Attendee to Organizer to Conference Host: Portland, OR | Ep. 011

Attendee to Organizer to Conference Host: Portland, OR | Ep. 011

Author: Reed & Rev Hodl May 13, 2026 Duration: 1:32:46

Eric from Portland, Oregon joins Rev and Reed to talk about running six monthly Bitcoin meetups across the city and building Bitcoin Is For Everyone, the largest Bitcoin conference on the West Coast, from a nonprofit angle in one of the most crypto-skeptical regions in the country. He shares how the 501c3 structure creates cognitive disconnect for skeptics, why proof-of-work before sponsorships matters, and how a single politician's visit to the conference turned into a stage appearance the following year. Rev recaps Bitcoin Community College in Michigan, Reed teases a Connecticut meetup trip, and the V4V segment discusses the booster leaderboards.

Reed's Meetup: westernmassbitcoin.com

Rev's Meetup: South Bend Bitcoin Meetup: Meets the First Thursday of Every Month at Lang Lab 6:30pm Eastern Time

Eric’s Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/portland-bitcoin-group/

Bitcoin is for Everyone Conference: https://bitcoinisforeveryone.com/ (Discount code NOSTRINSIDER for 21% off conference tickets)

Find the show on nostr: npub1cvcgs83gw6pcrhvtmlf8gdqaegx93qkznwry96jteqhh2cexgkfq45rtya

Reed's npub: npub1xgyjasdztryl9sg6nfdm2wcj0j3qjs03sq7a0an32pg0lr5l6yaqxhgu7s

Rev Hodl's npub: npub1f5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajs7gwt3z

Eric’s npub: npub1ljswqt5rr5hpd3ee86n4qp9uvqafk233wlsvndxu7sxg8q889fxse79q6n

Do you run a meetup and want to talk about it with us? Want more information about Grassroots Bitcoin or the quarterly meetup organizer calls? Reach out to us: localbitcoiners@gmail.com

Find or contribute information on how to start, run or grow your meetup here: https://github.com/Reeds-Agent-Team/Bitcoin-Meetups

Prefer on-chain donations?

Silent Payment (what are silent payments?): sp1qq0cvn8x7x43xcpmqjzmej24jr5ccnsmvqpvjcn7ctzlpntfq9u252qj70jgwxsqugcwp7tmuq6pq77ffepsklhlhv7r434ycxy00zknjygxsl0rl

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[guests: npub1ljswqt5rr5hpd3ee86n4qp9uvqafk233wlsvndxu7sxg8q889fxse79q6n]


In a world of digital finance, the most important connections often happen face-to-face. Local Bitcoiners explores the human networks forming the backbone of the Bitcoin ecosystem, moving beyond online forums to the coffee shops, pubs, and community centers where the philosophy gets personal. Hosts Reed & Rev Hodl travel the globe through conversation, sitting down with the organizers who build these local hubs from the ground up. Each episode is a deep dive into a specific city or region’s unique Bitcoin culture, uncovering the distinct challenges, triumphs, and social dynamics that define each group. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of what draws people together, how trust is built offline, and why a local meetup can be more transformative than any whitepaper. This podcast is about the stories behind the screens-the shared meals, the educational workshops for newcomers, and the spontaneous collaborations that spark when curious minds gather. It’s a chronicle of community building in its most tangible form, examining how these local nodes contribute to the resilience and growth of the broader Bitcoin idea. For anyone interested in the social layer of this technology, Local Bitcoiners offers an essential and often overlooked perspective, revealing how global change starts with a handshake in your own neighborhood. Tune in to discover the diverse characters and passionate conversations shaping the future, one local meetup at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 29

Local Bitcoiners
Podcast Episodes
Recording the Revolution w/Shannon: Columbus, OH | Ep. 019 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:13:20
Shannon of Columbus Bitcoin joins Rev and Reed to trace how a casual Twitter happy hour grew into a six-year-old meetup with roughly eighty regulars, quarterly "mini conference" events, and a River partnership. The conve…
The Subjective Value of Meetups w/Clay Seal: Cincinnati, OH | Ep. 017 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:16:04
In this episode, Clay, organizer of Cincinnati Bitcoin and a first-time podcast guest, traces his path from bingeing Austrian economics in 2015 to buying his first Bitcoin in 2020 and not discovering meetups until 2023.…
Privacy is Sovereignty w/Btcwrestle: Columbia, SC | Ep. 015 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:50
Btcwrestle hosts the Columbia, South Carolina Bitcoin meetup and joins Rev and Reed to talk through his upcoming privacy workshop and his "take one thing away at a time" philosophy for getting Bitcoiners more private. Th…
Big Upsides, Small Risks: The Value of Bitcoin Meetups | Ep. 013 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:20:36
Rev and Reed go guestless for a deep-dive into the mechanics of Bitcoin meetup culture, tackling circular economies (and the unsolved problem of creating payment splits on physical goods), "proof of reputation" as the so…
Evolution & Development of a Meetup: Niagara Canada | Ep. 010 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:17:37
Rev and Reed welcome Shaun from the Niagara Bitcoin Meetup (Ontario, Canada) for a wide-ranging conversation on building Bitcoin culture across the border, from his first underground, mask-defying meetup at a Tahini's du…
Growing Slow Builds Strong Communities: KC Bitcoiners | Ep. 009 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15:09
Reed and Rev are joined by Spencer of KC Bitcoiners and the Bowl After Bowl podcast to dig into value-for-value as a sustainable foundation for both Bitcoin meetups and the podcasts that orbit them. Spencer makes the cas…