Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media

Chereen Leong Schwarz is a founder, maker, outdoor adventurer, and rewilding guide. She’s a former chef who started a knitwear brand and then moved into creative retreats — after a period of prolonged grief.
In this conversation, we dive deep into what pivoting really feels like as we explore:
Chereen’s chef career from fine dining to farms
How moving to Colorado spurred her love of knitting
The realities of turning a hobby into a side hustle
Specific ways to center your values in your business
How multiple losses + a health crisis led Chereen through a transformative grief portal
Different methods of building community in and around your business
How to evolve when your work is wrapped up in your ego + identity
The grief the comes when your industry changes and it hurts your business
Why Chereen & Amelia both took sabbaticals before deciding to close their companies
How we grapple with public opinions + projection as we share our work online
   
RESOURCES + LINKS
👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit
🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community
💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails
⭐️ Use this link to book a free 30-minute session with Chereen: https://calendar.app.google/UydiFHhcLgqzvNUr9
⭐️ RSVP for the free workshop with Podge in October: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fTY89RN7TfS1grKD7Vs64g
 

 
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
🎙️ Ready to take your podcast (or podcast dream) from burnt out to standout? Come to the Drop the Mic Podcast Unsummit to learn from indie podcasters who've made that leap. Hard-won lessons, messy truths, and creative tricks for using your podcast to build trust, grow your brand, and connect with the people who actually matter. September 29-30. RSVP for $10 here (affiliate link)

Softer Sounds is officially closed, my friends. And in this Clubhouse-exclusive episode, I'm telling you all about that journey.

This one's mostly-personal and a-little-bit-logistical –  heavy on story with a checklist at the end.

Tune in to an episode preview here, and become a paid subscriber of the Clubhouse at offthegrid.fun/clubhouse to get all the details.
 
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When you join the Clubhouse, you'll get access to over 50 bonus episodes (and counting), curated tech + creative business newsletters, and more. Plus your own private podcast feed, comments threads, and behind-the-scenes updates on the show.
Please join the Clubhouse to support the show! And find this specific episode here :)

 
RESOURCES + LINKS
👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit
🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community
💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails

Today I’m joined by Luca J. Davis to talk about success, failure, and what 13 years of self-employment really entails.

Together we explore:
Luca’s path from health teacher to personal trainer
How they opened a gym with a dream and a GoFundMe
The radically honest reality of brick-and-mortar finances
When filing for bankruptcy is the best choice for you & your biz
Luca’s detour as a Virtual Assistant & how they started their web design business
The systems that help them book our their services while marketing only once a year
How Luca’s Substack walks the line between personal sharing & biz promotion
   
 ➡️ If you'd like to hire Luca for website support in 2026/2027, just mention Off the Grid for $200 off your package!
 
RESOURCES + LINKS
👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit
🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community
💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails
 

 
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
🎙️ Ready to take your podcast (or podcast dream) from burnt out to standout? Come to the Drop the Mic Podcast Unsummit to learn from indie podcasters who've made that leap. Hard-won lessons, messy truths, and creative tricks for using your podcast to build trust, grow your brand, and connect with the people who actually matter. September 29-30. RSVP for $10 here (affiliate link)

Welcome to Season 11 of Off the Grid!
This month, we're exploring strategies + stories of business pivots.
Today we start with my business triage process. It's a checklist of things to consider when your business feels bad and/or isn't making enough money.
Then for the next three weeks, we'll hear from business owners who have made major pivots in their self-employment journeys, including: quitting a dream job, filing for bankruptcy, closing a retail store, and more.
Tune in for lots of support, camaraderie + inspiration. And check the links below for extra resources 👇
 
RESOURCES + LINKS
👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit
🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community
💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails
 

 
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
🎙️ Ready to take your podcast (or podcast dream) from burnt out to standout? Come to the Drop the Mic Podcast Unsummit to learn from indie podcasters who've made that leap. Hard-won lessons, messy truths, and creative tricks for using your podcast to build trust, grow your brand, and connect with the people who actually matter. September 29-30. RSVP for $10 here (affiliate link)

Tune in for a quick reminder to join the Interweb waitlist before doors close on August 31st!
If you do, I'll also tell you exactly what's coming to Off the Grid this fall...
Because the show will be back with season 11 very soon! At least that's the plan!
Thanks for being here, and I hope to see you in the Interweb.
More soon xx


RESOURCES + LINKS
👋 Download the FREE Leaving Social Media Toolkit
🌐 Get on the Interweb waitlist for creative business courses + community
💓 Join the Clubhouse for exclusive bonus episodes + emails