Hodling does not imply that one should refrain from using bitcoin as a means of payment. Instead, it means not to sell it in order to have more fiat aka realizing some gains. If you do not use the lightning network for payments, you miss out on benefits such as lower fees, reduced surveillance, and uncensorable transactions. It is really unfortunate that, even in 2025, some keynote speakers still claim that Bitcoin payments are unimportant.