The spotlight is on Ben in today’s episode, as Brooke interviews him all about his journey from working a stressful, corporate job to being self-employed, and how he continues to make choices to live a slower life. We’ve had a few listeners ask to hear more about Ben’s story, and we’re sure it will feel relevant to a lot of people.
Ben describes himself as a couple of years behind Brooke in his slow living process, and reflects back on what life was like for him eight years ago, when Brooke was diagnosed with postnatal depression and first introduced to the idea of simplifying and slowing down. Ben was on a career trajectory that he valued, and it consumed almost all of him - time, energy and identity. Although he was happy for Brooke as she started to declutter and slow down (despite thinking she had joined some kind of cult), it wasn’t until he suffered from a panic attack on his morning commute that he realised this was what he needed too (the words of his GP telling him the same thing also carried a lot of weight).
From there it was a series of deeper conversations that took place over months and years about what they both wanted life to look like, and how they could get there. Ben found himself really questioning his identity, as so much of him was tied up in his job. He talks about the some of the ways he started to slow down even when he was still working in corporate and commuting, which are a great place to start if that’s where you’re at.
The process of getting from then to now has been messy and full of learning, stress and joy all rolled into one, and they’re both grateful to have shared it with each other. And it only continues, as Ben shares how he’s finding the year abroad with his work and clients being on a different continent. For him it’s all about presence and flexibility. Thank you for listening to this one - as Brooke and Ben say, it’s a little heavier and raw than the usual, but also really important to share the reality behind the changes they’ve made, their experiences as a couple and the time it has taken for them to get to where they now.
To read more about the episode, head over to http://slowyourhome.com/242/ for all the links and resources mentioned, as well as the full blog post.
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