The Slow Home Podcast With Brooke Mcalary

http://www.slowyourhome.com/29 Travel has been a part of my life for a really long time, so chatting with this week's guest, Tsh Oxenreider, was such a joy. Tsh has just returned home after a year-long round the world trip with her husband and 3 kids and - not surprisingly - we spend a good chunk of today's episode talking about it. We chat about the different types of long-term travel - both slow travel and ‘hurry up and see all the sights’ travel - as well as how to make it work with a family. We look at packing, toys and the things that surprised her most about being on the road for such a long time, and we also talk about the different parenting styles they encountered along the way. Honestly, this episode gave Ben and I a big dose of itchy feet, so be warned that you may just find yourself perusing airline deals later today. (Not that we did anything of the sort, of course. Ahem.) 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 he

http://www.slowyourhome.com/28 Time for another hostful episode and today Ben and I are answering two really excellent listener questions. The first is from a busy mum who is trying to find time to live a slow life - in spite of the constraints of family, work and life. The second question is about how best to establish a social network of like-minded people, while not alienating old friends whose lifestyle might be significantly different to our own. These are such cracking questions and we go back and forth a lot with both, as neither of them has an answer as such. Like so much of slow and simple living, it’s about what works for you rather than what works for ‘everyone’ (whoever ‘everyone’ is). I’m also loathe to give a one size fits all answer, because they’re so dissatisfying to me. I love that there’s more than one way to approach these issues and endlessly differing points of view. Enjoy our chat, and don't forget to head over to the Facebook page if you have a question you'd like answered on an upcomi

http://www.slowyourhome.com/27 Is there such a thing as fast slow food? Today’s guest, Jules Clancy of The Stone Soup believes there is, and she’s made it her mission to create and share recipes that are healthy, tasty, fast, easy and have just 5 ingredients. In today’s episode we talk about how to create simple, easy meals, but we also look at the impact minimalism has had on Jules’ life, beyond the culinary simplicity she practices. We dig in to her love of experimentation and also look at how decluttering lead to quitting her job and leaving the corporate world. As the mum of a toddler, Jules has some excellent insight into dealing with the dreaded fussy eating stage and gives some tips on how to avoid the whole ‘make two dinners every night’ issue. She also talks about meal planning, getting the most out of your time in the kitchen and what staples she always has on hand - for those nights it’s really too hard to cook. I absolutely loved this conversation (despite the horrible delay we had to contend with

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 f

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!  Support the show.

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! Support the show.

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. 

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. Support the show.

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!  Support the show.

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

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!Support the show.

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

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!Support the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/16 In today’s episode I sat down to talk with Eric Zimmer - the man behind one of my favourite podcasts, The One You Feed.  Eric was such a delightful, insightful person to talk to, and while Ben gives me grief for saying this too often, I genuinely could have sat and chatted with him for hours.  We talk about his podcast and the stunning parable that gives the show its name, his unexpected thoughts on social media and its role in our dissatisfaction, comparison and perfectionism, as well as how to create and maintain habits in the best and easiest possible way.  Once you’ve listened to our conversation, I’d definitely urge you to go and check out The One You Feed in iTunes - you won’t regret it!    In the meantime though, enjoy the show. Support the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/15 It’s time for another hostful episode!  Ben and I have a ridiculous amount of fun recording these host-only episodes and I really love the opportunity to answer listener questions in a relaxed, non-posturing kind of way.  We inadvertently themed today's three questions around other people. Or more specifically, how to approach slow, simple living while living with and taking into consideration the needs and desires of other people.  These questions are thought-provoking and also quite common and I do my best to answer them: How can I create a slower home with less “stuff” when my spouse isn’t on the same wavelength? How can I simplify large amounts emotionally-charged clutter, like kids artworks? How do I shift my thinking about "stuff" and what constitutes clutter as my children grow and develop their own interests and tastes? One really important part of slow living is acknowledging that everyone's path is different - what works for one person may not work for another. For t

http://www.slowyourhome.com/14 Much like ‘mindfulness’, ’neuroplasticity’ is a buzz word we’re seeing more and more of in the health/wellness world. And this makes my guest today incredibly happy.   Dr. Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist, health writer, TedX speaker, surfer, Kiwi and mum, and is thrilled that people are starting to pay attention to what’s happening in our brains. In today’s episode, Sarah and I talk about the science of napping (yes! there is now a scientific reason for you to indulge in an afternoon siesta!) and its impact on our brain health.  And while I’m obviously no neuroscientist, we did discover a lot of similarities in our personal stories, which made me feel more intelligent simply by association. I’ll take it where I can, and I hope you enjoy the show! ------ Today’s episode is sponsored by audible.com. Get a free audiobook of your choosing (there are over 180,000 to choose from) by visiting www.audibletrial.com/slow  Support the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/13 Today’s guest is such a delight. Nina Nelson is a mum, writer and entrepreneur who happened to live with her family (of six!) in a converted school bus. We chat about a whole lot of things, including the pressure that simple living can put on people to maintain a certain way of life, the process she went through to cull her family's belongings before moving into the bus, and the reasons they eventually returned to a "regular" home (for the time being at least).  I also reveal what type of unconventional home I'd love to live in, and our kids make their first podcast appearance.  Enjoy! And please don't forget to leave a rating or a review if you're enjoying the show.  Support the show.

http://www.slowyourhome.com/12  One of the biggest questions I have of the minimalism movement is a somewhat unexpected one: What happens to the world’s economies if we all stopped buying stuff?  Like it or not, many of the planet’s economies are built, at least in part, on ever-growing levels consumption, so it makes sense that a decrease in buying stuff would have a big impact on things like wealth, employment, government spending, infrastructure…  Honestly, it’s one of the few questions I’m asked that make me uncomfortable. Which is why today’s conversation with Donnie Maclurcan is such an interesting one.  Donnie is the co-founder of The Post Growth Institute and is a vocal advocate for a new economy. He is also an Affiliate Professor of Social Science at Southern Oregon University, and one of the most interesting guests I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. I came away from our chat feeling hopeful and light and significantly more aware of the issues our world is going to face in the coming years. There

http://www.slowyourhome.com/11  Today is the first of our hostful Q&A shows and Brooke is doing her best to answer three listener questions: How do I deal with the negative judgements (both internal and external) that come with slowing down and simplifying my life? How can I integrate outdoor play and exploration into every day life? What books have helped in your journey towards a slower, simpler life? Plus, Brooke may or may not go on a small rant about the personification of our stuff and why it’s harming our ability to let go.  Today's show format is a little different, and hopefully it’s something you enjoy. We certainly enjoyed sitting down and recording a full show together.  If you have any questions about slowing down or simplifying, we’d love to answer your question on our next Q&A show. Simply head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/qa and ask away.  In the meantime, enjoy the show!  Support the show.

http://slowyourhome.com/10  In today’s show I sit down with the delightful Courtney Carver of Project 333 and Be More With Less. Aside from her work as a simplicity writer, Courtney is also a photographer, wife, mother and traveller. She also happens to live with a diagnosis of MS, which is something we talk about in our conversation today. Aside from talking about the benefits of a smaller wardrobe, we also dig into her decision to adopt minimalism after her MS diagnosis, how her husband and daughter reacted to the changes, and the weird place I like to keep my jeans.  As the founder of minimalist wardrobe challenge Project 333, Courtney has helped thousands of people experience the massive benefits of living with less stuff.  Fewer clothes means less stress, less waste, less clutter, less time standing in front of an overstuffed wardrobe while declaring we have nothing to wear. In essence, it's just another example of how we stand to benefit from simplifying and slowing right down, even when it feels counte