
Free Cities Podcast
By Timothy Allen
The official podcast of the Free Cities Foundation hosted by Timothy Allen.
New episodes every Friday.
New episodes every Friday.

EP 005: COVID Refugees with Tom & Emily Lahdenranta
EP 005: COVID Refugees with Tom & Emily Lahdenranta
Free Cities PodcastDec 23, 2022
00:00
02:29:44

EP 019: Parallel Structures with Martin Leskovjan
EP 019: Parallel Structures with Martin Leskovjan
Today I'm talking with Martin Leskovjan.
Martin is a member of the subversive Czech art collective Ztohoven and co-founder of Paralelni Polis which is one of the collective’s better known projects, also the site of the world’s first bitcoin-only cafe.
This is a conversation about art and the power to influence. Ztohoven are a band of merry pranksters with a desire to provoke emotion and open minds and I talk with Martin about many of their projects and whether it is possible to create parallel social structures that can liberate people.
Martin is a fascinating and inspiring individual, one of many good people I had the pleasure and privilege to meet in Prague for this series and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the discussions as much as I did.
Enjoy the conversation:
A.I. generated summary:
00:10 - Introduction to this episode.
06:32 - Spreading awareness of Bitcoin.
13:14 - The Artistic side of the collective.
20:12 - The fetish of national and state symbols.
26:55 - How did the idea of the red underpants come about?
30:34 - Trolling on the internet vs. trolling on 4chan.
37:32 - What is Ztohoven's latest project?
41:56 - The beginnings of the art collective.
48:49 - What was the intention behind the creation of Paralelni Polis?
54:06 - Organising the Hackers congress.
1:01:36 - The price of being ungovernable.
1:09:57 - What is meme culture?
1:19:22 - Being compelled to be subversive.
1:23:58 - The tools of crypto-anarchy.
1:28:13 - The transition from centralized systems to decentralised systems.
1:33:47 - The fall of Rome.
1:37:44 - Awareness of cryptography tools.
1:44:37 - Problems with the current state of activism.
LINKS:
Liberty In Our Lifetime 2023: https://libertyinourlifetime.org/
TWITTER:
Martin Leskovjan: https://twitter.com/LeskovjanMartin
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
WEBSITES:
Ztohoven: http://www.ztohoven.com/
Paralelni Polis: https://www.paralelnipolis.cz/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
VIDEOS:
The official burning of the red boxer shorts: http://shorturl.at/mqrxU
The Triggering of Shia | He Will Not Divide Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p4h3jwJob0
Mar 31, 202301:51:42

EP 018: Buying property in a Free City with Pontus & Ulrika Lindblom
EP 018: Buying property in a Free City with Pontus & Ulrika Lindblom
This is Episode 18 of the Free Cities Podcast, and it is also the penultimate show from the series of conversations I had in Prague. I am in Warsaw for the next seven days, recording interviews that you will be listening to over the next two months on the Free Cities Podcast. I can report that I am only three episodes in, and I have to say that my mind has been blown already on two different occasions, so I am really looking forward to sharing these conversations with you over the coming weeks.
Today on the show, I am talking with a Swedish couple by the name of Pontus and Ulrika Lindblom. Pontus and Ulrika are a family with a fascinating story...a journey around the world searching for liberty that has led them to the point of purchasing a property in Próspera on the island of Roatán in Honduras. I won't give too much away here, but needless to say, they have an exceptionally 21st-century story that revolves around, amongst other things, digital nomadism, flag theory, and Bitcoin.
If living in a Free City project is something you've thought about yourself, then today's guests should be able to offer you a wealth of first-hand experiences of the trials and tribulations faced by a freedom-loving family looking for the best way to navigate the idiosyncrasies of the times we are living in.
It was great to speak with them both. I very much appreciate people who are actually 'walking the walk' in this world. I sincerely hope they can offer some of you the inspiration to get out there and create the change you want to see in the world.
Enjoy the conversation.
AI Generated Summary:
00:30 - Introduction by Timothy Allen
03:04 - How did you end up in Prague?
10:48 - Homeschooling is illegal in Sweden.
18:31 - Prague’s experience of lockdowns.
25:11 - The Pirate Party in Sweden.
33:15 - The decentralisation of the family.
37:21 - Finding a community to grow up in.
43:43 - Prague's Liberty in Our Lifetime conference.
49:39 - Buying an apartment in Próspera with bitcoin.
55:29 - How much do apartments in Próspera cost?
1:00:21 - How to make a living as a digital nomad.
1:04:03 - The ideal situation for the family.
1:10:02 - What are the advantages of having residency?
1:14:20 - Why did you decide to go to El Salvador?
1:21:41 - Democracy in the future.
1:26:41 - How to prepare for the future.
1:34:09 - How did your neighbours in Prague react to the lockdowns?
1:41:52 - Advice for people who want to live a nomadic lifestyle
LINKS:
Liberty In Our Lifetime 2023: https://libertyinourlifetime.org/
TWITTER:
Pontus Lindblom: https://twitter.com/ponli137
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Próspera: https://twitter.com/Prosperahn
WEBSITES:
Próspera: https://prospera.hn/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Mar 24, 202301:46:05

EP 017: The Price of Privacy with Max Hillebrand
EP 017: The Price of Privacy with Max Hillebrand
Today I’m talking with Max Hillebrand.
Max is a well-known privacy and Bitcoin activist who is also the CEO of zkSNACKs, the company who’s flagship product is the privacy oriented Bitcoin wallet, Wasabi Wallet.
Max spoke in depth about privacy and self-sovereignty at last year’s Liberty in our Lifetime conference and this conversation follows in a similar vein. We begin with a few stories from his time working at Deutsche Bank but the conversation quickly moves on to open source software, Bitcoin and of course privacy.
We discuss many of the practical aspects of privacy tech, including how GitHub works, methods for anonymising bitcoin transactions, blockchain surveillance and the privacy implications of Bitcoin’s lightning network.
Max also makes some fascinating predictions about the far distant future of the Bitcoin network … certainly some things that I, for one had never contemplated before.
Enjoy the conversation
AI Generated Summary:
0:10 - Introduction to this episode
3:33 - How did you become interested in economics and banking?
5:57 - Falling down the Bitcoin rabbit hole at Deutsche Bank
12:23 - What did you learn from the bank?
15:19 - What does anarchy mean to you?
21:52 - The power to change code
28:37 - The difference between Git and GitHub
32:29 - Where is the source code of bitcoin on GitHub?
37:48 - The importance of privacy in banking
40:22 - Definition of privacy
45:33 - What do we want to prevent with Bitcoin?
51:01 - Explain how privacy tools work on the blockchain
56:21 - How does a bitcoin transaction work?
1:00:29 - The cost of a single transaction
1:08:58 - How much does it cost to use coinjoin?
1:13:21 - What’s the legality of what you’re doing?
1:17:30 - What is the attack vector on privacy?
1:20:49 - The legality of using a wallet
1:28:09 - What are the percentages of people making illicit coinjoins?
1:33:12 - Centralised vs decentralised
1:42:59 - How do wallets decide which coins to spend?
1:49:38 - The second layer of the monetary system
1:55:10 - Opening lightning channels
2:00:15 - Custodial wallets vs. money warehouses
2:04:58 - Federated money warehouses and Bitcoin
2:30:58 - What are your thoughts on other cryptocurrency coins?
2:37:28 - Bitcoin is not inevitable
2:44:52 - Hashing power and mining
2:51:30 - What would you do if money was no object?
LINKS:
Liberty In Our Lifetime 2023: https://libertyinourlifetime.org/
TWITTER:
Max Hillebrand: https://twitter.com/HillebrandMax
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
WEBSITES:
Max Hillebrand: https://towardsliberty.com/
Max's GitHub: https://github.com/MaxHillebrand
zkSNACKs: https://zksnacks.com/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Mar 17, 202302:55:18

EP 016: Homeschool Refugees with Caroline King
EP 016: Homeschool Refugees with Caroline King
Today we have another dispatch from the Czech Republic which is also another refugee story of sorts, in a similar vein to my interview with Tom & Emily Lahdenranta who were the family of 5 who left Canada due to their government's pandemic policies.
In this episode I’m talking with Caroline King.
Caroline is a Swedish mother of 4 living with her husband and family in Prague. They had to leave Sweden in order to be able to homeschool their children on account of the Swedish governments restrictive policies on self-directed education. This move has taken her on quite a journey to the point of public vilification by the Swedish media who labelled her as “The leader of the anti-school movement’… a somewhat laughable claim as you will discover during the interview.
As you would expect, much of this conversation revolves around education, in particular unschooling which can take on many forms as Caroline explains, but we also hear a lot about their experiences as a family of digital nomads which has taken them all over the globe.
As a father of 3 myself, I love talking about different parenting strategies and this conversation with Caroline did not disappoint in any shape or form.
If you want to follow up on anything we are discussing here, Caroline has told me that she’s happy for anyone to reach out to her. Check out the links below for more info.
I think its also worth noting that I initially met Caroline at last year’s Liberty in Our Lifetime conference, which is the Free Cities Foundation’s annual get togather. So, if you’re interested in meeting and connecting with people like Caroline then make sure you put October 14th and 15th, 2023 in your diary and get yourself to the wonderful city of Prague.
TWITTER:
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
Caroline King: https://www.denandraresan.com/
Prague Worldschooling: https://pragueworldschooling.blogspot.com
Swedish Unschooling Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/236574749814115
Czech Worldschooling Retreat: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/worldschooling-letni-pobyt-202/1107236173248122/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
VIDEOS
"Leader of the anti-school movement": https://youtu.be/ROD-ecCL96g
"Criminal family": https://youtu.be/-GFdbYfCGZI
Mar 10, 202301:34:00

EP 015: Dispute Resolution with Přemysl Bosák
EP 015: Dispute Resolution with Přemysl Bosák
On this week's podcast I am talking with Přemysl Bosák.
Přemysl is the founder of a new dispute resolution platform called Disputio which is an obvious fit with people like myself who would prefer to bear the responsibility of resolving their own disputes.
In this conversation we discuss the platform and how it works as well as a little about the history and evolution of law including bottom up solutions to legal problems. Přemysl is an anarcho-capitalist so we discuss anarchy and voluntarism as well as transhumanism, epistemology and the resurgence of personal responsibility in contemporary culture.
This is my 5th interview from Prague. Coming up will be 3 more touching on subjects from worldschooling to Libertarian art and I talk to one family who, amongst other things have just purchased a property in a free city in Honduras.
Thanks for listening to these conversations. It's heartening to see the number of subscribers going up steadily each week which makes me happy that our movement is gaining momentum. Please don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review and thanks in advance for both.
SAVE THE DATE!
Liberty in Our Lifetime Conference
October 14th - 15th, 2023
Empire Hall, Prague.
TWITTER:
Disputio: https://twitter.com/appDisputio
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
Disputio: https://www.disput.io/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Mar 03, 202301:17:02

EP 014: Tales of Liberty with Jan Mošovský
EP 014: Tales of Liberty with Jan Mošovský
In part 4 of our series of conversations recorded in Prague I am talking with Jan Mošovský.
Jan is the Director of Research at the Liberalni Institute, a Czech think tank championing the ideas of classical liberalism. He is also the European programs Manager at Students for Liberty, the largest libertarian students organisation in the world.
I begin this conversation by asking Jan about something he wrote in an article…
"Every good story is ultimately libertarian in nature"
An interesting observation that’s leads us into an in-depth discussion on Libertarianism, liberalism and governance models.
Jan has reservations about the viability of the Free Cities model and we discuss where he sees vulnerabilities and potential alternatives.
Listening back to our conversation I feel that I should add a small addendum to my side of the dialogue for the point at which we were discussing the possibility of the State coming into a Free City and shutting it down. Since our conversation I have got further clarification from Prospera about the legal treaties in place to mitigate this. There are in fact two, the first being the Central American Dominican Republic Free Trade agreement in which the US is a signatory. Within this treaty is a key clause that guarantees that the property of foreign investors will not be expropriated by another country. This affects Prospera since it has several US investors. The second treaty is the Honduras Kuwait Treaty in which there are similar clauses that would impact investments made by Kuwaiti nationals.
TWITTER:
Jan Mošovský: https://twitter.com/JanMosovsky
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
Students for Liberty: https://studentsforliberty.org/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Feb 24, 202301:30:37

EP 013: Inner Freedom with Pavla Karon
EP 013: Inner Freedom with Pavla Karon
Today's episode is my third conversation from our series recorded in Prague and this week I am talking with Pavla Karon.
Pavla is what I would describe as an anarcho-capitalist entrepreneur and mother… labels aside she’s also a super interesting person to talk to who has much to say on the subjects of freedom and liberty, especially in the context of parenthood and relationships.
Our conversation goes in many directions but in particular we discuss subjects such as what it was like growing up under socialism, bringing up free children, digital nomadism, tools for staying free and the importance of the path to inner freedom, particularly in relationships. On that subject, in her own marriage Pavla and her husband of 10 years practice ethical non-monogamy, a relationship model that she sees as a natural extension of her libertarian beliefs.
This is a fascinating conversation that was constrained in time by my busy schedule but I will certainly be recording a part 2 in the future.
TWITTER:
Pavla Karon: https://twitter.com/KaronPavla
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
KHDK Electronics: https://www.khdkelectronics.com/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Feb 17, 202301:32:49

EP 012: Enemies of the State, Friends of Liberty with Josef Tětek
EP 012: Enemies of the State, Friends of Liberty with Josef Tětek
This is the 2nd iteration of my series of conversations recorded in Prague and today I am I am talking with Josef Tětek.
Josef is an author, educator and founder of the Slovak Ludwig Von Mises institute. He also hosts the popular Czech podcast Stackuj which is a show about Bitcoin, money and freedom.
Josef’s background in Austrian economics and political philosophy informs the majority of our conversation and we start off by having an interesting discussion about the private provision of public goods and the various incarnations of this model that have existed around the world. Josef makes particular reference to ‘BB Centrum’ which is a privately owned public neighbourhood not far from where we were recording the podcast in Prague.
Other topics discussed include social engineering, the evolution and dissolution of the state, digital gulags and Josef reports on what he discovered about monetary colonialism during a recent trip to the African Bitcoin Conference in Ghana.
This was another extremely fascinating conversation from the Czech Republic. Look our for more of them on the show over the next few weeks and if you are enjoying our content please leave us a review on your podcasting app and many thanks in advance.
TWITTER:
Josef Tětek: https://twitter.com/SatsJoseph
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
Stakuj: http://stackuj.cz/
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Feb 10, 202301:15:12

EP 011: Navigating the Future with Alena Vranova
EP 011: Navigating the Future with Alena Vranova
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/
Feb 03, 202301:33:46

EP 010: Parallel Structures of Education with John Dennehy
EP 010: Parallel Structures of Education with John Dennehy
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/
Jan 27, 202301:17:07

EP 009: Landing Your Dream Job in a Free City with Zussel Ramos
EP 009: Landing Your Dream Job in a Free City with Zussel Ramos
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/
Jan 20, 202335:56

EP 008: Banking on the Free City Model with Sean Pawley
EP 008: Banking on the Free City Model with Sean Pawley
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/
Jan 13, 202301:02:45

EP 007: Bitcoin Education in a Free City with Dusan Matuska
EP 007: Bitcoin Education in a Free City with Dusan Matuska
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/
Jan 06, 202301:05:21

EP 006: Mayor of a Free City with Jorge Colindres
EP 006: Mayor of a Free City with Jorge Colindres
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/
Dec 30, 202247:09

EP 005: COVID Refugees with Tom & Emily Lahdenranta
EP 005: COVID Refugees with Tom & Emily Lahdenranta
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/
Dec 23, 202202:29:44

EP 004: Bitcoin & Free Cities with Stephan Livera
EP 004: Bitcoin & Free Cities with Stephan Livera
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/
Dec 16, 202201:15:14

EP 003: Building a Free City Bank with Christian Betancourt
EP 003: Building a Free City Bank with Christian Betancourt
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/
Dec 09, 202201:25:32

EP 002: Working in Próspera with Ricardo González
EP 002: Working in Próspera with Ricardo González
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/
Dec 02, 202201:13:26

EP 001: Free Cities Overview with Peter Young
EP 001: Free Cities Overview with Peter Young
Timothy Allen talks to Peter Young.
Peter is the managing director of the Free Cities Foundation. He leads the operational management of the foundation, with oversight over project delivery, communications and finance.
Before joining the Free Cities Foundation, Peter spent most of his career based in Beijing supporting trade links between the UK and China.
A.I. generated summary:
00:10 Introduction to the show.
02:32 Definition of a free city.
06:24 Free Cities Foundation's Conference.
10:53 Centralised vs. decentralised power.
17:33 Collectivist vs. individualist.
22:51 Is this model of free cities a new concept?
30:07 High time preference vs. low time preference.
36:44 The problem of property rights in a free city.
41:34 Free Cities Conference in Prague.
47:37 What concerns me about education in the UK?
53:27 Privatised education in China.
57:54 Protest against the current financial system.
1:03:43 How hard money allows for long term thinking.
1:08:44 Bitcoin is legal tender in El Salvador.
1:14:01 Saving your money in bitcoin.
1:19:07 The importance of learning how to use bitcoin.
1:26:41 Peter’s plans for the future.
TWITTER:
Timothy Allen: https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen
Peter Young: https://twitter.com/petermiyoung
Free Cities Foundation: https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound
WEBSITES:
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
Nov 22, 202201:28:56