Full Episode only on Patreon.com/michaeldecon

An unfiltered, high energy conversation with Dr. Nelva Lee, CEO of the real estate backed crypto project Concrete Build and candidate for Georgia Superintendent of Schools. In this episode, we go beyond surface level talking points and dig into what she sees as a broken education pipeline that leaves too many young Americans in debt, disillusioned, and unprepared for real work.​

We challenge the college “golden ticket” myth, unpack how exploding tuition and easy federal money have created a system where universities build luxury dorms while graduates move back in with their parents, and look at why student loan debt can haunt people for decades with no escape hatch through bankruptcy. Dr. Lee explains how Pell Grants once covered the bulk of college costs but now barely scratch the surface, and why that shift matters for working and middle class families.​

From there, we zoom in on Georgia: Pell Grants, the lottery funded HOPE Scholarship, and why so many students lose critical aid after the first year. Dr. Lee lays out her vision for every high school graduate to walk out with a real, marketable vocational or trade certification so they can be truly workforce ready on day one whether or not they ever step foot on a four year campus.​

The conversation then turns to politics, corruption, and the way America now treats politicians like rock stars. We talk about term limits, the corrosive role of nonstop fundraising, and why so many independent minded Americans feel politically homeless too “right” for the left, too “left” for the right. Dr. Lee argues that more people of integrity need to step up and run, rather than just complain from the sidelines.​

Finally, Dr. Lee shares her powerful personal story: escaping the Noriega dictatorship in Panama as a teenager, losing friends and family to exile and execution, and why that experience as well as a deep military family background, fuels her gratitude for American freedoms and her determination to reform the system from the inside. If you’re skeptical of the highbred machine, jaded by politics, or just curious about bold ideas for fixing education, this episode is for you.​