Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media

This might be the most real-talk, behind-the-scenes, high-key-giggly, low-key-chaos episode I’ve ever recorded. 👀 Today, Podge Thomas returns to the show for the third time to talk about building a business with a tiny email list. We tell you: Exactly how many subscribers are on our email lists The difference between marketing our 1:1 and 1:many businesses Building the courage & self-trust to take big swings How we really feel about unsubscribes What to do when a launch “fails” Audience growth strategies and what’s working for us right now Living in the present and the future with your business ⭐️ If you enjoy this conversation, join Podge and I at our FREE workshop on October 30th. RSVP for: How to Build a Creative Marketing Plan in Notion & send the link to your friends! 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop…

Today's paid-supporter-exclusive episode answers the most popular query from our summer AMA: "I've been working on my business for a few years now, but I'm still not making full-time income from this work. How do I make the jump from $10-$20k per year to $50-$100k per year?" This is a nuanced question and different for every business owner! So in this episode, I do a few things to make sense of it: First, I walk you through my journey from 10k to 100k annual revenue (exact numbers and timeline included) 🧮 Then I talk about the essential mindset and habit shifts needed to go from part-time to full-time 🧱 And finally, I talk through three examples how I would make that leap if I were a book editor, spiritual teacher, or creative coach 📈 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…

Bear Hebert is here on Off the Grid! And they’ve arrived to bust capitalist myths, teach us how to price, and unpack the nuance of financial accessibility. Tune in, as we discuss: Why business doesn’t have to be capitalist Busting the money myths our inner punk teenagers tell us Getting rid of the girlboss in your head (and on your feed) Why ‘charging your worth’ is inherently problematic How to figure out the right rates + pricing for your business model Bear’s recommended financial accessibility strategies The importance of transparency in marketing + sales Exactly how Bear talks about money on sales calls Ways to survive a bad economy Identifying your ‘apocalypse skills’ for business resilience in 2026 + beyond This conversation is a GIFT! And I’m so thrilled to share it with you. If you enjoy it, definitely go get Bear’s anti-capitalist pricing workshop Freely. RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community 💓…

Join me as I convince myself it's ok to raise my prices 😬 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 officially close Softer Sounds and raise the price of the Interweb for 2027! 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 exclusive bonus episodes + emails

This week we’re debuting our new brand! And rolling the metaphorical tape allllll the way back to the beginning of the show to revisit energetic sovereignty through a new lens. To do that, I’m joined by creative coach Catherine LaSota who’s here to teach us how to “be your own daddy” AKA ways to cultivate energetic sovereignty in your work and life. Together we discuss: What “Be Your Own Daddy” really means Saturnian influences on our energy + creativity How to make aligned choices within constraints Cultivating the permission to radically change our lives Ways to move through our fears (+ experiences) of judgment Consistency and presence as gifts of this work ⭐️ If you enjoy this episode, join me at Catherine's next Be Your Own Daddy retreat on October 23rd! Or grab her free Design Your Daddy workshop 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…

Nic Antoinette is back on the pod this week as we continue our year-long series around enoughness, grief, and deep evolution. This time, we’re focused on creative burnout, seasonality in business, and why we find the internet so boring these days. If you haven’t listened to the series before, here are links to those episodes: ♾️ Business Degrowth — Slowing Down & Noticing Patterns ♾️ Well, That Didn’t Go As Planned… Grief, Joy & Money in 2026 ♾️ “You Needing Money Doesn't Make Stuff Sell” — Consistency & Collapse in Online Business ♾️ Take the Break Before the Break Takes You — Learning How to Pause & Quit And if this makes you want more biz friend community, check out the Interweb and put yourself on the waitlist before doors open next week! 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 🔥 Learn more about ad opportunities with Off the Grid OCTOBER COMMUNITY…

For the third and final installment in our business pivots + evolutions series, I’m talking to Heather Bax of Small Business Rodeo! Heather is a business advisor, human design reader, notion lover, and occasional artist. Her expertise spans decades of service, product, and brick & mortar small business stewardship, and she’s supported all kinds of creative businesses along the way. In this conversation, we explore: How self-employment journeys often begin in bad-fit jobs Why Heather & Amelia both took detours through coding bootcamps The benefits of a bridge job as you grow or change your business A quick checklist on how Heather started her retail shop (& you can too!) Why Heather had a full-time job for the first 8 months of running the store The realities of transitioning to e-commerce during COVID Hiring + grieving at the same time Leaning on the community of your business in hard times When quitting ISN’T failing How big changes in our work can impact our self-trust For the astro-curious, Heather is a…

Chereen Leong Schwarz is a founder, maker, outdoor adventurer, and rewilding guide. She’s a former chef who started a knitwear brand and then moved into creative retreats — after a period of prolonged grief. In this conversation, we dive deep into what pivoting really feels like as we explore: Chereen’s chef career from fine dining to farms How moving to Colorado spurred her love of knitting The realities of turning a hobby into a side hustle Specific ways to center your values in your business How multiple losses + a health crisis led Chereen through a transformative grief portal Different methods of building community in and around your business How to evolve when your work is wrapped up in your ego + identity The grief the comes when your industry changes and it hurts your business Why Chereen & Amelia both took sabbaticals before deciding to close their companies How we grapple with public opinions + projection as we share our work online RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit…

Softer Sounds is officially closed, my friends. And in this Clubhouse-exclusive episode, I'm telling you all about that journey. This one's mostly-personal and a-little-bit-logistical – heavy on story with a checklist at the end. 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 exclusive bonus episodes + emails

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

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 ✏️ Looking for a 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 (sponsored) OCTOBER…

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…

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 ✏️ Looking for a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50%…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

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 ✏️ Looking for a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50% off their…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

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 +…

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…

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…

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…

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 OCTOBER…

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!…

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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your…

“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…

If you’ve been paying attention around here… You likely know that next week I’m teaching a new intensive called COME TO CLASS! It’s a 3-day workshop on how to teach online with confidence and care, and it’ll guide you through everything I’ve learned in 20 years of teaching — with a special focus on how learning to teach can help you improve your sales. One of the bonuses that COME TO CLASS students get is behind-the-scenes conversations with my favorite online facilitators and course creators, and today I’m thrilled to bring you one of those conversations totally for free! Tune in to hear the brilliant teacher and Notion designer Podge Thomas and I discuss: How Podge fell in love with teaching — even though she hated school Why studying metacognition is the secret to better classrooms How to stop recreating the harms of traditional education models What to do when a student says “I don’t get this” Why your teaching style doesn't have to be for everyone If you like this conversation, sign up for COME TO…

I’ve had SO MANY conversations about the problems with online course platforms. Mighty Networks vs Circle vs Kajabi vs Teachable — none of us like the existing options, and we’re waiting for someone to build something better. So today I’ve invited Sally Burns to the show, because she’s building an alternate platform for teaching and learning online — a digital neighborhood called The Portal. Tune in to hear about: Why Sally left corporate e-learning to build The Portal How to stop piecing a million tools together to host your course The false promises of Online Course Culture™️ Why we have to break down teacher/student hierarchy How The Portal helps you fill your classes — especially if you have a small audience What it actually takes to bootstrap a learning platform Ways to help old offerings reach new audiences 👉 If you’re excited about The Portal, learn more and join here! 👉 👉 And if you want to COME TO CLASS, here’s your link to sign up. Registration closes May 30th. RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE…

My monthly-ish series with Nic Antoinette continues! This time we’re talking about what it means to be “consistent” when you’re running a business in this economy. We get into: How we simultaneously rage against consistency and attribute our success to it The relationship between consistency and cultivating trust with your audience Ways to build better (for you) rhythms in your business What to do when your launch plans line up with a major (horrible) event Why it’s important to get off the do-or-die, boom-or-bust, sell-or-go-bankrupt hamster wheel Cute baby sheep, gardening and cooking as tiny balms for the present moment LINKS MENTIONED: Nic’s newsletter on the baby sheep Amelia’s Gentle Business Planning workshop Needy by Mara Glatzel (affiliate link) Jen Carrington Off the Grid episode: Nice, Necessary, Ideal framework Off the Grid episode: How to plan a summer sabbatical in 5 simple steps COME TO CLASS earlybird list COOK90 (affiliate link) RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media…

If you want to build a business around your know-how… You have to learn how to teach. In today’s episode, I’m talking about why learning to teach is the best sales “hack” I know — and I’m introducing you to my upcoming spring intensive, COME TO CLASS. In just 30 minutes, I walk you through: Why online courses aren’t ‘dead’ or ‘over’ How to figure out what you want to teach What you need to know about boundaries before you start teaching Ideas for nonhierarchical and nonlinear classrooms Why writing a syllabus is like writing a sales page & more! Tune in then drop your email right here for access to earlybird pricing through May 1st. Can’t wait to see you in class! 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off…

Today I’m very excited to share a workshop on gentle business planning — AKA how I make ambitious plans for my biz while also healing my burnout! In this audio (and video!) workshop, I walk you through: Why we’re always planning (even when we think we’re “behind”) My 6 tenets for Gentle Business Planning List-making prompts for the season ahead in your work How to turn reflective prompts into a clear marketing & sales calendar & How I use the Nine To Kind Digital planner to organize my projects Tune in here to hear my 6 tenets of Gentle Business Planning. Then head to the Clubhouse to enjoy the entire workshop. The recording is free for everyone this week only and available to paid Clubhouse supporters forever. Paid subscribers also get an edited audio version of the workshop AND a Notion doc with all the prompts to make this process super easy to do any time. So press play for a preview, then head to the Clubhouse to support the show! You can find this specific episode here :)

This is probably my fave conversation I’ve ever had with a therapist. Today Lauren Ruth Martin, LPC-MHSP is here to talk about the anti-perfectionist planners she created for her company Nine to Kind. We discuss: Why most planners force us into a productivity mindset How gentle scaffolding can help us plan without perfectionism The therapeutic exercises Lauren included in her planners Why we prefer DBT to CBT personally How to redistribute your f*cks — instead of trying to care less If you enjoy our conversation, make sure to explore Nine to Kind planners! Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind,…

We talk a lot about privacy at Off the Grid… but what does that actually mean in practice? Today I’m joined by Patricia Egger, Head of Security at my fave privacy-focused tech company Proton. Together, we have a non-technical-person-friendly conversation about: Why Proton insists on ‘privacy by default’ The difference between online privacy & security Why we love Proton Mail & want you to use it (affiliate link) What it actually means when emails/messages are encrypted Proton’s Born Private initiative (& how to claim a $1 email address for your kids) Why AI has major privacy problems 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at:…

Today I’m resharing my conversation with writer, therapist, and creative Lisa Olivera in honor of her upcoming book — When the Ache Remains: Lessons on Tending to the Unfixable and Finding Beauty Anyway— which is out on April 28th. Lisa and I talk about how her work and life changed as her Instagram platform grew to over 400,000 followers. Together, we dive into: Two reasons Lisa joined Instagram + how it felt as her account grew The allure of online business + what we’re “supposed to do” when we have a big platform Social media addiction + the compulsion to post/like/share/scroll Facing the big hole that’s there when social media’s not there How to make the choice to stay on social media If you enjoy this episode, please preorder Lisa's book! Here's my affiliate link, and here's more info on her website. RESOURCES + LINKS 👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit 🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community 💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails 📔 Buy Amelia's book at…

Today I'm answering a question from Kate Henry about why summits often feel sketchy... and how I designed our upcoming Astro & Biz Planning Summit to be the opposite of that! Tune in to learn: How the summit model works ⚡️ Why affiliate strategies can make summits feel weird 🧐 The questions I ask before agreeing to participate in any event 🙋‍♀️ How to make sure a summit benefits the host, speakers AND audience ♻️ & Why you should RSVP for the Astro & Biz Planning Summit ASAP (if you want to) 🤗 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

This year I’m making big changes in my business… So I wanted to bring back my quarterly recaps to share the highlights, challenges, and financial details of Softer Sounds & Off the Grid each season! Tune in to this episode preview to hear about the highs & lows of winter in my biz. Then become a paid subscriber of the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse to get all the details on how much $$ I made. When you join the Clubhouse, you'll get access to over 40 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

Earlier this spring, I asked Interweb members: 'What are your thorniest tax questions?' Then I brought those questions to Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax, so we could get answers from an actual tax expert! Tune in to this episode to learn: How to know if you should be an LLC or an S-Corp The best way to calculate your quarterly estimated taxes When you need to use Quickbooks (& when you don’t) Why tax protests don’t benefit you in the short term or the long run What to do if you don’t file your taxes on time and need to pay back taxes At the end we also play a game of ‘asking for a friend…can I expense this?’ — and Hannah has great answers on what we can write off for our creative biz! 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body…

We heard you might be stressed about the IRS… so we’re arriving with extra support before US taxes are due on April 15th! Today I’m joined by Aneisha Velazquez of Yellow Sky Business Services, who’s here to talk about finances for microbusinesses, including: What bookkeeping really is (& what it’s not) The financial systems solopreneurs need to have in place Tips for neurodivergent business owners struggling with bookkeeping Why we love Profit First (and Amelia recommends her fave bank Novo) Aneisha's top two bookkeeping tips for beginners A pep talk for tax season & not being afraid of the IRS 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at:…

Nic Antoinette is back! And we’re finally beginning the monthly series we promised you back in January. For April, it's a long-form chat with plenty of laughter and maybe a few tears along the way. So settle in, subscribe to Nic’s newsletter, and press play to hear us talk about: How we coped when Q1 didn’t go as planned Financial plans in the turmoil of 2026 How to talk about grief in public The most divisive Instagram post Amelia ever made What’s bringing us joy The upcoming 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit & 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

If we stop trying to get ahead online, what becomes possible? Today Ayana Zaire Cotton of Seeda School returns to the podcast to explore why she quit using ChatGPT and other AI tools. She helps us slowwww down, unpack shame, and align our desire with our capacity — a process and methodology she created and calls Erotic Engineering. Tune in to reconnect with your values, reclaim self-respect, and step off the path of certainty with us. I also highly recommend reading Ayana’s essay — and learning more about The Powerhouse Portal at: https://www.seedaschool.com/ph *This episode is part of our AI Series. Find the the full series at: offthegrid.fun/ai-series 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck…

Today I’m doing something I said I’d never do… inviting my partner on the podcast! In this Clubhouse-exclusive episode, my spouse JJ Lang joins me for an unexpected conversation about AI. JJ is a high-level chess player and works for US Chess. They’re here to talk about how algorithms and AI engines have been a big part of the chess world for decades — and also why JJ doesn’t use Generative AI or LLMs in their work today. I wanted to share this conversation, because: It’s fun to give you a cute behind-the-scenes in to my personal life! It’s good to talk to someone being told to use AI at their job alongside our conversations centering self-employment. The origin of contemporary AI (at least at Deep Mind) was building chess engines. So JJ can help us understand algorithms vs AI and what computers are actually “doing” when they answer a question. This is a nerdy, sweet conversation, and I hope you enjoy it. To hear the whole thing, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse When you do, you'll get access…

Let's get into all our feels about AI. 🌀 In this episode, I share some of the messages I've gotten from people who are using AI but feeling bad about it. And I talk through three reasons I think many of us (especially listeners of this show) feel so much tension about these technologies. Tune in for a lot of empathy and even more clarity. Then join our community conversation about AI in the Clubhouse! MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE Find all the episodes in our AI series here The Tension of Platforms & Why I Haven’t Left Substack (Yet) Cut Off the Spigot: ChatGPT Alternatives What is Moral Injury? (from the Moral Injury Project) AI is African Intelligence: The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back (from 404 Media) The Emotional Labor Behind AI Intimacy AI has an environmental problem (from the UN) AI Doesn’t Reduce Work— It Intensifies It (from HBR) If you want to learn about ethical approaches to AI, I recommend: Shae Omonijo's work — Find her on Substack or listen to Critical Thinking in the Age of AI (on Apple…

When ChatGPT launched in 2022, I noticed a few spiritual practitioners talking about its ‘oracular consciousness’ and I wondered… is that a thing?? Today I’m joined by Casey Zabala of Modern Witches to talk about how AI is reshaping mystical practices in real time — and why that’s harming our intuition and agency. Tune in to hear us discuss: How Casey & I have used AI in the past The embedded inequity and colonial power dynamics of chatbots The astrology of 2026 and how it’s very AI-coded Why using AI might be ruining your intuition Considering where your body and the earth exist in relationship to AI Holding space for the connective potential of these technologies What an oracle actually is And if you want to join the conversation... come chat with us on Substack! I've opened a community thread for paid subscribers. For only $5, it's a welcoming space to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and questions about AI with other considerate creatives. I'll also be chiming in to cheer and answer questions.…

Let’s be more transparent about how we are and aren’t using AI in our work! In this episode, I walk you through key considerations and a simple process for writing a thoughtful AI policy for your creative business. You’ll also hear how I crafted the Interweb AI policy, as well as why I was really inspired by Mel Mitchell-Jackson’s AI policy in that process. Press play, then click right here for more notes and 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid

How are we feeling about AI these days, friends? Ambivalent? Over it? Hopefully curious? 🧐 Today on the show, we’re kicking off a 3-week AI series, where we’ll explore the good, bad and ugly of LLMs. Our first guest is Mel Mitchell-Jackson — who returns to the show to share their practice of AI Sobriety. We get into why AI is a labor issue, how it’s impacting our creativity, and why we’re hopeful that locally-hosted small language models might save the day. We also talk about addiction, accessibility, and why I’m practicing GPT-sobriety this year. *This episode is part of our AI Series. Find the the full series at: offthegrid.fun/ai-series 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn…

If you’ve had a tough 2026 so far, this episode is for you. Today, I’m sharing a nuanced and practical chat with Akua Nyame-Mensah about how we can move from a reactive to a reflective mindset and shift our trajectory in the process. Tune in to hear Akua’s advice for changing the narrative of your business — without repressing or ignoring what’s happening in the world (or your body or your bank account). I also share some examples of how I reshaped my relationship to money through storytelling and ritual. You can hear the whole conversation in the Clubhouse right here. Thanks to Akua for joining me on the show! 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at:…

This week, Cody Cook-Parrott returns to the show to share their new book, The Practice of Attention! We go deep into creative attention, social media addiction, and why we can’t stop checking our email. Tune in as we discuss: Why creative attention is different than distraction or focus How tending to your attention helps you finish projects Experimenting with tech breaks, the Wisephone, and the Brick Which apps grab us: Pinterest vs Youtube Ways to cultivate hobbies, movement regimens & research practices How stepping back from social media empowers us to resist political violence 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 OCTOBER COMMUNITY SPONSOR ✨ Stop scrolling and start shuffling. Come home to your mind, body, and business with Be With Your Body Tarot. Get 25% off the deck and/or autumn planner with code OFFTHEGRID at: bewithyourbody.com/off-the-grid