The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

In today's poggie, Ben sits down to chat with Dr Monty Badami, who has what can only be described as the most varied and fascinating resume ever!  Monty is an: Anthropolgist Civil Marriage Celebrant Justice of the Peace Jazz Singer English Teacher Tai Chi Instructor Youth Worker Bouncer… and is training to become an officer in the Australia Reserve! To say that Monty leads a busy life is an understatement. Ben first met Monty at Dr Arne Rubenstein's leadership camp back in July, and today they chat about the importance of community and what it means on a very fundamental level to be part of a community. Monty shares a beautiful story about his research travels in South India where he visited the Paniya, a marginalised indigenous ethnic group, who were slaves until quite recently and what that taught him about being accepted and valued in a community. In a very articulate way, Monty also challenges the concept of the ‘broken community’ in Western culture and what he believes we need to do to better connect with like-minded people (*hint: it’s pretty simple!) This is an extremely enlightening conversation that is designed to spark conversation (and many more questions!) rather than provide the answers. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/205 for the link to Monty's new podcast, Ben's episode with Dr Arne Rubinstein and all the information about the upcoming Live Life Simply Online Retreat.  Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this second episode in the social media series, Brooke and Ben take on Instagram (Ben’s favourite social media channel!), and talk about how they make it work for them in their business as well as personally, while still living slowly . First up they talk about the expectation that when you have a business online, you’re always accessible. Being mindful of social media use and setting boundaries around the amount of time spent on social media can feel like the opposite of all the business advice you read and hear. And that’s OK! They discuss the evolving strategy for The Slow Home Podcast, with a dedicated Instagram on its way as their team grows. Brooke also shares some tips that she uses for managing her Instagram while still being present in everyday life. She rarely posts in real-time, and doesn’t post everyday (mainly because she thinks her life is too boring!). She also recommends that businesses prepare and schedule content where they can. As a self-employed person, it’s important to remember that social media is part of the job, and so it can be labelled as work and only done during work hours. Lastly, Brooke and Ben talk about the dreaded comparisons that can happen when scrolling through Instagram. They challenge listeners to unfollow anyone that gives them that sinking feeling and see what happens. Instead, follow people who inspire and educate you, and who make you laugh (and keep an eye out for The Slow Home Instagram coming soon!). Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/204 for links to the previous social media episode and for the full blog.    ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week Brooke and Ben attempted to answer a listener question about dealing with eco-anxiety. That is, the pressure or frustration we feel when even our best intentions to minimise waste and tread lightly on the earth are thwarted by an errant plastic bag or forgetting to ask for no straw. In today’s episode Brooke chats with Erin Rhoads, who is undoubtedly more qualified to answer this question, as a zero-waste advocate and creator of The Rogue Ginger - a website that has both the coolest name and the most accessible and practical tips on living a zero-waste (or low-waste) life. Brooke and Erin go back to the moment (the movie, actually) that changed Erin from a mindless consumer to conscious advocate and why her journey towards zero waste began with very small and gradual changes (and why she believes yours should too). Erin answers a few questions that Brooke is consistently asked when it comes to living plastic-free, specifically: How can we avoid plastic wrapping when buying cheese? Is there an alternative for lunch wraps that doesn't require us to cook our own? How can we open up the low-waste conversation with suppliers, family and friends without making people feel judged? They also talk about the one simple change you can make today - regardless of where you are in your journey towards living plastic-free - as well as offering an encouragement to act rather than get angry. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/203 for all the links to Erin’s website and social media, as well as all the resources mentioned in today’s episode. Erin is also part of the upcoming Live Life Simply Online Retreat and will be taking all attendees through the essentials of zero-waste living. Registration is open now so be sure to secure your place before October 22, 2017. The retreat opens its doors on October 23 and Brooke, Erin and co can’t wait to have you! Head over to https://livelifesimplyretreat.com/ for all the details. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quite often Brooke and Ben are asked about social media and slow living. That is, how have they managed to build a business that relies of social media to spread the word and build a community (namely Facebook, Twitter IG) without letting it encroach on their time.  So rather than try to cram a lot of information in to one hostful answer they've decided to spend the next few Mondays talking through the various social media platforms they use, and the strategies they employ for each of them.  Today it's Twitter, which has shifted a lot over the past couple of years. While both Brooke and Ben still use it personally and often rely on Twitter to keep on top of the news, it's become less central to their business.  Twitter itself is now a bit of a "let's shout our opinions at each other" space and that's made it a far less enjoyable way to communicate with people. Plus, the changing vibe of Twitter means a lot of slow living folk are no longer hanging out there anyway, so letting it dry up has been a pretty easy choice for Brooke to make.  They talk about the scheduling vs real-time posting question too, and why Twitter is the most political of the social media platforms for both Brooke and Ben.  In short, it's not what it used to be over in Twitter Land, but if you're looking to follow interesting people, activists, news organisations etc, it can be a valuable place to spend time (maybe a limited time though?) Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/202 for all the links mentioned in today's episode and for the full blog post.  Enjoy!  ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hostful time again, and this week Brooke and Ben answer three very different listener questions and launch the big, exciting project they've been working on for the past few months. It's a good day all round! First up, Rachael asks about coping with eco-anxiety - a great term which encapsulates the frustration that results when we try to make positive changes to our home and the waste we create, only to be constantly reminded by how imperfect our efforts are. It's an obstacle that many people come across and Brooke and Ben give their insights in to how to let go of the perfectionism and embrace smaller, more consistent changes.  Brooke then puts on her ranty pants as she and Ben discuss the inanity of tit-for-tat holiday gift giving. You know the gifts for the extended family and friends, the office Christmas party, the neighbourhood get-together? Those ones really grind Brooke's gears and today she and Ben talk about how to best opt out of those gift giving arrangements if at all possible, and what crap-free options are available for the situations where a gift is still appropriate. It's a good time of year to start considering the impact of all these novelty gifts, as we edge closer to the holidays.  Finally, Kerry asks Brooke and Ben what's most recently made them laugh uncontrollably. Brooke's answers are absurd and Ben's are a little closer to home!  Months ago Brooke and Ben mentioned a new project they were working on in response to the recent listener survey results, and today they're finally ready to put it out in to the world! The Live Life Simply Online Retreat is the first of its kind and brings together the wisdom and expertise of 13 mindfulness, simplicity and slow living experts into one blissful six-week online retreat.  The retreat is super practical and designed to help you learn at your own pace, in your own home. You can practice yoga and meditation, uncover your purpose, learn the essentials of low tox and zero waste living, dive deep in to mindfulness, slow money, creating a rhythm that works for your daily life, plus loads more - all at a time and pace that works for you.  Join Brooke and Ben, plus previous podcast guests, Jessica Murnane, Rachael Kable, Alexx Stuart, Kelly Exeter, Janell Burley Hoffman, Carolyn Tate, Kevin Janks and Dr Sarah McKay, as well as Erin Rhoads, Sam Doove and Lauren Verona from Zenko Yoga.  The line-up is incredible and we can't wait to see you there! Head over to https://livelifesimplyretreat.com/  for all the details and to secure your place.  For more info on today's episode, head over to the blog at http://www.slowyourhome.com/201.  Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy 200th! The Slow Home Poggie is now 200 episodes old and in today’s show Brooke and Ben talk through some of the lessons they’ve learnt over the past two and a half years. Interestingly, the biggest lesson has directly impacted today’s episode, which was going to be a big, spectacular, complex show. Brooke and Ben wanted to do something significant to celebrate and thought that needed to be different to the normal poggie, but the past couple of weeks travelling and the previous two months of book promotional touring has taught them the importance of flexibility and fluidity in their expectations. And there-in lies the lesson. We need to let go of the self-imposed expectations and pressures. We need to simplify rather than complicate. And we need to understand that while there are things (many, many things) out of our control, there are also many other things we can control, to say no to, to let go of. So instead of featuring voicemails and call-ins and loads of interesting insights from their wonderful community, this episode goes deep in to this big lesson. Brooke and Ben also talk about their recent road trip and the unexpected pace of what they assumed would be a slow travel experience, as well as the pros and cons of camper van life. It’s been a fun double century - here’s to another 200! Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/200 for the full post and links mentioned in today’s episode. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last episode Brooke and Ben went deep in to the idea of mindfulness - what it is, what it's not and how we can create opportunity for living more mindfully without having to add ever more tasks to our endless to-do lists.  It makes perfect sense then, that in this episode Brooke sits down to chat with the utterly delightful Rachael Kable, creator and host of one of the most uplifting mindfulness podcasts in the world, The Mindful Kind.  Brooke and Rachael chat about the meaning of mindfulness and the genesis of Rachael's personal discover of mindfulness. We also talk about mindful living and teenagers, a topic I'm asked a lot about, and Rach has some excellent tips on how to bring mindfulness in to the lives of a stressed out, highly connected teenager.  They also look at the intersection of mindfulness and kindness, which is evident as soon as you begin to listen to the way Rachael encourages not only self-compassion but also the multitude of ways she personally serves others. It's a really interesting part of the wider mindfulness conversation, because so often self-care is aligned with being selfish, but Rachael believes that it's vital to fill ourselves up with kindness and compassion in order to turn around and pass it down the line to others.  Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/199 for links to all the resources Brooke and Rachael discussed as well as Rachael's podcast and social media accounts.  Enjoy!  ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past few weeks Ben and Brooke have been looking at some of their favourite ideas from SLOW, and have left one of the biggest for last. Mindfulness. Interestingly, mindfulness is facing a bit of an over-saturation backlash these days, as Brooke discovered in the writing of SLOW. And while she was at first surprised that an idea as gentle as mindfulness could ever be sneered at, she also hadn’t realised just how over complicated the idea of mindfulness had become and how the meaning of mindfulness has been diluted and lost in a sea of products, apps and programs. Brooke, however, is a huge advocate for mindfulness, knowing that it has changed her life in a multitude of big and tiny ways. Not because of a specific app or a mindfulness colouring book, but because it has taught her to pay attention. So how do we bring mindfulness to our daily lives without over-complicating it? What does that look like? And how do we find the time for it when life is already full and busy? In this poggie Ben and Brooke talk through the ways they both add mindfulness to their days. For Brooke it includes both traditional practices such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing or body scans, as well as things that may not immediately strike you as mindful. Ben also talks about golf as mindfulness and why traditional practices like meditation haven’t worked for him. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/198 for the full blog post and excerpt from SLOW, and enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is a little different. It’s hosted not by Brooke, and it’s not hosted by Ben either. It’s hosted by their mate Mike Campbell from Live Immediately, and in a strange turn of events, he actually interviews Brooke. Mike and Brooke have a fantastic conversation about life at the moment, and how Brooke is dealing with the wobbly balance between the busy-ness of launching a book and the importance of maintaining a slower pace of life over all. They also talk about the messy and imperfect process of learning to be emotionally available, why it was so stunningly uncomfortable to do so, and the impact Brooke has felt on her relationships, self-worth and the direction her life has taken since. They talk about softening in to the unknown, and the importance of allowing ourselves time to come to decisions. Mike also talks about some big possibilities he and Inga are weighing up at the moment as well as his (very sensible) approach to making those big decisions. That is, once a choice has been made, it’s made, but until then it’s OK to not know. It’s OK to revisit and marinate in the possibilities because that’s a necessary part of the process. Brooke and Mike also chat about our upcoming Newcastle event on September 27 and Brooke is super excited to talk some more about their travel plans for 2018 (Mike and Inga were a huge influence on Brooke and Ben taking the plunge in 2018). They look at the logistics, the planning and the not planning! Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/197 for the full blog post, plus links to Mike’s podcast, the Newcastle event details and all the links and resources mentioned in today’s episode. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Technology is an inevitable part of even the slowest of modern lives. This podcast, news sites, social media, blogs, forums, videos… even if you’re being intentional it can (and will) be overwhelming at times. This week Ben and Brooke talk about what we all stand to gain by disconnecting regularly and why it’s so important to reconnect with what matters, without the distracting blare of notifications and devices vying for our attention. The biggest question we face though, is how? How do we learn to untether ourselves from our devices when the expectation is that we are always on call? Brooke talks about the important first step of understanding what we stand to gain by having more in-person connection (things like time, humanity, action and peace) as well as the boundaries she and Ben have established at home. Some of the simple boundaries they talk about include: screen-free bedrooms no screens at the table pockets of screen-free time every day (the first and last hours of the day, for example) Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/196 for the full blog post and excerpt from SLOW. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially and join in on our live monthly video calls. And thanks so much for listening! ===Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.