
Talking Tokens
Talking Tokens is a podcast focused on interviewing the best crypto leaders, startups, market players and up-and-coming founders that are changing the industry.
Join Jacquelyn Melinek, an award-nominated host and seasoned crypto journalist-turned-entrepreneur, to dive into the best talks in crypto in an easy-to-understand way.
The episodes will air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more.
For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/
Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Latest episodes

May 1, 2025 • 37min
Nathan Allman | Is 2025 the Year Everything Gets Tokenized?
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Nathan Allman, CEO of Ondo Finance.They discuss bringing finance onchain, how 2025 may be the year of tokenization, what crypto institutions want from TradFi, tokenized treasuries markets and his multichain vision.You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 29, 2025 • 31min
Ansem Says The Solana Bull Run Will Warm Back Up
Ansem, a notable crypto investor, former amateur boxer, and co-founder of Bullpen, shares his unique perspective on the cryptocurrency landscape. He discusses the importance of authenticity in building a brand on crypto Twitter and the impact of key opinion leaders in the space. Ansem also evaluates the current state of Solana and overall market conditions, expressing cautious optimism about future trends. Insights on the complexities of meme coins versus utility tokens provide listeners with a deeper understanding of this evolving industry.

Apr 24, 2025 • 38min
Jeff Zirlin | What Web3 Games Get Wrong (And How Ronin Plans to Fix It)
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Jeff Zirlin, co-founder of Sky Mavis. They discuss Ronin’s recent expansion to open up its gaming blockchain, Axie Infinity’s 2021 popularity and lessons from that era, the importance of tokenomics in web3 games and more.You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 21, 2025 • 38min
Ben Leventhal | Ex-Resy Co-Founder Explains Why He's Building Blackbird on Web3
On today’s (100th!) Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Ben Leventhal, Co-founder of Resy, Eater and Blackbird.They discuss his decades-long career focused on the food industry, Blackbird’s recent $50M raise as well as expansion in NYC, SF, Charleston and beyond. We also dive intoBen’s perspective on how the restaurant industry wants more data on its users and the role Blackbird hopes to provide on that front.You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 17, 2025 • 40min
Dylan Abruscato | Crypto The Game Is Going Viral
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Dylan Abruscato, the creator of Crypto The Game (acq. by Uniswap).Crypto The Game wrapped up its third season in March with the winner taking home the prize pot of 71.6 ETH, worth about $150K at the time.They discuss how he co-created a game on top of crypto rails with no prior web3 education, how his past experiences working at HQ Trivia and SNL shaped his POV, creating a game people actually want to play and more.You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 15, 2025 • 36min
Lucas Bruder | How Jito Generated $1.1B in Solana Rewards
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Lucas Bruder, CEO and co-founder of Jito Labs. Jito Labs is building high-performance MEV infrastructure on Solana. To date, it has generated $1.1B for validators and stakers on Solana, with over 90% of the network’s validators running via its software. In 2024, the company made $650M for the network through fees and revenue. They discuss his founder journey, why Jito decided to build on Solana, the expansion of DeFi onchain and what users and institutions want. This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Jacquelyn is doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana.=======================Follow Jito: https://x.com/jito_solFollow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinekFollow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokensFollow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations=======================Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd=1&dlsiSubscribe to the podcast on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens=======================Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 10, 2025 • 49min
Sandy Carter | How Digital Identity is Changing the Future
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Sandy Carter, COO at Unstoppable Domains.They discuss onchain domains, how people are using digital identities to verify themselves, what enterprise organizations are doing to integrate this technology, the importance of trust in AI and blockchains and more.You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 8, 2025 • 53min
Lavande | How Crypto Decisions Get Made
For this week’s Tuesday episode, we’re airing the fourth Optimism x Token Relations webinar Jacquelyn moderated with Lavande, head of governance at Optimism. We discuss how she looks at governance and decentralized voting within the Superchain ecosystem and broader crypto landscape. We also dive into her views on different voting models and mechanisms, the importance to change algorithms, incentivizing users, Optimism’s Retro Funding and more.=======================Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd=1&dlsiSubscribe to the podcast on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens=======================Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 3, 2025 • 39min
Tiffany Fong Talks Sam Bankman Fried, Elon Musk, Celsius and Internet Fame
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Tiffany Fong, an online personality and YouTube content creator. We discuss her rise to fame, how she first got into crypto over a decade ago, why she started tracking the downfall of crypto lending platform Celsius, her friendships with ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and Elon Musk.=======================Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd=1&dlsiSubscribe to the podcast on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens=======================Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Apr 1, 2025 • 57min
Dan Tapiero | Bitcoin Could Reach $180k This Cycle
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Dan Tapiero, founder, CEO and CIO of 1RoundTable and 10T Fund. They discuss Dan’s perspective on traditional markets and equities, how he still owns gold, his focus on digital gold – bitcoin – and growth stage teams. They also dive into the current administration and how it can open the floodgates for crypto companies to IPO as well as his long term outlook.=======================Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd=1&dlsiSubscribe to the podcast on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens=======================Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.