The Becoming Sovereign Podcast

The year 2025 has been a transformative one for Sovereign. In this special internal roundtable episode, host Brandon Karpeles is joined by the Sovereign "brain trust": Jeff Newman (Chief Revenue Officer) and John Balkam (Chief Marketing Officer).

Together, they reflect on the pivot from a content-focused startup to a full-service Bitcoin business consultancy, and map out the vision for 2026. They break down:

• The Pivot: How Sovereign restructured in 2025 to focus on direct sales and solving real business problems
• Why "Crypto" is a Hard No: The importance of being Bitcoin-only and "firing" customers who want to play with altcoins
• The "Digital Transformation" Analogy: Why adopting Bitcoin today is exactly like adopting the internet in 2000—adapt or die
• The Employee Benefit: How paying employees in Bitcoin (or educating them on it) creates loyalty and protects their purchasing power
• Self-Custody for Businesses: Why you can't rely on banks (remember SVB?) and the practical benefits of instant, 24/7 settlement
• The 2026 Roadmap: Expanding beyond the echo chamber to general industry conferences and helping normal businesses discover Bitcoin
• Outsourced Orange Pilling: How Sovereign acts as the professional Bitcoin consultant for your skeptical family or business partners

This episode is a look under the hood of a Bitcoin company and a call to action for every business owner: The time to get off zero is now.

Connect with the Sovereign TeamWebsite: https://sovreign.ioJeff Newman on X: @btyncJohn Balkam on X: @johnbalkam

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellBitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Want Free Bitcoin Resources?Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with SovreignLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreignX: @sovreignX

Bitcoin has the best engineering in the world, but does it have the best storytelling? In this episode, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Armani Cotton, professional basketball player, former VP at Swan, and founder of Cypherpunk Studio.

Armani argues that "number go up" isn't enough to capture the world—we need to build worlds, culture, and experiences that people want to step into. He breaks down:

• His unique background: From Yale Neuropsychology to Pro Basketball to Bitcoin
• Why he founded Cypherpunk Studio to be the creative partner for serious Bitcoin companies
• The Clutch Sports Story: Teaching financial literacy to the next generation of NBA stars
• How the Cleveland Cavaliers used Bitcoin culture to expand their brand in Brazil
• Why "Convincing" people is weak, but demonstrating "Conviction" is unstoppable (The Michael Saylor effect)
• Why the Silk Road story resonated because of freedom, not drugs
• Why Bitcoin is an "open source game" just like basketball
• How to bridge the gap between "Lanyard Land" conferences and real-world cultural experiences
• Why he follows rules only based on consequences (The NYC mentality)
• The 2026 vision for experiential Bitcoin marketing

This episode is a masterclass on branding, human psychology, and why the next wave of Bitcoin adoption will be driven by culture, not just charts.

Connect with Armani & Cypherpunk StudioEmail: [email protected]Website: https://armanicotton.comLinkedIn: Armani Cotton

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellBitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Want Free Bitcoin Resources?Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with SovreignLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreignX: @sovreignX

Online shopping has become a nightmare of drop-shipped trash, censorship, and endless scrolling through sponsored junk. In this episode, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Eric FJ, founder of Conduit and a key builder in the decentralized marketplace movement on Nostr.

Eric explains why the "Legacy" models of Amazon and Shopify are failing consumers and merchants alike, and how NIP-99 is building a permissionless, high-quality alternative. He breaks down:

• What NIP-99 is and how it acts as "Craigslist with superpowers"
• Why Amazon is a "honeypot" for censorship and low-quality goods
• The concept of "Skin in the Game" for shoppers and why returns culture is unsustainable
• How Conduit and other marketplaces (Plebeian, Shopstr) are achieving interoperability
• Why he refuses to launch products before they are "real"
• The "High Velocity Trash Economy" vs. high-quality sovereign goods (feat. Oshi Butter & Soap Miner)
• Why Nostr provides the social layer that Bitcoin was missing
• The "Judo Strategy": How to align with anti-monopolists and environmentalists instead of just "burning it all down"
• The massive challenge of decentralized logistics and shipping
• Why "Zombie Companies" like OpenAI are being kept alive by the money printer

This episode is a blueprint for how we move from passive consumerism to active, sovereign trade—and why buying better products is the ultimate red pill.

Connect with Eric & ConduitConduit: https://conduit.marketEric on Nostr: [Check Conduit.market for pubkey]

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellBitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Want Free Bitcoin Resources?Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with SovreignLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreignX: @sovreignX

In this episode of The Bitcoin Business Podcast, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Auggie, founder of Ink Blot Farm — a regenerative homesteader producing lamb, pork, lard, honey, deodorant, and other hyper-local goods for Bitcoin.

Auggie’s journey represents the growing movement of farmers and small producers who are using Bitcoin to rebuild local economies, strengthen community food systems, and disconnect from industrial agriculture. What started as a homestead has grown into a fully circular, Bitcoin-powered business serving families across Missouri and a growing network of Bitcoiners nationwide.

They dig into:

• How homesteading naturally aligns with Bitcoin incentives
• Why local producers are choosing sats over dollars
• Building circular economies through meetups and peer-to-peer trade
• Why industrial food has failed consumers and communities
• Creating hyper-local products from regenerative inputs
• The power of community in rural life vs. urban anonymity
• Why Bitcoiners should buy from Bitcoin producers
• The role of Nostr and meetups in growing local economies
• Why open-sourcing recipes makes the entire ecosystem stronger

Auggie’s story is a powerful example of what happens when sovereignty, land stewardship, and Bitcoin come together. If you’re curious about localism, food independence, or how Bitcoin is transforming real-world small businesses, this episode brings all of it home.

Connect with Auggie:

Nostr: @au9913

Ink Blot Farms

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?

The banking industry is waking up to the threat of Bitcoin—and they are fighting back. In this episode, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Marty Bent, founder of TFTC, host of Rabbit Hole Recap, and partner at Ten31, to discuss the state of the media, the "crypto" distraction, and the silent war banks are waging against Bitcoin companies.

Marty shares his journey from a disillusioned finance analyst to building a Bitcoin media empire. He breaks down:

• How he went from unemployed in NYC to launching TFTC and working at Barstool Sports

• The early days of Lightning Network paywalls and why they failed in 2019

• Why the "Crypto" industry is effectively a DDoS attack on Bitcoin’s progress

• The "Eternal September" of explaining why Bitcoin cannot scale on the base layer

• The JP Morgan vs. MicroStrategy theory: Did the bank change margin requirements to hurt Michael Saylor?

• Why banks are terrified of MicroStrategy and Tether offering yield on assets

• Why Bitcoin offers the only "Middle Path" between socialism and fascism

• The moral duty Bitcoiners have to mentor others and delineate from scammers

• Why merchant adoption is an unstoppable "tidal wave" despite the friction

• The ultimate Chicago debate: Portillo’s vs. Mr. Beef

  
  

This episode is a masterclass on navigating the noise of the "crypto" casino, understanding the adversarial thinking of legacy banks, and why fixing the money is the only way to fix the world.

Connect with Marty & TFTCTFTC: https://tftc.io Rabbit Hole Recap: https://tftc.io/podcasts/rabbit-hole-recap Marty on X: https://twitter.com/MartyBent

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellBitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Want Free Bitcoin Resources?Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with SovreignLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreignX: @sovreignX

Bitcoin isn’t just a hedge anymore—it’s becoming a foundational tool for businesses trying to survive inflation, rising costs, and a broken monetary system. In this episode, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Stephen Cole, long-time Bitcoiner, investor, community builder, and now co-founder & CEO of Castle, a Bitcoin treasury platform built specifically for businesses.

Stephen brings decades of experience across Silicon Valley, startups, and Bitcoin. He breaks down:

• How he went from Silicon Valley engineer to Bitcoin educator and venture investor
• Why businesses are suffering under the current monetary system
• Why merchant adoption has been painfully hard for a decade
• Why store of value first is the correct Bitcoin adoption sequence
• How Castle lets businesses automatically convert a percentage of revenue into Bitcoin
• Why small businesses are being crushed—and how Bitcoin levels the playing field
• The connection between Bitcoin, inflation, U.S. manufacturing, and American prosperity
• Why Bitcoin is actually more American than the modern U.S. dollar
• What early Bitcoin adoption looked like in 2013—and why business adoption in 2025 feels the same way
• How companies from restaurants to law firms are already quietly stacking sats through Castle

This episode is a deep, practical, and philosophical discussion about broken money, American industry, long-term business health, and why Bitcoin is rapidly shifting from “weird fringe idea” to “standard treasury practice.”

Castle is building one of the most important tools in the Bitcoin business ecosystem—and Stephen explains exactly why.

Connect with Stephen & Castle

• Castle: https://savewithcastle.com
• Stephen on X: https://twitter.com/sthenc

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?

In this episode of The Bitcoin Business Podcast, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Jason Keil, founder of Polaris Payments and Bitcoin Payments Advisor, to break down the real problems merchants face inside the legacy payments industry.

After 15 years in merchant services, Jason has seen it all — the fraud, the fees, the fax-based chargebacks (yes, still happening in 2025), and the constant stress merchants endure from an industry designed to benefit banks, not business owners.

Jason explains how discovering Bitcoin completely changed his business and personal life. He shifted Polaris onto a full Bitcoin standard, now helping merchants accept Bitcoin for real goods and services, remove chargeback risk, and instantly settle payments without intermediaries.

They dig into:

• Why chargebacks are destroying small businesses
• How inflation, not competition, is the real threat to merchants
• The insanity of banks still requiring fax machines for disputes
• Why Bitcoin is the most conservative financial tool merchants can adopt
• How Jason moved from real estate investing to living fully on Bitcoin
• What business owners are actually looking for when it comes to Bitcoin payments
• How Bitcoin Payments Advisor is helping companies make the transition

Jason’s story highlights why Bitcoin isn’t speculative — it’s survival for the modern small business.

• Connect with Jason on X: https://twitter.com/JasonKeil
• Polaris Payments: https://polarispayments.com
• Bitcoin Payments Advisor: https://bitcoinpaymentsadvisor.com

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?

In this episode of The Bitcoin Business Podcast, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Tyler Stevens, founder of Exergy, a company transforming Bitcoin miners into efficient heating systems for homes and businesses.

Tyler’s journey from Lockheed Martin aerospace engineer to Bitcoin entrepreneur is a testament to how innovation meets sovereignty. After realizing that Bitcoin miners convert nearly 100% of electricity into heat, Tyler began exploring how to reuse that thermal energy — and Exergy was born.

They discuss:

• How Exergy turns Bitcoin miners into smart home heating systems
• Why he walked away from a defense contractor job to build in Bitcoin
• The potential for mining-based radiant floors, boilers, and even water heaters
• How the “Heat Punk Summit” is bringing together the Bitcoin and HVAC worlds
• The vision of a “sovereign smart home” powered by honest money
• How Bitcoin heating can immediately reduce costs for homeowners and businesses

Tyler also shares the practical challenges — from hardware control to building code compliance — and how Exergy is solving them through open-source software and collaboration with tradespeople.

If you’re curious about Bitcoin’s real-world applications or how to turn wasted energy into income, this episode will change how you see mining forever.

• Visit Exergy: https://exergyheat.com
• Follow Tyler on X: https://twitter.com/TylerKStevens

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?

In this episode of The Bitcoin Business Podcast, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Scott Marmoll, founder of Capital B Advisory and former Vice President at Cantor Fitzgerald, to discuss how Bitcoin is transforming corporate finance, debt markets, and the way business owners think about value.

Scott shares his journey from M&A and private equity to launching Capital B Advisory—a Bitcoin-native advisory firm serving businesses ready to build, borrow, and sell on a Bitcoin standard. Together, Brandon and Scott unpack the “hero’s journey” of a Bitcoin business owner—from stacking sats on the balance sheet to leveraging fiat responsibly, and ultimately revaluing their enterprise in hard money terms.

They dig into:

• Why traditional valuation metrics are broken in a Bitcoin world
• How Bitcoin-backed lending could reshape private credit markets
• The risks and rewards of leverage on a Bitcoin standard
• Lessons from the “treasury company” craze and how to avoid it
• The ethical responsibility of Bitcoin financial professionals

Scott also explains why he founded Capital B Advisory to serve founders and operators who want real guidance—not financial alchemy—and how Sovreign and Capital B are helping businesses ethically navigate this next frontier in finance.

If you’re a business owner, investor, or CFO curious about Bitcoin’s role in corporate strategy, this episode is an essential listen.

• Connect with Scott Marmoll: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-m-1720012b7/
• Capital B Advisory: https://capitalbadvisory.com

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?

In this episode of The Bitcoin Business Podcast, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Josh, founder of Sats4Snacks.com, to talk about how he turned a simple idea—freeze-drying fruit—into a fully Bitcoin-native business.

From discovering Bitcoin through Podcasting 2.0 to accepting payments via BTC Pay Server, Josh’s journey represents what it looks like to build a parallel economy where value exchange happens peer-to-peer, without banks or middlemen.

They dig into:

• How Bitcoin changes incentives for small business owners
• Why “fix the money, fix the food” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a strategy
• The role of open-source tools like BTC Pay Server and Nostr in empowering builders
• What it takes to ship, sell, and scale a Bitcoin-only food business
• How Bitcoin restores integrity to food and finance alike

Josh’s story is proof that entrepreneurship on a Bitcoin standard isn’t about speculation—it’s about creating real products, solving real problems, and serving real people.

• Visit Sats 4 Snacks: https://sats4snacks.com
• Follow Josh on Nostr: Sats4Snacks

Bitcoin Well is the leading platform for buying and selling Bitcoin in Canada and the US. With Bitcoin Well Infinite, you can now make large purchases of over $50,000 through their OTC desk. Their white-glove service provides fast transactions with no slippage and the lowest fees in the market. Visit bitcoinwell.com/sovreign to get started today.

Go here: Sovreign.io/resources

Go here: Sovreign.io/contact

Connect with Brandon:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/
• Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with Sovreign

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreign
• X: @sovreignX

Sponsor: Bitcoin WellWant Free Bitcoin Resources?Interested in a free 30-minute consultation to discuss Bitcoin in your business?