Free Cities Podcast

Today we begin our series of interviews recorded in Prague and my first guest is Alena Vranova. Alena’s extremely accomplished track record includes several successful startups in finance and technology but she is best known as the founder and former CEO of SatoshiLabs who produce one of the world's best known cryptocurrency hardware brands TREZOR. SatoshiLabs also founded Slush Pool which was the world's first Bitcoin Mining Pool established way back in 2010. In this conversation we talk about Alena’s experiences growing up in the Czech Republic under communist rule and her thoughts and predictions for a future in which she sees technology emboldening many authoritarian regimes around the globe. In our discussion she highlights Paraguay as a relatively unknown destination for people considering a Plan B residency option, something that she has taken advantage of herself. She also speaks about an innovative project in the country that is using the profits from Bitcoin mining to fund an education programme teaching 21st century skills to Paraguayans. Other subjects covered include open source technology, central bank digital currencies, homesteading, self sufficiency, transhumanism and Alena offers up some suggestions on how to prepare for the future that she sees coming. As a renowned technologist, I find Alena's unique perspective on the world absolutely fascinating and I sincerely hope I get to continue our conversation at some point in the future. TWITTER: Alena Vranova: https://twitter.com/AlenaSatoshi Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITE: Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

In this episode I talk with John Dennehy. John is a former journalist who quit his life in the US to move to El Salvador with the intention of starting a Bitcoin education programme. The result was the creation of the non-profit organisation ‘Mi Primer Bitcoin’ and the world’s first ever Bitcoin diploma. In this conversation we discuss the story behind 'My First Bitcoin' as it is known in English, and the current state of the education programme as well as El Salvador's Bitcoin adoption in general. As a firm believer in the notion that Bitcoin is a tool to empower people, John has some strong views on the subject of education as well as the state of the legacy journalism world from which he came. I hope you find this discussion interesting and informative. Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed if you like our content and please leave us a review if you so desire. TWITTER: John Dennehy: https://twitter.com/jdennehy_writes Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Mi Primer Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/MyfirstBitcoin_ Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Mi Primer Bitcoin: https://linktr.ee/myfirstbitcoin_ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Zussel Ramos is the C.O.O. of AmityAge Academy in the Free City project of Próspera in Roatán, Honduras. This interview will be the last one from my series of conversations recorded in Honduras and it is a very informal chat recorded in Próspera’s newly inaugurated Bitcoin Centre. Zussel is a wonderful young Honduran lady who ended up working her dream job in Prospera thanks to her interactions with the Students for Liberty organisation whilst at college. In this conversation we discuss the work of the academy and some of the challenges she faces educating Hondurans about not only the technology of Bitcoin but also the fact that the academy is located in one of Honduras's widely misunderstood ZEDEs, (Zones of Employment and Economic Development). Zussel is a wonderfully positive individual who’s belief in both Bitcoin and Próspera is highly infectious and I look forward to following the progress of the academy closely. If you would like to support the work being done at Roatán’s Bitcoin Centre you can donate to their Geyser Fund. TWITTER: Zussel Ramos: https://twitter.com/itszussel Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen AmityAge Academy: https://twitter.com/AmityAge Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: AmityAge Academy: https://geyser.fund/project/amityageacademy/ Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Timothy Allen talks to Sea Pawley. Sean is the founder and CEO of Seshat Bank which is the full service commercial bank currently being established in the Free City project of Próspera in Honduras. Topics mentioned in this conversation include: How to start a bank. The history of charter cities. Neo-medievalism. Pros & Cons of decentralisation of power. Artificial Intelligence. Funding war in pre-revolutionary France. ZEDEs and alternative governance models around the world. What makes Prospera different from other special economic zones. Space habitation. Pros & cons of governance models in space. TWITTER: Sean Pawley: https://twitter.com/io_sean_p Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Seshat Bank: https://twitter.com/SeshatBank Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Seshat Bank: https://www.seshatbank.com/ Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Dusan Matuska is an entrepreneur, consultant & Bitcoin educator. I initially met Dusan in The Czech Republic during the Liberty In Our Lifetime conference but it wasn’t until our paths crossed again in San Salvador that I finally had the chance to sit down with him for an all to brief chat before he had to fly off to Roatán in Honduras where he has recently opened a Bitcoin eduction centre in the Free City project of Próspera. In this conversation we talk about Dusan’s decision to move to Próspera and how he sees the future of the project in the face of governmental opposition. Other topics we discuss include the socio-political concept of Parallel Polis, anarcho-capitalism, alternatives to democracy, personal carbon taxes and the importance of freedom of movement, in particular with regards to Free City projects and whether or not the freedom to move is even something that is guaranteed to exist in our future. Speaking to Dusan is always a pleasure… I only wish we could have talked for longer. TWITTER: Dusan Matuska: https://twitter.com/dusan_matuska Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen AmityAge Academy: https://twitter.com/AmityAge Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Dusan Matuska: https://www.dusanmatuska.com/ AmityAge Academy: https://geyser.fund/project/amityageacademy/ Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Jorge Colindres is a lawyer, business consultant, and public policy analyst. He is currently acting as Technical Secretary of Próspera ZEDE, a Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Honduras with the status of an autonomous municipality, a common-law legal system, a policy of low taxes and free trade, and an independent financial supervision regime. In this episode we go into Jorge’s role at Próspera which is similar to that of a Mayor in a traditional municipality. We also hear his opinions on the idea of ZEDEs… Honduras's so called Zones of Employment and Economic Development, which he considers to be the world's most advanced form of these kind of special zones. We also discuss tourism and the problems of political instability and the idea of ZEDEs as a response to this instability as well as whether governments could ever shut down Próspera. We talk about the most compelling arguments against ZEDEs and how they manifest in Honduras and whether Europe is a good place for this kind of free cities model. Jorge finishes with some timeless advice for anyone wishing to replicate their model of governance and he describes how he sees the future of Próspera over the long term. TWITTER: Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen George Colindres: https://twitter.com/GeorgeColindres Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Tom and Emily made the ultimate commitment to 'voting with their feet' when they sold their house and possessions in British Columbia and moved with their 3 young children to Central America. Their move to a better life was triggered by Canada’s strict COVID 19 restrictions, which had meant that, amongst other things, Emily was fired from her nursing job on account of her choice not to take a COVID 19 vaccination. This situation combined with what they considered to be the unacceptable and increasingly authoritarian trajectory of their own government, compelled them to leave their home country for Mexico, beginning a quest to find a place in which they felt they had the freedom to raise their family in the manner to which they aspired. Over a year later, that place turned out to be El Salvador and we spend most of this conversation talking about the path that brought them to this point as well as the trials and tribulations of life as a ‘COVID refugee’. Tom and Emily’s story is both shocking and hugely inspirational. They recount their experiences candidly and give a fascinating insight into what it takes to make a bold move like this successful. TWITTER: Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Tom Lahdenranta: https://twitter.com/menscoach_tom Emily Lahdenranta: https://twitter.com/EmilyML19 Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Emily Lahdenranta: https://emilyml.substack.com/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Timothy Allen talks to Stephan Livera. Stephan is the host of one of the world's leading Bitcoin podcasts and he is also the Managing Director at Swan Bitcoin International. He contributes to various outlets and publications including Bitcoin Magazine and Mises Institute as well as speaking at Bitcoin conferences internationally. Previously he worked as an Australian Chartered Accountant for Deloitte, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Macquarie Bank. Stephan grew up in Sydney, Australia and studied Commerce with Accounting & Finance majors at the University of New South Wales. After speaking at The Free Cities Foundation conference 'Liberty in our Lifetime', Stephan wrote an excellent article for Bitcoin Magazine pointing out the striking parallelism between the Bitcoin movement and the Free Cities movement.. Stephan is a natural advocate for Free Cities…. he recently ‘voted with his feet’ and left his home country of Australia to move to Dubai and he discusses the rational behind this decision in detail in this conversation. He also talks in depth about the Pandemic and consequent lockdowns and the importance in this day and age of what he calls ‘Flag Theory’… the idea of insulating oneself against unfriendly governments by establishing homes in multiple juristictions around the world. Stephan's Interview with Titus Gebel can be found here: https://stephanlivera.com/episode/417/ Stephan's Bitcoin Magazine article 'Bitcoin and the Free Cities Movement' can be found here: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-enables-the-free-cities-movement TWITTER: Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Stephan Livera: https://twitter.com/stephanlivera Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Stephan Livera: https://stephanlivera.com/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Timothy Allen talks to Christian Betancourt. Christian is the Co-founder and General Counsel of Seshat Bank, a regional API-first commercial bank and the premier commercial bank from the Honduran special economic zones. He heads its Legal and Compliance departments. He also collaborates as a Fellow at the Fundación para la Libertad Económica, a think tank dedicated to the promotion of public policies that further economic development and social tolerance. Previously Christian was an associate at Consortium Legal – Honduras and Director of Consortium INOVA, the firm’s Center for Advancement in Business and Opportunities, as well as an adjunct fellow at Fundación Eléutera, part of Atlas Network. Topics mentioned in this conversation include: Liberty, Self-determination, the philosophy of self-sovereignty, the history of ZEDEs (Zones of Employment and Economic Development), national sovereignty, Honduras, Prospera, autonomous zones, setting up Seshat Bank in Prospera, creating a custom regulatory framework for a bank, Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies & CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) TWITTER: Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Christian Betancourt: https://twitter.com/VHSorBetancourt Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/

Timothy Allen talks to Ricardo González. Ricardo is an executive member at Honduras Próspera on the island of Roatán in Honduras. He is an experienced Honduran attorney with a background in business development, start-up incorporation, counselling to mid to small-sized organizations, operation management, and mentorship. He got his Masters in Law (LLM) at Penn State University with a concentration in Corporate Law and Practice. Prior to studying full time at Penn State Law, Ricardo was the Chief Operations Officer at Bufete Corporativo de Emprendimiento e Innovación, a Honduran law firm primarily focused on providing legal services to entrepreneurs in tech, social and traditional industries, working closely with the founders and giving advice on legal aspects of business operations. He also served as a legal mentor in startup programs such as Honduras Digital Challenge, Founder Institute, and the Entrepreneurship HUB at the Technological University of Central America (UNITEC) where he is a frequent guest speaker. Previously he worked as a Research Assistant at Fundacion Eleutera, a Honduran think tank that is dedicated to influencing public policy reform or proposals to make the lives of citizens more prosperous, practical, and free. Major programs for this organization include Economic Freedom Month (with the Economic Freedom Index). TWITTER: Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen Ricardo González: https://twitter.com/Rgonzalezhn Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound WEBSITES: Próspera ZEDE: https://pzgps.hn/ Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/