Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media

Today I’m joined by Luca J. Davis to talk about success, failure, and what 13 years of self-employment really entails. Together we explore: Luca’s path from health teacher to personal trainer How they opened a gym with a dream and a GoFundMe The radically honest reality of brick-and-mortar finances When filing for bankruptcy is the best choice for you & your biz Luca’s detour as a Virtual Assistant & how they started their web design business The systems that help them book our their services while marketing only once a year How Luca’s Substack walks the line between personal sharing & biz promotion ➡️ If you'd like to hire Luca for website support in 2026/2027, just mention Off the Grid for $200 off your package! RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Welcome to Season 11 of Off the Grid! This month, we're exploring strategies + stories of business pivots. Today we start with my business triage process. It's a checklist of things to consider when your business feels bad and/or isn't making enough money. Then for the next three weeks, we'll hear from business owners who have made major pivots in their self-employment journeys, including: quitting a dream job, filing for bankruptcy, closing a retail store, and more. Tune in for lots of support, camaraderie + inspiration. And check the links below for extra resources 👇 RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Let's refresh our creative ambition before fall! Today we're wrapping our Back to Biz Refresh series with leadership expert Amina AlTai . Amina is the author of The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living . Together we discuss: What ambition actually is and why it's neutral How core wounds create painful ambition — even if you love what you do Ways to figure out if your ambition is helping or harming you Finding aliveness when you don't feel ambitious What it takes to stay in business through hard times RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✏️ Looking for a fall planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50% off their digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

This episode is meant to save you money! Today, I’m sharing my guide to more affordable business systems and software that can help you set up online for under $50/year — or lower your overhead with strategic tool swaps. Tune in to hear my tech recommendations and how I think through software needs. Also: These recs don’t include Google! Some of them are privacy focused, others are not. Some include AI functionality, others do not. Most of them are based in the US. All prices mentioned in the episode were as of August 2026 and may change. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Free Checklist For Tool Decisions from Asha Noel-Hart Free Simple Tech Stacks Field Guide from Heather Bax Join the Interweb for more tech support from Amelia RECOMMENDED TOOLS Namecheap for domain Carrd for website (affiliate link) Zoho for email inbox Sender or Email Octopus for email newsletter list Canva (free plan) for simple design needs Notion for internal systems and client docs/dashboards Zoom , Proton Meet , or Whereby (free plans) for video calls Tidycal for scheduling, paid bookings, and digital products Novo for free business banking and invoicing — Use my affiliate link to get $40 when you open and fund your new account Stripe for payment processing and invoicing Breezedoc for contracts and invoicing together RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Today we're refreshing our offices with the wonderful Taylor Apolonio of Habitat Interiors Co . Taylor works at the intersection of interior design and psychology as a 'design psychologist'. They create physical spaces that are grounded in human behavior to genuinely support folks. This might look like improved circulation and functionality, better acoustics, or intentionally designing for gathering and memory-making. Tune in to this episode for tips on tapping into the purpose of your work space and improving the layout, acoustics, and visuals. And if you'd like Taylor's free list of 25+ low-lift recommendations that better support sensory overwhelm in your office, fill out this form with the message 'OFF THE GRID' ☺️ RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✏️ Looking for a fall planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50% off their digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Have you ever put on a new outfit and felt like a totally different (and way better) person? Today we're gonna do that for your business. 💁‍♀️ Join me and Alex McGinness of Arcoíris Design Studio as we talk through the four parts of a resonant brand refresh: essence, execution, expression, and experience. ALSO! When it comes to DIY branding, we recommend: Coolors for creating color palettes Canva for choosing fonts and designing graphics Squarespace for websites (or Carrd [affiliate link] if you want a quick, cheap one-page site) RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Hello hello and happy mid-August, friends! Today we're kicking off a new Biz Refresh series — five episodes in five days to get you ready for fall in a fun, aligned way! Press play to hear why I'm embracing a pivot, and tune in this week to learn: How to refresh your brand (for free!) Ideas for updating your home office & work vibe My guide to more affordable systems & software for your tiny biz A new approach to ambition that let's you dream big without burning out You'll hear from amazing guests like Alex McGinness , Taylor Apolonio , and Amina AlTai . It's basically a mini-of-the-moment-creative-business-masterclass all for free on the pod feed this week! So please subscribe and share it with a friend xo RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✏️ Looking for a fall planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50% off their digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Today we’re talking about why I left Substack! Through a conversation with the amazing Lex Roman of Revenue Rulebreaker . Together we explore: Lex’s journey from working in tech to starting an agency to launching a membership for journalists to now running an indie media company The state of small business media (& why there are so many opportunities there!) Why we’re committed to being creators even though it’s a challenging business model How Lex helped me decide to leave Substack What newsletter and podcast tools might work for you If you like this episode, please go check out the new Off the Grid Clubhouse on Ghost ! 👉👉 👉 offthegrid.ghost.io Then sign up for Revenue Rulebreaker and get 20% off your paid subscription with code OFFTHEGRID 👉👉 👉 https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/off-the-grid RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Join me as I convince myself it's ok to sunset my business 😬 In this quarterly recap episode, I walk through the highs, lows, and finances of Softer Sounds & Off the Grid so far this year... And I figure out how to make the money work as I pivot my business model from service provider to content creator! Tune in to an episode preview here, and become a paid subscriber of the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse to get all the $$$ details. 👇 👇 👇 👇 When you join the Clubhouse, you'll get access to over 50 bonus episodes (and counting), curated tech + creative business newsletters, and more. Plus your own private podcast feed, comments threads, and behind-the-scenes updates on the show. Please join the Clubhouse to support the show! And find this specific episode here :) RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Nic Antoinette is back to help me wrap season nine, and we’re talking about the breaks we are (and aren’t) taking this summer. Tune in to hear us unpack: Why nobody talks about the moments we don’t like our business 😬 How fear keeps us from slowing down or taking breaks 🐌 When being honest actually f*cks with your sales 📉 Different types of breaks we’ve taken and want to take ⛓️‍💥 How to figure out what’s not working and why 📍 The fantasy of the finish line 🏁 Communicating your break to your clients and/or audience 📣 Cancer scares, carpal tunnel & caffeine addiction ☕️ RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

HEY HI HELLO! 🍕 Today I’m thrilled to be joined by best-selling author, super-fun illustrator, and illustrious host of Creative Pep Talk podcast, Andy J Pizza ! In this upbeat conversation, we chat about: How Andy makes money as an artist The strategic choices he made to grow his podcast Why we can’t “What-Would-David-Bowie-Do” our way into a successful business Andy’s musician-model for thinking about your creative business through singles, albums, tours & merch Why you should pre-order Andy’s new book, Mysterious Things ! RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

If I had to name ONE THING that increased my sales more than anything else in the past year... It'd be learning to polish my copywriting and pre-launch my offerings with Nicole Cloutier and her class Open Loop . Open Loop is how I doubled Interweb sign-ups in 2026. Open Loop is how I made over $10k on COME TO CLASS last month. Open Loop is why I feel so confident selling this year. And that's why I'm THRILLED to share that Open Loop is happening again in July and you can hop on the waitlist right here right now ! So if you'd like to make more money from your launches in 2026 and beyond... Tune in to this 'best of' episode to hear me and Nicole give you lots of free advice on how to launch anything you want to sell online. Then click this wonderful (affiliate) link to learn more about Open Loop . I hope to see you at an alum call bragging about your successful launches in the fall. ✨ RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Natalie Brite (they/them) is the founder and creative director of DoGoodBiz — an ethical creative studio for conscious leaders and the movements they're building. On their Substack newsletter , they write about creativity, ecosystems, and doing work rooted in care. They also excoriate social media ! But in a soft, supportive way, of course. Today Natalie joins me to talk about why social media managers burn out so hard. And how their business when changed they let go of most of their retainer clients. Together we explore: The consequences of social media dependence A step-by-step breakdown of how Natalie reinvented their marketing strategy What it actually means to take an ecosystems approach to business Creative ecosystems vs personal brands A random Lord of the Rings metaphor that I spend way too long making…. & lots more! RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

What do we do when business slows down over the summer? And how do we navigate that when a global recession and supply chain breakdown are happening at the same time?? In this Clubhouse-exclusive workshop replay, I share my best strategies for running your business during slow times — including somatic self-soothing ideas, ways to reduce expenses, and a framework for experimenting with new offerings. I'm sharing a preview here, but to watch the whole thing (and get the workbook!), you have to join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse When you do, you'll get access to over 50 bonus episodes (and counting), curated tech + creative business newsletters, and more. Plus your own private podcast feed, comments threads, and behind-the-scenes updates on the show. Please join the Clubhouse to support the show! And find this specific episode here :)

Today I’m thrilled to have Kailea Rose Loften and Kate Rose Weiner of Loam on the podcast to discuss their new book, Compassion in Crisis , which just came out with Heyday Books. Together we have a gentle, honest, and deep conversation exploring: The meaning of ‘polycrisis’ Why it’s important to think about preparedness Ways to prepare without slipping into hypervigilance (even if you’re an anxious person) The role social media plays in both community building and community surveillance Why we still turn to social media for resource sharing and rapid response The spread of misinformation & disinformation online during disasters Publishing as a way of getting ‘off the grid’ Free Family Preparedness Information from Summer Starr If you enjoy this episode, please get yourself a copy of Compassion in Crisis ! You can also join Kate & Kailea for book-related events across the US this summer! RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Today I’m bringing you something really special— A mini-coaching session where I answer a question about how to grow your email list before, during, and after leaving social media. The question comes from the wonderful Kate of Queen Bee Hormone Health who wrote to me and asked: " Thanks to Off the Grid, I’ve backed wayyyy off posting on social media. I feel so much better, but I'm really struggling to get people moved onto my email list and wondering what advice you have for this part of the process? I don’t want to just ghost everyone. But I’m ready to get off the platform." I share the question and a few thoughts here, but to hear exactly how I’d help Kate leave social media and grow her email list... you have to join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse ! When you do, you'll get access to over 50 bonus episodes (and counting), curated tech + creative business newsletters, and more. Plus your own private podcast feed, comments threads, and behind-the-scenes updates on the show. Please join the Clubhouse to support the show! And find this specific episode here :)

I often say I left social media because I was anxiously-attached to Instagram… but what does that actually mean?! Today I’m joined by psychotherapist and author Shannon Algeo to explore why Attachment Theory explains so much about technology and smartphone addiction. We discuss their new book, The Power in Your Hands , as we talk about: What it means to be anxious, avoidant, or securely-attached How algorithms hack our attachment needs to get us addicted to platforms Why it’s so harmful to outsource self-trust to social media or AI Depth psychology & why human relationships are necessary for healing ⭐️ If you’re curious about these topics, please join us for a FREE BOOK CLUB with Shannon on June 10th! We’ll talk more about attachment + technology. No reading is required. Find the details and RSVP here. RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

Today I’m doing something fun and different… Live-writing an AI policy with my friend and colleague, Dr. Kate Henry of Honing In ! After listening to the Off the Grid AI series , Kate reached out to ask if I she could hire me to help her write an AI policy. I said no, because I’m not doing 1:1 advising right now… but I proposed that we record a chat about it for the Clubhouse instead! So in this video and audio episode , you get to join me and Kate as we co-write the first draft of her AI policy for her business. Free subscribers can hear our reflections on AI in creative business, and paid subscribers get to come along as we write Kate’s AI policy in real time (with a template for you, too!). When you join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse , you'll get access to over 50 bonus episodes (and counting), curated tech + creative business newsletters, and more. Plus your own private podcast feed, comments threads, and behind-the-scenes updates on the show. Please join the Clubhouse to support Off the Grid! And find this specific episode here :) RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for bonus episodes + emails

LINDSAY MACK IS HERE! And while you’ve probably heard them talk about tarot on their wildly popular podcast … Today they’re taking us deep behind the scenes of their work to explore: How they built their creative tarot business The key inflection points that led to successful biz growth The realities of being a breadwinner ~ in this economy~ Why they’re finally releasing a tarot deck and book & The tarot archetypes carrying Lindsay through this busy season Tune in, then get a copy of Tarot for the Wild Soul and the Soul Tarot deck . (affiliate links) You can also hear Lindsay on my tarot podcast later this week! Find my tiny tarot practice on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you like to listen . RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

“My constant longing to be without social media is actually a longing to be in deeper connection with the world.” River Selby was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. They worked as a wildland firefighter for seven years, and their debut memoir, Hotshot: A Life of Fire , was published in 2025 by Grove Atlantic. Today, River joins me to talk about the realities of being an author from a working class, no-safety-net background — and how that has shaped their relationship to social media. Together, we explore: The gifts (and perils) of refusing to niche down How to quit performing & projecting on social media What to do when compare & despair becomes unavoidable How financial insecurity might impact your social media options Why many authors have to hire publicists (but we couldn’t afford to) Ways social media impacts your financial well-being Why we have to stop commodifying books RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/