This solo episode was my hardest yet. After nearly four years of hosting the State Food Podcast, I’ve come to appreciate how much energy it takes to show up authentically for every conversation. Lately, life’s pace and the demands of travel and business have tested my passion reserve, and I want to share that struggle openly. Thank you for sticking with me through the pauses and the peaks. In this episode, I step away from guest interviews to reflect on a deeper shift: our collective loss of faith in institutions and the subtle strategies those in power use to channel fear. I trace the moment COVID pulled back the curtain on authority, and how that awakening has reshaped the way we view government, media, and each other. It’s a personal account of what happens when trust breaks and what it takes to rebuild it from the ground up. I also revisit the long arc of human power dynamics, from hunter-gatherer tribes to modern-day states, highlighting how systems of protection can morph into systems of extortion and reflecting on the rise of taxation, regulation, and corporate lobbying - all tools of monopoly that steer our lives in ways we rarely notice. Finally, I lay out a roadmap for radical decentralization. I explain why Bitcoin represents more than just an investment - it’s an uncompromising blueprint for a liberated monetary system - and why our conversations must move off centralized platforms before they vanish. For those who aren't already familiar, I'm introducing you to nostr, the truly censorship-resistant protocol I’m embracing, and invite you to start building the parallel world we’ll need when the next storm arrives.   My freedom of reach Please help to share out the episode! Share the episode release post on X: Link pending. If it's not here, remind me! Share the episode release post on nostr: Link pending. If it's not here, remind me! Useful Nostr Resources whynostr.com - Great place to start learning about nostr (Link: https://www.whynostr.com/) nostr.how - Go a little deeper learning about nostr (Link: https://nostr.how/en/what-is-nostr) Nostr Documentary - Social Media is broken. Can we fix it? (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-jiiepOrE) Why Nostr Matters - Article written by Jameson Lopp (Link: https://blog.lopp.net/why-nostr-matters/) Primal - Recommended client for nostr (Link: https://primal.net/downloads) Affiliate Links Surfshark: VPN / Antivirus / Incogni Fountain: https://fountain.fm/jonnyhodl?code=3a917f606b Podcast Website: http://www.stayingfreepod.com/ Links to all platforms: https://linktr.ee/stayingfreepod Telegram: https://t.me/stayingfreepod Host Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonnyhodl Host Nostr: https://tinyurl.com/mr2xk76c Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/stayingfreepod Donate to the Podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stayingfreepod Donate with Bitcoin: https://tippin.me/@jonnyhodl / bc1qvgktg2uurp69cf5xepjhunwhp6skxrf69hmq82 Donate with Lightning: https://tipybit.com/stayingfreepod / ⚡️jonnyhodl@getalby.com Huge thank you to Mark A for supporting the podcast 🙏