In a revealing conversation on Jonathan Van Maren’s podcast released on February 19, 2025, author Erin Loechner shares her remarkable journey from being a top social media influencer to deliberately stepping away from digital culture entirely. The episode, aptly titled “This Influencer Deleted Everything & What She Found Instead,” offers listeners a rare glimpse into the often-unseen consequences of social media prominence and the unexpected rewards of digital detachment.

Loechner, once commanding an audience of millions across multiple platforms, candidly discusses how her online presence gradually consumed not just her professional life but her personal identity as well. She describes the subtle shift from using social media as a tool to feeling used by it—how metrics, engagement, and the constant pressure to perform authenticity paradoxically distanced her from genuine human connection. What began as creative expression eventually transformed into a carefully curated performance that left her feeling simultaneously exposed and unseen.

The conversation takes a particularly poignant turn as Loechner explains her decision to systematically withdraw from digital spaces, a process she details more extensively in her book “The Opt-Out Family.” She shares how removing the constant digital mediation of experience allowed her to rediscover direct engagement with her family, community, and self. For parents navigating the challenges of raising children in an increasingly digital world, Loechner’s perspective offers both validation and practical wisdom—suggesting that while technology offers unprecedented conveniences, the capacity for unmediated presence may be what our families need most.

Listen to the full interview on The Bridgehead podcast.