on leaving instagram behind…

It’s been nearly three months since I deleted Instagram from my phone, right before Christmas, deciding that I would just ‘take a few days off to be present with friends and fam.’

UPDATE: Based on a reader question, I’ve recorded a follow up podcast episode here:

The Strategy & Mindset I'm Using to Transition from Instagram to Substack

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It’s been nearly three months since I deleted Instagram from my phone, right before Christmas, deciding that I would just ‘take a few days off to be present with friends and fam.’

A few days turned into a couple of weeks.

While simultaneously starting to ‘date’ Substack, my head got turned, my attention caught, and I started cheating on the platform that had helped me grow my business from a fledgling little baby to a company that produced multiple millions over several years.

I’ve been through all the emotions around this. Trust me, I know how weird that sounds — “it’s just a social media platform Carly, how can you be feeling all sorts of ways about it?”

But it’s true. There was surprise at how much it had been taking from my life without me noticing. The naughty delight of realising I might just... not go back. And guilt, because I don’t want to abandon people who’ve followed me and been part of that community for years.

But most of all, relief.

Because now, I walk my dogs and don’t feel the need to whip out my phone and record something for you. I make choices to have experiences I never have to share — I don’t have to make a lesson out of it, or use it to bolster the lifestyle appeal of my brand.

I always thought I had a pretty clean relationship with IG. Meaning, I was always more of a creator than I was ever a consumer. I’ve never had TT. Always the last to get to trends. Bored by the explore feed. Never scrolled the reels tab.

This might explain why I never really ‘mastered’ it. Sure, I made it work for me, but it never felt like a space I wanted to truly inhabit.

So, nearly three months on, the question has weighed heavy: am I going back?

At this point, I still don’t know, and I’m letting that be okay. I’ve toyed with different ideas — maybe it just becomes my life diary, maybe I archive everything and maintain a static grid, maybe I show up on stories when I feel like it. Some combination of these, or maybe I delete the account altogether.

But the real question is whether my business can survive and thrive without it.

I’ve been incredibly grateful for my email list during this time. Years of building that asset, and the relationships with clients, peers, and mentors, have meant I could transition a portion of my audience without starting from scratch. Worth mentioning, because none of this would feel as easy without it.

What’s worth mentioning… is that my business is growing. Last month we recorded something like 76% growth on the previous month. Faster than it has in the last year. And I can trace it back to a few things, but when it comes to where I hang out online — I actually want to be here.

I want to write for this community. I want to show up, network, connect, just chat.

On Instagram, I’d been slowly fitting myself into a smaller and smaller box to please an algorithm — and in that process, I’d lost the thread of what I actually wanted to say. I’d forgotten what it felt like to create from genuine desire rather than force. What I’ve always known is that desire-led presence produces different results than obligation-led presence, and that’s now really showing up in my results — new relationships, sparking old ones, people asking how they can work with me, and natural list growth.

Now that my Substack is set up and working, I’m genuinely excited to keep creating here. I love connecting in the comments and messages — if you’re reading this and want to reach out, send me your favourite piece you’ve written on here. Or post it in the comments. I’d love to get to know you in your words.

I’ll keep you posted on Instagram. But I think it’s safe to say I’m not looking back.

All my love, Carly xx

P.S. The private podcast is launching this week to my paid subs. You can join us for $12 a month and see all the behind the scenes of these decisions, running my business ‘fulfillment first’ etc. I want this space to be even better than a course you might pay hundreds for.