Two Homes

Sarah Rhodes

Two Homes, the podcast where we explore the relationship between our inner world and the planet we live on. Because sustainability that isn’t embodied doesn’t last - and wellbeing that stays surface-level doesn’t change anything.​ This podcast is an invitation to look deeper. To understand how our nervous systems, beliefs, and patterns shape the systems we’re trying to reform - and how real change starts closer to home than we think.​

  1. 6 days ago

    17. The Most Expensive Myth in Hospitality

    We've been operating under an assumption for decades: that sustainability costs money and profit comes first. This episode makes the case that the assumption is wrong and that for most hospitality businesses, not investing in sustainability is already costing more than investing would. Category by category, we investigate the financial case: energy and water, where payback periods are often measured in months not years; waste and procurement, where what goes in the bin is a cost before it even gets there; staff retention, where Australian hospitality's 38.7% annual turnover is a crisis hiding in plain sight; and revenue and yield, where engaged staff, word of mouth, and corporate travel credentials are stacking up wins. Then we look at what happens when all of these compound together over three to five years. And we ask the question that more operators need to be taking to their accountants: what is it actually costing us not to have started? Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    17. The Most Expensive Myth in Hospitality

  2. 21 Jul

    16. The Emissions You can't See - What is Scope 3?

    Most hotels know what their energy bill looks like but visibility on supply chain emissions are a little more hidden. This episode changes that. Starting with the basics: what Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions actually are and why Scope 3 is usually the biggest footprint and the most ignored as we explore the hidden emissions sitting inside every purchasing decision a hotel makes. From the cloud in your teacup to the beef on your menu, from guest travel to linen supply chains, this is a practical and human look at what emissions reporting actually means for hospitality operators. Whether you're in Australia navigating ASRS obligations, or operating in Southeast Asia where similar requirements are arriving fast, this episode makes the case for getting curious before it becomes urgent. The full value of the three layers of emissions work, compliance, operational integration and strategic narrative, is only realised when all three are in play. And the operators who start early are already building an advantage. Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    16. The Emissions You can't See - What is Scope 3?

  3. 14 Jul

    15. What the Best Leaders are Doing Differently

    Busy is not the same as effective. And yet in hospitality, and most of corporate Australia, the two have become almost indistinguishable. This episode makes the counterintuitive case that the most effective leaders aren't doing more. They're doing less, more intentionally. From the meeting that actually moves things forward versus the one that fills a calendar, to the pause before a decision that changes its outcome, to the team that starts the day with gardening and a cup of tea and outperforms the one running flat out. This episode looks at what operational effectiveness looks like when you stop mistaking motion for progress. When leaders design their systems for pace rather than urgency, the results are sustainable and often even better than expected. Staff stay longer and guests feel the difference. The output is better, not despite the slower approach, but because of it. Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    15. What the Best Leaders are Doing Differently

  4. 7 Jul

    14. The Greenwashing Dilemma

    Greenwashing is one of those words that gets thrown around as an accusation but most of it isn't intentional. It starts as a gap between what the marketing team says and what housekeeping actually does, between what the certificate claims and what the guest experiences when they arrive. This episode names the three patterns of greenwashing most common in hospitality: the marketing and operations disconnect, the certification shield, and the operators afraid of being accused of greenwashing so they say nothing and do nothing, leaving genuine work invisible. It also walks through the ACCC's eight principles for environmental claims, one of the most practically useful documents available for any operator wanting to communicate their sustainability journey honestly. Because the antidote to greenwashing isn't silence and it isn't perfection. It's integrity. And integrity, as we've explored across this series, is simply the outside looking like the inside. Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel References:ACCC Making Environmental Claims: A Guide for Business (2023) The eight principles referenced throughout this episode. https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/greenwashing-guidelines.pdf ACCC Greenwashing enforcement actions The ACCC actively tracks and fines companies for greenwashing — their enforcement page shows real examples. https://www.accc.gov.au/business/compliance-and-enforcement Tourism Australia - Green Is Our Gold The practical sustainability tool for Australian tourism operators referenced at the close of the episode. https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/resources/campaign-resources/green-and-gold.html Two Homes Episode 3: Why Compliance Won't Save the Planet Referenced in this episode - compliance as a ceiling. https://redcircle.com/shows/8676aa7c-60c7-4fd0-9e4d-82eaaccdf90c/episodes/729f542f-4729-49ee-9427-ad2e246deded Two Homes Episode 6 - The Certification Trap Referenced in this episode - certification as destination rather than direction. https://redcircle.com/shows/8676aa7c-60c7-4fd0-9e4d-82eaaccdf90c/episodes/2eea7cab-2b8c-49eb-b89e-8bd70fe47c38 If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/

    14. The Greenwashing Dilemma

  5. 30 Jun

    13. What Plastic Free July is Actually About

    July 1st. Plastic Free July begins today and this episode has been eleven years in the making. From discovering the campaign in 2014, to launching six consecutive campaigns across hospitality and tourism teams across Cambodia, to finally bringing it to Sydney, this is the episode where the personal journey and the professional case come together. Because Plastic Free July isn't really about plastic. It's about what happens when a team has a shared goal, a clear timeframe, and permission to figure it out together. The plastic reduction is what comes out the other side. The culture, the pride, the camaraderie, that's what you're actually building. This episode covers what Plastic Free July actually is, the five single use plastics worth focusing on, the science behind why reducing them matters more than most people realise, and the practical case for why running a PFJ campaign with your hospitality team this month is one of the most effective staff engagement and culture-building tools available. You don't need to care about plastic to run this. You need to care about your team. And if you're still hesitating... if not July, when? Nature Medicine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04324-7 UWA official news release: https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/article/2026/april/research-shows-fast-and-effective-way-to-reduce-plastics-in-body After seven days, phthalate levels dropped by more than 44% and bisphenol levels fell by more than 50% compared to the control group. The next Perth Trial will investigate plastic chemical exposure and fertility - a topic we touch on in episode 12. Get your free guide to Plastic Free July for Hospitality Team: https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/pfj-for-teams Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    13. What Plastic Free July is Actually About

  6. 23 Jun

    12. Sense and Sensitivity: Fragrance in Hospitality, with Alexx Stuart

    Scent is the only sense with a direct channel to the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes emotion, memory and safety. It's why the smell of a place can transport you instantly to another time. And it's why what hotels pump into their lobbies, spray in their bathrooms and wash their linen with matters far more than most operators realise. In this first guest episode of Two Homes, sustainability leadership consultant Sarah Rhodes is joined by Alexx Stuart, founder of Low Tox Life, author, hospitality consultant and former fragrance industry insider, for a conversation about what synthetic fragrance is actually doing to hotel guests, to the staff working in those environments every day, and to the bottom line. From phthalates and hormone disruption to the $33 billion annual cost of absenteeism in Australia, this episode makes the case that fragrance is not a finishing touch, it's a sustainability issue. And it ends somewhere hopeful: what genuinely beautiful, place-based, low tox scent experiences could look like in hospitality done well. Connect with Alexx Stuart on LinkedIn. Get this very generous fragrance guide that Alexx prepared to help you get started on revising how you do fragrance in your venue. Take a closer look at what's good and what's bad in fragrance related products. Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    12. Sense and Sensitivity: Fragrance in Hospitality, with Alexx Stuart

  7. 16 Jun

    11. The S in ESG

    The E in ESG gets almost all the attention. The S, social sustainability, is the least examined, understood and actioned aspect of the three. And yet it touches everything: how staff are treated, what's in the supply chain, how a business relates to its community and whether modern slavery is something happening in your operation without your knowledge. This episode makes the case that genuine social sustainability isn't about charity giving, volunteer days or wellness apps it's about how a business operates end to end, from the people it employs to the products it buys to the community it belongs to. Drawing on data from Australian hospitality's 38.7% staff turnover rate, the 41,000 people in modern slavery conditions in Australia right now, and examples from Southeast Asia and here at home, this episode goes to the places most sustainability conversations don't. Because the S in ESG isn't a soft topic. It's where the commercial, the human and the ethical all meet. References from this episode: Redundant Charities book: https://www.redundantcharities.com/ Ocean film: https://silverbackfilms.tv/shows/oceanwithdavidattenborough/ 64% of hospitality staff in Australia are on casual contracts Source: Sidekicker https://sidekicker.com/blog/what-are-the-minimum-hours-for-casual-workers-in-hospitality 52% casual/part-time across all Australian industries (comparison figure) Source: Australian hospitality industry statistics overview https://resdiary.com/blog/2024-hospitality-industry-statistics-in-australia 38.7% staff turnover rate in Australian hospitality in 2024 — highest of any sector Source: Allara Global, citing Hospitality and Catering News, March 2025 https://allaraglobal.com/blog/entry/retention-over-turnover-hospitality-leaders-playbook $30,000 average cost per departure Source: ScaleSuite, citing Australian HR Institute 2023 https://www.scalesuite.com.au/resources/staff-turnover-rate-and-workforce-churn-australia National average turnover 8–9.5% — hospitality more than four times that Source: ScaleSuite https://www.scalesuite.com.au/resources/staff-turnover-rate-and-workforce-churn-australia The "retention gap" — industry isn't short of people, it's short of workplaces worth staying in Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Better Together Report 2024, via Hospitality Magazine https://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/retention-gap-drives-hospitality-staff-shortages/ Direct JSA source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-shortage Organisations that promote internally retain employees 41% longer Source: Foremind, citing Australian turnover research https://www.foremind.com.au/post/employee-turnover-statistics Engaged employees 15% less likely to leave / poor culture linked to 30% higher turnover Source: ScaleSuite, citing AHRI 2023 https://www.scalesuite.com.au/resources/staff-turnover-rate-and-workforce-churn-australia 61% of Australian employees planning to change jobs in 2025 Source: Perkbox Beyond the Paycheck report https://www.perkbox.com/au/resources/blog/beyond-the-paycheck-retention-2025 42% of turnover is considered preventable Source: Foremind, citing Gallup research https://www.foremind.com.au/post/employee-turnover-statistics Gallup primary source: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/646538/employee-turnover-preventable-often-ignored.aspx Every $1 invested in mental health returns up to $4 Source: Black Dog Institute https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/wellbeing/workplace-wellbeing/ 66% of Australian workers reported feeling burnt out in 2024 — up 13% from 2022 Source: Allara Global, citing Wellness Designs Report 2024 https://allaraglobal.com/blog/entry/retention-over-turnover-hospitality-leaders-playbook Sweden four day work week pilot — December 2023, 11 organisations, results Source: ZNetwork https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/swedens-four-day-workweek-pilot-shows-happier-more-productive-employees/ 50 million people globally in modern slavery / 41,000 in Australia Source: Walk Free Global Slavery Index 2023, via Mercy Foundation https://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/latest_news/41000-people-in-modern-slavery-in-australia/ Walk Free primary source: https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/country-studies/australia/ Human trafficking reports in Australia — rising trend Source: Australian Federal Police media release https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/human-trafficking-reports-continue-increase-australia Most recent AFP data (2024–25 all time high): https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/reports-human-trafficking-nearly-double-over-past-five-years GECA eco-label certification — modern slavery requirements Source: GECA website https://geca.eco Australian Modern Slavery Act and register Source: Australian Government Modern Slavery Register https://www.modernslavery.gov.au/about-modern-slavery/modern-slavery-australia Oz Harvest corporate cooking program Source: OzHarvest website https://www.ozharvest.org/what-we-do/corporate/ Two Good Co Source: Two Good Co website https://twogood.com.au/ Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    11. The S in ESG

  8. 9 Jun

    10. Personal Sustainability: From the Inside Out

    What does it actually look like to practice what you preach? This episode turns the lens inward, not on a client or a hotel, but on the business and my life. Ten episodes in, this is an honest look at what personal sustainability means beyond the professional, how comfort can become the enemy of change, what it takes to stay resourced enough to keep doing meaningful work, and why the inner home needs as much attention as the outer one. Drawing on eleven years in the field, a pandemic that forced an uncomfortable journey inward, and the slow integration of movement, presence and mindful consumption into daily life, this episode explores the thread that runs beneath everything: when we genuinely take care of ourselves, taking care of the planet starts to feel less like obligation and more like the natural thing to do. Not perfect or righteous, just integrated. Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and plane, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share. If you'd like to ask a question: 💌 Email - connect@plasticfreesea.co 🎙️ Drop a question in the comment box on Spotify Sign up to emails to get insights, event invitations and opportunities to connect and be inspired to integrate sustainability for good 🌟 https://sarah-rhodes.myflodesk.com/news Two Homes is part of my business, Plastic Free Southeast Asia - an Australia Pacific specialist sustainability leadership consultancy, that is your partner in all authentic and aligned sustainability for tourism businesses and boards. Please rate, subscribe and review to help more people find the meaningful conversations, insights and more guests into the conversation that helps you grow your business, and tend to your wellbeing, sustainably. Follow on your preferred platforms: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreeseaa/ Sarah on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhodes-67a9b724/ Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel

    10. Personal Sustainability: From the Inside Out
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About

Two Homes, the podcast where we explore the relationship between our inner world and the planet we live on. Because sustainability that isn’t embodied doesn’t last - and wellbeing that stays surface-level doesn’t change anything.​ This podcast is an invitation to look deeper. To understand how our nervous systems, beliefs, and patterns shape the systems we’re trying to reform - and how real change starts closer to home than we think.​

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Rhodes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Two Homes