# David Kundtz

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{{Short description|American self-help author}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| name       = David Kundtz
| education  = {{Plainlist|
* [Georgetown University](/source/Georgetown_University)
* [St. Mary's Seminary](/source/St._Mary's_Seminary_and_University)
* [Graduate Theological Union](/source/Graduate_Theological_Union) <small>(S.Th.D.)</small>
}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Self-help author|psychotherapist}}
| known_for  = ''Stopping'' (1998)
| website    = {{URL|davidkundtz.com}}
}}
'''David Kundtz''' is an American self-help author, and former Catholic priest and psychotherapist<ref name="nwfloridadailynews">{{cite news |last=May |first=Peggy |date=October 12, 1998 |title=Alone Again (Naturally) |newspaper=Northwest Florida Daily News |publisher=Halifax Media Group |page=C1}}</ref> based in [Kensington, California](/source/Kensington%2C_California)<ref name="publico">{{cite web |last=Alves |first=Laurinda |title=Parar |trans-title=Stop |url=http://static.publico.pt/docs/coleccaoxis/DavidKundtz.htm |website=Colecção XIS – Livros para pensar |publisher=Público |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=February 18, 2005 |title=Bringing Injustice to Trial |newspaper=National Catholic Reporter |page=20}}</ref> and [Vancouver, British Columbia](/source/Vancouver%2C_British_Columbia).<ref name="publico" /> He has written books on stillness, mindfulness, and emotional well-being. He is best known for his 1998 book ''Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going'', which proposes "doing nothing intentionally" as an antidote to modern busyness.<ref name="utne">{{cite magazine |last=Japenga |first=Ann |date=January–February 2004 |title=How to Do Nothing |magazine=[Utne Reader](/source/Utne_Reader) |page=81}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Kundtz grew up in [Chagrin Falls, Ohio](/source/Chagrin_Falls%2C_Ohio).<ref name="callandpost">{{cite news |date=May 18, 1963 |title=Holy Orders to Be Given Young Men |newspaper=Call and Post |page=6A}}</ref> He attended [Georgetown University](/source/Georgetown_University),<ref name="authorsguild">{{cite web |title=Profile: David Kundtz |url=https://go.authorsguild.org/members/537 |website=The Authors Guild}}</ref> then [St. Mary's Seminary](/source/St._Mary's_Seminary_and_University) in Baltimore, Maryland, where he completed his seminary studies.<ref name="callandpost"/> He earned a doctorate in pastoral psychology (S.Th.D.) from the [Graduate Theological Union](/source/Graduate_Theological_Union) in Berkeley, California.<ref name="authorsguild" /><ref>{{cite web |title=David Kundtz |url=https://wipfandstock.com/author/david-kundtz/ |website=Wipf and Stock Publishers}}</ref>

== Early career ==
Kundtz was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1963 and served for 19 years, with postings in [Idaho](/source/Diocese_of_Boise) and [Cali](/source/Cali), Colombia.<ref name="nwfloridadailynews"/><ref name="callandpost"/> After leaving the priesthood, he went through an unplanned period of inactivity that he later credited as the origin of his thinking about busyness and stillness.<ref name="eveningstandard">{{cite news |last=Branson |first=Linn |date=February 21, 2000 |title=Slow Down for a Minute Just the Job |newspaper=Evening Standard |edition=West End final |publisher=Evening Standard Limited |page=19}}</ref> He then worked as a counselor and psychotherapist in [Berkeley, California](/source/Berkeley%2C_California).<ref name="nwfloridadailynews"/><ref name="eveningstandard"/>

== Writing ==
Kundtz wrote about stress and modern life, appearing in such publications as ''[Redbook](/source/Redbook)''<ref name="redbook1998">{{cite magazine |date=July 1998 |title=Stop. Breathe. Go. |magazine=[Redbook](/source/Redbook) |publisher=Hearst |page=52}}</ref><ref name="redbookMarch2001">{{cite magazine |last=Curtis |first=Patricia |date=March 2001 |title=Stress-Free Zone |magazine=Redbook |publisher=Hearst |page=147}}</ref><ref name="redbook">{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Stephanie |date=April 2001 |title=How to Break Your Hurry Habit |magazine=Redbook |publisher=Hearst |pages=90–93}}</ref> and the ''[Wall Street Journal](/source/Wall_Street_Journal)''.<ref name="wsj1996">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Lisa |date=November 1, 1996 |title=Life on the Road: Business Travelers Prefer Rest to Play |newspaper=[Wall Street Journal](/source/Wall_Street_Journal) |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |page=B1 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB846814907245204000 }}</ref>

His first book, ''Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going'', was published by Conari Press in 1998 with a foreword by [Richard Carlson](/source/Richard_Carlson_(author)).<ref name="booklist">{{cite magazine |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |date=February 1, 1998 |title=Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going |magazine=Booklist |publisher=American Library Association |page=878}}</ref> The book proposes a practice of deliberate pauses he calls "stillpoints," "stopovers," and "grinding halts," scaled to the length of rest required.<ref name="eveningstandard"/><ref name="redbook1998"/><ref name="booklist"/> ''[Booklist](/source/Booklist)'' described it as "a good, commonsense adviser on a pervasive problem".<ref name="booklist"/> It was published in seven languages,{{efn|It was published in its original English, as well as Chinese,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=2003 |title=生活, 该适可而止 |trans-title=Life: Know When to Stop |publisher=Guang Xi Ren Min Chu Ban She |location=Nanning |isbn=978-7-219-04687-6 |language=zh}}</ref> German,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=1999 |title=Stopping anhalten zum Durchhalten |trans-title=Stopping: Pausing to Keep Going |publisher=Kreuz |location=Stuttgart |isbn=978-3-7831-1717-2 |language=de}}</ref> Korean,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=2003 |title=멈춤 |trans-title=Stopping |publisher=Yemun |location=Seoul |isbn=978-89-5659-017-2 |language=ko}}</ref> Japanese,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=2007 |title=急がない!ひとりの時間を持ちなさい |trans-title=Don't Rush! Take Time for Yourself |publisher=Shufu no Tomosha |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4-07-258879-6 |language=ja}}</ref> Portuguese,<ref name="publico" /> and Spanish.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=2000 |title=Vivir con serenidad |trans-title=Living with Serenity |publisher=Ediciones Oniro |location=Barcelona |isbn=978-84-95456-10-6 |language=es}}</ref>}} and, in 2021, [Mango Publishing](/source/Mango_Publishing) reissued the book as ''The Art of Stopping''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kundtz |first=David |date=2021 |title=The Art of Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going |publisher=Mango Publishing |location=Coral Gables, Fla. |isbn=978-1-64250-439-2 }}</ref>

His other books include ''Nothing's Wrong: A Man's Guide to Managing His Feelings'' (2004), noted by ''[Library Journal](/source/Library_Journal)'' for public library collections<ref name="libraryjournal">{{cite magazine |last=Lord |first=Douglas C. |date=May 15, 2004 |title=Social Sciences: Self-Help |magazine=Library Journal |publisher=Reed Business Information |page=103}}</ref> and as a resource for counselors working with men;<ref name="visions">{{cite journal |last=White |first=Aaron |date=2005 |title=Nothing's Wrong: A man's guide to managing his feelings |journal=Visions: BC's Mental Health and Substance Use Journal |publisher=Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division |page=39}}</ref> and ''Ministry Among God's Queer Folk: LGBTQ Pastoral Care'' (2007), co-authored with Bernard Schlager, which the [Rainbow Round Table](/source/Rainbow_Round_Table) of the [American Library Association](/source/American_Library_Association) recommended for seminary and theological school library collections,<ref name="alarrt">{{cite web |last=Corvene |first=Sarah |date=September 15, 2008 |title=Ministry Among God's Queer Folk: LGBT Pastoral Care |url=https://www.glbtrt.ala.org/reviews/ministry_among_god_s_queer_folk_lgbt_pas/ |website=Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews |publisher=American Library Association}}</ref> and the ''[Journal of Lutheran Ethics](/source/Journal_of_Lutheran_Ethics)'' reviewed it for readers new to LGBTQ pastoral care.<ref name="jle">{{cite journal |last=Hooper |first=Dan |date=March–April 2013 |title=Review: David J. Kundtz and Bernard S. Schlager's, Ministry Among God's Queer Folk |journal=Journal of Lutheran Ethics |volume=13 |issue=2 |publisher=Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |url=https://learn.elca.org/jle/review-david-j-kundtz-and-bernard-s-schlagers-ministry-among-gods-queer-folk/ }}</ref>

=== Books ===
* ''Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going'' (foreword by [Richard Carlson](/source/Richard_Carlson_(author)), Conari Press, 1998) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-109-0}}
* ''Everyday Serenity: Meditations for People Who Do Too Much'' (foreword by Steven Harrison,<ref name="publishersweekly">{{cite magazine |date=January 31, 2000 |title=Peace, Love & Happiness |magazine=Publishers Weekly |page=97}}</ref> Conari Press, 1999) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-162-5}}
* ''Quiet Mind: One-Minute Mindfulness'' (Conari Press, 2003) {{ISBN|978-1-68481-079-6}}<ref name="spiritualityandpractice">{{cite web |last1=Brussat |first1=Frederic |last2=Brussat |first2=Mary Ann |title=Quiet Mind |url=https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/28299/quiet-mind |website=Spirituality & Practice}}</ref>
* ''Nothing's Wrong: A Man's Guide to Managing His Feelings'' (Conari Press, 2004) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-915-7}}<ref name="everyman">{{cite magazine |last=Svoboda |first=Steven |date=October–December 2004 |title=Nothing's Wrong: A Man's Guide to Managing His Feelings |magazine=Everyman |publisher=Equality Enterprises |page=58}}</ref>
* ''Moments in Between: The Art of the Quiet Mind'' (Conari Press, 2006) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-276-9 }}<ref name="spiritualityhealth">{{cite magazine |date=November–December 2006 |title=Quotes from Recently Published Books |magazine=Spirituality & Health Magazine }}</ref>
* ''Ministry Among God's Queer Folk: LGBTQ Pastoral Care'' (with Bernard Schlager; Pilgrim Press, 2007) {{ISBN|978-0-8298-1706-5 }}
* ''Awakened Mind: One-Minute Wake Up Calls'' (Conari Press, 2009) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-360-5}}
* ''Coming To: A Biomythography'' (Mill City Press, 2013) {{ISBN|978-1-935204-87-9}}
* ''Being Present: A Book of Daily Reflections'' (Conari Press, 2015) {{ISBN|978-1-57324-644-6}}<ref name="midwestbookreview">{{cite web |title=Being Present: A Book of Daily Reflections |url=https://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/jan_16.htm |website=Midwest Book Review}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Kundtz has described himself as queer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schlager |first1=Bernard |last2=Kundtz |first2=David |date=2019 |title=Ministry Among God's Queer Folk: LGBTQ Pastoral Care |edition=2nd |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-4982-4156-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mn2GDwAAQBAJ}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kundtz, David}}

Category:20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
Category:American psychotherapists
Category:American queer writers
Category:American self-help writers
Category:Graduate Theological Union alumni
Category:Living people
Category:Memoirists from California
Category:People from Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Category:People from Kensington, California
Category:St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni
Category:Writers from Contra Costa County, California

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David Kundtz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kundtz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kundtz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.