Good Work with Barrett Brooks From Burnout to Wholeness: Solitude, Nature, and Social Change with 86-Year-Old Author and Teacher Parker Palmer
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Dec 18, 2025 In a rich conversation, Parker Palmer, an 86-year-old author and activist, shares his journey from academia to community organizing and the profound insights he's gained along the way. He discusses the importance of solitude and inner work, especially during times of burnout. Parker highlights his belief that our hearts can break open to greater capacity rather than shattering with rage. He also emphasizes the value of authentic community and the role of nature in providing perspective. This dialogue reveals how deep reflection can inform our vocation and foster social change.
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Burnout Led To Pendle Hill Renewal
- Parker J. Palmer left academic theology and burned out as a community organizer before finding renewal at Pendle Hill.
- He became dean of studies there and learned inner work by teaching others, which reshaped his vocation.
Discern With Solitude And Nonjudgmental Community
- True discernment needs both solitude to hear inner voices and community to test them.
- Community must listen without fixing, saving, advising, or correcting to surface the inner teacher.
Ask Honest, Open Questions
- Use honest, open questions to help others 'hear themselves into deeper speech.'
- Avoid advising or fixing; instead ask questions that invite deeper truth to emerge.