Bri Teresi: Crypto, Precious Metals, and Why Financial Sovereignty Matters More Than Ever

Buy Crypto and Precious Metals with Your IRA: https://incomeinsider.org/go-iTrustCapital

Bri Teresi joins IncomeInsider TV for a conversation on crypto, sound money, financial sovereignty, and why controlling your money may matter more than ever in a rapidly changing digital economy.

In this episode, Bri shares how her interest in crypto grew into a broader conviction around self-custody, independence, and personal freedom.

We talk about the deeper meaning behind crypto beyond speculation, including censorship resistance, trust, platform risk, regulation, and the growing desire for more control over your financial life.

We also discuss gold and silver, alternative stores of value, and why more people are beginning to question the systems they’ve always been told to rely on.

In this episode:
• Bri Teresi’s journey into crypto and sound money
• Financial sovereignty and self-custody
• Gold, silver, and alternative assets
• AI, regulation, trust, and control
• The future of money in a digital world

Key takeaways from the interview:
https://incomeinsider.org/bri-teresi-crypto-silver-financial-sovereignty/

Subscribe to Bri Teresi's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@BriTeresi

Follow Bri Teresi on X:
https://x.com/briteresi

Buy Crypto and Precious Metals with iTrustCapital: https://incomeinsider.org/go-iTrustCapital

#BriTeresi #Crypto #BTC #XRP

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Disclosure: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Today on Income Insider TV, we are joined by Bree Theresi, the host of Free the Money, where she explores crypto, finance, and personal liberty. A lot of people first knew Brie, though, from her career as a golf influencer and model. She has since though become a rising voice in the world of sound money, cryptocurrency, and financial freedom. What stands out to me most about Brie is her ability to connect these really big ideas to everyday life, making big picture topics like cryptocurrencies, sovereignty, self-custody, make them feel real and accessible for everyday people. So today, yes, we are going to tackle crypto. We will talk about financial independence. We will talk about the risks of the digital economy and ultimately what it really means to take ownership over your money in 2026 and beyond. As always, a super quick disclaimer before we get started. Everyone's situation is different. Do your homework. If you are considering making changes with your savings, your retirements, your investments, always talk to a qualified financial professional first. Now that that's out of the way, Bree, welcome to Income Insider.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Hi. Hi, Sam. Thank you so much for having me on your show today. It's a pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yes, we are so excited to get to know you. You have had such an interesting career, and you're, you know, you still have a full career ahead of you. So it's going to be really exciting to see what you do next. But for those who are really just getting to know you now and discovering you through this interview, tell us a little bit about how your journey from golf and modeling actually brought you to the world of crypto and sound money and all the things you're passionate about right now.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yeah, so I feel like I have a little bit of a different origin story than a lot of other people in this industry. Um, so I was a model, that was my primary career, and then I, you know, became a golf influencer as well. Golf is a huge passion of mine, but really my story begins when I was a little girl. I come from a great family that really taught me um, you know, the value of sound money. So I grew up actually physically holding real gold and silver and learning about the Federal Reserve, learning about how money has been devalued. And I really owe that to actually my grandfather, who at such a young age kind of instilled these values in me. And he actually used to make me write essays for him on different topics that he would give me. And I remember being a bit annoyed at the time. But then as I got to high school, history really became a passion of mine. And I actually went on to study political science, and I was always really interested in um law and economics. And then I had opportunities to get into modeling and I knew, you know, I wouldn't have that chance again as I became older. So I kind of went for it. And then it's just kind of interesting how it's become almost a full circle moment, how I have been able to really get interested in crypto and actually help educate people online and also educate myself more on my show for the money.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

So it sounds like it was a personal interest for you, starting with your family, your grandfather from a young age, which you don't get to hear often. So that's pretty cool. And then I read that there was a turning point moment for you, it sounds like you were invited to walk in Miami Swim Week at the peak of your modeling career, but you actually chose to go to XRP in Vegas instead. Like, what was going through your head at the time in terms of deciding between that trade-off?

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yeah, so that's pretty interesting. I think I think I tweeted about that. So it wasn't necessarily the peak of my modeling career. Um, but I, you know, I had a very successful modeling career. I had been one of the faces of guest jeans for many years, and that was a really great honor. And I'm so thankful for the company. I would not be where I am today. I wouldn't have the resources to be able to have invested um the way I have been able to if it wasn't for them. But I it came to the point in my life where I realized I had um two, two different paths I could take. It was either uh stay with what was familiar or go towards maybe the direction I was always supposed to go towards. And it was almost like the little girl in me knew I needed to take advantage and kind of almost um jump into the unknown and you know, risk obviously sacrificing part of my career for um pursuing a career in digital assets and education and learning. And I think I made the right choice because this past year I've had a lot of growth, a lot of learning, and it's been really cool just to connect with so many like-minded people.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

And I think you're reaching people at a time where it sounds like you were at that cross crossroads too for yourself. Are you gonna stay with what's comfortable or are you gonna follow your gut and to go into the unknown, which is kind of the shift and moment in time that a lot of our listeners are at? They're ready to make a change, but they're not necessarily sure in what direction to go. And so being able to learn from people like you is so helpful for them during that period of their lives. One more question about your personal life, because you're just such an interesting person, then I swear we'll get into the learnings. Okay. Also, you also said that being in crypto and being so passionate about like financial sovereignty and ownership has affected your dating life. Did I get that right?

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Yeah, it's funny. I I think it really has been. And it's not about the money. Um, and I don't ever want people to think that because it's it's that's just frankly not true. For me, it shows that somebody is aware of what's going on in the world, um, that they're critical of systems and control, and they are earning for independence and sovereignty. And those values are really important to me. Um, especially when I'm looking, you know, of course, I want to get married and start a family, and I want to be with a man that's a leader that's gonna protect his family when times get hard and is not just gonna be a follower. So somebody that is willing to learn and to build and create, like that's really important to me. Um, and we saw a lot of this during COVID. And I don't, I don't need to get all into that, but I'm looking for someone who's a leader that um understands the possible risks of the world we're entering into. Every day, technology is advancing, and with that comes some scary moments. We have people that are building for good, and we have people that are building a digital prison.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

I appreciate you being so upfront about that. I think that's so relatable when we start to really be comfortable with our own original thinking and questioning how society necessarily works and starting to really live a life based on our own values. Sometimes that can be isolating, whether it's in friendships or career opportunities or your dating life. So I appreciate you saying that, you know, it has affected things and you know, you are looking for somebody who has those same values.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yeah, and you know, values are important, and especially these days, if you're not aligned and you don't have that foundation, what are you gonna teach your children? And for me, you know, there's certain ways I want to live, and I think I I'm not going to settle. So hopefully the right man is out there and I will meet him when it's God's time. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

And maybe they're listening right now. Yeah, maybe. So I think I love that you brought it back to your childhood because I want to go back there for a moment. And I appreciate how you said, okay, you got so much from your childhood and the values that your parents and your grandfather passed on to you. So you're starting to think about well, what legacy and and what lessons would you pass on to the next generation? So when you think about what your family really taught you about money, what really still sticks with you today that kind of guides how you think about money now?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah, that's a great question. So I'll just give you a little context. So on my dad's side of the family, they're from Sicily. Um, they came to America in the 1960s. My Nona came by boat, seven months pregnant with twins, because she was scared of airplanes in the pursuit of the American dream. And slowly but surely they accomplished that. They got heavily into real estate. They owned uh many apartments across the Silicon Valley. So at a young age, I understood the importance of obviously sound money, but also of actually owning property and something that's um going to appreciate and not become devalued over time. And I think that really instilled in me the idea of generational wealth. And that's something that, you know, I hope I can uh continue over the decades with good um investments. But I think when you have a solid foundation as a child and you're teaching your children about money at a young age, about the Federal Reserve, you know, like these are really important things that are not taught in schools. And obviously they there's a reason why schools don't teach kids about real economics. Um, they don't teach them about the Austrian economics at all. Um, and I I'm just I really owe that to my family because if it wasn't for my family, I probably wouldn't even be interested in any of these topics, most likely.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yeah, absolutely. My husband and I, we we speak about that all the time. His parents very much talked about money at the dinner table. They would talk about investments, they would talk about philanthropy, they would talk about building a legacy. Whereas my parents, it was more make money and spend money and use money to enjoy life. And both of those things are true and have shaped how we think about money. And now it's our turn to basically be aware of okay, what are the beliefs that our parents had about money that we want to either keep or we want to rewrite as we, you know, build our own legacies as the next generation. So yeah, some parents don't even talk about it at all. And then you find yourself in a situation like really learning from the basics, middle of your career.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Yeah, absolutely. And you know what? One thing I want to point out too is it's never too late to start because a lot of people feel like, oh, they're left behind, and that's just frankly not true. Today you can literally start by making good choices for yourself. And I think that's really important for the world we're entering into. Um, every day we have choices with our money. What money we spend, obviously, how we spend our money, um, opting into things, opting out. So I really encourage people to take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of them and realize that it's not too late. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Are there particularly particular opportunities that you're watching right now that if someone who is really starting out with this, I think a big decision is gold and silver versus crypto. I'd be curious whether you think your background in gold and silver prepared you for the world of crypto. And, you know, what advice would you give to someone in terms of they're just starting out with either of those?

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Yeah, no, absolutely. And there are so many opportunities right now. Um, so I think it's interesting how now the United States has actually classified silver as a critical mineral. And, you know, we're in some, unfortunately, some some hard times with the war. Um, so silver is a vital component, component in national security, obviously, um, economic stability, um, AI, anything tech related. And it's, you know, with data centers, et cetera. So silver is a really important thing to be investing in. I think if you have any extra money, it's it's pretty wise to be buying silver. What I try to do, um, and I actually learned this from Andy Schechtman, he he talks a lot about this, about how his father had him investing every two weeks in um precious metals. And I think that's something that everyone should be living by. If you are able to um take a percentage of your income, if you can afford to do that and you can set aside some money and invest it in silver, I think you will be very grateful in the long run. So I try and do that. Um, and fortunately, there's some really good places to be able to buy silver from. I usually buy from SD Bullion. Um, and that that's great, but there's also a lot of amazing opportunities now with um obviously with AI, um, with the intersection of AI and crypto. So there's a lot of new projects that I think are very promising. Um, I actually just interviewed someone from the Nier Foundation recently, and that's a project I'm I'm really excited about.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Mm-hmm. Okay, amazing. So, precious metals, in particular, silver, is a great place for people to start. Some people actually see crypto and precious metals as completely competing ideas, and it's one or the other, but you talk about how they're often complementary. Can you talk a little bit more about the relationship you see between the two?

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Absolutely. And I I'm actually really surprised there's not a bigger overlap. The only person I really see talking about both to an extent is Andy Scheckman. And I'm I'm gonna give him another shout out. I think he's wonderful. And um, that's Miles Franklin Media, and they have their own uh bullion business, very respected man in the industry, but it makes sense. If if you think of um having like a cap supply or um scarcity, that's precious metals and that's cryptocurrencies. So you would think one is a really good store of value, um, and obviously you can transact with gold and silver. I'm not saying that, but it's more of a store of value, in my opinion, to um create generational wealth and pass those, pass that along over the years. And then cryptocurrencies nowadays they have been kind of like Bitcoin, obviously, is kind of been um marketed as a store of value now as well. But I I totally see that there are huge similarities with um it being neutral, with it um being censorship resistant, and uh obviously having um uh crypto having a cap supplies and gold and silver being scarce. And then another thing I'd like to add on too is we're seeing now um with the rise of the of the BRICS nations and countries ditching um the United States treasuries, these countries don't want our debt anymore. They're they're leaning towards a neutral assets like gold. So I think it just shows like if you are if you're able to afford to buy gold right now, you you also can't go wrong with gold.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

You mentioned that there's not many people talking about the overlap. Why do you think so many people tend to even pit crypto versus precious metals against one another?

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Yeah, no, that's a that's a great question. Um I think people are very tribal, like even within uh cryptocurrency communities, you know, you see people that are Bitcoin maximalists that are XRP maxis and they hate each other and they they they only want to hold one thing. And I I've never understood that. So I think it really goes back to tribalism. Whereas if I see opportunities in many different places, um, I'm going to invest in this in uh and things that I think are going to be successful. So I think there's not just going to be like one thing, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

So it's just human nature. We just like to find differences in each other and make that mean something more than it needs to. Okay, well, uh another part of the internet, and and fairly so, there's been a lot of bad press around crypto. We think about speculation, we hear stories about meme coins, there's getting rich quick schemes. You reject a lot of that framing, right? And you actually think crypto as a utility is actually meant for something much more than just getting rich. So, what can you tell us a little bit about that and how the mainstream kind of conversation tends to miss that point?

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, a lot of people, especially like, because I I'm in South Florida as well, and there's a lot of guys in Miami that were all about meme coins. That was like the only introduction they ever had to crypto, it was just meme coins. And I think it really has been a major distraction, has been really bad for crypto because, you know, obviously some people have gotten very wealthy from meme coins, but at the same time, it has skewed the narrative. And rather than, you know, ditching the banks and removing all middlemen, it now has been about scams, basically. And you know, you're seeing all these rug pools, and I think it it's it's not a good thing. So um unfortunately that's just the world we live in, but hopefully people can realize what crypto was really meant meant for, and we can kind of return to the original ethos of crypto.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah, I think that's a really good point. And I know another piece when it comes to crypto, which is a little bit less intro level, is okay, so you understand that crypto is an asset that you want to hold, you want to invest in, you know that there's utility involved and it's more than just getting rich quickly. But then there's the aspect of self-custody. And I know that's a central issue for you. So for someone who's just starting from zero with this, it kind of like explain the concept in the most simplest way, like the difference between crypto exposure and truly owning your crypto.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Oh, absolutely. That's a really good question. Um, so these days, most people I would say that own crypto. They probably own maybe ETFs of like Bitcoin or whatever cryptocurrencies, or they have crypto on an exchange. And you can go back to the old saying, not your keys, not your coins. Um, this is a foundational principle that cryptocurrency really emphasizes. So you don't have true ownership unless you control your private keys. And when um crypto is on an exchange, you don't control your private keys. I personally use EdgeWallet. I'm a big believer in Edge. I think the app is super user-friendly, and I think that's really, really important. If we don't have a user-friendly, if we don't have user-friendly applications, people are not going to gravitate towards that. People are going to gravitate towards what's easiest. You know, people don't have so much time these days. They're focused on their families, they're focused on providing for their families. Um, so unless things become really simple, the average person is not going to take the time to learn something new.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

And do you think that's the main reason so many people are leaving their assets on exchanges? Is there just a lot of friction and complexity involved in the alternative?

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Yeah, I think so. I think there's a bit of a learning curve. Um, I think a lot of really smart people are working on ways to even get rid of like seed phrases or just make things a lot more simple. Um, and like I said, you know, Edge, I think does a phenomenal job at that. But even I'm hearing talks of like Zcash, for example, doing something with um possibly getting rid of addresses or having alternatives. And I'm not sure. Like I'm not, I'm not necessarily the most technical person, but it it is really interesting some of the things that are being changed on that front. But I think people will always gravitate towards what's easiest. And I think maybe that's that's done by design too. Like obviously, these these platforms have so much control over us and they're able to censor us. It almost seems like it was created like that on purpose.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Hmm. And uh, you mentioned seed phrases, and I think that's such a good point, right? When we're used to digital passwords and password vaults and saving our passwords on our phones and computers and having these like quick ways to log into things, and then you access a world where you have to write it down and not tell anybody and keep it in a secret place in your house. Like that can, as old skill school as that is, and going back to how things were, that can have a lot of red flags for people and make people think, wow, am I doing something really risky and and really dangerous here, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

And you, I mean, you hit the nail on its head. Um it's very intimidating to people. Possibly messing up um your seed phrases, or maybe there's a fire, or maybe you're not storing them in multiple places. Um, in order for something to be very user-friendly, this needs to change entirely. Um, because think of how easy using Zell is, or think of how easy just for the traditional banking system is. Um I think crypto is not far from some of those changes, but I think it still has a little ways to be really granny proof, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Okay. And of course, just being scared and taking the easy rate out, easy route out and leaving our crypto assets on exchanges. What are some of the other big mistakes bigger uh beginners tend to make that we should help advise them to avoid?

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Um there's a there's a lot of hacks on these exchanges. Um and I think a lot of people are not like they're not very cautious with their email even. Maybe they don't have um third-party verification on, or they don't have um, you know, you know, maybe they're they're they're clicking random links when they shouldn't be, and it's not really uh an email from Coinbase and they're getting hacked. So I mean, I hear stories like that all the time. I actually I had somebody kind of close to me hacked recently, an older woman, and you know, she she lost a significant amount of money. And then you have the questions of like, okay, how does this work? Can I can I write this off? But then you even have issues with um, like I had a problem. I had a little bit of money on Voyager a few years ago now, more than that. But you know, I I lost that money when Voyager went down. So it's never safe to have have your money on an exchange, in my opinion, but it kind of goes back to. So the main purpose of this conversation is decentralization is really important. And when you are relying on these websites to protect you, you're really at risk. And you know, I've had my fair shares with some of these uh big tech companies. I remember even like I had money stolen from me on PayPal quite a few years ago because um I got locked out of my account, like they froze my funds. And I think learning that even when I was maybe 20 years old, that that really kind of gave me a wake-up call. Like, I don't want to rely on any of these sites. I want to have full control over my money.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Yeah. And as a content creator, I think I read that you also had some issues over control of your content on social media. I think you had a really large and established Snapchat account deleted overnight. You are waiting on payments from Facebook that have been frozen. So, you know, how has that experience shaped how you think about control and custody and financial sovereignty? Like, are those experiences connected? And is there anything we could learn from what happened with social media and you?

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Yeah, absolutely. You really you connect the dots really well. Like I feel like I haven't even connected all of these. I'm like, oh wow, this is probably the the way I the reason why I am the way I'm not started. Yeah, but so Snapchat, yeah, like I had a um a massive audience on Snapchat, and that made me realize you're almost like renting your content versus owning your content. And that became a pretty monumental like little experience in my life once I realized that that you know you can be terminated at any time. These contracts are constantly changing, the algorithms are changing, you never are really even paying attention to what you're signing when you're kind of giving over your data. I had Aaron Day on my show recently, and he said I can't even remember how many hours a day we would have to spend on just kind of signing away our rights. It was like two hours a day of reading all of these documents that we're we're just carelessly signing and giving everyone our information. But I think when I realized that with Snapchat and these platforms, I've become a lot more cautious. I have thankfully worked out my issues with Meta now. Um I'm really grateful for that because I do um I do really like you know having a nice Facebook page and Instagram. Um, that's really where my career began. So I'm grateful for that.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Well, I'm happy for you too. And it's it's tough too, especially if you believe in these platforms and it's kind of like meeting your favorite celebrity in real life, and then they're mean to you, and you just have no choice but to look at them differently now. And you know, Instagram is an amazing tool, an amazing app. And when you get screwed over by one of these companies, it's just so bittersweet because you're like, I want to be on here, but you're just, you know, you're you're doing me dirty.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And I think it happens every day. And you know, it goes back to cancel culture and censorship. And we're getting we've unfortunately we've given these few companies so much control over our life, and now we're seeing it with AI, you know. Um, open AI will probably be like we'll probably like IPO for a trillion dollars. And it's kind of like a winner-takes all um economy right now with with AI. And fortunately, we do have some projects that are decentralized AI. And I think that's really important that every day we are actively um trying to learn more and we are realizing that we do have a choice. You know, everyone has a choice at the end of the day. And it almost gets into, I don't want to get religious on here, but it almost kind of goes into almost like end of times and realizing that at the end of the day, we all are gonna have a choice to make, whether or not um we kind of want to opt in or opt out. And I feel that more than ever now. And I think a lot of people, people that probably aren't even very religious, are kind of realizing that.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

Well, there's that line between convenience and control, right? We convenience is powerful. We like things that are easy, easy apps, easy platforms. I appreciate that you brought AI into this conversation because I wanted to ask you, is there other ways that we're giving up control without even realizing it?

SPEAKER_00 26:21

Yeah, I would think on all, I think on all these platforms right now, and especially any like centralized AI. Yeah, I mean, in order for them to really, I mean, like think about it. Data is revenue, and the more information they have, the better they are able to know us. But I mean, it's it's very dangerous. In my opinion, it's very dangerous. And I'm, you know, I'm I'm not an expert on on any of this, but even just seeing like some of the new um things the government are trying to do with AI um to quote unquote protect our children. And really, it's like they're trying to parent our children um with trying to like KYC the internet because of AI. So I think it really is a very slippery slope of us giving up a lot, a lot of rights, a lot of our freedoms. Um, so you know, and I I can't predict what's what it's gonna look like in in the next couple of years. I actually, this is kind of interesting. So um I, you know, I'm I'm not a developer of any sorts, but I I know a little bit. And I was talking to someone the other day, and he was talking about how um he was at a hackathon or something, and usually these events are 24 hours. And now this particular event is only two hours. And that just shows how things are moving so quickly, how how um technology is progressing that they are able to have this event now in two hours is crazy to me, but not surprising.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Wow, I know it really makes you wonder what are we gonna do with all that extra time? How are we gonna fill it if if AI fulfills its promise of saving us so much time? What will we do with it? And I think it'll be interesting to see. I appreciate you talking a little bit about that trade-off of convenience and control. Are you someone who's super disciplined in that area, or are there parts of your life where you just consciously choose to give up a little bit of control for convenience? And, you know, what are some examples of that to just help people feel like, okay, you know, there are trade-offs to be made, and sometimes that's a conscious choice.

SPEAKER_00 28:18

Yeah, no, of course. And um, you know, for me, I'm I'm learning. Like I'm like I said, I don't have necessarily like I wasn't necessarily like educated in this. I'm not um a developer or anything. This is just a passion of mine and things that I'm learning every day and trying to better myself. Um, but I would say, yeah, and you you just have to you have to you have to weigh the pros and cons. And you know, it's different for every person. And for me, there's certain things that I'm just willing, I'm not willing to give up my my freedoms on. And maybe, maybe that's a bit um extreme, but I think it's gonna vary from person to person. But I try not to rely on AI too much. I still try and um complete my tasks like I would in the past, but maybe use AI as a tool rather than a crutch, because unfortunately, I think a lot of people, um, especially young, the younger generation is probably like doing all of their homework with Chat GPT and now with ClaudeVot and everything. And I think that's going to lead to a pretty, pretty bad society if we just are not actually learning anything new. Um, and we're just so reliant on AI. But at the same time, like AI can empower a lot of things, it can make people smarter. You're able to accomplish a lot more. So, like I said, it's it's a very gray area.

SPEAKER_01 29:44

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I have a family member who's an assistant principal at a private school in DC, and she was over for lunch yesterday and was telling me that all the students in her school have access to a paid AI tool, and it's very much being promoted in the education system and encouraging students to learn and use it in responsible ways, which I was so surprised by. I think it took me a second to decide for myself do I think that's a good thing or not? And I think it's gonna happen anyway, right? It's kind of like parents who let their kids drink in the basement when they're underage, where it's like, at least it's in my house where I can watch you. It's kind of that same concept of like it's gonna happen. Let's at least do it in a way that we can control and set them up to be as you know safe as possible when using these tools. What is your take on that?

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Yeah, I mean, absolutely. And I mean, I'm from I'm from the Silicon Valley, so I'm around a lot of people that, you know, do have AI companies and are some of like the best minds in the world. And it's really incredible everything that they've been able to create. And I think, like I said before, it it is a blessing and it's amazing that technology is progressing in this way, but it also is quite dangerous when we're giving away so much of our control over to um private companies. And I think that's kind of the world we're going into. It's more private companies that are taking over. Um, but yeah, and it goes back also to parents need to be parents. You should not let the government parent your child. It's the parents' decision whether or not they want their child to be using these tools if you know if they if they don't want them to be using them or if they do. Um, I'm and I I'm a I'm a really big believer in that. That, and I'm not a parent yet. I I would hope I will be one one day, but I I sure am not gonna rely on the government to parent my child.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah. You used the word extreme earlier, so I'm gonna bring it up to one of the visions you have, which is building a parallel economy, right? Using exclusively privacy coins, living off crypto, completely opting out of the traditional system. Do you think that's achievable now for the red regular everyday person?

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Well, you know, I interviewed someone recently, um, Joel from Dash and the Free State Project. And he is such a fascinating person, and he really showed me how that really is possible. Um, the Free State Project is pretty incredible. Um, they've been around for like 12 or 13 years now, and it's kind of like the idea of the network state, but actually taking that idea and turning it into a real community. And I love, I guess, the intersection of these um these tech projects and then also coming together in real life and building communities. I think that's really important. I think that's the route that a lot of people are gonna go down is having like-minded people physically in a community rather than just online. Like for me, I interact with so many people online and I'm always like, oh wow, I love this person, I love their ideas, and I get so excited. But I'm like, we should all be living together so then we can actually create change, and that's really what the Free State Project has done. But there's so many great tools out there today that Joel was talking about. He wrote an amazing article that's actually pinned to his X feed, and it talks about how he's able to totally live off of cryptocurrencies. He's been doing it for many years. And for me, I I use the back to transact daily, and that's where I'm able to, you know, maybe earn money with cryptocurrencies and be able to actually spend that uh via these reloadable uh cards. And that has made my life a lot easier. But I know there's like a lot of cool bill pay um projects out there that you're able to, you know, pay for your utility, your rent, your mortgage. And one of them that he spoke a lot about was called spritz. And it seems like every day there's new things in DeFi. Um Ave is also a great project for um, you know, lending and borrowing. So there are so many alternatives in 2026 if you really do want to live off of crypto.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

I love that you kind of painted a picture of what's possible when we live in really small, aligned physical communities. I mean, I've been exposed to that more in the like hippie worlds of veganism and plant-based and homeschooling and living off the grid. And I spent a lot of time in Costa Rica and I've seen how these people live. And I think one of the coolest parts about living in smaller community is one, you can really just have each other's back and no one can kind of get away with you know being the bad apple in the group. There's a lot more transparency and people just tend to just act better when there's more accountability. And I think the other part is you get to all agree what are the rules, what are the values? You had the example of do we want our children to have access to AI before the age of 10? Like that is a decision your community can make and everyone just agrees. Versus when you opt into a larger system, you lose a lot of those decisions. The first kid in a school that has a cell phone, well, now every kid's gonna need one because you don't want your kid to feel left out. Um, so I I've never heard of it for like that world, the free state. Is that happening right now?

SPEAKER_00 35:10

Yeah, yeah. And there's a lot of these communities being built. Um, there's like entrepreneurial communities. I know there's one in uh St. Kitts in Nevis. I believe it's on the Nevis Island. It's called Destiny, and that's uh like an entrepreneurial uh little town, I guess. And it's pretty cool. I don't know if that's like up and running yet, but it's been in the talks. But the Free State Project has definitely been around for some time. I think also I owe a lot of um this admiration for the way these type of people live because I grew up in a small town and uh, you know, everyone was very liberty-minded. Um and, you know, even though I'm from Northern California, so like I grew up in the Bay Area, but I also grew up in a town called Auburn. And I I grew up with a lot of very conservative people who um had a lot of a lot of the kids were homeschooled, had very good values. Um, they weren't like overly controlling of their children. They kind of let their children experience life and almost like that free-spirited mentality. And I think that's also a big reason why I probably am the way I am, just from growing up with a lot of people like that.

SPEAKER_01 36:22

Well, I mean, I think so much of our childhood shapes our current experience. And it's up to us to just check in and realize that and then decide, okay, are those things I was exposed to or these beliefs that were passed on to me, is that something that actually aligns? And if it isn't, like you said earlier, it's never too late to make a change and to start living more aligned with your values.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

Yeah, I mean, for me, like I I had been invested in crypto for seven years now, but I didn't start really like transacting with it until a couple of years ago. So it's really never too late. And you have so many resources online to where you're able to learn endlessly, you know? And you can probably most people, if you have a question and you just send them a message on X, they're gonna probably answer you. People are very helpful.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

Yeah, that's been my experience as well. You've also talked specifically about wanting more women to feel confident, investing, building financial freedom for themselves. Why, in particular, is that important to you that women have that sense of empowerment? And if you were speaking to one of these women who feel intimidated by the concept of crypto or any of the topics that we've been discussing today, what is your message for that person?

SPEAKER_00 37:41

Yeah, I think start with research. There are, like I said, there's endless resources online to where you're able to learn from a lot of really smart people of tips and tricks so you don't make the same mistakes that they have made. Um, I've made a lot of mistakes. Some of them are quite embarrassing, but I think that's normal for when you are trying anything new. Um, but I think it's really important for women to realize, especially these days, with women obviously working and being also mothers and being able to do it all, I think it's really important to also have some control over your money and not just be reliant on your boyfriend or your husband to invest for you. And there's nothing wrong with that, obviously. If that's what you want, there's nothing wrong with that. But I do think it is quite empowering to be investing your own money and to um, you know, to watch that grow over time or maybe, maybe shrink over time. But I think that it is something important that not so many people encourage. I think it's people push investing more on men. And I understand that because men typically are um the head of the household. They're typically the breadwinners. Although, like, I don't, I don't know if that's if that's still necessarily true in America today, unfortunately. But I think it's really important that women have the confidence um to invest and they're not scared. So I really hope that I'm able to encourage more women to go for it and learn.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

Well, you're absolutely doing that. Do you think that there's anything in particular that would actually move that needle and help women feel more comfortable to join spaces like Web3 and crypto and um even precious metals and investing?

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Yeah. So I did an interview with Anj Angel Puey sort of recently. It's on my channel, and she is just so incredible. Um, she's in web three, and she's just an amazing um, one of my favorite interviews, to be honest. And I think more women looking up to women like that rather than looking up to Kim Kardashian or whoever's popular on TikTok, that's gonna be really positive for our world. And uh, you know, I have um quite younger cousins that are now going off to college and they're really, really smart. And I just encourage them to go into engineering and to take advantage of the opportunities right now. And Angel really says, like they're right now, we have a narrow window of so many opportunities for young women in Web3. So I think just having more women like that would really change the world.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

I love that. Okay, looking ahead, I know it's really hard to predict the future these days. You mentioned how a 24-hour hackathon is now two hours, which is crazy. I also feel like when people used to say five years from now, 10 years from now, we have to really say one year from now at the rate things are changing. So let's just say a year from now, right? What do you think the future of money is looking like? And what about it gives you hope? What about it gives you concern?

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Well, according to the World Economic Forum, you will own nothing and be happy. Uh, I think that's quite telling for the grid that they're they're trying to build. Um, and I'm a big fan of Catherine Austin Fitz. Um, if anyone is really interested in learning more about um this control grid, I would really encourage you to check out any of her interviews. She is a brilliant woman. I would love to meet her one day. Um, but I I think there's definitely a mission that these technocrats are on, and they honestly don't want us having any control. But there's also a lot of good players that are building open source, um, that there's just so many now um new even AI projects, decentralized AI. And I'm I am faithful that these projects will continue to be built and they will be competitive. But I'm also I am a bit weary too, because like I said, at the end of the day, we're going to have to make a choice. And I think the more people that are aware of what's in front of them, that are taking the time to study and learn, they are going to be able to make an educated decision for themselves rather than just doing what everyone else does and going along with the masses. So I think right now, um, you know, centralization and mass surveillance is totally taking over. I think that's pretty obvious. Um, with if you just if you just go on on Twitter, you you'll see something new every day that's going to like really surprise you. But at the end of the day, we vote with our money and we vote with our our our our digital choices. So um I really encourage people to stay informed.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

Absolutely. And we've talked about AI from you know the the threats and concerns of AI, which I think are so real. I think AI can also be such a great tool for us to learn, right? I've heard so many amazing examples of people using Claude and just saying, explain this to me, make it simpler, tell me how I would do this, right? And we we sometimes we can be nervous to reach out to people to learn from on X or people that we look up to and fear that they're not gonna respond to us, or maybe it's not a convenient time. What are your thoughts on using AI to like teach us some of these concepts that we're talking about today? Is there a risk in that?

SPEAKER_00 43:16

Yeah, I mean, absolutely, but I think we have to be conscious of like what AIs we're using. Um, so I the other day I interviewed um someone from the NIR Foundation, and I'm going to be talking to someone um from NIR AI about just privacy and decentralization. That's more of like that's like a decentralized AI. So there are competitors, but right now when we are using centralized AI, um, I and like I'm guilty of of using you know ChatGPT and stuff, but I I do think we are giving up a lot of data and privacy. And I think it possibly will lead to like digital ID, um, probably. Within the next year, I wouldn't be surprised.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

Scary. Okay. Good advice. All right. As we no, I was gonna say as we uh wrap this up, I have some rapid fire questions for you to just snap off. You ready? Yeah. Okay. One crypto trend that is totally overhyped right now.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

I mean, uh meme coins, maybe if meme coins are still relevant.

SPEAKER_01 44:28

Okay, one that is being ignored.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

Xeno.

SPEAKER_01 44:32

Check out Xeno and Confidential Air. Okay, Xeno Confidential Air. One thing the government could do tomorrow that would actually help us with some of the things that we've been discussing today. And the Fed. And the Fed. And one habit of yours that keeps you clear-headed in all this noise and all this chaos and all this opportunity. How do you stay grounded in your values and it all?

SPEAKER_00 44:56

Trying to read the Bible daily. It's hard, but it's worth it. You I always feel better if I do.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

Okay. I love that you have that practice and it just has been so helpful for you. So as we end this, there could still be people watching and listening who are like, yes, Brie, I agree with your message, but I haven't taken any action yet and I still don't know where to start. We talked a little bit about starting with silver. We talked a little bit about learning from people online. What are some practical steps that someone can take this year to become specifically more financially sovereign?

SPEAKER_00 45:31

Yeah, I would, you know, start buying cryptocurrencies. I think that's really important. Look into whatever cryptocurrencies you are interested in. I think right now privacy coins are really, really important. That's kind of, it seems like the world we're like we're entering into. We're gonna need privacy. So I think um buying privacy coins, I really love Zeno, like I mentioned before. Um, Zcash and Monero, if you guys want to check out those. And I think you can't go wrong with buying some silver. And there's, you know, go to a reputable, reputable dealer, of course. Um, I personally use SD Bullion. I think they're amazing. And then also, too, and I advertise um for iTrust Capital, and I think they're great. Like if you guys have an IRA and you're looking at um, you know, having crypto or gold exposure, but you really aren't for um self-custody, you you want to go with like a reputable company, iTrust Capital is great. Um, I'm a big believer in them. I've been using them since I think 2020 or 2021, and I've had a great experience with them.

SPEAKER_01 46:33

Amazing. Okay, Brie, well, we appreciate you being here. You've broken it down in a way that regular, everyday people like me, we can actually understand. And it sounds like you have some amazing interviews coming up on your show soon. So we'll make sure to include links to free the money. And for everybody who's watching, if you did find this one helpful, please hit like, subscribe, and of course, we'll see you in the next episode. Bye. Thank you so much.