The Slow Home Podcast With Brooke Mcalary

Since returning to Australia and moving in to a new home, Brooke and Ben have found that there's a lot of curiosity about their stuff. Have they bought a whole heap of it? Are they still living out of suitcases? Are they still minimalists?  So in this episode they decide to dive deep in to their current relationship with stuff and how they view the accumulation or letting go of it through a slow living lens. They also answer some common questions about the things they own: How has their relationship with stuff changed? What stuff have they rediscovered since settling back in to a normal life? What sort of stuff have they bought and how do they approach buying now Have they continued to declutter, and if so, how do they do it now?  Running through the entire deep dive is a more general discussion of how Brooke and Ben have moved away from a 'traditional minimalist' mindset to a more 'lower waste living' philosophy, as well as some thoughts on why they don’t really associate with a minimalist

Welcome back to another season of the Slow Home podcast!  Season 5 of the poggie has a new format, with each episode comprising of two parts. In the first part Ben and Brooke will be diving deep into an area of slow living that listeners want to know more about (think topics like self-care, waste reduction, tech and their relationship to stuff). The second part of the episode will be a dedicated follow-up with guests from Season 4 to see how they have been tracking and whether they have implemented any changes.  Today's episode kicks off with a conversation on rhythms (as opposed to routines) where Brooke and Ben discuss: What exactly are rhythms? How rhythms are applied to different parts of their life What rhythms have looked like for them since settling into their new town What they have discovered about rhythms and how they best work for them If there is room for flexibility and fluidity within rhythms How to set up and maintain rhythms Brooke then catches up with Season 4 guest, Kate, who you

Brooke and Ben are busily preparing for the Season 5 launch of the podcast (next Thursday!) and sat down earlier this week to record a quick catch-up episode, to share where they're at after a strange and awful summer. They chat about the bushfires, the amazing efforts of the Slow Home community in helping support a local wildlife rescue organisation and how they're moving forward. They also share a little more of what you can expect from Season 5, including weekly deep-dive conversations on topics like daily rhythms, stuff, waste reduction, community, technology, exercise and running a household, as well as catch-up conversations with guests from last season.  Season 5 will be with you in no time, but until then, enjoy!  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season5 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for our love letters Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Support the show.

Welcome to the fifth and final episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) Often on the podcast we dance around the topic of technology - usually viewing it as something that gets in the way of our efforts to slow down and live a more mindful, sustainable life. But what if we embraced technology and viewed it as the greatest opportunity we have to change (or maybe even save) the world? In this week’s episode Brooke chats with Katie Patrick, an environmental engineer and designer who applies data-driven, gamification, and behaviour-change techniques to solve the world’s environmental problems. Katie brings with her a completely new perspective on what it’s going to take to change the world, and it’s a refreshing, hope-filled, imagination-fuelled joy to listen to. Brooke and Katie talk about the important relationship between slowing down, getting

Welcome to the third episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) In this episode Brooke asks her guest, Kali Gray, if there's a link between the rise in consumerism, the endless advertising messages that assault us thousands of times a day and the increase in body image issues. Kali is a body confidence expert and a “non diet” dietician and in today’s episode she and Brooke discuss the the relationship between food security and body image issues, while also looking at the crossover between slow living and the work of reframing our perspective on food, self-care, self-worth and the food we eat. Kali also turns the interview tables around on Brooke at one point, sparking a conversation on how big changes such as these take time, and no matter how well-versed we are in consumerism, health, wellness, body image and food, there’s always going to be pa

Welcome to the third episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or the slopes!) Platonic sparks fly in today’s episode, when Brooke sits down with Meg Berryman of Beyond Being Well. Meg is a women’s coach, mum, yoga teacher, empowerment educator and fabulous no-BS human. We couldn’t wait to have her on the show to talk about her work and especially the link between making changes for ourselves and making changes for the collective, which is something Brooke has felt herself being pulled toward more and more. Meg talks about the journey from wellness to wholeness to igniting social change – a shift from self to collective focus. She touches on the importance of discovering what wellness is to us as individuals, connecting to the body, why we need compassion in the face of patriarchy and capitalism and so much more. This conversation was truly effortless but

Welcome to the second episode of our Summer Series, where throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or slopes!) As we head not only in to a new year but also a new decade many of us are looking to make positive changes to the way we live by reducing plastic and reducing waste. Today's episode not only gives you some practical advice on how to do that, but also  offers some gentle encouragement to make changes even when they're difficult or slow in coming. Brooke is joined by Erin Rhoads, creator of The Rogue Ginger blog and author of two excellent low-waste living books, and in this conversation she provides incredibly accessible and practical tips on living a zero-waste life. Erin also answers a few common questions about living plastic-free, specifically: How can we avoid plastic wrapping when buying cheese? Is there an alternative for lunch wraps that doesn't require us to cook our own? How can we open up the

Welcome to the first episode of our Summer Series (Winter Warmies!) Throughout all of January, we’ll be sharing some of your favourite episodes from 2019, to keep you company on the beach (or the slopes!) In this episode Brooke sits down with goals coach, co-founder of Rock Your Bliss and incredible public speaker/human Jacki Carr. Brooke did some work with Jacki in 2018 before embarking on the Slow book tour and it had the most enormous impact on her time on the road. So she was determined to chat with Jacki this season, and especially at this time of year, as there’s so much buzz about resolutions, goals and general New Year vibes, which is all Jacki’s passion. Brooke and Jacki cover so much in this conversation, talking all things resolutions, change, defining and committing to goals, values, balance, community and how to use social media as a tool for connection rather than a crutch, by consistently returning to your values. Questions featured in this episode: How do you help people def

And just like that, we arrive at the final episode of 2019. It’s been quite the ride folks, and in the last hostful of the year, Brooke and Ben look back over what has undoubtedly been a massively transformative year for them both. They talk about the transition from travelling to putting down roots, end of year burnout and their thoughts on the future as a new year (and a new decade) peeks around the corner. The Top 10 Best Things List also makes a come back as Brooke and Ben explore the year that was through the lens of their favourite: TV show small detail movie new destination book discovery album new podcast meal experience Brooke also talks about her conflicted relationship with travel, book plans for 2020 and shares a little of what you can expect from the podcast next year too. If you’re worried about pogpast withdrawal symptoms over the January break, fear not! The annual Summer Series/Winter Warmies (where Brooke and Ben share some of their favourite past episodes) will be in your earh

Can you live slow if you’re someone who enjoys being busy? What if you’re a Type A, go-getter? Or someone who prides themselves on setting goals and kicking them every single time? In today’s episode (the second-last of the season!) Brooke speaks with Elisa, who has spent the past year shedding many layers of her life and self-beliefs, but now finds herself stuck on how to distil the myriad ideas she’s absorbed in to real, lasting change – without reverting to living fast. Elisa shares the catalyst for making changes in her life before she and Brooke dig in to the question of values and personal identity. As a mum who is emerging from the parenting very young children phase, Elisa also spends some time digging in to the underlying motivations that might be driving her desire to be constantly busy. Brooke talks about finding contentment in the now, no matter how imperfect, and why the word ‘slow’ might actually be giving Elisa more stress than peace. Jacki Carr, values

If you’ve ever tried to reduce the amount of plastic or food waste going in to your bin, if you’ve ever tried to cut back on packaging or unnecessary products in your shopping trolley, or if you’ve ever tried your hand at Plastic Free July and found yourself overwhelmed and frustrated at the lack of realistic low-waste options in your home town – this episode is for you. Today we meet Amy, who lives in rural northern Maine, where recycling and low-waste resources are limited. Amy has been making progress in lots of different areas of slow living, but now finds herself at somewhat of a frustrating point where the lack of local services is making further progress tough. She and Brooke talk about the frustrations of living in a system that’s not set up for our success, and the importance of acknowledging when we’re doing the best we can. They chat about the progress Amy has made (which is a great way of reframing the journey so far) and Brooke offers some practical suggestions

This week we meet another wonderful listener, Sara, who has found herself in a place many of us can relate to: she's gradually reduced the commitments in her life in order to do more of what lights her up but has found other requests and demands on her sneaking in and is finding it difficult to create boundaries and say no. Sara has been transitioning to retirement over the past couple of years but is struggling to actually retire. She values service in all areas of her life, and is struggling to calibrate what service looks like in a life that has always placed the service of others ahead of her own needs. She's finding it difficult to say no and similarly tough to create boundaries.  Brooke and Sara talk about the role of ego in constantly saying yes, as well as the feelings of guilt that arise when Sara chooses to create and honour the boundaries around her time, energy and other values. Brooke is then joined by Cark Honoré, who talks about our innate desire to feel relevant as we get older, an

Slow living has positive applications for everyone – no matter their age, life circumstance or work situation. All too often however, it’s presented from the perspective of people in their thirties and forties who are well-established in their careers, relationships, family and home situations, who are making changes in order to slow down (usually after burning out or reaching a crisis point).   In this week’s episode Brooke chats with Lauren, who is in her mid-twenties and wants to know whether slow living is something you need to ‘earn’ in your twenties by hustling and burning the candle at both ends, or whether there are things she can do now to help “build the right foundations for a slow life from the start of my career, rather than course-correcting later?” Lauren also wants to know what specific things she might want to prioritise now in order to set herself up for an intentional life. Brooke and Lauren talk about what success looks like, and why it’

When we look around and see the environmental crises facing the world it can be easy to slip in to despair, as we wonder, “What difference can I make? I’m only one person.” In today’s episode we meet Georgi, who has made massive strides in changing the way she lives as an individual but is now looking at the bigger picture and wants to know, “What are some bigger things I can do, outside my own home, to make a real impact? What are the best things we can do to make a real difference?” Georgi and Brooke have a really wide-ranging conversation that looks at both the highly practical changes each of us can make in our attempts to live a slower, more sustainable life, as well as the broader issue of how to work out what we have to offer our community and how to begin delivering it. Brooke is then joined by special guest, Sarah Wilson (author of First, We Make the Beast Beautiful) who talks about the importance of us coming together to make change, as opposed to buying in to the

In today’s episode we meet Nancy, who has recently moved from the UK to Kuala Lumpur with her family, and is afraid that her introversion, combined with her desire to live a ‘slow life’ is holding her back from making friends. Brooke discovers that she and Nancy share a lot of the same concerns, and they dive head-first in to why they both struggle with connection and what relationship that struggle has to deeper issues of self-worth, guilt and shame.   Brooke also shares some of the practical techniques she’s used over the past six months of living in a new place that have helped her slowly find and connect with like-minded people, while also talking through why we might want to rethink what “like-minded people” means to us. Are we holding out for a perfect fit when there are dozens of great people surrounding us? And if so, how can we get to know whether we’re a good fit as friends or not? To bring another perspective in to the conversation, Brooke is joined by

Surprise! We're popping in to your earholes on a Monday with a very special bonus episode featuring the utterly delightful Clare Bowditch - songwriter, actress, storyteller and author of one of the most powerful memoirs Brooke has ever read.  In this conversation Brooke and Clare talk about the stories we tell ourselves and why they matter, loss and grief, mental health and healing, learning to be patient and what happens when we show up scared.  It's deep, it's funny, it's bittersweet and we hope you enjoy it.  Looking for more Slow? Find show notes, resources and links at slowyourhome.com/season4 Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for our love letters Join the Slow Experiment Club over on Patreon Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Support the show.

Welcome to Season 4! As Brooke and Ben mentioned in the sneak peek episode a couple of weeks ago, this season sees a pretty significant shake-up to the podcast format and they’re excited to dive in to it with you. The season starts with a question from Kate, who wants to know whether slow living and some of its adjacent elements – mindfulness, self-care, noticing, increased peace and patience – can actually rob us of ambition. Kate is an author and also has a passion for teaching and podcasting, and fears that if she slowed down enough to focus solely on her writing, she’d be robbing herself of the opportunity to not only do some of the things that fill her up, but also to live on the ‘edges of life’, where so much of the material for her books is gleaned. Brooke and Kate talk about fear, mental health, the importance of looking at our intentions when taking (or not taking) certain actions, and the stories we tell ourselves about pain and discomfort and creativity and just

Season 4 is nearly here, and this week Brooke and Ben thought they'd drop a sneaky little preview of what's to come.  They talk about the totally new format for Season 4 episodes, why they decided to make a change and what you can expect from them this season (lots of super relatable conversations and practical takeaways).  Ben and Brooke also discuss what life's been like over the past couple of months as they settle in to their new home in the Southern Highlands, what they're struggling with and what the rest of the year holds. Ben peppers Brooke with some very random questions about negative reviews and the sustainability themes in The Handmaid's Tale (bear with us - it makes sense) and they also discuss the realities of finding new rhythms while holding space for exploring a new way of life.  It's fun, it's a little random, and it just might tide you over until Season 4 kicks off for real on October 24.  Enjoy!  Looking for more Slow? Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up f

Unbelievable though it may seem, today's episode is the final poggie of Season 3. (Time flies when you're having fun!)  Before Brooke and Ben get in to today's episode and the outstanding listener questions that have been submitted throughout the season, they begin on a bittersweet note as they bid a very fond farewell to two Slow Home team members.  Once they wipe away their tears and (literally) play Steph and Ryan off in to the sunset, Brooke and Ben dive head-first in to some terrific listener questions. These include:   Apart from people, what do you most miss about Canada and the US? And what are you most glad to have in Australia? Is it easier to live slower in Australia or in the US/Canada? What are you finding challenging in regards to slow living, and what are you doing in response? What area did you decide to buy and live in, and why did you chose that area? Were you ever nervous about not being close to the city, not being close to family and instead living in a rural area?

This season has been an exploration of slow living through a variety of different lenses, looking at what constitutes ‘slow’ from new perspectives. Today’s episode, the second-last of the season, is no different as Brooke chats with author and Japanologist Beth Kempton about slow living through the lens of Japanese culture. Or more specifically, through the lens of wabi sabi. Complex to define, wabi sabi is an exploration of acceptance and contentment. An acknowledgement of the true nature of life and as such is a really powerful way of shifting our worldview. Beth introduces Brooke to this complex nature of wabi sabi and they discuss how the idea of perfect imperfection can impact the way we purchase and consume things, the way we connect with people and the environment around us, and how it’s a welcome respite in a world that calls us to constant comparison and competition. They discuss whether wabi sabi, or any personal philosophy really, has the power to change the world as well as