With the Heads Podcast Network. Hi, and welcome back to another episode of Slow It Down. I am your host, PJ Harding, and this podcast is all about finding peace in the chaos, ways that we can find a little more sanity in this wild world that we're living in. Every week I'm joined by a new guest who, well, I think we'll bring to the table some inspiration with how they live their life, and today is no exception. I'm joined by Kate Hall, who is the genius behind
Ethically Kate. You may have seen her online. She is an educator, writer, and content creator who advocates for living and decision making that respects people and the planet. I think it's really easy to feel intimidated by people such as Kate who come out and put their voice behind sustainability in the environment, because you're always like, oh my god,
I could be doing wavyr there. So I'm really honest about that with her in this conversation, and it's interesting how she delves into the responsibility that she's felt on her shoulders being a voice for the environment. In this conversation, we talk about how she slows it down, how important nature is, the beautiful rituals that she and her family do to spice up life, to get out of ruts. I really really enjoyed this conversation with Kate, and I hope you do too. Thank you so much for coming
on today. Okay, it's so nice to meet you in person. Yeah, you too, you too?
What is background?
Thank you? Oh my god, don't look at the plant. It's not doing well. First of all, how are you, like, how is life going at the moment? Have you go a lot on lots of projects in the works, Like how does life look for ethically Kate? At the moment?
Hmmm, I'm like preparing? Is it too echoe in here? Does it sound echoey?
It's fine at less you've got another I mean it's probably fine. I feel like we never it's through zone, can sound a bit echo. That's probably fine.
Yes.
At the moment, I feel like, so we have a long term houseit and that is really lovely.
For about seven months we settle in and this has been in our rhythm for the last two years going on three years. And so now now.
We're in the final kind of four weeks of packing up and ready to be like transient again. So life is a bit like yeah, just I think like mentally physically just gearing.
Up to pack up our stuff.
Yeah, we work that out and just kind of sought life and sort a lot of stuff, do a lot of deep cleaning, prepare the house before the owners come back, and then yeah, be a lot more transient again.
So when you say transient, do you may staying at different places? Are you looking at a rental or you don't know how that's going to lie.
We rented at our house in January twenty twenty three and went to India for three months and then house that for a few months and then over winter, so from kind of May till November we're in this permanent house, which is amazing, and the rest of the year we house it for you know, from three to two months at the time, and also go on a nationwide tour
around the country every year. So we leave here in four weeks and then over Christmas we have a house for a month near family, which is great for Christmas activities, and then we go on to it around the country for two months and then we'll come back. Don't know I'm going to live at April yet, but then we'll come back to the here to our winter house sit in May.
How do you feel not having that base all the time, because some people need that constant, you know, place of grounding or anchoring. Do you kind of thrive off a bit of where we're going to be next. I don't.
Like a lot of people like I tell them what we're doing, They're like, oh my gosh, there must be so cool.
It must feel like you're on holiday all the time.
And it is cool, like there's so many fun parts about it. But I definitely I like routine. I'm really affected by my environment and stuff.
And also I'm not on holiday. I'm trying to live my normal life.
I'm trying to get groceries in a more sustainable way. It's just very difficult and puts a lot more wastes and stuff from house it because you don't have your usual yes of things anyway, and even just your physical environment.
You know, we're living in.
These amazing, lovely houses, but it's not my stuff and it's not my choice of colors and textures. And I'm really affected by that, and I've realized that a lot more. But I think our main priorities for him and I to my husband are doing life together. Yeah, and yeah, doing life in a certain way.
And so we also realized we love our home.
It's by the beach that we've renovated for the past few years before we started doing this, and just adore it like gardens and fruit trees and really made this little little blissful spot. But we realized, you start to get a little bit kind of like gollum.
Yeah, stay away from my pressures.
Yeah, and that's not a bad thing, Like it's nice to feel proud of something and nice to use your favorite mug in the morning and have these routines. But I think we really didn't want to like get stuck, and we didn't want to I don't know, just become like too particular too and not that we are like we always have people staying at our house, open to the policy, but we just we needed that challenge.
So is that what prompted the house sitting kind of nomadic lifestyle moving around? How long do you plan on doing that for until you go back to your precious cave?
I know? And there's saddest year.
I was like, I'm moving back to my house in December other than a dead buddy, like this is the.
Thing I'm doing.
And then after again being in this long term house set, so you kind of, yeah, just have a little bit more stability. We decided not to move back, so it'll probably be in a year, so end of twenty twenty five we'll move back home.
You're always coming up with interesting challenges to put yourself through, though, aren't you?
Like?
It seems like I love that though, And I mean, you've done how long did you not buy a new clothes for?
There was a year? A year of twenty two and.
Was that one of the those challenges? Do you think you've done or have you done tougher things of the easiest?
Really? Yeah?
It was surprisingly much more freeing and yeah, not as hard as this. I'm currently doing New zeal Made Food Challenge that's been much harder than the fashion one.
So how long is the New Zealand Made Food Challenge for the whole year?
Yes? Yeah, first January?
Okay, And so how have you gone? Have you slept up at all?
Yeah? It's like I think you just kind of get used to it.
Yeah, after a while, and you just I'm also Celiac, so I'm used to being able to tell myself you can't eat that food, you know, Like I it's yeah, I was staying as Celia when I was three, So that's you know, and I know, yeah, I kind of just use that mentality and so you can't eat it those bananas from the Philippines, someone try to tell myself. So it's just those main staples like bananas and rice and I don't know, just like fun stuff you see, like I just need to try.
That, yeah, because I would think i'd go pretty like I would think, oh, I could probably do that because I like to shove organically and locally and stuff like that. But actually there's a lot that way I don't realize from overseas that snakes in a lot of.
The organic stuff and the stuff from Bolkan stores. That is the overseas stuff discovered really.
Hard when you're.
Yeah, sometimes you have to weigh up your values around waste free, organic, new zilla made fairly produced, and you often can't find all of those.
So I do I do? I guess I.
Eat a lot. It's you know, that like meat and the three ven kind of mentality, which sounds really boring. I kind of do that, but in a far more creative way. So I'm eating I mean, I've never really done processed foods and stuff much anyway.
I really like cooking and making my own.
But I've kind of really gone back to the absolute basics.
I think you do, especially when you are being a bit more conscious of like the produce you get. I think you do kind of go back to basics a bit more because you don't have all the extra fancy bits and bobs and whatever. And it's there's a good way to eat and seasonally as well. I mean, I'm sure you're a big advocate of eating seasonally.
Absolutely. I think it's good for our bodies too. Yeah, Like, yeah, I.
Remember seeing someone made a fruit platter at an event and it was like July and there's a pineapplen of strawberry.
You're like, no, what is this?
Firstly, is this millionaire to like afford it because it's come home from Yes, efensive, and just like, what is.
The life of this strawberry?
Where has it been hanging out since you know it grew in summer?
Where did it come from?
Yes? And we've come to so detached to that because we can't have everything of our fingersip And yeah, I mean I'm not perfect by any means, cheep as I'll buy out of season, but I think it is a beautiful kind of rule to sort of like guide ourselves when it comes to trying to eat seasonally. Maybe if there are more carrots, then you have more carrot dishes, or you know, trying to get creative. But you talk about, you know, your values with whatever it is you're navigating,
and I think they change all the time. And people have probably found themselves evolving along this kind of sustainable journey and you'll be really good at something for a while and then that slips off and then you're like, Okay, well maybe I'll try this. And would you say that that is the reality of embracing a life more sustainable is it is constantly evolving.
Absolutely.
I mean I think that's what sustainability means is something that can sustain itself, can continue over and over again. And we don't know everything now, things that a few years ago I was like, come on, everyone, this is so great.
And I'm like, oh, this isn't so great anymore. Let's learn and change.
Because information evolves in changes absolutely.
And it's also like, there is no perfect sustainable lifestyle. Some people may argue that, but the more I learn, like, the more I think even when I started probably about eight years ago, I was really like, Okay, cool, I'm going to do like this, you know, rubbish like rubbish been free thing and be really had core on waste and all this stuff. And now I just there's sustainability is so much more to me about every facet of life.
Sustainability doesn't mean environmentalism, it doesn't mean green things, it doesn't mean less pastic. Sustainability is a term that relates
to every facet of our life. So over time I've become way more passionate about sustainability for our health, for ourselves, and knowing that over the last eight years, the times when I have lived a less sustainable lifestyle or you know, had more in my rubbish bin or made decisions that didn't align with my values was when I was mentally low, physically sick, you know, situationally didn't have the resources.
So I think, yeah, sometimes I.
See a lot of people say, oh, yeah, it's so easy to live without ways and do this thing, but they often in a privileged position of accessibility of resources and.
All that type of things. So that's why I think, yeah.
And a lot of my messaging, I'm not just saying these are the eco friendly lifestyle hacks, and I also go take a nap.
Yes, because the irony is people who try me all in one hundred percent sustainable. That's not stainable. And you have to be able to be sustainable, and you have to keep the passion alive. And you come to that when you're just constantly failing, because people just give up and I feel like it's just a battle that they're never going to win.
Yeah, And that's what I think a lot of people I talk to it and why people. I mean, I started out ethically, Kate just you know, it was it wasn't intentional, and now here it as being my full time job. But I think people have continued on the on the journey and continue reading and being part of my work because they realize that they don't have to be the sustainable giru to like try to just try,
and so I share. I try to share equally my quote unquote failures, you know, but I really a failure, but my imperfections let's call them, and and non sustainable habits just as much because then they go.
Oh, she's not doing well.
Maybe I can just try like one thing and that's going to be the change maker. Like that's going to be what like actually drives this cultural shift of doing better four people in planet rather than like a whole bunch of hardcore have been living in tiny house, which absolutely awesome to you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have to be realistic.
Yeah, as helping mainstream people who don't like care yet to kre even just a little bit.
I'm sure there was quite a bit of pressure on your shoulders when you sort of came forward and you almost became this figure of sustainability in New Zealand. You made something that previously wasn't mainstream cool And how did you should navigate that sense of responsibility on your shoulders? Was that when you were like atually have to embrace the imperfection because this is just kind of ruin me.
I mean every day I think to myself, like her mind to call myself.
Like that's a pretty yeah? Pretty? I mean, firstly, ethics a subjective.
That's why I chose the word because it's you know, I won't get into that.
But it is. It is scary because.
First and foremost I'm a person who's just sharing what I'm learning and hoping that other people will learn from it.
I am I often you know, I.
Guess I know obviously more than like the average person, and I'm just so privileged to have been kind of in lots of different spaces, from lots of different industries. But I'm by no means an expert and a lot of what I do and share, even I'm often in the media commenting on things, and they say it's a strain ability experts, hold on, hold on, I'm still a person who's learning, growing, evolving, sharing, and I'm just sharing
as I go. So I think I definitely and people often surprised to hear it because I come across, you know, quite confident, which I am, but I'm confidently acknowledging my all the things I don't know, and I experienced imposter syndrome and kind of the overwhelm of it. But I go here, If I'm going to let those feelings paralyze me and stop me from doing this.
Screw it. That's like screw it.
Yeah, yeah, benefits from me talking and actually going out and speaking, but then being younger, okay to like you know, backtrack or update people on information. That's that's you know, what it should be like. I just feel like it would be a disservice for me to keep all of.
This information of course, and learn, you know.
To myself when we must. We need to do it, you know, for the sake of people on planet.
And I think that transparency and the humanness is what takes away that kind of pretentiousness that could be or like I'm better than you. It never feels like that from what I have consumed of your content. I love it, and I think it's fun, and I think it's a really creative way of getting across really important information. So get that so down out the way, Kate, You're doing an amazing job. I want to know what kind of got you on the road in the first place, because
this was never your plan, was it. Didn't you study business at Messy or something like that.
Yeah, well I studied business psychology, which some could argue is actually directly related to what I do now, because that was me being passionate about people in the workplace working sustainably, you know, like thriving, loving their job, loving their work.
And so I did actually come into this space. You know, a lot of people come to.
It from you know, they don't want pollution in the oceans because they're a surfer or.
But I came into it from a people point of view.
You know, obviously I love nature's environment, you know, are we a part of it? But from that social site, I so that business psychology does play into it. I didn't intend like I was working in hr kind of roles and that was I guess I was maybe going to do my master's to become a industrial psychologist. But yeah, I just I started sharing in twenty fifteen and learning,
and I just kept communicating and talking. So you know, when you kind of reflect back and you're, oh, that was random, but then you look back through your life, that was it random? And that kind of just to be here. Yes, I had my business when I was eight years old. It was called Kate Care and I watered plants, clicked in mail. Then evolved into like mowing lawns, walking.
Dogs, hats.
Yeah, like up to ten houses over the summer at a time.
Okay, so you've always just been a really good human from.
The Yeah, I guess I've always like been much.
Heard I can do that, I'll.
Start this so Yeah, to be honest, I actually wanted to be a vet my whole life up until I was about seventeen, So that was my plan but.
Yeah, I'm happy to be here.
I love it for anyone lest saying who is feeling guilty as we're speaking the words of sustainability, eco living all of that. What easy bits of advice can you say that could inspire them to get back on the bandwagon that don't need to be huge overhauls of their life.
I would say, first start by learning and refreshing yourself in a way that suits you. So if you like podcasts, then you know, find some good podcasts to learn. And I say learn and refresh your stuff, because if I want to tell you to go out and buy a certain thing or do a certain thing, it's kind of irrelevant unless you have that like why is freshed? So you might like podcasts or documentaries, or just you might like sitting with community, you know, and go to your
local repair cafe. There's so many around the country now, and just yeah, be with people, strike up conversation when you're having a coffee with your neighbor or a friend next ask them, you know, how they approach this topic and if they think about people on planet and they're kind of purchasing and habits.
Just I think starting with that.
Means sustainable of them becomes sustainable.
Yes, not unrealistic, unattainable thing that that makes us feel really shit about ourselves.
Yeah, and we can't. We can't do things like things aren't going to stick. You know. I could tell you to compast and send you are good Habit recycling guide and a list of places to shop in the whole fashion which all my website, But like, that's irrelevant unless.
Unless you know why you're doing it, And you're not going to stick to those things unless.
You know why and you're nected in with people and you're learning in a way that suits you.
I love that. So finding out the why and however it looks for you, whether it's however you.
Like to.
Ingest content. When it comes to locally shopping locally, I'm sure you're massive on that.
I am miss upon shopping locally, but I'm not exclusive to it. I certainly won't be sticking to just New Zealand made food after this challenge.
I do like rice, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And secondly, there's also a huge power in supporting organizations who employ people overseas.
You know.
I think of the brand Hollybolly, who equal fashion brand.
They were still in Weltain as well, but mainly Aline.
And they employ women in rural India who you know they talked to so is that long, beautiful story, but they taught these long to so and then the women like, we want jobs you know in this in this town where women and nothing weren't allowed jobs like or he.
Completely oppressed.
And then you know there's this fashion label which means they can make clothes, have employment treated with so much more respect. It's really changing the whole culture of the city. So to say we should only buy a New Zealand made and local is to kind of yeah, stop, great opportunities for being able to actually support our global community as well. So I think it's a great it's a great balance, and it's again it's up toide person. The
person's your individual values. Because for a lot of people, they only shops you can hand and it's amazing, you know, but for a lot of people maybe only supporting companies like Hollibolly recreate clothing others overseas. That may be a passion because you have that kind of that that global conscience.
So I think it's it's a bit.
Bit of everything. Just quickly. I'm sure you've written lots on this, but your favorite ethical Keewi clothing brands in New Zealand. As we're heading into Christmas, I just want to I'll get into Christmas a little bit more, son, But do you have just a couple of faves that you want to give a shout out to?
Well, I mean I've already mentioned Holly and yes, we're great as a tall chip.
Koto is the jeans are so good. It was a black tank top that still exists in my wardrobe.
Yeah. I could guarantee if I bought it at the mall from the brands.
I would I would have holes in it.
No, So yeah, Koto is brilliant standard issue.
I'm wearing one of the tops right now. I just live in this stuff.
I love your dancing videos within this so good makes me want to just like get my husband wearing my clothes.
I know it is handy, tom as similar at heights and can fit. I can even have fit his shorts I just discovered the other day. But it's not happy with me buying his shorts.
And so with Christmas obviously fast approaching, and there's the cost of living crisis, so that is obviously in a lot of people's minds, but with the environment in mind as well, what do you think is some good alternatives for Chrissy presents some fun, creative ways that you can show people you love them without just going to stock standard shop and dropping fifty or one hundred bucks.
Yeah, I think.
I mean personally, I actually just launched the biggest blot I've ever written in my entire life, which was like, it's huge. There are a hundred different options on there. So that's like your classic sustainable Christmas gifts, which it's still stuff which you know, personally still end up having to buy some stuff, but it's your sex. It's like soaps and underwear and towels and candles, but it's all good ethically made mainly New Zealand brands.
So that's a great thing because it's a low cost point.
You know, like there are small gifts too, so you know it kind of means a lot more.
You're still spending a small.
Amount, but it's like a boutique New Zealand maid, so you know that it adds a bit of more.
Kudos to the gift.
For me and my funo, we often don't do any physical gifts and like one year we all donated to a charity that suited the person. So like, my brother is a musician, and I think it was my mum who got him as like a secret standard situation and donated to like a music therapy group, you know. So it's a it's a personalized gift still, but you're, yeah, you're just donating. Or we donate vouchers for things. So my sister gave Tim and I a voucher to it up like a lovely date dinner meal and leave us
to it. And Tim and I gave mom and Dad two hours of deep cleaning their house. And I really like that.
Like really thoughtful girls.
So you can.
I know that it's hard because in some family cultures there's this expectation of buying something and physically sitting around and clifting. But I would suggest, you know, especially we kind of have a bit of time before Christmas to actually say, hey, should we do things differently this year or or yeah, just plant that seed, because to be honest, probably a lot of people will go, oh my gosh, thank you for saying that. You know, I was stressed.
Let let's all commit to this. So I think it does involve you know, I'm really grateful that my family and Tim's family were all on board with the less gifts and more time and and you need gifts. But I know it has had to suggest that, you know, because we were quite set in their ways. But I found suggesting it in a cold, cold blooded moment, not saying not sitting down on Christmas this year and going, oh my gosh, I got all that's rabbit like, yeah,
actually being soft and kind about it and planting planting seeds. Yeah, Like vouchers are great, you know, experiences this. We have so many opportunities to buy gifts that aren't junk. A majority of gifts end up, you know, in the rubbish or in the junk cupboard.
So it's true you are a big fan of making traditions. Was it a Christmas tradition? I can't remember. I saw it where you and your husband literally had like breakfast naked. Was there Christmas?
It was Christmas? And you know what it was.
We thought about it for ages and we did it and it was so much fun that we got out beautiful china.
And they like bread and we had this whole and it was just a term and it was so much fun.
It was just kind of I think it's nice because sometimes you can get caught up in all the family things and you forget, especially when it's just two of you.
That like we're a family unit terms, it's fun.
But now that we're house sitting and over Christmas were like staying with family.
Vision, we'll restart it mixt you do you.
Have like a certain special menu when you're not or like some kind of food guys.
I mean, anything goes, But it's mainly the part.
It's not just being naked, but it's also having like lovely you know, really working on making the bread and getting fresh fruit and you know, a very very gourmet kind of fancy breakfast to match our fancier times.
I love that.
I see you do upside down Thursdays as well. Is that still going you do that every week?
Yes, though who've been house to have found it's too just sorient it so we have to be pau but it's definitely still yeah in our repertoire.
Yeah. Again, that was just us.
Not wanting to get stuck in a rut of get in.
The bed and you have the same side of the bed, and.
I think it was Tim's idea and we just where our feet usually are our heads are and we switched around. Often it's a good day to like do the sheets that they do. Yeah, yeah, not sleeping actually your.
Feet and it gives you a fresh perspective, do you find and it gets you out of ruts exactly.
And you honestly, we have to go to bed quite a bit beforehand because you're honestly looking at the room differently. You come up with all these different ideas that we just find ourselves to like it feels like a sleepover, yes, and even though we've done it over the years and years, it still feels like that.
So yeah, we'll definitely keep it up.
It's a bit of so do you have any support, Like do you ever find you lose your pillow because it's not up by the bed.
I've actually never lost my pillow And we started like this six years on, so I think you kind of because we're quite tall people, we have to pull the bed off the wall.
Yeah, otherwise outfect don't fit.
And be Eccleston's kind of health the end of the bed and yeah, I think you kind of it just becomes like also pilot yeah type people go under a bit and got a bit of space. Yeah, no problem with that, But it depends on the fabric of your linen.
Yes, you're the thickness of your pillar. I'm sure there's a science behind it.
I just love these cute little things that you infuse into your life to obviously bring a bit of joy. And I know that you talk about how you try to encompass joy filled living. How does that look for you on a daily basis, Like, how do you capture those moments of joy that could often be overlooked by others?
M I think it starts with really good phone hygiene. They call it my phone.
I'm charge in another room for a few hours before I go to bed, and not for the first few hours of my day.
I think that allows.
You to just be much more human and much more awake and aware, especially when my work is so digital.
And I'm not saying I'm perfect at that two hour thing, but it is.
I really find having my phone in my room just.
It's horrible, isn't it. You just you actually just can't disconnect, and you feel the feelings of hundreds of different people that you wouldn't usually be impacted by, and all of a suddenly they're getting into your space and it's like, hey, why am I feeling the secondhand? You don't need to, and I'm so guilty of it, and I reckon. I got really good for a couple of years, but since getting back into work this year so bad.
It's hard I find. I brought a really fancy, beautiful alarm clock. That's great.
It's really helped because I spent a lot of money on this beautiful and it's ever got a power nap time. So that means I'm yeah, really so yeah that that phone trick and different things. Just I think if you don't if you're not aware, the world can just catch you up, and you're doing all these important things, you know, but are they really important and you're not actually opening space to find those little joys. So yeah, I spent
a lot of time outside. I'm really grateful to live by the beach, to spend a lot of time in beach.
Yeah, in beach. In actually a lot of time in the beach all the way around.
Yes, and.
Yeah, a lot of time with my family, which I think when I hear the word joy, that's what I think of two. So yeah, I want to analyze that question more in my daily life too, because I wonder how different. Yeah, yeah, my little routines and habits build and the opportunity to find joy, because we can all find it, but it's it's allowing more opportunities for it and open yourself up to that. So I think also feeling you know, I try to move every day.
You to do first thing in the morning, so if you're feeling good and you're aware of your body and aware.
Of yourself, and I do that first thing. And I'm also a religious napper, so.
I'm how many times do you get to nap to day? Oh?
I net once a day.
Do you like a little catnap in the afternoon? Oh that sounds so blessful, Like twenty minutes or an hour?
Twenty minutes? An hour much? I can't Yeah, yeah.
Even fifteen sometimes I'm pretty pretty good.
Do you nestle up into like a little patch of sun?
Yeah, yeah, depending on the season, if the sun's available. Yeah, but I have a little weighted an eye mask and it's all yeah. But you know, I think all these things we talk about, people go, oh, you're so lucky to have a nap or oh there's all yeah, there's all these things, which absolutely I'm lucky but but I don't.
You know, I.
Actually get more way more work done after I have that nap than I would have if I hadn't, So I'm not. It's about prioritizing time and actually being aware of what your body needs how you can foster it, like a thriving existence and a thriving Yeah, a thriving space to find that joy to work on things you want to to have capacity for relationships and create of ideas and things like that. So yeah, we really get built into this like gotta work, gotta do the hours,
and it's not it's not really helping helping anyone. And I absolutely know like that I am you know, I whip for myself. I love by the beach, I have all these great things that set me up for success. But we do have a lot more control, I think than then we realize looking after ourselves and opening ourselves up for more opportunities to feel dor and enjoy and find it.
Yeah, and you're just creating. I think it's so beautiful that you're creating a life and a career around your passion. That's pretty cool. Like, I think that is such an important part of ones you know, purpose and whatnot and it's just amazing that you're being able to follow that journey. I mean, I'm sure you've still got lots of grand plans along the way, but that's pretty cool when you look back on what you've bechanged.
It's pretty like, to be honest, this year, I nearly gave it up.
Really yeah, I think.
It's obviously brilliant and incredible kind of quality of life and freedom. But you know, when you're when you're working and dealing in something that is you're absolutely giving yourself to thousands of other people every day, and that's your.
Job, that's your work.
It really does take a toll and you become you know, you find yourself. So they go, oh my gosh, all those people in the world who like go to work go home, rather than like, oh, I wonder what jobs are coming in this month. Yes, but obviously the grass was always green. Now you know this, but it is it is.
It is draining and exhausting when you're constantly expected to put yourself authentically out there and you're obviously going to have bad days and you're going to have moments that you don't want to share, but you still have to show up. And it's I think I think everyone in that position would have those moments where they're like, I don't know if I can do this anymore.
And I've always had those ups and downs, but I think when life like it's been in the last few years, it's it's not yeah, there's been more big, deep lows, and so I've really experienced yeah, feeling oh, like how can I do? You know, I'd love to just go sit at my office job.
And like be able to switch off at the end of the day. You don't have to think about how you're going to show up to all of these people. Yeah, I absolutely get it, But then you've got to think, what are you? You know, you are literally changing lives with the information that you are present in the way that you're making it so palatable for so many people.
Yes, and you think, like that's what keeps me going my messages of how I've impact yeah people's worlds, but also I think, you know, I do.
The reason that I kind.
Of walked off the end of literally applying for some of the jobs that I had looked at was even though part of the job is why I can be so down sometimes, it's also like I don't have to get up and be somewhere every day at the same time, I can go for a swim and I can do something that I actually really need to look after myself in that moment.
And so.
Yeah, this type of lifestyle also actually lends itself to, yeah, being more helpful for when you aren't.
So it's me it's a natural process and it's the grass is green and rose turned to glasses mentality that gets us all. I don't think any of us are immune to that. Anyone who looks like they've got the perfect life, there is always that water or you know, life would be better if whether it's financial or there's always some area of one's life that they're like, oh, this could be bitter if dot dot dot.
Totally absolutely good, like good things aren't easy.
No, it's also like, you know, it's just life, like it's you know, yeah, if we were happy all the time.
It wouldn't know what happiness or joy was because it couldn't hit us on the face at a time of just you know like yes, yeah.
So this is my missage she to keep going. That's a little write it down down, keep going. Do you have any advice that you tell your younger self before you got into this lifestyle, maybe like early twenty year. Okay, what would you what would you tell her ahead of everything you know is coming up?
I would tell her firstly, not to donate the black ever jumpsuits that I gave up, because I regret that.
Do you know where it's gone? Anywhere to located?
A great hop shot? Fine?
But secondly I would I'd tell her something that actually someone told me when I was like fourteen in a property manager, to spend more time stopping and smelling the roses. And I know, like a lot of the things we've talked about, people may think, oh, o, Kate, it's.
Really good at doing that.
But I think I have these challenges and I have these strategies because I'm not someone who lives making in the clouds stopping to smell the roses. Like my husband is so good that and he inspires me so much more to do that I can left to my own advices be quite intense, quite like Taipei and full on and I started a childcare company in my early twenties. I started ethically, Kate, it was, it was, it was a lot, and so even though I absolutely don't regret any of.
It, I would just enjoy the right rees that to.
Younger Kate and say no, seriously, just sit more in the moment and don't always be thinking about the future, like that's a great skill of mine, but just don't always like like, I've started learning a lot about meditation in the last five years, so i'd tell her to maybe start learn about that a bit earlier.
I reason ate with the re word you said, that's literally why I started this podcast. You know, we know, we know all the stuff, we know what we meant to be doing. You've had these conversations over and over, but actually embodying it is another whole thing, and I think the more we can remind ourselves of that the better.
Absolutely.
Well, Kate, thank you so much for coming on. It's been so nice to meet you, and all the best with what's to come over the next few years.
Thank you so awesome. Love what you do.
That was made chat with Kate Hall, also known as Ethically Kate. I just wanted to kick off the takeaways that I got from the episode. I just love the rituals that she's got with her family, the sort of traditions, for example, that upside down Thursday. I know that may not be Rod's cup of tea. But for me, I get it like it's just something different that you do once a week and it just gives you that perspective shift.
And even if you are almost falling off the bed, I think that's such a cool way of just getting out of your everyday routine and mixing it up, and I can see how that would give you fresh insights and fresh perspectives. I love that. I also thought a crucial takeaway from that in terms of sustainability was the importance of why. When it comes to your sustainable journey. If you don't know your why, there's no point and
everyone's why, we'll look a little bit different. There'll be different things that motivate people to do things for the planet. But if you just are going loosely for looking after the planet, that's that's not going to necessarily motivate you. You need to find a specific issue that gets you excited, and sustainability I just love the refresher that sustainability needs to be sustainable, something that you can actually keep up
and something that you get excited about. I love the term that she uses joy bringer and just finding those moments of joy where you can and opening yourself up for those opportunities of joy. We just close ourselves off and we don't even realize. You know, she lives near the beach. That is obviously what keeps us saying she swims all year round, brilliant. Yes, you may not live near the beach, but we all, particularly here in New Zealand, are so privileged with the gorgeous nature that we have
so close to us. So it's just about getting outside and really connecting, taking your shoes off, getting in touch with the mother nature. And also I really liked the phone hygiene chat and being really conscious of having a couple of hours off that I am really feeling the negative affixing my phone. The last few months, I've just felt so overwhelmed by it. And it's because I'm not
having that discipline. I'll find that I'm in bed scrolling, I'm on the couch scrolling market place on Facebook keeps pulling me in and I'm like, no, I just need it, and then I'm like, no, it's the dopamine hat I am actually hooked. So being really strict on there, and I think observing how you feel when you pull yourself away from those habits is probably a really powerful thing to do because you realize how much it's actually missing with your mental health. So that was some of my
main takeaways that I got from Kate this week. I'd love to know what you got from the chat, and I'd also love to know who you'd love to hear from on future episodes. You can always get in touch with me on Instagram at pj DJ and I'll see you next week for another episode.