The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

Today’s guest, the effervescent Amanda Ewin, has arrived on the pod at precisely the right time, as so many of us settle in to the year's new normal and (if you're anything like Brooke) the struggles of maintaining those rhythms, goals and rituals.  In this episode Amanda shares her story of overwhelm, loss, grief, reflection and transformation, and through it all weaves the thread of m...

Today's episode is, at its heart, about change. And if there’s something we’ve all experienced over the past two years, it’s been change. Specifically for our listeners, many of us find ourselves having to reframe our definition of "simple living" as the world has changed and so too our vision of slow or simple.  Clare Reilly knows exactly this tension. After advocating a sl...

Welcome back to another year of the Slow Home Podcast!  Never before has slow living felt so relevant to so many people, as we grapple with the question of what we want life to look and feel like as we head in to the third year of the pandemic.  Today's guest is the perfect person to begin this exploration with, as she's spent many years experimenting and, quite literally, practising sim...

We have reached the last episode of this year's Summer Series/Winter Warmies and Brooke takes us through her (one of) favourite episodes of the past 7 years featuring Katie Bowman on nutritious movement and couchless living.  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 3rd instalment in this year's Summer Series/Winter Warmies includes an episode recorded in 2019 with Beth Kempton. Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part 2 of this year's Summer Series/Winter Warmies sees Ben and Brooke look way back into the archives with a 2017 banger on food waste reduction featuring over 50 ways you can seriously reduce your waste footprint. Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben and Brooke talk through the format for this year's Summer Series/Winter Warmies and bring you Part 1, featuring analogue creativity with Jess Davis.  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it's that time of the year again. The final pod is here, and as is tradition, Brooke and Ben round out the year with their own Top 10 list.  First though, Ben decides to turn the tables on Brooke and interview her for once. He digs in to some of the recurring themes of Season 8 - sobriety, health and creativity - and it's as human and messy as you might expect.  They then get into...

Friend of the show, author, cook, founder of the Granny Skills movement and co-founder of native food company Warndu, Rebecca Sullivan, returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging, emotional, messy, human and very honest conversation (in other words - there's a content warning on this one!) Rebecca and Brooke talk birth stories, post-natal health, navigating trauma, alcohol-free holiday drinks and b...

In this episode Brooke chats with Dr Clinton Schultz, a proud Gamilaroi man, psychologist, husband, dad and founder of Sobah - hands down the best non-alcoholic craft beer you will ever taste. (Seriously. It’s delicious.) They chat about the realities of giving up the booze in Australia and how our deeply ingrained drinking culture can make it difficult. They also dig into the thinking behin...

Friend of the show, book inspiration-giver and all-round fabulous person, Meg Berryman, returns to the pod today, which means you're in for a treat.  Meg and Brooke dig deep into the topic of regenerative living (no, it's not just about agriculture!) and why regeneration of the self is vital if we want to help regenerate our families, communities and the planet we all share. They look at the...

Hannah Diviney is a leading disability rights advocate, writer, student and Young Australian of the Year nominee, who joins Brooke to dig into the question so many of us have faced this year: “How can I care sustainably?” This episode delves into the spaces between Big Care (activism and advocacy) and Small Care (connection, creativity and rest), and the inevitable tension faced when w...

Sometimes, in our efforts to do better by the planet, our communities, our families and ourselves, we can get tangled in knots - especially when it comes to food. Today’s guest, Alexx Stuart, is (thankfully) here to talk us down from this way of thinking. She and Brooke look at food choices through the lens of finding common ground, avoiding absolutes and applying critical thought, and...

Author, Gardening Australia Presenter and Activist Hannah Maloney joins the pogpast this week to talk about her values, privilege, reclaiming activism, health (including lifting weights!) and lessons learnt during the pandemic.  We hope you enjoy it!  Links Check out Hannah's YouTube Channel  Hannah's website  Gardening Australia is now in its 32nd season  Love Slow? Suppo...

We are back at it with another season of the Slow Home Podcast. Kicking-off this season is another frank and fearless conversation between Ben and Brooke. As the dust settles on Ben's 40th birthday celebrations. Brooke and Ben talk about updates in Ben's life since 2018, including career change, identity, and how he aligns these days to his life motto of Health, Happiness, and Heart.  It's a...

Join Brooke and Ben for the last episode of the season in a 'hostful' episode where they talk about imposter syndrome and answer listener questions about daily rhythms, cooking and the best non-alcoholic IPA!  Links Head here for all links from today's episode Love Slow? Support the show!  Become a patron Or buy us a coffee and share the love Looking for more? Follow us on Instagram @slo...

Brooke chats with Jade Miles, co-host the Futuresteading podcast and co-founder of Black Barn Farm, to learn about what future-steading is and how it applies to everyone - regardless of where we live.  They also talk about Jade's beautiful new book Futuresteading, a practical and inspirational guide to living in a way that values tomorrow: a slower, simpler, steadier existence that is healthi...

Brooke chats with returning guest and zero-waste advocate Anita van Dyke (ex-rocket scientist, turned medical doctor and awesome Mum) about the challenges of zero-waste living in a busy family and ways to work smarter not harder when it comes to zero-waste. Brooke also gushes about Anita's op-shop wardrobe! Links Head here for all links from today's episode Anita's website Connect with Anita on In...

Brooke catches up with friend of the show Jacki Carr (Goal Coach and Speaker) about setting goals in a changing world, and the utter liberation of embracing our personal evolutions. Links Head here for all links from today's episode Jacki Carr's website  Connect with Jacki on Instagram Order Brooke's new book 'Care' Amazon Booktopia Looking for more Slow? Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod S...

Returning guest Jess Davis from Folk Rebellion talks with Brooke about how New York has changed since the pandemic, what has survived and what has thrived as the City (that now sleeps!) rebuilds from the devastation caused by COVID-19.  Links Head here for all links from today's episode Watch Jess' film "What day is it?"  Connect with Jess on Instagram and Facebook Order Brooke's new boo...

Brooke and Ben drop into your feed with an unscheduled hostful to talk through the happenings over the past month. Links Check out the new website and upcoming events Pre-order Brooke's new book 'Care' Amazon Booktopia Looking for more Slow? Follow us on Instagram @slowhomepod Sign up for the Slow Post, Brooke's weekly slow-living love letters   Or leave a rating or review in iTunes Join The...

This is a conversation many months in the making, recorded a few months ago, Brooke chats with illustrator, writer and environmentalist Em Ehlers.  Links Buy Hope is a Verb: Six steps to radical optimism when the world seems broken  Connect with Em on Instagram and Facebook   Pre-order Brooke's new book 'Care' Amazon Booktopia Looking for more Slow? Follow us on Instagram @slowhomep...

Brooke and Ben sit down in their very 'echoey' living room next to their very loud dogs to talk through what has been happening over the last month or so. They also answer a number of questions posed by listeners in the first Hostful in quite some time.  This episode includes a slight disclaimer that some of the content may be a bit dated as it was recorded well over a month ago.  Links...

Brooke and Ben are back in your earholes. They share updates on the last nine months, what they are doing now and their plans for the future.  Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all heard about the transformative power of meditation, but how can we access it when uncertainty, stress and living through a pandemic make it difficult to simply sit still and breathe?  In today's episode Brooke is joined by friend of the show and founder of Centred Meditation, Kevin Janks, to talk through the power of meditation in challenging times.  Meditation allows us to dec...