the tortoise & the hare

Latest Episodes:

JOMO - The Joy of Missing Out Jul 22, 2017

Show notes

Most of us have heard of (and experienced) FOMO at some point. FOMO is the Fear of Missing Out and it strikes at the heart of modern life. We do things, attend things or buy things in order to avoid it, but there will always be things we miss out on. So why do we struggle with it so much?

A couple of weeks ago a friend of the show (Mr Andy McLean - you may know him from such programs as Episode 124 of The Slow Home Podcast) sent Brooke and Ben a photo of a Leunig poem about JOMO, and they thought it would be a great topic to chat about on today’s poggie.

JOMO is the Joy of Missing Out and the antidote to FOMO. It’s the utter delight that is saying no and doing less and choosing to not compete in the Busy Olympics. JOMO is a breath of fresh air when it feels like we’re choking on the idea that in order to be successful we need to be constantly in motion, striving and chasing the life that will make others envious.

JOMO comes from a place of abundance (everything, right now, is enough) while FOMO comes from a place of scarcity (I’m scared that this will never be enough) and Brooke and Ben talk about the many different ways to apply it in life. JOMO can apply to our stuff, busy-ness, excess, social media, comparisons, keeping up with the Joneses… In all of those areas of life we can joyfully choose to see that we have enough, after which saying no becomes a relief.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/180 for the full Leunig poem and the complete blog post.

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.

Making mindfulness simple again with Linda Esposito Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

The lovely Linda Esposito, Brooke’s favourite psychotherapist, returns to the poggie today! Linda can always be relied on to cut through the BS that occasionally attaches itself to conversations about health, mindfulness and wellness, and today’s conversation is no different.

Recently Linda posted on Instagram about the overcomplification of mindfulness and why we need to bring it back to its simplest form, and she and Brooke talk about that idea in today’s episode. They also talk about the importance of boredom and the benefits and value in simply not doing.

Brooke also asks Linda a very common question: As we begin to make positive changes in our lives, as we begin to live more mindfully, why do we so often find ourselves feeling better in some ways but actually worse in others? Why do we feel more aware of the discomfort and overwhelm in our lives when we’re actively trying to reduce these things? And, importantly, what can we do about it?

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/179 for links to Linda’s website and social media, as well as more info on our upcoming Patreon-exclusive video call.

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.

The time is now Jul 16, 2017

Show notes

On last Thursday's poggie Brooke and Ben went deep in to some upcoming changes in their life and have been completely blown away by your support and generosity as a result. From emails and travel suggestions to guest introductions and offers of accomodation, it's been incredible.

In today's show they talk briefly about that support, as well as the underlying thought that has been part of many of these changes - that we can't wait for things to be perfect before we act. The time is now.

Brooke recently shared one such thought over on Instagram, and uses it as the basis of today's poggie.

In it she wrote about embracing the moment, not being overly concerned with the aesthetics and not becoming trapped by the imperfections. She wrote specifically about swimming with the kids at the beach on a recent holiday and how the Brooke of a year ago would have sat it out, watching from afar. Instead, she raced down the sand and jumped in the surf alongside her family, and was rewarded ten-fold with laughter and play and joy.

In today's Brooke shares how she arrived at that place of embracing the imperfect moment, and not suprisingly, it all stems back to her eulogy. Who does she want to look back and see? The person who sat it out or the person who was gleefully splashing in the water?

Turns out this idea of legacy is central to so many of the shifts Brooke and Ben are currently in the process of making, and to wind up today's episode they encourage you to start tapping in to your legacy whenever you're faced with the tension of who you want to be versus where you feel most unchallenged.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/178 to read the full Instagram caption, to check out the links for info on Brooke’s books and to find out more about the live video call later this month.

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.

BIG changes and hitting reset Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

Today’s poggie is a hostful with a difference. This week it’s all about Brooke and Ben and the challenges they’ve been facing over the past few months, the changes they're making, what they mean for the show and what life is going to look like for them over the coming months.

Ben and Brooke share that they’ve both been struggling, feeling overwhelmed and lost as they realised they needed to revisit their Why. A recent camping trip gave them the space and time to do that deep thinking, and today they share the decisions they came to and why they’re so excited about the next chapter.

To get all the juicy details you’ll need to listen to the show, but essentially Ben and Brooke are going through another radical simplification. As part of that they’ve decided to dissolve Jackrabbit.FM and help each of the shows on the network to exist independently instead. Brooke will be focusing more on her writing (lots of news on that front in today’s show too) and, very excitingly, they’re heading off on a big adventure next year!

They also talk about all the release dates for Brooke’s new book and where to pre-order your copy, as well as the upcoming live video call for Patreon supporters. There’s a lot to cover, and Brooke and Ben were both quite nervous as they shared everything in this show, but hopefully you enjoy it.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/177 to share your suggestions for the trip next year and to check out the links for info on Brooke’s books and the live video call later this month.

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.

Carolyn Tate on finding purpose in your work (without quitting your job!) Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

In today's poggie, Carolyn Tate returns to talk about purpose. And while the current iteration of "purpose" seems to involve quitting your job, becoming a digital nomad and freelancing your way through life (all of which are valid choices!) Carolyn is here to talk about finding purpose in your current work.

So often the conversation about purpose revolves around huge changes, or the fact that big corporations simply aren't interested in creating workplaces of purpose or intention, but as someone who has worked for 15 years in the corporate sector and the past 10 years in small business, Carolyn believes that there are opportunities for purposeful work and living, regardless of vocation.

This is such an interesting conversation, and as always Carolyn has so many beautiful insights to share.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/175 for the full blog post and links to Carolyn's new book.

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.

Listener Chat with Louisa Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

It’s been a while since Brooke has had a listener chat on the poggie and today’s episode is a gem.

Brooke chats with Louisa from Western Australia about her personal journey from a hectic suburban existence to a life lived in a slow-paced coastal town. They talk about Lou’s experience of overwhelm and anxiety, as well as her post natal depression and eventual bipolar diagnosis, and how managing these issues and getting treatment for them has led her to a place of letting go. Not just letting go of stuff (that actually came later) but letting go of her plans, expectations, ideas and self-imposed obligations, and trusting that on the other side would be acceptance or peace or simplicity, or maybe even all three.

In the end it was an unexpected job loss and a few months spent living in a camper trailer on the remote coast of Western Australia that delivered Lou to stillness, and she and Brooke explore what it looks like to pack up a big family house and go adventuring with no particular outcome in mind.

They also talk about Lou’s life now, after her family made a sea-change late last year. It’s interesting to hear her experience of the sea-change expectations vs reality, and how moving to a slower-paced community doesn’t necessarily mean that life gets slower by itself. W’re sold the idea of sea-change (or tree-change or moving to a farm or insert your grass is greener solution here) as a one-size-fits-all fix for a busy modern life, and Lou’s honesty here as well as throughout the entire conversation is a breath of fresh air.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/173 for the full post and a list of resources mentioned in today’s show.

Enjoy!

This poggie is sponsored by ettitude - makers of ethical, organic bamboo bed linen (and now pyjamas!). Head over to http://www.ettitude.com.au/slowhome and use the offer code "sleepbetter" to get 10% off your first order.

====

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.

Plastics: Tackling the packaging Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

Ben and Brooke have spent the past few weeks discussing ways to reduce our plastics consumption. They've looked at doing away with single use plastics, talking to providers about non-plastic options and taking three for the sea every time we're out in nature. This week they round out this mini-series by encouraging you to re-think your purchases based on packaging.

Often we can find a similar product in non-plastic packaging, and the premise of this episode is very simple: buy the alternatives and avoid the plastic where possible.

They also encourage you to be vocal about your changes, letting brands know why you're no longer supporting them and what it would take for you to come back. Companies do pay attention to feedback from their customers - particularly if those customers begin to take their custom elsewhere - and it's by engaging in these conversations that we're going to see change not only at the grassroots level but also from the top levels of organisations.

Hopefully this series has been inspiring to you, and head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/176 for the full blog post and to leave a comment, sharing the changes you've made this month.

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.

Plastics: Take 3 for the Sea Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

In this week’s plastics episode, Ben and Brooke take their inspiration directly from an organisation they're very very fond of: Take 3 for the Sea.

Founded by surfing enthusiast, Amanda Marechal, marine ecologist, Roberta Dixon-Valk and environmentalist, Tim Silverwood, Take 3 is based on the very simple idea that small actions can have a big impact. And considering Plastic-Free July has begun, Ben and Brooke figured this would be a great time to talk about this very simple idea that lies at the heart of Take 3:

Simply Take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere.

Every time you go out in to nature - be it the beach, a bushwalk, the park or river - pick up three pieces of rubbish and put them in the bin. It’s that simple.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/174 for the full post and a list of resources mentioned in today’s show.

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.

Plastics: Talk to your butcher Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

Last week Ben and Brooke introduced a new four-part Monday series dealing with plastics. Specifically, how to use less of them in day to day life. They covered the Big 4 - straws, drink bottles, takeaway coffee cups and plastic shopping bags - and offered a whole heap of solutions to help you live a Plastic Free July (and August, and September and so on…)

This week they’re encouraging you to get a little awkward.

When Brooke and Ben first started to make a concerted effort to reduce their plastic use it became clear quite quickly that it wasn’t going to simply happen. Providers weren’t going to read their minds, they weren’t going to offer plastic-free alternatives without any prompting, and they certainly weren’t going to know alternatives were desired at all unless people started the conversation.

What they’ve learnt over the past 12 months of cutting back is that in order to see change, people need to be willing to make change. And sometimes that means being the weird one, having the awkward conversation, bringing your own bag to the bakery, explaining that you’re doing an experiment - whatever needs doing to gently start the movement.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/172 for the full blog post, resource list and this week’s action. 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.

Embrace your inner granny with Rebecca Sullivan Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

In today’s episode Brooke sits down to chat with Rebecca Sullivan - founder of the ‘granny skills’ movement, serial entrepreneur, food lover and sustainability advocate. In what can only be described as an utterly delightful conversation, Brooke and Rebecca talk about traditions, heritage and the importance of intergenerational connection, as well as how to make the perfect blush for less than $1.

After coming to the realisation that she was completely removed from the process of creating and growing her own food (something to do with cheese and maggots in a small Italian town) Rebecca began the process of educating herself. From that realisation has grown a career of incredible depth and breadth, covering food, traditional skills, agriculture, creating natural homemade products and recently a pilot program that placed grandparents in local schools. This program saw older people teaching kids traditional skills around cooking and woodworking, which not only had an incredibly positive impact on the kids, but the older teachers as well.

Brooke and Rebecca talk about the importance of failure, and the liberation that comes once we accept and even embrace our own screw-ups. As a keen balcony gardener, Rebecca also shares her hottest hits for container growing, including some native edibles that are the most likely to survive some light-to-moderate neglect.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/171 for the full blog post as well as a list of links and resources mentioned in 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 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.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected