Analog-ish: Seeking low-tech ideas in a high-tech world

Becky Mollenkamp
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health

Analog-ish is a weekly interview podcast for people who are tired of being optimized. Hosted by feminist coach Becky Mollenkamp, who believes slowing down is a radical act, each episode features conversations with thinkers, makers, and everyday radicals who are finding their way back to something slower, more intentional, and more human. We're not here to tell you to smash your phone or go off the grid. We're here to ask better questions about the role technology plays in your life — and to explore practical low-tech ideas that give you more agency over the answer. From reclaiming rest to building real-life community, from protecting your attention to finding unmonetized joy, these conversations are honest, curious, and refreshingly free of hustle culture. If you're burned out from being constantly online and hungry for a different way forward, this show is for you.

Episodes

  1. How to Market Your Business Without Being Online All Day with Andria Singletary

    3d ago

    How to Market Your Business Without Being Online All Day with Andria Singletary

    In this episode, you'll hear from Andria Singletary — podcast strategist, host of Evergreen Marketing Era for Women Entrepreneurs, and mom of (almost) three — about how she stopped building her business on borrowed land. What started as a necessity when her daughter was born became a full philosophy shift: ditching the social media hamster wheel in favor of long-form content that works while you sleep. Andria breaks down how she replaced Instagram with podcasting, blogging, and strategic collaborations — and how that switch didn't just save her sanity, it brought in better clients. If you've ever felt like you'd lose your business the moment you put your phone down, this episode will make you think again. Topics Covered:• Why motherhood forced a marketing reckoning. Andria realized she was missing her kids' childhoods trying to keep up on Instagram — and that wake-up call became the catalyst for completely rethinking how she showed up for her business.• The fear of being forgotten. What it actually felt like to scale back social media when it had been her primary lead source, and how she moved through those fears instead of letting them keep her stuck.• Long-form content as a business foundation. Andria makes the case for podcasting and blogging over short-form social, explaining how evergreen content compounds over time in a way that Instagram posts simply cannot.• Quality over quantity, and what that actually means. One weekly podcast episode plus one blog post per month versus daily posting: why less, done intentionally, outperforms more, done frantically.• Dopamine hits vs. real business growth. The moment Andria realized that likes and comments don't pay the bills, and how she found a more meaningful (and more profitable) version of that reward through long-form content engagement.• Why podcast listeners make better clients. Andria explains how being "in someone's ears" while they do laundry or go for a walk creates an intimacy that social media's flat, curated feed can never replicate, and how that translates to warmer leads and shorter sales cycles.• Letting go of perfectionism in content creation. The accidental Christmas recording-on-her-phone moment that changed how Andria thought about production quality, and what she learned when her listeners loved it.• Content ownership and platform risk. Getting locked out, censored, or watching your platform collapse overnight, Andria talks about why building on rented land is a genuine business risk and how long-form content gives you something no algorithm can take away.• Her current social media diet. Instagram is basically a dead zone; Threads gets 30–45 minutes a week; and her business is just fine. What that looks like in practice, and what she actually focuses on instead.• Starting before you're ready: the case for podcast guesting. Not sure if podcasting is for you? Andria's advice is to go be a guest first, and her broader reminder that blogging and YouTube are also legit long-form paths. Resources:• Evergreen Marketing Era for Women Entrepreneurs podcast: https://mamaturnedmompreneur.com/podcast• Andria's Threads: https://www.threads.com/@evergreenmarketingera• Andria's website: https://mamaturnedmompreneur.com/ 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    37 min
  2. Why Zines Are Making a Comeback with Maz George

    Jun 3

    Why Zines Are Making a Comeback with Maz George

    In this episode, you'll hear from Maz George (they/them), a queer neurodivergent astro coach, artist, and avid zine maker, about why the DIY publishing format is experiencing a radical resurgence. Maz shares the evolution of zine-making from the pre-internet days of typewriters and rubber stamps to today's intentional analog rebellion against algorithmic content. We explore how creating physical, uncensored media offers focus, human connection, and creative freedom that social media can't replicate — and why choosing to make something tangible in a digital-first world is its own form of resistance. Whether you're curious about launching your first zine or just craving more offline creative practice, this conversation will inspire you to get your hands dirty (literally). Topics Covered: How zine-making has evolved from necessity in the '90s and early 2000s to intentional resistance in the algorithm age, and why choosing print feels so different nowThe unexpected emotional difference between 100 social media likes and 100 people holding your physical zine in their handsWhy zines remain uncensored, unfiltered, and un-algorithmed, and how zine distros and festivals are building alternative distribution networksThe concept of "skeuomorphism" (digital design mimicking physical objects) and what it reveals about our innate human need for tactile experiencesHow the zine community creates serendipitous human connection, like meeting the maker of your favorite zine at a festival six months after buying itWhy children growing up in a digital-first world need the opposite of skeuomorphism: translation tools to help them understand offline, embodied experiencesThe power of slowing down with a typewriter, embracing typos, and treating imperfection as part of the creative processSimple zine ideas to get started: "shit I saw on my walk," color collections, lists of things you love, scavenger hunt findsHow making zines with kids can build creativity, focus, and appreciation for physical makingWhy you don't need to escape the internet entirely to benefit from analog creative practices—it's about balance, not binariesResources Mentioned: Book Riot's history of zinesThe Newspaper ClubQuimby's (Brooklyn)New York Art Book Fair (by Printed Matter)Maz's InstagramMaz's zine: Astrology and creativity guide 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    36 min
  3. Cuqui Magazine is Bringing Back Print for Gen Alpha Girls (with Paula James Martinez)

    May 27

    Cuqui Magazine is Bringing Back Print for Gen Alpha Girls (with Paula James Martinez)

    In this episode, you'll hear from Paula Goldstein, former fashion director at Refinery29 and founder of Cuqui Media, about why she's bringing print magazines back for Gen Alpha girls. Paula shares her journey from UK teen magazines to working at indie fashion mags in London and Paris, and why the collapse of print publishing taught her what we lost when everything moved online. We dig into why kids who've never known life before the internet are somehow more bored by it than we are, how nostalgia isn't a strategy but presence is, and why Paula turned down venture capital to bootstrap a magazine that prioritizes magic over metrics. If you've ever felt the sting of your kid calling you out for doomscrolling, this conversation will hit home. Topics Covered: How the shift from print to digital happened in real time in the fashion magazine world, and why editors dismissed Instagram as "bad photos on phones" before it changed everything overnightThe moment commerce overtook art in publishing (2008 financial crisis) and opened the floodgates for digital-first mediaWhy Gen Alpha kids are somehow more bored by the internet than Millennials and Gen X, they've "reached the end of the internet and there's nothing new under the sun"The difference between nostalgia (what we miss) and what kids are actually craving: magic, presence, and something tactile to holdPaula's philosophy: "Nostalgia isn't a strategy, Cuqui is," building something new instead of trying to recreate the pastWhy turning down venture capital was essential to building a magazine on her own terms, without growth-at-all-costs pressureThe painful moment when your kid calls you out for being on your phone when you should be present, and why it stings so muchHow doomscrolling has become a parental habit we model for our children, and what breaking that cycle looks likeThe magic of getting something in the mail that isn't a bill, why physical magazines create a reading experience digital media can't replicatePaula's challenge: go somewhere without your phone for two hours and see if the world collapses (spoiler: it won't)Resources Mentioned: Cuqui.club is currently accepting pre-orders for journals to support the launchMs. Magazine 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    32 min
  4. Third Spaces and Building Community Offline with Altagracia Montilla

    May 20

    Third Spaces and Building Community Offline with Altagracia Montilla

    In this episode, you'll hear from Altagracia Montilla, a visionary community architect, facilitator, and founder of the 7th Space Art Gallery and Wellness Center. Altagracia breaks down what third spaces actually are, and why they matter more than ever in our hyper-individualistic, screen-saturated culture. You'll explore the difference between a place and a space, why building community feels as scary as dating, and how to practice connection in small, low-stakes ways. From printing flyers in coffee shops to striking up conversations with strangers, Altagracia offers grounded, creative strategies for reclaiming in-person community and restoring your humanity, starting with yourself. Topics Covered:• What third spaces are and why they matter, Ray Oldenburg's definition and the key characteristics of true third spaces (free, come-and-go access, no social hierarchies)• Why our community-building skills were eroding long before 2020, and how American hyper-individualism makes it even harder• The difference between a "place" and a "space," and how intention transforms physical locations into sites of belonging• Why building community feels scary (hint: it's a lot like dating), including the risk of harm, rejection, and vulnerability• How to sustain third spaces financially without capitalist extraction, pay-what-you-can models, creative reciprocity, and trusting that generosity returns• Creating norms instead of rules, establishing a "spirit of culture" that invites people to relax, show up authentically, and share generously• Practical first steps for the community-rusty, striking up conversations with strangers, asking about someone's book, attending free library events, and printing flyers offline• Why restoring humanity starts with yourself, and the radical act of journaling to reconnect with your own humanity before seeking it in others Resources Mentioned:• 7th Space Art Gallery and Wellness Center• Freedom Readers Book Club Connect with Altagracia Montilla• Threads• Website 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    34 min
  5. Breaking Free from Always Being "On" with Jordan Maney

    May 13

    Breaking Free from Always Being "On" with Jordan Maney

    In this episode, you'll hear from Jordan Maney, the Radical Joy Coach, about how tech has fundamentally changed our relationship to rest and joy. Jordan helps people recovering from burnout use rest as a space to experiment with joyful living while transitioning into something kinder. You'll explore how social media shifted from an event to a constant presence, why scrolling puts your nervous system into survival mode instead of flow state, and what it means to reclaim your energy, attention, and time from platforms designed to keep you hooked. Jordan shares practical tools like social media office hours, the "look up" method for breaking scroll cycles, and her powerful definition of rest as an act of reclamation. This conversation is a permission slip to stop being constantly on. Topics Covered: How social media evolved from an event (something you logged into intentionally) to a constant, exhausting presence that has fundamentally changed our relationship to restWhy the fluctuation between cute dog videos and war footage on our feeds is traumatizing our nervous systems and keeping us in a perpetual state of survival modeThe myth of multitasking and how scrolling while doing other things actually prevents us from achieving flow states and genuine restSocial media office hours: what they are, how they help manage capacity, and why setting external expectations protects your internal boundariesThe "look up" method — a simple embodied practice to interrupt the scroll cycle by literally lifting your eyes, breathing, and asking yourself what you're actually getting from being onlineWhy rest isn't boring or uncomfortable: Jordan's definition of rest as the energy, attention, and time you return to yourself, and how that reclamation can be joyful and generativeThe attention economy and how platforms are systematically designed to rob us of our attention, making it crucial to bring intentionality to every interaction with techWhy Germans disappear for the entire month of August and what we can learn from cultures that don't treat constant availability as a moral virtueThe difference between using social media as an event (intentional, time-boxed) versus a default coping mechanism for boredom, mood shifts, or avoidanceConnect with Jordan Maney: RestLab Report on SubstackInstagramLinkedInYouTube: @theJordanManey 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    35 min
  6. Why I'm Quitting AI for a Year: Dr. Amelia Hruby

    May 13

    Why I'm Quitting AI for a Year: Dr. Amelia Hruby

    In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Amelia Hruby—author of Your Attention is Sacred, host of Off the Grid, and founder of Softer Sounds—about her decision to take a full year off from using generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. Amelia shares what prompted her "GPT sobriety," how it's reshaping her relationship with creativity and skill-building, and why the pressure to use AI is actually the result of a massive marketing campaign designed to make us feel left behind. You'll also hear her honest take on harm reduction, why choosing intentional friction matters, and how to resist the pull of tools that promise efficiency but deliver erosion. If you've been wondering whether you have to use AI to keep up—or if there's another way forward—this conversation is for you. Topics Covered: Why Amelia decided to take a full year off from generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and what "GPT sobriety" actually means in practiceThe parallel between leaving social media five years ago and stepping away from AI now—and why both decisions required confronting the fear of being "left behind"How the pressure to adopt AI is not organic but the result of billions of dollars in marketing campaigns from companies like OpenAI and AnthropicThe cognitive and creative costs of outsourcing tasks to AI, including skill erosion and the loss of the ability to think through problems independentlyWhy AI feels different from other productivity tools: it's designed to replace human thought, not assist itThe labor, environmental, and data privacy harms embedded in mainstream AI tools—and why those harms matter even if we're not directly seeing themWhat harm reduction looks like when you do choose to use AI: setting boundaries, choosing less harmful tools, and staying intentional about where and how you use itAlternatives to ChatGPT and other extractive AI platforms, including open-source and nonprofit-driven toolsHow stepping away from AI has made Amelia more creative, not less—and why reclaiming friction is an act of resistanceWhy intentionality matters more than perfection: you don't have to be "sober" to make better choices about your relationship with AIResources Mentioned: Your Attention is Sacred by Dr. Amelia HrubyMel Mitchell JacksonAmelia's list of ChatGPT and Gemini alternativesConnect with Amelia Hruby: AmeliaHruby.comOff the Grid: Leaving Social Media podcast🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    43 min
  7. Mikki Kendall: When Your Voice Becomes a Weapon (And That Changes Everything)

    May 13

    Mikki Kendall: When Your Voice Becomes a Weapon (And That Changes Everything)

    In this episode, you'll hear from Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism, about what happens when being online stops being casual and starts being work. Mikki shares how public visibility changed her relationship with social media—from casual check-ins with friends to weighing every word for potential backlash, death threats, and AI companies stealing her work. You'll hear about the real costs of parasocial relationships, why she had to stop playing a phone game she loved, and how her kids' lives changed when strangers started showing up at their school. This is a raw, urgent conversation about the collapse of privacy, the weaponization of AI, and why slowing down—and sometimes logging off—is an act of self-preservation. Topics Covered: How becoming a public figure transforms your relationship with social media—from personal expression to calculated risk assessmentThe hidden labor of managing parasocial relationships: when strangers think they know you well enough to comment on your food, your health, and your bodyWhy Mikki stopped playing the location-based game Ingress after a stranger tracked her to her child's school playgroundHow AI companies like Grammarly and Anthropic used Mikki's name and work without consent—and what it's like to sue over plagiarism by machineThe emotional and practical toll of death threats, online harassment, and having to renegotiate friendships around safety protocolsWhy Mikki believes we'll see the death of social media before we see it fixed—and what that means for how we engage nowThe dangerous mythology of "tech bros know best" and why AI is replicating—not solving—systemic racism and misogynyHow speculative fiction and Afrofuturism (Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin) help us see the futures we're building—and the ones we can still refuseWhy white women (and all people with privilege) need to stop trusting the right, the center, and even the left without accountabilityThe apocalypse has already happened—to Indigenous people, to survivors of the Transatlantic slave trade—and what that teaches us about collapse, resistance, and survivalResources Mentioned: Hood Feminism by Mikki KendallPositive Obsession by Susanna MorrisConnect with Mikki Kendall: WebsiteThreads🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    44 min
  8. Trailer: Why I Made a Podcast About Being Human

    Episode 1

    Trailer: Why I Made a Podcast About Being Human

    Welcome to Analogish, a weekly podcast for people who are tired of being optimized. Hosted by Becky Mollenkamp, this show explores what it means to stay human in a high-tech world that profits from your exhaustion.  In this trailer, Becky shares why she started the podcast. What broke inside her when generative AI arrived and demanded even more content, faster, forever. She introduces the kinds of conversations you'll hear: writers leaving social media, makers building with analog tools, activists treating rest as political resistance, and everyday people figuring out how to show up online without losing themselves.  This isn't about going off the grid. It's about asking better questions: What are we trading away when we move everything online? And how do we get it back? If you're burned out, skeptical of big tech, or just miss what it felt like to be bored and unsupervised, this show is for you.

    7 min

Trailer

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About

Analog-ish is a weekly interview podcast for people who are tired of being optimized. Hosted by feminist coach Becky Mollenkamp, who believes slowing down is a radical act, each episode features conversations with thinkers, makers, and everyday radicals who are finding their way back to something slower, more intentional, and more human. We're not here to tell you to smash your phone or go off the grid. We're here to ask better questions about the role technology plays in your life — and to explore practical low-tech ideas that give you more agency over the answer. From reclaiming rest to building real-life community, from protecting your attention to finding unmonetized joy, these conversations are honest, curious, and refreshingly free of hustle culture. If you're burned out from being constantly online and hungry for a different way forward, this show is for you.

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