the tortoise & the hare

Latest Episodes:

Gift guilt and holiday conundrums - SHP026 Sep 16, 2015

Show notes

http://www.slowyourhome.com/26

In today’s episode, I’m the annoying person talking about Christmas - in September.

While the holidays are still a few months away, I’ve been asked whether it’s possible to maintain a slower, simpler way of life in the face of the consumerism-driven Christmas of the modern day, and I think it’s a question many people will have over the coming weeks. So I thought now might be good time to start thinking about it. (Sorry!)

I have my own thoughts on this topic, naturally, and I dive right down into them in this episode, talking about my experiences as a kid, as well as our approach to gift giving now that we have our own kids to buy for.

But my ideas are just that - mine. There’s so many different ways to approach the holiday season, so I invited Bele Masterman back to chat about her views on giving and receiving, whether re-gifting is OK, how to buy second-hand and what to do if a gift is unwanted.

We also talk about how best to manage our kids expectations, how to deal with family and friends who love giving gifts and how to let go of the guilt that comes with a sentimental present.

Enjoy!

PS: This episode is a bit longer than normal, and we’d love to know if the length is something you enjoy or if you prefer to keep them shorter - around the 50-minute mark.

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Lustgarten on living a frugal life - SHP025 Sep 09, 2015

Show notes

http://www.slowyourhome.com/25

Sometimes I have a conversation that is so honest and open it floors me. Today’s episode is one of those.

Sam Lustgarten writes about frugal living, but he and I dive in to a whole lot more than that.

We talk about how he fell into debt in college, and how spending money on stuff became a much-desired distraction as he moved through a difficult personal time. We also look at the first crucial steps that Sam took to start getting out of debt and live a simpler, more frugal life.

Debt can be such a shameful, emotional burden to carry around, but Sam shows how being honest, open and vulnerable can actually lessen the burden and free us up to pay it off (and keep it off).

What I loved about this chat was that Sam never shied away from answering the tricky questions, and as a result I felt myself opening up and talking about our own issues with money and debt.

Enjoy!

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Powers: how to live slow in New York City - SHP024 Sep 02, 2015

Show notes

http://www.slowyourhome.com/24

Is slow living really accessible to people who live in cities? This is a question I'm asked a lot and today’s guest, William Powers, is the perfect person to ask.

Bill's most recent book, New Slow City, explores what it means to live slow in one of the world’s most hectic cities - New York.

He and his wife spent a year living in a micro-apartment in Manhattan, and Bill set about to cut back his work schedule to just 2 days a week.

I loved hearing not only about the slow year Bill and his wife lived in New York, but also the changes they've made since and what took them to move to a Transition Town in Bolivia.

Such a great conversation, and I hope you enjoy it!

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben McAlary on best laid plans - SHP023 Aug 26, 2015

Show notes

http://www.slowyourhome.com/23

Today's guest is my lovely husband Ben, and while hostful episodes are usually about us answering listener questions, today I interview him about our journey from stressed-out to slow living.

We also look at the major benefits from his perspective, and how his idea of success and a life well-lived have changed.

As the one who was the driving force behind slowing down, it was actually really interesting for me to hear Ben’s perspective. And undoubtedly, the pressures he feels are different to the ones I’ve felt, so it was fascinating to hear him talk about what he fears, and the obstacles that still stand in his way.

We also give each other a fair amount of crap, so don’t go thinking our relationship is all deep conversations and time spent delving into each other’s innermost thoughts. Lots of fart jokes in this house.

Enjoy today’s episode, and rest assured that next week we’ll be back to guests outside the family and (fingers crossed) I will no longer sound like Tom Waits.

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cait Flanders on simple money and mindful budgeting Aug 19, 2015

Show notes

http://www.slowyourhome.com/22

In today’s episode, I chat with Cait Flanders about her journey towards a debt-free life, and honestly, it’s a delightful kick in the pants for any of us who may not be on friendly terms with our money.

Over the past 3 years Cait has paid off over $30,000 in consumer debt, adopted minimalism (you’ll find that these two are very closely related!) travelled extensively through North America and recently quit her full-time job to work as a freelancer.

She’s also completely shifted her ideas on what ‘success’ looks and feels like, put herself on a two-year shopping ban and learnt to value experiences over things, slow over fast and long-term gain over short-term pleasure.

We look at why and how Cait started making changes, and she takes us through the rules of her shopping ban.

In short, this episode will inspire your socks off!

Enjoy.

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Exeter on white space and deliberate inefficiencies - SHP021 Aug 12, 2015

Show notes

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.

On dealing with relationship clutter - SHP020 Aug 05, 2015

Show notes

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.

Rhonda Hetzel on living a simple life - SHP019 Jul 29, 2015

Show notes

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.

Jeff Sandquist on the collector's gene - SHP018 Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

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.

Kristen Ottaway on films that will change your life Jul 15, 2015

Show notes

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.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected