In a world that never stops scrolling, pinging, or demanding our focus, this episode of The Sieve asks a simple but essential question ... where is your attention going, and what’s it costing you?

In this Sifting Session, Karen explores the quiet power of attention: what it reveals about our values, how it shapes the way we live, and why reclaiming it might be one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves.

She reflects on the pull of distraction ... the endless dopamine loops of modern life and contrasts that with the calm satisfaction that comes from directing our attention deliberately, toward what actually nourishes us.

Because while we talk often about time as our most precious resource, it’s really our attention that determines the quality of our days.

This is an invitation to notice what’s been stealing yours and to gently begin taking it back.

In this episode:

🌿 The hidden cost of constant distraction

🌿 Why attention is an act of love and the foundation of a values-led life

🌿 How to reclaim your focus through small, daily shifts

🌿 A reflection prompt to help you notice where your attention naturally feels at home

Mentioned or inspired by:

• The concept of the “attention economy” and the neuroscience of dopamine loops
• Writers and thinkers like Oliver Burkeman (Four Thousand Weeks) and Jenny Odell (How to Do Nothing), who explore the value of slowing down and choosing where we look
• The beauty of boredom, daydreaming, and deliberate stillness

Reflection prompt:

Where does your attention feel most alive? And what might shift if you started treating it as something sacred?

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. And join the growing conversation over on Instagram @thesievepod ... a quieter corner of the internet where we can all exhale a little and sift through the good stuff together. 🌾

In this episode of The Sieve, Karen is joined by writer, naturalist, photographer and wildlife rehabilitator Polly Pullar - a woman whose life and work are beautifully entwined with the wild landscapes of Scotland.

Polly has spent decades observing, rescuing, and writing about the natural world. Her stories from otters and owls to red squirrels and resilience remind us how deeply our human lives are woven into the land we live on.

In this conversation, Karen and Polly explore ...

🌿 How her early life and love of animals shaped her path as a writer and conservationist.

🦉 The deep connections between nature, grief, and healing.

🌾 The stories behind her memoir The Horizontal Oak and what it taught her about belonging.

🦊 What the wild can teach us about compassion, courage, and letting go.

🌼 How to stay hopeful in a world that can feel increasingly disconnected from nature.

This is a tender, thoughtful conversation about the comfort of wild places, the lessons held in loss, and the quiet wisdom that comes from paying attention.

🎧 Listen now and be reminded that the wild isn’t something outside of us, but something we’re part of.

📚 Connect with Polly Pullar

• Website: www.pollypullar.com
• Books: The Horizontal Oak, Fauna Scotica, A Scurry of Squirrels, and more.
• Instagram: @pollypullar

💬 Join the Conversation

Follow @thesievepod on Instagram — a growing community where we can pause, exhale, and sift through the good stuff together.

In this Sifting Session, Karen shares the story behind last week’s conversation with gardener and author Charles Dowding and a lesson that came from a rather humbling mistake.

When a technical error erased an entire interview (except for the final five minutes), what began as panic and embarrassment turned into an unexpected teacher ... one that spoke of humility, grace, and the quiet power of second chances.

In this reflective solo episode, Karen explores ...

🌱 How mistakes strip us back to what really matters.

🌿 Why grace and generosity often grow in the space where things go wrong.

🍂 What psychology and nature can teach us about failure, learning, and growth.

🌾 How to move from self-criticism to self-compassion and start again, wiser.

Rooted in real experience and gentle reflection, this episode is a reminder that every creative life, every meaningful project, and every season of growth is built on things that didn’t go to plan.

🎧 Listen now, and be reminded that mistakes don’t mean failure ... they mean you’re trying.

💬 Reflection Prompts

• What’s a recent mistake that still lingers in your mind and what might it be teaching you?
• Who has shown you kindness when you’ve stumbled, and how did it change how you saw yourself?
• Where in your life could you offer yourself (or someone else) permission to begin again?

🌾 Join the Conversation

Follow @thesievepod on Instagram ... a growing community where we can pause, exhale, and sift through the good stuff together.

in this episode of The Sieve, Karen speaks with renowned gardener, author, and teacher Charles Dowding, whose pioneering no dig method has inspired millions to see gardening, and life, differently.

Charles is known around the world for transforming the way we grow food, but at the heart of his work lies something deeper ... a philosophy rooted in trust, patience, and generosity.

In this thoughtful and quietly powerful conversation, Karen and Charles explore ...

🌱 What first drew him to the soil , and to Iona

🌿 The values that have shaped his lifelong approach to gardening and teaching.

🍂 How to work with nature’s rhythms rather than against them.

🌾 The importance of trust in the soil, in the process, and in ourselves.

🌻 How kindness, simplicity, and curiosity keep his work (and his life) in balance.

Together, they reflect on what it means to live by your values, to share knowledge freely, and to keep learning from nature’s quiet wisdom.

🎧 Listen now and be reminded that the best growth, in gardens and in life, often happens when we stop forcing, start trusting, and let things unfold in their own time.

🔗 Connect with Charles Dowding

• Website: www.charlesdowding.co.uk
• YouTube: Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening Channel
• Books: No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily, Organic Gardening, and more.

💬 Join the Conversation

Follow @thesievepod on Instagram ... a growing community where we can all pause, exhale, and sift through the good stuff together.

In this first Sifting Session, I share a personal story about what happens when two values pull you in opposite directions.

For me, that tension showed up in my first business, KA Equestrian ... caught between the urge to sustain a business I’d built, and the reality that it was no longer sustainable. Holding on felt safe, but it also meant staying anchored to something that no longer gave me joy.

In this episode, I talk about:

✨ The difficult but freeing decision to close KA Equestrian

✨ Why changing your mind isn’t failure, but wisdom

✨ What it means to make space for new passions and new growth

✨ The relief that comes with releasing outdated dreams

I also share some gentle prompts to help you reflect on where your own values might be colliding, and how you might give yourself permission to let go.

In this episode of The Sieve, I’m joined by chef, food writer, and sustainability educator Tom Hunt. Tom is known as an “eco-chef,” but his work goes far beyond recipes and restaurants. Through his Root to Fruit philosophy and his book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet, he invites us to see food not just as fuel, but as a joyful act that connects people, planet, and values.

We talk about:

• The values that shaped Tom’s journey into food and sustainability.
• How pleasure and responsibility can sit side by side in the kitchen.
• The challenges of speaking up about climate and food without making people feel judged.
• What it means to live, and eat, in line with your principles.

This conversation is both inspiring and practical, with stories and insights to help you think about the values that guide your own choices around food and beyond.

✨ Next week, I’ll be sharing the first of our solo Sifting Sessions ... shorter, story-led reflections from me. The first one is called When Values Collide, and it’s about the lessons I learned when my first business, KA Equestrian, became unsustainable.

Join the conversation over on Instagram @thesievepod — I’d love to hear what values shape the way you live.

In this episode of The Sieve, Karen is joined by Dr David Robert Grimes ... physicist, cancer researcher, and author of The Irrational Ape ... for a wide-ranging conversation about truth, belief, and the battle against misinformation in a noisy world.

Together, they explore why humans are so susceptible to conspiracy thinking, how science communication can be both powerful and flawed, and what it really takes to stay curious and grounded in a culture that often rewards certainty over nuance. David shares personal insights from his own work in science and media, as well as his experiences navigating public discourse during some of the most polarising debates of our time.

This is an episode about evidence but also about empathy. A reminder that behind every strong opinion is often a story worth listening to.

In this tender, powerful conversation, Karen sits down with her friend Kate Latimer ... mother, maker, and creative soul ... for a moving exploration of what it means to live with integrity, even when life doesn’t go to plan.

Together they speak about teen pregnancy, the power of being exposed to a different way of living, surviving domestic abuse, raising children while healing, and the role of creativity in reclaiming a sense of self. It’s a story about resilience, softness, and the quiet, stubborn act of staying true to who you are.

If you’ve ever wrestled with how to hold beauty and struggle in the same breath, or wondered what it looks like to shape a meaningful life from the inside out, this one’s for you.

Connect with Karen: www.instagram.com/karen.anderson.fossoway

Connect with Kate: www.instagram.com/katelatimer_country

Next up on The Sieve: Scientist and author Dr David Robert Grimes joins Karen for a conversation about truth, misinformation, and the human side of science

Special thank you to the wonderful John McCusker for our theme tune.