You Think You’re Sovereign Until You Test Bitcoin In The Real World (Not On Twitter)

What if the real trap is not working hard, it is spending your best years building someone else’s empire with money you do not even trust?

Mike Peterson sits down with Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) during Bitcoin Historico for a blunt conversation about the fiat system, corporate life, and why “growth for growth’s sake” eventually stops making sense. Efrat explains how years of being great at driving revenue for other people pushed her toward a bigger question: who is this all really for?

Before Bitcoin, Efrat Fenigson was deep in the tech world, first as a developer in Australia, then rising to executive roles in Israel. She talks about being a woman in tech on male-dominated teams, the early career reality behind the kinds of paths people imagine when they search video game designer job opportunities, and the moment she realized the work was not the same as purpose.

Then things get personal. Efrat shares what happened when she spoke out during Covid, how backlash followed, and why free speech became a line she would not cross, even if it cost her socially and professionally. This is the part of the story where “play it safe” stops being advice and starts being a warning.

Bitcoin enters through one sharp question that changed everything, “can they touch it?” Efrat Fenigson describes why self-custody, sound money, and censorship resistance felt like freedom tech, not just finance. It is also where her drive for financial independence turns into something broader, a freedom movement mindset built around sovereignty and personal responsibility.

Finally, they zoom out to Bitcoin adoption in El Salvador, including Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte and what a real circular economy looks like when it is not just theory. Efrat and Mike Peterson talk about merchants accepting Bitcoin, why even small savings windows can change how people plan their lives, and why on-the-ground reality matters more than headlines.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about 

X: https://x.com/efenigson
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@EfratFenigson 

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Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:

00:00:00 - Intro: Observing the reality of Bitcoin in El Salvador
00:08:13 - How do you become a global CMO in Israel?
00:09:43 - How can single motherhood and divorce debt push someone to pursue financial independence and retire early?
00:13:58 - Why do high earners quit corporate jobs?
00:17:51 - What happens when you speak out during Covid?
00:21:11 - How did Efrat Fenigson get into Bitcoin? 
00:21:47 - Can the government seize Bitcoin? What does ‘can they touch it’ mean for self-custody and censorship resistance? 
00:34:52 - Is Bitcoin still being used in El Salvador? What is Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte really like for visitors? 
00:41:20 - Why do merchants accept Bitcoin in El Salvador? Does Bitcoin adoption actually help small businesses save money? 
00:42:13 - Why is Bitcoin called freedom tech? How does sound money connect to a freedom movement and personal sovereignty? 

Live From Bitcoin Beach