The Slow Home Podcast With Brooke Mcalary

There’s just one week left in the first Slow Home Experiment and today Brooke and Ben talk about how they’re feeling now that they’ve completed nearly an entire month of eating no processed sugar. They also talk about some of the more interesting reactions they’ve had as a result of this experiment… It’s fascinating to hear what happens when they start talking about food, even in a very experimental, non-judgemental way. Brooke also answers some questions she’s received over the past week that look at her much-loved weekend nap tradition and whether she plans on keeping up the changes as they move in to next month’s experiment. Don’t forget, you can play along with Brooke and Ben by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting!   You can find today's show notes at http://www.slowyourhome.com/49 ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iT

One of the most common requests we receive about the pogpast (apart from more singing from Ben) would have to be to feature more “normal people”. That is, people who don’t work online, haven’t written a book or aren’t teaching others how to slow down and simplify. Because, for the vast majority of people who listen to the podcast, who are balancing work, family, friends, health, home and external commitments, the added tasks of slowing down and simplifying can seem incredibly overwhelming. While listening to people who have already worked through some of the process is helpful, it can also feel a little disconnected. A little like, “Well, that’s great, but it doesn’t actually apply to me.” After talking about this on a previous episode, Ellen reached out to Brooke and volunteered to be on the show and talk about her ongoing work to simplify and slow down. In this episode Brooke and Ellen talk about her decision to slow down, and the impact it had on her work, her colleagues, her family, her health and her hom

We’re more than halfway through the first Slow Home Experiment and Brooke and Ben share how they’re feeling now the cravings and low energy have passed. In this show they talk about the different kinds of foods they’re craving and how they’re feeling both physically and mentally. Ben also gets into the habits side of things - turns out the recent episode with Gretchen Rubin had a big impact on him. For links and show notes head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/47 Don’t forget, you can play along with the monthly experiments by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting!   ==== 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! ====Support the show.

If you’ve ever tried meditating, only to be constantly frustrated by the thoughts incessantly drifting into your mind, today’s episode is for you. Meditation practitioner Emily Cordes joins Brooke in today’s episode, where they dive into what it actually means to meditate, how to get started, and how living mindfully has helped Emily work through periods of anxiety and depression. They also talk about the realisation that we don’t actually have to believe the thoughts our anxious minds present - a revelation that both Brooke and Emily have come to as a result of therapy, simplicity and mindfulness. This might sound like a heavy episode, but it’s a really uplifting and inspiring conversation with loads of resources and links from Emily, to help everyone try their hand at meditation. To get the show notes and links from today’s episode, head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/46 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

Brooke and Ben continue to sacrifice their bodies and minds for science* in Week 2 of The Slow Home Experiment. In this episode they talk about their first full week of the No Sugar experiment. Turns out they’re feeling much better than a week ago, and seem to be over the worst of the sugar hangover. In this super relaxed episode they chat about a recent bout of illness and whether they think it was related to giving up sugar, their thoughts after watching That Sugar Film and The Great Vodka Debate of 2016. After a week of fairly solid cravings, they both feel like they’re over the worst of it now and are pretty pleased that things have started to feel easier. They talk a little about the mindful side of eating this way and the impact it’s having on other areas of their lives (somewhat unexpectedly!) Don’t forget, you can play along with us by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting!   *Not r

In this ridiculously enlightening episode, Brooke chats with Gretchen Rubin, the New York Times best-selling author of Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. This show starts out as any other - a regular conversation - in this instance, about happiness and habits and the changes Gretchen is most proud of in her own life. But somewhere around the middle it shifts into something different… A personalised habits counselling session, as Gretchen digs into why Brooke is inclined to take on too many projects and burn out in a big way. They also discuss the Four Tendencies of Habits, and why that means Brooke is less likely to do a morning yoga class by herself, but more likely to turn up if Ben joins her. This is such a fun conversation with plenty of insight into why we do and do not find making changes easy. And for anyone looking to make a shift towards a slower, simpler life, there are plenty of tips and tricks from Gretchen to help you make those changes as seamlessly as possible. Also,

Today marks the beginning of the Great Slow Living Experiments Experiment! In case you missed it, Ben and Brooke have given their bodies and brains to science* in the name of testing a variety of slow living approaches. Every month they choose one experiment to focus their attention on, and each Monday release a podcast where they talk about their experience to date. And today is the very first one! February sees them giving up processed sugar in an attempt to become more mindful of what they’re eating, as both have been guilty of slipping in to boredom/emotional/habitual eating. It made sense to cut out sugar first, as that’s one of the biggest drivers for mindless eating and one that’s currently very popular. So a few days ago they began. And it wasn’t pretty… *Not really science. Just Brooke and Ben.   Don’t forget, you can play along with us by tagging your social media posts with #slowhomeexperiment and share your experiences. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let’s get experimenting! For t

The first non-McAlary podcast guest of 2016 is the delightful Stacey Roberts of Veggie Mama, and honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an hour on a rainy Friday morning. We talk about negative relationships and why they drove her to learn about mindfulness, what she’s learnt from a decades-long meditation practice, and the negative thought patterns both of us have had to break free of and how living a simpler, more intentional life has helped with that. We also talk about the importance of saying no, having fun and what ‘pretty minimalism’ looks like. Don’t forget that next week we start publishing two shows a week (I know! Exciting!) and next Monday we kick off our first month-long experiment by giving up sugar. If you want to play along with us, head over to Facebook or Twitter and tag your posts with #slowhomeexperiment. For today's show notes and links to Stacey's blog and social media, visit http://www.slowyourhome.com/42 ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support

Welcome to the first episode of 2016! In today’s show Ben and Brooke talk about rhythms and why this time of year is the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button, rethink your priorities and recalibrate your time. Resetting and rethinking are super relevant for Brooke and Ben this year, as over the holidays they made some huge life decisions that are going to see pretty much everything change. They talk some more about what those decisions are and how they’re both feeling in the face of such massive shifts. They also acknowledge the fact that all these changes might not seem very ‘slow’, how they make it work within the framework of living a slower, more intentional life and why this isn’t really a paradox. EXCITING NEWS: From February 1, The Slow Home Podcast will be published twice every week, with a new style show on Monday and the regular show on Thursdays. Mondays will see Brooke and Ben diving into monthly experiments in different areas of slow living (things like quitting processed sugar, daily me

  We’re rounding out the year with a final hostful, where Ben and Brooke chat about the year that’s been, some highlights, some very exciting future plans, and answer three most excellent listener questions. (They were also interrupted approximately eleventy billion times while recording, so if they seem a little crazy - that’s part of the reason. The other part is that they're like that all the time.) The questions tackled in this episode are related to: - finding a balance between community service and living a slower life- how to avoid the ‘all or nothing’ tendency once we start to explore slow living- how to balance extra-curricular activities with a slower family life As always, there are rarely straightforward answers to any of these questions, which is what makes it so juicy and interesting to talk about. It’s hard to believe this is the final episode for 2015. It’s been such a cracking year, and we’re so incredibly grateful for everyone who’s listened, shared, rated or reviewed the show since we launc

http://www.slowyourhome.com/39 Have you ever found yourself eating your way through a block of chocolate, despite the fact you stopped enjoying it a while ago? Or ordered the big plate of hot chips even though you know you’lll feel bloated and heavy and low on energy in thirty minutes time? So why do we do it? Why do we repeatedly eat food that we know will leave us feeling depleted? That’s what I unpack today with my guest, Ali Wright, a nutritionist who turned her own health around after reaching a crisis point just a few years ago. What I love most about this chat is that it’s not about dieting or following a certain food trend, and it’s certainly not about deprivation. Instead, Ali and I talk about the idea of ‘crowding out’ foods that don’t benefit us, with more of the foods that do. The focus is also not on weight loss or fitting some arbitrary vision of health and wellness, but rather on eating well to be well. Refreshing, right? Enjoy x ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best

Bea Johnson is a guru of zero waste living. Her family of four produce barely enough rubbish to fit into a small glass jar - every year - and she now spends time teaching others how to reduce waste and live simpler, more sustainable lives. She also has a kick-ass accent. Coming in to this conversation Brooke was expecting to walk away feeling overwhelmed and a little inadequate. Not because of Bea herself - she’s delightful - but because the subject of zero waste living has always seemed so all-consuming. So all or nothing. But it takes her only a few minutes to realise she needn’t have worried. As Bea and Brooke got chatting, she realised that creating a zero waste life is really similar to creating a slow, simple life - it’s something created over months and years. Change by change, day by day, one improvement at a time. Bea has a way of talking about these changes that seem completely do-able (and actually preferable) and Brooke walked away from this conversation feeling even mo

http://www.slowyourhome.com/37 Mark Shapiro is a big fan of authenticity. In fact, he quit his job in television earlier this year to spend time teaching people how to live an authentic life. And what he’s discovered is that we humans play it safe. We stick very closely to whatever it is we “should” be doing, even if it means ignoring the truth of who we are and what would make us happy. Mark and I chat really honestly about the obstacles and changes in our lives, the stories we tell ourselves and what happened when we realised the “all” we had worked so hard to have wasn’t actually going to make us happy. I walked away from this conversation with a completely new outlook on what it is to live authentically and after he edited it, Ben told me that this is one of his favourite shows of the year! Enjoy x ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support us, leave us a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to our Patreon page to become a patron of the show and help support it financially.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/36 When people used to ask Rachel Macy Stafford just how she managed to fit so much into her life, she took it as a compliment. But as her world began crashing down around her, she realised just how much ‘having it all’ was actually costing her. In today’s episode I ask Rachel about the moment she realised things needed to change and how giving just 10 minutes of undistracted time to her family was enough to turn things around.  We also talk about people pleasing and the modern day myth that busyness equals success. This show is full of big moments of realness - just like Rachel’s writing - and there’s a lot in this conversation that I’ve been revisiting over the past couple of weeks. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support us, leave us a rating or a review in iTunes  or head over to our Patreon page to help support the show financially. And thanks so much for listening! xxSupport the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/35 Linda Esposito is a psychotherapist who’s passionate about helping stressed out, sleep deprived adults, angry teens and their frustrated parents. When I sat down with her recently we wound up talking about depression, social media, the power of disconnecting and the importance of routine. We also chat about the work she does with mindfulness, how we can learn to better manage our stress and why she’s determined to reduce the 46+ million Xanax prescriptions written each year in the US. It’s really interesting to get an insight into the clinical research into living a slower, simpler, more mindful life because so often it feels like the slow movement has been co-opted by commercial brands and turned into a trend. Talking about the real world benefits of it with someone who sees the result daily was fascinating. Enjoy! ==== If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support us, leave us a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to our Patreon page to help support

http://www.slowyourhome.com/34 Sometimes I’ll have a conversation with a guest that leaves me feeling like I’ve spent an hour chatting with a friend, and today’s episode with Jen Hansard - one half of the dynamic Simple Green Smoothies duo - is one of them. Jen and I talk about the massive success of Simple Green Smoothies and the brand new book (out today!) but we also talk about the health crises that started it all. Like a lot of us, Jen was addicted to coffee and getting by on a diet high in processed food. Her energy was flagging and she found herself and family constantly sick. It wasn’t until she was forced to make big changes to her family’s diet that she really recognised the impact our food has on our health and well being. The Simple Green Smoothies movement grew from there and now the girls are rockstars of wellness. But we also talk about balance and being realistic in the changes we make, why there's always room for Pizza Fridays, the importance of community and Jen’s favourite smoothie recipe.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/33 This is a special bonus episode of the show, featuring a chat I recently had with Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist. Joshua and his wife have just launched The Hope Effect - a charity designed to revolutionise orphan care. To be honest, I had no real idea of the difficult and damaging environment many young orphaned children are brought up in, and once I heard Joshua's reasons and the plan behind The Hope Effect, I absolutely had to share it with you. Today we talk about the work of The Hope Effect, what made them decide to start a charity (which is a story of great generosity in itself) and how you can get involved this holiday season. Take a listen, check out The Hope Effect and share this episode with your friends and family. Enjoy! PS. If you'd like to take part in fundraising for Homes for the Holidays, head here and contribute to the campaign! Try giving the gift of hope this holiday season. Support the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/32 This week it’s hostful time, where we do our best to answer your listener questions. This week Ben even sings. It’s a beautiful thing. Fortunately though, this was our first time recording with a two-mic set up (we’re so professional) so Ben’s mic is a little quiet. We’ve done our best to shift the levels around and it should be fine but if things sound a little different, that’s why. We spend this week’s episode answering a handful of great questions straight from you, including: - How can I find support and guidance in my local area, particularly from those looking to live a similarly slow, simple life?- Can you give us an insight into your daily life? - Any tips for the upcoming holidays, especially the social engagements with friends and colleagues?- What have you found to be the biggest advantage or the most rewarding aspect of slow living? - Can you suggest some other podcasts in a similar vein to the Slow Home Podcast? It’s a great group of questions and I think we've got

http://www.slowyourhome.com/31 Everyone’s path to a simpler life unfolds differently, but as I’ve been interviewing guests for the podcast and talking to more and more people about their stories, it’s becoming clear that there are common points in most tellings. Common realisations as we strip away the excess, the clutter, the stress and the stuff. One of the most common is the desire to simplify the food we eat and the products we use, simply because of the impact they’re having on our well being. It’s so often that we come to un Today I chat with Alexx Stuart, low-tox living expert, about the changes we can make to our food and many of our everyday products, and the impact these changes can have on our well being. We look at the first steps anyone can take to make the shift towards a low-tox life, and also talk about guilt and how to move past the fear of being “too far gone” to make any significant changes. It’s an information-packed episode with loads of resources for you to check out after, so be sure to

http://www.slowyourhome.com/30 Many people dream of making the shift from hectic city life to somewhere slower paced, and I can’t help but feel this has become the expected move for those adopting a simpler life. But it totally doesn’t need to be the case. Today I chat with Rachel Jonat who has just moved her family of five from The Isle of Man (a relatively small and remote island in the Irish Sea) back to inner-city Vancouver, and life is just as, if not more simple now. Cities have a whole lot going for them when it comes to slow living, and today we talk about the benefits of living in a city as opposed to a small community. Rachel and I also talk about minimalism-lite and how it plays out with three young boys, why she loves over-the-top birthday parties and what her world-champion rowing career taught her about living a non-conventional life. There was lots for me to think about after this conversation - particularly about things like fear, failure, experimenting and honesty - and I really hope you get