The Michael Peres Podcast

The Michael Peres Podcast

By Michael PeresBusinessEntrepreneurshipScienceTechnologyNatural Sciences
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The Michael Peres Podcast episodes

  • A Conversation with Goedele Mangelaars

    Michael Peres speaks with Goedele Mangelaars, solo founder of Pink Notebook, an AI-powered trip planning platform designed to make travel planning more visual, collaborative, and actually useful. With a life shaped by constant travel across the U.S. and London, plus experience at Skyscanner, Terra API, and Captify, Goedele brings a sharp perspective on why planning trips still feels more broken than it should.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How growing up across countries shaped Goedele’s relationship with travel and problem-solving
    • What it’s really like building as a solo, female, non-technical founder
    • Why she rejects the “move fast and break things” startup mindset
    • The challenge of building across both U.S. and European markets
    • What most AI travel planners still get wrong, and how Pink Notebook approaches it differently

    26 min
  • A Conversation with Jesse Shrader

    Catching up on another episode with Jesse Shrader – environmental engineer turned Bitcoin infrastructure builder – as he unpacks how building sewer systems unexpectedly prepared him to build financial pipes for the future of money. From wastewater treatment to decentralized liquidity markets, Jesse shares how open-source technology, renewable mining, and the Lightning Network are reshaping what Bitcoin can actually do.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Jesse’s background in environmental engineering led him to co-found Amboss and build infrastructure for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.
    • Why Bitcoin mining isn’t as “dirty” as critics claim—and how renewable energy and stranded power (like hydro in Africa) are part of the story.
    • What makes Bitcoin different from altcoins—and why “the next Bitcoin is Bitcoin.”
    • How the Lightning Network adds speed and privacy without compromising Bitcoin’s 21-million supply and auditability.
    • Whether quantum computing and SHA-256 encryption are real threats—or just headline-grabbing narratives.

    28 min
  • A Conversation with Chip Carter

    Michael Peres sits down with Chip Carter — creator and host of Where the Food Comes From — to explore one of the most fascinating questions of our time: How will we grow food in space? After thousands of farm visits and decades in media, Chip’s journey has taken him from small-town farming roots to standing on a NASA launch pad — and now into conversations about feeding astronauts on the Moon and beyond. Together, they dive into lunar soil experiments, zero-gravity farming, the Artemis program, and what it really takes to grow lettuce where DoorDash doesn’t deliver.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Chip went from wanting to “get out of farming” to telling agriculture’s untold tech stories
    • Why modern farming is powered by robotics, AI, drones, and blockchain
    • How scientists successfully grew plants in actual lunar regolith
    • The challenge of watering crops in zero-gravity
    • Why the Moon is becoming a launch platform for deep space exploration
    • How bio-unit lunar farms could create breathable atmosphere and grow food on the Moon
    • What growing plants in space reveals about life beyond Earth

    35 min
  • A Conversation with Les Johnson

    Catching up with Les Johnson, former Chief Technology Officer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and veteran space technologist with a forty year career in aerospace, as he digs into the real engineering behind interplanetary travel, solar sails, nuclear rockets, and the future of humanity in space. From leading advanced propulsion programs at NASA to writing both hard science and science fiction, Les brings a rare mix of technical depth and big picture perspective.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Les went from a 12 year old kid dreaming of NASA to Chief Technology Officer at Marshall Space Flight Center
    • How solar sails and nuclear thermal rockets really work – and why they may be key to deep space and Mars missions
    • What makes sustaining life on Mars so difficult, especially when it comes to radiation and long term survival
    • How Les thinks about existential risks like AI, nuclear war, and quantum computing as “slow catastrophes” rather than movie style disasters
    • Why he’s skeptical we must have a single “theory of everything” and how his liberal arts background helps him explain complex physics to everyday people

    39 min
  • A Conversation with Markus Levin

    Michael Peres is joined by Markus Levin, co-founder of XYO and a veteran entrepreneur with 15+ years building and scaling tech companies around the world. After mining his first Bitcoin in 2013, Markus became deeply involved in blockchain, data infrastructure, and new business models at the edge of Web3, AI, and robotics. Today, he’s focused on decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) and how they can unlock the next generation of real-world automation.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) could become the missing verification layer robots need to operate safely outside controlled environments
    • Why AI-driven, blockchain-backed sensor networks may be critical for helping robots confirm that what they “see” is actually real
    • How DePIN-based consensus systems could tackle one of robotics’ biggest limitations: filtering, ranking, and challenging unreliable sensory data in dynamic environments
    • Ways decentralized networks can add transparency, resilience, and trust to robot decision-making without relying on a single vendor or cloud provider
    • Why the combination of edge AI, DePIN sensors, and distributed verification might become the foundation for truly scalable, real-world autonomous machines

    35 min
  • A Conversation with Lisa Linkowsky

    Catching up on another episode with Lisa Linkowsky, CEO and founder of Milestone Franchising — as she delivers a refreshingly honest, no-fluff look at what franchising really is (and definitely isn’t). From working full-time while earning her business degree to becoming a multi-unit franchise owner, Lisa shares how franchising found her at a pivotal moment and why realistic expectations are the difference between success and failure.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Lisa transitioned from marketing, project management, and brand ambassadorship into franchising—without ever planning to.
    • Why franchising can offer powerful work-life balance and built-in support, but only for people who can truly follow a system.
    • The real cost-benefit breakdown of franchising, including royalties, control, and what happens when corporate ownership changes.
    • The most common reasons franchises fail—from ego and lack of due diligence to having no real differentiator.
    • Why Lisa believes franchising could be a smart alternative for families facing rising college costs and an AI-disrupted job market.

    18 min
  • A Conversation with Chris Kline

    Michael Peres is joined by Chris Kline — co-founder and COO of Bitcoin IRA — as we dive deep into the evolution of crypto retirement investing, the psychology of Bitcoin adoption, and why long-term thinking may be the most powerful strategy in volatile markets. From launching the world’s first cryptocurrency IRA to overseeing more than $14 billion in assets under custody, Chris shares how alternative assets, tax strategy, and conviction investing intersect in the future of finance.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Chris went from graduating during the 2008 financial crisis to building Bitcoin IRA.
    • Why Bitcoin’s long-term performance and scarcity make it compelling for retirement portfolios.
    • The difference between Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs and how crypto fits into each.
    • How taxes silently erode crypto gains and why tax-advantaged accounts matter.
    • The role institutional adoption, ETFs, and macroeconomics play in Bitcoin’s future.
    • Why the retirement crisis is growing and what individuals can do today to prepare.
    • How AI, blockchain, and digital payments could reshape the global financial system.
    • The psychology behind Bitcoin investing, volatility, and long-term conviction.

    47 min
  • A Conversation with Dr. Nidhi Gupta

    Catching up with Dr. Nidhi Gupta — pediatric endocrinologist turned leading voice in digital wellness — for a conversation that gets real about screen addiction, dopamine, and what it actually takes to reclaim your attention. Dr. Gupta is a bestselling author (Calm the Noise), TEDx speaker, and the founder of the Phreedom Foundation, where she helps families and organizations rebuild healthier relationships with technology.

    We go beyond the usual “limit your screen time” advice and dig into the hidden physical and behavioral consequences she’s seeing in clinic — plus how AI is changing the stakes even further. If you’ve ever looked up after “one quick scroll” and realized 25 minutes disappeared, this episode is for you.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why screen addiction isn’t a kid problem — it’s a human problem (and adults set the blueprint).
    • The “tool vs trap” mindset shift that changes everything about how you use your phone.
    • How dopamine-driven habits connect to serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — and why that matters for motivation and mood.
    • What she’s seeing firsthand in children: sedentary health impacts, cravings, anxiety spirals, and escalating behaviors.
    • How to talk to kids about screens without stigmatizing them — and what to focus on instead of “policing.”
    • Why workplace distraction is the productivity leak nobody wants to talk about — and how attention recovery really works.
    • The surprising way digital wellness changed Dr. Gupta’s food choices (and what cheesecake has to do with it).

    47 min
  • A Conversation with Ayush Jain

    Michael Peres is joined by Ayush Jain, tech entrepreneur, author, and CEO/co-founder of Mindbowser, an award-winning digital transformation services company. With a hands-on approach to building and launching software products, Ayush has helped enterprises across sectors harness applied AI, modern architectures, and practical innovation to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Today, a major focus of his work is using AI to transform how digital health solutions are designed, delivered, and scaled in real clinical environments.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How AI is fundamentally changing the way digital health solutions are built compared to traditional healthcare technology
    • Real-world examples of applied AI driving breakthroughs in remote patient monitoring and diagnostics
    • The biggest challenges startups face when integrating AI into healthcare products, from data privacy to regulatory compliance
    • How AI can help clinicians and healthcare organizations make better, faster decisions without drowning them in noise
    • Frameworks and best practices Ayush and his teams use to build and scale AI-powered healthcare platforms in complex, highly regulated environments

    20 min
  • A Conversation with Moghis Uddin

    Stepping into the future of healthcare with Moghis Uddin – founder of Alethian AI – as he shares how personal tragedy, financial leadership, and frontline pandemic experience led him to build one of the most ambitious AI healthcare platforms on the market today. From managing investment funds to developing a HIPAA-compliant, agentic AI system designed to automate clinical workflows end-to-end, Moghis breaks down how AI is transforming patient care, doctor burnout, and global healthcare accessibility.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How Moghis’ journey from computer science to genetic engineering, finance, and healthcare shaped the vision behind Alethian AI.
    • Why clinical workflow automation can reduce administrative burden, eliminate after-hours charting, and improve patient-doctor interactions.
    • How Alethian AI’s live conversational scribe, agentic HPI intake, and CPT billing support are redefining real-time medical documentation.
    • The three types of burnout doctors face today: click fatigue, talk fatigue, and note fatigue – and how AI can solve them.
    • How AI-driven triage and multilingual healthcare tools could expand access to care in underserved regions worldwide.
    • The ethical and philosophical debate around AI replacing or enhancing human-centered healthcare.
    • Why Moghis believes AI-assisted preventative medicine and autonomous clinical support will reshape the healthcare industry over the next decade.

    24 min

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