I quit social media: 2.5 years later

Hi friend,

In January 2023, I decided to take a “quick break” from TikTok and Instagram, and then never returned. In reflecting on this decision this year, a few of the themes to come out of running my product-based business without social media include: visibility, community, and pathfinding. Here are some takeaways I’ve learned in the past year.

One of the most surprising aspects about leaving social media is that it seems to have brought about an increase in visibility for Yardia, as well as for myself as a business owner. This is definitely the opposite of what I expected would happen—one of my early fears when leaving was “What if everyone forgets me?”.

Instead, I found that running my business without social media seemed to become part of my brand, without any sort of intention on my part for that to happen.

A few moments of visibility over the course of the past 12 months included:

• Podcast interviews on Proof To Product, The Tillage Podcast and Windowsill Chats

• Named one of Stationery Trends Magazine’s 10 Makers To Watch in 2025

• Taught a workshop to other product makers on how to strategically leave social media

• Spoke at the Greeting Card Association’s annual conference

This year I’ve noticed more than ever how important actually talking with and being in physical community with other creative business owners has been for the growth and future goals of Yardia.

At trade shows I swapped referrals with booth neighbors, at conferences I met manufacturers in person that I’d later work with on new products, and in casual conversation I gave and received tips with business friends that ended up saving us all time and money.

The warmth of having these kinds of personal relationships with folks who get it felt far more real and impactful than when I used to simply compare myself to others’ progress on Instagram.

The kind of community I find myself prioritizing now is one of openness and generosity, instead of one of scarcity and comparison. And that feels really true to what I want.

My word of the year for 2025 is Pathfinder (taken from a card I pulled from my own Plant Companion Tarot deck), and oh man has it been a doozy. Although I’ve built a life and business for myself that has given me a lot of fulfillment, events conspired this year to have me dreaming of possibilities and entering on a new path, in a very literal manner.

After the loss of my longtime (22 years!) companion cat, Petra, and suddenly finding myself without the dedicated pet-caregiving schedule I stuck to in her final years, I decided to honor her memory and this transitional period by taking time away to walk 70 miles of the Camino de Santiago.

Going on this walk, slowly and steadily, with my phone on airplane mode and without ever choosing my usual headphone distractions of podcasts or audiobooks, I expected that I would just have time to think of what might be next for me.

Instead, the Camino turned into a sort of walking meditation, truly a personal pilgrimage. I listened to the birds and to the conversations of other pilgrims passing me along the way, felt inspired by the plants growing out of the stone walls that lined the trail, and some days chose to walk and chat with other pilgrims from all over the world. In retrospect, it was a walk of being present with my surroundings in a way that I hadn’t realized I’d been missing for a while.

This pilgrimage also brought me back to a question I continually ask myself in both business and life: “What do I actually want?”

And it introduced a new question: “Why not now?”

I’m still processing both the grief of pet loss and the possibilities that are opening up ahead of me, and within it all, I’m finding that it’s easier to sort through decisions and dreams without the distractions, comparisons and numbing effect that Tiktok and Instagram used to give me. Those days feel very far away now.

And instead, I can begin to ask myself new questions and figure out the next turn of the path that’s right for me specifically.

Well, I don’t expect to return to Instagram or TikTok anytime soon. And I’m interested in exploring more of my curiosities and following dreams that allow me to step a bit more out of my comfort zone, the kinds of things that make me ask, well, why not now?

I’ve decided to have Contentment Over Content’s home be here on Substack, so that I can continue to write about: running a product business without social media, working on business goals that serve the life I want to live instead of growth for growth’s sake, and being very intentional about these choices while also maintaining a sense of playfulness in experimentation. I hope you’ll continue to join me on this path.

Take care,