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Welcome back to STACKED, the show that helps you become your own best asset. Today's question: how do you turn just yourself, your name, your expertise, and your reputation, into a business people pay real money for? Emily sits down with Ebony Lewkovitz, founder and CEO of Eden Communications, a strategic communications firm working across Wall Street, digital assets, and emerging tech. Ebony reached the top of Australian journalism by 27, then quit, bought a one-way ticket from Melbourne to New York with no job, no apartment, and no contacts, and worked in a bar while she freelanced. She turned down her old dream job back home, held out, and landed at the New York Post, where she became the paper's Washington correspondent and covered the 2020 election. Starting Eden cost a couple hundred dollars for an LLC and a website domain, and her advice is to skip the expensive branding and get paying clients first. Ebony opens her rate card: why agencies charge a project fee or a retainer, how retainers range from $5,000 a month for a small agency to six figures a month for the biggest firms, her own largest retainer of about $45,000 to $50,000 a month, and the most insulting lowball she's been offered, about $2,500 a month. This is educational, not financial advice. Do your own research.This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami's largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership at www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership.This is the episode for anyone who has ever wondered what their expertise is actually worth. Key Topics: • From Melbourne to New York with a one-way ticket • Turning down a dream job to stay the course • The New York Post and the 2020 election • Quitting with no backup plan • Why a journalist makes a great publicist • Having a point of view so you aren't boring • Starting Eden with one month of severance • The $5,000 first client • What she owns • Best decision: moving upmarket • Worst decision: overhiring • How agencies price a client • The inflection point is consistency • Wall Street and digital assets converging • Turning a lowball into referrals • Why niche press beats viral press • Women in digital assets • How to pivot into a new industry • What reporters want from you • Lightning round Timestamps: 00:00:00 – From Journalist to 7-Figure Founder00:01:20 – Building a Career in New York00:03:30 – Betting on Yourself When No One Knows You00:06:00 – What Makes a Story Newsworthy?00:09:00 – Building a Strong Personal Point of View00:11:00 – Moving From Journalism Into Tech and Digital Assets00:14:00 – Starting Eden Communications With Almost Nothing00:17:00 – Landing the First Client: The Co-Founder of Tetris00:21:00 – Asking for Help and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome00:24:00 – What It Costs to Start a PR Agency00:27:00 – Owning Your Business and Protecting Your Reputation00:29:00 – The Worst Financial Decision: Hiring the Wrong People00:30:00 – How to Price PR Services and Build a Rate Card00:39:00 – Turning Down $50K–$60K Monthly Clients00:41:00 – Managing Crisis Communications and Negative Press00:49:00 – Being a Woman in the Crypto Industry00:54:00 – Why Women Have an Advantage in Digital Assets01:03:00 – The Stories and Data That Make You Newsworthy01:05:00 – The PR Secrets That Can Get You Press01:06:00 – Lightning Round: Business, Money, and Personal Brand Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today Emily sits down with Mark Bini, a former federal and state prosecutor who is now a Partner and co-chair of the Investigations practice at Reed Smith and a member of its On Chain: Crypto & Digital Assets group. Mark spent roughly 15 years as a prosecutor, first at the Manhattan District Attorney's office and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida and in Brooklyn, trying some of the DOJ's most complex financial-fraud cases and bringing cryptocurrency investment-fraud and ICO cases alongside the SEC and the CFTC. In this conversation he explains what a crypto Ponzi scheme really is, why the mechanic Charles Ponzi ran a century ago still works when you wrap it in a token, and the specific red flags that should stop you cold: guaranteed returns, money you cannot withdraw, an investment that does not make sense, questions nobody will answer, and pressure to fund it right now. He also walks through the regulatory layer in plain English: how the SEC and the CFTC split jurisdiction, how a 1950s Supreme Court case about orange groves became the test for whether a token is a security, why regulatory certainty matters for institutional money, and how the legal system tries to calculate "loss" in a fraud case when the price of the asset swings wildly between the investment and the sentencing. And he tells the HashFlare story from the public record: two young Estonian founders who built a Bitcoin-mining operation across Tallinn and Iceland, were charged in the Western District of Washington with a crypto Ponzi scheme, pled guilty to wire fraud, forfeited what was left, handed over their own customer database to help the DOJ find victims, and received a rare time-served sentence that the DOJ ultimately left in place. This is the episode for anyone who has ever been walked through an opportunity she did not fully understand and wanted a former prosecutor's read on it before she wrote the check.Key Topics: What a crypto Ponzi scheme actually is • Charles Ponzi's mechanic in new packaging • Red flag: guaranteed returns • The rule of 72 as a sanity check • Red flag: money you cannot withdraw • Red flag: no answers plus high-pressure timing • Why charisma is never proof of legitimacy • Doing real diligence, including with AI • SEC versus CFTC jurisdiction • The Howey Test and the orange-grove case • How "loss" gets calculated in crypto fraud cases • The 2025 shift away from regulation by enforcement • The HashFlare case on the public record • From SDNY clerkship to the Manhattan DA to AUSA • Protecting yourself when nobody else will Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction: Crypto Fraud and How to Protect Yourself01:49 – From Prosecutor to Crypto Defense Attorney05:31 – How Crypto Fraud Cases Are Investigated07:30 – Understanding Crypto Regulations09:33 – SEC vs. CFTC: Who Regulates Crypto?12:00 – The Biggest Red Flags in Crypto Investments15:30 – How to Identify Investment Scams18:00 – Traditional Finance Meets Digital Assets20:30 – How Crypto Fraudsters Target Investors23:00 – Real-World Crypto Fraud Cases30:00 – Protecting Yourself From Crypto Scams32:00 – The Role of Lawyers in Crypto Fraud Cases34:00 – Bitcoin Mining and Investment Fraud36:00 – Recovering Funds Lost to Crypto Scams38:00 – What Happens to Seized Cryptocurrency?40:00 – Crypto Enforcement and Regulatory Challenges48:00 – The Future of Crypto Regulation53:00 – Lessons From Real-World Crypto Cases55:00 – Entering the Crypto IndustryDisclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. I'm Emily Dempsey, and this is a solo episode, part 3 of my AI and operations series. It has been about a year since I started treating The Brickell Babes like a full-time business, and I get so many questions about how we actually run it, so I'm pulling back the curtain. A year ago, we were running the whole company off of iMessage. My first big hire was an attorney on a 12-month contract, to set us up with agreements for everything from membership to contractors and developers, and that investment forced me to start treating The Brickell Babes like a real business. Then I found an incredible teammate overseas who works with me full-time. Next, we went all in on agentic AI. In January and February of 2026, I spent my weekends with a couple of nerdy friends building Claude agents, training them, auditing them, and automating the recurring tasks nobody enjoys. When the team outgrew personal accounts, we migrated to a company Claude that lives in the cloud. I explain the Chrome MCP, which lets Claude work inside your Chrome browser, and how we use it to audit our social media across every platform and build dashboards. I also share why I kept dragging my feet on a CRM, since so many of them cost hundreds or thousands of dollars a month and lock your data in, and why we're now building our own in Airtable for our community of 70,000 women, our members, and our brand partners. Then I get honest about my biggest struggle right now: competing priorities and switching between tasks across two brands, and the time blocking, two to four hours on one thing, that has helped most.This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami's largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership at www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership.This is the episode for anyone who has ever wondered how a tiny team runs a big brand.Key Topics: One year of running The Brickell Babes full-time • Running a company off of iMessage • Why my first big hire was an attorney • Burning out and getting help • Moving the business into Slack • Going all in on agentic AI • Weekend agent builds with friends • Launching a podcast is like building a brand from zero • 21 to 25 pieces of content per episode • From personal Claude to company Claude • Team agents in a private GitHub library • The Chrome MCP and social media dashboards • Why I avoided expensive CRMs • Competing priorities across two brands • Time blocking • Two brands, two audiences • Where STACKED goes next • Bridging traditional finance and digital assetsTimestamps:00:00 – Introduction00:16 – One Year Full-Time00:55 – Running the Business on iMessage01:03 – The First Hire: An Attorney01:44 – Working With an Overseas Teammate02:09 – Burnout and Moving to Slack03:15 – Going All In on Claude03:36 – Building AI Agents on Weekends04:39 – Launching the Podcast05:07 – Scaling Content Production05:58 – From Personal Claude to Company-Wide Claude06:49 – GitHub and AI Agents for the Team08:03 – The Chrome MCP09:21 – Social Media Dashboards09:44 – Building a CRM in Airtable12:51 – Managing Competing Priorities15:47 – Time Blocking for Productivity16:42 – Two Brands, Two Audiences17:20 – Night and Day From a Year Ago18:00 – The STACKED Update18:28 – Bridging Traditional Finance and Digital Assets20:55 – ClosingDisclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show that helps you become your own best asset. Today's question: how do influencers actually make money, and could you build something online that lasts? Emily sits down with Vale Genta and Sebastian Genta, the brother-sister duo behind a combined 2.8 million followers and the co-founders of NextGen Creators, a Miami workshop and event series that teaches creators how to get paid. Born and raised in Miami Beach to a Peruvian mother and Uruguayan father, they started posting on Vine in high school, back when nobody called it a career, and moved to LA with $10,000 they had saved, only to watch the deposit, a couch, and two beds eat it in two months. They break down a real rate card: price every deliverable separately, charge for paid usage rights, and price exclusivity high, because agreeing not to work with a competitor means turning down the next check. Sebastian, who has worked on the brand side, explains why you should always counter, since a brand will never come back higher than the number you name. Finally, they open the books on NextGen Creators: the LLC they formed together, a first event in March 2025 that broke even, an October event with TikTok Shop that brought in six figures in revenue, the GaryVee panel they knew would lose money and did anyway, and why the venue is always the biggest cost. Their bottom line: influence becomes income when you build something you own. This is educational, not financial advice. Do your own research. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami's largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership at www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership. This is the episode for anyone who has ever wondered whether their following could actually pay the bills. Key Topics: Starting on Vine before influencer was a job • $10,000, a move to LA, and two months • The Instagram video pivot that almost ended it • Why Miami and Latin culture content performs • Being bilingual as a hidden advantage • The $200 restaurant offer and holding your ground • What you'd own if the platforms disappeared • Inside NextGen Creators • Breaking even, then six figures with TikTok Shop • Losing money on purpose for the GaryVee panel • Forming an LLC together • The best and worst money decisions: managers • Building a rate card: usage rights and exclusivity • Who earns more per post • Why some million-follower creators are broke • Lightning round Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome + Introduction 01:47 – Building a Personal Brand 03:20 – Starting on Vine 04:55 – The Coachella Trip That Changed Everything 10:04 – Moving to Miami & Embracing Latin Culture 11:39 – Misconceptions About Being a Content Creator 13:47 – Making $10K & Moving to LA 18:35 – The Pivot to Video Content 21:50 – Her Best-Performing Content 23:28 – Rate Cards & Why Follower Count Isn't Everything 26:06 – How to Negotiate Brand Deals 27:40 – Landing Long-Term Brand Campaigns 28:43 – Taxes Every Creator Needs to Understand 29:44 – How to Find Brand Deals 32:19 – The Restaurant Offer 37:35 – Building NextGen Creators 49:34 – Why Creators Need an LLC 51:10 – Her Best Financial Decision 53:13 – Her Worst Financial Decision 55:16 – NextGen Creators' Best Decision 01:03:07 – Brand Deals She Turned Down 01:05:45 – The Truth About Million-Follower Creators 01:07:20 – Lightning Round 01:08:53 – Closing Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show that helps you become your own best asset. Today, Emily sits down with Rhonda Singer, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Miami, who has spent nearly 30 years in some of Wall Street's most exclusive rooms. A dare from friends led her to an investment banking role at Goldman Sachs, where she spent 8 years before building and leading AllianceBernstein's European sales and trading business for 20 years. After retiring at 50 and going through an unexpected divorce, Rhonda realized that despite a Wharton MBA and decades in finance, she had outsourced her own household finances and didn't know what she was invested in. That experience inspired her mission and the creation of Financially Blonde—a nod to Legally Blonde and proof that you can be a serious investor and still love pink. In this conversation, Rhonda breaks down the money mistakes she sees smart, successful women make, including why cash isn't as safe as it feels when inflation quietly erodes its value. She shares her 50/30/20 budgeting framework, explains the power of compounding, and outlines why keeping 3–6 months of expenses in cash can help you avoid making costly decisions during a crisis. This episode is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Always do your own research.This episode is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Always do your own research. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami's largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership at www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership. This is the episode for anyone who has ever handed her money to someone else because it felt easier. Key Topics: • The dare that took her from law school plans to Goldman Sachs • Being the only woman in the room • Why financial literacy for women is still broken • The divorce that showed a Wall Street veteran she had outsourced her own money • Why cash is not as safe as it feels • The 50/30/20 rule for your 20s • Done is better than perfect • Financially Blonde and the Legally Blonde flip • How to think about your number without spiraling • Compounding, explained with a snowball • Keeping 3 to 6 months of expenses in cash • Is a Chanel bag or a Birkin an investment? • Planning your fun money so splurges stay guilt-free • Prenups, postnups, and gray divorce • Wills, trusts, and keeping an inheritance in your own name • Automatic investing and a real budget • The FU fund and the power to say no • Lightning round Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Rhonda 01:46 – The Stat That Changed How She Thinks About Money 03:55 – Goldman Sachs on a Dare 08:10 – Retirement, Divorce & Starting Over 12:18 – The 50/30/20 Rule 15:59 – Building Financially Blonde 19:08 – Finding Your Number 20:41 – The Snowball Effect of Compounding 22:20 – The Confidence Gap, Debt & Financial Shame 24:57 – How Much Cash You Actually Need 25:59 – Chanel Bags vs. The Stock Market 27:31 – Splurges, Cooling-Off Periods & Spending Without Guilt 29:37 – The Framework for Big Purchases 31:43 – Rent vs. Buy: What Really Matters 35:51 – Why Gray Divorce Is So Much Harder 37:29 – Inheritances, Trusts & Why Everyone Needs a Will 39:00 – The STACKED Question 44:14 – How Entrepreneurs Should Build a Nest Egg 44:44 – The Importance of an FU Fund 45:58 – Lightning Round 47:33 – Where to Find Rhonda Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today Emily sits down with Erica Groussman, the Founder and CEO of TRUBAR, who started a better-for-you protein bar brand on her own kitchen counter in 2019 and sold it for $173 million in early 2026. Erica Groussman was a busy mom of two who grew frustrated with protein bars that tasted bad or were packed with ingredients she didn't want to eat. After a disappointing experience at Disneyland, she decided to create her own. Working with a food scientist, she developed TRUBAR's original vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free flavors and personally hustled to get them into customers' hands. A cold LinkedIn message to a Whole Foods buyer led to her first 30 stores, proving the power of persistence. From there, TRUBAR scaled to roughly 32,000 retail doors and about $100 million in revenue with virtually no traditional advertising and a lean, primarily female team of around 26 people. In this episode, Erica shares lessons on building a brand that drives repeat purchases, growing efficiently without unnecessary headcount, and making smart decisions around risk, equity, and fundraising. She also discusses TRUBAR's $173 million acquisition by ETi Gida in 2026, why she chose a values-aligned buyer, and why she's still focused on the next stage of growth as CEO. NEW PROMO CODE: STACKED20. Use code STACKED20 for 20% off TRUBAR at trubar.com. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami's largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership at www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership. This is the episode for anyone who has an idea sitting in their kitchen and keeps waiting to be ready. Key Topics: The Disneyland moment that sparked TRUBARWhy Erica rejected traditional protein barsCreating TRUBAR's first four flavorsWhy vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free matteredPersonally handing out bars to early customersThe LinkedIn message that landed Whole FoodsScaling to 32,000 retail doorsGrowing without traditional advertisingWhy virality doesn't build a brandCostco's role in driving repeat buyersEquity and dilution basics for foundersChoosing investors beyond their moneyInside the $173M TRUBAR acquisitionFinding the right acquisition partnerTrusting your gut in businessWhy Erica stayed on as CEO Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:01 - The Disneyland Moment That Sparked TRUBAR 03:50 - Working With a Food Scientist on the First Flavors 04:06 - Why Vegan, Gluten-Free & Soy-Free Was Non-Negotiable 05:22 - Handing Out Bars One Person at a Time 06:09 - The Whole Foods Breakthrough 06:18 - The LinkedIn Message That Opened 30 Doors 09:44 - Why Starting at 90% Beats Waiting for 100% 10:34 - Being for Most, Not for Everyone 11:27 - Trusting Your Gut in Business 16:16 - Why Going Viral Doesn't Build a Brand 16:35 - What Costco Taught Her About Repeat Buyers 18:12 - Why She Refused to Hire Headcount for Headcount's Sake 21:03 - Building a Lean Team of 26 People 22:14 - Choosing a Family-Owned Buyer 24:23 - Why Erica Stayed On as CEO 26:33 - What to Do Before Leaving a Stable Job 27:46 - Equity, Dilution & Founder Mistakes 28:35 - Choosing Investors Who Bring More Than Money Disclaimer:  The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. This week I'm going solo to talk about my first ever solo trip: ten days alone in Italy between a friend's wedding in Tuscany and a friend's 40th birthday in Lake Como. I planned the whole thing with Claude, from Florence to a train to Bolzano to a tiny town in the Dolomites called Ortisei. I get into why the Dolomites became the reset I didn't know I needed, the 80-year-old couple I met on a hike who are still traveling the world for his work as a land artist, and why Venice, alone, no partner, no plan, was the part of the trip that scared me the most and the part I'm most proud of. I also stumbled into a wild bit of history: Venice was the birthplace of modern accounting, insurance, and a gold-backed currency called the ducat, centuries before anyone called Bitcoin digital gold. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: - Why I finally took my first solo trip - Ten days stuck between two group trips in Italy - How I planned the whole trip with Claude - Florence, then a train to Bolzano, then Ortisei in the Dolomites - Why the Dolomites became the reset I didn't know I needed - The 80-year-old couple I met on a hike in the Dolomites - Why Venice was the part of the trip that scared me most - Going out of my comfort zone alone in Venice - Venice as the birthplace of modern accounting and insurance - The ducat, Venice's gold-backed currency, and the book Bitcoin Is Venice - Ending the trip in Lake Como with friends - What this reset taught me about balance going into the new year Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome + Why I Finally Did a Solo Trip 01:27 – Ten Days Stuck Between Two Group Trips 04:41 – Planning the Whole Trip With Claude 05:05 – Florence, Then Bolzano, Then Ortisei in the Dolomites 08:10 – Why the Dolomites Were the Reset I Needed 07:19 – The Older Couples & New Friends I Met on a Hike 10:08 – Arriving in Venice, Alone, in the Rain 12:44 – Bitcoin Is Venice & Venice’s Financial History 13:25 – Going Out of My Comfort Zone in Venice 14:00 – Ending the Trip in Lake Como 14:47 – What This Reset Taught Me About Balance Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today Emily sits down with Ron Hammond, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Wintermute, a global trading firm. Ron has spent nearly a decade inside the rooms where crypto's rules actually get written — as a congressional staffer who helped craft the first bipartisan crypto bill in history, as Ripple's in-house lobbyist, and as Senior Director of Government Relations at the Blockchain Association. In this conversation, Ron breaks down how Washington actually regulates digital assets: the market-structure bill sitting one procedural vote away from passing or dying for the year, why Bitcoin is treated more like a commodity than a security under the law, and the decade-long turf war between the SEC and CFTC. He also walks through his own path from Capitol Hill to industry advocacy, demystifies what a lobbyist's job actually looks like, and explains what the GENIUS Act's stablecoin rules mean for how money moves. This is the episode for anyone holding Bitcoin who has never had the policy layer explained to them in plain English. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics: • The Clarity Act & market structure • Bitcoin as a commodity, not a security • SEC vs. CFTC's decade-long jurisdiction fight • The Token Taxonomy Act's origin story • GENIUS Act & stablecoins • What a market maker actually does • Ron's path: Capitol Hill to industry advocacy • How a bill actually becomes law • Bitcoin vs. "crypto," where the distinction matters • The economics of crypto lobbying Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Ron Hammond 03:06 – How a 20-Year-Old Staffer Ended Up in D.C. Crypto Policy 07:42 – Writing the First Bipartisan Crypto Bill in Congress 11:54 – The Secret to Explaining Complex Ideas to Powerful People 17:06 – Why Crypto Policy Is Really About People, Not Technology 19:12 – The Uber Driver's Bitcoin Lesson 20:56 – How Stablecoins Changed Everything 24:46 – Why Bitcoin Isn't a Security 29:06 – The Questions That Help Predict Rug Pulls 34:42 – What Washington Still Gets Wrong About Crypto 40:18 – The Fight Over Crypto Regulation 47:05 – Why America's Anti-Tech Policies Push Innovation Offshore 53:58 – The Future of Bitcoin & Digital Assets in the U.S. 01:03:12 – CBDCs, Privacy & Financial Surveillance 01:09:38 – Lightning Round 01:13:42 – Where to Find Ron Hammond Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today I sat down with Dr. Soshana Clerizier, a board-certified anesthesiologist and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her actual day job is guiding patients safely into unconsciousness in the operating room — and she's taken everything she knows about how the body lets go and built Knocked Out, a physician-led sleep wellness studio for high performers who have optimized everything except the one thing that won't cooperate: rest. In this conversation, we get into why standard wellness advice fails ambitious women, the physiological reason you're still awake at 2am, and the one sleep habit tied to a 24% lower mortality risk in a 105,000-person study. She also gives me her real physician's verdict on the sleep-divorce trend, whether your sleep tracker could be feeding your insomnia, and what she'd actually steal from Bryan Johnson's famously extreme sleep routine. This is the episode for anyone who has optimized their training, their nutrition, their calendar, and their money — and still can't get a good night's sleep. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics: •The anesthesia-to-sleep bridge • Why standard wellness advice fails high-performing women • Sleep as physiology, not willpower • Michael Jackson and propofol • Wearables and orthosomnia • The 105,000-person study • Alcohol and sleep architecture • Sleep divorce and the Scandinavian method • Jet lag • Bryan Johnson verdict • Social jet lag • Building Knocked Out alongside academic medicine • Inside The Drift • Clinical care vs. wellness-spa market • Access, affordability, and doing less as the power move Timestamps: • 00:00 Intro• 07:39 Why High Performers Still Can't Sleep• 09:45 From Anesthesiologist to Sleep Founder• 12:27 How Anesthesia Actually Works• 14:26 What Determines How Much Anesthesia Someone Needs• 16:01 Why Anesthesia Is Not the Same as Sleep• 17:29 The Michael Jackson Story & The Dangers of Using Anesthesia for Sleep• 19:30 The Link Between Anxiety, Trust & Falling Asleep• 22:02 Why Modern High Performers Struggle With Sleep• 26:31 Sleep Hygiene Myths & What Actually Matters• 31:12 The Science of Nervous System Regulation• 36:10 Building The Drift: Turning Medical Insights Into a Business• 41:48 Leaving Academic Medicine to Pursue Entrepreneurship• 47:35 Lightning Round Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. This week I'm going solo to unpack why Bitcoin is digital gold, and why none of the other cryptocurrencies matter the same way. I use a $10,000 Hermès Mini Kelly, borrowed from a friend, to explain what actually makes something a hard asset: scarcity, durability, and a supply nobody can change. I also break down the real difference between the three ways to own Bitcoin right now, on an exchange, through an ETF, or on a cold wallet, using that same Hermès bag to explain the risk you're taking when you don't actually hold the asset yourself. This is the episode for anyone who's ever said "digital gold" without being totally sure why, or wondered if the Bitcoin they own is actually theirs. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: What actually makes Bitcoin digital money that no one controls Why Bitcoin behaves like gold: scarcity, durability, no counterparty risk The Hermès Mini Kelly analogy for hard assets Why there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin Why every other cryptocurrency has someone at the wheel, and Bitcoin doesn't Why Bitcoin didn't break in the 2022 crash when Luna, FTX, and Celsius did What would actually have to happen for Bitcoin to fail The 3 ways to own Bitcoin: exchange, ETF, cold wallet Why an exchange or ETF is like consigning your bag to The RealReal The risk of not actually holding your own Bitcoin Why a cold wallet is the safest way to own Bitcoin Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome + Why Bitcoin Is Digital Gold 00:45 – What Is Bitcoin, Actually? 02:06 – The Hermès Mini Kelly Analogy 02:38 – How Scarce Bitcoin Actually Is: 21 Million, Ever 03:10 – What Makes Every Other Crypto Different 03:53 – Why Bitcoin Didn't Break in the 2022 Crash 05:00 – What Would Have to Happen for Bitcoin to Fail 07:45 – The 3 Ways to Own Bitcoin: Exchange, ETF, or Cold Wallet 08:21 – The Safest Way to Hold Your Bitcoin Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today I sat down with Lily Shapiro, PharmD and Founder/CEO of ATIKA, a skin-longevity supplement brand. Before ATIKA, Lily spent over 15 years in finance — from investment banking to fixed income to helping run a machine-learning hedge fund — after training as a pharmacist first. In her 40s, she started noticing changes in her own skin and health, and ended up managing a bowl of roughly 20 pills a day just trying to keep up. In this episode, Lily breaks down what she means by "skin longevity," why she thinks dosing matters more than any single ingredient, her CALM framework for skin health, and why she left Wall Street to build a company in a category most people said was already too crowded. NEW PROMO CODE: STACKED — use code STACKED for 20% off your first ATIKA purchase at atikawellness.com/stacked This is the episode for anyone who's ever bought a supplement with zero idea whether it actually works. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Connect with Lily Shapiro, PharmD: Instagram: @lishapir | LinkedIn: Lily Shapiro | ATIKA: atikawellness.com/stacked | @atika.wellness (IG/TikTok) Connect with STACKED: Subscribe to the STACKED newsletter — weekly headlines on Bitcoin, digital assets, business, and wellness, delivered every Sunday and Wednesday. Subscribe at www.stackedassets.co YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stacked-assets Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stackedassets/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stacked.assets Follow Emily Dempsey — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilydempsey | X: https://x.com/EmilyDempsey | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-j-dempsey/ Follow The Brickell Babes — Membership: www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrickellbabes/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/thebrickellbabes/ Disclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. I sat down with Katherine Dowling, President and a Board Member of BSTR, a Bitcoin treasury company founded by Adam Back -- the only person named in Satoshi's original white paper on Bitcoin. Before any of that, Katherine spent nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office, building fraud cases the same way every time: follow the money. That instinct followed her into the private sector at Thoma Bravo, and then into Bitcoin — in 2021 she joined Bitwise Asset Management as General Counsel, the only woman on the company's founding executive team. In this episode, Katherine breaks down the moment she decided to leave the legal world behind for Bitcoin, why the same logic that built her prosecution cases is exactly what convinced her Bitcoin was different, and the one question she asks before she trusts any Bitcoin product. She also explains the real difference between a Bitcoin ETF and a Bitcoin treasury company, and why she believes your friends are not your research department. This is the Bitcoin conversation for the woman who wants to think like a prosecutor before she ever thinks like an investor. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: — Growing up hearing the story of her mother's FBI rejection letter — Nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office — The follow-the-money instinct that connects fraud prosecution and Bitcoin conviction — Her leap into private equity at Thoma Bravo — Joining Bitwise Asset Management as General Counsel in 2021 — the only woman on the founding executive team — Leaving Bitwise to become President and a Board Member of BSTR, a Bitcoin treasury company — "Are you a Bitcoin believer?" — her first due-diligence question before trusting any Bitcoin product — Bitcoin ETFs vs. Bitcoin treasury companies, explained in plain English — "Your friends are not your research department" — her advice on doing your own research — The SEC meeting where she learned that data beats headcount, marker in hand — What it's like being one of the only women in the room at every stage of her career — Lightning round Timestamps: 05:53 – Her Mother’s FBI Rejection Letter & Growing Up Around That Story 11:26 – Nearly a Decade as a Federal Prosecutor With the U.S. Attorney’s Office 14:36 – The “Follow the Money” Instinct & How It Led Her Out of Law 18:13 – The Leap Into Private Equity at Thoma Bravo 32:07 – “Your Friends Are Not Your Research Department” 33:52 – The SEC Meeting, the Dry-Erase Marker & Data Over Headcount44:28 – Bitcoin ETFs vs. Bitcoin Treasury Companies, Explained 54:57 – The Call From Adam Back & the Leap to BSTR 57:42 – “Are You a Bitcoin Believer?” — Her Due-Diligence Checklist 01:04:02 – Lightning Round 01:07:25 – Where to Find Katherine Dowling Tags: Katherine Dowling, BSTR, Bitcoin treasury company, federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney's Office, Bitwise Asset Management, Thoma Bravo, Adam Back, Bitcoin ETF vs treasury company, women in Bitcoin, women in finance, do your own research, career change to Bitcoin, Bitcoin conviction, sound money, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes,, institutional Bitcoin, digital assets, Disclaimer:The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. This week I'm going solo to answer the questions you ask me constantly: how did The Brickell Babes actually start, and what does it really take to build a community from scratch? I pull back the curtain on the unglamorous part nobody posts about. I take you back to the beginning — relocating to Miami from New York, struggling to make friends, and starting a Facebook group selfishly, out of my own need. I booked our first happy hour for 4 people, and 20 showed up. Four years later we're over 70,000 women across our platforms. I get into the media kit that changed everything, why I fought venues just to get a table, and the real difference between a community and a following. I share the 3 biggest mistakes I see people make when they try to build one, why I refused to monetize for years, and the one asset I wish I had started capturing on day one. This is the honest, no-highlight-reel version of building something that outgrows you. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: — Why I moved from New York to Miami with no real plan — Starting a community selfishly, out of my own need for friends and recommendations — The first happy hour: a table booked for 4, and 20 women showing up — The media kit that got local venues to say yes — Why splitting the bill kills community events — What year one of The Brickell Babes actually looked like — Authenticity in practice: consistency, honesty, and having an opinion — Community vs. following — what each one actually needs — The 3 biggest mistakes people make building a community — Why monetizing too soon is a scarcity mindset — Underpromise and overdeliver as the rule for brand partnerships — Owned media: why email and demographics beat followers — What I wish I knew at the very beginning Timestamps: 00:00 – Cold Open + Welcome 01:31 – Why This Solo Episode on Community Building 02:13 – How The Brickell Babes Started: Moving to Miami With No Friends 03:51 – The First Happy Hour: Planned for 4, 20 Women Showed Up 05:03 – Why Splitting the Bill Defeats the Purpose of Community 05:26 – The Media Kit That Opened Doors With Venues 08:52 – What Year One of Building a Community Actually Looked Like 09:59 – Authenticity in Practice: Consistency, Honesty & Having Opinions 10:43 – Reaching 70,000 Women While Staying Consistent 13:17 – Community-First vs. Influencer-Driven Growth 14:02 – The Unsexy, High-Touch Work Behind a 70,000-Person Community 15:17 – The Moment Brickell Babes Stopped Feeling Like a Hobby 16:24 – The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Make Building Community 17:59 – Why I Didn't Monetize Earlier — And Why Restraint Paid Off 18:52 – What a Community Needs That a Following Doesn't (The YPO Model) 21:16 – What I Wish I Knew Earlier About Owned Media 22:54 – Accept Help, Let Other People Lead 23:22 – Closing + Where to Find STACKED & The Brickell Babes Tags: community building, how to build a community, Brickell Babes, women's network, Miami, Emily Dempsey, community vs following, owned media, email list, brand partnerships, founder journey, women entrepreneurs, building in public, networking for women, STACKED podcast, organic growth, community first, women in business, passion project to business Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today I sat down with Dr. Jila Senemar, a board-certified OB/GYN with over 20 years of clinical experience and the founder of JilaMD and the Miami Menopause Collective. For most of her career, Dr. Jila practiced traditional OB/GYN medicine — she joined a father-son practice as its first female partner and delivered over 5,500 babies. But she kept running into the same gap: once her patients hit perimenopause, she had nowhere to send them, because menopause care was never really part of her own training either. So she left the practice she'd built, taught herself through the Menopause Society, and started a concierge practice from scratch — built entirely around the idea that women shouldn't have to just suffer through this. In this episode, Dr. Jila breaks down what perimenopause actually is and why it can start a decade before most women expect it, why the hot flash isn't even the real story, and what happened in 2002 when a single study scared a generation of women and their doctors away from hormone therapy — a fear that outlived the science for over twenty years. She also talks about testosterone's role in women's health beyond libido, why GLP-1 medications aren't a one-size-fits-all answer, and the unregulated corners of the wellness world she warns her own patients about. This is a conversation, not medical advice — always talk to your own doctor about what's right for you. This is the episode for the woman who plans to live past fifty, which is all of us. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: — From traditional OB/GYN practice to building a concierge menopause practice from scratch — Being the first female partner in a father-son practice team — What perimenopause actually is, and why it can start in your mid-to-late 30s — The symptoms nobody connects to menopause: brain fog, sleep, mood, unexplained rage — The 2002 study that scared a generation off hormone therapy, and what got lost in translation — Why she calls estrogen "the hero hormone" — Metabolic health, muscle, and bone in the midlife window — GLP-1 medications — her take on who they're actually right for — Testosterone in women's health, beyond libido — The unregulated wellness trends she warns her own patients about — Why she calls this decade a performance window, not a decline — Lightning round Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Dr. Jila Senemar 01:59 – The 2002 Study That Scared a Generation Off Hormone Therapy 07:01 – What Perimenopause Actually Is & When It Starts 10:14 – The Symptoms Nobody Connects: Brain Fog, Sleep, Mood & Rage 14:18 – Estrogen as the "Hero Hormone" 13:15 – Metabolic Health, Muscle & Bone in Midlife 48:06 – GLP-1 Medications: Who They're Actually Right For 14:10 – Testosterone in Women's Health Beyond Libido 53:40 – Unregulated Wellness Trends She Warns Her Patients About Tags : Dr. Jila Senemar, JilaMD, Miami Menopause Collective, menopause, perimenopause, hormone therapy, hormone replacement therapy, women's health, midlife health, estrogen, testosterone in women, GLP-1, metabolic health, longevity, OB/GYN, women's wellness, Brickell Babes, female founder podcast, midlife wellness, health education Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset. Today I sat down with Christian J. Lopez, Managing Director and Head of Blockchain & Digital Assets at Cohen & Company Capital Markets. A first-generation American raised by entrepreneurial immigrant parents, Christian witnessed the 2008 financial crisis firsthand while working at UBS in London. Seeing his family lose their homes led him to explore sound money, gold, and ultimately Bitcoin. He joined Cohen in 2021 when Bitcoin was still a word most investment banks refused to say in a client meeting. Four years later, Cohen & Company is the #1 Bitcoin investment banking team in the country (Hashrate Index, three consecutive years), and Christian has personally advised some of the most significant deals in the space: the Gemini IPO, Anthony Pompliano's $1B ProCap Financial public listing, and Adam Back's Blockstream $125M convertible offering. In this episode, Christian breaks down why the S&P 500 is not the inflation hedge most people assume it is, the consolidation wave coming for small and mid-sized crypto companies, and the $6.6 trillion deposit battle between Coinbase and the big banks over stablecoin yield. This is the Bitcoin conversation for the woman who has been hearing about it for years and wants the Wall Street version of the thesis — from someone who has done the deals. This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership Key Topics Covered: — First-generation American origin story: Colombian + Spanish family, Dallas restaurant, Chicago upbringing — The 2008 financial crisis as the origin of his Bitcoin conviction — Bitcoin mining 101 and the AI + HPC data center pivot — Bitcoin ETFs vs. Bitcoin treasury companies (DATs) — The coming consolidation wave for small and mid crypto companies — Bitcoin as sound money, categorically different from "crypto" — Why not holding Bitcoin is becoming irresponsible for corporate treasurers — End-of-2026 Bitcoin price target: $125,000 to $175,000 Timestamps: 03:47 – First-Generation American: Colombian & Spanish Family, Dallas to Chicago 05:55 – University of Illinois, UBS London & Landing on a Trading Floor in 2008 07:15 – Watching His Family Lose Their Homes & the Path to Bitcoin 08:30 – Columbia MBA, Guggenheim Securities & Broadhaven Capital Partners 11:35 – Joining Cohen & Company in 2021 When Bitcoin Was a “Bad Word” on Wall Street 14:30 – SPACs Explained & How Cohen Became the #1 Bitcoin Investment Bank 18:55 – Bitcoin Mining 101 & the AI/HPC Data Center Pivot 33:30 – Bitcoin ETFs vs. Bitcoin Treasury Companies (DATs) 38:20 – The Genius Act, Clarity Act & the Coming Consolidation Wave 56:40 – The $6.6 Trillion Stablecoin Deposit Battle: Coinbase vs. Jamie Dimon 01:02:00 – Christian’s Allocation & His End-of-2026 Bitcoin Price Target 01:02:40 – Lightning Round Tags: Christian J. Lopez, Cohen and Company Capital Markets, Bitcoin investment banking, Bitcoin mining, Bitcoin ETF, Bitcoin treasury companies, DATs, SPACs, Genius Act, Clarity Act, stablecoin regulation, sound money, Bitcoin inflation hedge, S&P 500 inflation, corporate Bitcoin treasury, first-generation American, Wall Street Bitcoin, Bitcoin price prediction, Bitcoin 2026, women and Bitcoin, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey Disclaimer:The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.