The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

http://www.slowyourhome.com/21 In today's episode I chat with Kelly Exeter - a writer, business-owner, full-time employee, mum, wife and fellow simplicity-seeker. She and I are also ridiculously, remarkably alike in terms of personality and the circumstances that led us to pursue a slower, simpler life.  In this conversation we talk about the anxiety and depression that forced her to slow down, why she now builds deliberate inefficiencies into her day, the myth of finding work/life balance and the “traffic light system” that allows her to decide whether she’s doing life well over time.  Kelly and her husband both work full-time, so I also asked her the question I’m posed a lot but don’t necessarily feel qualified to answer: “Is slow and simple living only accessible to single income families or those with one parent working from home?”  There are so many nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout today's episode and I hope you enjoy it!  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/20 As usual, the first show of the month is a hostful episode!  I’m always excited to share these conversations, but one of the questions we try to answer today had me talking in circles. And while I did my best trying to articulate my thoughts on what is a really complex topic, I'm not sure I did a good job.  Let me know what you think after you listen to us try to answer these listener questions: How do I deal with friend or relationship clutter?   Is there room in the life of a working parent to pursue slow living? Or is it solely the domain of the single-income family? Before we dive into answering these sticky questions though, Ben and I sit and chat a little about life now that I’ve stopped blogging. Things feel lighter and infinitely more positive now that I’ve lessened the amount of online work I’m doing. I genuinely hadn’t realised how much my mental and physical health had been suffering until I slowed down and stepped back. All in all, life is good and living a little slower has made it even better.  Enjoy the show! Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/19  In this episode I chat with Rhonda Hetzel, the much-loved godmother of slow, simple living in both Australia and around the world. Rhonda is the author of two hugely popular books on creating a slower, simpler home and has an incredible amount of wisdom to share. We look at her personal journey and talk about those first years as she started to shift her family's lifestyle away from excessive consumption, busy-ness and stress. We also dig into her advice for those of us just beginning the process.  It was really fascinating to look back at Rhonda's story, because when we see someone who is living their slow dream, it's hard to imagine they ever lived any differently. I loved how open Rhonda was to sharing her process and personally learnt a lot about the power of simply being patient.    The truth is, we all need to start somewhere. Enjoy!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/18 How does a comic book collector (and I’m talking serious collector with thousands of comics, DVDs and action figures) become a minimalist? And what causes such a big change?  Today I chat with Jeff Sandquist, ex-chiropractor and comic book collector, and present-day writer, speaker and wanderer, about the journey he’s taken over the past 2 years.  Jeff used to be a legitimate collector. He had thousands of comic books, DVDs and action figures, which he’d been collecting and keeping in mint condition since his teens.  In today’s episode we talk about his snap decision to not only stop collecting, but to let go of it all. What caused the change? How hard was it to let go? Does he regret it? What does he think caused him to collect in the first place?  We also dig in to the wider changes Jeff has made in his life over the past couple of years, and the impact minimalism has had on his work, his world view and the things he values. Enjoy listening to Jeff’s story (and maybe a little nerding out over The Walking Dead). Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/17 In today’s episode I chat with Kristen Ottaway, a health and well being advocate based in Brisbane.  When I initially contacted Kristen to appear on the show, she questioned whether her life was actually slow or simple enough to qualify, but as you’ll see during our conversation, she has made huge changes over the past few years and is now living a significantly slower, simpler life than she recognised.   We chat about how that happened - how she got out of debt, downsized, started a business and created a community of like-minded people who have been instrumental in her making and maintaining big changes in her life. Enjoy!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/16 In today’s episode I sat down to talk with Eric Zimmer - the man behind one of my favourite podcasts, The One You Feed.  Eric was such a delightful, insightful person to talk to, and while Ben gives me grief for saying this too often, I genuinely could have sat and chatted with him for hours.  We talk about his podcast and the stunning parable that gives the show its name, his unexpected thoughts on social media and its role in our dissatisfaction, comparison and perfectionism, as well as how to create and maintain habits in the best and easiest possible way.  Once you’ve listened to our conversation, I’d definitely urge you to go and check out The One You Feed in iTunes - you won’t regret it!    In the meantime though, enjoy the show. Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/15 It’s time for another hostful episode!  Ben and I have a ridiculous amount of fun recording these host-only episodes and I really love the opportunity to answer listener questions in a relaxed, non-posturing kind of way.  We inadvertently themed today's three questions around other people. Or more specifically, how to approach slow, simple living while living with and taking into consideration the needs and desires of other people.  These questions are thought-provoking and also quite common and I do my best to answer them: How can I create a slower home with less “stuff” when my spouse isn’t on the same wavelength? How can I simplify large amounts emotionally-charged clutter, like kids artworks? How do I shift my thinking about "stuff" and what constitutes clutter as my children grow and develop their own interests and tastes? One really important part of slow living is acknowledging that everyone's path is different - what works for one person may not work for another. For this reason I'm always hesitant to offer specific advice, but would rather ask questions that get you thinking about what works best for you. Hopefully today's episode will help do that. Enjoy!   Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/14 Much like ‘mindfulness’, ’neuroplasticity’ is a buzz word we’re seeing more and more of in the health/wellness world. And this makes my guest today incredibly happy.   Dr. Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist, health writer, TedX speaker, surfer, Kiwi and mum, and is thrilled that people are starting to pay attention to what’s happening in our brains. In today’s episode, Sarah and I talk about the science of napping (yes! there is now a scientific reason for you to indulge in an afternoon siesta!) and its impact on our brain health.  And while I’m obviously no neuroscientist, we did discover a lot of similarities in our personal stories, which made me feel more intelligent simply by association. I’ll take it where I can, and I hope you enjoy the show! ------ Today’s episode is sponsored by audible.com. Get a free audiobook of your choosing (there are over 180,000 to choose from) by visiting www.audibletrial.com/slow  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/13 Today’s guest is such a delight. Nina Nelson is a mum, writer and entrepreneur who happened to live with her family (of six!) in a converted school bus. We chat about a whole lot of things, including the pressure that simple living can put on people to maintain a certain way of life, the process she went through to cull her family's belongings before moving into the bus, and the reasons they eventually returned to a "regular" home (for the time being at least).  I also reveal what type of unconventional home I'd love to live in, and our kids make their first podcast appearance.  Enjoy! And please don't forget to leave a rating or a review if you're enjoying the show.  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/12  One of the biggest questions I have of the minimalism movement is a somewhat unexpected one: What happens to the world’s economies if we all stopped buying stuff?  Like it or not, many of the planet’s economies are built, at least in part, on ever-growing levels consumption, so it makes sense that a decrease in buying stuff would have a big impact on things like wealth, employment, government spending, infrastructure…  Honestly, it’s one of the few questions I’m asked that make me uncomfortable. Which is why today’s conversation with Donnie Maclurcan is such an interesting one.  Donnie is the co-founder of The Post Growth Institute and is a vocal advocate for a new economy. He is also an Affiliate Professor of Social Science at Southern Oregon University, and one of the most interesting guests I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. I came away from our chat feeling hopeful and light and significantly more aware of the issues our world is going to face in the coming years. There is a whole heap of food for thought in this episode, and I really hope you enjoy it.   Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.