This Sustainable Life: Untethered

Michelle Parry is an environmental enthusiast, entrepreneur and founder of The Rewilding in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire which hosts retreats and events inspired by nature and human connection. She is also a dairy farmer and passionate about sustainable farming practices. After living in big cities for many years and becoming increasingly stressed and overwhelmed, she made the decision to move back to her countryside roots to reconnect to nature and pursue a more intentional, holistic lifestyle in line with her values. She rewilded herself and is on a mission to help you do the same.Episode highlights:Why we are more like trees than we thinkHow technology distracts us from what is importantThe joy of dogsThe problem of "zoom fatigue"The joy of learning new skillsWhy it's important to be curiousWhat do you do with 30 tonnes of waste? Everyday?!What should you know about farming?An abundance of practical tips and ideas to help you rewild yourselfMichelle's top wild books: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and Wilding by Isabella TreeAnd of course, Michelle sets her personal environmental challenge in line with her valuesI'd love to hear what you thought of the episode. Are you feeling a bit too domesticated and unbalanced at the moment? What are you going to do to rewild yourself?Don't forget to follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/therewildingcommunity/ - for your daily dose of nature and tree inspiration! And check out her site the-rewilding.com for event envy, wild blogs and the gorgeous gift and experience boxes she curates.And while you're at it, come on over and say hello to me! I'd love to hear from you.Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TSLUntetheredInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/alison.untethered/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AliUntethered

Alex Love is a stand-up comedian, freelance writer and serial blogger. He has been performing comedy regularly since 2010 and his first solo show, How To Win A Pub Quiz has sold out a number of times at both the Edinburgh Fringe and New Zealand Fringe festivals. He has also been blogging honestly about his journey, his successes, his failures and his bowels(!) since 2011.I wanted to learn how he is able to do what so many of us, myself included, shy away from with regards to public speaking, putting yourself out there to be judged and criticised, getting it wrong, failing in public, and interpersonal confrontation. Alex has written extensively about how he deals with these exact things, so I knew that he would be the perfect guest to help us really dive into how to face negative emotions and figure out how to lessen their power on us so that they don't hold us back from doing what we want to do.Episode highlights:What do you do after hitting rock bottom?Rewiring your brain for positivityWhat to do with the voice in your head that tells you you’re not good enoughWhy you should welcome nerves before putting yourself out thereThe best way to exercise failure demonsHow to deal with deliberate knobheadsBlogging as therapyPhilosophies for lifeWhy make the effort to improve?What do chilli con carne and jokes have in common?How using your phone less can help with climate changeAnd of course, Alex sets his personal environmental challenge in line with his valuesI’d love to hear your thoughts about the episode. Do you feel more empowered to put yourself out there and go for the things you want regardless of whether you succeed or fail? Are there any failures thatyou think you could learn more from?Inspired by Alex’s honesty and desire for continuous improvement I invite you to let me know if there is anything that I can do to be a better podcast host and give you a more enjoyable listening experience.Come on over to my Facebook page or connect with me on Instagram.And don’t forget to follow Alex’s blog and Twitter for more laughs and wisdom.

Rather than do a standard "my year in review" type episode, I thought I'd mix it up completely and do it in the style of a board game. For the lols. Because honestly, my year has felt like one big hilarious game of snakes-and-ladders-cum-monopoly-cum-charades-cum-I-don't-know-what's-going-on-anymore-pass-me-the-gin-please. And I'm pretty sure if you've been living through the pandemic too then you will know exactly what I'm talking about and can appreciate me poking fun at it all.Thank you for sharing this year with me and I hope we can have more fun and explorations in 2021 and beyond.Alison xxxP.s. Yes, I am really rolling a dice and flapping cards in front of the microphone. Am I taking it too far? Probably.

Seeing as it’s the most wonderful time of the year, I have a special bonus festive episode for you! This one doesn’t follow my usual podcast interview or solo format, instead, it is more of a relaxed conversation with my friend Joshua Spodek. Some of you may remember Josh from episodes 1 and 2 of this podcast where we talked about adventure and how constraints don't have to constrain you - highly recommend you listen to episode one here and two here - but for those who don't know Josh he is a speaker, author, podcaster, professor, sustainability role model and all-round interesting dude.Because it is the season for giving, we talk about STUFF. Buying gifts, receiving gifts and getting rid of things that you have once upon a time bought and enjoyed but now can’t wait to get it out of your house! We discuss the emotions underlying consumption, how Buddha could have been more enlightened and what you can give Josh if you are ever invited to a dinner party at his house.If you are interested in how you can have a meaningful, joyful and sustainable Christmas, then you will love this episode. After you’ve listened, come on over to my Facebook page to say hello, I’d love to hear your thoughts and if you enjoyed the different conversational style format.Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all. Wishing you a wonderful break and a fantastic time with loved ones.

This is Part 2 of the conversation with Neil Mclatchie (you can listen to Part 1 here) where we find out how he got on with his challenge. Did he manage to use re-usable coffee cups for a month, and what did he learn in the process?We also talk about another massive personal transformation that Neil is currently going through regarding his career and identity as a Psychologist. Indeed, it is time for the experimenter to experiment on himself! Highlights in this episode:What should you say to people who tell you that one person can't make a difference to the environment?The 8/10 Starbucks coffee alternativeThe hidden maths of ecological alternatives plastic straws versus metal strawsHow to double your environmental impactThe plastic documentaries that opened our eyes - The Story of Plastic and The War on Plastic Autopilot versus memento moriWhat it takes to truly embody a philosophyBreaking out of the mould of your identityHow other people's perceptions can keep you stuckI'd love to hear what you thought about this episode. Come on over tomy new Facebook pageto say hi! Let me know what resonated with you and if you will do anything differently. And I cannot wait to come back to you in a few months with the answer to the question; "if no one has done does that mean it's a dumb thing to do?!"

I’ve been on a bit of a plastic learning journey recently and it’s been super interesting. I don’t know about you but despite using plastics every day, multiple times a day, they were simply not something that I gave much thought to. It was only after I watched The Story of Plastic documentary following a friend's recommendation which then prompted me to do some research, and voila! The mysteries of the plastics were revealed. I have collated my top 10 sexy facts about plastics, AKA facstics, that I didn’t know. If you are a plastic newbie like me then you will learn:The surprising material that plastics are made out ofHow long they take to degradeHow much plastic has been created, ever!What has happened to all this plastic and where is it now?The dark secret of recyclingThe even darker secret of laundryHope for a way forwardSurprising products that contain plasticWhat you can do as a consumerI really hope you enjoy this episode. I’m so curious, how many of these facstics are new to you too? Let me know your thoughts and come on over and say hi via my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/TSLUntethered