On Your Terms

More Memories of Other People's Lives Than Our Own [Summer Read-Aloud]

July 13, 2026·11 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Everyone's obsessed with the getting off social media part — deleting the apps, doing the digital detox, bragging about their screen time going down. But almost no one talks about what's supposed to happen once you actually log off. Because here's the thing: stepping away from Instagram only to fall into a Substack doom scroll isn't really progress. It's just a softer-feeling version of the same problem.In this episode, I'm doing something a little different to celebrate summer — I'm reading you one of my recent essays straight from my free Substack, where I get real about what it's actually like to run a seven-figure business while also trying to build a life off the very apps I used to build it. This particular essay gets into something I don't talk about all that often: how losing both of my parents within a year of each other completely cracked open the way I think about time, attention, and what I actually want my life to look like — phone down or not.In this episode, you'll hear… Why getting offline isn't just about swapping one app for a "better" oneThe unsettling stat about our generation and other people's memories that I can't stop thinking aboutHow losing both of my parents within a year of each other changed my relationship with my phone, and with my lifeWhat it actually looked like for me to start rebuilding an offline life on purpose, not by accidentWhy the more offline I get, the better my online business actually doesClick here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.EPISODE RESOURCES:Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's SidebarSubscribe to Sam's SubstackRead today's essay How I Got (More) OfflineGrab Sam's Book When I Start My Business, I'll Be HappyIf you have a question you’d like Sam to answer on a future podcast episode, you can submit it here.Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come outCONNECT:Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's SidebarFollow Sam on InstagramFollow Sam on YouTubeSubscribe to Sam's SubstackTake Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"DISCLAIMER

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