I first heard of Bitcoin around the time it was first gaining steam, circa 2010ish. I guess due to certain circles where I spent my time and education, it was only natural that it would come up in conversation. While it remained mysterious, I was brave enough to invest a bit of my own USD into Bitcoin in the 2013 timeframe, and have kept up with it somewhat through the years.

What attracted me to the Bitcoin "craze" at that time was how people who's opinion I respect explained that it's not an investment opportunity - as most folks think of it today - but it actually mimics the most sound of forms of money in many ways.

Now with the recent revelations of the FTX scandal, Bitcoin is in the news more than ever. And while it's for all the wrong reasons, I wanted to bring on to the show someone who is informed on the right reasons to "invest" in Bitcoin. I use the quotes around the word invest because it's not a typical investment where you put a certain amount of government-issued currency then gain a return on it after a period of time. It's actually much more complex (or simple?) than that. Bitcoin is a means of exchange to pay for stuff that circumvents governments entirely.

Wesley Schlemmer of the Bitcoin Bay joins us on today's episode to explain the basics of Bitcoin, the Blockchain, the basics of sound money and more. While the fallout from the FTX misdeeds will be felt for some time, the upside is that Bitcoin is on people's minds, and we have an opportunity to learn about it, and learn how to do it the way the creators of Bitcoin intended it to be used in the first place!

In this episode, you'll discover:

-Wesley's personal background and becoming familiar with crypto...01:15

-Cypher Punks and a short history of Bitcoin (Hint: It's not an investment opportunity!)...03:45

-What is the Blockchain, and what is its relation to cryptocurrency?...14:15

-What is sound money, and what makes Bitcoin a sound form of exchange?...19:20

• Three primary characteristics

1. Medium of exchange
2. Store of value
3. Unit of account

• Qualities of sound money

1. Durable
2. Fuingle
3. Divisible
4. Portable
5. Scarce

-How Bitcoin promotes self-responsibility..27:00

-What the heck happened with FTX, and what can we learn from it?...31:00

-How to get into the Bitcoin game, and the proper reasons for doing so...37:38

Resources mentioned:

Bitcoin Bay website

Cypherpunk Manifesto

Info about blockchain wallets Wesley mentions

The Bitcoin Standard

Muun Bitcoin Wallets

Bisq

Terms mentioned:

Blockchain

Litecoin

Ethereum

Block Chimes

Cypher Punks

Panopticon

Difficulty of Adjustment

Privacy v. Secrecy

Hal Finney

Blocksize Wars

BTC Token v. Network

Unit of Account

SAT's (not a pre-college test)

Stock to Flow Ratio

Seed Phrase

What do you CRAVE? Sana and James have put a lot of thought into this, and the core values we wish to share with the world, be it in business, family, or otherwise. We boiled it down to these 5 elements we all...

James here:

"I recently joined an accountability/mastermind type group that's hosted within the "School of Life" which was founded by my friend and in many ways mentor, Tom Woods.

In the group where we have meetings I got acquainted with a fellow podcaster named Brian O'Leary. Brian took it upon himself to interview 100 members of Tom's School of Life, and so he reached out to me to see if I'd be game for an interview.

Of course I am, I replied, and so we set up a time and got it done. I thought I would share our conversation on this podcast feed as it gives you dear listeners a chance to get to know your humble host a little bit deeper, and also learn a bit about my own philosophy when it comes to podcasting, publishing, building a personal brand and more!"

In this episode with "guest" interviewer Brian O'Leary, you'll discover:

-Be serious, but don't take yourself too seriously...03:12

-James' journey to the Tom Woods camp...04:30

-Spontaneous sparks lighting the fires of freedom...07:00

-James' journey into the realm of digital publishing...09:15

-Why SEO is a waste of time...11:00

-How James got into podcasting in 2015...14:30

-James' experience leaving the military as a conscientious objector...16:00

-Describing the Ba Vojdaan podcast...19:45

-How podcasters make money with podcasting...21:30

-The future of the Ba Vojdaan podcast...26:30

-Opinions of others are the downfall of a personality-based brand...28:30

-Monetize your haters? or just let them have a bad day...32:15

-How James has made his living in the podcasting field...35:45

-YOU are the product...40:40

Resources mentioned:

The O'Leary Review

Ben Greenfield Life

General MacArthur's Farewell Address at West Point

Podcast Artistry™

Trumpet Dynamics

JNS Media

Ba Vojdaan Podcast

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we're sharing the story of Squanto, a Native American who with Providential intervention played a crucial role in the survival of the earliest Europeans settling in what is now known as the United States of America.

It's written by the great Eric Metaxas (a dream guest for our podcast, so stay tuned), and I'm sharing the link to his article if you want to bookmark it for future reference.

Here's Eric's article.

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit podcasting0-60.com!