The Mindful Isle: Recent Episodes
Daisy Baker
From innovators and entrepreneurs to humanitarians and changemakers, Tasmania is filled with incredible people. The Mindful Isle is a celebration of slow and considered life on our island home. You'll hear from doers, makers and thinkers from all corners of Tasmania sharing their stories about slow living, sustainability, ethical business and fostering community connection. Hosted by Tasmanian journalist Daisy Baker, the Mindful Isle will provide you with inspiring tips and conversations each week to help you live a more mindful life. Find us on Instagram @themindfulisle
In today's episode we're chatting about opting for a slower pace of life and the benefits of this.
My guest today is Tracey Groombridge, aka @mcleod9mentor - she's a mental health worker, a coach and a retreat facilitator.
In this episode, she shares her fun approach to gratitude, some of her biggest takeaways from working in mental health and developing Women to the Front retreats, empowering women and helping them slow down.
Tracey is a wonderful human and I loved this chat. She's got a wealth of knowledge and she has lots of wonderful insight to share. I hope you enjoy this chat and find some valuable takeaways.
If you'd like to learn more about Tracey's retreats: https://www.mcleod9mentoring.com.au/
The books she recommended were:
- Atlas of the Heart by Brenee Brown
- The Myth of Normal, Gabor Mate
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Living with it
This is actually the final episode for season three!
Thanks so much to everyone who has listened in this season and to all the wonderful guests I've had on.
It's a pleasure having these conversations about conscious living in Tasmania.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @themindfulisle to stay up to date.
I'm so delighted to have a lovely long-time listener and supporter of the show on today, Renee Allan. You might know her as @cherrymumma from Instagram.
She's a mum of four, a teacher, lover of all things vintage and a passionate sewer.
In this episode we discuss where her love of sewing began and what inspired her to kick things up a notch and begin sewing all her clothes.
She's also part of Launceston's new circular fashion wonderland, the Redress Hub which she shares more about in this conversation.
Check out Renee's amazing creations on Instagram @cherrymumma and learn more about the Redress Hub here: https://www.facebook.com/ReDressHub/
I'll be back in your ears next fortnight with another episode about conscious living in Tasmania.
Art has an incredible power to challenge widely held perspectives and start important conversations.
In today's episode you'll hear from artist and proud Wiradjuri woman Brandi Salmon. She is flipping traditional portrayals of Indigenous people in art on their head.
Through her collection 'The Aunties' she has reimagined famous paintings such as The Mona Lisa, Girl with the Pearl Earring and the Birth of Venus, with Indigenous women as the subjects.
In this conversation, Brandi shares where the inspiration for the series came from, where she hopes to take it in the future and her take on fostering more positive representations of Indigenous culture in the media.
Check out her artwork here: https://brandisalmonart.com.au/
In today's episode you'll meet Bonnie Tuttle, a personal and business coach consulting with individuals, leaders, not for profits and small businesses. As you'll hear in this episode, she has worked across many industries and uses these skills to offer a mixed bag of services but on the whole, she's working to help people live more authentic, fulfilling lives. In this conversation, Bonnie shares the framework she uses to help people live a life that lights them up, creating a conscious business with heart and what to do if you feel you're living in opposition with your values. If you'd like to learn more about Bonnie's offerings visit: https://www.bonnietuttle.com.au/
In today's episode you'll meet Jayne Case, a mother of two and the creator behind the small business, Three Harveys. She makes beautiful toys from Tasmanian driftwood which encourage imaginative play. In this conversation Jayne shares where her passion for woodwork began, sustainably sourcing driftwood, tips for slow parenting and encouraging creative play, and some reflections on raising a Deaf child. I'm so grateful to Jayne for sharing so openly in this episode, especially around her youngest son's Deafness. Conversations like this pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive community.
The book Jayne mentions is 'Boy' by Phil Cummings - you can watch him read it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nr2cdYeQiI If you'd like to check out Jayne's shop and creations: https://threeharveys.com/
A barista made coffee is a non-negotiable part of many people's day but have you ever stepped back to think about how much waste is generated from coffee grounds?
Today's guest Kimberley Eaton has seen this first hand through her work in the hospitality industry and together with her partner Elliot Gee, they founded Golden Brown, a community composting initiative, diverting coffee grounds from landfill.
In this conversation, Kimberley shares the mind-blowing amount of coffee grounds they've composted already, some tips for growing your composting confidence and her vision for the business' future.
If you'd like to get involved with Golden Brown's great work or view some of their helpful resources you can find more here: https://www.facebook.com/goldenbrowntas/
How much do you know about our edible native plants? Today's guest has made it her mission to learn more about Tassie's edible natives and make them more accessible to people around the state. Corinne spent her childhood foraging in the highlands of Inverness, Scotland and years later she's channelling her passion and skills into her daily work. Together with Chris Chapman, she founded Willd Pepper Isle, making a range of preserves and teas from the Tasmanian Pepperberry and foraged fruit. In this conversation Corinne shares their wild harvesting process, the evolution of the business and her drive to help reconnect people with the source of their food. Find out more about Wild Pepper Isle here: https://wildpepperisle.com.au/
Maria Ortiz is a beacon of light in the sustainability space.
Rather than dwelling on the devastation of the climate crisis, she has harnessed this as motivation to make a positive difference to the planet.
In this conversation, she shares her personal journey to live a more sustainable life and how her business Earth Coterie has evolved from this.
Check out Maria’s sustainable shop here: https://earthcoterie.com/
In today's episode you'll meet Coralee Williams, the creator of Inspired by Nature Tasmania, who makes beautiful handcrafted items including bushdyed fabrics and native cherry burl earrings.
In this conversation, she shares her adoration for the Tasmanian landscape, her creative process using natural materials and food waste and more.
Check out Coralee's creations here: https://www.inspiredbynaturetasmania.com.au/
You've probably heard the phrase 'it takes a village' in relation to parenting but with modern fast paced lifestyles and families spread out across different states and a pandemic thrown in the mix, this has fallen by the wayside.
Today's guest is helping to reignite the village, nourishing and nurturing women postpartum in Tasmania and Melbourne.
Dr Renee White comes from a background in biochemistry and molecular biology and is now drawing on these skills as a postpartum doula.
She is the director of Fill Your Cup, a postpartum doula service she founded with her friend, Dr Micka Bertucci.
In this episode, she shares the evolution of her career, her transition to motherhood and some practical tips for anyone preparing to welcome a baby or with a small child at home.
Learn more about Fill Your Cup here: https://ifillyourcup.com/
And listen to their great podcast, The Science of Motherhood here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-science-of-motherhood/id1560246813
In this episode you’ll meet Jay Chipman, the founder of Tasmanian charity Homely Retreats which gives a complimentary weekend away to families who have one parent undergoing cancer treatment.
Jay shares how her experience with cancer fuelled her to create a service to provide other families with the invaluable chance to rest and reconnect when they need it most.
In this conversation, you’ll hear about the evolution of Homely Retreats from an ambitious idea through to the successful charity it is today, and the community of generous locals who have rallied to support it along the way.
If you’d like to get behind Homely Retreats or you know someone who could benefit from their services, find more information here: homelyretreats.com.au
Stay up to date on Instagram @themindfulisle and I’ll be back in your ears with another episode about conscious living in Tasmania next week.
Welcome to season three of the Mindful Isle! Thanks so much for joining me! I’m so excited to be back and I’m really looking forward to introducing you to guests from all different backgrounds over the course of the season, who are all reflecting on conscious living in Tasmania.
How much do we really need? This is something that today’s guest has spent a lot of time reflecting on, particularly in relation to housing and the lifestyles we lead.
Jane Hilliard is a building designer based in Hobart who created her own studio, Designful and from there launched Homeful, providing accessible, pre-designed sustainable small homes to clients around the state.
Jane is a passionate advocate for ‘enoughness’ a concept she shares more about in this episode, along with tips to make your new build or established home more sustainable, and her vision for Tasmania’s future.
There is so much food for thought in this episode in relation to not taking more than your fair share and leaving the planet in good stead for future generations. I’d love to hear your thoughts so let’s keep the conversation going on Instagram @themindfulisle
You can see more of Jane’s work here: www.designful.com.au/ www.homefulbydesignful.com.au/
Season two may be over but here's a look back at some of the wonderful doers, makers and thinkers we've met over the past 10 episodes.
I'll be back with more conversations about conscious living in Tasmania in 2022. In the meantime, let's continue the conversation on Instagram @themindfulisle
Have you ever considered quitting your job and making a sea change? Or, maybe you landed here in Tassie doing just that.
Today's guest Kim Kerton threw in her fast-paced media sales job in Sydney with a vision of relocating to Bruny Island with her partner and opening a yoga studio. Then Covid struck.
In this episode, Kim shares how she wound up on the East Coast of Tassie, what the tipping point was when she knew it was time to leave the job she once adored and how she's finding the happy medium between hustle culture and slow living.
These days among many things, Kim teaches yoga, writes, makes ceramics and creates delicious plant-based meals which she shares on her blog and Instagram @goodsideofthebed_
You'll also hear about her exciting, brand new podcast Unemployed and Afraid in which she chats to people from all walks of life starting over.
You can find Kim on Instagram @goodsideofthebed_ and @unemployedandafraid, or check out her ceramics and delicious recipes at: https://goodsideofthebed.com.au/
When was the last time you set foot in an op-shop? Today's guest Bel Dowde has a knack for finding pre-loved goods and transforming them into beautiful and funky upcycled items. She started her sustainable business Ramble Folk last year and now sells a range of reusable eco products.
She was recognised as a finalist in the 2021 Tasmanian Sustainable Business of the Year award.
In this conversation Bel shares how Ramble Folk came to be, we chat about upcycled gifting, imperfect sustainability and so much more.
Check out the Ramble Folk range here: https://www.ramblefolk.com.au/
In this episode you'll meet Grace Williams, a Hobart-based gentle activist. She's packed a lot into her life so far...she's currently wrapping up a law degree, she's also a filmmaker, author and director of not for profit arts and human rights organisation Citizen Tasmania, which she established.
Through this organisation she's doing some incredible community-building work and they have developed the None A Week campaign to help educate diverse communities about the impacts of domestic violence.
In this conversation Grace shares her passion for law, how her two documentary films came to be, explains the None A Week campaign and more.
Grace has an ambition vision for the future of Tasmania and I hope you find this conversation as inspiring as I did.
A content warning for this episode, it does contain discussions of rape and domestic violence.
If you would like to learn more about Citizen Tasmania or the None A Week campaign, visit @citizentas and @noneaweek on Instagram.
Tasmania is well known for its beaches and pristine coastal waters. Beneath the water's surface lies an incredible landscape of reefs, caves and marine life. Danny Lee has been exploring the underwater world for most of his life and for the past 15 years has been capturing some of the glory on camera to share with others.
You may be familiar with some of his work through his business Submerged Images. In this episode Danny shares where his love of the ocean began, how photography came along and some of his most memorable diving moments to date.
Check out more of Danny's work here: https://www.submergedimages.com/ or on Instagram @submerged_images
Danny's currently crowdfunding to publish a book of some of his spectacular Tasmanian underwater photography. You can support him here: https://www.mycause.com.au/p/268282/tasmanian-underwater-photography-book-photos-and-adventures-by-danny-lee-submerged-images-tasmania
In today's episode you'll meet Lindsay Andrew, a creative living between Tasmania and Western Australia, who you might know as Lindsay Stitches. She's an embroidery artist who's stitched everything from flora and fauna through to people, buildings and even political commentary. In this episode we discuss how she got into the craft, her 2020 embroidery journal which has since won her a Frankie Good Stuff Award, her 2021 embroidery project and what the future holds for Lindsay Stitches.
You can check out her work on Instagram @lindsay_stitches and purchase her embroidery kits via https://www.lindsaystitches.com/
In today's episode we venture to the North-West coat of Tassie to Blue Hills Honey at Mawbanna. It's a family owned and operated business run by husband and wife Robbie and Nicola Charles.
The business has been in Robbie's family since the mid 1950s and since taking over the business in 2001, Blue Hills Honey has expanded to around 2000 hives and now exports jarred honey internationally.
In this episode, Robbie shares some of his early memories of the family business, how times have changed and the importance of caring for our precious bee populations.
Read more about Blue Hills Honey and their product range here: https://bluehillshoney.com/
Cast your mind back to your favourite childhood toy...chances are it was a bear, a bunny or maybe a dog. Today's guest wanted to inject some more diversity into the plush toy market, introducing kids to some less common creatures. Soft and Salty creator Catherine Gibson creates the most beautiful range of plush marine animals who are all filled with personality. She hopes in turn children will be inspired to look after our oceans.
In this episode we chat about her creative process, her love of the ocean, sourcing sustainable materials and the future of her range.
Check out the Soft and Salty range and learn more about the brand here: https://www.softandsalty.com.au/
More than one billion plastic milk bottles are used each year, 500 million of which are used for commercial purposes. Owner of Launceston Flick the Bean coffee stops, Edward Crick decided something needed to change. He's developed 18-litre reusable milk kegs and through his new venture, The Udder Way, he hopes to roll them out across the country.
In this episode we chat about his design process and his mission to remove 100 million milk cartons from circulation in Australia each year.
If you'd like to learn more about The Udder Way or start using milk kegs in your business visit https://www.theudderway.com.au/
Our island home is full of makers producing beautiful items while striving to leave the planet a better place. Tasmania is known for its clean and green status, but it can be hard to know exactly what goes on behind a brand's closed doors.
With this in mind, today's guest wanted to help connect sustainability-conscious makers and consumers. Kelsey Rosevear has used her background in marketing and fast fashion to create Have and Hold, a directory promoting quality and sustainably crafted items and clothing in Tasmania.
Discover local makers and more about Have and Hold here: https://www.haveandholdtasmania.com.au/
Welcome to season two of the Mindful Isle! I'm so excited to be back with some fresh interviews after a bit of a break.
In today's episode you'll meet Laura Tilley, a meditation teacher and the creator of The Half Between, through which she shares her love of meditation with others in person and online. Laura is sunshine in human form and I really enjoyed interviewing her. Laura is a big advocate of slowing down, appreciating the present moment and reconnecting with yourself and others. In this conversation, we delve into how meditation has become a key tool in maintaining her mental wellbeing, the style of meditation she teaches and the importance of connection.
You can learn more about The Half Between and Laura's course offerings here: https://www.thehalfbetween.com/
If you'd like to check out the guided meditations Laura has created for Zorali that we mentioned, you can find them here via their IGTV: https://www.instagram.com/zorali/channel/?hl=en
In today's episode you'll meet Love Your Guts founder Caleb Robertson, who has developed a range of fermented food products since 2017.
While working as a natural therapist, Caleb began recommending fermented foods to clients in place of probiotics. At first he starting making a few jars of sauerkraut to sell at the clinic, and running community workshops and over time the demand ramped up until he left the clinic to pursue it as a business full time.
In this episode, we discuss the process of turning his fermenting side hustle into a fully fledged business and the benefits of fermented foods for gut health.
In today's episode you'll meet Hobart-based director of Good Life Permaculture, Hannah Moloney.
As a permaculture landscape designer and educator, a large part of her days are spent in the garden, working with clients and sharing knowledge in the community.
She's a wealth of information and is a guest presenter for Gardening Australia.
From her garden office Hannah discusses her lifestyle, the basics of permaculture and her vision for Tasmania's future.
Learn more about Good Life Permaculture here https://goodlifepermaculture.com.au/
Back in 2018 Jodi Wilson and her family packed up their city life, sold the majority of their possessions and bought a caravan. In the years since she's been travelling Australia with her partner Daniel and their four children in tow.
They've been travelling around Tasmania since November 2019, with plans to return to the mainland later this year.
Jodi is a writer, photographer and yoga teacher.
In this episode we discuss the lessons of yoga that inform her lifestyle, simplicity and the concept of slow travel.
You can read more about Jodi's travels and lifestyle on her successful blog https://www.practisingsimplicity.com/ or see her stunning photos on Instagram @practisingsimplicity
When was the last time you took a long, hard look around your house, at all the products that are part of your daily routine and reflected on the waste you generate?
Last year Hobart-based nurse Taylor Richardson did just that - she was housebound for several months due to illness and during that time she became very conscious of the waste she was generating so she decided to go zero waste. Since then, she's been documenting her journey on a blog (https://tassiegirlzerowaste.home.blog/) and Instagram (@tassie_girl_zero_waste).
In this conversation we discuss her progress so far and she shares some practical tips for minimising waste.
Resources Taylor recommended:
https://sharewaste.com/
https://hemptemple.org/
Have you ever eaten an insect? If not, would you consider it? It's something that's been part of many cultures for thousands of years and is becoming increasingly popular in the western world.
In today's episode you'll meet Louise Morris, the person behind Rebel Food Tasmania. Since 2013 she's been growing premium insects for human consumption using food and brew waste from local businesses. Once harvested, the insects are distributed to restaurants or made into protein plus nut butters. In this conversation we discuss how the business came about, the process of growing insects and the impact COVID-19 has had on her trade.
In today's episode you will meet Simon McInerney, a freelance butler based in Northern Tasmania. He's been in the service industry for most of his life, working in high-class hotels in Australia and abroad. During an eight-year working stint in the UK, he served as house manager for none other than Highclere Castle which some listeners might recognise from Downton Abbey. In this conversation Simon reflects on how he became a butler, his time in the UK and the choice to return to Tasmania.
When was the last time you really thought about where your food comes from and how it is produced? In today's episode Launceston-based butter maker and founder of Tasmanian Butter Co. Olivia Morrison shares how she makes cultured butter by hand and the philosophy behind her business.
Every now and then you meet someone with a knack for turning day-to-day processes on their head, determined to make a difference. Today's guests Sam Haberle and Toby Wilkin do just that. They're two of the partners behind Launceston's Change Overnight hotel. The unique enterprise has 18 rooms and each night guests stay they have have the opportunity to give back to one of Change's eight aligned charities. In this conversation we rewind to when the idea first formed and discuss how they made it a reality.
You can read more about their mission at https://changeovernight.co/
In today’s episode you’ll meet the delightful duo behind the Bloody Unknown, a community project shining the light on the stories of individuals around Tasmania who have experienced a deep displacement from their origin country. Madeleine Rojahn and Josh Quigley are producing a coffee table book filled with touching stories and equally beautiful photographs to help break down some of the cultural barriers that exist throughout the community and bring people together.
Do you want to live a more low-waste life but you’re not quite sure where to start? Or maybe you’ve already started down that road and you want to up your game. Either way, entrepreneur and Sustomi creator, Bronwyn Kidd has some easy tips you can implement today. She started out hand making beeswax wraps to sell at markets throughout the state. She quickly found there was a big demand for sustainable but funky products… four years on, the team has grown and Sustomi now has an online store, stocking reusable household products, which help cut down on waste and also have health benefits. In this episode we discuss the evolution of the Hobart-based business and some practical ways you can have a positive impact on the planet today.
When was the last time you went off-grid for a few days, made new friends and stepped outside your comfort zone? Chances are, probably not that recently. Natalie Dell came back to her island home from a summer camp in America in 2015 with a fire in her belly to help the next generation of Tasmanians to disconnect from their devices and reconnect with others. In this episode, Camps Tasmania director Natalie Dell shares the passion behind her business.