Off The Grid is a podcast for small business owners who want to leave social media without losing all their clients. Our host, Amelia Hruby, shares stories, strategies, and experiments for growing your business with radical generosity & energetic sovereignty. New episodes on Wednesdays. Produced by Softer Sounds. Join us as we do it all...off the grid.
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:
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
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
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:
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!
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
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.
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:
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 ⛓️
If you're tired of being tired, this episode is for you. Today I'm joined by Jordan Maney, the Radical Joy Coach™ and creator of the RestLab. Through her facilitation and coaching, she helps people who give a damn (including you, dear listener!) learn the radical practice of rest. In this conversation, we get into:Why we can't talk about rest without talking about workThe self-fulfilling prophesy of “invisible labor”How to rest when you really love what you doWhy creative work requires creative restRest equity as a guiding principleRejecting “calm supremacy”Why a sabbatical probably isn't the antidote for burnout… Tune in then, join Jordan in RestLab 101 for support slowing down and sustaining your creative work, your community advocacy, and your rest. RESOURCES + LINKS
Listen to this episode before you begin holiday shopping or selling!Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with Rachel Duncan for the Money Healing Club Podcast where we go deeeeeep into how social media impacts our spending habits and finances.We talk about budgets, boundaries, and screentime. Then we explore why restriction isn't necessarily the answer to addiction — and why rebellion and pleasure may be better antidotes for feeling too online.We also explore the core concepts of my book, including: what's wrong with the attention economy, the negative impacts of extractive algorithms, and my 5 principles for gardening your attention.➡
Today we welcome copywriter Nicole Cloutier back to the podcast (yay!) to help us avoid the most dreaded small biz experience: putting something new into the world and hearing … nothing … in return.We talk through launch basics then go deep into the strategies that have helped grow our sales — even in this challenging year.Join us as we stare into the void together and discuss:What a launch really is (hint: it's pretty simple)Why it's so important to pre-launch and “warm up” your audienceNicole's 3-part pre-launch framework (with timeline!)Behind-the-scenes stats like Amelia's email open rates
The most radical choice I've made in self-publishing is not putting my book on Amazon.Tune in to this episode to learn: Why I made this decisionWhat it means for my bookHow I'm going to find readers anyway& Exactly how many books I'm hoping to sellThen join me in my journey of self-publishing without giving Jeff Bezos more money… by joining the waitlist for my book! It comes out next week! Mentioned in the episode:Postcards from: Carolyn Yoo, Debora Figueiredo, Kening Zhu & Chelsie TammsFifty Feminist MantrasIngramSpark & LuluHow to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine RESOURCES + LINKS
Welcome back to Book Week! In this behind-the-scenes episode (from the Clubhouse!), I tell you all about: The story of my first book (& why I had to rewrite that story to move forward)Why I decided to write this book (instead of just making more podcast episodes)My process for writing the 15,000 word manuscript in ONE WEEK (a wild choice)How I ended up getting a book offer from my last publisher…And the exact sentence that made me turn that offer down
Bailey Lang is a book coach, editor, and ghostwriter who helps business owners, creatives, and academics tell stories that matter.In this episode, Bailey and I pull back the curtain on the book-writing process. I share the messy middle and behind-the-scenes challenges of bringing my own book to life, while Bailey offers grounded guidance on what to do (and what not to do) if you're dreaming of writing one yourself.If you've ever thought “maybe I have a book in me” — this one's for you.Tune in, then make sure you're on the Your Attention is Sacred waitlist. Early orders open there in just a few days!!RESOURCES + LINKS
Tracy Candido is a creative coach and the host of Hidden Parts, a podcast about the inner voices that shape how we live, work, and lead.Today she joins me on the podcast to help me unpack how my inner perfectionist, procrastinator, and hyper-achiever showed up in the book writing process.To do that, she teaches us a lot about Parts Work. Tune in to learn:What Parts Work is (and how it's different than Internal Family Systems)How to identify protector partsTracy's 3-step methodology for quieting mental chatterHow Parts Work can heal overachiever patterns & visibility wounds RESOURCES + LINKS
This summer, Cody Cook-Parrott deleted their Instagram account. In doing so, they “lost” 80,000 followers and gained so. much. more.In this conversation, we dig into why Cody decided to delete IG, how their creative attention has shifted since, and what it really looks like to build a business (and publish a book) off the grid.Tune in to this episode to hear us explore:Why Cody deleted their account instead of deactivatingWhat it means to archive your work onlineThe realities of giving up social capitalSacred witnessing and ways to cultivate the feeling of being seenHow Cody is approaching their next book launch without social mediaWhy we love self-publishing & the fate of Amelia's first zine project
Seth Werkheiser was one of the first 3000 people on Twitter. Now he runs Social Media Escape Club and helps people get off X, Facebook, Instagram, and more.In this conversation, we chart how we've each spent 20+ years online — beginning with AOL, Tumblr, and Twitter all the way through Instagram, TikTok, and the current state of Substack.This one goes out to everyone feeling lost online and looking for the magic of the early internet era again. Join us for this journey through:Amelia's cringe-inducing 2013 Tumblr blog & Twitter handle
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! Season 7 of Off the Grid officially kicks off next week.
It's finally here, my friends... your first preview of my book!In this episode, I fill you in on exactly why Your Attention is Sacred Except on Social Media.Then in a you-heard-it-here-first moment, I play you the beginning of the audiobook! And I implore you to join the book waitlist at yourattentionissacred.com — so you can get a copy when it releases this fall.Thank you so much for tuning in to season six of Off the Grid. We'll be on break for the rest of August, but if you join the Clubhouse, you'll get our free summer reset series that starts next week! xoxo, AmeliaRESOURCES + LINKS
Welcome to part one of our season six finale!Today I'm joined by TWENTY past guests sharing tiny pep talks recorded just for you.Tune in for encouragement on everything from surviving Capitalism to fixing your sales page to overcoming overwhelm and getting exactly what you want.You'll hear from:[6:30] Blaize Hall of Weeping Willow Wellness[12:00] Michelle Pellizzon-Lipsitz of Holisticism[14:55] Sarah Arantza Amador of Hawthorne Mountain Tarot[18:20] Arielle Estoria[19:35] Mattia Maurée of AuDHD Flourishing[21:30] Michelle Warner of Sequence Over Strategy[23:55] Amanda Laird of Slow and Steady & Personal Biz[26:15] Chelsie Tamms of Lettering Works[27:30] Elise Granata of GROUP HUG[30:45] Shivani Bhatia[33:30] Maria Bowler[37:10] grace allerdice of home—body[39:50] Megan Leatherman of A Wild New Work[43:40] Maggie Gentry of Rest Day Creative[46:40] Natalie Ross[49:30] Natalie Miller of Mind Witchery[52:45] Rachel Duncan of the Money Healing Club[55:50] Nicole Cloutier of Copy Poetics[60:15] Yarrow Magdalena of Pink Well Studio[63:10] Chelsea Riffe RESOURCES + LINKS
Here's my truth— I am absolutely, positively obsessed with this episode.Today on the pod, I'm joined by the one-and-only Sarah Faith Gottesdiener.She's popping over from Moonbeaming to pull back the curtain on how the Moon Studio has made more money than ever this year — with a secret marketing strategy and a super minimal social media presence.Hear us get smart on:Inside/outside marketing strategiesKeeping your best work a secretBusiness models that are DOAWhy we love our client communitiesHow to cultivate a clear channel for your marketing& Working with the best people Tune in, then sign up for Sarah's class Clear Channels! Registration closes in August. RESOURCES + LINKS
Casey Johnston is a weight-lifting memoirist and former editor at Vice, Ars Technica & the New York Times' Wirecutter.She's been reporting on social media and smart phones for over a decade, and in that time, she built her career on Twitter then left it behind in favorite of a paid newsletter and a phone with fewer than ten apps on it.In this conversation, we dig into the the major shifts that Casey's witnessed in digital media since 2010, as well as how she created a “DIY Dumb Phone” to help her kick her phone addiction last year.Specifically, we explore:How Twitter helped Casey start her writing careerWhy Casey launched a newsletter & how it's become her primary income streamVirality, memes & how they push us to always be onlineThe difference between a Beat, a Brand, and a BusinessThe successes & failures of journalists on SubstackCasey's “DIY Dumb Phone” methodHow algorithms convince us we have problemsWhy Casey quit being a defender of social media RESOURCES + LINKS
I'm not a fan of the #girlboss. But I am a fan of women who build wildly successful businesses. And I especially appreciate when they offer eyes-open advice about what it really took to get there.Today on the show, I'm joined by Sam Vander Wielen, a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who's built a multi-seven-figure online business through consistently $100k+ funnels and launches.While income claims like that typically make me roll my eyes… Sam is such an smart, honest, and candid business owner that I just had to ask her a million questions about how her business really works.So if you've ever wanted a values-aligned look into a seven-figure business, you'll definitely want to tune in. We talk about:The relationship between trauma and high-achievementHow social media helped Sam grow her businessClarifying the stages of awareness in your marketingClearing fear around the legal aspects of small businessHow Sam handles hate mail and mean messagesThe realities of Sam's $300k+ launchesWhy you need a copy of Sam's new book RESOURCES + LINKS
I started my self-employment journey by freelancing… but somehow I've never talked about it on the pod!So today I'm joined by Sarah Jutras of Huzzah Studio and Freelance for Life to dive into how to build a freelance career and/or land a few gigs to make ends meet.Together we unpack a few common Qs, including:What is freelancing?
When my business becomes overwhelming, I turn my focus to my systems.Why? Because systems are the how of everything I do in my work and life. I have a system for doing my laundry, a system for checking my inbox, and a system for making this podcast.And even when I have no system for doing something… that's still a no-system system!Designing my systems with myself in mind has made my life so much better. And I really want that for you too!So this week on the podcast, I'm joined by brigitte, a neurodivergent systems witch who's here to help us all get through our work day with more ease.Tune in to learn:What systems are & who needs themHow to design systems that serve us instead of the status quoExamples of systems from brigitte & Amelia's businessesHow we can embed our values in our systemsBrigitte's 7-step process for creating your own systems! RESOURCES + LINKS
2025 has been a year of pivots, restarts, and beginning again. So this week on the pod, we're talking about reinventing yourself and your website!To do that, I'm joined by yoga-teacher-turned-meditation-studio-owner-turned-designer Anita Cheung AKA Neets!Anita has pivoted business topics, models and personal brands many times over the past decade, and she's here to share the lessons she's learned, as well as to offer practical advice for adapting our virtual presence as we evolve.Tune in to hear about:Anita's biggest lessons learned from starting over multiple timesWays to embrace change and up-level your failure toleranceHow to reinvent yourself when you want to……VS How to pivot when it's forced on you by hard timesWhether or not you should brand yourself as your name& a HUGE permission slip to abandon your niche Then in the second half of the episode, Anita teaches us her Top 10 Tips to Elevate Your Brand & Website. It's a branding & web masterclass you won't want to miss, just for Off the Grid listeners! RESOURCES + LINKS
Welcome to Off the Grid CPG edition!
Popping in with a behind-the-scenes bonus episode — where Jen Carrington and I pull back the curtain on everything that's been messy, feel-bad, and chaotic in our businesses this year! We talk about exactly how much our revenue is down, the problems we've diagnosed with our marketing and messaging, and what we're focusing on to stay in business through 2025 and beyond. Tune in to feel seen, heard, and (hopefully) less alone.
We talk about community all the time on this show. But what does it actually look like when relationships change the trajectory of your creative career?In this episode, I'm joined by Lauren LoGrasso to unpack all the relationships that led her to her current roles as an award-winning podcaster, producer of We Can Do Hard Things, and VP of Programming and Development at Audacy.Those relationships range from a random guy in Indiana to the agent who dumped her when she moved to LA to her “radio Jesus” who opened the door to everything Lauren is doing today.Tune in as we map how a creative career is built in real-time. You'll hear all about:How Lauren landed an internship on the Ellen show & the slump that followed her early successWhy it's important to learn all the angles of your jobHow Lauren nurtures & unleashes her creativityAmelia's dance between being practical & being delusionalWhy we have to stop rebranding disappointment as failureTwo ways to reclaim your voice from “creative monsters” And stay tuned to the end where Lauren guides us through a self-love + inner child healing practice!RESOURCES + LINKS
I broke up with Amazon and Google when I left social media in 2021, and this year I decided it was also time to quit using Spotify.Why? Well because my values are not aligned with enriching billionaires like Jeff Bezos, letting Google track my behavior everywhere, or supporting Spotify in paying artists pennies.So in this episode, I share a bit more about my decision-making and how I've managed to stop using the services and tools that these companies create.To be clear — I'm not making a case for why you “should” quit any of these platforms. But if this is a shift you WANT to make, I am offering a few suggestions.Tune in to hear:The 3 mindset shifts that make it possible to leave Google, Amazon & SpotifyMy 5-step process for breaking up with these companies & their servicesAll the tools I used to replace GoogleThe ways I still use Amazon even though I canceled Prime years agoHow quitting Spotify changed my music-listening (more on that here) For a quick summary & links to my fave tools, check out the blog post I wrote when I first made this decision: http://www.ameliahruby.com/blog/getting-off-google-facebook-amazon RESOURCES + LINKS
Today on the show, I'm joined by art psychotherapist Amelia Knott to explore and untangle the intersections of mental health, social media, creativity, and small business.We specifically take on the concepts of “digital wellness” and “ethical marketing.” And we have a nuanced conversation about how we really feel online and what it means to market with care (and without coercion).Join us as we get into:The problem with “wellness” & the possibility of cultivating well-being onlineHow to do an attention audit & figure out how you really feel about social mediaOur thoughts on the major cultural shifts around social media this yearEthical marketing frameworks from a mental health practitioner perspectivePractical tips to make your marketing language more trauma-informed And if you enjoy this episode, make sure you get a copy of Amelia's book, The Art of Thriving Online! RESOURCES + LINKS
Edgar Fabián Frías is an artist, therapist, educator, curator, witch and so much more.Today, they join me on the podcast to talk about the decision they made to quiet quit Instagram at the start of 2025.Together, we explore:The works of art that changed our lives & nonlinear psychic collaborationBeing impersonated on Instagram & how that can impact your businessWhat happens when Meta starts suspending queer artistsHow Edgar blended career paths & built new channels away from social media (including their podcast Your Art is a Spell!)Feeling safer after stepping back from so much public sharingWhy the era of social media is dying Tune in for an inspiring conversation in the spirit of Toni Cade Bambara, who teaches us that — “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people, my job is to make revolution irresistible.” RESOURCES + LINKS
Cher Hale is one of my favorite people on the internet, and her newsletter Doing It For the Attention has taught me SO MUCH about getting my work in front of new people in a way that aligns with my body AND my business. In this conversation, we dive deep into the roots of attention and all the ways we can build community around our work — including how to amplify attention for ourselves and others.Tune in to hear Cher's wisdom and advice on:How to be comfortable asking for attentionWays to get more attention for your businessDivesting, directing & demanding attention as liberatory tactics for building new worlds20 Ways to Amplify Attention for Under-Recognized VoicesFun ideas for shouting-out and h/t-ing your friendsChildcare trades & a new way to mastermind that I learned from Becky Mollenkamp RESOURCES + LINKS
How do we imagine new possibilities when it feels like our well has gone dry?This week I'm joined by author, tarotist, and Jungian creativity coach Sarah Arantza Amador of Hawthorn Mountain Tarot. Together we explore:The lineage of radical imaginationHow to move through creative blocks in your businessWays to (re)connect with imagination even when the world is on fireWhy collaboration might be the answer to everythingHow to bend toward change + embrace new ways of workingRefusing to treat ourselves like spreadsheetsLet's un-slogify our lives together, friends! Tune in for a thoughtful conversation full of practical tips that will help you reinvigorate your creative business.RESOURCES + LINKS
ESCAPE THE TRANCE ⁕ REMEMBER YOUR AGENCY ⁕ BUILD COMMUNITY Today on the pod we have a very special guest — Elise Granata of GROUP HUG!Elise is here to chat with me about how social media erodes our agency + community building efforts — even if these platforms started as supportive relational hubs. Join us as we wind through our teen years on Tumblr, how we dissociate on the apps, what inspires us to get offline, the dangers of optimized communities, adjusting our aesthetic expectations, "sweatshirt-level friends," and how to start your community practice. RESOURCES + LINKS
What if selling didn't have to feel sleazy? And the words on your website could cast a magical spell for your ideal clients/customers instead?Today, I'm joined by copywriter and podcaster Nicole Cloutier to talk about how to be more specific in our messaging and simple tips to write better sales pages.Tune in to hear about:Nicole's journey from poetry MFA to copywriterPain point marketing + if it's (un)ethical?How asking "so what?" can turn boring writing into compelling copyWays that better messaging can improve your product sales (not just services!)The value of embracing "pleasure point marketing"How to write your first sales page (ever!) 3 ways to improve your existing sales pages so you can (hopefully) make more $$$And make sure to grab Nicole's FREE sales page bundle, exclusively for Off the Grid listeners! RESOURCES + LINKS
Leaving social media isn't always the most profitable decision… but maybe it taps into something even more lucrative?In this episode, I'm joined by Leah Kern, an anti-diet dietitian who left social media a year ago and has experienced ups and downs in her business since.For the first half of our conversation, we explore Leah's path onto and off of social media, including how she used to get clients on Instagram and how she finds clients now.Then in the second half of our chat, we discuss how intuitive eating actually led us both deeper into our values and why breaking up with diet culture was an important step toward breaking up with the apps altogether.Tune in to hear a new perspective on what it's really like to leave social media with your business. And if you love this episode, be sure to tune in to Amelia on Leah's podcast Shoulders Down as well! RESOURCES + LINKS
Today I'm joined by writer, therapist, and creative Lisa Olivera to talk about how her work and life have shifted as her Instagram platform's grown to over 400,000 followers.Together, we dive into:Two reasons Lisa joined Instagram + how it felt as her account grewThe allure of online business + what we're “supposed to do” when we have a big platformUnpacking the rise of the “instagram therapist” + the content-ification of therapyWhy Lisa started her Substack newsletter + how it's supported her workSocial media addiction + the compulsion to post/like/share/scrollFacing the big hole that's there when social media's not thereHow to make the choice to stay on social media (or not) RESOURCES + LINKS
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