Fighting Left-Wing FUD & Pulling Progressives into Bitcoin with Trey Walsh

What if Bitcoin wasn't just for tech enthusiasts or the financially savvy, but a tool that could promote equality and sustainability? This engaging episode features Trey Walsh, host of the Progressive Bitcoiner podcast, set on debunking misconceptions and introducing broader, and often unheard, perspectives into the Bitcoin conversation. We dive into the thick of things, batting against erroneous narratives like Bitcoin's purported use in criminal activities and its supposed negative impact on the environment.

Ever considered a career switch to the Bitcoin space? We unravel the challenges and triumphs of transitioning from the non-profit sector to Bitcoin ventures. As we recall the milestone 50th episode with Peter McCormack, we reflect on the support received from the community and the vital role of choosing the right guests in shaping the discourse. Trey's insights are not just enlightening, but they might just inspire your next career move!

Yet, it's not all smooth sailing. We delve into the legal wrangle brewing between Coinbase and the SEC, dissecting the potential repercussions on Bitcoin and self-custody. We also discuss the promising prospects of a Bitcoin ETF and the importance of understanding that court battles are lengthy and headlines may not reveal the entire story. From navigating Bitcoin nodes to the future of lightning potentially replacing credit cards, this episode is a roller coaster ride through the Bitcoin landscape.

0:00 - Progressive Bitcoin and Bitcoin Adoption
10:57 - Discussion on Podcasting and Professional Experience
18:26 - Coinbase, SEC, and Bitcoin Regulations
25:25 - Exploring Bitcoin Nodes and Payment Options

Follow Trey Walsh:
https://linktr.ee/treywalsh

📺  Other Channels Mentioned:

What Bitcoin Did
📺   / https://www.youtube.com/@whatbitcoindid

The Progressive Bitcoiner
📺   / https://www.youtube.com/@progressivebitcoiner

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What's up everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the having report podcast. I am your host, brad minds. I hope everybody's having a great Canada day long weekend. The price of Bitcoin is approximately 30.6 thousand US dollars and there's approximately 42 weeks left until the next Bitcoin having. Today We welcome Trey Walsh onto the show. Trey is a progressive Bitcoin or who I admire for coming into the space full force in 2021. He came onto my radar after appearing on what Bitcoin did podcast and now hosts the progressive Bitcoin or podcast himself, and he's looking to work full time on Bitcoin and spreading Bitcoin adoption. So, without further ado, everybody give a warm welcome to Trey Walsh onto the show. Trey, welcome to the having report podcast.

Speaker 2: 0:43

Yeah, thanks for having me, Brad Appreciate it.

Speaker 1: 0:44

Yeah, it's absolutely our pleasure. Like I was saying on the pre-roll, it's awesome to have like minded people on the show to meet. To meet you, Trey. I want to start with the progressive Bitcoin or and if you could tell us about that.

Speaker 2: 0:56

Yeah, So you know it was a podcast and bit of a movement that's been going on a couple of years now but previously run by Mark Stefani.

Speaker 2: 1:04

He had been running the podcast since, I think, about December 2021 and now transitioning to me as host and kind of Mark's still involved, you know advising and you know talking with him a lot about the podcast and kind of keeping that vision going Again, trying, in an ideal world, to pull more progressives in to Bitcoin, to fight some of that fud from the left around Bitcoin and to just add another resource into the plethora of podcasts in Bitcoin. There's not a lot of podcasts that I think appeal to progressive or those from the left in it And the goal of podcast two isn't to just focus on only progressives can come on, only progressive audience, but just to kind of diversify some of the perspectives and talk about things that are of value to progressives in general, right Like the environment, you know, inequality, human rights, those kind of things that more progressive minded people talk about and focus about a lot and how Bitcoin intersects with those. So that's really the goal and vision of the podcast and what we're trying to do.

Speaker 1: 2:10

Yeah for sure. The more resources we can get to, to appeal to those, those people as well, what is for the better. I'm currently reading Jason Mayer's The Progressive Case for Bitcoin. Have you have you had a chance to take a look at that, or your? what are your thoughts around it?

Speaker 2: 2:25

I have. Yeah, so it's where are we at? It's like right there on my shelf, i think, in the background. I mean it's awesome, right. So, jason and I think really the point about two and he's kind of said it in his own words in a lot of ways, and we'll also, on the Progressive Bitcoin or podcast, really trying to appeal to a more mainstream audience, like talk to people in a language they can understand about Bitcoin and talk to progressives in a language they can understand, chapter by chapter, about things they might care about, i think that's that's really it And I think it's awesome, i think it's super needed.

Speaker 2: 2:59

I would say on my end and I think he shares this opinion is that, you know, hopefully, ideally, one day, you know, we don't have to talk about so much like progressive Bitcoin or progressive in Bitcoin, because Bitcoin will just, you know, be it'll be more mainstream adopted And I think we get there a little bit quicker in terms of the, you know, especially here in the US context, where I'm based, and I'm based here in New England, especially kind of for Democrats, you know, blue, elizabeth Warren, that kind of stuff. You know, i think we get a bit more to mainstream adoption if we can show the culture of politics, all of this, that Bitcoin isn't about any of that right, bitcoin can appeal to anyone And as a censorship resistant and open protocol and it's meant to be better money and that's the point, right, and kind of take it away from these political routes. So you know my goal and I think folks like Jason or whoever else, a ton of different people. They're talking about progressive politics or views and you know, within Bitcoin, our goal isn't to try to politicize Bitcoin And my goal isn't to try to politicize Bitcoin or say Bitcoin is progressive or Bitcoin is for Democrats or you know, whatever the case, it's really to take that out of it. But to do that we have to show that Bitcoin is for everyone And unfortunately still in a lot of folks mind a, i mean a lot of people don't know about Bitcoin, right, so they might be like, oh yeah, i've heard of it, or like, oh, crypto, okay, you know.

Speaker 2: 4:24

So in general, a lot of people just not really super familiar, don't even really know what it is. But then some who know what it is are really buying into the Elizabeth Warren messaging or whatever else about it's for criminals, you know, money laundering it's, you know. You know, not promoting our goals and climate change is actually negative, affecting and negatively affecting the climate and all of this different stuff that you know we got to. We got to still battle against their winning. That argument on the left currently And I for one thinks it can think it kind of matters to speak out against that. I do think Bitcoin will win in the end, no matter what, and it already is. But you know it doesn't hurt to try to, to try to battle this and kind of pull more people in. You know, rather than keeping the fight going, as we are into a political cycle which is gearing up to be a little messy, i think.

Speaker 1: 5:15

You said a lot. there definitely a lot to unpack, but I guess I'm going to ask next then what goals of the left does Bitcoin help to solve to you?

Speaker 2: 5:25

So in terms of, yeah, like priorities and values on the left, yeah, that that. So again, i think it's a. You know Bitcoin and I'll say this a lot there's never been anything like it ever before. So it's just paradigm shifting in general, right. For instance, let's take the environment. I think in general from from the left, from certain climate activists as well and environmentalists, it's hopefully getting a bit more outdated. There's the notion that any energy expense at all or using energy at all is kind of bad, so we just need to utilize energy less. So you look at the landscape of crypto. Bitcoin uses energy and uses a lot of energy and will keep using more and more energy in an ideal world. And the proof of work system, right. So kind of vilifying proof of work in general, saying it's bad for the environment because it uses electricity. You got to look a little bit deeper, right. If you just take a shallow interpretation, even myself, before getting into Bitcoin, i probably would have jumped onto the bat bandwagon from the left, being someone that's concerned about climate change and greenhouse emissions and kind of CO2, methane and all of that, right. But then you actually dig into Bitcoin and understanding energy markets and taking the time to do that And Troy Cross does an excellent job of really breaking this down. You know, kind of for folks on the left and environmentalists just seeing like you got to look into energy markets more. You got to look into what Bitcoin mining actually is. It goes after the cheapest energy resources like renewable energy. You know solar and wind. Wind's a perfect example. There's not uptime on wind all the time. Right, there's going to be energy abundance. Bitcoin miners can come in and purchase that energy abundance and are willing to do that at all hours, any hours, those off-peak hours right To help actually expand the energy grid. So I think a lot of people on the left don't even have a basic understanding of I love people in general, but especially on the left don't have a basic understanding of energy markets and how any of that works and how the free market works and energy and how Bitcoin can actually help. I think and I don't want to overstate it because we have a lot of data to see but I think it could really help expand the green energy grid in general and renewable energies. I think that's a huge, huge, profound thing And very practically as well, capturing methane, which I don't know the exact number, off the top of my head, but it's a lot worse than carbon emissions or classic CO2 emissions.

Speaker 2: 7:51

So we kind of eliminate and reduce methane emissions. That actually fights and goes towards our climate goals. And Bitcoin miners can capture that methane and reproduce it into CO2, right Which is a lot less harmful and kind of get us towards that goal, right. So those are the incremental changes that are realistic, right, because on my end, personally, when you look at the climate change movement, climate activists, a lot of folks, a lot of governments we're losing that battle. We're behind the curve on that.

Speaker 2: 8:20

There's not a lot of things that are actually helpful. Bitcoin mining is one of those things that has solutions that are addressable right now. No, it's not going to solve all the world's problems or solve the climate crisis or anything like that, and I know there's varying views on climate, climate crisis, all of that, and that's a discussion for another time. But in terms of just these goals, that's some very practical solutions that, if you start looking into it, there's some valid things maybe to be wary of Bitcoin about, but that's not one of them in my mind. Just look at the methane capture. That's a practical example, i think if more folks on the left looked into, they'd be surprised, and it goes really counter to the narrative that Elizabeth Warren is pushing out, because she herself is not willing to understand that outcome.

Speaker 1: 9:06

Definitely. I see a lot of people on the left that are kind of just declined the whole entire idea and they're just not going to be sold on it. Sometimes it's challenging speaking to them about it. It's a little bit defeating. But again, going back to having all the resources, having more people come into the space and try to spread that knowledge as best as I can, and what you're saying about the energy is definitely a recurring theme. Talking to some of the more recent guests on the show, how Bitcoin's relationship with energy is so unique And, like you said, we've never had anything like this before. Trey, i want to shift a little bit to you. You've been public about going through changes. Right now You're looking to work full time in the Bitcoin space. I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about that and if you've made any headway at this point.

Speaker 2: 9:58

Yeah, so interesting. I won't get into some details because I can't necessarily, but I will say I was laid off from my position in nonprofits And it's one of the things that brought me into Bitcoin as well is, my whole career has been in nonprofits and social justice, facing environments and communities, so that's something that was a bit of a shift for me a couple of weeks ago. So I've really been passionate about Bitcoin and going a bit more public in Bitcoin whether it's writing, talking with people, podcasts, working behind the scenes and trying to grow some of the more progressive causes towards Bitcoin really for a solid year now. So for me, i keep getting kind of pulled into Bitcoin. So with this thing, that kind of was sad and hard that happened. I was like, well, i might as well try to take this opportunity to jump out there and see if I just go full time into this in terms of like a career, in terms of what I'm doing, full time rather than just on the side or as a part of what I'm doing. So there's been some headway with it.

Speaker 2: 10:57

I think one of the easiest things is people are super supportive of the podcast in general and what we're trying to do And potentially monetizing that in time. That's not going to happen overnight, so still looking for those full time opportunities. There's been other conversations with folks and I will say one of the more challenging things potentially has been and I think I tweeted about this as well is just talking about my experiences in the nonprofit world, trying to translate that to Bitcoin companies, bitcoin ventures. That, honestly, has been a little bit of a challenge, i think, in terms of potential reception And for people to know when you're in nonprofits. In my director level positions, i was running budgets, i was overseeing a $5 million department, staff management, a lot of strategic planning, a lot of networking with businesses a lot of things that Bitcoiners and Bitcoin companies do on a regular basis. So that's been. The only challenge is like trying to convey hey, super glad you're supporting the podcast, supporting my efforts in Bitcoin, but also like my professional experience, so that's a pretty valuable, could be valuable to your company and this and that. So it's all good, though.

Speaker 2: 12:05

In general, people have been super supportive A lot of people offering a lot of support, passing around my resume, whatever. So it's this exciting time of like I'm not sure what it will look like in a month or two months from now. But you know what I'm going to keep doing my thing. I could be working, continuing to work in nonprofits and doing the podcast, could be just doing the podcast, could be Bitcoin and the podcast. So it's anyone's guess at this point. But try to take one day at a time And, you know, really lucky and really just happy as well, and focusing my energies on the podcast, while I do have the time to focus on it, because that's a blessing too. Usually I'm busy now with the podcast stuff, but it's been really fulfilling to put a lot of time and energy into that and been really, really fun.

Speaker 1: 12:54

Yeah, man, It's definitely a super fun hobby for me. People are so willing to come in and talk to me. Talking about podcasting, I was lucky enough to score Peter McCormack on my 50th episode. He's been definitely very influential for me and putting out and I just respect him a lot in how he's gone about carrying himself in the space and his transparent as he's been. I've noticed that obviously you were on the show. I wanted to ask you about your experience and how that came about.

Speaker 2: 13:26

Yeah, honestly, it was awesome. It really came about. I wrote a couple of articles for Bitcoin magazine, but at the time I think I just had the first one where I was still toying with trying to figure out how do I bridge Bitcoin into my nonprofit work. A lot of my nonprofit work was focused on workforce development programs for youths, so trying to help youth and young adults high school, college, that kind of thing figure out what their next career move is going to be. So we do a lot of financial literacy classes and things like that. So it's like let's tie Bitcoin into that. I was talking with some people and had some people that were willing to actually connect with students, at least virtually right, so it kind of be a part of that. The only challenge with that was whether it was my company or just in general school systems, things like that. They're like oh, it's cool if we talk about it in terms of the blockchain or crypto in general or the industry in general. But for me I didn't want to water down the message of what Bitcoin is, so it just wasn't striking in the way that I was hoping it would. So I kind of backed off of that a little bit and still separated the two worlds.

Speaker 2: 14:30

But one of my articles was on hope for a generation found hopeless, which I still vehemently focus on, and I think Bitcoin is hope. Like I'm a millennial myself And we talked about 2008, great Financial Crisis, 2001, 9-11. These are huge things that shaped my generation And when I focus on that, this next generation, too, is coming into a challenging world in a different way. Right, and we as Bitcoiners know all of these different things about the Fed, inflation, money printing, like how long do we have until the system kind of envelops in on itself, right, and so for me, talking about Bitcoin and its goals for the climate, its goals for better savings, so maybe one day these folks can actually have something that's theirs, because it's really hard, like I'm in New England, i'm a young guy myself it's hard to own real estate, it's hard to do those things in this current environment. Going forward, it's going to be even harder for them. So, just trying to chip away at some of those things in that article.

Speaker 2: 15:34

So, anyway, i had sent that article over to Peter and really honestly just saying, hey, want to know your thoughts on it. I'm trying to write more in the space, just curious what you think, and he's like, oh, this is awesome, do you want to come on the podcast and talk about it? And I was like, sure, great, you know, met with Danny. I will say a shout out to Danny as well, because one thing that Danny does that I don't know is talked about enough is Danny. You know, i think Danny is responsible a large part for kind of screening those guests and talking to people as they go on the show or before they go on the show. He's really good at he's think about all the interviews, he's sat through all the resources, he's read him and Peter both. But you know Danny really digging in and Danny has asked really good and hard questions.

Speaker 2: 16:14

Like you say this, but like, is it really going to, you know, fix the environment Or is it really, you know, and really just asking some good questions? So, still to this day, have I write something or have I thought about something? A lot of times I'll reach out to Danny and be like what are your thoughts? Like send me your criticism not criticism, but just analyzing this, rather than like, oh, awesome job, like that's great, right, because we want to. We want to grow. I want to grow in home, thinking about Bitcoin and writing about it, you know doing whatever. So that was super, super fun and great.

Speaker 2: 16:45

And you know Peter in general is really easy to talk to. You know it's really he talks to. You know what is on his mind is coming out right. That's exactly. You know, what you see is what you get with him, and I was also honored to be able to go to the first I think it was the first what Bitcoin did live event at pub key. Shout out pub key. Anybody has a chance to go to New York. Yeah, up key is awesome.

Speaker 2: 17:09

A lot of Bitcoiners that own and run that bar. They accept Bitcoin and do Bitcoin events, so they had a what Bitcoin did live show done. That was super fun. So, all in all, it's just a great experience and really such a whirlwind as well to listen to it, watch the show forever and then be on. It was super fun and great, honestly.

Speaker 1: 17:27

I imagine so, and you're completely right. You know, danny, i've been following Danny to on Twitter for a while and I've been meaning to reach out to him and I'd love to, i'd love to have him on and talk to him because you know, obviously, yeah, obviously a well resourced person, right?

Speaker 2: 17:40

Yeah, I'd be curious if he accepts. I don't know if he's been. I know he's done a lot of the events kind of with with people and not sure if he does podcasts or not, but hey, yeah you never know. They're busy to their busy, but that. I think absolutely, if you could get him on like, go for it, that would be awesome. A lot of people would do it. He's a smart guy.

Speaker 1: 17:59

Yeah, i'm. I personally I was off a lot in June, burned a lot of my holidays from work, so I was traveling a lot. I've kind of been out of the space a little bit the last few weeks. I'm wondering if you can catch me up. What's what's going on with Coinbase and the SEC? Do you know where we're at with this?

Speaker 2: 18:16

Yeah, you know, what's funny is I plan on having a couple of folks on progressive Bitcoin or to talk a little bit more about this as well. Just that, that regulation in general. So you know, it's been. It's been a cat and mouse chase with Coinbase and the SEC and there's a lot of other folks that I think would have a lot more knowledge on this in general to talk about. I'm definitely interested in it, but there's there's folks that are, that are lawyers, there's folks that are kind of in, you know, breathing this day in and day out, but but I would say that it's. It's a classic cat and mouse chase and I think, 30,000 foot view for me personally, a lot of the SEC and the way they've been operating and again separating myself as a progressive, like I don't even know in general what the view from the left is supposed to be of the SEC like, yes, gary Gensler is technically kind of a, you know, de facto arm of the Biden administration as well, but you know, at the end of the day, me personally, i think Coinbase will probably win a lot of these settlements in court and I think Gary Gensler and the SEC is really fighting a battle they're going to lose right at the end of the day. I'm a bit pointer.

Speaker 2: 19:18

I think Coinbase and a lot of the altcoins, shitcoins, whatever they're running, and a lot of the ways they do business, you know, are things to be concerned about. I will still advocate if you buy an exchange, please learn how to self custody and own your Bitcoin. That's kind of the point is to own your private keys so that you can utilize it and that be your Bitcoin Do. I think Coinbase is one of the worst operators in the space and one of the biggest Ponzi schemes, not necessarily compared to some of the other things we've. We've seen as well, and Prime Trust is another example. Just today, i were there breaking some news with some, some things that came out in terms of funds that they just lost access to right.

Speaker 2: 19:59

So there's always a risk with that right and I think people a need to decide for themselves and, first and foremost, learn about Bitcoin. Try to understand it the best you can. If you don't understand it, reach out to someone on Twitter message of be like hey, can you tell me like how self custody, can you tell me like people are willing to help and assist in this space? just in terms of like showing people the ropes because we want more, more Bitcoin or that's how this thing grows. So don't be afraid to ask and reach out, and there's tons of resources to look up online. But with anything like, try to research for yourself first, because you want to try to understand. Don't not research first and then just Ask or just try to jump into the first thing you see because you're scared the price is going to go up and you're going to miss it or this, and that just Educate. Educate yourself really, really well.

Speaker 2: 20:44

So again, you know coinbase sec. They could be going back and forth on lawsuits for the next year or two years, five years. It seems that coinbase is really dedicated to being probably one of the You know platforms, custodians, companies, them and finance that are Probably going to try to battle as much as possible, even though they're very distinct. So I'll say, in the US context, coinbase is putting a lot of effort Into their legal team to battle for the crypto industry in general. Regulation and this regulation that's very, you know, direct, in some ways of vague and others, and there's all sorts of different personal opinions, even amongst prominent bitcoiners, about Are the rules vague, are they not? You know me personally, i think it's. It's 1 of those things. It's very Politically 10 from the SEC that they want to crush crypto More and more, though, and with grayscale jumping in as well I don't even know how long ago that was at this point, you might have Miss that are just seen it before vacation, but jumping in and saying we're going to put forward a Again people disagree on.

Speaker 2: 21:45

Is it a trust? it is a spot ETF. What are the different rules and things like that, but Grayscale coming in, the biggest actor and a de facto Extension of the government. In some ways, people would say, right, if we kind of tie in the fed markets, money, wall Street, government, black rock coming in and doing this, there's good likelihood it seems that their product whatever you want to call it, this bitcoin ETF will probably move forward. It seems like that's what's going to happen in all likelihood, from A lot of different resources and things that I've read. It seems like that's in general. Now again, they could not, but it seems like that happening and what's getting towards that.

Speaker 2: 22:22

The SEC doesn't have much left in terms of stopping Again. We know they can never stop bitcoin, but I mean in terms of making it a political headache and nightmare for America, for American citizens, for minors in the US, all of that stuff. They're running out of steam with that, but they're running out of credible arguments that would stand up in court And I think that's one thing we see. So when people see headlines, take a step back, take a breath. When you look at anything in finance, like FTX, for example, those court cases will be battled out for like the next decade.

Speaker 2: 22:56

It takes a while in these types of things. I think the same thing with any of these SEC battles you'll slowly see things that trickle out in court decisions Over time, rather than Twitter headlines or this. You know they're suing. Well, they might sue in that moment. It's going to take another one, two years to actually court All of these things, so it's a very frustrating and slow pace. But again, i also respect the people and the folks that say just keep stacking. Like if we believe in Bitcoin and see it for what it is, keep stacking And the rest of the stuff will work itself out. You know they're going to lose this battle for sure Once the court case happens.

Speaker 1: 23:33

My interest is so lost on things like, for instance, i'm part I'm. I've lost some now in block five, not a whole lot, but I had a little bit left in block five. I was able to withdraw most of it before before they stopped withdrawals, but now it's like I don't even. I don't even try following it for me to follow all these details and follow these court cases and lawsuits for for all this time to come. I'd rather just like focus in on what I should be, and that's learning more about Bitcoin. What, what aspects, if any, of Bitcoin are you interested in learning more about?

Speaker 2: 24:08

Oh, that's a great question. You know, consistently all of it. Like my natural disposition in this space, you know I was a. I was a sociology undergrad, like very liberal arts, philosophy, social theory, that's kind of where my brain gravitates towards And while you might see me talk a lot about culture, about people groups in, and Bitcoin is a technology, It's code, but it's also a social political movement, all of these things. So naturally I like to think and explore those things.

Speaker 2: 24:37

But you know, when I first got into Bitcoin, like a few months in again, i didn't really get into Bitcoin until early 2021. And personally, for me it was two things like again millennial, i was working in nonprofits, have like a master's degree and student debt. So for me I was like, ok, i've got some stocks, i've got some retirement. You know, just kind of looking out and then seeing like this stuff is just burning away, like the dollar is burning away, inflation is burning away, like realistically, what am I going to get from these 401Ks and things like that? And seeing Bitcoin as a viable, you know, alternative to some of these things are viable, like I think this is going somewhere. And then seeing that human rights angle really, really hooked it for me. So in general, i'm always interested in trying to push myself more to learn some of the more technical components. So early on, you know, i started running my own node, i would say within the first six months or so, and really, you know, put myself out there, watch YouTube videos, try to figure out how to do this, so run my own node. You know I'm trying to explore more and more lightning channels, like you know, manage and run some myself. But I'd say next, though, for me on a technological aspect, because I'm always kind of looking at, like politics, the markets of it, philosophy, sociology of it For me, other layer two and layer three options.

Speaker 2: 25:54

I always try to like, look into that And I feel like I'm still a bit out of the loop on some of these things. You know I want to explore more, like cashew, like not just lightning. I think lightning is great. I really believe in lightning, want to see it continue to be built out and scaled out and supported and support real investment in it If it gets super needed. But it's not going to be the only peer-to-peer way to exchange Bitcoin in small amounts.

Speaker 2: 26:19

You know, we've seen some other solutions that are coming out And my natural head space, like I'm not a coder, i'm not technical in that way, but trying to push myself to do more of that. Maybe it gets to the point where I do do that a little bit or dabble. You know, chabgbt is making it easier, that's for sure. The technical components layer two, layer three I'm always trying to look and explore more of those things because that's actually like putting Bitcoin to use And I have so much respect for people that are building out those companies. They're five, 10 years from now, they could be our standard MasterCard. You know, whatever it is, that's an aggressive timeline, but crazier things have happened. Like things are happening really fast. Like really fast.

Speaker 1: 27:00

Well, i'm confident that those are, you know, skills needed of the future, right? So it really seems like you're preparing yourself for the future. Man, i want to ask you what outlets and resources are you currently using for buying, selling, if you are hodling those types of things, and learning resources, of course, too?

Speaker 2: 27:22

Yeah, for sure. I mean it's all over the place in terms of resources, like for the longest time. There was some introduction to people that I had through like Peter's podcast. You know what Bitcoin did and jumping through the rabbit hole on different different folks there. Early early on I looked into Alex Gladstein and Willie Woo, who studied on chain data And you know, willie, i think it's taken a step back a little bit from like podcast appearance and things like that, but he's still tweeting, he's still putting out data, things like that.

Speaker 2: 27:52

For me personally, like huge shout out to SAS Mining as well. They're an awesome company that focuses on Bitcoin mining and you can purchase rigs through them and they host them at different sites as well. So it's not necessarily cloud mining Like it's. You own the rig, you purchase the rig and then I get Bitcoin through them in my wallet, you know, basically every 12 days or so. So I'm really stacking through mining. I'm not doing home mining yet. That would be cool. Maybe that's something I look into more when you know, maybe I have a better place suited for it. You know what we'll see. So you know, sas Mining is where I'm getting things from. I even tweeted it today in terms of Lightning wallet, i think Phoenix is doing an awesome job with their where, their Lightning wallet, and you can open Lightning channels from your mobile phone. Like it, you get a self custody in your opening channels on your mobile phone itself. Zeus is awesome. They're Lightning wallet as well, and you can connect it to your own node, so utilizing them in terms of that.

Speaker 2: 28:53

But, in general, i think my biggest thing for people when you're first getting into Bitcoin for me, what I did very I don't even remember where I first purchased from It could have been Coinbase. It could have been something like that. Right, you know there's KYC, no KYC, and I think the ultimate goal and privacy goal is try to get your Bitcoin no KYC, which just means not getting it from an exchange or getting it from a place that has to verify your information or your ID or your contact info. Right, some Bitcoin ATMs still are no KYC. Peer to peer marketplaces Like Bisk is one HODL HODL places like that right. But again, if that's all too overwhelming for you, people will have different opinions on this. Right, if that's too overwhelming for you, don't start there. Right, if you need to, if you, you know you're already on Robinhood, like trading stocks. Right, you have stocks on Robinhood.

Speaker 2: 29:47

You can purchase Bitcoin on Robinhood and you can withdraw from Robinhood. You throw 500 bucks in there by $500 worth of sats in Bitcoin, withdraw it. You can download, like I have an iPhone, so early on I downloaded Moon Wallet and they do you know lightning. They kind of do a swap thing on the back end, but it's it's lightning and Bitcoin address. You can download or withdrawal to your Moon Wallet.

Speaker 2: 30:08

You have a seed phrase. You know 12 words to write down, to memorize whatever, and you own that Bitcoin. Right, i did that in the first couple of weeks of getting into Bitcoin because I've just seen enough about, you know, the whole point of Bitcoin is that I don't have to trust that Bank of America and the government are gonna Do what they're saying that your money's there, like it's numbers on a screen. And I think once people start realizing that it's really cool That I have moon wallet and can have Bitcoin right in there, right, so I'm constantly playing around with lightning wallets, like you. There's probably 10 or 15 on my phone at any given time And I'm playing around with trading sats between using exposing myself to so that I can answer questions like this or even talk to people Like that.

Speaker 2: 30:56

I do multi-sig myself. It's one of the best ways personally to store your, your Bitcoin, and cold storage is Multi-sig and again, just very practically speaking, that's having multiple signing devices that are required to withdraw your Bitcoin. So there's no single point of failure For me personally and it intimidates me a little bit to have a single point of failure In terms of, like one hardware wallet that if you lose those, those words, you know that, that seed phrase, whatever, whatever way you back it up, it's gone and poof right. And again, everyone, there's many different ways to do it. And it's also the competition. I've ideas. We're so early on. There's so many different companies Competing against each other in a healthy way, saying our approach is this, we think our approach is best.

Speaker 2: 31:40

Our approach is this, we think it's the best research for yourself. You know, see what, what fits you best and understand the trade-offs right. For some people, you know one trade-off in one point is Okay for them, right and in a way that makes them feel a bit more comfortable. It's. It's all about that personal preference, right? So this is some of the things that I that I do in terms of Hotelling, spending, but again, spend your sats. Find people you can send sats to buy it back, like, like, sit, but spend your sats, don't just sit on it. Right, you know, spend and I understand, depending on where you're at in the world, the different Tax implications and things like that for that. So again, here's your best judgment not giving financial advice, not saying what you should or shouldn't do, but start playing around that It's fun to use it. It's super fun to use it.

Speaker 1: 32:28

I've certainly, you know, interacted with my my fair share of interactions on on blockchain And Bitcoin. I but, yeah, just like I'm up here in Canada and you know every transaction that we do, every time I sell it, every time I buy something with Bitcoin, you know I have to track that and clean that on taxes if I'm doing that. So, yeah, yeah, me personally, i've just been a hodler, but I mean I could see, you know, obviously, yeah, these payment mechanisms are eventually gonna come on board and there's gonna be a day where I want to, i want to use my Bitcoin like The way we use fiat today.

Speaker 2: 32:59

Right, i say, and if people do that like, that also makes a ton of sense, right, i think that's a reality We need to say as well as, like You know, governments can't stop Bitcoin. But, like in Canada, in the US They can be really difficult to use, right, and they they can't effectively in some ways stop people from using and holding it If they wanted to in the US, i don't think that will stand in in court as they're already back in. Then live it, like I said. But you're right, it can make it challenging if technically, on paper, they're saying it's a taxable event every time you spend bit on it Bitcoin, it's considered a commodity, it's considered property, it's considered, you know, whatever. It's considered in a lot of different countries. So totally also get people that are like I'm just gonna spend because I'm playing this by the book, because I'm not gonna mess around. Totally get that as well.

Speaker 1: 33:46

Have you ever been up to here, to Canada, i?

Speaker 2: 33:48

have. So I. One of my favorite cities in the world is Vancouver. Love Vancouver, montreal as well. You know, being here in New England, that's a little bit closer to me, it's probably like eight hours away Here. So love Canada, absolutely love Canada.

Speaker 1: 34:03

Yeah, awesome. Yeah, i agree. Vancouver's Probably the most ideal place to be in Canada to get the best weather Is there. And is there anything that we haven't talked about in Bitcoin, or or about you, trey, that you'd like to bring up today?

Speaker 2: 34:17

Oh, man, you know it's funny, you know, going to meetups, talking to different people and things like that. Sometimes I'm like, is that a meetup Last Friday? and sometimes I joke with people because we were talking about the ETFs and things and I was like, can we just not talk about Bitcoin for a little bit? Which is funny because obviously I love talking about it, but also there's something about being with Bitcoiners and not necessarily, but no, in terms of, you know, bitcoin, i think we cover a lot of what focusing on right, just trying to pour a lot of time and energy into the progressive Bitcoin or podcast, keep caring for the good work that Mark and a lot of other people Tom Maxwell, who previously produced a lot of the episodes You know keep moving forward the the great work They have been doing the past year and a half And taking that seriously.

Speaker 2: 35:02

So it's been a lot of my time and effort in the space. But no, honestly, i'm really excited, you know, for the next year or so, heading into the next halving you have the name of your show. Of course, it's gonna be really, really interesting and again, like I said, you've been in a longer than me. It's been obviously interesting every step of the way you know, since I got in not that long ago, in early 2021, you know this is gonna be a really interesting Six months a year coming down the road and you'll have a lot to talk about with guests consistently, i think.

Speaker 1: 35:37

For sure, man, in the past we usually see quite the run up afterwards. So I think we're all. We're all excited for that, for for Bitcoiners to be heroes again. I think it's inevitable. Trey any any final comments? words of wisdom? If not, just let us know where we can follow you and learn more.

Speaker 2: 35:54

Yeah, so I'm on Twitter at KTrey Walsh would love for people to reach out on no stir too. I love using no stir but, again, most people are on Twitter at this point, right, so you know I'm on No stir as well. My in pub steps on on Twitter. Progressive Bitcoiner is on Twitter. It's progressive BTC. Are Windows too long to have full name? Trying to kind of get Tpb going as well. You know three letters with the podcast that Twitter handles already taken. So you know, i actually know it was too short. It has to be at least four characters So you could follow the progressive. You know Bitcoin or what the website is, the progressive Bitcoiner comm. Yeah, i'm on Twitter. Dms are open And I'm around. I would say, you know, go to local meetups, connect with the local people and local Bitcoiners in your community If you can, and when the price does run up in US dollars, be careful. Do your research, check out what new companies are popping up. You know, do your research And just stack sats and self custody and you'll be alright. I.

Speaker 1: 37:02

Love it, man. Speaking of Twitter handles, i used to have Brad mines and I changed it at some point and then I couldn't go back because it has admin in it. Adm, i end. So I'm no longer Brad mines on Twitter, i'm bitfire warrior, which is which is the hardware wallet that I use, but thanks again, tray man, i will be in touch worse.

Speaker 2: 37:20

Thanks, tray. All right, sounds good, appreciate it, see you.

Speaker 1: 37:23

Hey you Thanks for listening to the having report podcast. If you like the show and want to support, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform And be sure to leave us a comment. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at having rapport. If you're a Canadian and you want to buy Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency for the first time, get a $20 bonus when you go to bit by dot CA forward slash having. If you want $30 off the ultimate digital Asset security device, bit by, go to having report comm forward slash bit by. For more information until next time on Brad mines.