When Everything Screams $$$: Choosing Presence Over Profit

The Search for Quiet Digital Spaces

I recently went searching for kindred writing communities online—quiet digital spaces for intentional blogging where presence mattered more than performance. What I found instead was noise. Monetised blogs, paid newsletters, affiliate funnels. Even the quiet corners seemed to echo with $$$.

It’s not just online. The world feels louder now. Everything is branded, optimised, sold. Even simplicity has become a product—packaged, promoted and priced.

But that’s not why I began this journey.

When Simplicity Became a Lifeline

Ten years ago, I stepped into simple living not as a trend, but as a lifeline. Towards the end of 2015 was when I first began to feel it, in the noise, the pressure, the performative swirl of social media. What once felt like connection began to feel like commodification. Every post, every comment, every “community” seemed to echo with $$$. That, combined with the rise of cyberbullying and an incident that sent me hurtling downward, was like a mini wake-up call. 

And I listened. I didn’t need a subscription—I needed space. I didn’t need a strategy—I needed stillness. And because I value my mental health—I opted out.

So I quietly stepped away. Not long after, in January 2016, I began researching “how to live a simple life” and “simple living” as a way to reclaim my voice, my rhythm, my agency — my sanity, my health and my life. That was the beginning. And so I began to clear. To soften. To choose less, not to impress, but to breathe.

Then came the massive wake-up call.

The Wake-Up Call: Less Noise, More Presence

Grief. Loss. Relational trauma. The kind that shakes your foundations and asks you to begin again. In those moments, simplicity wasn’t just appealing—it was essential (even if it did often seem to go out the window—but I'm slowly getting back on the horse again). I didn’t need more—I needed less—much less. Less noise. Less pressure. Less performance.

And so I chose presence.

Choosing Less: A Simple Living Blog

Now, as I shape my simple living blog, Gentle Self, I’m reminded daily of that choice: this space is not for sale. It’s not monetised. It’s not optimised beyond the basics. It’s not chasing clicks or conversions. It’s a sanctuary—for slow living reflections, for renewal, for quiet companionship and self-care through writing. 

I write, not just because it's good therapy, but because it helps me listen. I share because it helps me connect. And I publish because it helps me mark the thresholds I’ve crossed.

I’m deeply inspired by voices like Courtney Carver, who I refer to as my “simplicity mentor”, who I’ve been following for the past 10 years since January 2016; Lara Casey, who taught me how to cultivate what matters in my life by growing slowly with imperfect progress and Joshua Becker—writers who companion rather than perform, who offer rather than sell. Their presence affirmed my own.

A Quieter Way

So if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the noise or disheartened by the pressure to monetise your voice, know this: there’s another way. A quieter way. A way that honours your story without selling it.

This blog is my way.

And it’s enough.

And so are you. 🩷

Go gently,

Denise Marron

Simplicity Advocate and 

Author at Gentle Self.

🌿 10 Years of Simple Living
🤔 Learn More About Denise

Living simply, writing gently,
companioning with care. 🌸