The Bitcoin meetup that changed my life.

There’s a certain magic that happens when you walk into a room full of Bitcoiners for the first time. For me, that place was SLO Bitcoiners — my first-ever Bitcoin meetup — and it changed my life.

Until that night, most of my conversations about Bitcoin felt like battles. I’d explain why I owned Bitcoin, defend its principles, or justify its existence to people who looked at me like I was either delusional or plotting to topple the economy. But at SLO Bitcoiners, I didn’t need to explain. I didn’t need to defend. I didn’t need to convince anyone of anything.

Everyone just got it.

What struck me most wasn’t just the shared conviction about Bitcoin — it was the diversity. Engineers, real estate investors, coders, even government officials. Some were libertarian, others progressive, and everything in between. But no one cared about politics. The only ideology that mattered was: fix the money, fix the world.

Over cold beers, we swapped book recommendations and favorite podcasts. Some were deep into Austrian economics, others found their orange-pill moment through personal financial hardship, while others had simply stumbled into Bitcoin and never looked back. Each person had a different reason for being there, but we were all drawn together by the gravitational force of a better money.

Bitcoiners tend to be curious, independent thinkers — the kind of people who ask the hard questions and don’t accept easy answers. And when you bring those minds together in real life, it’s electric. There’s laughter, debates, deep philosophical tangents, and moments of silence where someone’s finally putting words to a thought you’ve wrestled with for years.

We talk about trust, about time preference, about how fiat ruins incentives and how Bitcoin opens doors. We talk about building — whether it’s homesteads, businesses, or the parallel systems of the future.

And most of all, we talk about freedom.

It’s funny — when you find a tribe of people who share your long-term mindset and belief in individual sovereignty, everything starts to make a little more sense. The world feels a little less crazy. You start to realize you’re not alone. In fact, you're just getting started.

So, if you’ve been stacking sats in silence, if you’ve been orange-pilled but haven’t found your people yet — go to a meetup. Find your local Bitcoiners. Order a beer, ask what they’re reading, and prepare for your world to open up.

Because Bitcoin isn't just code. It’s a culture. It’s a community. And when you find your place in it — everything changes.

Beers and Bitcoin. What more do you need?

Shout out to BullishBTC.com — whether you’re just getting started or already deep in the rabbit hole, there’s always more to learn and build. Join the revolution.

Big love to @BTCslo (on X) for hosting the meetup that changed everything. Y’all are building something special.