BTC Sessions

Latest Episodes:

They Always Planned to Centralize Bitcoin | Jeff Booth & Scott Melker Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 090: Jeff Booth and Scott Melker discuss Bitcoin adoption, ETF co-opting, the AI bubble, self-custody risk after the ColdCard hack, and the debt reset.

Wall Street, the ETFs, and the treasury companies are making every attempt to co-opt Bitcoin — and Jeff Booth and Scott Melker explain why that capture attempt may be exactly what Bitcoin needs to survive. The $350 trillion global debt pile is already insolvent, the AI bubble is still inflating, and self-custody just took a brutal reality check after the ColdCard fallout.

In this conversation you'll learn why Booth believes the existing system and Bitcoin cannot coexist over the long run, why he feels "incredible" even as price bleeds, and how the messy financialization of Bitcoin through institutions still funnels people toward spot self-custody. You'll hear Melker's honest read on adoption — that when arguments come down to "rolling dice for entropy," we are nowhere near mainstream — and Booth's thesis on why AI CapEx can never be paid back when the marginal cost of a line of code is zero. You'll also get a candid post-mortem on hardware wallet security, why "don't trust, verify" broke down for thousands of users, and what a new generation of self-custody solutions might look like.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:54 - Scott on adoption and why Bitcoin is strongest yet

3:08 - Did Covid pull forward Bitcoin demand like credit?

5:20 - Jeff Booth's first-principles case: $350T of insolvent debt

7:33 - Why Bitcoin and the centralizing system can't coexist

8:33 - If they can't kill it, they have to co-opt it

9:04 - Where each of us chooses to put our energy

11:44 - Does financialization actually risk decentralization?

12:11 - Scott's 2026 tweet on Bitcoin being co-opted

15:22 - Sticky narratives and gaining exposure to Bitcoin

15:49 - Scott's personal path from altcoins to Bitcoin

17:39 - Jeff on watching thousands make the same transition

18:14 - The rational actor trapped inside the system

22:32 - The abundance of deflation and killing the price story

26:07 - Ad: Abundant Mines

27:03 - What Wall Street friends really think of Bitcoin

28:09 - The ColdCard hack hits the Bloomberg terminal

30:09 - Will people flee to qualified custodians and ETFs?

31:11 - How far along the self-custody journey are we really?

33:05 - Rolling dice for entropy and the honesty test

35:47 - Self-custody as an active, ongoing responsibility

39:10 - How would you tell a beginner to custody Bitcoin in 2026?

40:42 - The brutal and beautiful side of the Bitcoin community

45:35 - Testing your recovery: move it, back it up, verify

47:13 - New private federation and settlement security models

48:41 - Scott's view of the AI markets and the coming bubble pop

51:26 - Jeff on marginal cost of code, why everything goes to free

55:14 - Orange juice, private equity, and moving businesses into Bitcoin

57:22 - Where to follow Scott and Jeff

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Follow Scott Melker on X: https://x.com/scottmelker

• Follow Jeff Booth: https://jeffbooth.com

🔔 Subscribe for weekly Bitcoin Podcasts

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/BTCSessions

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/theBTCmentor

⚡Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Ben and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #JeffBooth #ScottMelker #BitcoinSelfCustody #ColdCardHack #AIBubble #DebtCrisis #BitcoinETF #SoundMoney #FinalReset #BitcoinAdoption #Deflation #HardwareWallet #BitcoinInterview #BitcoinOnly #SelfCustody #BitcoinPrivacy #FreeMarket #BitcoinNodes #MacroBitcoin #BitcoinCooption #DecentralizedMoney #WoldOfAllStreets

Coldcard Aftermath: What's Next for Bitcoin Security | Jade, Passport, Trezor, SeedSigner Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 089: Bitcoin hardware wallet makers Zach Herbert, Tomas Susanka and Drew Fischer discuss the Coldcard hack, multi-sig, entropy and self-custody security.

The Coldcard hack was the single biggest blow to Bitcoin self-custody yet — so four rival hardware wallet makers sat down together to figure out what it means for everyone holding their own keys. This is the conversation the industry needed.

Zach Herbert (Foundation Passport), Tomas Susanka (Trezor), Drew Fischer (Blockstream Jade) and Seed from the SeedSigner team break down the fallout: what the vulnerability actually exposed, why open source alone wasn't the safety net people assumed, and the entropy/dice-roll debate that split the panel. You'll learn why multi-vendor multi-sig is emerging as the strongest defense, how entropy is really generated on these devices, and the honest trade-offs between usability and security. You'll also hear the fresh news on the Trezor fulfillment-partner data leak (disclosed August 10, 2026) and what to do if you're worried about shipping and privacy.

This is a rare, candid roundtable where competitors disagree openly — and that dialog is exactly what makes it worth your time.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:56 - Four wallet makers respond to Coldcard hack

1:58 - Ben's question on self-custody downstream effects

3:02 - Zach on short-term setback and great hardening

6:19 - Tomas on AI helping attackers and defenders

8:44 - Drew on custodians, ETFs and verify don't trust

10:30 - SeedSigner on entropy sources and multi-sig

13:11 - Usability versus security trade-off debate

17:20 - Should self-custody be made harder not easier

18:56 - Dice rolls versus RNG entropy disagreement

22:16 - Zach on how many people actually self-custody

26:14 - Priorities when choosing a hardware wallet

29:01 - Security as a journey not a destination

33:03 - Sponsor: Abundant Mines

36:00 - Why multi-vendor multi-sig should be the goal

41:25 - Source available versus fully open source explained

47:34 - Open source as required but not sufficient

51:11 - How to know if a wallet is actually safe

56:57 - Trezor fulfillment data leak disclosed August 10

1:03:49 - Private device purchases and local meetups

1:06:01 - Where to find each project online

🔗 Links & Resources:

→ SeedSigner: https://seedsigner.com

→ Foundation Passport: https://foundation.xyz/

→ Trezor: https://trezor.io

→ Blockstream Jade: https://blockstream.com/jade

🔔 Subscribe for weekly Bitcoin Podcasts

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/BTCSessions

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/theBTCmentor

⚡Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Ben and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #BitcoinSelfCustody #ColdCard #ColdcardHack #BitcoinHack #HardwareWallet #MultiSig #SeedSigner #Trezor #Passport #BlockstreamJade #BitcoinSecurity #NotYourKeys #ZachHerbert #TomasSusanka

What Bitcoin Treasury Execs Won't Tell You (But I Will) | Parker Lewis Aug 16, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 088: Parker Lewis explains the hidden risks of Bitcoin treasury companies, perpetual preferred equity, market premiums, and Bitcoin as money.

Bitcoin treasury companies were sold as a smarter way to own Bitcoin. Parker Lewis argues the premiums are a mispricing of risk that will flip to a discount.

In this deep dive, Parker Lewis (author of Gradually, Then Suddenly) breaks down why any treasury company trading at a premium to the Bitcoin it holds is mispricing risk, why perpetual preferred equity is effectively lending fiat forever with no credit protections, and why the whole structure resembles a game of musical chairs. You'll learn how the double-tax corporate structure quietly erodes shareholder value, why $65,000 could buy you a full Bitcoin or only half a share's worth at peak premium, and how the market gets better at pricing this risk over time. You'll also hear why calling Bitcoin "not money" is the deeper problem beneath the marketing — and what that means for long-term holders of Strategy, Strive, and similar products.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:07 - Parker Lewis on Bitcoin Treasury Risks

1:42 - Self-Custody vs Treasury Company Tradeoffs

4:01 - Premiums Represent Mispriced Risk in Treasuries

5:18 - Why Strive Trades at Larger Premium Than Strategy

6:58 - Premiums Will Flip to Discounts Over Time

7:15 - Problems With Perpetual Preferred Equity Structures

9:13 - You Never Lose Principal in Preferred Equity

10:29 - Unpacking the Backed by Bitcoin Claim

12:26 - Tail Risk and Musical Chairs in Preferreds

14:01 - Products Remain Tied to Bitcoin Volatility

18:46 - Perpetual Preferred Means Lending Forever in Fiat

20:41 - Stretch and Strive Trading Below Par Value

23:09 - Strategy Volatility and Investors Touching Hot Stove

33:30 - Abundant Mines Hosting Sponsor

34:25 - Management Risk and Key Man Concerns

36:52 - Double Tax Structure in Corporate Bitcoin Holdings

41:13 - Treasury Companies vs Bitcoin ETF Differences

46:50 - Bitcoin Market Dwarfs Any Single Stock

48:07 - Greater Fool Theory and GBTC Parallel

1:00:01 - Holding Treasury Stocks at a Discount

1:00:43 - Incentives Behind Treasury Company Messaging

1:12:33 - Bitcoin Is Not Money Framing Problem

1:15:41 - Where to Follow Parker Lewis

Parker Lewis references his book Gradually, Then Suddenly (free online at the Nakamoto Institute), Saifedean Ammous's The Bitcoin Standard, and his work at Zaprite.

🔗 Links & Resources:

→ Follow Parker Lewis on X: https://x.com/parkeralewis

→ Gradually, Then Suddenly: https://graduallythensuddenly.xyz/

→ Zaprite (Bitcoin payments): https://zaprite.com

→ Nakamoto Institute (free Bitcoin literature): https://nakamotoinstitute.org

🔔 Subscribe for weekly Bitcoin Podcasts

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/BTCSessions

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/theBTCmentor

⚡Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Ben and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #ParkerLewis #BitcoinTreasury #MicroStrategy #Strive #PreferredEquity #SelfCustody #BitcoinAsMoney #SoundMoney #GraduallyThenSuddenly #MarketPremium #BitcoinInvesting #Strategy

The Bitcoin Attacks are NOT About Money | Simon Dixon Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 087: Simon Dixon breaks down the Coldcard hack, BIP-110 chain split fallout, node vs miner power, and Bitcoin self-custody security in 2026.

PART 1: Simon Dixon & Doomberg - https://youtu.be/Q0P0X7j_kcA

Over $100 million in Bitcoin vanished in the Coldcard entropy bug — and days later a chain split ended with the nodes defeated and Bitcoin more centralized than before. Simon Dixon joins Nathan to trace what really happened.

This is the deep-dive follow-up to the Doomberg conversation. You'll learn why Simon now treats every incident as an attack "guilty until proven innocent," how the BIP-110 resistance became the most successful node mobilization since the block size war yet still failed to move the mining pools, and why he refuses to die on a hill that ends in an altcoin. You'll see how the Coldcard low-entropy vulnerability, Zeus, Boltz and BTCPay attacks fit one pattern, and hear a clear framework for rebuilding your self-custody with dice-rolled entropy, multisig, and active participation. Simon and Nathan also unpack developer centralization, the loss of Knots as a competing implementation, and why sovereignty is proof of work you can't outsource.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:24 - Resuming After Doomberg Discussion

0:55 - Infrastructure Attacks on Coldcard and Others

1:32 - BIP-110 and Resulting Chain Split

1:50 - UASF and Block Size War History

2:50 - Tether Fees and Scaling Debates

4:02 - Barry Silbert and SegWit2x Deal

4:51 - Nodes Defeating Miners in Past Wars

6:02 - Role Reversal With Core Changes

7:35 - Running Knots to Support Resistance

8:20 - Developer Centralization Concerns Rise

10:14 - BIP-110 Failure and Altcoin Stance

11:39 - Knots Node Adoption Surge to 20%

12:08 - Infiltration Risks and Verification

12:54 - Can Node Minority Influence Miners

14:19 - Consensus Changes Remain Extremely Difficult

17:16 - More Centralized Yet Wiser After Events

18:13 - Social Fallout Losing Ocean and Knots

22:15 - Check Ego and Welcome Others Back

25:21 - Stay Suspicious While Shaking Hands

27:34 - Abundant Mines Mining Hosting

28:29 - Coldcard Low Entropy Bug Details

30:16 - Hack Impact on Bitcoin Purists

31:36 - Difficulty Spending Stolen Bitcoin

32:37 - Fed Recruitment via Stolen Coins

33:23 - Learn Entropy and Generate Secure Keys

36:03 - Assume Attack and Identify Beneficiaries

37:44 - Self Custody Sovereignty Comes at Cost

39:55 - Bitcoin Requires Active Participation

43:37 - Coordinated Message in All Attacks

45:14 - Final Advice Skepticism and Focus

🔗 Links & Resources

→ Simon Dixon on X: https://x.com/SimonDixonTwitt

This is part one — subscribe so you don't miss part two where we go deep on the Bitcoin infrastructure attacks.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly Bitcoin Podcasts

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/BTCSessions

🐦 Follow on X: https://x.com/theBTCmentor

⚡Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #SimonDixon #BIP110 #ColdCard #SelfCustody #BitcoinKnots #NodeRunning #LightningNetwork #BitcoinSovereignty #BlockSizeWar #HardwareWallet #DontTrustVerify #BitcoinHack #BitcoinFork #HardFork

Globalism Has Already Lost (But No One Sees It) | Dixon & Doomberg Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 086: Doomberg and Simon Dixon break down oil markets, the Strait of Hormuz, the end of globalism, Bitcoin centralization, and Michael Saylor's Strategy.

The forever war is quietly reaching its endgame, the dollar is set to weaken hard over the next decade, and Bitcoin was attacked from every direction at once — Doomberg and Simon Dixon unpack what real capital already knows.

In this deep macro conversation you'll learn why oil never hit $150 and what the sub-$90 Brent price is actually signaling, why the Strait of Hormuz is a card Iran can only play once, and how China may have already won without firing a shot. You'll see Simon Dixon lay out what MicroStrategy's Strategy is really built for — funneling as much Bitcoin as possible into Coinbase and Fidelity — and why holding shares instead of coins makes Bitcoin weaker. You'll also hear a self-described no-coiner and gold bug explain exactly why he'd still tell you to get long Bitcoin as the Western financial system unwinds. This is part one of two.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:36 - Doomberg and Simon Dixon on Global Shifts

2:07 - Shipping Choke Points Unwind Globalism

5:10 - Western Media Propaganda Exposed

8:14 - How Media Gets Captured by Power

12:13 - Real Purpose of Ukraine and Middle East Wars

22:38 - Biggest Empire Change in Our Lifetime

25:18 - Why Everything Depends on Beijing

28:35 - West Captured by Financial Industrial Complex

39:43 - Reading Oil Gold and Bond Markets

45:17 - Is Blackrock Weaker Than Its Reputation

53:25 - Building Mental Models for Information Overload

59:23 - What Energy Markets Are Really For

1:06:13 - Why Oil Below $90 Risks Greater War

1:09:07 - Real Capital Knows the Deal Is Coming

1:16:34 - Coldcard Hack and Contested Bitcoin Fork

1:17:50 - Doomberg on Bitcoin Encryption Vulnerabilities

1:24:00 - Self Custody Custody Risk and Sovereignty

1:36:24 - Michael Saylor Willingness to Sell Bitcoin

1:39:52 - What Strategy Is Built to Achieve

1:48:54 - Where to Find Doomberg and Simon Dixon

Mentioned in this episode: Doomberg's forthcoming book on analysis and mental models, Simon Dixon's book "Game of Money," abundant mines hosting, and BTC Mentor for secure self-custody setup.

🔗 Links & Resources

→ Doomberg: https://doomberg.com

→ Simon Dixon on X: https://x.com/SimonDixonTwitt

⚡Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more. 👉 Visit btcmentor.io ⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #SimonDixon #Doomberg #MichaelSaylor #Geopolitics #SelfCustody #Globalism #OilMarkets #Gold #StraitOfHormuz #MicroStrategy #Coldcard #SoundMoney #Oil #energymarket

Fauci’s 1,100-Page Diary + Fifth Amendment Silence | Dr. Peter McCullough Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 085: Dr. Peter McCullough explains Fauci's diary, COVID-19 lab origins, mRNA vaccine safety, spike protein persistence, and the biopharma complex.

600,000 Americans may have died from COVID vaccine complications — more than the virus itself, according to Dr. Peter McCullough — and Fauci just pleaded the Fifth on all of it. This conversation breaks down what the diary revealed, why the lab origin was buried, and where the mRNA platform goes next.

Dr. Peter A. McCullough joins BTC Sessions to walk through Fauci's Senate Testimony, 1,100-page diary, the public-vs-private mask and lockdown contradictions, and the nearly million-dollar cash prize Fauci's staff engineered for him. You'll learn why McCullough believes SARS-CoV-2 is an engineered bioweapon, how his foundation found full-length spike protein and mRNA circulating three and a half years after injection, and what that means for the surge in 'turbo cancer.' You'll see the money trail through the biopharmaceutical complex — Gates, BioNTech, CEPI, Event 201, and the captured medical journals that refused to retract the fraudulent 'natural origins' paper. He also lays out the parallel research and wellness system he's building outside captured academia.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:30 - Fauci Senate Testimony and Diary Release

1:30 - 600,000 Vaccine Deaths Compared to COVID

2:30 - Fauci's Private Knowledge on Masks and Fatality Rate

4:00 - Fauci Staff Engineered Cash Prize Applications

7:00 - Fauci's Personal Vaccine Blood Clot Injury

8:00 - Ongoing Booster Push and Seventh Dose Campaign

11:30 - Journals Suppressed Lab Leak Despite Private Admissions

15:30 - Why Wet Market Origin Theory Persists

16:00 - Bioweapons Treaty and SARS-CoV-2 Classification

18:00 - Laboratory-Engineered Spike Protein Features

19:30 - Spike Protein Detected 3.5 Years Post-Vaccination

22:30 - Spike Detox Protocol and Treatment Options

24:30 - Turbo Cancer Rise and Spike Protein Mechanism

26:30 - mRNA Integration into Human Genome Evidence

28:00 - Broader mRNA Vaccine Platform Safety Concerns

29:30 - Hantavirus Scare and Moderna Vaccine Development

31:00 - Anatomy of the Biopharmaceutical Complex

34:30 - Gates Foundation Investment in BioNTech

38:00 - Journal Advertising and Vaccine Ideology

42:30 - Vatican Coin and 300-Year Vaccine Mythology

45:00 - Fourth Turning and Parallel Health Systems

48:00 - Vindication After Media Attacks on McCullough

51:00 - McCullough Foundation Books and Wellness Company

Dr. McCullough references the McCullough Foundation (mcculloughfnd.org), his books 'The Courage to Face COVID-19' and 'Vaccines: Mythology, Ideology, and Reality,' a forthcoming book he says Bitcoiners will love, the Ultimate Spike Detox protocol, and The Wellness Company (twc.health).

🔗 Links & Resources:

McCullough Foundation: https://www.mcculloughfnd.org

The Wellness Company: https://www.twc.health/focalpoints

Follow BTC Sessions on X: https://x.com/BTCSessions

If you follow the money the way Bitcoiners do, this one connects the incentives most people never see. Subscribe for more honest Bitcoin and macro coverage, and follow @BTCSessions on X for the live shows. Reply with your take — where do you land on the origins question?

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #PeterMcCullough #Fauci #VaccineSafety #COVIDOrigins #LabLeak #Biopharma #SpikeProtein #mRNA #TurboCancer #FollowTheMoney #MedicalFreedom #Bioweapon #Fauci #FauciTestimony

$45k Bitcoin Can Happen… But the Data Says Don’t Panic | James Check & Joe Consorti Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 084: James Check and Joe Consorti analyze the Bitcoin market bottom, on-chain data, the AI bubble, and Strategy's sale in this 2026 macro breakdown.

The Bitcoin bottom isn't confirmed — but James Check and Joe Consorti lay out exactly why $45K would break every precedent in Bitcoin's history and why 90% of the time price only goes higher from here.

In this deep-dive conversation you'll learn why the market has entered what James calls the "time pain" chapter, how the AI bubble rotation could hand Bitcoin its bottom, and why Strategy's massive sale quietly killed one of Bitcoin's biggest pieces of FUD. You'll see the on-chain data behind long-term holders now sitting on 84% of supply, the 8-model study James ran to estimate when the bottom ends, and a concrete framework for DCA during downturns instead of chasing wicks. Joe breaks down the macro backdrop — oil, the 10-year Treasury at 4.7%, a hawkish Fed, and why the AI trade unwinding sets up a renewed risk-on environment.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:16 - James Argues Bitcoin Bottom Not In

2:31 - 45K Drop Matching 2015 Bear Market

3:39 - Why Bears Anchor to Round Numbers

4:27 - Self-Reinforcing Bearishness at Lows

5:34 - Joe on Bitcoin Resilience to News

6:17 - 79 Percent Drawdown Breaks Precedent

7:22 - Inflation Scare and Oil Price Swings

8:32 - Bitcoin Holds Amid Hawkish Fed

10:10 - February Capitulation and Loss Spike

11:47 - Bottoms Form on Malaise Not Vibes

13:06 - 200-Week Moving Average as Support

13:55 - Eight-Model Study on Bear Market End

15:59 - Joe on AI Trade Unwinding in Q4

17:32 - Bitcoin Led Market Lower This Cycle

19:35 - Iran Conflict Oil and Commodity Thesis

23:04 - Financial Nihilism and Rotating Capital

26:00 - Treasury Yields Housing and Inflation

30:31 - Boomers Mortgage Rates and Housing Shortage

33:07 - Australia's Housing Bubble Breaking

39:04 - On-Chain Data and Sentiment Washout

43:34 - Joe on Fear Greed and Next Narrative

47:43 - Blood in Streets Time to Accumulate

48:53 - Mean Reversion Index and DCA Plan

52:17 - Strategy Sale and Fading FUD

58:56 - Manage Your Own Emotions

1:01:38 - Where to Follow James and Joe

James Check publishes on Substack (Checkonchain) and Joe Consorti runs his own YouTube channel and research — links below.

🔗 Links & Resources:

→ James Check (Checkonchain): https://www.checkonchain.com/

→ Joe Consorti: https://www.joeconsorti.com/

→ Book a 1-on-1 with a Bitcoin educator: BTCMentor.io

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

📌 Previous Episodes:

Bob Burnett → https://youtu.be/k4rtC3oQqlk

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #JamesCheck #JoeConsorti #BitcoinBottom #OnChainData #BitcoinMacro #DCA #MarketCycles #Checkonchain #BitcoinAnalysis #AIBubble #200WeekMovingAverage #Crypto #BitcoinNews #OnChain #HODL #BitcoinPrice #CryptoAnalysis #BearMarket #BitcoinCycle #LongTermHolders #BitcoinETF #Macro #AITrade #MichaelSaylor #Strategy #BitcoinInvesting #CryptoMarket #StackSats #SellerExhaustion #BitcoinSentiment

Hashrate Collapse, BIP-110 Chain Split & Banks Will Mine Bitcoin | Bob Burnett Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 083: Bob Burnett explains the Bitcoin hash rate decline, BIP-110 chain split, nation state mining, and why banks will mine block space.

Bitcoin's hash rate has been declining for nearly a year for the first time in 16 years — and Bob Burnett of Barefoot Mining explains why it keeps falling straight through the next halving. This is the mining reset almost nobody is pricing in.

In this conversation you'll learn why the big publicly traded miners quietly shed Bitcoin and pivoted to AI and data centers, why Bob believes financial institutions and nation states (Iran included) are the real next entrants — not energy companies — and why they'll mine for block space control rather than the coins themselves. You'll see how the BIP-110 (RDTS) activation at block 961632 in mid-August could trigger a chain split, exactly what miners and plebs should do before that block, and why the fight is really about Core's process and the SegWit discount, not just spam. Bob also breaks down the miner's trilemma, virgin Bitcoin premiums, and why the depths of despair is historically the best time to enter mining.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:11 - Harsh reality of Bitcoin mining in 2026

1:46 - Meet Bob Burnett of Barefoot Mining

2:00 - First year of falling hash rate

2:52 - Why hash rate drops through the halving

4:29 - Current-gen miners sold for pennies

8:18 - The miner's trilemma: energy, machines, capital

11:25 - Easy capital drove public miner overbuild

13:39 - Invasive apex predator wrecking the ecosystem

14:50 - Why public miners' production costs are broken

17:12 - Is the public mining model sustainable?

21:43 - Barefoot mines on sub-3-cent self-produced power

29:49 - Building a mining business that survives forever

31:39 - Enter mining in the depths of despair

34:14 - Is falling hash rate a network security threat?

35:36 - Could a bad actor mount a 51% attack now?

37:44 - Why Bitcoin can't balance the world's power grid

42:44 - Activists turning rural towns against miners

1:00:11 - Financial institutions and nation states enter next cycle

1:01:36 - Banks will mine for block space, not coins

1:07:42 - Why institutions will control block templates

1:08:26 - Nation state mining and economic sovereignty

1:09:20 - Is Iran already solo mining Bitcoin?

1:14:00 - The death of full-pay-per-share and virgin Bitcoin

1:17:33 - BIP-110 explained: what problem it solves

1:18:28 - Core v30 policy change that sparked the fight

1:29:11 - RDTS: the reduce-data temporary soft fork

1:31:14 - The SegWit discount and CSAM concerns

1:31:48 - Activation at block 961632 and chain split risk

1:44:19 - Advice for plebs before the split

1:46:15 - Advice for miners: get a backup pool ready

1:50:28 - The 99% best case vs the really bad scenario

1:52:53 - Where to find Bob and Barefoot Mining

🔗 Links & Resources:

Barefoot Mining: https://barefootmining.com

Bob on X: https://x.com/Boomer_BTC

BTC Sessions: https://btcsessions.ca

BTC Sessions Dashboard: https://btcsessions.live/

Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

📌 Previous Episodes:

Matt Hill & Odell → https://youtu.be/cOQC81hLSu0

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #BitcoinMining #BIP110 #BitcoinKnots #HashRate #BobBurnett #BarefootMining #NationStateMining #BlockSpace #SelfCustody #BitcoinNode #MiningEconomics

The AI Dangers Bitcoiners Can’t Ignore — And What to Do About It | Odell & Hill Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 082: Matt Odell and Matt Hill discuss AI model security risks, self-hosting infrastructure, open source vs frontier models, and Bitcoin's role in digital sovereignty in 2026.

AI's most powerful models are being quietly locked away by governments — and the cheap API access you're building your business on is a subsidized trap with an expiration date. Matt Odell and Matt Hill join BTC Sessions to unpack what's really happening at the intersection of AI, open source sovereignty, and Bitcoin freedom tech in 2026.

You'll learn why the frontier model subsidy era is ending and who gets wrecked when prices normalize, how Start9 runs an entire company on a $200/month plan (and why that won't last), what Odell thinks about the deepfake phishing attack that nearly fooled Matt Hill live on a Zoom call, and why the open source AI arms race may be humanity's last real shot at digital independence. You'll also see how the Start9 router and self-hosted security camera are the trojan horses that bring sovereignty tech to people who've never heard of Bitcoin.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:32 - AI model landscape and security risks

2:15 - Start9 runs on $200 monthly Claude plan

3:16 - AI subsidy trap and future pricing shock

4:09 - Local inference versus frontier model tradeoffs

7:32 - Odell on open source versus proprietary models

9:28 - Why Anthropic and OpenAI withheld top models

11:23 - Open source software and why control backfires

13:36 - China's open source strategy in AI geopolitics

18:47 - AI as intelligence of mass destruction risks

21:26 - Regulation landscape in Canada UK and Australia

27:01 - Operational security and AI-powered phishing threats

27:44 - Deepfake Zoom attack that fooled Odell

32:40 - Public key cryptography and verifiable identity

39:02 - Signal messenger sovereignty case study

43:55 - Do Bitcoiners lead digital sovereignty efforts

45:05 - Relentless freedom fighters win revolutions

55:42 - Drivers of Start9 adoption beyond Bitcoin nodes

57:37 - AI as second reason for sovereign servers

59:55 - Start9 sold Bitcoin to stockpile RAM

1:06:16 - Start9 router for household sovereignty

1:09:13 - Building the freedom router from first principles

1:14:44 - AI as new interface replacing GUI era

1:20:06 - Odell on open source compounding in Bitcoin

1:25:56 - Tools to try PBC Maple Hermes LM Studio

• Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

🔗 Links & Resources:

→ Matt Hill: https://x.com/_MattHill_

→ Start9 (sovereign server, router, marketplace): https://start9.com

→ Matt Odell: https://x.com/ODELLXYZ

→ OpenSats: https://opensats.org/

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

📌 Previous Episodes:

Prof St Onge & Larry Lepard → https://youtu.be/cS4QXZr5qvc

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

🔒 Lockdown your Bitcoin with the BEST gear on the market from Coinkite. Get the 5% Off the COLDCARD visit: https://qrco.de/bfiDBV

• BTC Sessions: @BTCsessions

• Nathan: @theBTCmentor

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #MattOdell #MattHill #Start9 #SelfHosting #SelfHostedAI #LocalAI #AISovereignty #FreedomTech #DigitalSovereignty #BitcoinPrivacy #OpenSourceAI #SovereignComputing #BitcoinNode #AIDangers #DecentralizedAI #PrivacyTech #SovereignTech #BitcoinAndAI #Cypherpunk #LocalInference #AIDeepfake #Decentralization #AIPrivacy #OpenSource

Warsh's Bluff, AI Bailout Risk & Bitcoin's Next Leg | Lepard & St. Onge Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

Mentor Sessions Ep. 081: Peter St. Onge and Larry Lepard discuss Fed rate cuts in 2026, AI industry bailout risk, Bitcoin price outlook,

US debt debasement, and gold targets.

The Fed's hawkish pivot is already unraveling — and Bitcoin, gold, and silver are the first to price it in. Peter St. Onge and Larry Lepard break down exactly why Kevin Warsh's tough talk is a script, not a policy, and what that means for sound money holders in 2026.

You'll learn why Lepard believes rate cuts are coming before the midterms, why the AI industry is quietly lobbying for a defense-contractor-style bailout, and why the monetary debasement trade is nowhere near dead — despite what the financial press is saying. You'll also get specific price targets for Bitcoin ($180K–$200K), gold ($7,000), and silver ($200), plus an honest breakdown of Strategy/MSTR and Michael Saylor's evolving playbook. If you're trying to understand where macro is heading and how to position in sound money, this is the conversation.

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:00 - Warsh: Hawk or Secret Dove?

2:40 - Warsh More Dovish Than Rhetoric

5:00 - Balance Sheet Hawks Get Punched

6:25 - Rate Cuts Locked in Pre-Election

9:29 - Debt Forces Money Supply Growth

10:30 - AI Sets Up Government Bailout

13:43 - Bitcoin Volatility and Long View

14:25 - AI Crony Capitalism Playbook

17:28 - AI Commoditizes in Three Weeks

19:24 - Dot-Com Lessons for AI Buildout

29:03 - Legitimate AI Grievance Energy Costs

33:37 - Europe's Decline and US Advantage

37:18 - Japan Yen Debasement Midterm Play

46:34 - Saylor Strategy Bear Market Attacks

51:59 - Bitcoin Mirrors Fiat Boom Bust

54:07 - Gold Silver Bitcoin 2026 Targets

57:52 - Monetary Debasement Trade Accelerates

1:00:10 - Markets Embarrass Most Investors

🔗 Links & Resources:

→ Professor Peter St. Onge on X: https://x.com/profstonge

→ Professor Peter St. Onge: https://www.profstonge.com/

→ Larry Lepard / EMA Gavekal: https://www.ema2.com

→ Lawrence Lepard: https://x.com/LawrenceLepard

💡BOOK Private Sessions with Nathan, Benn and the BTC Mentor Team: Master self-custody, hardware, multisig, Lightning, privacy, and more.

👉 Visit btcmentor.io

• Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

📌 Previous Episodes:

Joe Carlasare, American HODL & Dr. Jeff Ross → https://youtu.be/i14Y81EGcVY

⚡ POWERED by Abundant Mines: Fully managed Bitcoin mining. Learn more at https://qrco.de/bgYKPB

🔒 Lockdown your Bitcoin with the BEST gear on the market from Coinkite. Get the 5% Off the COLDCARD visit: https://qrco.de/bfiDBV

• BTC Sessions: @BTCsessions

• Nathan: @theBTCmentor

#Bitcoin #BTC #BTCSessions #FedRateCuts #MonetaryDebasement #BitcoinPriceTarget #GoldOutlook #LarryLepard #PeterStOnge #SoundMoney #MichaelSaylor #AIBubble #BitcoinBearMarket #MacroEconomics #USDollarCollapse #ArtificialIntelligence #BitcoinPodcast #MonetaryPolicy #HardMoney

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