Digital Gold

In this episode of Digital Gold, JohnPaul sits down with Taylor Towler, CEO of Solomon Data Systems, and Bill Schneider, a veteran sourcing and energy contracts expert, to explore the collision of Bitcoin mining, AI infrastructure, and the modern power grid. The conversation dives into Taylor’s rise from scrappy Bitcoin miner to 250 MW data center developer, Bill’s perspective on the political and structural failures of U.S. energy policy, and how AI’s explosive demand is reshaping both grid economics and opportunity for miners. Together they break down how to scale from 1 MW to 250 MW, why modular and behind-the-meter generation will define the next wave of digital infrastructure, and what it really means to build resilient, sovereign systems in an age of automation and scarcity.

In this episode of the Digital Gold Podcast, host JohnPaul Baric speaks with Matt Prusak, President of NASDAQ listed American Bitcoin, to explore the company's singular mandate: maximizing Bitcoin per share. Matt details their unique dual strategy, which combines low cost mining, enabled through a strategic partnership with Hut 8’s energy infrastructure, with an active treasury operation that acquires Bitcoin directly on the open market. He explains how this hybrid model accumulates Bitcoin more efficiently than ETFs or mining alone, offering traditional investors a trusted public vehicle for leveraged Bitcoin exposure. Matt is candid about the three primary risks, energy, capital markets, and policy, and illustrates how alignment with Hut 8, aggressive education, and brand expansion beyond crypto create a durable "American story" moat while compounding sats per share across market cycles.

This episode of the Digital Gold Podcast features filmmaker Lauren Sieckmann, co-creator and director of Unbanked, a global Bitcoin documentary. Lauren shares her journey from Nebraska, where her father first introduced her to Satoshi Nakamoto’s story, to building a career in film that blends storytelling, Bitcoin, and AI. She discusses the challenges of breaking into the film industry, how she turned early passion into a full-scale production, and what it was like interviewing figures like Michael Saylor and Jack Dorsey. Throughout the conversation, Lauren highlights the core message of her documentary: Bitcoin is for everyone across geographies, politics, and backgrounds, and its greatest power lies not just in number go up but in driving financial literacy and personal sovereignty.

In this episode of Digital Gold, JP talks with Zachary Townsend, Co-founder and CEO of Meanwhile, the first fully Bitcoin-denominated life insurance company. Zachary explains how Meanwhile operates entirely on a Bitcoin standard, from premiums and payouts to audits and financials, offering whole life policies that protect and grow Bitcoin holdings for decades while providing tax advantages, estate planning benefits, and BTC-backed borrowing without liquidation risk. They discuss how the company earns safe yield through over-collateralized institutional lending, the importance of trust and transparency in the Bitcoin economy, Zachary’s path from Stripe and Y Combinator to launching in Bermuda, and the vision to serve a billion people as Bitcoin adoption accelerates worldwide.

Join host JP as he speaks with Carson Smith, an early Bitcoin miner and engineer, pioneered immersion cooling with fish tanks and later spearheaded SBI Group's global mining arm, building out over 250 megawatts of capacity, where he developed internal monitoring tools and implemented demand response programs for grid stability. Currently leading 21 Tree Capital, Density AI, and Merkel Edge, he focuses on ultra-low-cost energy for Bitcoin mining and anticipates power costs becoming equally critical for AI data centers due to rapid chip depreciation and market commoditization. Smith emphasizes robust treasury management to navigate bear markets, stressing the importance of cash reserves, and offers entrepreneurial advice on learning from inevitable, even multi-million dollar, mistakes and persevering.