Consider this: What if marketing isn’t actually about getting in front of people? 🥸 Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Jay Acunzo , a writer, speaker and award-winning storyteller, who invites us to consider that marketing is all about making people care. Tune in to learn: Why resonance matters more than reach How to meet people where they’re at & shift their perspective What to do when your work doesn’t get the audience you feel it deserves And then join The Interweb before March 21st, so...
Mar 06, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Welcome to our second monthly forecast episode! This is an experiment I'm trying exclusively on the pod feed where I check in on the first Friday of each month to share a few fun marketing trends, this month's biz-care to-dos, and listener Q&A! This month, you’ll hear: why I'm super into newsletter ads right now how to plan your spring sales calendar my process for deciding what’s free and what’s paid in my business ecosystem Plus! Some great listener comments about cultivating visibility an...
Mar 01, 2024•34 min
If you’ve ever struggled with showing up as your full self or being seen in your business, this episode is for you. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by award-winning vocal coach and author, Samara Bay . Samara has coached everyone from Hollywood celebrities to US Congresswomen to high school girls. And her book Permission to Speak has been a guiding text for my business and life. In this potent conversation, she teaches us her tried-and-true methods for showing up and speaking out. We also unpac...
Feb 28, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 58
If you want to make more sales in 2024, this episode is for you! Today we’re improving our sales skills, so we can make better investments, bigger decisions, and more $$$ in 2024 and beyond. Tune in as we explore: Why we need new sales archetypes 4 ways to prepare your business (& yourself) for more sales 20 refreshing ideas for helping more people decide to purchase from you 3 things to consider before you offer a discount or raise your rates 👋 Thinking of leaving social media? You don't h...
Feb 21, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 57
📯 Bonus episode time! 📯 Today I’m joined by health equity expert and my biz friend Shivani Mehta Bhatia to unpack a question that’s been popping up on the pod lately… Is leaving social media a privilege? Tune in to hear how we’re unraveling this question through our conceptions of power, privilege, and social capital. At the end, we also talk about the call to witness and how we’re thinking about social media in relationship to our personal, political and business values. ✨ Mentioned in the ep...
Feb 16, 2024•33 min
This episode goes out to all my creative babes out there, because today I’m joined by one of my favorite visual artists and print goods purveyors, Kristen Drozdowski of Worthwhile Paper . In this heartfelt conversation, Kristen shares how she started her business, her highest and lowest points as an artist and boss, and why she’s decided to leave Instagram after amassing over 50,000 followers there in the past decade. We also discuss what it means to step off the online business growth escalator...
Feb 14, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 56
If you want to build better business relationships in 2024, today’s episode is for you! This week we’re continuing our ‘24 in 2024’ series, where I’m walking you through 24 ideas for every stage of the customer journey. Last time we discussed audience growth, so today we’re building trust and nurturing our communities . Tune in as we explore: Why community matters for your business How to decide who you want to build community with 24 fun ways to deepen relationships that will support your busin...
Feb 07, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Welcome to our first monthly forecast episode! This is a new ~~experiment~~ I'm trying exclusively on the pod feed where I check in on the first Friday of each month to share a few fun marketing trends, this month's biz-care to-dos, and hopefully some listener Q&A! Tune in to hear why I'm super into worldbuilding, Selena Gomez & tax prep right now. And click through all the links below for a browser full of fun! Get in touch with Amelia: 💌 Email hi@softersounds.studio ☎️ Leave a voice m...
Feb 02, 2024•21 min
If you dread marketing your work or wish doing it felt way easier, then today’s episode is for you! This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Amanda Laird, the founder and principal strategist of Slow & Steady Studio . Amanda’s one of my favorite people to talk to about marketing, and her “just enough” method has taught me how to do less, sell more, and find delight in my marketing process. We cover all that in the first half of the episode, and then in the second half we dive into two juicy q...
Jan 31, 2024•54 min•Season 3Ep. 54
If you want to get your work in front of more people, today’s episode is for you! This week we’re kicking off our ‘24 in 2024’ series, where I’m going to walk you through 24 creative marketing ideas for every stage of the customer journey. We’re starting at the very beginning when the customer first hears about you. So this week is all about boosting visibility and audience growth! Tune in as we explore: What it means to boost your visibility 👀 When you want to grow your audience (& when yo...
Jan 24, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Welcome to Season 3 of Off the Grid! We’re kicking off 2024 by talking about everyone’s favorite topic — money money money! 💸🤑💰 In this episode, I share my money story and unpack how I’ve overcome underearning over the past decade. Then I open my books to tell you exactly how much money Softer Sounds made last year, and I share three things I’m doing differently in my business in 2024. Tune in for a big dose of financial transparency without any icky income claim marketing. Let's practice tal...
Jan 17, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Happy New Year, friends! Amelia here, dropping into your pod feed with three exciting announcements: #1 — Season 3 of Off the Grid is launching next week! 🥳 Surprise! I’m coming back from break early and will be posting awesome weekly episodes through the end of June. #2 — If you’re thinking 2024 might be the year you finally leave social media… I made you a 5-day challenge to plan your hiatus or exit! It’s free for everyone through the end of the month. (this challenge is no longer available f...
Jan 10, 2024•17 min
Welcome to the season two finale of Off the Grid! In this episode, I’m unpacking the difference between business and art … and arguing that maybe it’s actually all about being of service?! Tune in as I weave together Unreasonable Hospitality , The Bear , the Online Business Growth Escalator & a Spell for Releasing Your Shoulds — to inspire you to keep finding your way forward in your practice & to make some money in the meantime. 👋 Thinking of leaving social media? You don't have to go ...
Nov 08, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Lately I've been feeling like mayyyybe I want to burn down my whole business... But I know that's not really true! I've just been growing in the wrong direction and at the wrong pace. So today on the pod, I'm bringing together everything I know about Online Business with my own business growth journey 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 hear more about: Realizing you're on the Wrong Path &am...
Nov 01, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Why does leaving social media feel so impossible? I think one reason is because of how joy and grief intermingle on these platforms. So this week we’re grieving social media together, so we can remember what we loved, recognize what we miss, and prepare ourselves to step into what’s next. Tune in to hear more about: What happened to social connection on social media Why we need to make space to grieve IG/Facebook/Twitter A 3-step practice for connecting with your feelings about social media Grie...
Oct 25, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 49
I just launched the next big thing for Off the Grid, so let me tell you exactly how I did it! 👀 Tune in to learn about The Interweb , our new annual membership for creatives, artists & small business owners who want to build a successful, sustainable business without relying on social media. Then stay tuned as I reverse-engineer my process! So you can learn how to launch your own Next Big Thing with your talents, your capacity, your passions, and your community in mind. 👋 Thinking of leavi...
Oct 18, 2023•23 min
How do we actually tend to our wellbeing & burn-out when we’re self-employed? And what happens to our businesses when we step back to heal? Today I’m joined by a writer, podcaster, self-employed creator & community gatherer that I’ve long admired — Nic Antoinette . This year Nic has gone through a period of shutting down almost all of the longest-running parts of her business in order to tend to her mental health and well-being. In the process, she’s been in a period of deep inquiry abou...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Everything’s better with friends, babe! Including making money in your busine$$. Today I’m joined by my dear friend & biz cofounder Taylor Elyse Morrison to talk about the highs, the lows & the finances of working with your friends. Taylor and I have been friends & collaborators for more than five years, partnering on everything from live workshops to brand partnerships to cofounding the Lifestyle Business League . Tune in to our conversation to hear about— Different ways to collabor...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 47
This one goes out to all our neurodivergent biz babes out there. Today I’m joined by coach & composer Mattia Maurée to talk about running a business & navigating social media in a way that supports your unique brain & lived experience. Tune in to our conversation to hear about— Common ADHD, Autistic & AuDHD struggles with work How to quit overworking as a coping strategy Embracing a cyclical relationship to social media The importance of play for our brains How podcasting serves ...
Sep 27, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 46
What's it like to walk away from 50k Instagram followers & a full roster of paid partnerships? Let’s find out. In today’s episode, I’m joined by Lauren Ash , an artist, wellness practitioner + community gatherer who shut down her socials & pressed pause on brand partnerships almost a year ago. Tune in to our conversation to hear about— Lauren’s journey starting Black Girl in Om & how she grew to 50k followers on IG The spontaneous moment when she deactivated her account What being an...
Sep 20, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Blogs are back, baby! And maybe they’re great for business again? Today I’m joined by Kasia Manolas , writer of Girl in the Dark Room & Good Fortune , and owner of Narrative , a content marketing agency serving values-aligned companies. Together we revisit my 10 Things I Hate About Content Marketing episode to consider why blogs might be a form of content marketing we don’t have to hate. And Kasia shares why for many small businesses blogs > social . Tune in to learn how— Blogs drive traf...
Sep 13, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Let me tell you something I learned from my business coach... the only “secret” of business growth is building stronger foundations. It's been a really transformative lesson for me, so today I’ve invited Jessica Lackey (my coach) to the pod to explore why so many small business owners feel like they're working all the time... and still not achieving success. Tune in to learn— How to align your marketing methods with your business model Why you have to align your positioning & your pricing wi...
Sep 06, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 43
This week we’re talking all things email and answering that pesky marketing question — should I send a weekly newsletter??? To do that I’m talking to Holly Wielkoszewski, a writer, a yoga teacher, and the founder of Daypack Digital . Together, we get into why we love email, how often we send emails, our hot takes on nurture sequences, and so much more! Tune in to learn about— how to select the right email platform for you how to write a stellar welcome email when you need a nurture sequence (&am...
Aug 30, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Welcome to our late summer interview series! For the next six weeks on the pod, I'm talking to my fave small business owners, artists & influencers about their fave creative business tools & practices. This week we're welcoming my dear friend & collaborator grace allerdice back to the show for a watery convo about how to: channel the flow of money through our businesses create offerings that suit our unique energetic rhythms & cultivate interdependence with our clients and collab...
Aug 23, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 41
It's time to A your Qs, dear listeners! In this episode, I'm answering your questions about all things leaving social media. Tune in to hear my thoughts on— The emotional side of leaving social media AKA turning your FOMO into JOMO The difference between email newsletters & email marketing — including which one matters more for your biz & Whether newsletter ads are the right strategy for your biz — plus how to find places to advertise Then keep your ears open for a sneak preview of what'...
Aug 16, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 40
This episode goes out to anyone who’s ever found yourself sucked into a marketing funnel, watching yet another free webinar, desperately trying to unsubscribe from the dozen follow-up emails, and finally getting free just to find your head spinning from everything you “should” be doing to grow your business. I’ve started thinking of this as the “insta-bae business phenomenon” AKA the way online biz influencers sell quick fixes, ten-step solutions, and easy results with pretty promises and even p...
Aug 09, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 39
There are so many things to do when you run a small business. And even more things you “should” do according to marketing “experts,” online business influencers, and the voices that arrive when you need to make a big decision. In this episode, I’m joined by Natalie Miller to talk about the “shoulds” that so many of us face in our lives and our businesses. And we offer practices for taking your “shoulds” seriously, so you can cultivate the magic you need to finally release them. Join us for a sou...
Aug 02, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 38
While I was off on summer break a big thing happened in the social media world — Meta launched Threads! And everybody had some feelings about it. So in this episode, I’m sharing my answer to the question, “Should you be on Threads?” And I’m reminding us that while we don’t need to judge who is or isn’t on an app, our choices can reflect our values in meaningful and powerful ways. Tune in for a gently-no-nonsense pep talk in our signature Off the Grid style. 👋 Thinking of leaving social media? Y...
Jul 26, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Hey friends! Amelia here. Last week, I was on one of my very favorite podcasts, Let It Out with Katie Dalebout ! Katie and I talked all about my journey with social media, why I've decided to leave Instagram, and why I think that might be an easy choice for us to make as business owners and a hard choice for us to make as people who want to maintain relationships in the year 2023. I'm excited to give you a little preview of that conversation here on the feed. If you love it, click here to listen...
Jul 12, 2023•14 min
Do you ever wish your creative path felt clearer? Your work felt more intentional? Your business felt more integrated? This week on the pod, I'm teaching you my favorite activity for finding biz clarity — AKA my 3-step process for mapping your business ecosystem. Tune in to learn— how to clear your fears around doing business differently 😎 what I consider the three fundamental parts of any sustainable business 🧶 how to map your business ecosystem 🗺️ when & why you might want to use this p...
Jun 28, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 36
