Listener Chat with Juanita

I’ve read a lot of wise things in books and on blogs. I’ve applied them to my life and seen the difference they can make. But some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten has been from friends and family. Conversations held over coffee or over wine (more of one than the other, let’s be honest), conversations held at the school gate or on our back deck - these are where I’ve gleaned the most useful insights into parenting, adulting and learning to find a sense of balance in life.

And it’s these insights - these hard-fought, battle-tested, real-world strategies I love uncovering in my Listener Chat episodes of the poggie, and this conversation is no exception.

Today I chat with Juanita, a mother of two from Sydney who sent me an email a couple of weeks ago, sharing some of her story which held a lot of similarities to my own.

Juanita was so open and honest with her answers, and we chat about the illness that laid her out for months last year, and her somewhat begrudging entry into slow living as a result. I also loved hearing about the decision to skip out on the busy Christmas season last year and the restorative road trip Juanita and her family took.

As an environmentalist, Juanita was further down the conscious consumption path than others may find themselves in the beginning, but it was the work she had to do to lower her standards and personal expectations that was the most challenging and definitely something I know a lot of people can relate to. (Which begs the question - why are we so hard on ourselves?)

I always feel incredibly privileged to have these conversations with pogpast listeners (and for those lovely people who have volunteered, I’ll be getting back to you soon!) and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the show and play the episode.

Or you can listen to the show directly, simply by hitting the Play button above. Enjoy!

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Show notes:

• Story of Stuff
• Keep it Simple by Atlanta Bartlett