Former public defender Erika Knierim shares her story from growing up in a small town with incredibly supportive parents. They encourage her to accept big challenges and not be afraid of failure. Her stoic German father, together with a passionate Columbian mother was the perfect combination to learn how to live with passion, embrace classical music fine arts, beat nerdy boys in Chess Club, all while wearing her cheerleader outfit.

Erika worked her way through law school to become a public defender in Chicago for over a decade. Erika decided to make a leap of faith and brought her keen legal mind and experience to blockchain, securities regulation and the importance of having Adults in The Room (AITR) when raising capital and pitching deals. By sharing her experiences at the now bankrupt Celsius, and the attitude of Sam Bankman Fried of the FTX collapse, Erika is passionate about her mission as CEO and Co-Founder of Nomic Consulting.