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Courtney E. Martin

columnist

was a columnist for On Being. Her newest book, The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream, explores how people are redefining the American dream (think more fulfillment, community, and fun, less debt, status, and stuff). Courtney is the co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network and a strategist for the TED Prize. She is also co-founder and partner at Valenti Martin Media and FRESH Speakers Bureau, and editor emeritus at Feministing.com. Courtney has authored/edited five books, including Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists, and Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is Harming Young Women. Her work appears frequently in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Courtney has appeared on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and The O’Reilly Factor, and speaks widely at conferences and colleges. She is the recipient of the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics and a residency from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Centre. She lives with her partner in life and work, John Cary, in Oakland, and their daughters Maya and Stella. Read more about her work at www.courtneyemartin.com.

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On Being with Krista Tippett

September 22, 2016

Parker Palmer + Courtney Martin

The Inner Life of Rebellion

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The history of rebellion is rife with excess and burnout. But new generations have a distinctive commitment to be reflective and activist at once, to be in service as much as in charge, and to learn from history while bringing very new realities into being. Quaker wise man Parker Palmer and journalist and entrepreneur Courtney Martin come together for a cross-generational conversation about the inner work of sustainable, resilient social change.

August 8, 2014

The Thin Places We Share: The Role of Spirits in Our Quest for Ritual and Self

Written by Courtney E. Martin

In a culture with too few rituals, what role does drink play in the contemporary rituals of our times? Courtney Martin on memory, communal moments, and the potential for a true suspension of self.

August 1, 2014

They Call Us the “Nones,” But We’re So Much More

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Rather than being defined by what she's not, Courtney Martin offers a more complex perspective from a new generation of seekers. An introduction to our new weekly columnist who will offer fresh ways of looking at "the burden and joy of trying to understand how to be a good human."

August 22, 2014

The Spiritual Art of Saying No

Written by Courtney E. Martin

When you do too much and say "yes" to too many requests, what happens? Some advice on why it's vital to decline in order to accept the invitations that matter most.

August 15, 2014

To Be White and Reckon with the Death of Michael Brown

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Rather than merely expressing outrage at what happened in Ferguson, white Americans must show courage and own its part of the tragic story and the opportunity for transformation.

September 26, 2014

Men and Friendship: Letting the Guard Down First

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Men's ability to maintain sustained, intimate friendships with other men may be the key to unlocking a revolution of a new type of connection — and redefining what it means to be a man in the 21st century.

September 19, 2014

Learning to Self-Soothe and Surrender

Written by Courtney E. Martin

When life grabs you by the scruff of the neck, how do you cope with the stress and anxiety? A column on the art of reassuring oneself that all will be well.

October 10, 2014

Bone Tired and Ready to Be Bossed Around

Written by Courtney E. Martin

There is a place beyond exhaustion, when asking 'What can I do to help?' is inadequate and burdensome. A commentary on how we can practice the art of generosity, to reach beyond the ease of asking towards the grit of doing.

October 3, 2014

Spiritual Practices Hidden in Plain Sight

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Sometimes the most sacred experiences happen in the most mundane of places: in a big box store, after your spouse empties the litter box, or during an encounter with a taxi driver.

November 7, 2014

Is a Less Rooted Life Inherently Less Deep?

Written by Courtney E. Martin

We often desire a sense of adventure and travel. But when a "life of wandering" overtakes a "life of rootedness," we take time away from home and community — and "the ground at our own feet."

October 31, 2014

There Is No Honest Rest: All the Things I Would Rather Be Than Good

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Nowadays there are unintended consequences for just about everything we do. An encouragement to strive for curiosity over goodness, to seek gentleness over righteousness, and engage with ethics as a process rather than a destination.

October 24, 2014

Little Deaths

Written by Courtney E. Martin

It’s fall and things are dying. What least productive practices and mindsets are you working on shedding?

November 21, 2014

Let the Discomfort Begin with Me

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Atul Gawande's new book on the aging and the dying process inspires this column on turning bearing witness to our own instincts and doing things a different way.

December 12, 2014

Breaking Bread and Healing Hearts One Dinner Party at a Time

Written by Courtney E. Martin

Lennon Flowers and Carla Fernandez are creating a national movement of dinner parties for 20-30 year olds that are humanizing grief and creating new communities after loss.

December 5, 2014

The Unbearable Lightness of Being White

Written by Courtney E. Martin

With the overwhelming angst of privilege, our columnist confesses to her own inclinations to participate in Twitter testimonies of white privilege. But, it's no substitute for the moral imagination required to acknowledge the emotional lives of others.

January 1, 2015

The Sacred Inefficiencies of a Very Human Life

Written by Courtney E. Martin

As the siren song of productivity in the new year beckons, our weekly columnist Courtney Martin finds presence and peace of mind in the habits of a less productive but more awesome life.

December 26, 2014

In Praise of Chosen Family

Written by Courtney E. Martin

We don't choose our family, as the old saying goes, but we do choose our friends. An encouragement to discover people to surround ourselves with and scout friends who beget our culture.

December 19, 2014

The Giving Conundrum

Written by Courtney E. Martin

The end of year is fast approaching. And with that comes an influx of charitable giving. In this digital age when the basket is now an online form, how do we create a spiritual practice of tithing and discern the "right" way to give?

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