Dropping in off-schedule with a reflection/reminder/rallying-cry that we have power as small business owners, and we can stand against everything Trump is + represents — especially if we do it together. Tune in for gentle provocations and a special invitation to join me at a free event Wednesday, November 20 @ 12pm CT . I hope to see you there. 🩵
I’ve admired Jenny Blake ’s work from afar for years. First for her seemingly endless success with book deals, big-name podcast guests, and six-figure corporate contracts. And now for her incredibly honest accounting of how her business dissolved during the pandemic and hasn’t rebounded since. So in today’s episode, Jenny joins us to share the highs and lows of her 13 years of self-employment. And together we go deep into all the practical, intuitive, and creative things she’s tried to keep her ...
Happy Halloween, business witches! 🧙 While I typically keep things pretty practical here at Off the Grid, this week I wanted to lean into the mystical, magical and alchemical aspects of creative business. To do that, I invited three brilliant practitioners to each share a unique and powerful biz magic ritual with us! ✨ Brigitte starts us off with some practical magic as she shares her opening + closing rituals for each workday and workweek. [9:00] ✨ Then Cecily Sailer offers a tarot spread and ...
Often when business isn’t going well, we think that we can fix it with a new marketing strategy or growth tactic. We look to new courses, fancy platforms, or expensive mentors to “save” us … but in my experience, what we actually need in these times is to tend to our inner reserves in deeper and more nuanced ways. So today I’m joined by Pascale Coté of Dear Creative Mind to teach us how to cultivate creative resilience in our artistic, marketing and business practices. If you’ve ever had an unex...
This one goes out to all our listeners who are still trying to make it work on social media! Today I’m joined by Dacy Gillespie , a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist who has grown her business online over the past decade and is now navigating a major shift from Instagram to Substack. Together, we talk about: The high-stress worlds of music, teaching, arts admin & academia Why Dacy started working in fashion — even though she felt like a total outsider The role that Instagram plays...
This week on the show we're getting into it with everyone’s least favorite internet friend — THE ALGORITHM 🙈 To do that I'm joined by Kate Smalley , a small business advisor, educator, and facilitator, who recently wrote a great piece about getting out of your algorithm that had me thinking more about what algorithms actually do and how we can work with them rather than against them. Today Kate's here to help me explore: What an algorithm even is How algorithms function on social media Why it f...
This is a free preview of a paid episode — where I share a behind-the-scenes recap of how I decided to start a new podcast… Including how much time I spent almost becoming a Youtuber... Then almost launching a Substack... Then almost abandoning my idea altogether… Before I remembered that it all started with a simple idea for a public sharing practice. Tune in to come along for the ride and consider how easy it is take on a platform’s goals — instead of following our own desires. And to hear the...
Happy October! This week we're kicking off Spooky Season with one of my favorite business witches — Michelle Pellizzon-Lipsitz of Holisticism ! Michelle has taught me so much about online business, magical meaning-making systems, and spiritual practices. She's one of my favorite people to pay attention to on the internet, and I invited her on the show so I could ask her every question I've ever had about how she runs her company. In this episode, we get real-real about: How Michelle started Holi...
Today on the pod, I'm breaking down binary thinking and talking about why self-employment is a spectrum. Because your only options aren't 'have a full-time job' or 'have a full-time business'. In fact, there are about a million other ways you can support yourself! So if you've ever felt like an imposter or a failure or just been confused about how to tell people what you do, tune in for a special pep talk exploring: The many, many forms self-employment can take Why black-and-white thinking about...
“I don’t want to perform my job. I want to be rooted in my work.” Liz Migliorelli is an herbalist, educator and storyteller who has crafted an herbal product line under the name Sister Spinster for over a decade. In this episode, Liz joins me to talk about how her business flourished on Instagram — growing to over 30k followers! — and the ways that growth impacted her life, eventually leading her to walk away from social media entirely. (Spoiler: the plants made her do it ) Together, we talk abo...
If you love your work but wish you never had to work, today’s episode is for you! This week I’m incredibly excited to be joined by anticapitalist teacher, writer, vocational guide, and naturalist: Megan Leatherman of A Wild New Work . In this conversation, we begin by defining capitalism and anti-capitalism alongside Silvia Federici’s book Caliban and the Witch . Then we talk about why our labor is sacred, how to navigate the despair that comes with living under late-stage capitalism, and why sl...
This is a free preview of a paid episode — where I talk about how I connect the many projects I work on, and the brand containers I use to organize my creative energy. Tune in to hear about: The relationships between my personal brand, Softer Sounds, and Off the Grid Reflections on parasocial relationships & How I keep my private life private even when I’m sharing a ton online To hear the whole episode, join the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse When you do, you'll get access to over 30 ...
Welcome to season four of Off the Grid! Today I’m joined by everybody’s favorite brand scientist, N. Chloé Nwangwu of NobiWorks . Chloé is here to talk about what brands are, why they matter, and how we can craft one that breaks past visibility biases. This conversation is also an extension of our season three finale where I explored how to feel seen off social media . Because in this episode, Chloé explains how to actually be seen off social media — including why so many of us are underrecogniz...
Welcome welcome welcome back to Off the Grid! Amelia, here. I’m popping into your pod feed today to let you know that we’re kicking off season four of the show next week. 🎉 Starting September 4th, I’ll be sharing a new interview every Wednesday through the end of November, featuring amazing guests like: N. Chloé Nwangwu, Liz Migliorelli of Sister Spinster, Megan Leatherman, Podge Thomas, Kate Smalley, Michelle Pellizzon, Jenny Blake, Amy Kuretsky, and more! In this preview episode, I tell you m...
This one goes out to my all my Top Voices™️ out there. Today we’re talking about LinkedIn! Tune in to hear me unpack: A timeline of LinkedIn’s evolution The difference between Social Networking & Social Media The phenomena of LinkedIn Cringe™️ How LinkedIn has changed thought leadership at large Why I decided to (finally) leave LinkedIn And ICYMI — this episode has been pulled out from behind the paywall of Off the Grid Clubhouse ! 🤸 Join today for weekly episodes like this + secret emails ...
This week we wrap season three with some #deepthoughts on what it means to feel seen and how social media is messing with our sense of self-worth and community connection. Tune in as I break down why visibility ≠ connection (or $ales), and I share many ways that we can find connection in our work and our lives without being on all the apps. And if you're sad that the show is going away for two months, join us in the Clubhouse for private weekly episodes + secret emails all summer long! ☀️ 🤸 THE...
Hey friends, I'm popping into your pod feed on a Monday to share that... THE OFF THE GRID CLUBHOUSE IS NOW OPEN! 🤸 Head to offthegridclubhouse.substack.com for weekly episodes, secret emails + community comment threads all summer long. Only $5/mo or $50/year. Join us today!
Hey there, biz bestie. If you (like me) have never discovered a milestone or a metric that makes you a Success™️….today’s episode is for you! Tune in to hear: Why I hate SMART goals How to FEEL successful When to embrace fluctuation + failure What alignment’s got to do with it The exact definition of success that guides my work + life & How to write your own definition (then send it to me !) And if you enjoy this episode, join me in the Off the Grid Clubhouse ! Doors officially open on Monda...
This week I’m joined by Kening Zhu , an artist, web designer, and dear friend who I’ve known for over 15 years. Together, we have a deep and thoughtful conversation about money, energy, human design, creative practice, and the magical nature of the world wide web. This episode is for anyone craving connection, expansion, and deeper meaning in their creative work and daily life. Spend 75 poetic minutes with us as we explore: Kening’s journey as an artist-entrepreneur Dissolving the binary of art ...
Today I’m joined by Cody Cook-Parrott , a writer, artist, dancer, and teacher who’s here to share how they grew their Instagram account to over 80k followers while navigating big feelings, multiple book deals & many social media breaks in the process. In this conversation, Cody and I meet deep in the both/and of when being ON social media feels bad and being OFF social media feels bad. Tune in to hear about: How Cody grew their creative business with the help of IG What it’s really like to q...
Welcome to our #summertime June Biz Forecast episode! This is a pod-feed-exclusive where I check in at the start of the month to share a few fun marketing trends, this month's biz-care to-dos, a preview of upcoming episodes, and more! This month, you’ll hear: the many ways we’re slowing down for summer 🐢 how I’m implementing a sliding scale in my business ⚖️ different ways to redistribute our wealth ♻️ & how I'm clearing out my expenses this season 😬 Plus! Listen to the end for news about ...
Finally! An episode for all the social-media-ambivalent among us. Today I’m resharing a conversation I had with Becca Piastrelli for her podcast Belonging — where we go DEEP into how social media makes us feel, including unpacking why I left Instagram AND why Becca has stayed on the platform. Tune in to hear about: My journey with social media, including how it felt to invest thousands of hours & $$$ on the apps Anxious attachment & my decision to leave Instagram The creative inspiration...
It’s radical generosity week here at Off the Grid! Today on the pod, I welcome Chelsie Tamms of Lettering Works for a conversation about how our businesses become more profitable through creative collaborations. This one is packed with self-employed wisdom, so pop in your airpods and tune in to learn: How Chelsie uses passion projects to pitch (and book!) her dream clients The clarity + generosity of Lettering Works’ Artist Trade Program Chelsie's FREE branding challenge How we structure trades ...
What happens when the work you love is no longer sustainable for the realities of your life? Today on the pod, Jen Carrington takes us behind-the-scenes in her business to discuss how she’s radically changed her offerings to support her life as a mom with a chronic illness. Tune in to learn: Why Jen’s business is 80% asynchronous Specific logistics on how asynchronous delivery works How to stop facilitating your own burnout The realities of fluctuating revenue & income Jen’s best marketing m...
This week we’re diving into the world of email marketing and asking — has the era of the lead magnet come to an end? Tune in to learn: What a lead magnet is Why you might want to create one ... or not Two business models that really don’t need a lead magnet Whether or not I’m a fan of lead magnets in 2024 Then we want to hear what you think about lead magnets! Love 'em? Hate 'em? Let us know! 💌 Email hi@softersounds.studio ☎️ Leave a voice message at speakpipe.com/offthegrid And finally … cue N...
Welcome to our #It'sGonnaBeMay monthly forecast episode! This is a pod-feed-exclusive 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, a preview of upcoming episodes, and more! This month, you’ll hear: what happens when we focus on gathering 100 hell yes people (instead of growing a giant audience) 💯 why I'm super into daily marketing practices right now 🗓️ & how I'm preparing my business for an inevitable summer slump 😬...
If you like magical money conversations, this episode is for you! Today I’m joined by Rachel Duncan, a certified Financial Therapist and Art Psychotherapist who runs a company called the Money Healing Club . Together we talk about the psychological, emotional, practical, and magical aspects of healing your relationship with money. Tune in to hear us explore: Where money meets creativity What financial therapy is Neurodivergence & addiction in relationship to money The psycho-emotional aspect...
If you want to feel more supported and supportive in your client work, this episode is for you. Today I’m joined by Jess Jackson of Soft Path Healing to talk about trauma, trauma-informed care, and trauma-informed business. Together, we explore how to make our business practices more trauma-informed AND we talk about how to approach social media marketing with nervous system regulation in mind. Tune in then click here to learn more about Jess’ upcoming course, Trauma Informed Foundations, which ...
Have you ever heard the phrase “intuitive business” or “spiritual business” and thought to yourself … “ok but what does that actually mean?!” This happens to me all the time, so today on the podcast, I’m joined by vedic astrologer and business strategist Paula Crossfield to talk about her cosmic business framework. In the first half of our conversation, Paula shares practical ways we can cultivate our intuition in our businesses. And then in the second half of the episode we talk about how doing...
“We don’t have to give up the wild, “non-marketable” parts of our practice in order to sustain them.” This week, I am thrilled to be joined by anti-disciplinary artist, writer, and facilitator for the worldbuilders, Ayana Zaire Cotton of Seeda School . In this spiralic conversation, Ayana guides us in how to tap into our zone of desire and design creative offers for new worlds in the now. Tune in to hear about: World-building as a Black feminist practice Why “niching down” is a colonial technolo...
