be the first to confess that he is far from perfect in this realm, but he is ready to reach out and help people along the way.  His experience has led to real depth in his teachings, especially about spiritual warfare, where esoteric thought, strategic planning and spiritual principles are brought down into every day personal life and reality.  Many who have experienced Grant's teachings have said that they feel he has some special knowledge about their own life because his message is so personal and to the point.  Listening to Grant is often compared to going on an emotional roller coaster ride.  You have to hang on for the ride and you leave feeling you got your money's worth.  He and Cathy and boys won the grand prize on ABC's America's Funniest People for a spoof on the reality show Cops where parents bust their own kids.  It was called American Parent, and the producers signed the Schnarrs on to do a series of seven shows after the initial video.

In his latest book, You Can Believe!, Grant helps people on a spiritual level reconnect to a God they can understand and trust, and to a philosophy of life that not only makes sense but works.  His life coaching, workshops and seminars have helped people live a full, happy, balanced and productive life.  He is also involved in helping foster awareness of the beauty, dignity, and plight of the African people, and pointing to where people can get involved in cooperation with Bono’s One Campaign.  His project is called Yes! Africa!.  You can learn more at www.yesafricaproject.org.

Grant not only knows the spiritual terrain from experience, but has also extensively traveled and studied many of the world's religions.  He has toured Soweto at midnight and toasted African chiefs in the Kwahu district of Ghana, Africa.  He is a member of the Mankind Project, has taken Warrior-Monk training from Bill Kauth, and is also a student of Native American religion, and is a certified professional life coach with CTI and a member of the International Coaches Federation.  His study and experience is put to practical use in his books, seminars, adventure weekends, and speeches.  If you would like to contact Grant about coaching, seminars, workshop, or a consultation, feel free to E-mail him at grs@grantschnarr.com.