A Little Bit of Lagom

Marla King

A Little Bit of Lagom is a weekly podcast about how to find a more balanced, sustainable and mindful approach to living. Taking inspiration from the Swedish concept of Lagom, loosely translating to “a little bit and not too much”, the podcast explores how this philosophy can be applied to all aspects of your life, to help the planet, help others, and improve your own well-being. A Little Bit of Lagom goes into environmentalism, veganism, work-life balance, health, wellness, cruelty free practices, sustainability, and how we can make small, practical changes in our lives to support positive change in a way that feels possible and achievable. Marla, host of the podcast, is a freelance dance artist, sports massage therapist and coach/mentor in training who has a multitude of passions, especially for the natural world, and felt a need to share and connect with others who want to find ways to live more sustainably with more balance in their lives.

  1. 12/15/2021

    Ep 38 The Connected Complexities of Biodiversity, Human Rights and the Climate Crisis with Eirini Sakellari

    In today's episode with Eirini Sakellari, we discuss the inseparable nature of biodiversity from the climate crisis, and how this connection is not being communicated strongly enough and reflecting the complexity within it. Eirini talks about the need to centre a rights-based approach in conservation and restoration. There is an incredible need to connect biodiversity, conservation and human rights which historically has not been the case with the roots of conservation very much tied within colonialism.   We delve into conversations around whether there can be any such thing as ‘ethical’ money in a capitalist system, and the complexities existing in funding environmental projects, be it on a grass roots or NGO level. Eirini outlines the role that environmental policy can play, as well as its limitations, and why the term ‘intersectional environmentalism’ is an ideology that needs to be much more widely embraced.   Eirini works within area-based conservation and is originally from Greece, specifically the Island of Crete. For her bachelors degree, she studied Chemistry and then went on to study environmental sciences for her masters degree, focusing a lot on environmental policy and sustainable development diplomacy. Eirini is one of the co-coordinators for GYBN Europe, which is how I came to meet her, and she’s also the youth assistant coordinator of the global landscapes forum – youth in landscapes initiative.   I found this such an interesting and thought provoking conversation - it made me realise how much more I have to learn in this area, and I hope it sparks your interest to delve deeper into these topics.   Episode transcript and additional resources: https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-38-the-connected-complexities-of-biodiversity-human-rights-and-the-climate-crisis-with-eirini-sakellari/   Music: Martyn King

    1h 19m
  2. 07/01/2021

    Ep 36 Activism, Stigmatism and Infuriating Party Politics with Nele Van Hoyweghen

    In this episode, I talk with Nele Vanhoyweghen who is a former Belgian UN youth delegate for sustainable development, and currently studies sociology at Gent University where she is a student representative trying to focus on sustainability, climate and inclusivity. We discuss many things from the importance of generational equity, critiquing party politics, the need for inclusivity and a prioritisation of wellbeing, along with the hopeful possibilities of a just transition. Nele also shares her own personal experiences with mental health, and how she made the decision to be more open about the fact that she has a depression, anxiety and has autism. We discuss the incredibly damaging implications of stigmatisation, stereotypes and the taboos that still exist around mental health, the ways they manifest and the huge need for this to be dismantled. Nele also highlights the immense rise in burn out, and how implementing rest is so crucial to support wellbeing, and again having the space to communicate more openly about mental health without fears of judgement or experiencing stigmatisation is so essential. This is such a thought-provoking episode, with immense honesty, consideration of the visions to create a better future, and many beautiful words of wisdom that I hope they resonate with you too.   Episode Transcript/Additional Notes:  https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-36-activism-stigmatism-and-infuriating-party-politics-with-nele-van-hoyweghen/    Music: Martyn King

    1h 22m
  3. 05/20/2021

    Ep 35 Climate and Gender Justice with Renata Koch Alvarenga

    https://ko-fi.com/alittlebitoflagom  - Your support is so important and greatly appreciated for the continuation and sustainability of the podcast, thank you   In this episode, I had such a lovely and informative conversation with Renata Koch Alvarenga, a youth gender and climate justice advocate from Porto Alegre, Brazil. She is the Founder and Director of EmpoderaClima, an educational initiative about gender equality and climate action focused on youth in the Global South. EmpoderaClima produces informative content on climate justice in Portuguese, Spanish, English and French, and engages in multiple advocacy platforms, such as the UN Girls' Education Initiative and the UNFCCC. Renata has presented her work in 7 countries and is involved in many global initiatives, including the Youth Constituency of the UN Climate Change Convention, where she is Co-Lead of the Gender working group, and UN Women, where she is a National Youth Gender Activist representing Brazil. Renata is also a G(irls)20 Ambassador, and currently works with politics and diplomacy in Rio de Janeiro.  In this conversation, we discuss topics surrounding climate and gender justice, which Renata shares so much valuable insight into, and how achieving gender balance in positions of leadership is essential in building a more just, sustainable and equitable society. Renata shares about her youth activism, rooted in intersectional feminist action for climate justice, including her activities as founder and director of EmpoderaClima. She also explains and unpicks a lot of climate policy lingo which can often be very inaccessible and quite overwhelming. We talk about the important qualities of empathy, listening and optimism within positions of leadership, as it is only from a place of hope that we are able to create a vision for a more positive and beautiful future.  Episode Transcript/Extra resources can be found here:  https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-35-climate-and-gender-justice-with-renata-koch-alvarenga/    Music: Martyn King

    52 min
  4. 04/22/2021

    Ep 33 Climate Operation: Educating and Connecting with Heizal Nagginda

    This podcast relies on support from the wonderful community of listeners. If you are finding the content valuable, and are in a financial position to support the podcast, please check out the Ko-Fi account where you can make a one off donation for as little as £3 - https://ko-fi.com/alittlebitoflagom  Thank you for your support!    In today’s episode, I had such a wonderful conversation with Heizal Nagginda. Heizal is the founder of Climate Operation, a youth led organisation based in Uganda, which focuses on educating young people and the community about climate change and its intersection between various social issues. They prioritise making climate education accessible and digestible, run workshops for schools and organise activities such as tree planting, which you’ll learn much more about throughout this conversation. Heizal shares the motivations behind Climate Operation, the importance of accessible information to educate children about the climate crisis in Uganda, and the need to focus on the human impact of the climate crisis, including the health and social impacts. We delve into discussing the damages surrounding the way the climate crisis is portrayed within mainstream media and how the narrative and lens through which it is seen needs to shift and drastically expand. Heizal shares such important insights and was absolute joy to talk with. I hope you enjoy!   Episode Notes/Transcript: https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-33-climate-operation-educating-and-connecting-with-heizal-nagginda/    Music: Martyn King

    48 min
  5. 03/25/2021

    Ep 31 Climate Justice Advocacy in the Arts with Farah Ahmed

    https://ko-fi.com/alittlebitoflagom    In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Farah Ahmed, who works for Julie’s Bicycle - a London based charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability. Farah’s interests lie in exploring connections between environmental, racial and social justice, creative activism and how art can reshape climate narratives. Farah is a co-founder and facilitator of Diaspora Dialogues for Our Futures, a reflective space for people of colour to centre collective care in the face of the climate crisis.   In this conversation, Farah shares her journey into her work at Julie’s Bicycle and how this influenced the way she connected to the environmental movement as well as the important role art has to contribute to this space. We discuss the need for systemic change to tackle social injustices and the damaging impact of an individualistic focus within the environmental movement. Farah shares crucial messages surrounding the need to be centering marginalised voices and opening up spaces to listen to those on the front lines of the climate crisis, as well as looking beyond the symptoms to target and address the root causes of the climate crisis. She also highlights the importance dismantling gate keeping and all oppressive systems, and she shares such beautiful messages of what she is hopeful about for the future.   Episode Notes/Resources:  https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-31-climate-justice-advocacy-in-the-arts-with-farah-ahmed/    Music: Martyn King

    35 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A Little Bit of Lagom is a weekly podcast about how to find a more balanced, sustainable and mindful approach to living. Taking inspiration from the Swedish concept of Lagom, loosely translating to “a little bit and not too much”, the podcast explores how this philosophy can be applied to all aspects of your life, to help the planet, help others, and improve your own well-being. A Little Bit of Lagom goes into environmentalism, veganism, work-life balance, health, wellness, cruelty free practices, sustainability, and how we can make small, practical changes in our lives to support positive change in a way that feels possible and achievable. Marla, host of the podcast, is a freelance dance artist, sports massage therapist and coach/mentor in training who has a multitude of passions, especially for the natural world, and felt a need to share and connect with others who want to find ways to live more sustainably with more balance in their lives.