the tortoise & the hare

Latest Episodes:

How to get back on the slow living wagon Dec 07, 2016

Show notes

Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the…month. It’s hostful pogpast time, and as is now customary, Brooke and Ben answer some incredibly insightful and wide-ranging listener questions in today’s hostful, that cover questions like:

How do you view the relationship between creativity and stuff? That is, how does simplifying impact a creative person’s ability or desire to surround themselves with beautiful, inspirational things?
What’s your plan of action when you fall off the slow living wagon? (This is very timely for us but also lots of others feeling the pinch of a busy end of year period).
Much of the advice on minimalism forums centres on simply ‘getting rid of excess’ or throwing it in the bin. What can we do with our unwanted items before the last resort of throwing them away, and how can we begin to educate others on the different options available to us?
How can I get back to living in alignment with my why when I’m tired or completely unmotivated?

See? The best questions.

Enjoy!

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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.

Same, same but different with Andy McLean Nov 30, 2016

Show notes

One of the things you requested from our recent listener survey was that Ben take the reigns and do more poggies featuring conversations with other men.

The good news is, you’ve spoken and we’ve listened!

Following his chat with Dr Arne Rubinstein earlier in the year, this week Ben sits down to have a chat with freelance content creator, ocean swimmer, meditator, Dad, Shakespearian tragic and business magazine publisher Andy McLean.

Ben has known Andy for eight years first as a co-worker and have since become great friends. In this pogpast Ben and Andy talk about the similar trajectories their lives have taken them over the best part of a decade with Andy too taking the leap and starting his own business this year.

Andy and Ben talk about the themes of mentoring, balance, mindfulness, feminism and the importance of passion projects as well as their love of pogpasts (Ben and Andy were trailblazers having recorded their first podcast together close to seven years ago).

It’s not often men get to talk about such themes in such a public way and hopefully you will get a lot from the discussion.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/124 for links and resources mentioned in today's episode.

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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.

Play #4 Nov 27, 2016

Show notes

This has been an unexpectedly challenging experiment for Brooke, and while she and Ben originally chose the theme of ‘play’ as a respite from the previous month’s decluttering work, this one has proven to be much more taxing in ways they hadn’t expected.

Brooke, admittedly, has been feeling the pinch of some big deadlines, and getting sick mid-month certainly didn’t help matters, but as she discussed in this week’s episode, having the idea of playfulness in the back of her mind over the past few weeks has seen some really simple, beautiful changes in her daily actions.

Things like giving a funny reply to her kids when it would otherwise have been neutral, dancing around the kitchen, listening to music in the car and having a ready laugh have all helped in small but significant ways.
They also talk about the final experiment of the year, and why they changed it at the last minute - given how overwhelmed they were feeling at the mere thought of another thing to do at what is one of the busiest times of the year.

Truth be told, it seems like the end of year shenanigans are starting to take their toll on Brooke and Ben (in a good way!)

Head over to the blog for a list of suggestions for finding moments of slow in the busy season of the holidays, and in the meantime, enjoy your week!

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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.

From the City to the Bush - The Realities of a Tree-Change with Bele Masterman Nov 23, 2016

Show notes

Bele Masterman returns for her fourth appearance on the poggie, and this week she and Brooke sit down face-to-face and talk about the realities a very big tree-change.

Having recently moved from a large family home in the inner-city to a tiny cabin on riverfront acreage, Bele talks about the process of moving, the challenges and pushback she's had to overcome, and the surprising benefits she's discovered as her family has settled in to what is a very different life.

They also discuss the pros and cons of documenting such a big life change on social media, and why it so often feels like the documenting of life is actually the robbing of presence.

As has been a theme lately, both Brooke and Bele talk about their personal Whys and how knowing their priorities in life helps them avoid slipping in to comparisonitis (too often).

Such a great chat. Head over to the blog to find Bele's earlier episodes and social media links. Enjoy!

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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.

Play #3 Nov 20, 2016

Show notes

Three weeks in to this month's play-centred Slow Home Experiment, and yet again, Brooke and Ben get a little emotional.

Brooke has had a tough couple of weeks and talks a little about the reasons she's feeling burnt out, as well as the realisations she's arrived at during this month's experiment. Ironically, it's turned out to be one of the most challenging they've ever done, when it was initially chosen as a light and easy reprieve after last month's decluttering experiment.
After watching the 1991 classic film Hook (well, classic to them, anyway) both Ben and Brooke also reflect on the lessons they learnt about people, priorities and happy thoughts. BANGARANG!

And 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.

Coping with news and social media overwhelm Nov 16, 2016

Show notes

It might have been the after effects of a tumultuous, emotional week or possibly the fact that they had to record this episode twice (no word on whose fault that is, Brooke) but this hostful gets a little emotional.

As usual, Brooke and Ben answer some listener questions about various elements of slow living, but considering the events of the past week and the subsequent media frenzy, this hostful comes at a super opportune time as Brooke and Ben talk about the role of social media and news in a slower paced life. They also talk specifically on how to avoid overwhelm when faced with an excess of opinions dressed as news, and the different strategies they each use to keep oversaturation of 'current affairs' to a minimum.

The conversation get quite emotional when answering a question about their personal Whys, as both Brooke and Ben examine the reasons for change and what they each stand to gain by choosing to slow down and simplify.

Thankfully, there are also some less emotional questions regarding books (which Brooke is delighted about!) recovering from a busy or stressful period, and the negatives to slow living.

As always, these questions get the brain juices flowing, and hopefully some of the answers and strategies in today's pogpast will be helpful to you as you continue to slow down and simplify.

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.

Play #2 Nov 13, 2016

Show notes

This is the second full week of the November Slow Home Experiment of daily play, and in today’s episode Ben and Brooke talk about their progress.

Brooke’s been feeling a little insecure in her attempts this week as she’s not naturally as playful as Ben and has been wondering if she’s doing it ‘right’.

Her and Ben talk about the things they have been doing, including more play with the kids, choosing to laugh and joke more freely, listening to funny things instead of serious things, hunting for rainbows and throwing the ball around. But what Brooke can’t really shake is the feeling that this is a job.

They chat about habit change and whether the ‘job’ feeling is part of making a lasting change, as well as the problem with comparisons.

This is another experiment that’s open to everyone, and it’s never too late to join in. Feel free to tag your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and have a cracker of a week.

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.

Ethical Fashion with Melinda Tually of Fashion Revolution Nov 09, 2016

Show notes

In another deep-dive episode, Brooke chats with Mel Tually, the co-ordinator of Fashion Revolution in Australia and NZ.

Fashion Revolution was started in response to the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh, where more than 1,100 garment workers perished. The tragedy shone a bright light on the garment industry and the substandard conditions many of them are forced to endure, in the name of cheap, fast fashion.
In this episode Mel and Brooke talk about the importance of ethical fashion and the transparency that is starting to appear in many well-known labels around the world. But they also talk about the importance of being intentional with the choices we make, opting for quality over quantity (or brand name, for that matter) and simply buying less fashion.
Mel also has some fantastic advice for those of us who feel completely overwhelmed by the problems facing the fashion industry, and the inevitable paralysis by analysis when we begin to look a little deeper into the clothes we wear.

There are some amazing listener questions featured in this episode and Mel lists whole heap of resources to help you learn more about the people behind the clothes. Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/118 for a full list.

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.

Play #1 Nov 06, 2016

Show notes

A new month rings in a new Slow Home Experiment, and after the fairly heavy workload of last month’s decluttering experiment, in November Brooke and Ben have decided to go for something more playful. In fact, as they explained in last week’s episode, they’re experimenting with daily play! (Or random silliness, playfulness, wonder, non-task-oriented things, call it what you will.)

Unsurprisingly, they’ve both had lots of fun this week, but Ben and Brooke talk about the fact that he is much more naturally playful than she is, and that this week has been more challenging than Brooke expected. They look at why that might be, plus how Brooke is choosing to remind herself to lighten up every day and rediscover her inner child.

One thing they both wanted to make clear is that this experiment is definitely not just for those with kids at home. Everyone has the opportunity to be more playful, and while kids perhaps make it more obvious that play is available at every turn, play can be anything that’s just for fun. There are so many ways we can re-engage that sense of child-like wonder in our days, and Ben and Brooke talk through some of them in today’s poggie.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/117 for a full list of play ideas.

This is another experiment that’s open to everyone, and it’s never too late to join in. Feel free to tag your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and have a cracker of a week.

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.

Fermenting: A Thousand Year Old Food Trend with Jaimee Edwards Nov 02, 2016

Show notes

In today’s episode Brooke chats with Jaimee Edwards, who, as a professional fermenter, has one of the coolest job titles ever.

Fermenting is having quite the resurgence in popular culture now - think kombucha, miso, kim-chi and sauerkraut - but in today’s chat Jaimee and Brooke talk about food trends and why some disappear while others grow and shift, becoming movements that appeal to a far greater audience than just the French-basket wielding, farmer’s market crew.

Jaimee talks about her experience in bottling 100 kilograms (yes, kilograms!) of tomatoes one afternoon and how it proved to be a turning point in not only her career, but also her relationship with food. She and Brooke also talk at length about what life is like when lived elbow-deep in good bacteria.

Head over to the blog for links to Cornersmith and the books Jaimee recommends in this poggie.

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.