Off The Grid: Leaving Social Media

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
 

 
🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

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
 

 
🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

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

Let's refresh our creative ambition before fall!
Today we're wrapping our Back to Biz Refresh series with leadership expert Amina AlTai.
Amina is the author of The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living.
Together we discuss:
What ambition actually is and why it's neutral
How core wounds create painful ambition — even if you love what you do
Ways to figure out if your ambition is helping or harming you
Finding aliveness when you don't feel ambitious
What it takes to stay in business through hard times
 
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 SPONSOR
✏️ Looking for a fall planner that's about permission not perfection? Check out Nine to Kind. Get 50% off their digital planners with code OFFTHEGRID50 & 25% off analog products with code OFFTHEGRID25. Learn more & claim your discount at: https://www.ninetokind.com/pages/offthegrid

 
🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/

This episode is meant to save you money!
Today, I’m sharing my guide to more affordable business systems and software that can help you set up online for under $50/year — or lower your overhead with strategic tool swaps.
Tune in to hear my tech recommendations and how I think through software needs.
Also: These recs don’t include Google! Some of them are privacy focused, others are not. Some include AI functionality, others do not. Most of them are based in the US. All prices mentioned in the episode were as of August 2026 and may change.
 
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Free Checklist For Tool Decisions from Asha Noel-Hart
Free Simple Tech Stacks Field Guide from Heather Bax
Join the Interweb for more tech support from Amelia
 
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Namecheap for domain
Carrd for website (affiliate link)
Zoho for email inbox
Sender or Email Octopus for email newsletter list 
Canva (free plan) for simple design needs
Notion for internal systems and client docs/dashboards
Zoom, Proton Meet, or Whereby (free plans) for video calls
Tidycal for scheduling, paid bookings, and digital products
Novo for free business banking and invoicing — Use my affiliate link to get $40 when you open and fund your new account
Stripe for payment processing and invoicing
Breezedoc for contracts and invoicing together
 
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
 

 
🪭 Six honest ways to speak, understand, and inhabit Spanish, each one shaped around a different kind of life: private immersions, a spring retreat in Barcelona, flexible packs, a summer course, a version for two, and quiet advising. Explore the 2026–2027 Collection from Sobremesa.Institute → https://sobremesa.institute/language-learning/inside-the-2026-2027-collection/