Outside The System

In this episode, I spoke with entrepreneur and writer Michael Ruiz. Michael has been a long-time Bitcoin proponent who raised concerns years ago about the lack of a Bitcoin circular economy and capture by large financial interests. When El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender, Michael decided to visit and is now moving to the country while building multiple businesses. He shared this journey in detail during the episode.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a reivew, and send a boost on Fountain! Timestamps: (1:31) Michael's experience with El Salvador and what's happening on the ground (4:23) El Salvador is attracting sovereign individuals (7:29) How Michael's father moved to the US from Honduras for the American Dream and El Salvador is now trying to revive the American Dream (9:00) Will other countries try to emulate the El Salvador model?  (14:31) Safety in El Salvador and Bukele's miraculous turnaround on crime (18:45) Bitcoin adoption is not the BIG story in El Salvador yet - the crime turnaround is (22:00) Why Bitcoin is being used less by regular people in El Salvador than you might expect (27:45) Why it's psychologically hard to spend Bitcoin (41:00) What type of Lightning wallets are people using to transact in El Salvador (42:50) Bitcoin education in schools to create bottom up adoption (48:00) Michael's businesses and how he's building in El Salvador (54:00) Why Neil is interested in El Salvador (1:00:30) How the visa situation works in El Salvador Links and Resources Bitcoin mining in Africa El Salvador is the new Venice Bitcoin is the new Venice Allen Farrington "Is Your Government Secretly Mining Bitcoin" - Adventure Capitalist podcast Tucker Carlson interview with Nayib Bukele Layered Money by Nik Bhatia Outside The System episode with Nik Bhatia Nakamoto Express

In this episode, I spoke with my good friend (and podcast co-host at Made You Think!) Nat Eliason. His book Crypto Confidential is about his journey into the world of crypto and is one of the best narrative non-fiction books I've ever read. We discussed Nat's crypto experience, his journey as a writer, fiction vs non-fiction, health, and of course went on many tangents.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain!  Timestamps (2:18) What motivated Nat to tell his crypto journey story in a raw way?  (7:30) What Harry Potter spells teach us about how to learn (9:05) The difference between an outsider writing a crypto book vs an insider (13:30) Overview of Nat's experiences that led to writing Crypto Confidential (17:15) What made Nat stop playing in the crypto casino (20:45) How luxury goods have held their value more than most crypto projects (23:07) Why Crypto Confidential is not a warning to avoid getting caught up in manias but rather that you need to be careful if you do. The importance of going all-in.  (24:30) Why buying at the right time isn't the hard part. Selling at the right time is the hard thing. (32:00) Hacking smart contracts and common mistakes. How Nat lost $30,000 while eating dinner (43:45) Recapping the NFT hype cycle and the future of NFTs (49:25) The pain of unclear tax rules in crypto (1:02:03) Science illiteracy in the health influencer space (1:08:00) The sleeplessness of crypto vs sleeplessness of having a newborn  (1:11:50) Studying fiction storytelling techniques to improve non-fiction writing (1:23:00) The advantage of working with a traditional publisher Links and Resources Order Crypto Confidential on Amazon Nat's blog Nat's Twitter Made You Think podcast Harry Potter and the Secret to Learning blog post The Smartest Guys In The Room (about the Enron scandal)  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson Bitcoin's past infinite printing hacks

In this episode, I spoke with Kris Newby, the author of Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons. You may be skeptical about the premise of this book but I promise there is a lot more here than a baseless conspiracy theory. Kris has top tier technical credentials and spent a large chunk of her career at Stanford. Much of her book is based on primary research, which involved Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and interviews with individuals directly involved in the biological weapons program. Most importantly, her work shows that the tragedy of Lyme disease in our medical system isn't some movie-like conspiracy but instead, mostly made up of good people operating under bad incentives. I've linked to a lot of material in the show notes so check those out if you're inclined to dig deeper. If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain!  Timestamps (2:25) How Kris and her family were personally affected by Lyme Disease (8:30) Overview of Lyme Disease (10:30) Willy Burgdorfer and his connection with Lyme Disease  (17:26) How the US bug-borne weapons program came about and what they worked on (25:00) The misaligned incentives in government funding that create opportunity for self-inflicted harmful experiments (32:00) The strange circumstances surrounding "The Swiss Agent" (36:58) How a change in patent law complicated the treatment of Lyme Disease (39:05) Lyme Disease as the prequel to COVID-19 (41:05) Science, especially in Lyme Disease, is a small club that doesn't encourage thinking outside of the established paradigm. Similarities to Alzheimer's Disease research. (45:54) How the incentive structure of the medical-industrial complex discourages simple treatments. Similarities to COVID-19 vaccination incentive vs possible treatments. (49:44) The incentive structure that encourages the denial of chronic disease and even penalizes physicians who come up with effective treatments using cheap antibiotics (52:04) The suppression of Bitten by NIH and other influential groups Links and Resources The Bitten Files - Substack Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons Project 112 - Wiki Plum Island Willy Burgdorfer The Swiss Agent Lyme Disease Cabal Primary Research Document Cloud (Part 1) Lyme Disease Cabal Primary Research Document Cloud (Part 2) Under Our Skin (documentary) Kris Newby website Cat Scratch Disease article Lead Poisoning article Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic by Pam Weintraub

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Eric Jorgenson, an author and investor, whose latest book is The Anthology of Balaji, a collection of wisdom, ideas, and quotes from technologist Balaji Srinivasan. Balaji is an electrical and chemical engineer, investor (Andreesen Horowitz), and successful entrepreneur, notably in both biotech (Counsyl) and cryptocurrency (Earn.com), which led to him becoming Coinbase's first CTO (post-Earn.com acquisition). The Anthology of Balaji packs a huge punch on a wisdom per word basis and is well worth your time.   If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain! Timestamps (3:00) Our shared love for Where Is My Flying Car and how it has influenced Balaji's philosophy (4:55) The differences and similarites between The Anthology of Balaji and The Almanck of Naval Ravikant. How the books feel like being at a long dinner with Balaji (or Naval) and you're both at your best and are able to get deep but succinct answers to all the questions you've had for them (7:45) The moral importance of technology and the benefits that come from it (12:03) When Balaji is wrong, it's because he over-extrapolated instead of under-extrapolated  (21:08) Tracing the path of technological innovations and how they get adopted (26:07) Self-measurement devices leading to personalized supplements and nutrition (30:05) Bro science vs medical science (41:30) The moral case for innovation. One example: saving people time extends their lifespan (43:00) The media is incentivized for doom and gloom, so they make technology sound more dystopian and risky instead of a way to literally extend your life and make you powerful (49:20) Decentralized media (social media) leads to different problems than centralized media (49:53) How the FDA has lost the plot, and instead of curing diseases, its goal now seems to be to perpetuate itself. If you were designing the FDA from scratch today, it would probably look very different (53:20) The beauty of the American governmental system and how federalism allows experimentation (56:30) Discussion on Balaji's book The Network State (1:00:53) Eric's pitch for making the United States a frontier nation again (1:02:30) How writing this book influenced Eric personally and professionally (1:11:42) Getting Eric's podcast Smart Friends on podcasting 2.0 to enable value-for-value Links & Resources: Eric's website Smart Friends, Eric's podcast Balaji Srinivasan's biography The Anthology of Balaji by Eric Jorgenson Where Is My Flying Car by J. Storrs Hall TFTC Podcast - The Fiat Crisis with Balaji Nik Bhatia's Outside The System episode about Layered Money Aleks Svetski's Outside The System episode about the Three Generation Theory of Bitcoin Elo Health - smart protein and supplements The Systems Bible The Network State: How To Start A New Country by Balaji Srinivasan

In this episode, I spoke with my friend John Ganotis. John is the creator of a popular iPhone app called Pee & See (the number one number one app!) which helps users measure their hydration and health. John's progression and journey as an independent creator is super inspiring to me. When he was in middle school, he created a YouTube esque show before YouTube was a thing, that somehow made it to TV. John is also a DJ and you can find links to his mixes in the show notes. If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain! Timestamps (2:12) - John Ganotis, the creator of the popular iPhone app Pee & See, talks about his innovative approach to hydration tracking, focusing on output rather than input. He discusses the development of the app, how it came about, and how it is helping people improve their health. (12:08) - John shares insights about the development process of Pee & See, including its original creation as a website and its evolution into an iPhone app. He details how the app saves data privately, creating a low-effort journal of users' lives. (19:23) - John recalls his journey of getting a show on public access television, beginning with a YouTube-like show in middle school. He discusses the challenges of digital editing and the value of these early entrepreneurial experiences. (29:13) - John discusses his first career venture as a high schooler and the lessons he learned about taking risks and avoiding a traditional nine-to-five job. He reflects on how these experiences helped him become more confident in undertaking independent projects. (36:43) - John talks about embracing the idea of being a solo entrepreneur and the benefits it brings, such as infusing projects with personal character and building a strong rapport with users. He discusses the development of self-service tools for users and his thoughts on customer service. (45:24) - John shares his journey into DJ-ing, starting with Logic Pro and transitioning to an iPad and a physical controller. He discusses his experiences with podcasting and website projects, and his decision to pursue his own independent projects. Resources Pee & See (John's hydration tracking app) John's Twitter John's YouTube John's Deep House Mix #1 John's Deep House Mix #2

In this episode, I spoke with David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, the authors of What Your Food Ate: How to Heal the Land and Reclaim our Health. I don't mean this lightly - What Your Food Ate is the most impactful book I've read in a long time. The central premise is that the quality of your food is determined by what your food is eating. Plants get their nutrients from the sun, water, and soil. Animals get their nutrients primarily from the plants they're eating. Simple enough. But understanding this simple concept has completely changed how I think about things like organic produce, high quality meat, and so much more.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain! And make sure to buy the book! You can find a link in the show notes - if you buy through that link, it helps support the show.  Timestamps (2:35) David Montgomery and Ann Biklé, discuss their book "What Your Food Ate" and explore how soil quality and the diet of our food sources impact the nutritional value of our meals. (4:30) Discover how different farming practices and the quality of soil directly influence the taste and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. (12:03) Delve into the concept of nutrient density and how a lack of information can mislead consumers about the true nutritional value of their food. (18:30) Learn about the critical role soil health plays in providing more nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals in our food. (24:14) - We explore the concept of legibility and its implications for food and agriculture, highlighting the need for a balance between nutritional information and simplifying food choices. (30:00) - Understand the difference between nutrient deprivation and consuming fewer calories while maintaining essential nutrient intake, using the example of the English diet during wartime. (37:02) - Dive into the topic of diet, biodiversity, health, and farming, exploring the findings of a Japanese study about the benefits of eating green and yellow vegetables. (41:52) - Learn about the increasing popularity of regenerative agriculture and the potential for it to become the standard of conventional farming. (47:00) - Discover the environmental and economic benefits of regenerative agriculture, as well as the role of consumer demand in driving its adoption. (49:58) - Understand the importance of knowing the source of your food and the potential pitfalls of the food industry cutting corners. (54:30) - Learn about the biological wisdom of herbivorous animals and how modern farming practices impair their ability to self-medicate and balance their nutrition. (58:30) - We wrap up the episode by highlighting the importance of soil fertility and agricultural reform in influencing the quality and nutrition of our food. Links & Resources What Your Food Ate book Dig 2 Grow (David and Anne's website) Gabe Brown on Outside The System Calley Means on Outside The System Kettle & Fire Justin Mares

In this episode, I spoke with Joe Martin, a musician from the UK who is pioneeering how artists can leverage value-for-value and Bitcoin to connect directly with fans and take power back from record labels and platforms like Spotify. Joe gets into the details of how value-for-value has worked for him, where the pain points are, what the response has been from fans, and a lot more. At one point, Joe compares being a value-for-value artist to being a street performer, which stuck in my head since this podcast is also supported by value-for-value on podcasting 2.0 apps like Fountain.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and send a boost on Fountain!  Timestamps (0:53) Joe's background and how he got into music as well as value-for-value (8:05) How the standard artist business model works today (10:27) What does a record label bring to an artist?  (14:47) Why Joe believes we're at the start of a shift that will favor independent artists (17:04) How streaming economics work for an independent artist and why it's usually a "loss leader" to get people to come to shows and buy merch (20:50) The similarities between being an author and an artist. Cost effectiveness of printing books and printing t-shirts (24:30) How Joe thinks about value-for-value, both in general and for himself as an artist (28:55) Why nothing in life is free - you pay one way or the other (31:47) Why people are already fine paying for a physical product like an album but there's a mental gap when buying a digital version of the same music (33:17) How Bitcoin relates to value-for-value and makes it possible (38:30) Joe's experience with value-for-value and how it has affected his career so far. How he made more in 7 days than he made in 7 years from streaming (50:15) The psychology behind getting people into value-for-value music (52:00) Incentivizing listeners to take actions like making clips or sharing music using value-for-value (53:05) The best resources for a creator to get started with value-for-value Links and Resources Joe's Twitter Joe's website Joe's introduction to value-for-value Kevin Rooke interviewing Joe Martin Joe's new album Empty Passenger Seat Joe's tour dates Wavlake, a value-for-value music platform Outside The System episode with Lyrah, another independent musician experimenting with new business models

Welcome back to Outside The System. Today's episode is with Nik Bhatia, the founder of The Bitcoin Layer and the Author of Layered Money. We spent a good amount of time in this episode talking about the foundations of money, monetary hierarchies, historical money like gold, and where Bitcoin fits in. We also spoke about Nik's opinions on self-custody, Bitcoin vs Ethereum and how Bitcoin's fee structure compares to other forms of base layer money. Nik is also doing a lot of work around Bitcoin education including teaching at the university level so his insights there are fascinating. Make sure you check out Layered Money and subscribe to The Bitcoin Layer! Links below.  Timestamps (2:11) The concept of layered money and the how forms of money are ranked. Layer 0 money has no balance sheet (3:34) Nik's background and how he got into currency analysis (13:07) How currencies stack against each other and what happened when the dollar-gold peg disappered (18:52) What made gold the commodity that every society gravitated towards as a store of value (24:45) Ethereum vs Bitcoin as money and why the Ethereum Foundation dimishes Ethereum's case (25:30) Bitcoin's fee incentives to maintain the network vs the cost to using gold as the underpinning of the monetary system. How it took the German central bank years to get its gold back from the Federal Reserve - vs ~10 minutes with Bitcoin for final settlement (29:03) Why just seeing the balance in a Bitcoin wallet isn't really that valuable. Why proof of reserves is misleading (30:40) Why you should take your Bitcoin balance off exchanges if its not there for trading purposes. Not your keys, not your coins (33:00) How to get your grandmother to self-custody - or get a third party custodian. More information about custodian services (39:15) Companies holding Bitcoin and the implications (42:12) Nation-state adoption of Bitcoin and how that affects their trajectories. How Bitcoin creates a more multi-polar world (50:22) Nik's work in Bitcoin education  Links and Resources Nik's Twitter The Bitcoin Layer Layered Money Germany paid 6.9 million Euros to get its gold back from the Fed and Bank of France Aleks Svetski episode on Outside The System

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Athina Christacos, founder of Feminrgy, a holistic skin health business. Athina and I worked together at The Estee Lauder Companies, one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world, where she was a cosmetic chemist. Using her background in biology and chemistry, Athina spent years trying to solve her own rosacea. This journey led her to dig deeper into the true cause of her skin problems and ultimately helped her create her inside-out approach to health and skincare.  During our conversation, we got into: The major factors that influence overall health and skin health in particular The troubled history and effects of birth control Female vs male cycles Adapting your daily, weekly, and monthly routines to your cycle The history of Accutane (prescription acne medication) and the birth control requirement Sunscreen and skin cancer How lack of science literacy makes you buy products that don't work Why one size fits all healthcare doesn't work Scientism Practical tips to experiment and improve your skin and overall health Resources and Links Athina's Instagram Feminrgy Website Feminrgy blog with tons of actionable information Skin cancer rates over time Accutane, birth control requirement, and birth defects

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Shiloe Bear, Founder of Creek Development. Her firm specializes in developing science-related properties and she took a really unconventional path into real estate. She's done build outs for companies like Y Combinator, Lyft, Blue Bottle, and many others. Lots of inspiration here for anyone looking to learn about real estate and alternative paths. Her philosophy for her company and the broader community is also fascinating and worth learning from. This was Shiloe's first podcast and as you'll hear, she's a great communicator so I'm sure it won't be her last! I came across Shiloe through JP Willett (Episode 15) who shared Shiloe's talk at Re-Convene 2022 with me. Highly recommend watching it after listening to this episode. Timestamps (2:23) Shiloe introduces her commercial design and construction company Creek Development. Currently trying to transition from just management to also owning the projects. Their focus on science-related buildouts.  (5:25) How Shiloe arrived at her science buildout niche and how her technical education background played into that. (7:51) Shiloe's scrappy start in real estate by being a resident-manager at her apartment building in the Bay Area and then buying a multi-family in Oklahoma, where she is originally from.  (10:31) Price anchoring. Shiloe shares how the term "expensive" is relative and that prices she thought were absurd in 2010 were actually steals in hindsight. (13:28) Why buying the worst house in a nice neighborhood is the fastest way to be hated. (15:18) How Shiloe transitioned from managing residential real estate to her current business. (20:13) Creek Dev started doing small land flips in 2020 buying small properties, entitling it, and re-selling it with entitlements.  (21:40) Shiloe's 6 month journey in 2022 trying to raise $4 million to buy and convert a property but the deal ultimately didn't go through. How it felt to put everything you have into something and have it ultimately not work.  (26:18) Why someone would choose NOT to invest. Ultimately ties back to a potential investor not understanding the opportunity and specifics in the life sciences space. (31:07) What Shiloe's company does for the community - projects for community good and the people she chooses to employ. How this contrasts with the traditional way the real estate industry operates. How Shiloe benefited from community programs all her life and is trying to give back. (35:28) How Shiloe has constructed her team to include a lot of people who wouldn't typically work in real estate because they don't have the "right" background from a traditional perspective. These same people can get access to better opportunities after working with Creek Development.  (39:35) Why not looking like the "traditional" real estate CEO can both help and hurt. Nassim Taleb's concept of "surgeons should not look like surgeons" (link below). "People like helping people who remind them of their younger selves" (44:08) What someone who is not from a traditional real estate background but wants to get into the industry should be doing. Why the on-site manager path is a great starting point. How real estate Twitter can be super helpful in learning and meeting people. Resources and Links Shiloe's company - Creek Development Shiloe's Twitter account Re-convene 2022: Shiloe Bear in conversation with Moses Kagan Surgeons Should Not Look Like Surgeons - Nassim Taleb Episode 15 of Outside The System with JP Willett

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Aleks Svetski, author of The Uncommunist Manifesto and founder of The Bitcoin Times. We got into topics in and around Bitcoin, including the Three Generation Theory of Bitcoin, merchant adoption, Bitcoin vs the state, cronyism vs capitalism, and a lot more. Aleks is a passionate speaker and this conversation is not for sensative ears! Timestamps (4:03) The decision Aleks made to keep his company Bitcoin-only during the ICO era when people were making enormous sums of money by launching new coins. (6:42) Bitcoin is a technology but not just a technology - it goes way beyond that and changes your perspective on many elements of life. (10:05) The Three Generation Theory of Bitcoin (19:35) Max Planck's famous saying that "science advances one funeral at a time" (21:20) Two features of Bitcoin that are super valuable to merchants: reduced fees and instant settlement. What will be necessary to onboard merchants on Bitcoin. (25:51) How the state would fight back against losing their monetary monopoly. Why the infection stage of Bitcoin is essential to this future battle. Bitcoiners as a scapegoat as fiat money falls apart. (30:09) The choking of the on/off ramps between fiat and Bitcoin and how this will help create the Bitcoin circular economy. The Cobra Effect (35:09) How the morals and values we embody are downstream of the soundness of our money and as a result, our time preference. On one end of the spectrum is living completely in the present while on the other end is living entirely in the future and never experiencing anything. If you know your money will be worth something in the future, you have an easier time thinking long-term. If it isn't worth anything, then you have to consume everything today and often leads to hedonism. (42:34) Samurai society and how it fell apart, ultimately leading to Japan's imperial ambitions in WWII. (45:51) The Uncommunist Manifesto. (52:12) Cronyism vs capitalism. A lot of the ills associated with capitalism are actually symptoms of cronyism. How cronyism erodes society and creates a two-tier society: rich assholes vs poor people who give up. We're seeing this already. (58:26) The Bitcoin Times and Aleks' vision in building a timeless product. Resources and Links Aleks' Twitter The Uncommunist Manifesto The Bitcoin Times Lucent Labs The Cobra Effect Time Preference: how you discount the present vs the future

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Gabe Brown, one of the world's foremost experts on soil health. I came across Gabe through Kiss The Ground, a documentary recommended by Calley Means when he came on the show (episode 14). Gabe held nothing back in this wide-ranging conversation about soil health and its relationship to farmer incentives, human health, and natural disasters. We also talked about what all of us can do to improve soil health and create a better food system for everyone. Gabe's bio speaks for itself so I've included it below. Gabe Brown's bio Gabe Brown came to Regenerative Agriculture through hardship. In 1991 his in-laws retired and he took over their 1,760-acre farm outside Bismarck, North Dakota. He used the same practices they had used since the 1950s: tillage, fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides as well as conventional grazing practices. All of these were considered the highest standards in modern agriculture. But about five years later came four years of freak storms with resulting crop failures and the death of many of his cattle. He almost lost the farm at that point but chose instead to try to regenerate his failing enterprise using Holistic Management practices.  The idea, in some ways, was to go back to farming the way it used to be done a generation earlier, restoring and working with the natural ecological balance of the land. Improving soil health by not tilling and allowing the biomass left from the previous harvest to lie on the ground was the first step. That was actually the result of almost giving up in despair, but the surprising result was that when Brown tested his soil a few years later, leaving it alone had allowed the soil's fertility to improve. Step by step, Gabe Brown included more Holistic Management/Regenerative Agriculture practices. Today he continues no-tilling, has added multi-species cover and companion crops, and has become an innovator in managed grazing techniques that allow most of his pastures a year of recovery time between feeding periods. By 2010 he had eliminated the use of synthetic fertilizers, and now he no longer needs to use fungicides and pesticides. Minimal amount of herbicides are used but he hopes to some day eliminate that as well. Each choice he made resulted in lower input costs, improved soil health, and eventually paid off in higher yields as well. Today, 20 years later, Brown has a highly successful 5000 acre ranch with crop yields 20-25 percent higher than the average yields in his county. His soil organic matter increased from 1.9 in 1991 to 6.1% and that has increased its water-infiltration rates tremendously. He was seeing rates of 1/2 inch per hour in 1991. Today it is 8 inches per hour. He also has done in-depth testing of his soil's carbon-retention rates. His soils have 96 tons of carbon per acre in the top 48 inches. 10 to 30 tons of stored carbon is what is typical on conventionally farmed soils in the same region. (from https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/demos/gabe-brown.shtml) Timestamps (0:16) The difficult journey Gabe went on to arrive at his current focus on soil health (6:03) How monocropping became the norm in US agriculture (8:42) What problems does the conventional agriculture approach create and why farmers and ranchers aren't solely to blame? (10:26) Carbon retention rates of Gabe's soil vs conventional agriculture. What are the components of soil and how to influence those variables (13:19) Nutrient density of crops and misaligned farmer incentives (14:05) Gabe's research into measuring phytonutrients and why these nutrients are so important for human gut microbiome health. How the nutrient cycle works and why it is vital for your immune system. Creating a new incentive system for farmers to get paid for growing more nutrient-dense food  (18:01) The importance of your gut microbiome and the many health issues (mental disorders and allergies) that may be caused by an imbalanced microbiome (20:42) How Covid-19 exposed how fragile and consolidated our food system is. Why we need to return to a food system centered on eating locally and seasonally. Why we should all grow our own food  (21:54) Gardening and growing your own food. Why freshly grown food tastes and feels better (23:52) Why the foods you grow yourself might make you enjoy vegetables and fruits that you normally wouldn't like. Most consumers have never tasted freshly grown food  (25:12) The role of education and awareness in fixing the food system by changing what consumers demand from their farmers (27:22) The lack of nutritional knowledge in the medical profession and why this has horrible downstream effects on people (28:26) Food as medicine - how foods can treat and influence diseases. Neil's experience with his father's ALS as an example of lack of knowledge in the medical profession (29:36) The perverse incentives in medicine and why doctors are incentivized to write prescriptions instead of focusing on preventation (31:20) How a healthy soil that uses regenerative agriculture techniques is much more resilient against natural disasters than the conventional approach (34:00) Why natural disasters like flooding can actually be CREATED by improper soil practices (35:10) Why would a farmer or rancher pushback against these practices? (38:05) The difference in feedback between family farmers vs corporate farmers (39:54) How Gabe handles the criticism that if everyone used regenerative farming, how would we feed everyone? Treating your farm as an ecosystem to develop multiple revenue streams and improve profitability and resiliency (42:22) Gardening and composting to start thinking of food as an ecosystem (43:20) How the general consumer can support regenerative agriculture and why it's less expensive to feed your family healthy, regeneratively farmed food than buying nutritionally empty foods like cereal (45:57) Direct to consumer models for buying meat directly from ranchers using regenerative agriculture practices (46:46) The difference in nutritional density of beef produced from regenerative farming techniques vs conventional farming. More omega-3 in regeneratively farmed beef than in salmon!  Resources and Links Episode 14: Exposing The Food Cartel Playbook And Why It Matters with Calley Means of True Medicine Brown's Ranch Soil Health Academy Understanding Ag Regenified Kiss The Ground documentary Johnson-Su Composting What Your Food Ate: How To Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health by David Montgomery

This episode is the inaugural episode of Outside The System Labs, a new series about extremely early solutions and the people building them. In this episode, I spoke with Peter Conley, the founder of Unbundl.ed, which is a marketplace for buyers and sellers of higher education alternatives. They're working to unbundle the different elements of higher education (like coursework, network, social life, and more) so students can customize and create the education experience they're looking for.  It's a really interesting concept and would allow students to take advantage of online learning programs while also living and growing with peers in-person. Not being able to meet, interact, and make friends with peers has been one of my biggest criticisms of online-only programs and Peter is working to solve it.  Timestamps (1:55) The current college bundle and what's wrong with it (4:52) Who is actually the customer of higher education?  (6:35) Why haven't colleges adjusted to solve this problem? (11:22) How high fixed costs and structures prevent colleges from being nimble in adjusting to new learning models (14:23) Teachers are no longer constrained by geography in the internet era - you can learn from the best in the world (14:37) Khan Academy as an example of one person being able to teach the world through the internet (16:22) Conflating college with education (23:55) Replicating the experiences of college and alumni networks with online education (27:36) Peter's education path (33:59) Creating artifacts and proof of your work to verify your skills publicly (37:54) Lack of feedback loops in traditional education vs working in public (38:27) How to increase your luck surface area (46:11) What is Unbundl.ed and what the long-term vision is Resources and Links Unbundl.ed Website Peter's Twitter Peter's Personal Website Bloomtech Saifedean Ammous The Bitcoin Standard The Fiat Standard WTF Happened In 1971 Origin story of Sal Khan of Khan Academy David Perell Write of Passage Related episode: Outside The System with Mitch Earl of Praxis How You Can Support The Show You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming sats as you listen. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.  If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can always message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Myles Snider, founder of the Mother Tongue Cooking Club. Myles is one of my favorite follows on Twitter, mostly because I love eating and he shares a lot of pictures of amazing meals. During our conversation, Myles shared a masterclass on creator-led brands, the food industry, becoming a better cook, great ingredients, and so much more. You don't want to miss this episode! Timestamps (03:25) How Myles got into the professional cooking world and how that led to what he's doing now (13:44) Mother Tongue Cooking Club and what Myles is building now (17:00) The compounding effects of doing something you enjoy (18:20) Creator content vs brand content (20:37) Starting a brand from scratch or partnering with someone with an audience (21:37) Starting a spice company and what led to its failure (24:36) Building on Substack vs Ghost and the advantage of using a less customizable platform (33:58) The difficulty of physical products vs digital products (40:30) For those interested in cooking, pick 3-4 meals that you want to get really good at and can eat a lot of (1:04:06) How to eat high-quality meat for health, sustainability, and budget reasons by using alternative cuts (1:11:10) Myles' thoughts and advice on salt, the most important ingredient in cooking (1:15:38) Myles' thoughts on cooking fats, what he uses, and differences between various fats (1:23:27) Some resources and ideas on fermentation and brewing Resources and Links Myles' Twitter account Mother Tongue Cooking Club (Myles' Substack) Masienda Masa Seed-oil Free Tortilla Chips Tacos Ruben's in Mexico City (as seen on Netflix's Taco Chronicles) Sonora Flour Anti-bacterial properties of wooden cutting boards Athena Skillets Cantillon Brewery Venezuelan Beef Liver and Onions recipe Darina Allen Hank Shaw's Nose to Tail Recipes Redmond Real Salt Beef Tallow (Epic Provisions) Olive oil podcast episode on Mitolife with Tony Kasandrinos Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers by Stephen Harrod Buhner Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz Related episode: Calley Means of True Medicine   How You Can Support The Show You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming sats as you listen. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.  If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with John-Paul Willett, the founder of Red Star Vapor. JP first caught my attention in a Twitter thread where he shared how he got the initial funding for his business through winning $20,000 playing poker. Since then, I've gotten to learn more about his entrepreneurial journey and wanted to share it with you. It really illustrates that there are many ways to build businesses.   Timestamps  (1:34) Introduction to JP's background (2:15) How JP originally got interested in the vape industry (7:25) JP's original vape liquid business and what led to his pivot to retail (10:10) How JP got started with his vape liquid business (13:02) How the retail business got started (14:18) Scaling retail vs software businesses (17:52) The $20,000 poker story (29:55) 3 Questions About Red Star Vapor's growth (34:47) Hustling offline to sell physical products, similarities between JP's story and Estee Lauder (36:55) Vapes as a risk reduction tool for smokers (37:42) The employee-built playbook for scaling and growing Red Star Vapor (47:50) Some mistakes along the way (50:45) Resources that have inspired John-Paul   Resources and Links John Paul's Twitter John Paul's Twitter thread with his poker winning story  How FedEx founder Fred Smith saved the business by turning $5,000 into $27,000 playing blackjack Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill The Everything Store by Brad Stone Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark   How You Can Support The Show You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming sats as you listen. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.  If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Calley Means, the founder of True Medicine. We focused our conversation on the American industrial food system, especially how food companies manipulate government, institutions, and culture to promote their products. We also talked about how this same playbook is now being applied by the pharmaceutical industry to promote interventionist procedures over long-term health and prevention.    If you haven't listened to it yet, the Outside The System episode with CrowdHealth's founder Andy Schoonover is closely related to this one. That episode focused more on the insurance industry's perverse incentives rather than the food industry but the topics are deeply intertwined.    Quick disclosure: I made a small investment in True Medicine a few months back. So I have some skin in the game here.   Detailed show notes Thesis: Soda is the #1 item purchased on food stamps, which is obviously wrong (see stats below). $10 billion of food stamp money go to soda (the #1 item purchased). I was inside the room when Coke wanted to keep the status quo when the 2012 farm bill was updated for debate. Coke used a three-pronged playbook to rig the system:  Millions to Civil Rights groups like the NAACP to call opponents racist.  Millions to conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundations to buy studies.  Millions to academic institutions to buy studies.  There are some contemporary articles (from the NYTimes) outlining this in the Twitter thread. This same playbook is being used today by food and pharma.    The Impacts to Americans:  25% of young adults and 50% of Americans have pre-diabetes or full-fledged Type 2 diabetes. This used to be called adult-onset diabetes.   The richest American men live 15 years longer than the poorest men. Almost entirely due to nutrition.  8 of the 10 leading causes of death that torture Americans or shortens their lives are driven by one thing: suboptimal metabolism, a food-related issue that in turn drives inflammation in a vicious cycle. Between 1973 and 2011, male sperm count has reduced more than 50%.  In the past 10 years, the case of miscarriages has gone up 10%. Today, up to 26% of women have PCOS (the leading cause of infertility) and gestational diabetes rates have doubled between 2006 and 2016. A July 2022 study of more than 50,000 people showed that nearly 93.2% of Americans show indicators of metabolic dysfunction, including high fasting blood sugar, low HDL, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and large waistlines. The average American visits 28 different types of doctors before they die, 17.6 prescriptions are filled per person each year, and 19% of adult women take an antidepressant.    The Rigged System (most of this is from the book Food Fix):  Soda companies spend 11 times more on nutrition than the NIH. 82 percent of independently funded studies show harm from sugar-sweetened beverages, but 93-percent of industry-sponsored studies said no harm. Sugar money hides behind names like the International Life Sciences Institute. The American Diabetes Association has received millions from food companies like Coke and Cadbury. In previous years, the ADA logo has appeared on sugar-loaded foods such as SnackWell's cookies and Snapple in exchange for these donations. $111 billion spent on food stamps. 10% goes to sugar-sweetened beverages. 75% of the food bought on SNAP is processed food. Due to heavy lobbying from food companies. The American Academy of Pediatrics accepted millions of dollars from Coke. Same with the American College of Cardiology. SNAP participants have twice the rate of heart disease, three times greater likelihood of diabetes -- account for 65 percent of medicaid. Politicians bought off by food say it is "personal choice." 80% of American subsidies go to corn, grains and soy oil. Amazingly, cigarettes (tobacco) receive four times more government subsidies  (2%) than all fruits and vegetables combined (.45%). This is all despite the fact that current government guidelines recommend 50% of the American plate is filled with fruits and vegetables.  In the 1960's a group called the Sugar Research Foundations donated $50,000 to Harvard Researchers to publish a study in The New England Review of Medicine saying sugar didn't cause heart disease. The author, Fred Stare, started the nutrition department at Harvard. He and the department received nearly $30 million over his career for the food industry. The other author used this research to develop the US Dietary Guidelines that led to the food pyramid's recommendation to cut fat and increase carbs/sugar. Lawmakers and regulators, bought off by food companies, held up Harvard research reports as they argued for these guidelines.    Resources and Links True Medicine, Calley's company changing the incentives in healthcare to promote healthy food and lifestyle choices Calley's Twitter Calley's co-founder Justin Mares Justin's Substack Food Fix by Mark Hyman Calley's Twitter thread on the playbook Coca-Cola used to ensure SNAP benefits could be used for their products Merchants of Doubt by Erik M. Conway and Naomi Oreskes NIH-Funded Food Compass says Lucky Charms are healthier than steak Brain Energy by Christopher M. Palmer Blitzed: Drugs In The Third Reich by Norman Ohler Pizza ruled a vegetable by US Congress Sackler family history Monocropping Glyphosate and testosterone The Biggest Little Farm documentary Kiss The Ground documentary (available on Netflix) "Sushi-grade" fish is a meaningless term Regenerative agriculture Levels Casey Means, co-founder of Levels and Calley's sister The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind The Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains by Robert Lustig   How You Can Support The Show You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming sats as you listen. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.  If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Anna Gát, the founder of Interintellect which describes itself as "Reinventing the French literary salon for the internet". They host online salons around topics across literature, science, psychology, and tons of other topics. They've hosted over 2,000 conversations so far and have featured speakers like Tyler Cowen, Steven Pinker, James Clear, and more.  Anna and I spoke about her journey, personal revolts, facilitating online conversations, media, and so much more. Say hi to Anna on Twitter and let us know what you think about the episode!   Important links: Interintellect website Interintellect Twitter Anna Gát Twitter Anna's Despacito essay Paul Millerd Visakan Veerasamy The Pathless Path book A Confederacy of Dunces book The Tiger book   How You Can Support The Show You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming me sats. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.    If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke again with Cam Wiese, the founder of World's Fair Co to follow up on our first discussion (Episode 11). If you haven't listened to that episode, I highly recommend starting there to get a deeper sense of what Cam and his team are creating.   During this conversation, we focused more on tangible next steps for how Cam and his team plan to make the World's Fair a reality and how they will inspire tech optimism in millions along the way. One of the things I pushed back on in our first discussion was the step by step plan for getting to a World's Fair. Cam elaborated a lot more on that plan here. Cam and his team have also created a detailed document with ways YOU can help the project. Read more here: https://worldsfair.notion.site/How-can-I-help-the-World-s-Fair-Co-3aeae678f9214911a912545af45ed99f   You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming me sats. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.    If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with Cam Wiese, a dreamer with a grand and ambitious vision - to bring back the World's Fair. The original World's Fair was an exhibition for companies and nations to come together to showcase their inventions and grand vision for the future. Cam believes that re-creating this event and telling better stories about the positive power of technology will get us out of our collective dystopian technology vision. While your initial reaction may be skepticism (mine certainly was), Cam makes a great case for how bringing back the World's Fair will inspire millions to dream, build, and ultimately create a better future. I left the conversation with a sense of wonder about technology and the future - something I hadn't felt in awhile.  During the episode, we got into: The purpose the original World's Fair served How the stories we tell create the future we build How science fiction helps expand the realm of possibility Why Walt Disney deserves credit for the moon landing How technology can be utopian, dystopian, or somewhere in between - depending on how it's used What the new World's Fair will showcase How you can get involved and help build the new World's Fair Notes and Links World's Fair Co website World's Fair Co Twitter Cam's Twitter Top US grocery chains by share of dollars spent Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Isaac Asimov World's Fair posters You can support Outside the System and thousands of other podcasts using Fountain or any other value-for-value enabled podcast player. If you found value from this episode, consider boosting the podcast or streaming me sats. Another great way to support the show is to leave a review on Spotify and iTunes.  If you have questions or thoughts about the episode, you can message me on Twitter. 

In this episode of Outside The System, I spoke with John Marbach, the founder of Encrypted Energy. John is an entrepreneur, growth marketer, and engineer who is an alum of both Y Combinator and the Thiel Fellowship.  During the episode, we got into: Our personal introductions to Bitcoin Bitcoin mining and Bitcoin mining businesses How we take energy for granted at the consumer level  Energy costs Bitcoin's Lightning Network and how it will impact the future of commerce Business ideas that are enabled by Lightning You can support the show by boosting or streaming sats on a podcasting 2.0 player like Fountain. This episode is the first time I'm trying the episode split feature, which will automatically send John half the sats we receive for the episode.  Useful links from this episode: How Bitcoin mining works: https://www.coindesk.com/learn/how-bitcoin-mining-works-2/ Bitcoin's Lightning Network overview: https://lightning.network/ John's personal blog: https://jmarbach.com/ John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmarbach