Joining Moroni’s War on Addiction | An Interview with Joseph Grenny

Joseph Grenny is a lifelong student of social science whose
writings are references in major universities around the world. He
is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including
leadership, influence and communication classics Crucial
Conversations, Influencer, Crucial Accountability, and Change
Anything. His books are available in over 30 languages and have
sold over six million copies. Joseph is a co-founder and current
board chair of Unitus Labs, an international nonprofit that has
helped over 15 million of the world’s poorest to move toward self
reliance. In 2015 he and his colleagues started The Other Side
Academy, a 2.5-year school for those with long histories of crime,
addiction and homelessness. The Other Side Academy is free,
requiring only a desire to change for admission. In April 2021,
Joseph and the leaders of The Other Side Academy announced their
intention to build The Other Side Village, a 400-home community for
those who are chronically homeless based on principles of
self-reliance and peer accountability. Joseph is married to the
former Celia Marie Waldron. They have six children and eight
grandchildren and live in Salt Lake City. Links Moroni's War on
Addiction: A Scripture Hero's Strategy to Win Today's Battle for
Souls The Other Side Academy Are we Losing?: A Gospel Perspective
on Imperfect Families Jacob's Answer to Parental Despair: The Olive
Tree and the Antichrist Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get
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Highlights 02:45 Introduction to Joseph Grenny 04:20 Moroni’s war
on addiction 06:10 Joseph’s work with addicts. Satan makes
addiction look so attractive that all of us are falling to it.
10:30 The definition of addiction and modern addictions that
interrupt our ability to feel the Spirit 11:30 The word of wisdom
isn’t so much about substances but the evil designs of conspiring
people. People that manipulate us in order to invade our agency.
13:00 Joseph’s son Seth’s story. His addiction to heroin. 19:50
Even with Joseph’s background he couldn’t help his son with his
addiction. He couldn’t understand it. He turned to the scriptures
and learned profound truths from Moroni. Saving Principles from
Joseph’s book, Moroni’s War on Addiction. 26:30 Satan wins when you
hide the problem so rally your troops. 32:00 It’s ok to make
mistakes. You are a small-s savior not the capital-S Savior. 35:10
Victory has nothing to do with the strength of the enemy. 40:40 The
best way to motivate the rebellious is to get out of God's way.
50:00 You are commanded to feel joy while the war is raging. You do
this by looking for tender mercies and practicing gratitude. 54:10
A lot of us at one point heard the phrase, “No good parent is ever
happier than their least happy child.” If this is true then
Heavenly Father must have a miserable life. The truth is that
Heavenly Father is the happiest person. 1:01:00 Joseph shares his
final testimony and how his son is doing now. He now works with
hundreds of addicts at The Other Side Academy. 1:05:10 You never
know how many attempts it’s going to take to overcome an addiction.
There is no key. As a loved one you just have to surrender and let
them deal with the consequences. It’s not your responsibility to
fix or save someone. 1:08:40 What do people need from their ward or
bishop that are going through addiction? 1:10:10 Showing up
authentically. “I've sat in far too many priesthood meetings where
we’re talking about abstract concepts when people are dealing with
concrete problems in the room…” 1:11:10 A lot of rehabs just don’t
work. The Other Side Academy isn’t your typical rehab. It’s a
2-year program, not just a 30-, 60-, or 90-day program. It’s a
long-term program for long-term problems. 1:14:14 Parents of a
teenage addict. What is the approach there? The Leading Saints
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