Discussing Bitcoin Across Generations with Ella

In this episode, Tali concludes her chat with Ella, a Gen Z Bitcoin enthusiast.

• Relatability: Remember to tailor your Bitcoin conversations to resonate with different age groups.
• Bitcoin's Values: Beyond its monetary aspect, Bitcoin cultivates trust, empathy, and humility.
• Community Involvement: Ella endeavors to raise Bitcoin awareness at Cornell.
• Historical Analogies: Fascinating parallels between Bitcoin's timeline and the Protestant Reformation.

Ella's passion and conviction shine through, making this a must-listen for Bitcoin enthusiasts and skeptics.

Special Mention: Orange Hatter Women's Reading Club – a space to delve deeper into the world of Bitcoin. https://www.meetup.com/womensbitcoinreadingclubwithorangehatter

Please email questions/comments to Tali@orangehatter.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Market Kids Short

Get your HODL UP ("The best bitcoin game ever!") at www.freemarketkids.com.

Hi everybody, welcome to Orange Hatter.

Today you're listening to part five of my conversation with Ella.

When you try to talk to people in general about Bitcoin, you, you mentioned

that you're mostly talking to people of your own age, um, Gen Z students.

Have you had experience trying to explain Bitcoin or even

trying to talk about Bitcoin with people outside that age group?

And what is your experience with, uh, those people?

Yes, absolutely.

Actually, just the other day, Uber...

like if I'm in an Uber, normally, sometimes we talk about Bitcoin.

But the other day I think I was, maybe it was on the bus or somewhere,

um, but this woman was maybe 30.

She's from Venezuela, and so we were just talking about Bitcoin.

Again, with the mindset of the university guide, just whatever I think their

interest is, their hook might be, that's where maybe I try to come at it from.

My grandparents...

so yes, it's predominantly Gen Z, but you know, I still talk to other

people of different ages and you just have to make it easy for people.

You just have to try to speak in a language that they might

understand, or from a viewpoint that might resonate with them.

So for instance, the woman from Venezuela.

I more emphasized the fact that with Bitcoin, you can walk anywhere in

the world with all of your wealth in your head because of 12 words.

So that was more powerful for her than maybe the energy narrative of Bitcoin.

So just try to guess, and then the conversation just goes where it goes.

That is so true.

I think that's, that's something that we can all try to remember when we talk to

people about Bitcoin, because we're so excited about it and we just want to fire

hose them with all the amazing properties of Bitcoin and the benefits and, and we

forget that the other person might have already drifted off somewhere because they

can't relate to what you're saying at all.

So rule number one, relate to them first.

Yeah.

It's not about me, it's about them.

And you know, I'm just trying to just be of service to them

and provide value to them.

Yeah.

So you have two more years at Cornell, and you're trying to get your major approved.

Do you have any other, uh, major projects that you can, um, share with

us that you want to make happen over the next two years before you graduate?

So I guess I have the Stats Chat, I have the major, Gen B...

those take up a lot of time.

But then on campus, I am a part, we don't have a Bitcoin club, but we have

a really well established blockchain club that's called Cornell Blockchain.

The people in it are, they're really amazing.

It's, I've been very grateful to know them and be a part of it.

But I'm also really trying to orange pill them and be that Bitcoin voice,

because, you know, people, freshmen, sophomore, when you're first looking

for clubs on campus and you, if you wanna know about Bitcoin or

blockchain, you'll probably go there.

And so within that, I'm really just trying to make Bitcoin have more of a presence.

It's very blockchain focused, which is, as the name would imply, Cornell has

had a very close history with Avalanche, which is another crypto out there.

And so I teach, or I'm a TA for one of our courses, Intro to Blockchain.

I'm also in charge of the new member education.

And so I'm, like I said, really trying to give Bitcoin a place

there and really emphasize it there.

So I'd say that's another large project that I'm focused on there as well.

So it sounds like you're absolutely committed to Bitcoin with

your whole, your whole life, like your...

not your whole life, but, like, you're so committed to Bitcoin.

That conviction is so deep and you can hear it literally in every

word that comes out of your mouth.

So my question for you is, from 2021, when you first started looking at just

cryptocurrencies in general to, to now, 2023, it's only been two years.

That conviction is so deep, and I just wonder if you can tell us the emotional

journey that you went through, not necessarily the learning part of it,

but just sort of the emotional journey.

So I think it goes back just again to the values thing.

You know, if you just look at...

i, I mean, I'm at the start of my career, I'm at the start of my, I guess, adult

life, and it's just self-reflection on who's the person that I wanna

be, how do I wanna spend my time?

What do I wanna accomplish in my life?

And I, you know, I just wanna be a good human.

I just wanna wake up each day and have my "why" for, you know,

why am I getting out of bed?..

is just do something for someone else.

My freshman year of college, I spent it pretty much entirely

online from home by myself.

And for the first, the fall of that, I just didn't feel like myself.

And until Halloween, I couldn't figure out why.

And it's because every single day I was waking up to serve myself.

I wasn't...

I lived in a really, kind of small place, and I wasn't opening the door for someone.

I wasn't making my roommate, you know, lunch or just anything for any...

wasn't walking a neighbor's dog.

And then Halloween came.

And then I was like, oh yes, I can buy Halloween candy for trick or treaters.

And that was the first day where I felt like, oh, you know,

I, I feel more like myself.

So, very small example, but Bitcoin, and this is a very common, um,

phrase, but it's just, it's a Trojan horse for so much, but for good.

And I think it embeds in everyone that interacts with it, just values

of empathy, trust, truth, inclusion, peace, hope, gratitude, humility.

It's, it's really transformational on the self, the more time you

just spend in the space, the more time you spend learning on it.

And that's the aspect that I think has the biggest, um, emotional tie to it...

has, you know, nothing to do with the value.

I, I don't even check really what the price is on a daily

basis or, I mean, anything else.

I think it's just who it makes you as a person and how you start orienting all

of your decisions and how you, yeah...

all your decisions of how you, who you are, how you spend your time.

I think it's something you can't escape either, the more you learn about it.

And everything Bitcoin stands for just resonated with me as compared to fiat

or crypto, which is, I think, just more of greed and a scam than just...

exclusion, dishonesty, all of the values that I, I don't wanna be a part of.

So I just, I like the person that I am with Bitcoin in my life and how, just

how it makes me conscious of different decisions, and, I don't know, everything.

It, it's kind of a Trojan horse for good in, in every aspect of your life.

So that's, that's where the emotional tie comes from.

I certainly have so many blind spots and there's so much that

I don't know, but, um, I...

you know what, what can you...

wait, how do I say it?

What can you not not do?

And Bitcoin is that.

So, you know, I, I'm learning, trying each day to get better and, um, learn more.

But it, it's...

I'm grateful to be able to have Bitcoin and to, you know, to know about it.

I mean, as I kind of mentioned, I feel like I'm trying to straddle both worlds.

I know where Bitcoin, I know Bitcoin is the future.

I know where, that's when I, where I wanna end up.

But it's, it's hard 'cause I feel like we're right on the cusp of everything

changing and it's kind of like, I don't even know how to put it into words, but,

um, you, you know, you just wanna prepare yourself as best you can for the future.

And so I feel like right now I'm trying to juggle all sorts of different things, but

give most of my energy to Bitcoin, 'cause that's just, that's what matters the most.

Because a lot of people at school think I'm in a cult sometimes.

And it's, it's hard, you know, when you talk about Bitcoin and all the values,

I, I understand how that can come off a little bit cultish, but it's, it's

just true, once you learn enough so...

I do think Bitcoin is divine.

And there's also, I mean you maybe know this, but the time span of

Bitcoin, all Bitcoin being mined, 131 years is the exact same time

span as the Protestant Reformation.

So if you dive into the symbolism of a lot of numbers in Bitcoin, there's...

I mean, I don't believe in coincidences...

there's just, there's just so much.

Bitcoin is incredibly purposeful, and it was created with so

much purpose and thought.

So yeah, the, the white paper was published same day that Martin Luther

tacked up the 95 thesis, and from 2009 to 2140, I have all the numbers

going in my head as I'm thinking...

131 years is when all of Bitcoin will be mined, and that is the same length

that the Protestant Reformation lasted.

So there we had kind of a, a religious revolution and now we kind of have

an economic revolution happening...

and so much more.

Bitcoin's not just money.

I think it's been absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to

see what else you get involved with going forward because this...

I can sense the fire in you, and it's just absolutely wonderful to see, and

I know you're going to make such a huge difference in so many people's lives.

So I thank you so much for sharing your stories.

It's been absolutely incredible to hear from you directly all of your

amazing projects and, um, you know, come back, and keep us posted with

the results you are getting, newest initiatives, any pivoting points.

You know, that will be really amazing.

Yes.

No, and thank you so much for the space, and it was amazing to spend time with

you and really enjoyed being here.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks for joining us today and learning with us today.

If the discussion with our guest resonated with you and you would

like to dive deeper into the world of Bitcoin, don't miss out on joining the

Orange Hatter Women's Reading Club.

The meetup link is in the show notes.

Also, if there are women in your life whom you think will both enjoy and

benefit from learning more about Bitcoin, please share Orange Hatter with them.