The Slow Home Podcast With Brooke Mcalary

In last week’s hostful, Brooke and Ben answered some excellent listener questions about birthday presents, advice for their 20-year-old selves, and how they manage to balance home duties while also working from home. But the question that got the most feedback was one about zombies. As big fans of The Walking Dead and other zombie/apocalyptic TV and movies, Brooke and Ben had a lot of fun briefly discussing their chances of survival in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, as well as establishing which weapons they’d be most likely to pick up if the undead came for them. But it also got them thinking about the different ways slow living could actually impact your ability to survive (and perhaps even thrive?) in the apocalypse, and in a discussion over on Facebook earlier this week, a lot of people weighed in on the question: “What is it about slow living that would prepare you for a zombie apocalypse?” So here it is - a possibly-slightly-ridiculous but-very-well-researched episode that addr

Brooke was feeling quite optimistic at the beginning of this month’s decluttering experiment, certain she could find 500 items to let go of between the beginning and end of October… Turns out she might have been a tad over-confident. Ben and Brooke talk through the past week and their efforts in continuing the Slow Home Experiment, and while so far so good, they’re both concerned at what the latter part of the month will look like. It’s proving more difficult than expected for two reasons. Firstly, they don’t have as much stuff to let go of as they used to, and secondly is the stop-start nature of the experiment. Needing to shift in to a daily practice of letting go is proving a challenge, but definitely a positive one that will see both Brooke and Ben let go of sticky, sentimental or invisible clutter as the month goes on. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode head over to the blog http://www.slowyourhome.com/109. This month is already proving to be a reall

Today is another hostful episode and Brooke and Ben try their best to answer some cracking good questions. Including: I'm a 20 year old university student and a big advocate of slow living, but I feel like a lot of the content out there is targeted towards a different age group. What advice would you give to your 20 year old selves regarding slow living and what would you have done differently at that age if you'd been introduced to this idea sooner? Can you talk about school holidays and your thoughts on structured activities for your kids versus encouraging them to find their own fun? How do you navigate birthday parties? With sport friends, school friends, parent friends with their kids .... it can turn into a party every weekend! Kids love parties and being invited so much so that I think saying a flat out 'no' is almost cruel. And if you go and celebrate one child's birthday, then isn't it nasty to say no to another child? I’d also love to hear your thoughts on actually hosting a party and the gif

It's the beginning of a new month, which means the start of a new Slow Home Experiment. In today's episode Brooke and Ben talk about their decluttering experiment, why they wanted to go back to their simple living roots, and the rules of the #minsgame they're following this month, as a motivator to let go of some of the clutter that's crept in over the past year. Essentially though, they're letting go of clutter every day. October 1, they each let go of one thing. October 2, two things. October 3, three things, and so on, all the way to the end of the month. Ben does some impressive arithmetic to work out how many items that is, but suffice to say, it's going to be a challenge!  Both Brooke and Ben talk through their first three days worth of clutter, the strange emotional attachment we form with things - particulalrly when they're tied to important moments in life - and the freedom and lightness that comes with letting go.  Brooke talks about the importance of simplifying and the impact d

Last week you heard the first part of Brooke’s chat with Carolyn Tate - founder of The Slow School of Business and founding member of Conscious Capitalism Australia - and today she returns for Part 2! In this episode they go deep into the issue of hyper-consumerism and whether Carolyn feels a sense of ownership of it - considering her background as a marketer. This leads into a really interesting conversation on conscious consumption, what it looks like and how to know if a brand we’re supporting really is ethical, as well as the important accompaniment to conscious consumption, which is conscious capitalism. Brooke and Carolyn also share a whole heap of resources so head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/106 for all the links. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help s

“You will never regret being kind.” Turns out, not only is this an internet-friendly quote thrown around online a great deal, but it’s also actually true! This month’s random acts of kindness experiment has been both eye and heart-opening for Brooke and Ben, and this week they talk through some of their favourite moments. They also talk about the vulnerability of kindness, and how much easier it’s started to come, the more they’ve practised. As this is the last Monday show for September, it’s also time to reveal next month’s Slow Home Experiment, and in October Brooke and Ben are going back to their decluttering roots and playing the Minimalists Game. In this episode they explain exactly what that means and why they’ve decided to spend October letting go of some of the excess stuff that’s accrued over the past 6 months, as well as how you can join them. It starts easily enough, with decluttering one item on Day 1 of the month, and two items on D

Today Brooke chats with Carolyn Tate, co-founder of The Slow School of Business and Conscious Capitalism Australia. She’s an ex-marketing executive who ‘flicked on the slow switch’ in 2010, after a massive realisation about the life she’d been living. Brooke and Carolyn talk a lot about her personal journey, what changes she’s made over the past 6 years, what she’s still working on and how her life is different now. Carolyn is also a massive advocate for living a purpose-driven life, and they talk a lot about the idea of finding your Why and using it to inform the choices you make and the life you create. They also talk about the problem with work/life balance as one of the core reasons for Carolyn to start The Slow School of Business, and she has some golden tips on how to start affecting change from within an organisation rather than seeing the only solution as finding a new job or starting your own business. There is so much to learn from Carolyn’s person

More than halfway through this month’s Slow Home Experiment and Brooke is discovering that the impact a random act of kindness can have stretches further than only the receiver, and even beyond the giver, to sometimes impact the people who simply witness it. And while it wasn’t necessarily the intention when they began, her and Ben have realised that putting kindness into the world in this way, on a regular basis, is such a rewarding thing to do. This week Ben and Brooke talk about the good parts of the experiment, as well as some of the things they’ve been struggling with personally, and Brooke shares a particularly funny internal reaction to her buying coffee for a stranger. They also walk through some of the kind things they’ve done for others this week, and will be posting some ideas for kindness acts over on Facebook over the coming days. None of them are big, and most don’t cost anything other than time and attention, but the benefits are much more wide-reaching t

It’s time for another listener chat on the pogpast, and Brooke’s guest Joshua is a warm and generous delight of a person whose openness left both Brooke and Ben feeling incredibly inspired.  When she first heard his story in the Straight and Curly Facebook group a few weeks ago, Brooke knew she needed to talk to Joshua about his journey back from overwhelm, and how he and his family have learnt to value time and experiences over the trappings of ‘success’. Joshua is so open and generous in the things he shares, as he talks about the moment it became clear that things weren’t OK and goes deep in to the ways he and his husband have worked together to find a balance. Joshua also talks about the really simple shifts he’s made at home in order to start living more sustainably, as well as what he’s doing with the space letting go has opened up. The audio in this conversation isn’t great unfortunately, but the wisdom Joshua drops is way too good not to share so pl

Brooke and Ben knew that the Random Acts of Kindness experiment would shift the way they viewed the world, but what they didn’t expect was the huge levels of support from all of you! Today they talk about why it’s struck such a chord with people, as well as the different ways they’ve both tried to spread kindness over the past week. This experiment isn’t about big, audacious gifts or flashy examples of financial generosity (although they’re amazing too) but rather showing kindness where we might not have previously - opening a door, smiling at a stranger, letting someone know you’re thinking about them or that you can even see them, acting on the impulse to be kind where we otherwise might not have - and today both Ben and Brooke share why that’s been an incredible, and slightly unnerving shift to make. For the full blog post and links to resources mentioned in today’s poggie, head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/101 Enjoy the pogpast! ==== If you're en

When they started The Slow Home Podcast 18 months ago, Brooke and Ben had no idea it would work out the way it has. More than 1.2 million downloads, named one of the best shows of 2015 by iTunes, and an amazing community of like-minded people has them routinely shaking their heads in wonderment. Today marks the 100th episode of the poggie and it’s a fun one. Brooke opened up an AMA (ask me anything) on Facebook last week and got some great questions, so today they do their best to answer a whole heap of them.They talk about TV and books, the things they miss about pre-slow life and where they’d spend 24 child-free hours anywhere in the world. They also share some of their favourite music, areas of life that challenge them to live slow and the pretty mundane story of how they met. It’s a celebration of the past 100 episodes, peppered with lots of chat about slowing down and more than a couple of inside jokes. Enjoy! And thank you for being part of it. For the full blog post and links to

This month’s Slow Home Experiment is only a few days old and Brooke and Ben are super excited to see how many people have decided to join in on the daily kindness experiment. In today’s episode they talk about how they’re feeling a few days in to this experiment, what’s been challenging, what’s been surprising, and what small acts of kindness they’ve undertaken over the first few days. When this experiment was first announced there were two questions that kept coming up, so they spend a little time today unpacking their thoughts on each of them. Firstly, what constitutes an act of kindness? Does it count if we’re kind to ourselves? The second question related to money, and the cost of many popular random acts of kindness. The oft-quoted ideas of buying a coffee for the person behind you at the coffee shop, or buying flowers or a meal for someone - while lovely, thoughtful ideas - are out of the financial realm for most of us. So Ben and Brooke also spend some time wor

As Brooke and Ben prepare for the 100th pogpast episode next week, they thought it would be fun to take a look back at the very beginning. Not for the awkwardness (although it IS awkward) and not for the laughs (although it IS cringeingly funny) but so you can see how much things have changed over the past 18 months. One of the things Brooke is most passionate about in advocating for a slower way of living is the idea that there is no 'right way'. There isn't a perfect road map to simplicity or a step-by-step guidebook that will take you to the best version of your best life. It's messy and real and sometimes frustrating, and it almost certainly involves a lot of questioning and evolution and iteration.  By going back in time Brooke and Ben can see just how much they've changed and how much more aligned they are with their Why, but also just how important those earlier stages have been in creating the life they're living today. Here's to awkward conversation and a wond

The end of the month is near which means it’s time to wrap up the August Slow Home Experiment and introduce a new one for September. This month’s screen-free bedroom experiment has been one of the simplest and most effective changes Brooke and Ben have made all year, and in today’s episode they talk about its challenges and benefits, as well as some of the reasons people didn’t or couldn’t join in, alongside possible solutions for the most common of those. When it comes to the September experiment, Brooke and Ben were inspired by her recent conversation with Jono Fisher, and have decided to commit one random act of kindness every day for the entire month. As Brooke reveals in this conversation - she’s actually pretty nervous about this one! She and Ben talk about potential acts of kindness they could try, as well as some of the options that aren’t going to cost money every day. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode head over to http://www.slowyour

In today’s episode Brooke chats with the utterly lovely Margy Heuschele - a teacher-librarian from Toowoomba in Queensland - who has gradually shifted her life from one of stress and overwhelm and perfectionism and control, to one of slowness, contentment, simplicity and joy in the tiny moments. There are so many things to love in this episode (not least Margy’s amazing book recommendations!) but one of the most striking things is the contentment Margy exudes and the way she describes the tiny, beautiful moments in her life as the turning point in living a slower, more mindful life. There wasn’t a huge traumatic experience or a momentous realisation that brought her to slow living, but rather taking the time for little, mundane moments of beauty in her every day. She and Brooke also talk about the impact simplifying had on her now-grown kids, why it’s so important to teach people (both the young and not-so-young) foundational skills such as sewing and gardening, and why she and her hus

As they roll into the fourth week of their screen-free bedroom experiment, Brooke and Ben talk about this week's challenges as well as some of the self-sabotage they've been partaking in. Brooke also talks about blue light and her recent discovery that it's present in far more than just our phones, computers and tablet screens.  They also talk about September’s experiment (which both Brooke and Ben are feeling a little nervous about) and what you can do to get involved. For links to everything mentioned in today's episode (including Alexx Stuart's sleep-themed episode of Low Tox Life, and Cybele and Brooke's Simply Calmer challenge) head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/96.  Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so m

This week Brooke chats with listener Colleen Valles, who has managed to slow down and simplify her life to amazing lengths, despite a full and busy life as a single mum working a full-time (and then some!) job.  Colleen has so much to offer and goes deep into how she uncovered her priorities and slowly changed her job, her schedule and her home to live a life more aligned to those priorities.  She's now building a tiny home in one of the most expensive areas in the US, and her and Brooke talk about how she plans to combine households with her non-minimalist partner too!  For show notes, and links to Colleen's blog and social media head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/95 Enjoy!  ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much

In this week's episode, Brooke and Ben talk some more about their current Slow Home Experiment - creating a screen-free bedroom - and the surprising impact it's had on not only their sleep, but a whole heap of other areas too.  Better quality sleep is the one area they expected to improve, but better and more conversations, higher productivity, better mornings, happier days... It's been a revelation! They also have some suggestions on the best way to adopt a screen-free experiment into your own life, and some options for those living in small spaces. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/94 Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes: (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/slow-home-podcast-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2) or head over to the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/slow) to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! ====Support the sho

Rachel Jonat is back for her second visit to the pogpast and, as always, it’s such a great conversation. Last they spoke, Rachel and her family had recently moved back to Vancouver from the Isle of Man and were finding their feet and discovering what it meant to keep a slow and simple pace in a busy city. Today they talk about the move, and the unintentional decluttering that came when a lot of their possessions were ruined in transit. Rachel and Brooke also talk about her new book and what it looks like to live a minimalist life with three young boys - particularly the baby years. They talk about creating a home that’s flexible enough to change as your family grows, and Brooke decides that their families should house-swap very soon - whether Rachel wants to or not. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode head to http://www.slowyourhome.com/93 Today’s episode was brought to you by Ettitude. For 10% off your first order of ethical, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, bam

Ben and Brooke are in to the second week of their screen-free bedroom experiment and enjoying it SO MUCH. As Brooke mentioned in last week’s episode there’d been some backsliding in allowing phones in to the bedroom and this past week has been such a great reminder of how much there is to gain when we lose the tech. Brooke is feeling far more relaxed in the morning, while Ben loves the fact that he’s reading more. One of the interesting things to note has been “the twitch” that Anthony Ongaro spoke about back in Episode 54 of the poggie. Brooke particularly  has found it amazing to see just how often she goes to reach for her phone and this experiment is making it easier to break the twitch - even outside the bedroom. This is a really easy experiment to join in, so feel free to play along, and tag your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment. Ben and Brooke also talk a little more about the launch of the Jackrabbit.FM app, where you can find it and wh