The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

Today’s episode is the first to feature Ben behind the microphone, as he interviews the inspiring Dr Arne Rubinstein - a doctor, counsellor and mentor who has had a profound impact on Ben this year, as well as the lives of many young men throughout the world. Arne is an expert in adolescent development who had a life-changing experience 20 years ago while on a rite of passage camp. In this episode he and Ben talk through his personal enlightenment and what it felt like to shed his safe, well respected job for the unknown, as well as his thoughts on living intuitively and aligning our actions with our values. Realising that - for adolescent boys in Western culture, particularly - there was a distinct lack of rites of passage and strong role models, Arne sold his practice, bought a property in the rural Byron Bay hinterland and lived in a bus for three years as he built a camp to mentor young men. 20 years later he an author, facilitates mentoring programs and provides leadership coaching world-wide, but even more importantly, can say he spends his days doing exactly what he was put on earth to do - and that is something that both Ben and Brooke find truly inspiring. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode head to http://www.slowyourhome.com/91 Enjoy! ==== Today’s episode was brought to you by Ettitude. For 10% off your first order of ethical, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, bamboo lyocell bed linen, visit http://www.ettitude.com.au/slowhome and use the code: sleephealthy If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, you can leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2). Thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new month means a new Slow Home Experiment, and in August Ben and Brooke are going screen-free in the bedroom. And while this seems like something they would have already had on lockdown, they’ve seen a bit of backsliding in recent months and the mobile phones have slowly snuck back in to the bedroom. Having a screen in the bedroom has definitely impacted both Brooke’s sleep and her morning rhythm, which begs the question why she hasn’t made the shift earlier. But as her and Ben talk about in this episode, the power of habit is a mighty thing to turn around. Ben is feeling quite nervous about this one, while Brooke is feeling optimistic as the effect on her sleep and mornings is something she’s really keen to reverse. Don't forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and sharing your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, the idea of making a real change in the world can feel impossible. In today’s episode Brooke meets the human antidote to these feelings in Jono Fisher, a delightfully warm person who is - quite literally - changing the world with kindness. As founder of The Wake Up Project - a community and events hub on a mission to bring out the best in people - Jono is super passionate about spreading kindness, mindfulness and positivity far and wide. Not only do he and Brooke talk about his desire to create and grow a ‘kindness revolution’ but also about the recent arrival of his newborn son and how his arrival impacted Jono’s ability to live a mindful life. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After committing to cut back on all plastics as part of Plastic Free July., Ben and Brooke are back to talk about the experience. While they were looking to minimise all plastic, they were particularly focused on doing away with the Big 4 - plastic shopping bags, takeaway coffee cups, plastic drinking straws and single-use plastic water bottles. The good news is they nailed those four! The bad news is, they were mostly nailing those before July even began. In today’s episode they talk through some wonderful tips they received over the month, discuss the areas they struggled in and look at the changes they’ve made already, plus the changes they plan on making over the coming months. Don't forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and sharing your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a mid-year break, Ben and Brooke are back in the podcasting chair, and in today’s episode they talk about their time off and a little of what they’ve been up to in July. Brooke talks a lot about a recent TV experience, taking part in an episode of Insight on SBS. The episode she was part of dealt with stuff - and more specifically, hoarding - and in this poggie she talks a lot about her misgivings of taking part in the show and also the bigger issue of presenting minimalism and hoarding as opposite sides of the same coin. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/87 for links to the episode of Insight - it's really worth a look!  Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that every single piece of plastic ever produced still remains somewhere on earth today?  Before Ben and Brooke decided to take some time away from their Slow Home Experiments, they had considered making July the month of living plastic free, to coincide with Plastic Free July. And while they’re not running an official experiment this month, in today’s hostful episode they decide to take the Plastic Free July challenge anyway. After all, it’s an area both of them can afford to improve on, and there’s nothing like an outside challenge to motivate. In today’s episode they talk about the challenge itself, as well as the areas they think they’ll do OK in, the areas that will challenge them (cheese!) and some of the changes they’ve already made over the past year. There's a lot of practical tips for anyone hoping to adopt a plastic-free lifestyle, as well as a whole lot of recognition that it's not an easy shift to make.  Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/86 to see a full list of the changes they’ve already made, as well as the changes they’ll be working on during July, as well as links to websites, products and resources mentioned in this episode. Don't forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and sharing your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s well documented that Ben is a Big Fan of sleep, so this past weekend when he took part in a 24-hour walking challenge for a mentoring program he’s part of, the lack of sleep had some pretty crazy side-effects. Turns out things gets a little… hallucinogenic when he goes without sleep for more than a full day, and it was the perfect opportunity for he and Brooke to wrap up this month’s Slow Home Experiment. Brooke has struggled to find the time for the full 8 hours, and while she has managed it, she talks about why it probably won’t stick long-term. They also talk about quality vs quantity, whether they think it’s possible to regain a sleep debt and what’s in store for the podcast moving forward, as they take a break from the experiments for a little while. Don't forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and sharing your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fearing it would be too boring for most people, Brooke has been putting this episode off for months. But after being asked countless times for more detail into how she and Ben structure their days, she decided to talk about how a typical day unfolds at their house.  Well, that was the plan When they sat down to talk about what a typical day actually looks like, it took no time to realise there is no such thing anymore. So instead what you have is a wide-ranging look at how they manage their time on a day-to-day basis (they’re unsurprisingly quite different), and how the change in their work situations has impacted the rhythm of their home. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/84 for a detailed run down of how Brooke likes to think her days are structured, as well as links to previous posts about tilting, work-life balance and finding a rhythm. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a very chilly camping trip Ben and Brooke are back to regular sleep patterns, and in today’s episode they talk about pre-sleep rituals, whether it’s possible to gain back sleep debt and how their camping experience impacted on their rest. Ben’s noticed that he and Brooke have very different needs when it comes to pre-sleep rituals so today they talk a little about what Brooke does before bed, as opposed to what Ben does. HINT: Ben’s process is much simpler and shorter! Don't forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and sharing your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of Brooke’s guests over the past couple of months have spoken about making big life changes - travel, a shift in career or moving to a different place - but in every single instance these changes have been moving them closer to their Why. This is something Brooke finds constantly inspiring as she and Ben continue to make changes in their own lives, and she enjoys going deep into the reasons and the practicalities of these transformations. Today she chats with Mike Campbell, a fellow Australian currently house-sitting his way across the United States with his wife and daughter after donating or selling virtually everything they owned. Brooke and Mike talk about what his life was like only 18 months ago, when he was struggling in a job he was deeply unsatisfied with, his wife Inga was battling overwhelm and burnout and they found themselves wondering if this was really ‘it’. Unbeknownst to him, it would be a simple game that would shift his perspective to one of possibility and adventure. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/82 for show notes and links from 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: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.