Episode 50: Ed Giron - Wrestling, MMA, Traditional Finance, and Bitcoin

Stimmy was motivated to join the U.S. Army after the horrors of 9/11. He initially enlisted into the National Guard, and then commissioned into the U.S. Army through ROTC. Starting his career as an Armor Officer and then shifting to Intelligence, Stimmy had some great experiences in the Army. However, he also had some of his darkest days which led to him deciding to get out and find a new career in the civilian world. After a rocky transition to the civilian sector, Bitcoin helped Stimmy find his stride and get on a new mission.

Stimmy has an excellent post on habla titled "Bitcoin for the Veteran's Soul." I think it will resonate with many veterans and hopefully motivate them to start learning about #bitcoin.

Bitcoin for the Veteran's Soul: https://habla.news/u/stimmy@nostrplebs.com/1699717827783

Stimmy on NOSTR: npub190lvsknrky3d5pr727cchm4k0rvqpx078kgj840wzh4h8tuny9cswh7jmv

Stimmy on Twitter: @basixhodl (https://twitter.com/basixhodl)

00:00 – Intro

01:20 – Stimmy’s backstory from growing up on a farm to joining the Army

08:30 – Deploying to Afghanistan

12:30 – Losing trust in Leadership and where the Army can improve

19:35 – What Stimmy is thankful for from his time in the Army

21:45 – Transitioning out of the Army and into the civilian sector

25:40 – Mental health and asking for help

28:00 – Decision to pursue an MBA and learning about Bitcoin

33:20 – Bitcoin learning resources

35:30 – Bitcoin FUD

40:50 – Why does Bitcoin attract Veterans?

50:50 - Outro

Recommended Content:

Operation Bitcoin (HT Gabe Lord): https://operationbitcoin.io/

Bitcoin Content by Fellow Army Veteran Preston Pysh: https://www.youtube.com/@PrestonPysh/videos

Why The Yuppie Elite Dismiss Bitcoin (By Jesse Myers): https://www.onceinaspecies.com/p/why-the-yuppie-elite-dismiss-bitcoin

Recommended Products:

Hodlers Official Bitcoin Baseball Jerseys - Use the promo code "MIKE" at checkout to get 10% off your order at HodlersOfficial.com

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Ed Giron went from being the Captain of his wrestling team at Springfield College to trying to make a living in MMA and blue collar work. Not being satisfied with the daily grind and feeling like there was no room for growth, Ed started learning about financial management in his free time. He earned the necessary certifications and started working at a business that sold financial products like mutual funds. The more he learned about traditional finance, the more he realized he couldn't recommend what he was selling. Most investors were better off just parking their money in the S&P 500. Once he realized this, he left that job but did not stop learning about money. He went down the precious metals rabbit hole and realized how corrupt the fiat system is. Eventually he found Bitcoin and hasn't turned back.

Ed on Twitter: @Ed_WardLTD (https://twitter.com/Ed_WardLTD)

00:00 – Intro

00:55 – Value of wrestling

12:00 – Finding People with Common Goals and Values

16:50 – Tearing his knee prior to the College National Qualifier

24:30 – Figuring out, “What’s next?”

30:00 – Transition to Financial Services

38:10 – Introduction to Bitcoin

41:50 – Determining that Bitcoin is Better Money

45:00 – Bitcoin, not crypto

51:20 – Bitcoin custody solutions

56:00 – Corrupt Fiat System

01:05:10 - Outro

Recommended Products:

Hodlers Official Bitcoin Baseball Jerseys - Use the promo code "MIKE" at checkout to get 10% off your order at HodlersOfficial.com

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Corey Secord is today’s guest. A graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, Corey discovered Bitcoin in 2017 and immediately wanted to study it. He quickly realized he had to unlearn much of his university knowledge while simultaneously learning all about Bitcoin. Corey always had a love for sports and enjoyed wearing sports memorabilia as clothing, especially Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys, so during this Bitcoin education process, he naturally began looking for a Team Bitcoin jersey. He could not find one so decided to make one himself! During the podcast he tells how these events led him to starting and running his business, Hodlers Official, which is a Team Bitcoin merchandise company. Enjoy the podcast.

Website: https://hodlersofficial.com

Twitter: @HodlersO (https://twitter.com/HodlersO)

Michael Saylor Bitcoin Prague Keynote: https://youtu.be/8Mhu6dxj7qk?si=5vJGtr5UOkoIwB0D

00:00 – Intro

01:37 – Corey’s Bitcoin beginnings

05:25 – Bitcoin resources he used, especially Michael Saylor

06:30 – Companies/businesses moving to a Bitcoin standard

09:15 – Unlearning much of his General Commerce degree

13:15 – Talking to friends about Bitcoin

17:00 – Entrepreneurial perspective

21:10 – Learning via YouTube and podcasts

26:10 – Marketing his business

30:35 – Hodlers Official origin story

33:30 – Serendipitous Dylan LeClair meeting

38:45 – Various conferences attended

41:30 – Custom jerseys for the Swan Team

45:00 – Perspective on documenting business vs. life on social media

48:00 – Definition of success for himself and the business

55:45 – Advantages of working in Bitcoin

58:23 – Outro

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Jon Gordon is today’s guest. As a kid growing up in the Chicago area, Jon had a love of math and science. Later in life, he used those interests to attain a double master’s in health economics and policy from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics. He heard of Bitcoin early in high school and was drawn to it because of the math behind it with its numbers and set rules, but never really got into it until 2020 after getting married and traveling the world. Since then, he has amazingly learned what seems like a decade’s worth of knowledge in a few short years. His blog, The Bitcoin Yogi, is focused on the parallels between Bitcoin and Yoga.

Twitter: @thebitcoinyogi (https://twitter.com/thebitcoinyogi)

The Bitcoin Yogi: https://the-bitcoin-yogi.ghost.io/

Virtual Yoga, Meditation and Breathwork Series: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crowdhealth-wellness-workshops-yoga-meditation-and-breathwork-series-tickets-710324980137?aff=oddtdtcreator

Book Recommendations:

• Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment-ebook/dp/B002361MLA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697245290&sr=8-1
• - Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda: https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Self-Realization-Fellowship-Paramahansa-Yogananda-ebook/dp/B00JW44IAI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697245349&sr=8-1

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Jon’s story from math, science, pre-med, economics, to Bitcoin

04:30 – Getting married and thinking about finances together

05:50 – Going to El Salvador

06:44 – Bali and Yoga

09:00 – Perspective on terrorism in the Middle East

13:11 – Antisemitism at Northwestern

14:15 – Wanting to bring Bitcoin into healthcare

17:00 – Healthcare issues and challenges

20:50 – CrowdHealth

23:00 – Regulation in healthcare

28:25 – Providers accepting Bitcoin

31:40 – Jon has learned a lot quickly by traveling all over the world

38:22 – Yoga and his ability to focus

40:50 – The importance of staying in the present

45:35 – The Bitcoin Yogi blog

51:33 – Yoga is for everybody…no barrier to entry

53:30 – Decentralization

57:00 – Time preference

01:03:29 – Outro

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

• Mike will read the top 4 “boosts” on the next episode

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

This episode welcomes Dr. Jeff Pacheco, a critical-thinking physician who found Bitcoin later in life after realizing it is a technological revolution. Since his Bitcoin discovery, Jeff has aggressively studied Bitcoin with the same fervor he remembers using in medical school. Discussing Bitcoin with Jeff during this podcast was thoroughly enjoyable. Our discussion is representative of the thousands of conversations Bitcoiners have with other freedom-loving individuals all over the world as we all prepare for the ultimate transition to the hardest money ever discovered.

Follow Jeff on Twitter/X: @Jeffpacheco (https://twitter.com/Jeffpacheco)

00:00 – Intro

00:51 – Boosts reads

01:16 – How Mike and Jeff met in Miami

03:10 – Jeff’s back story finding Bitcoin through close friends and an investment club

04:10 – Realizing we were in a technological revolution

07:00 – Jeff and Mike’s Ayn Rand appreciation connection

09:00 – Altcoin to Bitcoin only transition

10:30 – Learning about money

11:55 – Jeff’s techniques for discussing Bitcoin with colleagues and friends

14:03 – “What is Money?” is the fundamental question

15:15 – Other Bitcoin personas Jeff follows

16:25 – “Meeting people where they’re at.”

17:15 – Protecting property rights

19:00 – Aggressively learning about Bitcoin is similar to how he aggressively learned medicine

21:22 – Wanting to discuss, and enjoying discussing, Bitcoin with others

24:50 – Love or Money?

27:38 – Bitcoin as energy

29:00 – Money is a “tool to transport value over space and time.”

30:45 – Inflation discussion …“What’s the temperature in America?”

33:30 – Perspectives on how fast and how the transition to Bitcoin will occur

38:20 – Bitcoin’s preparedness for mainstream use

42:10 – Everything is built on IOUs

43:48 – National debt

46:20 – The world is a credit-based economy

51:40 – Durational loans

54:38 – Outro

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

-       Mike will read the top three “boosts” on the next episode

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Erik and Mike recap their previous month of marathon training. Topics covered:

• Nutrition
• Building a high mileage base
• Recovery
• Hydration

This episode is a discussion with S2 about his company, RoninDojo, which is focused on bitcoin, privacy, and sovereignty. RoninDojo is a builder of hardware and software that makes it easy for anyone to use bitcoin privately as if it were cash. S2’s goal is financial sovereignty, and the team at RoninDojo will not slow down until it is achieved.

S2’s Links -

Website: ronindojo.io

Telegram: @ronindojonode

X: @ronindojonode

00:00 – Intro

01:15 – Privacy-focused nodes

02:22 – Node explanation

04:05 – S2’s Bitcoin attraction story

07:20 – Bitcoin’s strength through the blocksize wars

08:40 – How consensus works

10:20 – Difference between nodes and miners

12:15 – Mempool explanation

14:25 – Node connectivity requirements

15:00 – Backup power for nodes

16:15 – RoninDojo support for node setup

17:30 – Privacy, KYC, and CoinJoin discussion/motivation

21:37 – Privacy and government inserting itself into an individual’s charitable donation decisions

22:55 – Physical security of Bitcoin balance

24:00 – CoinJoin explanation

28:38 – RoninDojo founding story

30:30 – Bringing on the right people

33:50 – Final thoughts on why to become your own personal bank and run a node

35:40 - Outro

Listen on Fountain.fm – The podcast app that pays.

-       Mike will read any “boosts” on the next episode.

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Analys Falchuk helps businesses around the world start accepting bitcoin with IBEX. Analys saw firsthand what centralized monetary policy and lack of economic freedom looked like growing up in Venezuela. If you run a business, IBEX can help you become more financially independent by figuring out how best to accept Bitcoin. 

Health and nutrition is also very important to Analys. She spent time living on a Texas ranch learning about regenerative agriculture and the best ways to find high quality foods.

Follow/Connect with Analys -

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/analysfalchuk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnalysFalchuk

NOSTR: npub19h69je8uqgaupwge05uznt6t0vafvp82y26gjx58zaefk0vk2pzqu428m5

IBEX Website: https://www.poweredbyibex.io/

00:00 - Intro

02:00 - Learning about Bitcoin in Venezuela

05:00 - Socialism in Venezuela

10:10 - Moving to the USA to study and working for IBEX after graduation

16:30 - Value of IBEX and why businesses should accept bitcoin

25:30 - Creative ways to use the Lightning Network

34:10 - Health and Nutrition

40:30 - Living at a ranch in Lubbock, TX

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Julian is the co-founder and CEO of Apollo. Apollo is a platform that helps people discover and choose Bitcoin products based on real reviews from Bitcoiners and side-by-side comparisons. Apollo is also built on the Lightning Network, enabling people to earn Bitcoin for reviewing products and helping to educate the community. Check out heyapollo.com to learn the latest about exchanges, wallets, custody services and more. Nothing on this podcast is financial advice. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Apollo Website: https://heyapollo.com/

Apollo Twitter (@apollosats): https://twitter.com/apollosats

Julian's Twitter (@julian__fahrer): https://twitter.com/julian__fahrer

Co-Founder Thomas's Twitter (@thomas_fahrer): https://twitter.com/thomas_fahrer

Referenced & Recommended Resources:

• Robert Breedlove’s “What is Money?” Ep. 1 w/ Michael Saylor: https://youtu.be/4rvTppy1qLI?si=WzQod_SP7wlxiVj8
• Lyn Alden: https://www.lynalden.com/
• The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous: https://a.co/d/e7dXXE7

00:00 - Intro

01:40 - Growing up in Australia & studying economics and law

16:30 - Why he chose to stop practicing law, leave Australia, and start fresh in the USA

27:00 - How his startup got acquired by Sequoia Capital

30:00 - Learning about Bitcoin and why he decided to dedicate his career to it

35:45 - Assisting Bitcoin adoption through Apollo

42:40 - How the Apollo review process works

48:15 - AI is an extinction level event for trust on the internet

52:15 - How to define success?

The Mike White Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themikewhitepod

Erik and Mike discuss how the month of August went for their marathon training. Some main topics include:

• Time management
• Nutrition and electrolytes
• Journaling