Here are the show notes for Episode #14 of Young House Love Has A Podcast. This episode is an audio recording of the closing talk we delivered at the 2016 Haven Conference in Atlanta, GA. In this special installment we reflect on what we learned after taking nearly twelve months away from regular blogging. The conversation highlights five key lessons that are now clear to us in hindsight and dives into why we stopped posting, what we would have done differently, and the fresh challenges creators face in an increasingly hyper‑connected online world.
You can find the episode on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or TuneIn Radio. We also included a set of slides on this page that visually reinforce a few of the main points we mentioned during the talk.
Haven Conference
Photo credit: House of Hargrove / episode thumbnail courtesy of Southern Hospitality Blog
About This Episode
During our closing talk at Haven 2016 we aimed to be candid and practical. We describe the reasoning behind our decision to step back from daily blogging for almost a year, and we walk listeners through the emotional and logistical complexities of that break. Rather than a how‑to list, these segments are framed as lessons learned: things we realized only after time had passed, mistakes we’d avoid next time, and adjustments that helped us return more thoughtfully to creative work and family life.
The five lessons we discuss are practical and broadly applicable to anyone who creates content, manages a small business, or juggles an online presence with a busy family life. We talk about boundaries, burnout, the pressure of constant content expectations, and the importance of intentional offline time. We also address how public platforms and social networks can distort the perception of success and why it’s worth stepping back periodically to reassess priorities.
Slides With Visuals
We included slides on this page to reinforce some key ideas from the presentation. They feature concise visual summaries, emoji‑based storytelling for quick takeaways, and simple Venn diagrams that compare life online versus life offline—both when they are separated and when they overlap. These visuals are meant to be quick references to the concepts we outline in the audio.
Why This Conversation Matters
The themes we cover in this episode resonate beyond our own blog or podcast. Many creators and small business owners experience similar crossroads: the desire to grow an audience, the reality of limited time and energy, and the need to protect personal life and mental health. We aim to provide context rather than prescriptive rules—sharing what worked for us, what didn’t, and how viewers and listeners might apply similar thinking to their own situation.
Listeners can expect a mix of personal anecdotes, practical advice, and candid reflections. We emphasize simple strategies for managing expectations, rebuilding creative momentum after a break, and staying connected to the reasons you started sharing your work in the first place. Above all, the episode encourages deliberate choices about how to balance an online presence with real life.
Additional Resources
Psst—looking for a past episode but don’t remember which show notes to open? Here’s a master list of everything we’ve covered from previous episodes.
If you enjoyed this episode and the slides, consider subscribing to the podcast on your preferred platform (links above) so you don’t miss future shows. We appreciate the chance to share what we learned and hope these reflections help others navigate their own creative breaks and comebacks.