365 episodes

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.

The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary Brooke McAlary

    • Education
    • 4.7 • 652 Ratings

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.

    Joyful Living: Episode 11

    Joyful Living: Episode 11

    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.

    • 58 min
    2023 Top Ten: Episode 10

    2023 Top Ten: Episode 10

    Brooke and Ben talk through their Top Ten of 2023 list - including favourite meals, books, albums, films and experiences.

    • 1 hr 4 min
    Addiction: Episode 9

    Addiction: Episode 9

    This month's episode digs into the topic of addiction (and more broadly, obsessive behaviour) for things like tech-use, busyness, food and consumption. If you need help with addiction or mental health, there's a list of resources over at The Tortoise. 

    In today's show, Ben shares his experience with tech over-use and the links he sees between it and the hustle-grind-capitalism-productivity culture, and he and Brooke look at how the proliferation of tech (especially smart phones and social media) have increased our desire for instant gratification. 

    Brooke talks through her compulsion to consume bad news, and shares a few ways she's trying to break those patterns of behaviour. She also talks about the role that tech and consumerism intertwine to create a world that feels simultaneously too much and not enough, and how that has her and many other women she knows feeling angry. 

    It's an interesting and meandering conversation that will hopefully leave you with lots to think about. 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! 
    Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 52 min
    Hard Times: Episode 8

    Hard Times: Episode 8

    Today Brooke and Ben are talking about hard times. Or more specifically, how to deal with the emotional heaviness that comes from living through really difficult things.

    Digging into this feeling of heaviness, they discuss how they're trying to acknowledge and accept the challenges, as well as the tools they use to help them move forward. They also talk about practical ways to protect ourselves when things feel hard, why limiting social media is a powerful way of drawing boundaries, the impact of gentle activism, why rage-cleaning can help process anger, the rebelliousness of finding joy and why pairing all of these things with action is so important. 

    Hopefully this conversation shows that it’s okay to look for and hold onto joy in amongst the difficult times. 

    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! 
    Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 59 min
    Seasonal Living: Episode 7

    Seasonal Living: Episode 7

    Brooke and Ben look at seasonal living - what it is, why it matters, and how it has very little to do with the weather.

    • 1 hr 4 min
    Self-care: Episode 6

    Self-care: Episode 6

    Brooke and Ben talk self-care and how we can redefine it in our own lives, as well as look at the difference between toxic positivity and resilience.

    • 57 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
652 Ratings

652 Ratings

Baby feeds forever... ,

Like being in their home

I enjoy listening to the Tortoise all alone without my kids. I really need to concentrate as the sound is not always amazing, which adds to the quaint charm of it.

Ben and Brooke cover a range of topics (with the caveat they are not experts) and it is interspersed with things like their dog farting, which helps lighten the mood.

Best to listen in one go if you can.

Jules Pax ,

Loving this plod-cast

Thanks for putting these great conversations out into the world.
Just listened to the addiction episode and realise that since I’ve given up social media I’ve been filling the gap with these pods…. So now I’ve got that to reflect on!

Cazh72 ,

Inspirational!

After being a long term listener to The Slow Home Podcast it was exciting to find a new creation by Brooke and Ben. This podcast is inspiring and thought provoking. There is so much more to life than the striving, consumerist and burnout culture that we live in. The Tortoise explores (in a very gentle and human way) ideas to help us live more intentional and purposeful lives. Give it a listen and you’ll be hooked!

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