Off The Grid: Leaving Social Media đ Business Degrowth â Slowing Down & Noticing Patterns with Nic Antoinette
Feb 4, 2026
Nic Antoinette, writer and creative business owner behind long-form essays and the newsletter Now What?, shares why they took a grown-up gap year and how degrowth shapes their 2026 plans. They talk about stepping back from work, decoupling identity from career, funding a year off, caregiving and grief, right-sizing earnings, and choosing presence over hustle.
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A 16âYear Gap Year Dream Realized
- Nic first dreamed of a gap year at 24 after reading a travel blog and planning a South America trip.
- Family and safety concerns plus life changes delayed the gap year for 16 years until 2025.
Pause Confirmed An Already Changed Self
- Nic realized the identity shift from leaving social media and changing their work had already happened before the gap year.
- The year became time to decide what to do with that changed relationship to work.
Finance A Sabbatical From Savings
- Fund sabbaticals by reallocating future savings rather than expecting income to continue as usual.
- Be transparent about finances to help others imagine accessible versions of similar breaks.
