For years people would ask Brooke what her biggest decluttering regret was and she never had a good answer because she genuinely couldn’t think of anything that she missed.

 That was, until the day she realised her beloved Hobbit poem (a reimagining of Tolkien’s epic tale that Brooke wrote as an 11-year-old and was ridiculously, if somewhat unfoundedly proud of) had been accidentally decluttered. Not a big deal, sure. But at least it gave her an interesting story to tell people when the inevitable question arose.

A few weeks ago, as she was looking for some paperwork, she found her poem tucked in a folder of academic transcripts. As an end of year treat (for Brooke and Ben, anyway!) and as a thank you to this amazing community of Slow Home listeners and readers, here is a live Boxing Day reading of this previously lost masterpiece.

Happy Holidays!

For years people would ask Brooke what her biggest decluttering regret was and she never had a good answer because she genuinely couldn&rsquo;t think of anything that she missed. That was, until the day she realised her beloved Hobbit poem (a reimagining of Tolkien&rsquo;s epic tale that Brooke wrote as an 11-year-old and was ridiculously, if somewhat unfoundedly proud of) had been accidentally decluttered. Not a big deal, sure. But at least it gave her an interesting story to tell people when the inevitable question arose.
A few weeks ago, as she was looking for some paperwork, she found her poem tucked in a folder of academic transcripts. As an end of year treat (for Brooke and Ben, anyway!) and as a thank you to this amazing community of Slow Home listeners and readers, here is a live Boxing Day reading of this previously lost masterpiece.
Happy Holidays!

To strive is human, to saunter divine. Welcome to The Tortoise - a podcast that digs deep into the power of slow. Brooke McAlary (author of "Slow", "Care" and "Destination Simple") is joined by her husband Ben for a monthly deep dive into the realities of trying to live slow in a world that won't stop racing. On the third Thursday of every month, join Brooke and Ben for an unscripted, unedited, always candid and usually fun conversation about slow living and how embracing our inner tortoise can impact every part of life: relationships, work, family, community, tech, health, care, personal growth. If you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, frustrated at the sheer pace of life or just looking for a sign to slow down, this is the podcast (a plodcast!) for you.

To strive is human, to saunter divine. Welcome to The Tortoise - a podcast that digs deep into the power of slow. Brooke McAlary (author of "Slow", "Care" and "Destination Simple") is joined by her husband Ben for a monthly deep dive into the realities of trying to live slow in a world that won't stop racing. On the third Thursday of every month, join Brooke and Ben for an unscripted, unedited, always candid and usually fun conversation about slow living and how embracing our inner tortoise can impact every part of life: relationships, work, family, community, tech, health, care, personal growth. If you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, frustrated at the sheer pace of life or just looking for a sign to slow down, this is the podcast (a plodcast!) for you.

Good conversations on what it really looks like to live a slower life.

The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

To strive is human, to saunter divine. Welcome to The Tortoise - a podcast that digs deep into the power of slow. Brooke McAlary (author of "Slow", "Care" and "Destination Simple") is joined by her husband Ben for a monthly deep dive into the realities of trying to live slow in a world that won't stop racing. On the third Thursday of every month, join Brooke and Ben for an unscripted, unedited, always candid and usually fun conversation about slow living and how embracing our inner tortoise can impact every part of life: relationships, work, family, community, tech, health, care, personal growth. If you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, frustrated at the sheer pace of life or just looking for a sign to slow down, this is the podcast (a plodcast!) for you.

A reading of the long lost masterpiece (HA!) that is Brooke's Hobbit Poem. Happy Holidays!!

The Long-Lost Hobbit Poem Revealed!

If you spend any time on TikTok, you've probably seen the #softlife trend pop up over the past couple of years. Brooke and Ben aren't on TikTok, so are late to the party as usual, but wanted to dive into the sister movement of slow living anyway.

In today's episode, they look at what soft living is, where it began, how it relates to slow living, and why it's following a similar trajectory as that of self-care, slow living, and other counter-cultural movements. (ie. becoming increasingly mainstream and commercial).

They look at soft living as the opposite of hard living (which proves both obvious and helpful) and try to define it for themselves. For Brooke it revolves around joy, and for Ben its in learning how to ask for help - both of which offer unexpected ways of looking at softness.

They also talk about the consumerism attached to these movements, and offer some practical suggestions on how to create space for softness in your day-to-day life.

Head over to The Tortoise for the full show notes, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 

Thanks for listening! 

If you spend any time on TikTok, you've probably seen the #softlife trend pop up over the past couple of years. Brooke and Ben aren't on TikTok, so are late to the party as usual, but wanted to dive into the sister movement of slow living anyway.
In today's episode, they look at what soft living is, where it began, how it relates to slow living, and why it's following a similar trajectory as that of self-care, slow living, and other counter-cultural movements. (ie. becoming increasingly mainstream and commercial).
They look at soft living as the opposite of hard living (which proves both obvious and helpful) and try to define it for themselves. For Brooke it revolves around joy, and for Ben its in learning how to ask for help - both of which offer unexpected ways of looking at softness.
They also talk about the consumerism attached to these movements, and offer some practical suggestions on how to create space for softness in your day-to-day life.
Head over to <a href="https://brookemcalary.substack.com/podcast">The Tortoise for the full show notes</a>, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 
Thanks for listening!

Soft Life: Episode 13

You know the feeling. Life is motoring on in much the way you expected it to, you’ve got plans, you’ve got goals and then — BAM — a curveball gets whacked your way. Suddenly the plans, the goals, the vague idea of what we thought life would look like are shaken. 

In this month's episode of The Tortoise, Brooke and Ben are talking curveballs, trying to answer the question of how to navigate the unexpected challenges life can throw in our way. 

In this conversation they look at what defines a curveball, how to use some of the ideas of slow living to help navigate them, as we as: 


examples of some curveballs they've faced themselves recently 


the role that simply noticing — our emotions, our stories, our egos — can play in accepting and moving forward once we face an unexpected challenge


“feeling our feelings” as the first step in moving on from a curveball, and why there are many different ways to do that


how acceptance of what is can help us to move forward and why it’s such a difficult thing to achieve


the rising movement of Stoicism and concerns about the difference between being stoic and repressed


two different ways of using perspective to reframe our curveballs over time


the role of gratitude in moving on from an abrupt life change, and why we can’t always rush straight to it


why self-care is so important when navigating new life circumstances

Head over to The Tortoise for the full show notes, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 

Thanks for listening! 

You know the feeling. Life is motoring on in much the way you expected it to, you’ve got plans, you’ve got goals and then — BAM — a curveball gets whacked your way. Suddenly the plans, the goals, the vague idea of what we thought life would look like are shaken. 
In this month's episode of The Tortoise, Brooke and Ben are talking curveballs, trying to answer the question of how to navigate the unexpected challenges life can throw in our way. 
In this conversation they look at what defines a curveball, how to use some of the ideas of slow living to help navigate them, as we as: 
<ul>
<li>
examples of some curveballs they've faced themselves recently 
</li>
<li>
the role that simply noticing — our emotions, our stories, our egos — can play in accepting and moving forward once we face an unexpected challenge
</li>
<li>
“feeling our feelings” as the first step in moving on from a curveball, and why there are many different ways to do that
</li>
<li>
how acceptance of what is can help us to move forward and why it’s such a difficult thing to achieve
</li>
<li>
the rising movement of Stoicism and concerns about the difference between being stoic and repressed
</li>
<li>
two different ways of using perspective to reframe our curveballs over time
</li>
<li>
the role of gratitude in moving on from an abrupt life change, and why we can’t always rush straight to it
</li>
<li>
why self-care is so important when navigating new life circumstances
</li>
</ul>
Head over to <a href="https://brookemcalary.substack.com/podcast">The Tortoise for the full show notes</a>, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 
Thanks for listening!

Brooke and Ben talk curveballs, what happens when our foundations get shaken and how to harness some of slow living's key ideas to navigate new life circumstances.

Curveballs: Episode 12

Today’s episode is all about joyful living. What it is, what it isn’t, how to get more of it and how it differs from happiness.

Stemming from Brooke's intention to try and find more joy in 2024, this conversation is delightfully and unexpectedly wide-ranging, and in it Ben and Brooke explore:


the definition of joy, and why it means so many different things to so many different people


why much of the literature around joy is religious or spiritual


how joy differs from happiness and how it is similar 


the role that alcohol has on our ability to experience happiness and joy (and how Brooke's experience has changed since she stopped drinking)


how to adopt a lens of joy and happiness to life when you’re not a joyful person by default


why choosing joy is a revolutionary act


what the difference is between choosing joy and toxic positivity


how we can add more joy to our lives

Head over to The Tortoise for the full show notes, including links to the articles mentioned in today's episode, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 

Thanks for listening! 

Today’s episode is all about joyful living. What it is, what it isn’t, how to get more of it and how it differs from happiness.
Stemming from Brooke's intention to try and find more joy in 2024, this conversation is delightfully and unexpectedly wide-ranging, and in it Ben and Brooke explore:
<ul>
<li>
the definition of joy, and why it means so many different things to so many different people
</li>
<li>
why much of the literature around joy is religious or spiritual
</li>
<li>
how joy differs from happiness and how it is similar 
</li>
<li>
the role that alcohol has on our ability to experience happiness and joy (and how Brooke's experience has changed since she stopped drinking)
</li>
<li>
how to adopt a lens of joy and happiness to life when you’re not a joyful person by default
</li>
<li>
why choosing joy is a revolutionary act
</li>
<li>
what the difference is between choosing joy and toxic positivity
</li>
<li>
how we can add more joy to our lives
</li>
</ul>
Head over to <a href="https://brookemcalary.substack.com/podcast">The Tortoise for the full show notes</a>, including links to the articles mentioned in today's episode, and if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter while you're there. 
Thanks for listening!

What is joy? And how does it differ from happiness? Can we learn to be more joyful? And what does that look like? Brooke and Ben dig into joy in Episode 11 of The Tortoise podcast.

The Long-Lost Hobbit Poem Revealed!

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