The Learning Curve from Cut Off the Spigot

Cut Off the Spigot
  • 5.0 (4)
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Alexa Speed, the creator of Cut Off the Spigot, talks with experts and real people about how we can live, shop, & do business differently.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    EP7: Building a Streaming Platform By Artists, For Artists

    My guest today is Céd Hopkins, one of the co-founders of FABA Films - a free independent streaming platform created for artists, by artists. Artists keep 100% of the ad revenue generated from their work on the platform, helping to fund independent creative media. We discuss why she and her partner created FABA Films, how it works, what kind of artistic projects they support and discuss the film/entertainment industry. If you’re a filmmaker or writer, host your work on FABA Films with our exclusive offer! Get a 1 year non-exclusive license on FABA Films for films, series, documentaries, podcasts, and eBooks for FREE with promo code SPIGOT and save $48! Promo Code: SPIGOT Links: Life at Elsie Allen High Tangerine movie SocialBnB Support my work! Get a Patreon Subscription at Patreon.com/CutOffTheSpigot Watch the video version on YouTube

    EP7: Building a Streaming Platform By Artists, For Artists

  2. Sep 25

    EP6: How to Quit Social Media as a Small Business Owner

    My guest today is Amelia Hruby, the host of the Off the Grid podcast and leaving social media expert! We discuss how to quit or pull back from social media as a small business owner, what life is like without social media, and why it matters. Watch the video version on Patreon or YouTube for free! Find Amelia's work at OffTheGrid.fun, her website, or get her book: Your Attention is Sacred (Except on Social Media). Links: Storygraph: Goodreads alternative The Verve: Google Zero Helpful books on Social Media's negative influence: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams Enshittification by Corey Doctorow Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff

    EP6: How to Quit Social Media as a Small Business Owner

  3. Aug 28

    EP5: Fighting Fascism with Comedy, Protests & Activism

    In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Davidson Boswell, a comedian and activist in New York City. He works with organizations like Climate Defiance, Planet Over Profit and the Sunrise Movement, organizing creative disruptions of the powerful people who are killing our planet.   Watch the video version for free on Patreon or YouTube! We discuss: -Using comedy in activism, and how it can be more effective than anger alone -The role of protest marches like No Kings in activism -Other ways to fight back, like Mutual Aid [for more on mutual aid, check out EP4: How to Build Community (Substack link, Patreon link)] -Resistance as a dating method 🤣 -The importance of avoiding activism burnout Davidson Boswell’s Links: Substack, Instagram, TikTok, Patreon

    EP5: Fighting Fascism with Comedy, Protests & Activism

  4. Aug 8

    EP4: How to Build Community

    In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Madge, the founder of The People’s Community Substack - a decentralized mutual aid network designed to help people share skills, resources, and support. Watch the video on Patreon or YouTube! We discuss: -Why community is so important -Simple ways to starting build community -What a “pod” is, and how to build one The People’s Community Links: Substack, Website

  5. Jul 4

    EP3: What It's Like Being a Neurodivergent Entrepreneur

    In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Debra Ha, the founder of Sōtō Naturals, the first self-care brand built by and for neurodiverse life. Born from her own five-year journey out of AuDHD burnout, and the late diagnosis that revealed her life’s purpose.  Watch the video-version on Patreon or YouTube! We discuss: Our AuDHD journeys & experiences, including Later in Life Diagnosis, Testing & Diagnosis as a woman, Finding happiness post-diagnosis. What it’s like to build a business as a person with neurodivergence What the benefits of being a neurodivergent entrepreneur are    Why self-care matters so much for neurodivergent people & what self-care actually is  What Plantwork, Soto’s main product, is and how it caters to neurodivergent skin care needs Why diversity and following your own path is so important  Sōtō Naturals Links Use promo code COTS20 for 20% off your order! Website TikTok Instagram Links to Items Discussed Flesh World: a Substack from Jessica DeFino, an award-winning beauty journalist who realized the absurdity of the beauty world after being enmeshed in it for years. She advocates for simple solutions to skincare, relying on your skin and body’s natural processes instead of replacing or disrupting them with unnecessary products.  Worldwide Fungal Network Map Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Yoga Nidra Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Knicks in Five! Neurodivergent Research Shared Research led by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden scrutinized the diagnosis rates of autism for people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020. The research calculated that in childhood, boys were diagnosed on average nearly three years earlier than girls – the median age at diagnosis was 15.9 for girls, but 13.1 for boys.  Overall, boys were three to four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism under the age of 10, although girls were found to “catch up” by the time they were 20, owing to a rapid increase in autism diagnosis during adolescence. From Autism.org and Dr. Hannah Belcher, author of Taking Off the Mask (link) “Autistic females present as much more social than their male counterparts, which contrasts the idea of autism as a “social disorder” Masking significantly predicts suicidal behaviors in autistic individuals and positively correlates with depression and anxiety. Belcher describes how relentless self-monitoring (conscious or not) and adapting to social situations with different people all day is exhausting and leaves little time for self-expression or care.”

  6. May 29

    EP2: Starting a Social Media Co-Op Ain't Easy (But It's Worth it!)

    In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Daniel Bingham, the founder of Communities. Communities is a new social media platform, similar to Facebook, for building and organizing community. Daniel is building it into a multi-stakeholder co-op model, where users and employees will have a voice in platform decisions.  Watch the full episode on Patreon or YouTube! We discuss: What Communities is, why Daniel started it, and what he hopes to build with it What the Fediverse is and Mastodon vs. Bluesky Limitations of the Fediverse & Bluesky. Check out my Social Media Alternatives article for more information on Bluesky, their AT Protocol, and Blacksky, Skylight Social (platforms built off of Bluesky’s AT Protocol) Why starting a Tech Co-Op from scratch is hard How tech funding typically works (I learned a lot!) Building out the Democratic Economy through co-ops  Through our conversation you can hear the huge amount of thought, dedication and work Daniel has put in to create a co-op social media platform, despite being on "legendary mode" to start a tech co-op.   Communities Links Website iOS App Link Android App Link Ways to Donate & Contribute Contact Daniel Links to Items Discussed Facebook & Instagram Content Moderator Abuses in Africa and around the world:  Kenyan sub-contractors working for Meta suing for better labor protections, April 2025 Institution for Human Rights and Business article on Meta’s worldwide labor abuses, June 2025 Sama, Meta’s contractor, lays off 1,000 staff in Kenya, April 2026 99% Invisible podcast episode on NYC 311 System REI Union & Boycott Andor: Nemik’s Manifesto Enshittification Wikipedia Overview, the book Enshittification by Cory Doctorow For more information about co-op structures across the economy, check out Episode 1 with Matthew Epperson.

  7. Apr 16

    EP1: Shared Ownership Models

    I spoke with Matthew Epperson, a solidarity economy practitioner, educator, and community organizer by passion and by training, on shared ownership structures. We discuss shared-ownership models like Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), worker and consumer co-ops, different company examples, how employee ownership works with unions, and what is giving us hope in the shared ownership space. Watch the full episode on Patreon or YouTube for free! Resources & Ways to Connect Matthew Epperson’s LinkedIn Employee Ownership Centers by state Local Co-Op Development Centers affiliated with CooperationWorks! I also recommend searching for “co-op development center [your city/town]” to find those unaffiliated with CooperationWorks! US Federation of Worker Cooperatives: Co-op directory to find ones near you Co-Op Development & Work Resources: job-finding, professional development, training and education, and connection among the co-op and solidarity economy sector. Union Toolkit for Cooperative Solutions: report from CUNY (City University of NY) School of Labor & Urban Studies on strategies used by labor unions to support shared ownership like co-ops and employee-owned businesses.   Links to Items Discussed: Companies:  Mondragon Resonate: Note, Resonate seems to be defunct/not accepting new members, but Subvert is a similar music streaming co-op.  FairBnB (Website seems to be down temporarily) Driver’s Cooperative (NYC)  New Era Windows Cooperative South Mountain Company Apis & Heritage Capital Partners  EB PREC (East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative) Walmart & other major national chains’ employees requiring government assistance.  More info on REI, Patagonia.  Room & Board Bob’s Red Mill  Correction: Joann’s Fabrics article Media: The Take documentary “From Founder to Future” by John Abrams  Margaret Mead Quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Alexa Speed, the creator of Cut Off the Spigot, talks with experts and real people about how we can live, shop, & do business differently.

Information

  • Creator
    Cut Off the Spigot
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Learning Curve from Cut Off the Spigot, by Alexa Speed. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Learning Curve from Cut Off the Spigot

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