Off The Grid: Leaving Social Media

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 plannedFinancial plans in the turmoil of 2026How to talk about grief in publicThe most divisive Instagram post Amelia ever madeWhat’s bringing us joyThe upcoming 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit& lots more! RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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 RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community👉 Join our conversation about AI in the Clubhouse COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off 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 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/clubhouseWhen you do, 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 :) COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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 EPISODEFind all the episodes in our AI series hereThe Tension of Platforms & Why I Haven’t Left Substack (Yet)Cut Off the Spigot: ChatGPT AlternativesWhat 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 IntimacyAI 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 & Spotify)& Aggressively Human Podcast with Jessica Lackey and Meg Casebolt RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community👉 Join our conversation about AI in the Clubhouse COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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 pastThe embedded inequity and colonial power dynamics of chatbotsThe astrology of 2026 and how it’s very AI-codedWhy using AI might be ruining your intuitionConsidering where your body and the earth exist in relationship to AIHolding space for the connective potential of these technologiesWhat an oracle actually isAnd 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.👉 Join our community conversation about AI in the Clubhouse! https://offthegridclubhouse.substack.com/p/want-to-talk-about-ai RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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. RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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!LINKS & RESOURCES:👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

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 focusHow tending to your attention helps you finish projectsExperimenting with tech breaks, the Wisephone, and the BrickWhich apps grab us: Pinterest vs YoutubeWays to cultivate hobbies, movement regimens & research practicesHow stepping back from social media empowers us to resist political violence LINKS & RESOURCES:👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails 📔 If you like this episode, make sure you get a copy of Cody's book! (affiliate link) COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Let’s talk about how bad social media really is for our mental health and relationships. 🫠In this honest and vulnerable conversation, Natalie Lue of Baggage Reclaim helps us dig into:Growing up without the internetRealizing social media is a toxic, codependent relationshipHow your subconscious “goes shopping for flaws and failures” while you scrollThe problems with hate-followingHow to quit stalking ourselves, our friends, our exes, and total strangers onlineWhy we shop more when we’re active on Instagram or TikTokReclaiming your sense of self away from social mediaWhy it’s not your fault if you can’t cope with using the apps This one goes out to anyone struggling with the harms of social media. Listen to the full episode on Baggage Reclaim here. RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

I met Mel Mitchell-Jackson in the best way: through a newsletter ad, a ‘wanna chat?’ email, and many texts and virtual coffees since.Today, they’re here to talk about their path from art school to working at Apple HQ to leaving that behind for creative self-employment.Tune in to hear us explore:How to cultivate creative communityThe realities of what it takes to “make it” in art school & beyondChronic illness, Long COVID & find a pace you can sustain3 common traps of over-giving in online businessWays to center anti-capitalist values & praxis in your workThe pros & cons of building an audience through Youtube& much more! LINKS & RESOURCES:👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📣 Learn more about advertising with Off the Grid COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a new business friend and peer that sent me into a total tailspin.The TLDR; is that they said something relatively innocuous about my podcast & membership model…And it had me questioning everything about I know about success in online business.In this Clubhouse-exclusive episode, I share more of that story and the pep talk I’ve been giving myself since. To hear the whole thing, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, 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 :) ** This episode was recorded & scheduled before the US joined Israel in bombing Iran over the weekend. At Off the Grid, we believe in food not bombs. We support the Iran people and protestors pursuing freedom in the face of extreme violence. But we don’t believe in the US pattern of interventionism through warfare. Nor in a President who posts assassination updates on a social media platform he owns. For our US listeners, please join us in calling your representatives to stop these unauthorized military strikes. **

Jenni Gritters recently hosted me for a Your Attention is Sacred book club, and I’m excited to share our conversation with you!Tune in as we discuss:Understanding the goals of the algorithmsAddiction as a lens to make sense of social mediaJenni’s decision to delete her Instagram accountThe parallels between fractured attention and financial scarcityReckoning with combative platformsHow to protect your well-being if you’re still on social media⭐️ & RSVP FOR MY BOOK READING IN SAN FRANCISCO ON MARCH 12TH! ⭐️ BOOKS MENTIONED (affiliate links):Your Attention is Sacred Except on Social Media by Amelia HrubyThe Sustainable Solopreneur by Jenni GrittersThe Practice of Attention by Cody Cook-ParrottDopamine Nation by Anna Lembke, MDStolen Focus by Johann HariThe Sirens’ Call by Chris HayesThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff LINKS & RESOURCES:👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off 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 I’m joined by Cyrée Jarelle Johnson for a deep and thoughtful conversation about spiritual practice, small business, and social media.Together we weave through:How Cyrée crafted his career as a diviner, poet, herbalist + card readerHealing burnout when living with chronic illness and neurodivergenceWhy Instagram has no elders — and all communities are incomplete without eldersDiscernment vs extreme skepticism — and how to navigate the internet’s slop eraHow to blend online & IRL business models — including different ways to run a shopThe realities of experiencing transphobic and hateful comments on social mediaHerbal and ecological support for tending to burnout ❤️‍🩹 LINKS & RESOURCES:👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📣 Learn more about advertising with Off the Grid COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

I’ve spent the past 5 years trying to navigate the internet without handing my data (& life) over to surveillance capitalism.In today’s episode, I’m sharing my current tech stack — the browsers, search engines, email providers, and other tools that I use to share my wrk online without Google, Facebook, or AI overlords.As you listen, please know this effort is a work in progress and always evolving! You can learn my entire process by taking my class OPT OUT: 5 Steps to Break Up with Big Tech Today. My current privacy-focused tech stackKagi search + Orion browserProton Mail (affiliate link) + Zoho MailSignalFind everything else mentioned here: offthegrid.fun/shownotes/privacy-focused-tech-stack RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Real talk: I can be kind of avoidant when it comes to feedback.I don’t love giving it. I prefer not receiving it.But sometimes that lands me in sticky interpersonal situations. …Maybe you can relate?If yes, you’re going to love this Clubhouse episode, because I’m sharing a follow-up to my conversation with Morgan Evans — where we go through three real-life (and real-biz) examples of how to navigate tough conversations.Tune in to this preview as we talk through: How to offer feedback when a service provider isn’t getting the assignment 🚩Ways to handle emails that feel like misguided attacks 🙅‍♀️Why we should start all collaborations by defining the terms and responsibility 👩‍💼& How self-reflection can help us shortcut the feedback process 💰 To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, 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 :)

Welcome to our most personal episode yet! Today I’m joined by Morgan Evans from Business Casual to talk about the seemingly-simple but often-fraught topic of: feedback.We share a lot of personal experiences and business examples as we get into:What feedback really isWhy reviews and random emails aren’t feedbackHow to give & receive feedback that doesn’t feel like 💩Ways to create business systems that invite feedbackHow to resolve conflict with clients/customers/team membersWhy feedback is actually a social justice toolPositive feedback and how to integrate it RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Last month, I was thrilled to join Karolina Wudniak of Paperwing Studio in the Indie Book Lab! We talked about how I approached self-publishing without relying on Amazon — including the platforms I used, the (costly) mistakes I made, and how much money I’ve brought in from my book so far (revenue AND profit).I also answered lots of attendee questions:Why did you decide to avoid Amazon? & How much could you really?What size audience would you recommend having before going Amazon-less?Is it realistic to make sales without Amazon’s reach? How do you handle discoverability?What does fulfillment look like without a big platform?What about international sales?Is this only viable for nonfiction or niche audiences? What about debut authors?How much more work is it, realistically?And finally… why is your paperback actually on Amazon anyway?It was a great conversation, and I’m excited to share the recording — exclusively with paid subscribers in the Clubhouse :)Tune in here for a preview, and to hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, 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 :)

If you're stressed about using Spotify, Substack, Google, Instagram, or any other platforms... this episode is for you!Today I'm talking about how to choose platforms & tech tools without selling your soul — and why I'm still on Substack even though I kinda hate it. 🫠Tune in to hear me break down:Tools vs PlatformsQuestions to ask before you choose a new toolWhat to do about the bad politics of platformsWhy there's no purity on the internetFour strategies for rethinking your choicesTech stack harm reductionThe big decision I made about SubstackRESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Harry Doull grew up living in a small family hotel in the French countryside. Then he worked for the UN and Google, before leaving tech behind to co-found his candle company, Keap. This week, he’s on the podcast to share why he left tech for candlemaking, and how he’s grown Keap without social media or Amazon — while still garnering plenty of customers, partners, and awards, including landing on Wirecutter’s best candles list. This one’s for all the product-makers out there and anyone who believes business without social media can’t scale. They can! We’re proving it! Buy a candle & join us! ALSO — If you want to try a Keap candle, use the code OFFTHEGRID for 15% off your first purchase. My faves are: Timur Moon, Wood Cabin, Wild Figs & the brand new Grapefruit + Yuzu (affiliate links) And if you want to partner with Keap, check out their Mindful Creators program. RESOURCES + LINKS🕯️If you want to try a Keap candle, my faves are: Timur Moon, Wood Cabin & the brand new Grapefruit + Yuzu (affiliate links)👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off 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 I’m bringing you something really special—A mini-coaching session and marketing conversation about how to stay visible without social media.It comes from a wonderful conversation I had with Jenni Gritters’ community last month, where someone asked me:"I just started a business and everyone I’ve talked to has said: ‘oh so you have to make an Instagram.’ My rebellious self is completely against it, but obviously it’s a very slow build without social media. Do you think it’s possible? How would you go about it?" I get this question a lot, and I wanted to speak to it here! So tune in to this episode preview to learn exactly how I’d grow this business without social media, including what I think comes before you ever begin working on visibility.To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse When you do, you'll get access to over 30 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 bringing together everything I know about growing an online business to explore why sometimes we feel like our businesses just won't work... and then other times they grow wayyyy beyond our capacity.Tune in to this Best Of episode to hear more about:Realizing you're on the Wrong Path & how to get off itThe Online Business Growth EscalatorWhat to do when your escalator is brokenHow to chart your own path for business growthQuestions to get clear on where you want to goRESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

This week, Nic Antoinette returns to share what really happens when you take a year off your business… and why degrowth is their plan for 2026.Join us for a 90-minute biz friend chat where we explore:The original idea for Nic’s Gap YearHow stepping back from work changes your identityWhat slowing down really requires of usWhen making less money can be a goal (not a failure)Finding enoughness without succumbing to underearningHow we’re right-sizing our work in 2026& more! RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com!📣 I wanna promote your work! Learn more about advertising with Off the Grid. COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

This is an episode preview. The full audio & video episode are available for for Clubhouse Members. Join today for $5.My least favorite thing about starting a business was the overwhelming fear and uncertainty I felt around making money.In the early days, I was drowning in narratives of how most businesses fail, and I’d probably never earn enough to feel supported or successful.But over time… My business started working. More money started flowing. And I built confidence in my ability to steward wealth.Now — I’ve been working full-time in my business for almost five years. It feels wild to report that I’ve made over $550,000 in revenue during that time. And I’ve taken home enough of that to support my family and purchase a home.Is that an income claim? HELL NO. I’m not saying ‘look at what I did; here’s a quick way you can do it too.’But I am arriving here (proverbial powerpoint in hand) to open up my books and show you how my business has actually made money over the past five years.Because one thing that would’ve made starting a business less scary was seeing how other people actually made it work financially. Not with imaginary hypotheticals or overinflated promises. But with actual numbers.So in this episode preview, I'm talking to you about money! And in the full episode (with video), I share five years of my actual numbers.If you’re a money nerd (and a nosey nelly) like me, tune in to hear:Why I think financial transparency is important — but only when done with context and care! 🫨How much I made in my first year of self-employment 💸Why it took me a while to reach six-figures 🤑Revenue vs profit vs take-home pay — this matters so much!!! ☝️The gap between business well-being & personal well-being ⛓️‍💥How I survived a 50% drop in Softer Sounds revenue in 2025… 😬What happened that made me go all-in on Off the Grid 🤳 To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, you'll get access to over 30 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 hear about my finances! You can find this specific episode here :)

With the state of the world, it’s easy to believe that creative work is a waste of time. But I believe our businesses, art, and lives can be powerful forces for change. Not just by default, but through simple-yet-radical practices.To help us orient toward personal power and collective freedom, I shared a free class and compiled this list of 50 ways your creative work can be a force for liberation (and fight fascism in the process).Remember: Your work matters. Your art matters. And it can change the world — if you make it. Tune in to hear this list (or read it right here). Then make your own! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Welcome to season nine of Off the Grid!We’re kicking this one off by talking about why I’m kinda closing my business…Or more accurately: how pruning one tree helps another grow. Tune in to hear all about:Abolishing ICE & Standing with MinnesotaWhat I did before I started Softer SoundsMy step-by-step transition from side hustle to small businessThe one strategy that brought in 6 months of $$$Why I started this podcast… and then almost quit making itThe 3 keys to Off the Grid’s successHow I’m turning this tiny indie show into my full-time job in 2026 LINKS & RESOURCES:💠 Free Class: How Our Businesses Create Change✊ Stand with Minnesota📲 5calls.org (use the app, it’s great!)💕 Join us in the Off the Grid Clubhouse💫 Get the free Leaving Social Media Toolkit📔 Buy my book: Your Attention is Sacred Except on Social Media🫂 Also big hugs to my biz friends Taylor Elyse Morrison & Nic Antoinette📣 Learn more about advertising with Off the Grid COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

In this episode preview, I’m joined by Miana Melendez to talk about the major astrological transits of 2026 and how they might shape our year in creative business. Miana is a Certified Astrologer, Certified Life Coach and Brand Strategist who helps ambitious leaders, divine disruptors and soul led entrepreneurs step into their next evolution of identity, leadership and vocal expression. Tune in to hear us chat about:Why presence is the word of the yearHow Neptune and Saturn in Aries might shape our visionThe powerful potential of Uranus in GeminiWhy Chiron in Taurus and Jupiter in Leo will give this year a lift& lots more! To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse When you do, you'll get access to over 30 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 :) COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Join me for a deep breath, an invitation to release expectations, and an update on what's happening in the Clubhouse before Off the Grid returns on January 28th. And if you want more Off the Grid right now... --> Join the Clubhouse ASAP! Three exclusive episode are going live in the next week:🌈 3 ways I'm reclaiming my attention, creativity & workday🧐 WTF are the celebrity entrepreneurs doing? w/Amanda Laird💫 Your 2026 biz astro forecast w/Miana Melendez These episodes are EXCLUSIVELY for Clubhouse subscribers, who help me keep this podcast going by chipping in $5 to support the show. Join today! P.S. If you (like me) are feeling unsure of how to process and resist the atrocities in the US right now, I’ve been returning to this video on opposing fascism in daily life for guidance.

At some point last year, I realized I was on my phone… a lot…And I was kind of working all the time….And while I was promoting my book all about attention…I wasn’t doing the best job of tending to my attention myself!So in 2026, I’m reclaiming my attention, creativity, and workday. Not through grand proclamations or whole-life-overhauls. But through a few small shifts that I trust will help me reconnect with my body, recenter my mind, and reorient toward my deeper vision for Life.Tune in to this free episode preview — where I talk about why I’m:Deleting all work and distraction apps off my phone — including email! 📲Tracking my work hours again (even though I kind of hate it) ⏱️Giving up my Notion dashboard 😬Returning to a paper planner & art journal 📓& more!To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, you'll get access to over 30 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 we're putting the cherry on top of your 2026 marketing toolkit with a long-form episode on trends!To do that, I'm joined by growth marketing strategist Amanda Laird to chat about five things we’re forecasting for the year ahead, including:New ways of building trust 👷Why we’re bringing big YOLO energy to our marketing ☝️How online business is going analog 📻Why Patreon might be the platform to watch 👀If done-for-you services are making a comeback 🤝And how courses might fare in 2026 🤔Tune in for a gently-guided look into the murky crystal ball of online biz. Then head to offthegrid.fun/2026 for this whole series! RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Get the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📣 I wanna promote your work! Learn more about advertising with Off the Grid. COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

You don’t have to be an extrovert to host events. (I promise.)In today’s episode, I’m talking to licensed therapist and intuitive copywriter Arianna Smith about the event series she’s been hosting since 2023 and how in-person networking has changed her business for the better.If you’re thinking about how to be less online and more IRL in 2026, this episode is for you! Tune in to learn all about:Why Arianna decided to host in-person events & how she found her first venuesDifferent approaches to RSVPs & free vs paid eventsWhy relationships are the only timeless marketing “strategy”How to tend to yourself while hosting eventsDifferent types of events to host depending on your personalityWhat to do if nobody shows up RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Get the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com!🎶 Listen to Social Media by SurferBOY COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

What are we doing with email this year? And how are we adapting to all the inbox changes?In this episode, Amelia shares her top 3 rules for email marketing and newsletters in 2026.This isn’t another overview of the basics. It’s part-hot-take and part-informed-opinion on things like:Why welcome sequences matterReasons to let people opt-out of sales cyclesThe best way to use a waitlistAn argument for breaking up with the weekly newsletter& more! Tune in for a free email education, then listen to these episodes for more:📧 Email Marketing Made Easier, Better & More Fun — with Holly Wielkoszewski📮 All Things Email Marketing with Allea Grummert of Duett📥 Email Mistakes We Need to Stop Making — with Dawn Richardson from Flodesk RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Get the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community🎶 Listen to Social Media by SurferBOY😎 Want to learn my waitlist strategy? Join the Clubhouse for this exclusive episode: 🔬 Waitlist Experiments: What I’ve Learned from 8 Mini-Launches COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Search has always driven web traffic… but what is SEO in the era of AI? And how will that impact our creative businesses in 2026?Today I’m joined by SEO expert, podcaster and romance novelist (!) Meg Casebolt, who’s here to help us understand the current landscape of search and how AI is remapping the web.Tune in to learn:What's shifting in the world of SEO — including AIO, GEO, AEO & LLMEOHow these changes might just liberate us from Google…Why you never need to use keyword tools again!Tips for optimizing your digital presence in 2026 — whether you’re just starting out or have a lot online alreadyHow to think about search if you’re not interested in using AIWhy Meg is returning to blogging in 2026 This conversation made me stop stressing about AI and quit worrying if anyone will ever find my website again. Tune in, read Meg’s blog, and enjoy! 🙏 RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Get the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com!🎶 Listen to Social Media by SurferBOY COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Happy New Year & welcome to a brand new season of Off the Grid! Today we're kicking off this year-in-biz with our annual creative marketing toolkit — five episodes in five days to set you up for success in 2026!Press play to hear all about it, and tune in this week to learn:Our top 3 marketing strategies for 2026Need-to-know advice on SEO, AI & blogging in this era of the internetMy rules for email marketing + newsletters right nowHow to network better + host fun events (even if you're an introvert)& What trends will grab extra attention in the year ahead! You'll hear from amazing guests like Meg Casebolt, Arianna Smith, and Amanda Laird. It's basically a mini-of-the-moment-marketing-masterclass all for free on the pod feed this week! So please subscribe and share it with a friend xoRESOURCES + LINKS👋 Get the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com!🎶 Listen to Social Media by SurferBOY

Back on January 8th, Amanda Laird and I recorded an episode about the four marketing trends she was forecasting for the year ahead.Now that it’s December, we’re revisiting those trends to talk about what actually happened!Tune in as we recap what happened in the world of creative small business, specifically around: AI, social media, Substack, and IRL events.This is a free preview of our conversation. To hear the whole thing, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouseWhen you do, you'll get access to over 30 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 :)

This week, we end season seven of Off the Grid with an honest conversation about self-employment amidst polycrisis.I’m joined by the inimitable Shivani Mehta Bhatia — who returns to the show to help us weave our experiences of grief, witnessing, conflict, rest, deep sorrow, and profound joy.It’s been a long year, and we quite literally laugh and cry as we reflect on how 2025 has clarified our commitments — including how we’ve (imperfectly) kept working through it all.Tune in, then if you want to process together: join me for a free end-of-year journalling session on December 9th. We'll gather, look back at 2025, and do our best to hold it all collectively. 🫂LINKS TO GO DEEPER:explore Shivani's workthe nine rules of generative conflict: a manifestohow do we hold it all?Is Leaving Social Media a Privilege?Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem FrameworkRegarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag🕯️ Free Journalling Session w/Amelia on 12/9RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

Fifteen minutes to center us in radical generosity + energetic sovereignty before the biggest shopping + selling days of the year.Tune in for a tiny pep talk, and to hear more about the Off the Grid Small Biz Gift Guide! & If you want to shop Off the Grid deals through the weekend: 📖 Your Attention is Sacred ebooks are $10 + paperbacks are $20!🎙️ Your Podcast is a Portal is only $99!Wishing you the coziest weekend. xoxo, Amelia COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off 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 visit the Off the Grid archives and Podge Thomas returns for a reflective conversation about why being self-employed invites (and requires) decolonizing how we learn, how we communicate, how we operate, and how we relate to others. Podge has recently created a FREE email course on Metacognitive Learning Design. I want you to get the course, check out her Decolonized Learning Glossary, and then tune in to the episode. Together we explore:The coercive effects of traditional education ⛓️‍💥Why Amelia did School like Ken did Beach 🏖️How to de-condition & decolonize our businesses 🧲The importance of situating self-knowledge amidst community values 🎗️Why Notion is a liberatory tool 👾Task management for non-linear thinkers 😵‍💫& so much more! RESOURCES + LINKS👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for courses + community💓 Join the Clubhouse for more episodes + emails📔 Buy Amelia's book at yourattentionissacred.com! COMING UP:✨ RSVP for the FREE 2026 Astro & Biz Planning Summit, happening April 17 & 24 on Zoom✏️ Get on the waitlist for COME TO CLASS, a spring workshop on how to teach & sell online with confidence & care COMMUNITY SPONSORS:🌞 Craving a planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind Planners today. Get 50% off digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid