Natalie Brunell's Coin Stories
Learn about the future of money and how Bitcoin proposes a solution to the problems in our monetary system. Why is wealth concentration growing? Will the U.S. dollar always be the world reserve currency? Is Bitcoin the "internet of money?" Journalist and educator Natalie Brunell shares one-on-one interviews with thought leaders. Whether you're eager to start learning about Bitcoin, or already follow the world of cryptocurrency and its pioneers, this show has something for you to HODL. Join us every week and connect with us at [email protected]. Copyright 2026 | Talking Bitcoin
SPECIAL REPORT: Social Security Is Running Out of Money. What Happens Next?
We've been paying into Social Security our entire working lives. But the retirement trust fund is projected to run dry in 2032, and millions of Americans could face a 22% cut in benefits if Congress doesn't act.
So where did all that money go?
In this special episode, I break down how Social Security really works, why it's running short on money, and how Washington ended up making trillions in promises it hasn't fully funded.
I also get into the looming Medicare crisis, the growing burden on younger generations, and why the decisions Washington makes...
Nic Carter: What Could Break Bitcoin? Quantum Computing, AI & Wealth Taxes
Could Bitcoin become a target as governments look for new ways to raise money? Nic Carter explains how AI, rising debt, and growing pressure to tax wealth could change the financial system and what it all means for Bitcoin's future.
In this episode:
Why California's proposed wealth tax could backfire and whether Bitcoin holders could be nextWhy younger generations are falling behind and what it means for Social SecurityHow AI could change jobs, taxes, and the way governments pay their billsCould AI or quantum computing break Bitcoin — and is your Bitcoin safe?Has Nic diversified away fr...News Block: Chamath Says Bitcoin Goes to Zero, JPMorgan Calls it the Top Asset
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Could Trump Accounts eventually be available to every American under 40?JPMorgan predicts Bitcoin will beat every major asset over the next decade. So why won't it recommend buying it?Fidelity reveals a surprising new source of demand for BitcoinChamath predicts Bitcoin will go to zero. Here's what he thinks could destroy itCalifornia's proposed wealth tax could cost Zuckerberg $12 billion. Billionaires are already fleeingThe housing market is hitting lows not seen since 2012. How m...Sue Ennis: From Bitcoin to AI Robots — Will They Replace Human Connection?
Sue Ennis went from Bitcoin mining to one of the most controversial emerging industries: AI companion robots.
After years at Hut 8, Sue is now president of Realbotix and helping shape an industry that raises fascinating questions about technology, loneliness, and the future of human connection. The people buying these companions might surprise you...
We discuss:
Why Sue left Bitcoin mining for AI robotics Who's buying AI companions and how realistic they've become The loneliness epidemic and whether AI will supplement or replace human relationships How robots could assist the elderly, veterans, and p...News Block: Hot Inflation Hits Bitcoin Price, Paul Tudor Jones Issues 2027 Warning, Strategy vs. MSCI
In this week’s episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Why Bitcoin dropped under $80K, and what the American dream costs nowPaul Tudor Jones’s warning about 2027The rule that could push Strategy & Metaplanet out of a major indexStrive’s new 15 percent dividend preferred stock: $SATS━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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Eric Balchunas: Bitcoin’s Crossroads, the 3% Allocation and BlackRock's Inside Story
Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, is back and his new book makes the case that Bitcoin is now a legitimate asset you’d be foolish to ignore -- written by someone who spent years as a skeptic. He walks us through what changed his mind, and where he thinks this all goes next.
We cover:
Why the Bitcoin ETFs are outperforming nearly everything in Q3What happened two hours after the Bitcoin ETF crossed $100 billion in 2025Why he thinks the government ends up buying stocks, and what that means for everyone elseWhy he st...News Block: Spy Chips in Ledger Wallets, a Gold Bug Joins Treasury, and the Fight Over Bitcoin’s $1 Million Future
In this week’s episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
A well-known researcher says AI could crack the math behind your Bitcoin address, should you be worried?$100 million drained from Ledger wallets that were tampered with before they ever reached the buyer, and what I do with my own BitcoinThe gold-standard economist the Senate wouldn’t confirm just got hired by the Treasury, and why that’s an important signpostCongress gave up, so the CFTC is writing Bitcoin’s trading rules itself...Mike Selig: The CFTC's New Rules for Crypto
CFTC Chairman Mike Selig joins me in his first long-form interview since his agency proposed major new rules for crypto exchanges this week. With the Clarity Act dead in Congress, they're building the framework anyway, and he explains what it covers, what it doesn't, and why he thinks it outlasts this administration.
Topics:
What the new rules actually change for anyone who owns or trades digital assetsWhether these rules could have prevented FTX, and what he says would have been differentHow the CFTC polices manipulation without turning into surveillanceWhere meme coins landed in the new classification...Cem Karsan: The Big Print Is Coming and the Government Will Buy Stocks
Cem Karsan is back with some big calls. He thinks the U.S. has boxed itself in so badly that the only way out is for the government to start printing money and buying stocks directly, and he doesn't think we're waiting years for it. He also walks through why a market crash has to come first, when he expects it, and where Bitcoin lands in all of this.
How a handful of stocks hold up the entire S&P, and what happens to the other 94% if they crackWhy he says this year's earnings growth is just the...News Block: The Fed Hiked on Bad Data, Crypto Mom Signs Off, and a Sovereign Fund Trades Gold for Bitcoin
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The Fed hiked on bad jobs data: 60,000 jobs just vanished from the recordThe $6 billion experiment: the Treasury is buying its own debt to push rates down, and rates went up anyway"Crypto Mom" signs off: nine years, a hundred dissents, one goodbye letter, and a two-person SEC left to write the rulesGold for Bitcoin? Citi's $113K call, a nine-day ETF streak, and the most conservative investor on earth making a trade nobody...Paula Pendley: Major Victory for Bitcoin
My guest this week is Paula Pendley, a partner at Nelson Mullins who defends data centers and Bitcoin miners in court, and she joins us as the fight over where these facilities get built is spreading across the country. Towns are passing moratoriums, politicians are campaigning on power bills, and the coverage so far has mostly come from one direction.
She brings a case she couldn't fully discuss last time, when 37 neighbors in a small Texas county sued MARA over the facility next door and claimed the noise was damaging their health. We get into what happened...
Why Everything Costs More and Gets Worse
Why does everything cost more while the quality keeps getting worse?
That's the question behind this episode. We look at why your paycheck doesn't stretch as far, why buying a home is so much harder, and why so many things cost more while giving you less.
From shrinkflation and CEO incentives to bailouts and crony capitalism, the bigger story is about the rules and incentives underneath the economy. And that leads to the final question: what changed about the money itself, and where does Bitcoin fit in?
📖 Want to go deeper? Read the fir...
News Block: Bond Yields Hit a 20-Year High, Mortgages Break 7%, and Bitcoin Price Held Anyway
The government hasn't paid this much to borrow since 2007, mortgages just broke 7 percent, and the most conventional financial advisor in America is telling clients to put 10 percent in Bitcoin. This is what a week looks like when the old playbook stops working.
Bond yields hit a 20-year high and Bitcoin held anyway. Here's what the buyers knowRic Edelman went from 1% to a 10% Bitcoin floor. Why the man who built a $350 billion firm says 60/40 is deadStrategy wants to pay you every single day, and it's not the only one$387 million walked out of an exchange in an afternoon, and...Simon Dixon: The Game of Money and What Would Make Him Sell All His Bitcoin
In this new in-depth interview, Bitcoin OG, author, and angel investor Simon Dixon breaks down the transition from the American empire to a multi-node global financial order.
Simon pulls back the curtain on how transnational power structures operate, why the $40 trillion national debt is being leveraged against ordinary citizens, and how individuals can escape debt slavery by adopting a low time preference and taking control of their money. We discuss:
How the Financial, Military, and Tech Industrial Complexes (FIC, MIC, TIC) engineer a multipolar world Why $40 trillion in national debt is a Ponzi scheme that will...Phong Le: Inside Strategy's Bigger Vision for Bitcoin and Wall Street
Strategy CEO Phong Le joins Natalie Brunell for an in-depth conversation about the future of the world's largest corporate Bitcoin treasury. From STRC's recovery and Strategy's growing cash reserves to the outlook for MSTR shareholders, Phong explains the company's evolving approach to Bitcoin and capital markets.
Plus, why Strategy is prioritizing share buybacks over higher dividends, how it plans to navigate future volatility, and Michael Saylor's vision of building the JPMorgan of digital capital.
IN THIS EPISODE:
STRC's selloff: What Strategy learned about leverage and volatility. Buybacks vs. dividends: Why Strategy is prioritizing repurchases...News Block: Bitcoin Price Hits 8-Month High, Homes Just Got Harder to Afford, and CLARITY Act Fails
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The Fed hiked, and the same house now costs twice as much per month as in 2021 The CLARITY Act failed in the Senate, is the issue the Trump family's crypto gains? The SEC clears the way for tokenized stocks in the U.S. Bitcoin was called a dead cat. Then it hit an eight-month high----
Read every story in the News Block with visuals and charts! Join our...
Jordi Visser: Why Bitcoin Sentiment Collapsed, What Brings It Back and Why the AI Warnings are Wrong
Jordi Visser is back by popular demand. I shared something I've been noticing all year — that Bitcoin sentiment feels different this cycle, less like a movement to fix a broken system and more like a line item in a portfolio.
He pushed back harder than I expected. His argument is that the old financial system is breaking in front of us, a new one is forming faster than people think, and Bitcoin is the piece of it he's certain survives. We discuss:
Whether the sudden push for AI regulation was coordinated, and who benefits His response to...Danielle DiMartino Booth: The Fed's First Rate Hike in Three Years and Where the Economy is Breaking
In this rapid-fire episode of Coin Stories, Natalie Brunell sits down with former Federal Reserve insider Danielle DiMartino Booth immediately following the Fed's latest interest rate hike.
Danielle breaks down the hidden contraction underneath official data, including surging delinquencies, shuttering small businesses, and where the economy is struggling. We cover:
Whether the Fed hikes again before the midterms and EOY Small businesses closing, and why homeowners are pulling cash out of their houses Why she thinks almost all the growth left in the economy is coming from one place The debt nobody in Washington can stop...Rapha Zagury: Tether's Bitcoin Empire, Taking Over XXI and What Comes Next
When Jack Mallers stepped down from Twenty One Capital (XXI), Rapha Zagury stepped in as CEO. A Wall Street veteran who ran trading desks at Merrill Lynch, Rapha later co-founded Elektron, the Tether-backed Bitcoin mining operation that grew into one of the largest mining companies in the world.
Now he joins me to explain what comes next for XXI — and to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding Tether. We discuss:
How much of XXI Tether actually owns — and what it wants to build next Whether Tether's biggest critics are asking the right questions Why XXI is t...News Block: Dario's AI Warning, Trump's $5,000 Promise and Will Fed Hike Rates?
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The CEOs of multiple leading AI companies say the industry needs to slow down. We break down the major AI news story that broke over the weekend. Why a Fed rate hike now looks all but certain, and the tiny inflation number that sealed it Trump's $5,000 promise to every adult American. Who would actually pay for it? Metaplanet gives up $220 million to calm a shareholder revolt. Is it enough? Blockstream to the...Vik Sharma: Why He Built a Private Messaging App That Sends Bitcoin
Natalie Brunell sits down with Vik Sharma, founder and CEO of Radar Chat, Cake Wallet and an active angel investor in the Bitcoin space. Vik spent decades in the steel industry in Pittsburgh before Bitcoin pulled him in, and he's now one of the most prolific builders and angel investors in the space. We discuss:
The purchase that got him banned from Coinbase Sending money the same way you send a text What he saw people in China doing years before Apple Pay The strange reason tariffs made steel companies billions His line about Bitcoin's price that he...Mike Belshe: The 100 Bitcoin Hacking Bounty & How to Hold Bitcoin Where the ETFs Do
BitGo has been the vault behind institutional Bitcoin for over a decade — holding coins for funds, businesses, and today some of the largest Bitcoin ETFs. Regular people were never invited...until now.
Mike Belshe, co-founder and CEO of BitGo, joins the show to announce that anyone can open an account. No minimums. No account fees. The same product institutions have been using for years. Get a free BitGo account: https://www.bitgo.com/natalie
He also explains why he left 100 Bitcoin in a wallet and told the internet to come take it. We discuss:
Wh...News Block: Jobs Shock Rocks the Fed Debate, Metaplanet Under Fire and the $319M Bitcoin Hack on Liquid
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The jobs report comes in 3x stronger than expected Why this week's inflation numbers could decide the Fed's next move The old stock option formula that has some Metaplanet shareholders in revolt Oil: the inflation problem the Fed can't fix by raising rates Nearly 4,000 Bitcoin pulled from Blockstream's Liquid Network -- hackers returned 85% Monday----
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious...
News Block: Fed Turns Hawkish as Bitcoin Heads Into Its Biggest September Test
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Why Kevin Warsh just put a September rate hike back in play Treasury bond buybacks and the growing $40 trillion debt problem Scott Bessent's viral clash with Elizabeth Warren over the yen Why Wall Street banks are suddenly racing into stablecoins Bitcoin's biggest September catalysts, from CPI to the CLARITY Act----
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders, with rates that...
Clay Garrett: Why Bitkey Has No Seed Phrase & How It Keeps Your Bitcoin Safe
Natalie Brunell sits down with Clay Garrett, Bitkey Lead at Block, to break down the massive Coldcard hack — including how his team found clues that may help law enforcement identify who was behind the attack.
Then we go inside Bitkey itself: how it works, why it doesn't use a traditional seed phrase, and how its 3-key security design is meant to make self-custody safer and easier for everyday Bitcoin owners.
We also discuss:
What the Coldcard hack can teach Bitcoin owners about keeping their savings safe How Bitkey protects your Bitcoin without relying on a...Is the AI Buildout the Next Debt Crisis Trigger to Usher in The Big Print?
AI is the latest technology that will change the world. That doesn't mean every dollar poured into building it will pay off.
Nearly $3 trillion is expected to be spent on data centers between 2025 and 2028, and roughly half of it is borrowed -- financed on the assumption that demand keeps exploding.
In this explainer episode:
What's actually inside a data center Why they cost billions to build Who's lending the money, and what they were promised in return Why this boom has pulled capital away from Bitcoin The one thing that has to keep happening...News Block: Bitcoin's Best Week in 2+ Years, Treasury Buybacks Explained, and Druckenmiller's WSJ Op-Ed Challenges Bessent
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Why Bitcoin suddenly surged more than 20% after months of silence The U.S. Treasury doubled its bond buybacks - what that means, explained simply Bessent swore he'd never do what Yellen did. Then he did it twice as big The legend who taught Bessent everything just publicly questioned him in a WSJ Op-Ed----
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders...
Jonathan Goodman: Losing $1.6 Million in ColdCard Hack, Why He Isn't Angry and the Bigger Lesson Learned
Jonathan Goodman did everything the Bitcoin experts tell you to do: Multiple hardware wallets, backups stored in separate places and a seed phrase stamped into metal. But last month he opened his cold storage set-up and found his Bitcoin gone.
In this deeply personal episode of Coin Stories, Natalie Brunell sits down with the author and entrepreneur, one of the most affected victims of the Coldcard exploit — money he had set aside for his children.
We discuss:
The moment he found out and what he did right away Why three separate backups all failed fo...Alex Leishman: Institutions Are Buying What Retail Sells — Plus How to Keep Your Bitcoin Safe
Natalie Brunell sits down with Alex Leishman, Founder, CEO & CTO of River. Alex shares what River's own client data reveals about who is buying and selling Bitcoin right now — and why big institutions are quietly accumulating during this downturn while everyday investors sell.
In this episode:
Is Bitcoin still Bitcoin if Wall Street owns a growing share of it? Why most people never move their Bitcoin off an exchange How scammers actually steal Bitcoin, and the simple habits that stop them Whether quantum computing is a real threat to your Bitcoin, and how River is preparing Wh...News Block: Bitcoin Price Surges on Surprise Treasury Move, Washington's Big Crypto Week, and Tether's First-Ever Audit
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Bitcoin jumps to nearly $70K after a surprise move by the U.S. Treasury Trump hosts crypto CEOs at the White House as a make-or-break vote looms Japan's biggest Bitcoin company is coming to America Tether finally got audited after a decade of doubters. Here's what they found Hackers leaked the names and home addresses of thousands of Bitcoin holders Bitcoin volatility has almost never been this quiet. Fidelity says that won't...Michael Saylor & Phong Le: MSTR Dilution Fears, Buybacks and Strategy as the "J.P. Morgan of Digital Assets"
Michael Saylor and Phong Le sat down with Natalie Brunell to take questions directly from Strategy investors — including some pointed concerns about MSTR's sharp drawdown, dilution and whether common shareholders are still the company's top priority.
One investor said he put $73,000 into MSTR for each of his three children, only to see each investment fall to roughly $20,000. He asked Saylor and Le directly: have common shareholders become Strategy's lowest priority?
In this episode:
Michael and Phong address dilution fears around $MSTR common stock Are $MSTR buybacks are on the table, and under what conditions? Wh...Mark Moss: "Retire Off Bitcoin" Strategy and How to Build Wealth in Any Market
Can you really retire off Bitcoin — even if the price drops 50%?
Mark Moss returns to Coin Stories to explain why he believes you can, what most people misunderstand about volatility, and why becoming a forced seller can be more dangerous than a falling market. He also opens up about what happened inside Satsuma, the Bitcoin treasury company that ultimately unraveled.
In this episode:
How to retire off Bitcoin without selling it What really happened inside Satsuma Whether the Coldcard exploit changes self-custody Why Mark doesn't expect another 2008-style crash soon What could finally bring mo...Alex Thorn: Tracking the Stolen Bitcoin and the "Red Team" Racing to Find More Bug
More than 1,700 bitcoins have been drained from Coldcard wallets belonging to people who did everything right when it comes to self-custody. Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital, has been tracing those coins on-chain since the second day of the attack, working directly with victims. He joins me with the fullest accounting of the hack that exists anywhere: how much was actually taken, where that Bitcoin is sitting right now, and what the people who took it have and haven't done with it since. In this episode: • Where the stolen Bitcoin is sitting right now and how ma...
News Block #152: Bitcoin's Red Team Fights Back, the BIP-110 Moment of Truth Arrives, CLARITY Punted to September
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
Bitcoin's Red Team audits 390 projects in record time, and what they found will surprise you Rob Hamilton says OpenAI blocked the Red Team's defensive work, so where is he turning instead? BIP-110's activation deadline arrived. Here's how it played out. The CLARITY Act missed its August window. What happens now? Putin signs Russia's first crypto law, and it reveals who the law is really for Why Bessent's yen rescue was never...Matt Kratter: Inside Bitcoin's Civil War Over BIP-110
BIP 110 has divided the Bitcoin community more than anything I've covered in years, and a lot of the argument has played out as people shouting past each other online.
Matt Kratter of Bitcoin University, one of the proposal's most vocal supporters, joins me to break down Bitcoin's civil war. Matt makes his case, I push back where I have questions, and we talk about why this debate has gotten as heated as it has.
In this episode:
What BIP 110 would actually do, and why supporters say it would stop spam on the Bitcoin network...Dylan LeClair: Why Bitcoin Treasury Companies Sold Off and What Comes Next
In 2026, Bitcoin treasury stocks have taken a much bigger beating than Bitcoin itself. Dylan LeClair, Director of Bitcoin Strategy at Metaplanet, joins me from to explain why he thinks the bears got carried away.
In this episode:
Why treasury company stocks fell so much further than Bitcoin did His response to the criticism Parker Lewis brought to this show about perpetual preferred equitites What Metaplanet is building in Japan, where $7 trillion sits in cash earning nothing Whether he thinks Bitcoin has bottomed, from someone who swore off price callsFollow Dylan LeClair at https://x...
News Block #151: ColdCard Hack Explained - First Self-Custody Breach at Scale, Strategy Makes First STRC Buyback, Fed's Most Hawkish Dissent in Decade
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The COLDCARD hack explained — the first time a major self-custody device has been compromised at scale, and what you need to know Why this hack is different from Mt. Gox, Bitfinex, and FTX and why it matters more for everyday Bitcoiners Strategy confirms it will no longer put 100% of capital raises into Bitcoin — here's what that actually means Three Fed members voted to raise rates, the most divided the FOMC has been in a...Parker Lewis: Digital Credit, Bitcoin Treasury Companies, and Where We Disagree
Parker Lewis, Head of Business Development at Zaprite and author of Gradually, Then Suddenly, has been one of the clearest writers on Bitcoin as money for years. Lately he's been vocal about the Bitcoin treasury companies and the yield products built on them.
I wanted to hear him out, but I also pushed back — because I think there's a version of these products that brings in people who wouldn't otherwise be here. We didn't land in the same place, which is what makes it worth your time.
In this episode:
Why Parker says the si...COLDCARD Attack Explained Simply with Rob Hamilton
In this urgent PSA episode of Coin Stories, Natalie Brunell sits down with Rob Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of AnchorWatch and one of the first people to analyze the ColdCard seed hack on-chain, to explain what happened and what ColdCard users need to do right now.
We cover:
Which ColdCard models and firmware versions are affected Why the seed phrases became guessable in the first place, explained with no jargon Why moving your seed onto another manufacturer's device does not remove the risk What to do ASAP, step by step, including the test transaction people skip...Jack Mallers on Failure, Integrity, and Walking Away from 21
In his first unrestricted one-on-one interview since stepping down as CEO of XXI, Jack Mallers joins Coin Stories to set the record straight on his departure and why he chose principles over a fortune on Wall Street. We discuss:
Why he walked away from Twenty One Capital, and the disagreement that got him there His message to the people who invested because they believed in him Why he calls it a failure, and the guilt he says comes with it The blank check he was handed, and why he couldn't take it What he tells anyone who bought...