The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

This is the first episode Ben and Brooke have recorded while travelling throughout April, so they talk a little about their first few days away, as well as the embarrassing moment Brooke realised she’d posted an unedited version of the podcast before flying out! They also look back at the March experiment of daily yoga - what went well, what was challenging, and whether they think they’ll be adopting into their lives. They also talk about this month’s experiment of journalling as a family every day - which is already proving more challenging than expected. Rather than use a set of rules, they’re keeping it pretty fluid this month and are both really looking forward to seeing how we enjoy the experiment and how it impacts gratitude, contentment, happiness and feelings of being present. Don’t forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share 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 or head over to the Patreon page 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.

RE-EDITED VERSION! (Sorry guys - turns out we needed the vacation!)  In today’s episode Ben and Brooke answer some super tricky listener questions about the deeper issues of choosing to live a slower, more intentional life and, to be honest, they got a little stumped! They include questions about: Planning for the future vs living in the moment How to minimise time spent talking on the phone, as it impedes our attempts to live a simpler, more present life How simplifying life has impacted Ben and Brooke's relationships How to balance work, family and down-time, particularly with a new job What can we do to reconcile our work lives with our values, or how to overcome the discrepancy from one to the other. 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke and Ben sat down to talk about Week 4 of the Yoga Slow Home Experiment, and specifically how they managed to keep it up over the past week, where work has been busy and mornings disrupted. They essentially learned the importance of being flexible in a number of ways, and again the idea of reducing the scope and sticking to the schedule has been really helpful. Brooke has spent a little more time off-script this week, doing what feels good as opposed to what is strictly in the videos, and is feeling more at ease in general. They also talk about next month’s challenge, as by this time next week they’ll be a few days into it and wanted to give you a little heads-up in case you’d like to join in. Don’t forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! ==== 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke is a long-time reader of Paul Jarvis’ Sunday Dispatches and long-time listener of his Invisible Office Hours podcast, so she was super delighted to sit and chat with him about simplicity, writing our wills, Netflix and priorities. They also spend quite a bit of time talking about the importance of being our true self online, and the BIG difference between that and sharing things we haven’t actually processed yet. Paul has written a lot about comparison and the myth that everyone else is living more interesting, photogenic lives that us, so we dive in to that too. Paul also talks about his lack of routine, why busy-ness is a crutch we lean on to avoid feeling our feelings, and what his most recent purchase was. 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we first started this month’s Slow Home Experiment, the last thing Brooke and Ben expected were tears. And yet, late last week, on Day 18 of the experiment, Brooke found herself crying (yes, really) as she stood in her first ever tree pose. She went on to bust out a fairly decent crow pose on Day 19 too and feels like this past week of the experiment has been a game-changer. She’s now seeing the massive benefits of yoga - beyond flexibility, or strength, or even striking an impressive pose and posting it on social media - and is excited to see what the rest of the experiment brings. Ben, on the other hand, has had a kind of crappy week. He’s still determined to touch his toes by the end of the month and feels like a failure to do so will mean the experiment was a bust. They’re also looking for your input on what the April experiment should be. Maybe ‘make time to play every day’? Or daily meditation? Head over to the blog post and leave a comment with your suggestions. ==== 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Wallman is an ex-adman and trend forecaster - which doesn’t necessarily sound like Brooke’s typical guest - but when you learn he is also the author of Stuffocation and the person who coined the phrase ‘experientialism’ it starts to make a lot of sense. Brooke and James talk about minimalism’s branding issue and why he thinks that experientialism is the way to make a life of less stuff more appealing to the mainstream. They also look at the overwhelming number of choices we all face each day and why experiences will almost always trump stuff. James also had some ridiculously straightforward advice for Brooke when she admits she sometimes feels so defeated by the rampant consumerism happening across the globe. Such a thought-provoking conversation, sure to raise as many questions as it answers. 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month’s Slow Home Experiment of 30 days of yoga is proving super fascinating. And while they’re only two weeks in, Brooke and Ben are starting to get a glimpse of everything that’s involved (both physically and emotionally) in a regular yoga practice. Before they had actually practiced yoga, Ben and Brooke thought it was all about being zen and chill and effortlessly moving through poses. And while it might well be those things, this week they discover there’s a lot more to it, as they find themselves getting angry on the mat. They also talk about how they’re feeling physically, as well as why they got so ridiculously mad during Day 9’s video! Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/55 to see some more progress photos and for links to Adriene’s videos and her youtube channel. Don’t forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram and let’s get experimenting! ==== 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke often talks about the importance of taking that first step, rather than focusing on the bigger picture, but what if that first step actually proves to be our downfall? In this episode Brooke chats with Anthony Ongaro of BreakTheTwitch.com about his online shopping addiction, the realisation that it was costing him the life he wanted and what happened when he recognised that “Amazon is the one-click solution to mostly made up problems.” They also talk about intentional living and what it means to break the twitch. But the biggest takeaway is the idea of the false first step - particularly how that first step can very easily prove to be our downfall. When we convince ourselves that buying the book, taking the course or making the shift in our heads is enough, we find ourselves rich in self-help books and low in actual self help. You can find links and show notes over at http://www.slowyourhome.com/54 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week Ben and Brooke told you they’d teamed up with the awesome Adriene Mishler of Yoga With Adriene for a new Slow Home Experiment - 30 days of yoga! Now they’re a week in and already feeling the massive benefits of slowing down and doing yoga every day. This week they chat about the initial struggle to get up and out of bed half an hour earlier every day, as well as the inevitable challenge of early-rising kids and dogs who think the yoga mat is nothing more than Belly Rub HQ. They haven’t missed a day yet though and talk about how they’re feeling, which days have been tough (Abs Day, here’s looking at you!) and how they manage to push through even when they’re not feeling it. At. All. Ben's goal is to be able to touch his toes at the end of the month and he's promised to post a progress photo each week, to prove that you don't need to be ultra flexible or experienced in yoga to get the benefits. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/53 to see his progress photos and for links to Adriene’s videos, youtube channel and shorter practices for those days you don’t have a lot of time. Don’t forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! ==== 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago Brooke received an email from a listener who was struggling with an insanely hectic work life. She’d just listened to an episode of the podcast where a guest suggested people who feel overworked should simply find a way to work fewer hours. And while she understood the meaning behind the advice, it didn’t apply to her life - at all. She asked if there was a way she could use slow living to balance her full-time work with family and external commitments while still living an intentional life. Enter Scott Eblin. Scott is a business and leadership coach who works with senior executives around the globe. He teaches them how to adopt mindfulness into their day-to-day work lives and why it will prove transformational not only in their work, but also their home and personal lives too. Not only has Scott experienced being overworked and overwhelmed himself, he uses mindfulness, yoga and meditation to manage a debilitating neurological disease while working a demanding job. Even if you don’t find yourself struggling with a hectic workplace, there are so many gems in this chat that apply to all areas of life. Brooke and Scott discuss the beauty and importance of taking baby steps every day, the best place to begin and Scott’s ridiculously easy advice to help everyone slow down - right now. You can find links to Scott's books, blog and website, as well as any resources discussed in today's episode over at http://www.slowyourhome.com/52 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 thanks so much for listening! ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.