Eavesdrop LIVE Podcast

Kevin and Yana have a 1:1 every week. Somebody forgot to make it private. Again.

This week started with both of us convinced it was Thursday. It was Tuesday. Kevin was proud he at least got the first letter right. Yana was ready to throw in the white towel by minute two. Things only got more dramatic from there.

What you’ll overhear:

Europe is on fire, and the elites have tickets. The French are rioting again, but this time Yana thinks it’s not theater. Meanwhile Macron is dancing at a Céline Dion concert. In fairness, the tickets were non-refundable. What was he supposed to do?

The 4% tea tax. Americans once fought a revolution over 4% on tea. Europeans now pay 60% income tax plus 24% VAT and respond with “OK, cool.” Today’s version of revolution would be a Lipton logo with a line through it in your Instagram bio. Brave.

Sanctions package number 67. This is the one that will finally break down the Russian economy. Or so they hope.

Pareto was not a math guy. Turns out the 80/20 rule comes from a sociologist who thought 80% of people are followers. He didn’t say “NPCs”, but he meant it.

Kevin vs. the condo board. 22 yes or no votes. 6 hours. 3 votes done. One neighbor’s cousin Marshall had feelings about parking. Kevin grabbed the mic. Nobody cares what Greta in 7B thinks, and if they say they do, they’re lying to your face.

Why Yana doesn’t work with big banks: “By the time they decide to hire me, I already hate them.”

The black coffee cup story. Kevin gives a friend advice. The friend ignores it, then follows it, then explains it back to Kevin as his own genius idea a month later. Every consultant alive just felt that.

How to kill your darlings. When do you quit a project, and when are you giving up too soon? Fail fast, don’t marry the idea, and pivoting isn’t quitting. Also: two years, a €37 workshop, one Thanksgiving in Costa Rica, and €12,000 in three days.

The stretch goal. Why we both do what we do: people should own their money, and no bank, regulator or passport office should get a vote.

We were an hour and four minutes in before either of us noticed. Sorry to whoever had the next call.

Your turn: what’s the hardest thing you ever killed? Or the thing you should have killed six months ago and still haven’t? Tell us in the comments. We’re eavesdropping.

Kevin and Yana have a 1:1 every week. Somebody forgot to make it private. Again.

This week started with both of us convinced it was Thursday. It was Tuesday. Kevin was proud he at least got the first letter right. Yana was ready to throw in the white towel by minute two. Things only got more dramatic from there.

What you’ll overhear:

Europe is on fire, and the elites have tickets. The French are rioting again, but this time Yana thinks it’s not theater. Meanwhile Macron is dancing at a Céline Dion concert. In fairness, the tickets were non-refundable. What was he supposed to do?

The 4% tea tax. Americans once fought a revolution over 4% on tea. Europeans now pay 60% income tax plus 24% VAT and respond with “OK, cool.” Today’s version of revolution would be a Lipton logo with a line through it in your Instagram bio. Brave.

Sanctions package number 67. This is the one that will finally break down the Russian economy. Or so they hope.

Pareto was not a math guy. Turns out the 80/20 rule comes from a sociologist who thought 80% of people are followers. He didn’t say “NPCs”, but he meant it.

Kevin vs. the condo board. 22 yes or no votes. 6 hours. 3 votes done. One neighbor’s cousin Marshall had feelings about parking. Kevin grabbed the mic. Nobody cares what Greta in 7B thinks, and if they say they do, they’re lying to your face.

Why Yana doesn’t work with big banks: “By the time they decide to hire me, I already hate them.”

The black coffee cup story. Kevin gives a friend advice. The friend ignores it, then follows it, then explains it back to Kevin as his own genius idea a month later. Every consultant alive just felt that.

How to kill your darlings. When do you quit a project, and when are you giving up too soon? Fail fast, don’t marry the idea, and pivoting isn’t quitting. Also: two years, a €37 workshop, one Thanksgiving in Costa Rica, and €12,000 in three days.

The stretch goal. Why we both do what we do: people should own their money, and no bank, regulator or passport office should get a vote.

We were an hour and four minutes in before either of us noticed. Sorry to whoever had the next call.

Your turn: what’s the hardest thing you ever killed? Or the thing you should have killed six months ago and still haven’t? Tell us in the comments. We’re eavesdropping.

I'm excited to explore the psychology of second chances, why we're so skeptical when people change their minds, and if public opinion ever actually reflects personal beliefs. We'll discuss Mark Zuckerberg's apparent about-face on censorship, corporate flip-flops on diversity programs and the underlying forces behind those reversals. We'll also cover the concept of preference falsification and why people often say one thing publicly and believe something entirely different privately. Then we'll get into meme coins, the risks of hype-driven investing and why some tokens are just digital gambling dressed up as innovation. Finally we'll talk about risk assessment, and I'll share a weird tidbit about how martial arts training may have influenced some of the biggest business leaders today.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

• [00:57] Today I'm going to talk about second chances and why I'm very skeptical about giving people chances.
• [01:24] Recently, a lot of people have been changing their minds. Mark Zuckerberg has changed his mind on censorship.
• [02:50] For many people, public opinion and private opinion are not the same.
• [04:14] Social change happens when other people see people saying their private opinion out loud. Preference falsification is where people might falsify their public opinion for the sake of being accepted.
• [06:01] Dana White was having a conversation with Tucker Carlson about how he was invited to be a board member for Facebook.
• [07:31] He was invited to be a countering voice and will share his opinion if he feels the compass is off.
• [10:00] People rarely change and usually go back to their true self.
• [11:08] A meme coin launched by an African country to collect funds to support their government initiatives.  After people bought it the price dropped close to 100x.
• [12:48] A meme coin is like a token that represents an initiative that clearly states what they're going to do with the funds. A classic example of this is Dogecoin.
• [14:27] They may not necessarily be illegal, but there's a lot of incentive to manipulate it.
• [15:42] Risk and what it means to be skeptical or risk averse. Less is more when it comes to risk assessment. Identify the risk and how you're going to address them.
• [18:51] Seeing risk everywhere and trying to disclose everything that could go wrong is not necessarily being responsible.

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• Follow My Vlog on LinkedIn

• Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification

• How Self-Censorship Works: Preference Falsification Explained | Marc Andreessen And Lex Fridman

• Dana White: Joining the Board at Meta, the Bryce Mitchell Controversy, and His Friendship With Trump

I'm excited to dive into the Deepseek hype, the Chinese AI startup that claims to have a model as good as ChatGPT for a fraction of the cost. We'll talk about what that means for the future of AI, national AI models and censorship, and why every country will soon have its own "filtered" version. Then we'll switch gears to Piers Morgan and Tucker Carlson's fascinating exchange, unpacking the art of debate and intellectual sparring. We'll also look at Saudi Arabia's plan to reshape sports by buying up global superstars and creating role models for future generations. And for those who love power and influence, I have a must-listen for you: Candace Owens' latest series on Emmanuel Macron.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

[00:41] Let's talk about the most important conversations that happened over the last 7 days.

[01:02] Deepseek is a Chinese startup that developed an AI model. 

[02:07] The stock market goes up and down. Is deepseek a big deal?

[03:03] If something is prohibited, greedy players always find a way to make a profit out of it.

[04:02] New models being introduced is expected. The deepseek model also has censorship.

[05:05] It might end up where every country or region will have their own AI model with biased suggestions based on their priorities.

[06:02] I talk about the main reason why aliens should exist. Naive humans can't be it.

[07:02] Tucker Carlson's and Piers Morgan's conversation in Riyadh. They pressed each other using sophisticated challenges. It was an amazing language battle.

[08:01] People should approach disagreements in this way.

[09:11] Another great conversation that Piers Morgan had was with a Saudi Prince. It was about how sports events shouldn't have anything to do with politics.

[10:56] The Saudis are trying to attract athletic role models for the future of their children.

[12:54] Back to conspiracy corners. I love Candice Owens. She can be controversial with some of her deep dives. 

[13:48] Her next series about the history of Emmanuel Macron and his wife is super fascinating.

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• deepseek

• Tucker & Piers Morgan Debate Foreign Aid, Hate Speech, NATO, Gun Control, & Is Zelensky a Dictator?

• Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz on Ronaldo, Salah, Trump & World Cup

• Becoming Brigitte: Gaslighting The Public | Ep 1

I'm excited to share news about a new series from Darryl Cooper, host of the Martyr Made Podcast. His latest series is all about World War II, told from the perspective of ordinary Germans. It's a fascinating look at how ideologies take hold and change societies. We'll use that as a springboard to talk about how we receive and accept compliments, then dive into the software industrial complex and how it creates unnecessary dependencies. Finally we'll look at how AI is going to simplify those systems and change industries. It's a wild ride through history, human behavior and innovation.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

[00:40] Podcaster Darryl Cooper is back with a new series on World War II from the perspective of ordinary Germans. 

[01:30] Darryl makes very well researched long-form podcasts on historical topics. 

[02:50] It's important to understand the nuance and what happens when ideology and narrative can dominate a nation and drive certain behaviors.

[03:36] He never takes sides and does extensive research with thousands of sources.

[04:40] I like the idea of why this conversation is important.

[06:28] I share a new perspective on receiving compliments. 

[08:20] How women sometimes try to minimize their compliments.

[09:01] How the software industrial complex has been creating unnecessary jobs within many industries and how AI is going to put these software specific rules out of business. This was a recent topic on the All-In Podcast.

[09:37] These big companies have created software that is very complex to operate and requires a specialist. 

[10:57] The main users of these tools and software were people who graduated from MBA schools. People who could analyze and collate data were necessary.

[13:13] If something can be done with AI, we won't need these people with MBAs to compile all of the data.

[14:40] Tool providers have been trying to make their tools stickier and harder to replace.

[15:19] People with training and certifications in these complex tools would almost become like a free sales force for the product.

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• The Martyr Made Podcast - Darryl Cooper

• All-In Podcast

If you've ever wondered how disruption leads to new beginnings, this episode is for you. I'm diving into the cycles of history, from tearing down the old to building the new and how understanding those patterns can give you hope. We'll look at The Fourth Turning Theory, the evolution of institutions and why change is a superpower for growth. Along the way I'll share personal stories, risk and resilience insights and even a bit of Greek mythology to tie it all together. Get ready to see the bigger picture and learn how to navigate the "winter" we're in and prepare for the "spring" ahead.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

[01:48] History goes through cycles. Every cycle repeats in about 80 to 100 years. These cycles consist of four phases: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Currently, we are in winter.

[02:53] Things we can expect as this cycle continues. We can expect further dismantling and disruption of old institutions and old forms of control over territory.

[03:35] History doesn't like inefficiencies and friction.

[04:32] We can also expect changes in forms of money.

[05:14] I like the idea of being close to something new and a fresh start.

[07:00] Last week, I was optimistic after Mark Zuckerberg made a speech admitting that Facebook, Meta, and WhatsApp were censoring posts. These companies are now going to allow more free content.

[08:32] He probably senses this is going to be the new norm.

[09:59] I've been following Danielle Paige. She recently moved from Florida to Los Angeles, and her house burned down. 

[10:38] She had just moved and invested in this new home.

[12:15] She's lost so much, but she still has a personal brand, followers, and tremendous resiliency. She has the resources to make a lot of money.

[14:17] When things happen, it feels like we've lost a lot but in reality our potential still isn't impacted.

[15:34] I was also listening to the PBD Podcast and a former CIA agent was the guest. He was talking about how we take less risks as individuals and more as a group.

[17:43] I share a conversation I had with my youngest about Greek mythology and resonating with our favorite characters.

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

• Danielle Paige

If understanding history feels like an abstract puzzle, it's time to see the patterns. In this episode I'm going into the concept of cycles and seasons, how history, businesses and our personal lives follow predictable patterns. We'll cover the lessons from The Fourth Turning, generational values, and why knowing these cycles reduces anxiety and uncertainty. You'll also hear about the current "winter" of society, what it means for businesses and individuals and how to prepare for the "spring" that's coming. I also discuss the practical power of pattern recognition to get a clearer view of the world.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

[00:52] There have been so many events happening. Welcome to 2025!

[02:35] I started researching how all of these events are somehow connected. I'm going to do a series of podcasts about cycles or seasons or what we would call pattern recognition. History, human life, and business is cyclical.

[03:17] Understanding patterns and the phase that we are in removes anxiety.

[04:13] Luigi Mangione grew up in a wealthy family and was very successful in school. He suddenly disconnected from everything and then killed the insurance CEO.

[05:05] We learned that Luigi hated capitalism and felt like life wasn't fair.

[06:08] He was born into wealth and never needed money or went through difficulties. He never learned resiliency. He just jumped from a happy childhood into college where everyone is a victim. He skipped several necessary development phases that adults normally go through.

[07:34] According to Tony Robbins, to mature and become an adult people have to go through certain phases.

[09:12] Elon and Vivek are arguing that H1-B Visas are needed to attract talent and people with strong work ethics.

[10:59] People and the companies should have a right to choose where they work and who they hire.

[11:53] Humans and history go through cycles. For simplicity's sake, we'll call it spring, summer, fall, and winter.

[12:05] Spring is when everyone is optimistic and there's a lot of ideas. Summer is the testing time. Fall is where you reap the rewards and benefits. Winter is when there is crisis and conflict.

[14:36] Humans also have these cycles.

[15:25] Gen X is practical and financially motivated.

[16:43] Millennials are the generation of heroes and they are very value and community-oriented.

[17:26] Gen Z are the kids who are protected from the crisis. They are kind, caring, and nuanced.

[18:14] You can't expect generational values to change quickly.

[19:52] Elon and Vivek are very meritocracy-oriented and very much for results and achievements.

[20:08] Traditional European politicians defend different values. Institutions and social consensus are important. These values don't correlate with the cycle we are in.

[21:30] We are currently in the winter cycle. This is the time of ending so new things can grow up.

[23:10] Think about where you are in your life in terms of your season.

[24:11] Why do we need winter? Why do we need a crisis?

[25:03] Winter forces us to change because otherwise we wouldn't. We are almost at the end of this winter cycle and there are signs that spring is just around the corner.

[26:01] Pattern recognition and cycles can also be applied for businesses and for regulations and industries.

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

• "Why Luigi Mangione Snapped" - Tony Robbins EXPLAINS The Psychology Behind UnitedHealthcare Murder

If compliance feels like a roadblock, it's time to flip the script. I had a live webinar last week about how to turn compliance into a growth driver. We have covered how to measure success, align with business goals and prove compliance's value as well as. smart resource management, big picture problems, and knowing when to take calculated risks. You will also get practical tips on prioritizing, tracking what matters and making the business case for compliance initiatives through ROI.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.

Today's episode:

[01:40] Framework to help you understand how this year measures up in terms of impact, accomplishments, and helping your business.

[04:17] Why some compliance professionals have a resistance to numbers and money.

[06:40] Management is often more interested in growth, sales, revenues, or something other than just checking off the boxes.

[08:23] We're going to have a conversation about how to assess the results of your compliance function, risk function, or governance function in a more objective way.

[11:10] What really defines your success is your ability to make the right decisions at the right time and communicate that to stakeholders.

[13:32] Explain why getting what you need to do your job will be beneficial for the company. Communication and diplomacy.

[16:07] When I talk about compliance I mean things like risk, governance, and regulatory time.

[18:01] 1. Make sure you're using your time correctly.

[19:23] Examples of how to ask for money and resources. Explain how these additional resources will benefit the company.

[24:30] 2. Stop managing compliance as a cost center and view it as a revenue center.

[26:13] 3. The way we value information has changed. Position yourself as someone who will share information and make recommendations.

[32:58] Make the best decision you can for the company today based on your experience. How not being in on the final decision can empower you and take away fear.

[40:01] Compliance performance. Being busy doesn't mean results. Objectively decide by starting at point zero. 

[42:05] Results are created by solving bigger problems.

[44:14] Don't prepare for future projects too early and complicate current decisions.

[47:44] How we can take more risks and solve bigger problems.

[49:09] Understand why this year was good or bad, and it will help you discover where to focus best.

[52:06] We want compliance to contribute to business growth with quantifiable metrics. How to set priorities and ROI.

[55:26] A framework to help you decide where to focus. The huge impact of compliance decisions around checks and automation.

[57:59] Linchpin redundancy is a bottleneck, because everything needs to be approved by someone.

[59:06] Every compliance metric needs to be linked to more customers, money, saving costs, saving time, or bringing efficiencies.

[01:00:39] A quick formula to link performance to the company's goals.

[01:08:43] Reasons not to worry about reputational impact.

[01:11:57] If you're wondering how to take this framework to the next level. I have a training program and an online certification available. 

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

• Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change That Will Level Up Your Business

This is the time of year for reflection, so in this episode, I share my theory on why achieving success for some people is so much easier than it is for others, why a high success-effort ratio isn't always ideal, and some simple practices that you can incorporate into your life to start feeling more successful! 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:39] An overview of today's topic. 

[01:50] Two different roads that lead to success. 

[02:12] The facet of my life with a high success-effort ratio. 

[03:43] Understanding simulation theory. 

[05:39] My theory about why success is so hard to achieve in some areas and so easy in others. 

[07:06] Real-world examples of how life provides people with the challenges they need to grow. 

[14:57] Two reasons why you may be feeling unsuccessful in certain areas of your life. 

[15:40] Downsides of a high success-effort ratio. 

[17:14] The importance of deeply exploring your pain points. 

[18:44] The value of writing down your accomplishments. 

[19:11] What I am proud of achieving in 2024. 

[21:20] Valuable lessons you will learn in the free workshop I am holding on December 18th. 

Show links:

• Join my free workshop focused on building a successful year here!

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on regulation and deregulation in the crypto space and my predictions for how the different approaches adopted by Europe and America will impact people and businesses in these regions.  

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:39] An overview of today's topic. 

[01:24] The alleged goals of Trump's DOGE initiative. 

[02:41] An important discovery I made while managing the downsizing of a business. 

[04:03] Elon Musk's comparison between government agencies and sports matches. 

[05:25] How Javier Milei's policies have benefited the Argentinian economy. 

[08:09] The way Europeans measure success.

[09:22] How Europe's approach to regulation is disadvantageous to the continent. 

[10:38] Exploring what is going on with USDT. 

[12:25] The justification that is used for crypto regulation in Europe. 

[13:26] Consequences of the increased rules and regulations relating to crypto. 

[14:15] My prediction for the future of regulation in Europe and the US and the impacts different approaches will have on businesses. 

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!

• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.