28: Crypto Confidential with Nat Eliason

In this episode, I spoke with my good friend (and podcast co-host at Made You Think!) Nat Eliason. His book Crypto Confidential is about his journey into the world of crypto and is one of the best narrative non-fiction books I've ever read. We discussed Nat's crypto experience, his journey as a writer, fiction vs non-fiction, health, and of course went on many tangents.

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Timestamps

(2:18) What motivated Nat to tell his crypto journey story in a raw way?

(7:30) What Harry Potter spells teach us about how to learn

(9:05) The difference between an outsider writing a crypto book vs an insider

(13:30) Overview of Nat's experiences that led to writing Crypto Confidential

(17:15) What made Nat stop playing in the crypto casino

(20:45) How luxury goods have held their value more than most crypto projects

(23:07) Why Crypto Confidential is not a warning to avoid getting caught up in manias but rather that you need to be careful if you do. The importance of going all-in.

(24:30) Why buying at the right time isn't the hard part. Selling at the right time is the hard thing.

(32:00) Hacking smart contracts and common mistakes. How Nat lost $30,000 while eating dinner

(43:45) Recapping the NFT hype cycle and the future of NFTs

(49:25) The pain of unclear tax rules in crypto

(1:02:03) Science illiteracy in the health influencer space

(1:08:00) The sleeplessness of crypto vs sleeplessness of having a newborn

(1:11:50) Studying fiction storytelling techniques to improve non-fiction writing

(1:23:00) The advantage of working with a traditional publisher

Links and Resources

Order Crypto Confidential on Amazon

Nat's blog

Nat's Twitter