The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

Well, crack open the chocolates and pass all the lollies! The no-sugar experiment is over! In this episode, Brooke and Ben talk about the past month’s experience of eating virtually no processed sugar, how they feel now and what they plan on changing now they’re out of the experiment phase. They also answer a couple of questions about the kinds of foods they ate regularly over the past month and walk through what a typical days food looked like. In this show they also talk about the next Slow Home Experiment and what they’re taking on in March. Initially it was going to be a month of limited screen time but the past few weeks has shown them that running a new company and front-loading work for April means this experiment would just set them up to fail. So instead, they’re going back to a change they started in January but fell away from as things got too busy - daily yoga! Adriene Mishler - the awesome lady behind 30 Days of Yoga and Yoga With Adriene - has given us the OK to use her videos as the basis of the experiment, so if you’re keen to play along you can find a link to her videos over at http://www.slowyourhome.com/51 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.

To celebrate episode 50 of the podcast, Brooke and Ben sit down to recap all that’s happened over the last couple of months at Pogpast HQ. It’s been a busy time and they’ve received a lot of emails asking how slow living and self-employment can fit together. Ben gets pretty honest, sharing the challenges as well as the benefits of running his own show, while Brooke also looks at the changes she’s had to make as her workload has increased. The reality is there is no perfect solution, but Ben and Brooke do have a really open conversation about what’s working and what’s not. In today’s hosts-only show, they also answer two really great listener questions that look at the pressure to buy “the best” once we simplify our life, and whether they plan to adopt the Slow Home Experiment changes into their everyday lives once each month is up. As always, you can get today’s episode show notes from http://www.slowyourhome.com/50 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.

There’s just one week left in the first Slow Home Experiment and today Brooke and Ben talk about how they’re feeling now that they’ve completed nearly an entire month of eating no processed sugar. They also talk about some of the more interesting reactions they’ve had as a result of this experiment… It’s fascinating to hear what happens when they start talking about food, even in a very experimental, non-judgemental way. Brooke also answers some questions she’s received over the past week that look at her much-loved weekend nap tradition and whether she plans on keeping up the changes as they move in to next month’s experiment. 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!   You can find today's show notes at http://www.slowyourhome.com/49 ==== 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.

Ellen Ronalds Keene, a dedicated high school teacher on a mission to simplify her life, discusses her journey toward slow living. She shares the profound impact of her choices on her health, family, and work-life balance. Ellen highlights the challenges educators face with burnout and the importance of community support. Delving into decluttering, she emphasizes a compassionate approach to letting go of possessions. Her insights on self-care reveal how prioritizing well-being not only transforms personal life but also enhances relationships.

We’re more than halfway through the first Slow Home Experiment and Brooke and Ben share how they’re feeling now the cravings and low energy have passed. In this show they talk about the different kinds of foods they’re craving and how they’re feeling both physically and mentally. Ben also gets into the habits side of things - turns out the recent episode with Gretchen Rubin had a big impact on him. For links and show notes head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/47 Don’t forget, you can play along with the monthly experiments 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.

If you’ve ever tried meditating, only to be constantly frustrated by the thoughts incessantly drifting into your mind, today’s episode is for you. Meditation practitioner Emily Cordes joins Brooke in today’s episode, where they dive into what it actually means to meditate, how to get started, and how living mindfully has helped Emily work through periods of anxiety and depression. They also talk about the realisation that we don’t actually have to believe the thoughts our anxious minds present - a revelation that both Brooke and Emily have come to as a result of therapy, simplicity and mindfulness. This might sound like a heavy episode, but it’s a really uplifting and inspiring conversation with loads of resources and links from Emily, to help everyone try their hand at meditation. To get the show notes and links from today’s episode, head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/46 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 continue to sacrifice their bodies and minds for science* in Week 2 of The Slow Home Experiment. In this episode they talk about their first full week of the No Sugar experiment. Turns out they’re feeling much better than a week ago, and seem to be over the worst of the sugar hangover. In this super relaxed episode they chat about a recent bout of illness and whether they think it was related to giving up sugar, their thoughts after watching That Sugar Film and The Great Vodka Debate of 2016. After a week of fairly solid cravings, they both feel like they’re over the worst of it now and are pretty pleased that things have started to feel easier. They talk a little about the mindful side of eating this way and the impact it’s having on other areas of their lives (somewhat unexpectedly!) Don’t forget, you can play along with us 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!   *Not really science. Just Brooke and Ben. ==== 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.

In a captivating discussion, Gretchen Rubin, a New York Times best-selling author known for 'The Happiness Project,' shares her insights on habits and happiness. She engages in a personalized habits counseling with Brooke, exploring burnout and the Four Tendencies of Habit Formation. They delve into the challenges of clutter, the dynamics of different personality types in relationships, and the transformative journey of quitting sugar. With practical tips for creating lasting change, this conversation is both enlightening and enjoyable.

Today marks the beginning of the Great Slow Living Experiments Experiment! In case you missed it, Ben and Brooke have given their bodies and brains to science* in the name of testing a variety of slow living approaches. Every month they choose one experiment to focus their attention on, and each Monday release a podcast where they talk about their experience to date. And today is the very first one! February sees them giving up processed sugar in an attempt to become more mindful of what they’re eating, as both have been guilty of slipping in to boredom/emotional/habitual eating. It made sense to cut out sugar first, as that’s one of the biggest drivers for mindless eating and one that’s currently very popular. So a few days ago they began. And it wasn’t pretty… *Not really science. Just Brooke and Ben.   Don’t forget, you can play along with us 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! For today's show notes, links and resources, visit http://www.slowyourhome.com/43 ==== 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.

The first non-McAlary podcast guest of 2016 is the delightful Stacey Roberts of Veggie Mama, and honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an hour on a rainy Friday morning. We talk about negative relationships and why they drove her to learn about mindfulness, what she’s learnt from a decades-long meditation practice, and the negative thought patterns both of us have had to break free of and how living a simpler, more intentional life has helped with that. We also talk about the importance of saying no, having fun and what ‘pretty minimalism’ looks like. Don’t forget that next week we start publishing two shows a week (I know! Exciting!) and next Monday we kick off our first month-long experiment by giving up sugar. If you want to play along with us, head over to Facebook or Twitter and tag your posts with #slowhomeexperiment. For today's show notes and links to Stacey's blog and social media, visit http://www.slowyourhome.com/42 ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support us, leave us 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 our Patreon page (http://www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! xx ====Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.