The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

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 Br...

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....

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 rev...

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...

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...

Today’s episode is the first to feature Ben behind the microphone, as he interviews the inspiring Dr Arne Rubinstein - a doctor, counsellor and mentor who has had a profound impact on Ben this year, as well as the lives of many young men throughout the world. Arne is an expert in adolescent development who had a life-changing experience 20 years ago while on a rite of passage camp. In this e...

A new month means a new Slow Home Experiment, and in August Ben and Brooke are going screen-free in the bedroom. And while this seems like something they would have already had on lockdown, they’ve seen a bit of backsliding in recent months and the mobile phones have slowly snuck back in to the bedroom. Having a screen in the bedroom has definitely impacted both Brooke’s sleep and her...

Sometimes, the idea of making a real change in the world can feel impossible. In today’s episode Brooke meets the human antidote to these feelings in Jono Fisher, a delightfully warm person who is - quite literally - changing the world with kindness. As founder of The Wake Up Project - a community and events hub on a mission to bring out the best in people - Jono is super passionate about sp...

After committing to cut back on all plastics as part of Plastic Free July., Ben and Brooke are back to talk about the experience. While they were looking to minimise all plastic, they were particularly focused on doing away with the Big 4 - plastic shopping bags, takeaway coffee cups, plastic drinking straws and single-use plastic water bottles. The good news is they nailed those four! The bad new...

After a mid-year break, Ben and Brooke are back in the podcasting chair, and in today’s episode they talk about their time off and a little of what they’ve been up to in July. Brooke talks a lot about a recent TV experience, taking part in an episode of Insight on SBS. The episode she was part of dealt with stuff - and more specifically, hoarding - and in this poggie she talks a lot ab...

Did you know that every single piece of plastic ever produced still remains somewhere on earth today?  Before Ben and Brooke decided to take some time away from their Slow Home Experiments, they had considered making July the month of living plastic free, to coincide with Plastic Free July. And while they’re not running an official experiment this month, in today’s hostful episode...

It’s well documented that Ben is a Big Fan of sleep, so this past weekend when he took part in a 24-hour walking challenge for a mentoring program he’s part of, the lack of sleep had some pretty crazy side-effects. Turns out things gets a little… hallucinogenic when he goes without sleep for more than a full day, and it was the perfect opportunity for he and Brooke to wrap up th...

Fearing it would be too boring for most people, Brooke has been putting this episode off for months. But after being asked countless times for more detail into how she and Ben structure their days, she decided to talk about how a typical day unfolds at their house.  Well, that was the plan When they sat down to talk about what a typical day actually looks like, it took no time to realise ther...

After a very chilly camping trip Ben and Brooke are back to regular sleep patterns, and in today’s episode they talk about pre-sleep rituals, whether it’s possible to gain back sleep debt and how their camping experience impacted on their rest. Ben’s noticed that he and Brooke have very different needs when it comes to pre-sleep rituals so today they talk a little about what Brooke does before bed...

A lot of Brooke’s guests over the past couple of months have spoken about making big life changes - travel, a shift in career or moving to a different place - but in every single instance these changes have been moving them closer to their Why. This is something Brooke finds constantly inspiring as she and Ben continue to make changes in their own lives, and she enjoys going deep into the re...

This month’s Slow Home Experiment sees Ben and Brooke trying to get 8 hours sleep every night, and, well, it’s been pretty straightforward so far. Ben is coasting along with his regular 8+ hours most nights, while Brooke finds herself gaining the extra sleep in the morning rather than the evening, which is having a less than ideal impact on her days. She is, however, enjoying the days...

Joel Zaslofsky is one of the kindest, most encouraging people Brooke’s had the fortune of meeting, and today he’s back for his second visit to the pogpast. He and Brooke talk about his current efforts in optimising sleep, collecting natural spring water with his son and his fascination with the idea of rewilding. They also talk about raising kids who are advocates for nature, gratitude...

Brooke and Ben have started a new Slow Home Experiment this week, and it's one that plays directly into Ben's strengths - sleep. Specifically, they're looking to get 8 hours of sleep every night throughout June, and are curious to see how that will impact their health, well-being and energy levels.  Ben's always been a big fan of sleep, but Brooke has been getting by on 6-7 hours a night...

In today’s episode Brooke chats with Erin Loechner - author, design-y creative, mum and slow living advocate. They talk minimalist wardrobes, slow renovations and the delicate art of sucking at meditation. Also Erin's move from fast-paced LA to a much slower, roomier lifestyle in the Mid-West, what that actually looks like in the day-to-day, and her advice for those whose partners have...

It’s almost time to wrap up this month’s Slow Home Experiment, with only a couple of days of meditation left, so Ben and Brooke talk about the experience and whether they’re going to create a routine out of this particular habit. Brooke also talk about some of the excellent advice and encouragement they’ve both received over the past few weeks, and to see a list of resource...

In this month’s Q&A hostful episode, Brooke and Ben curse slow Australian internet, lament their inability to do a Facebook live video chat this month, and answer some excellent listener questions, including: - thoughts on homework and after school activities - how they manage to find time for the experiments while also living a slower life - how they cope on those days that are just tough and not...

In last week’s episode Brooke said that this meditation challenge has already been a life-changer for her, so there’s actually a limit to where they can go in this episode! Ben’s experience, on the other hand, hasn’t been as clear cut. He’s battling time constraints and motivation, so in today’s episode he and Brooke talk about the obstacles he’s been faci...

Learning to live mindfully alongside modern technology can be one of the biggest tensions in slowing down. For better or worse, technology keeps us connected, employed and inspired, improves life expectancies and allows us to travel the globe. Modern tech has its issues, no doubt, but giving it up seems… extreme. And not fun. In today’s episode Brooke talks with Janell Burley Hoffman,...

We’re only halfway through the daily meditation Slow Home Experiment and Brooke’s already calling it: this one is a life-changer. She’s always understood meditation -  taking time to just be, focusing on the breath, finding pockets of stillness - is good for us, but practically never really explored it at all. This experiment has given her a reason to sit and meditate for a...

One of the best parts of the Listener Chat episodes are the insights into how people apply slow living to their everyday - without a blog or a book or a podcast to share it with. It’s these insights - these hard-fought, battle-tested, real-world strategies that Brooke loves uncovering in the semi-regular Listener Chats, and this episode is no exception. Today Brooke chats with Juanita, a mot...