The End of An Era.

Why—after publishing prolifically for the past five years—I've left LinkedIn.

Today, I made the decision to leave LinkedIn.

I did not make this decision lightly.
I did not make this decision quickly.
I did not make this decision easily.

Why would I walk away from a place where I have authentically and organically grown my loyal, engaged following to more than 83,000?

The answer is simple: this isn’t working for me anymore.

When I started writing prolifically on that platform, five years ago, I was in the process of finding myself, my voice and my strength.

I tiptoed nervously towards the deep end that called me
I danced trepidatiously around the topics that ignited me
I expanded incrementally out of the cocoon that surrounded me

And then I full-body plunged; I rose from the ashes; I broke out.

Over these past five years …

… I’ve written thousands of posts
… I’ve had countless go viral (100K-999K views)
… I’ve had dozens go super viral (1M+ views)
… I’ve been named a top LinkedIn influencer, a most powerful woman on LI and a Top 10 DEI voice
… I’ve penned one of the 100 most influential posts of the decade

Hell, a post I wrote on LinkedIn that led to my friendship with Jamie Lee Curtis, my Hype Women Movement, podcast and book (breaking out of her cocoon on Oct 14, 2025.)

I built so much of my business, my brand, my identity there.

I’ve grown there. And now, I’ve outgrown it.

The people who write and create and show up vulnerably on LinkedIn—who are not afraid to speak truth power—YOU are the reason that that platform is great.

But the proverbial Oz—puppeteering who gets to say what, when and where, conspiring cowardly from behind the comfort of the curtain—is ruining what was once a user-driven space, powered by the people.

I will not stop saying “women” to win over the algorithm.

So as of today, LinkedIn is no longer my primary contact publishing platform.

I will keep my profile.
I will stay connected to so many of you that are still there.
I will read and share from time to time.

But my content will now live here, on my Substack.

My ego, my masculine energy, everything that told me that my brand and business would live and die in those LinkedIn streets—that it was the exclusive club that I always wanted to be in and never wanted to leave—has died.

I am not that same woman anymore.
I do not have those same beliefs.

In my first few days re-launching my Substack, all of my 2.8K subscribers here have had access to—and viewed—my content. This is the same number of people, on average who see my posts on LinkedIn (which is only 3.33% of my followers). The math over there ain’t mathing.

Far too long, I’ve been afraid to walk away from the platform that “made me.”

But last week, as I made a decision to cancel my LinkedIn Premium subscription, it all became so clear.

Nothing outside of you is ever the reason that you become who you are; achieve what you have; impact who you touch.

It always has been—and it always will be—inside of you.

And I’m taking it with me when I go.

Some people have said:

1. “You’re making a huge mistake, losing everything you’ve built there.”

2. “Why are paid subscriptions required to see all of your posts on Substack?”

3. “You’re letting “the man” win by leaving a place you deserve to stay.”

4. “You’re opting out of a fight the world needs you fighting.”

5. “The timing of leaving LinkedIn while launching your book is social suicide.”

And here are my responses:

1. “You’re making a huge mistake, losing everything you’ve built there.”

   1. I am everything I’ve built. And I go with me wherever I go.
      

2. “Why are paid subscriptions required to see all posts on Substack?”

   1. Because I believe in the Hype Women Economy—where karma is our currency. We transfer human, social, political and financial capital to one another. We make deposits with—and withdrawals from—people we respect, learn from, engage with, are inspired by.
      
      I’ve shared my human, social and political capital with millions of people on LinkedIn for years … for free. So, now, I’m calling in my karmic debts. And I invite you to invest in me what I will continue to return to you, in spades.
      

3. “You’re letting ‘the man’ win by leaving a place you deserve to stay.”

   1. That’s what the system wants us to think. That staying in a place that doesn’t want you—and makes you sick—is “sticking it” to them. But it’s not true. When you stay in places that you’ve outgrown, not only do you not move forward, you regress.
      

4. “You’re opting out of a fight the world needs you fighting.”

   1. Who says I’m not fighting the good fight in a new and different way?
      

5. “The timing of leaving LinkedIn while launching your book is social suicide.”

   1. I’ve never been good at following rules. And I’m not changing any time soon.

Thanks for the ride, LinkedIn. It’s been real.

To my Substack family, this is about to be an incredible journey. Together.

xoxo,

Erin

#hypewomen