Just over 100 days ago, I went cold turkey off Instagram and all social media. What I didn’t expect was how much mental space, clarity, and inner authority I would regain.

In this episode, I share a long-form reflection on why I left, what changed after stepping away, and what I’ve learned about attention, creativity, comparison, productivity, and emotional regulation along the way.

This is not an episode meant to convince anyone to quit social media. If it doesn’t feel like a problem in your life, carry on. This is simply a field report for those who feel curious

Episode 79. Field Notes From Leaving Social Media

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections

If you’re coming out of the holidays, or really any period of indulgence, stress, illness, or disrupted routine.. you might be feeling bloated, foggy, sluggish, or noticing changes in your skin. Breakouts, dryness, sensitivity, and inflammation are common signals that something feels “off.”

The instinctive reaction is often: I need to detox.

In today’s episode, I want to reframe detox entirely. Instead of thinking of detox as something extreme that you do to your body, think of it as a natural process your body is already designed to do when the right conditions are present.

This conversation is about understanding how detox actually works, why it slows down after periods like the holidays, and how to support your system so you feel better without punishment or extremes.

Detox is not a juice cleanse, tea, or program. It’s a natural, ongoing physiological process. In this episode I share a holistic herbalist point of view on detoxification and how you can support your skin by supporting this natural process.

Shop My Curated Apothecary StratumAesthetics.com (Skincare, body care, and wellness tools hand-selected by me)

Castor Oil Support

• Castor Oil Pack (used for liver and lymphatic support)

• Podcast episode: Castor Oil: Everything You Want to Know

Nervous System Support

• Yoga Nidra (YouTube): Ali Boothroyd

• EFT Tapping (YouTube): Tapping with Brad

Skincare Products Discussed

• Laurel Detox Mask

• Live Botanical Oasis Enzyme Mask

• Laurel Unburden Serum

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections

Have you ever set a New Year's goal you were genuinely excited about… only to burn out by February?

In this episode, Emily shares the seasonal planning framework she stumbled into last year, a way of working toward goals that follows the intelligence of nature instead of relying on willpower, urgency, or constant output.

Instead of rushing to become a brand-new person on January 1, this approach honors the natural sequence of change: winter for structure and rooting, spring for strengthening and direction, summer for expression and expansion, and fall for release and refinement. Through this, you can create lasting and sustainable change in your life.

Emily walks through how this played out in her own life: from finances, to writing, to her annual fall shed, and why this method created more ease, clarity, and sustainable progress than any traditional goal-setting system she’d tried before.

This episode focuses specifically on winter: how to use this season to build structure, shift identity, and create systems that actually hold your goals.

Mentioned in this episode:

episode 80: The Art of Decluttering 2.0: The Fall Shed Ritual

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections