Listening into Wholeness

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Listening into Wholeness | Parker Palmer

with co-hosts Shawn Parell & David Keplinger

Shawn Parell, David Keplinger, and Parker J. Palmer

Nov 25, 2025

In this very special conversation with Parker Palmer, we journey into the deep art of listening, the solace of circles, and the long, harrowed path toward a wholeness that does not deny its own fractures.

Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which supports people in every walk of life in nurturing deep integrity and relational trust for the sake of personal and social transformation.

Palmer holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, fourteen honorary doctorates, and two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association. Among his honors, he is a recipient of the William Rainey Harper Award, previously given to Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. In 2021, the Freedom of Spirit Fund, a UK-based foundation, gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his work that promotes and protects spiritual freedom.

Palmer is the author of ten books—including several award-winning titles—that have sold over 2.5 million copies and been translated into 20 languages. Anniversary editions of three of his books were issued in 2024: Healing the Heart of Democracy, A Hidden Wholeness, and Let Your Life Speak. An updated edition of On the Brink of Everything and a 30th anniversary edition of The Courage to Teach are due in late 2026.