The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

In this week's episode Ben and Brooke get talking about community. The sense of place or home or belonging that strikes us when we truly feel seen.  In part this episode was prompted by their own experience of searching for and finding community, and in part due to the many questions they've received about how and why they settled in their new community after travelling for 18 months. Brooke and Ben discuss how, as they travelled, they almost subconsciously formulated a list of traits they were looking for in a community - access to nature, finding like-minded people, sustainability - and how they went about finding a place in Australia that had most of those things.  They also discuss: How they've previously struggled with the idea of community, and what it actually means to them now How their idea of community has changed over time Whether slow living has anything to do with community and if it's possible to create a slow living community How they were forced to rethink old beliefs, patterns and boundaries as their experience and ideas of community has changed What the ultimate slow living community might look like How you can find community in your work Whether it's possible to find one community the delivers on all your needs Brooke then has a great follow-up chat with Lauren from Season 4 to see how she went with her values exercise and whether she was able to experiment with a slow living media ‘fast’. Lauren shares how her values exercise played out and how the values she was able to zero in on have helped her make big changes already (new job, new city) as well as sharing some of the really practical shifts she's made over the past few months (gratitude journalling and weekly review). No doubt, Lauren took her homework seriously and has a lot of insight to share.  Enjoy! Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for Brooke's weekly slow-living love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In what feels like a very natural progression from last week’s episode on Stuff, this week Ben and Brooke talk about their efforts to reduce waste in their home. From food, to clothes, to cleaning Ben and Brooke talk about where they started out on their waste reduction journey and where they find themselves now. This week they talk through:  Where the shift from simple living and decluttering to reducing waste and being more sustainable came from How they first started to reduce waste Whether they believe they do ‘enough’ Where they've found new opportunities to reduce waste and what those opportunities look like How they capture their plastic waste Other than food, what other kinds of waste they've been trying to reduce, and how they're going about it  Brooke then speaks with Georgi from Season 4, who shares the practical and inspiring things she's done since they last spoke. Not only has Georgi engaged with the communities she's part of, but has also begun a conversation with her council to explore what changes they can begin to make in her local area. Georgi also shares the really exciting project she's working on - a creative and encouraging handbook for action and optimism, written for young people.  There's a lot of inspiration - both practical and heart-centred - in today's episode, and Georgi shows us how much progress can be made when individuals step up and connect with their local communities.  Enjoy!  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for Brooke's weekly slow-living love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since returning to Australia and moving in to a new home, Brooke and Ben have found that there's a lot of curiosity about their stuff. Have they bought a whole heap of it? Are they still living out of suitcases? Are they still minimalists?  So in this episode they decide to dive deep in to their current relationship with stuff and how they view the accumulation or letting go of it through a slow living lens. They also answer some common questions about the things they own: How has their relationship with stuff changed? What stuff have they rediscovered since settling back in to a normal life? What sort of stuff have they bought and how do they approach buying now Have they continued to declutter, and if so, how do they do it now?  Running through the entire deep dive is a more general discussion of how Brooke and Ben have moved away from a 'traditional minimalist' mindset to a more 'lower waste living' philosophy, as well as some thoughts on why they don’t really associate with a minimalist approach to life anymore.  In the second half of the episode Brooke speaks with Nancy from Season 4 who shares some of the incredible progress she's made since her and Brooke last spoke, which includes a very insightful realisation all about hummus. (Yes, really!) Nancy has come so far along her path of intentional living and it's pure joy to hear her share the changes in her self-confidence, self-esteem and ability to embrace discomfort. Enjoy!  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for Brooke's weekly slow-living love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another season of the Slow Home podcast!  Season 5 of the poggie has a new format, with each episode comprising of two parts. In the first part Ben and Brooke will be diving deep into an area of slow living that listeners want to know more about (think topics like self-care, waste reduction, tech and their relationship to stuff). The second part of the episode will be a dedicated follow-up with guests from Season 4 to see how they have been tracking and whether they have implemented any changes.  Today's episode kicks off with a conversation on rhythms (as opposed to routines) where Brooke and Ben discuss: What exactly are rhythms? How rhythms are applied to different parts of their life What rhythms have looked like for them since settling into their new town What they have discovered about rhythms and how they best work for them If there is room for flexibility and fluidity within rhythms How to set up and maintain rhythms Brooke then catches up with Season 4 guest, Kate, who you might remember was struggling with the question of whether slow living might actually be robbing her of ambition.  Kate shares how she has embraced the 'messy middle' and has started to get comfortable with the unknown since she and Brooke last spoke. She also talks about how saying no to things has given her energy, and shares a few examples of opportunities she would have previously said yes to, and the power she felt by saying no instead.  There's so much inspiration and practical slow living in action in this episode and we hope you enjoy it!  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for Brooke's weekly slow-living love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke and Ben are busily preparing for the Season 5 launch of the podcast (next Thursday!) and sat down earlier this week to record a quick catch-up episode, to share where they're at after a strange and awful summer. They chat about the bushfires, the amazing efforts of the Slow Home community in helping support a local wildlife rescue organisation and how they're moving forward. They also share a little more of what you can expect from Season 5, including weekly deep-dive conversations on topics like daily rhythms, stuff, waste reduction, community, technology, exercise and running a household, as well as catch-up conversations with guests from last season.  Season 5 will be with you in no time, but until then, enjoy!  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for our love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the fifth and final episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) Often on the podcast we dance around the topic of technology - usually viewing it as something that gets in the way of our efforts to slow down and live a more mindful, sustainable life. But what if we embraced technology and viewed it as the greatest opportunity we have to change (or maybe even save) the world? In this week’s episode Brooke chats with Katie Patrick, an environmental engineer and designer who applies data-driven, gamification, and behaviour-change techniques to solve the world’s environmental problems. Katie brings with her a completely new perspective on what it’s going to take to change the world, and it’s a refreshing, hope-filled, imagination-fuelled joy to listen to. Brooke and Katie talk about the important relationship between slowing down, getting creative and making an impact on the world, as well as what letting go of the idea of goals and success has done to Katie’s own life. Katie also shares how imagination and day dreaming might just hold the key to getting more people to care about the planet, and why we need to shift the current narrative away from doom and gloom, to one of opportunity and hope.   Questions featured in this episode:  What role does optimism play in our ability to change the world? Why do we need to slow down in order to access our creative potential? If we lead busy, full lives, how can we make space and time for creativity, particularly when it feels like a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity? What’s the link between optimism and taking action? Why do you think the current environmental, climate crisis messaging is falling flat for so many people? What can we do to change it? Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/summerseries Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Or leave a rating or review in iTunes As always, thank you for listening! Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the third episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) In this episode Brooke asks her guest, Kali Gray, if there's a link between the rise in consumerism, the endless advertising messages that assault us thousands of times a day and the increase in body image issues. Kali is a body confidence expert and a “non diet” dietician and in today’s episode she and Brooke discuss the the relationship between food security and body image issues, while also looking at the crossover between slow living and the work of reframing our perspective on food, self-care, self-worth and the food we eat. Kali also turns the interview tables around on Brooke at one point, sparking a conversation on how big changes such as these take time, and no matter how well-versed we are in consumerism, health, wellness, body image and food, there’s always going to be part of us that requires a little extra love and empathy.  Questions featured in this episode:  Capitalism and consumerism are both linked to our dissatisfaction with ourselves and our bodies. How do you encourage people to recognise that and make changes so that we get to decide what is good and right for us individually? It’s counter-cultural to teach and encourage people to love themselves and accept themselves as they are, particularly in the face of a society that teaches us to find fault in our bodies from a very young age. Is that something that comes naturally to you? We both encourage people to ask the question WHY? Why do we do what we do? Why do we buy what we buy? Why do we eat what we eat? Do you find that once we begin to uncover that why, it becomes simpler to start making changes? As a process, this asking why and digging deep is uncomfortable. How do you encourage people to accept that this is outside their comfort zone and move through regardless? You highlight mindful eating as a way to begin to heal our relationship with food, but what actually is it to eat more mindfully? Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/summerseries Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Or leave a rating or review in iTunes As always, thank you for listening!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the third episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or the slopes!) Platonic sparks fly in today’s episode, when Brooke sits down with Meg Berryman of Beyond Being Well. Meg is a women’s coach, mum, yoga teacher, empowerment educator and fabulous no-BS human. We couldn’t wait to have her on the show to talk about her work and especially the link between making changes for ourselves and making changes for the collective, which is something Brooke has felt herself being pulled toward more and more. Meg talks about the journey from wellness to wholeness to igniting social change – a shift from self to collective focus. She touches on the importance of discovering what wellness is to us as individuals, connecting to the body, why we need compassion in the face of patriarchy and capitalism and so much more. This conversation was truly effortless but engaging, and we hope you enjoy! Questions featured in this episode: What does wellness mean to you? How can people can start to explore what wellness looks like for them? Do you think it’s a counter-cultural move to fully explore your own wholeness? Do you find that a lot of people reach the point of wanting to shift their focus from the self to the collective in their explorations of wholeness? Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/summerseries Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Or leave a rating or review in iTunes As always, thank you for listening!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the second episode of our Summer Series, where throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) As we head not only in to a new year but also a new decade many of us are looking to make positive changes to the way we live by reducing plastic and reducing waste. Today's episode not only gives you some practical advice on how to do that, but also  offers some gentle encouragement to make changes even when they're difficult or slow in coming. Brooke is joined by Erin Rhoads, creator of The Rogue Ginger blog and author of two excellent low-waste living books, and in this conversation she provides incredibly accessible and practical tips on living a zero-waste life. Erin also answers a few common questions about 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? It's a conversation full of practical tips and encouragement - the perfect place to begin your own low-waste journey in 2020.  Enjoy! Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/summerseries Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Or leave a rating or review in iTunes As always, thank you for listening!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the first episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or the slopes!) In this episode Brooke sits down with goals coach, co-founder of Rock Your Bliss and incredible public speaker/human Jacki Carr. Brooke did some work with Jacki in 2018 before embarking on the Slow book tour and it had the most enormous impact on her time on the road. So she was determined to chat with Jacki this season, and especially at this time of year, as there’s so much buzz about resolutions, goals and general New Year vibes, which is all Jacki’s passion. Brooke and Jacki cover so much in this conversation, talking all things resolutions, change, defining and committing to goals, values, balance, community and how to use social media as a tool for connection rather than a crutch, by consistently returning to your values. Questions featured in this episode: How do you help people define their values? How do you encourage people to keep re-centering on their values even when life happens? Have you intentionally developed a crew of people in your corner to support you in living with your values? What are your thoughts on balance? Do you look for ease in situations, or always look to expansion? When did developing in-person communities become important to you? Do you have any tools you use to help social media be a way to connect rather than a crutch? Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/summerseries Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Or leave a rating or review in iTunes As always, thank you for listening!Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.