She was at the top of her game as an influencer when she realized that something was very wrong. Join me for a compelling conversation with Erin about why she decided to walk away from that career, and from social media altogether, to start a new life with her husband and kids as an Opt-Out Family.

[Listen]

Erin and Ginny explore deeper questions about technology's impact on family relationships, discussing the shift from an attention economy to an intimacy economy. They ponder the sacredness of privacy in a world where devices track our every move. Erin's insights and practical advice will inspire you to rethink how you engage with your family and create meaningful connections beyond the screen.

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In our highly-connected digital world, many voices have come along to warn of the dangers of overindulgence in technology. While many encourage boundaries and moderation, Erin argues that opting out completely is a better way. Have you felt the pull to change your family’s relationship with technology? Before you think, “I could never do that,” give this episode a listen! Erin gently challenges us to craft the kind of family culture where technology cannot compare to the joy of real life.

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This week on The Aro Podcast, Joey sits down with Erin Loechner, founder of the global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family. They discuss the Loechner family's motto, "be more engaging than the algorithm," and what it means to be an opt-out family—a household that intentionally minimizes technology use based on evidence of its developmental harms. She and Joey explore what we can provide our kids that technology can't, the impact of algorithms on our behavior, and the five critical areas where technology is most detrimental.

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Hear Erin Loechner discuss the challenges of social media, the power of the algorithm, and the importance of being more engaged in our real life. Erin shares her insights on how to make the shift to a low-tech lifestyle and shares examples of how her family lives a low-tech lifestyle.

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Greg sits down with Erin Loechner, the visionary founder of the Opt Out Family movement. Erin discusses her bold transition from the digital spotlight to living a tech-free lifestyle. This episode explores how her decision to step away from social media has enriched her personal life and strengthened her family bonds. Erin shares her journey, the challenges she faced, and the profound impact it has had on her and her family's quality of life.

[Listen: Part 1 and Part 2]

Listen as former social media influencer Erin Loechner offers valuable insights from her personal experience with the benefits and drawbacks of social media. She shares strategies used by tech experts and platform specialists, enabling you to leverage their billion-dollar playbook to engage your family meaningfully away from screens.

[Listen]

Erin Loechner is  a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle and is now teaching others how to do the same! Her book is written in a way that is part guide, part interactive and best of all it’s written in Erin’s friendly encouraging voice. In this episode we talk about how to talk to schools, coaches and other parents, set intention in your home and so much more.

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Many of us have a love-hate relationship with technology. It enables incredible things but also erodes family life and authentic connection. What can we do about it?In this episode, you will hear:

-How to move away from traditional methods like parental control apps and time limits and replace with alternative approaches

-Ways to hack the strategies of tech wizards and platform experts

-Encouragement that you are not alone and that “opting out”is possible

[Listen]

Join Erin Loechner for a refreshing and non-judgmental discussion that will equip you with the tools and encouragement to navigate technology in your family thoughtfully and intentionally.

You’ll learn:
-How to make informed choices about technology use in your family without falling into the trap of tech-bashing.
-Personal stories and mistakes weve made with tech in our own families.
-Practical ways to engage your family in activities that are more captivating than any algorithm.

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In this episode, Jami chats with Erin, author of the brand new The Opt-Out Family, all about technology use in the home and the concept of opting out.

[Listen]

Revamp your family's tech habits by learning from our guest about meaningful parenting in the digital age. Strengthen your family's bond with unique insights on outsmarting social media algorithms to reduce screen time and enhance togetherness. Embrace a tech-balanced home, create meaningful moments, and shape a bright, device-free future for your kids.

[Listen]

Making choices about what we bring into our homes or put in our children’s hands has been a long-standing issue I would like to examine. Today, Erin Loechner shares her journey and how we can become an opt-out family. Listen in for some much-needed inspiration.

[Listen]

A few years ago, Erin Loechner and her family decided to remove social media and opt out of a technologically driven lifestyle. This means having a smartphone that is no more used than a dumb phone, an iPad that can only play scales, and saying no to the digital community in favour of building community amongst your neighbours.

Join Jennifer and Erin as they dig into what it looks like to walk away from social media, the unexpected benefits, what you might miss, and all you gain.

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In this episode, Colleen hosts founder Erin Loechner to discuss 1) The pervasive belief that kids need technology, suggesting families can thrive without it. 2) Erin's family motto is "be more engaging than the algorithm," focusing on meaningful offline activities. 3) The negative impacts of technology on children’s mental health are highlighted with compelling statistics. 4) Erin shares practical strategies for families to reduce screen time. 5) She emphasizes the importance of parents modeling low-tech behavior and fostering real-life connections to help kids develop critical thinking and a love for discovery. Additionally, Erin discusses the challenges and strategies for managing technology in schools, advocating for alternatives to digital assignments and promoting device-free environments to enhance students' focus and well-being.

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We all see how influencers seem to have the perfect life, and we all compare ourselves and want what they have thinking they have it so good. Well, for today’s expert special, I brought on former influencer who is going to give us the low down on what social media is doing and why we don’t need to lust after it. Meet founder of global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family, Erin Loechner; a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle—and is now teaching others how to do the same.

[Listen]

In this episode, Erin Loechner shares with us about her brand-new book, The Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can’t - full of compelling research and helpful, practical ideas for helping your family opt out of tech.  

What makes Erin’s book even more compelling is that she is actually living that life with her family. Four years ago Erin left her successful career as a social media influencer, shut down her social media accounts and opted out.

[Listen]

Our guest, Erin Loechner, discusses how we can reverse engineer some of the ways that social media and technology hold our undivided attention and how she personally applied these principles to her own life and to the lives of her children, resulting in more connectivity with each other and the world around them. 

[Listen]

We’re all trying to impose limits on how, when, and why our kids interact with technology. But in our increasingly tech-driven world, it can be hard to navigate. Writer Erin Loechner is joining me on the podcast to discuss her new book, The Opt-Out Family, and to offer her life-giving take on building lasting connections with your kids. We discuss everything from the importance of boredom to Erin’s practical and easy-to-implement advice for becoming unplugged.

[Listen]

"The Opt-Out Family (Zondervan 2024) covers the same ground as The Anxious Generation and other recent books when it comes to the addictive qualities of social media. But author Erin Loechner’s main point is to answer the question “Yes, but how?”

Loechner uses her knowledge of online manipulations, particularly through algorithms, to reverse-engineer their insidious appeal. Throughout the book, she contrasts “Tech’s Playbook” to “Our Playbook” (e.g., replacing Mark Zuckerberg’s “Move Fast and Break Things” with “Move Slow and Mend Things”). Tech’s proven strategies for online engagement can be turned around to create an intimate, real-time, social-media platform called home. “If Silicon Valley has shown us the way in,” she writes, “it also shows us the way out.”

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“Once upon a time, my livelihood relied on maintaining a social media presence. I taught digital workshops in a boutique studio in Singapore, modeled a slow fashion campaign in the Taj Mahal, and twirled pasta with Maria Shriver and Hoda on The Today Show. But with every post uploaded, captioned, and shared, a niggling feeling would creep into my consciousness: Is this healthy for us? Is social media good for our souls?”

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Stay tuned!

“I was curious to learn why a highly successful influencer would “cancel” herself and decide to step away from the online world, and more importantly, how she chose to live life differently with her family…”

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"Social media influencer Erin Loechner walked away from a million fans – literally — to live a low-tech lifestyle. Chasing Slow, her first book, was a bestseller. Now she’s inspiring others, including kids, to reconnect with the real world through her new book. This Q & A has been edited for length and clarity."

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Coming soon!