The Most Extreme Way to Build a Bitcoin Circular Economy | Isabella Santos of BTC Isla

What if Bitcoin does not fail because of governments, banks, or the IMF, but because Bitcoiners themselves refuse to actually use it? In this episode, Mike sits down with Isabella Santos in El Salvador to confront one of the most uncomfortable questions in Bitcoin today. Is most “Bitcoin adoption” actually fake if merchants never see anyone spend sats?

Isabella shares the unfiltered story of how BTC Isla in Isla Mujeres went from a Twitter idea to a true Bitcoin circular economy with a Bitcoin cafe, a Bitcoin gym, and over 30 local merchants now accepting sats. She explains why trying to orange pill people with education alone did not work, and why building real businesses that accept Bitcoin as sound money was the only way to earn real trust inside the community.

In one of the most extreme Bitcoin experiments you will hear this year, Isabella Santos lived for 21 days using only Bitcoin, earning sats through physical jobs like cleaning toilets, selling churros, and making tacos. No fiat safety net. No savings bailout. Just proof that a circular economy either works in real life, or it does not exist at all.

The conversation then turns toward a side of Bitcoin many people avoid. Isabella openly calls out Bitcoin maxis who refuse to spend sats, the rise of ETFs that distract from sound money, and the uncomfortable truth that Bitcoin mining hardware is already highly centralized in only a few manufacturers. Her warning is simple and unsettling. Bitcoin does not win automatically. It only works if people fight for it.

They close with the human side of adoption through the Bitcoin Fit Games, where fitness, scavenger hunts, and sats came together to support the very merchants who took the first risk on Bitcoin. From helping feed a family in crisis to building a wellness hub with a gym, recovery center, and café, Isabella Santos shows what Bitcoin looks like when it leaves Twitter and enters real life.


—Bitcoin Beach team


Connect and Learn more about Isabella Santos:
X: https://x.com/BTCIsla
X: https://x.com/isabellasg3
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@btcisla
Support the project through Geyser Fund: https://geyser.fund/project/btcisla
https://www.youtube.com/@getbasedtv

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com



Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:

0:00 Intro
1:25 Is El Salvador really welcoming Bitcoiners at the airport with a “Welcome to Bitcoin Country” sign?
4:49 What is BTC Isla and how does it work? How do you set up a Bitcoin cafe payment system that actually gets used?
8:23 How does Bitcoin relate to health and low time preference at the first Bitcoin gym in Mexico running its own node?
11:14 Can you live using only Bitcoin for 21 days? How do you get paid in Bitcoin for local jobs on an island?
13:01 Should Bitcoin prices be listed in sats or fiat? How do you separate a Bitcoin savings stack from a spending stack so you can spend without guilt?
18:36 How do you organize a Bitcoin themed fitness event? Can Bitcoin be used to support local families in need?
27:19 How do you build a Bitcoin circular economy? How many merchants in Isla Mujeres accept Bitcoin, and how do you convince local merchants to accept Bitcoin?
31:31 How do you grow a Bitcoin YouTube channel fast? What is The Exit Manual Bitcoin show ( @exitmanual )? How do you make Bitcoin content that reaches teenagers?
35:25 Is Bitcoin mining too centralized? Who makes the ASIC mining chips? Is Bitcoin centralized?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

Transcript

Isabella Santos: Yeah, it's cool that we have ETFs now and that the finance bros are getting into it, but we can't let the noise distract us from the core vision of building, you know, sound, sound money.

I think the way that I view it is Satoshi gave us sort of like the last sliver of hope in this, you know, kind of era that we're in where we're fighting good versus evil type. And if we don't fight for the good, which is like Bitcoin, which is the only way that I see our future be decentralized and not be controlled by the deep state and everything that's happening behind the scenes. Then if Bitcoin doesn't sort of like save us, then what is?

Mike Peterson: Isabella, how you feeling? I know you got in just last night, right?

Isabella Santos: Yeah, good to be back in El Salvador, third time this year. I think this one was rough. I felt like coming home, you know. Like I got through the airport, there’s the big drivers already there. Everything. Did you pass the big display they had in the airport? Did I not pass it? I went out of my way to find it.

Mike Peterson: Let me tell you this. I haven't got to see it, but it looks amazing.

Isabella Santos: You can't see it unless you're coming in through Gate 16 and 17. And I didn't know that, so I got in through Gate 6, and Stacy was like, "Yeah, we're doing this. It's between Gate 16 and 17, but in the arrival gate." So I'm sitting there, and I'm like, I have to see this for myself. So I'm going from Gate 6, going to find this huge replica.

Because the thing is, Bitcoin Historical made this replica of the Bitcoin zone from the National Library in the airport to welcome, you know, the Bitcoiners that are coming in. So I'm like, where is it? Where is it? I'm showing everybody the pictures. Thank God they made a tweet about it. Because I'm like, we need to find this. And they're like, "Honey, you can't go there. It's through the arrivals gate, and you have to go through security. Once you're out, you can't go back." And I'm telling them, "No, no, like, I have to go there. I have to see it."

So I'm sneaking my way in, trying to go back. I pass through one security checkpoint. And the security guy is like, "If you want the Bitcoin ATM is right there." And I'm like, "No, I want the Bitcoin replica of like the Bitcoin zone." And he's like, "I haven't even seen it, but you know, you can go and try." So they let me in the first checkpoint, and then they're like, "No, now you have to go upstairs."

I go upstairs, where all the international arrivals are coming in, and I see this huge security line, but it was empty. And I'm like, I have to figure out how to get in there. So I take all my stuff, leave my luggage there, and I run to them. I'm like, "Guys, please help me go inside. I just want to take a picture of this huge Bitcoin sign that says, Welcome to the Bitcoin Country." And the security guard is like, "No, ma'am, you can't." And I'm like, "Please." And he's like, "Fine, okay, go do it quickly, and then you just have to pass back through security."

So they guide me through like this full-on security guide where the person takes me there, and I see the sign, like the huge Bitcoin logo, "Welcome to Bitcoin Country." And they had this huge flat screen where you can literally buy flights, book hotels, everything, through Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson: Really? Yeah, that's amazing.

Isabella Santos: So I'm like, I made it.

Mike Peterson: So where there's a will, there's a way. Yeah. So tell us what is going on in Isla Mujeres, the project that you have there. I know that you launched a cafe, which I love, that you're denominating the prices in SATs. That is amazing. But also, I know you've done a bunch of different events. So tell us first, give us an update on the cafe and how that's going.

Isabella Santos: So an update on the cafe and BTC Isla. Last time we spoke, we had all these crazy ideas, and it was just that, idea. Yes, and one of the things about the Bitcoin community is when you have an idea and you put it out there, they sort of make you accountable for it. And I think you played a huge role in it.

I remember what happened after I came to Bitcoin Beach in January. I was so inspired by everything you guys have there, you know, the huge Bitcoin logos, the signage. Like you walk in, and even a trash can has the Bitcoin logo. And I'm like, oh my goodness, this is like Bitcoiner paradise. And when I saw that, I'm like, no, no. Like, we got to think bigger, you know. We got to make it feel like home. Because I feel like that's one of the things that happens with Bitcoin. When everything is sort of like Bitcoinized, you feel at home, even though it's a brand new place.

I go back, and I start talking to ChatGPT, and I'm like, build me a Bitcoin cafe, you know, like an image. And put it in front of the ocean and all this. And it generated me a super realistic image of something that I can actually do. And I put it on Twitter, and I'm like, "This is my next goal." I always put it on Twitter because it makes me accountable for it. If not, it just stays an idea. And everybody has ideas, but people just don't execute them.

So anyway, I put the tweet out there, and you're like, "Yo, how can we make this happen?" And I'm like, "Mike, I can make it happen. Please, just give me faith." And you're like, "All you need is, like, signage and everything." And I had to build up the wall of the Bitcoin cafe because we had the place already semi-built, but it was sort of like an empty rooftop in a way. And I had to gather like the paint, build the wall, secure it so we can actually make a Bitcoin cafe. Get the restaurant equipment, the fridge, the oven, you know, start doing. Get the freaking cups, the espresso machines, all this stuff that I didn't think through when I put that image.

So anyways, to make the long story short, the whole Bitcoin community sort of made this vision a reality. Because are you familiar with Geyser Fund? Yeah, Geyser Fund has honestly helped so much with all of the projects. Because you put the idea out there, and it just people help make it happen. And that's when I started getting one of the first donations, and I started buying everything, you know. Buying the wood, hiring, you know...

Mike Peterson: Pictures on Twitter of them bringing in the supplies and by hand, like hauling it in.

Isabella Santos: And it's hard, because we're in an island, so we have to transfer everything from mainland. And once that started happening, it so happened that it was a reality to open it by August 21st.

Mike Peterson: You made that happen quickly.

Isabella Santos: I work fast. I'm like, once I have the tools to do it, I'm like, there's no barrier between me and making it happen. And it so happened that we were also building the Bitcoin Gym. So it's the first gym on the island that accepts Bitcoin. I think the first gym in all of Mexico that accepts Bitcoin and is actually now running its own node. And both of the projects were happening simultaneously. So the whole opening week was nuts.

Once, okay, we built the Bitcoin Cafe. We made that happen. We're opening the Bitcoin Gym, and all of a sudden I'm like, okay, I'm building all these new businesses. Because why? What I realized what was happening on the island was I would orange pill the businesses, and it would just stay there. They were already onboarded, but most of them weren't following on, because if you don't go back to your merchants and you use the Bitcoin regularly, some of them just forget.

And I was like, okay, I need to preach what I'm sowing. Like, I'm going out to them. And that's when I decided to sort of start building my own businesses so they can be like, "Okay, if I'm doing it, then I'm not being a hypocrite by telling you to accept Bitcoin if I'm not doing it." And that's when I started shifting to building the Bitcoin Gym and the Bitcoin Cafe.

And when I'm there opening it for the grand opening, I decide to survive on the island for 21 days. But not just me going out there and spending it. I had to earn Bitcoin through jobs. It was like any job possible that I could get my hands on and that would pay me in Bitcoin, I was there. I was game. I ended up, you know, making tacos, selling churros, cleaning toilets, all for SATs. And that's one of the things that most people don't talk about, getting paid in Bitcoin, you know, and doing jobs in Bitcoin. Because in order to build this Bitcoin circular economy, you need both. Because how are you supposed to spend your SATs and look at the world through everything being denominated in Bitcoin if you are not making Bitcoin? You know, and it's probably one of the most underrated aspects of stacking Bitcoin, earning it.

Mike Peterson: Well, I love that you were... it wasn't just online things you were doing, like physical jobs there in the community.

Isabella Santos: It was crazy. I still have PTSD. I don't recommend it. Because I had a time crunch. So I had 21 days to survive on Bitcoin. That was the opening of the Bitcoin Cafe and building it at the same time. So it was kind of chaotic, but we managed it. Pulled through, and now the Bitcoin Cafe is out there for, you know, Bitcoiners that come to the island.

The idea started because in Bitcoin conferences, you start talking to, you know, you have these interactions with Bitcoiners, and that's what sparks all the ideas and everything. It all starts through a conversation. And that's when I was like, no, no. Like, this is what needs to happen in BTC Isla. That was also one of my goals of 2025, to have a place, a hub for Bitcoiners to come and just chill. Because we had Mayakita, the restaurant underneath, and it's a restaurant. You can't be there and chill for the rest of the day because you're keeping... like it's a business. And it's not my business, so I can't be like, "Everybody come chill here for free." But with the Bitcoin Cafe, it kind of offered that for Bitcoiners.

Mike Peterson: No, I think it's important to have that physical space in a community. That's one of the reasons we opened the Bitcoin Beach House in El Zonte. Was you need a physical space to be able to meet and to have that real-life community aspect. I know you announced originally that you were going to denominate the prices in SATs. So you've been able to stay with that? And be curious to hear what your experience has been with that.

Isabella Santos: Honestly, if it was up to me, I started it out like that. But I'm not gonna lie to you, all these Bitcoiners are fake because they're like, "Yeah, have it priced in SATs." But when it comes to the time when they're about to pay, they're like, "What is it in dollars or what is it in pesos?" So we all have to come to an agreement and be like, if we want it to be priced in SATs, be done. Be priced in SATs. And don't tell me, because I can't be converting every day in pesos and dollars.

So what I ended up doing was eliminating all the prices. Uncle Rockstar from BTCPay Server actually helped me link my Blink account from the Bitcoin Cafe to the POS services, the Bitcoinize machines. So honestly, it's been the easiest thing, and it kind of gives the customer, the Bitcoiner that comes to spend their SATs, something like, "Oh, Bitcoin is being used as money," because it's a Bitcoin machine that prints out your receipts, and it's everything priced in Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson: So you've been able to keep it priced in SATs?

Isabella Santos: I'm not gonna lie to you, in the app, in Blink, I priced it in pesos, but when you get it, you get the receipt how much you spent in Bitcoin, in SATs.

Mike Peterson: That's one of the things we want to move to, denominating everything. And I think that's super important for us actually using Bitcoin and money, is to denominate in SATs. But you do get pushback, and you get it from Bitcoiners, and that's what's so frustrating.

Isabella Santos: That's what I don't get. Because it's like, it's a great idea, but we all have to come together and be like, okay, it's gonna be priced in SATs. And obviously it's inevitable, the price is gonna go up and down. But it's, I don't know. It blows my mind how Bitcoiners are not accepted to... again, because I don't know what we would have to do. My thing would be, okay, you price it in Bitcoin. The other option would be to have the price changer updated every three months, I guess, or to just leave it in SATs.

Mike Peterson: Yeah, what's the big deal? Well, you should at least shame them and say that if you're still a Fiat coiner, we will give you the price in Fiat, but if you're a Bitcoiner, we'll give it to you in SATs.

Isabella Santos: Seriously. No, but it should be a community effort. Yeah, that's one of the things. I love the Bitcoin community, but most of them, come on, they don't even spend their SATs. You've probably seen it a lot.

Mike Peterson: We see people, Bitcoiners, come to El Zonte, and then they want to pay in dollars. You're like, "What in the world?" Like? They're like, "Well, I'm saving my..." I'm like, "Well, why do you have dollars? You can always..." It blows my mind, but yeah.

Isabella Santos: No, that gets me riled up. Yeah, because I'm like, if you want to see it as a medium of exchange, you have to spend it. And then there's some Bitcoiners that look at it and they're like, "Oh, well, don't you think Laszlo should have never spent those 10,000 Bitcoin for that pizza?" And then you're like, if he didn't do that, then we would not be where we're at, at all. So it comes, I think it's up to the Bitcoiners either to push this adoption. And I've seen a lot of Bitcoiners actually like even fight that. Like Hernan from Cape Town, he has a Bitcoin Circular Economy too, and he... though I've seen him talk to other Bitcoiners, he's like, "Yo, it's Bitcoin. It's money. You have to use it as money. If not, then what are we doing?"

Mike Peterson: You know, if not, then your goal is having more Fiat. Not living on a Bitcoin standard.

Isabella Santos: I don't know what needs to happen in the Bitcoin space to give people this push to just not be scared to spend Bitcoin. Because many people are like, "Oh, the price is gonna go up. Why are you gonna spend it now?" But then it's like, why don't you just, why are you holding on to Fiat? Or have, like, a spending stash and a savings stash. You know, you don't have to spend all your Bitcoin, but you can get more or do services or work to get more Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson: Well, that's what I always tell people, if you're living on a Bitcoin standard, you'll actually wind up with more Bitcoin. Because you'll question your purchases, and you'll be more specific on how you want to spend your money, rather than just wasting it. So if you continue to live on a Fiat standard, you're going to continue to spend like a Fiat person.

Isabella Santos: It does make you feel... it filters your purchasing needs.

Mike Peterson: Oh, yeah, for sure. And that simplifies your life, because most of stuff we wind up buying we don't need. Anyways, looking at your waters right there. So tell us about this fitness event that you did. You know, obviously there's a big connection between the Bitcoin world and taking care of your body, and if you have low time preferences, not just with your money, but it's also with your health. So tell us about the idea for this event, and I think it happened a few weeks ago, early October. Okay, yeah, so how did it go?

Isabella Santos: So I've always been into fitness ever since I was little. And once you go down the Bitcoin rabbit hole, you realize that there's all these other rabbit holes that go with it. You know, the Fiat food, the wellness. You know how your body is literally your temple. And I always, I'm very an open book, so I post everything I do. And Frida from Bitcoin Sports Network, they organize the golf tournament, and she reached out to me, and she was like, "Yo, I love what you're doing on the island. I love how you are super into fitness as well," because she's a CrossFitter. And she was like, "I have this idea to do, like, Bitcoin Fit Games."

And obviously the way that the Bitcoin Sports Network wants to do it is they want to, you know, host these insane competitions, which is going to be amazing to see and see it unfold. And she was like, "I want to try it out, doing it on your island." And we started talking about everything that we can do, and it lined up that we just opened the gym and we opened the cafe and everything. And the more that we started talking, we realized that, yes, we're going to do a fitness game, but we're going to do a giving back aspect as well to the Bitcoin community.

And what do I mean by that? So we have all these merchants in BTC Isla now. We've managed to get over 30, and we want, like, especially me and Claudio, who do BTC Isla, we wanted to give back to the merchants that have trusted us from day one. And what do I mean by trusted us? They believed in us when we came to them and we're like, "Hey, can you just accept Bitcoin? You know, it's gonna bring in more customers. It's just like another form of payment." And they took a leap of faith on trusting these two random strangers that, you know, told them to accept Bitcoin.

They had been accepting Bitcoin for almost a full year, and we selected the ones that had done more for the Bitcoin community. The idea was we would choose four merchants, and we would have four different groups, and those groups of Bitcoiners would represent those merchants, and all the SATs that they accumulated would be given back to them. And we chose Taco Store, which is a taco stand, Marquesita, a marquesita and churro stand. We chose the taxi driver who started the initiative to organize a Bitcoin taxi group, so there's over 10 taxi drivers that accept Bitcoin. And we chose Samuel, a mango stand as well.

What ended up happening was super interesting, because they saw the merchants how the Bitcoin community worked. It was the first time we had, you know, Bitcoiners come to the island and go to their shops, but this was the first event we had on the island that showed them how powerful the Bitcoin community is and how willing to help all of them. Because I think that's one of the core things about Bitcoiners, is it takes us back to like, back in the day when you would help your neighbor. You know, it didn't have to be in it for yourself, and you would just help your neighbor.

And one of the merchants, Heidi, who has a churro stand, she had had like something happen during that time that her sister ended up being extreme... like she didn't have any money to eat. And she was reaching out to Heidi and saying, like, "Hey sister, like, can you please give me money? Because I really don't know what to feed my kids." And Heidi didn't tell me any of this until after. Heidi is the one of the winner, sort of like of the whole event, because her winning team ended up getting the most SATs.

So Heidi's like, "Yeah, like honestly, what happened was Heidi's sister, her husband had gotten into a car accident, and he crashed into a Mafia car." And obviously, like, what are the odds that would happen? He didn't have the money to pay for the accident, so they just took him, you know. They took him, and he was the sole provider of the family, so she had nothing to literally feed her kids. And Heidi was like, "I can't, I don't even have that much money to give her." And she kept praying and praying and praying.

And the White Team that won was actually losing so bad. They were like the only team that was losing in the whole competition. Mind you, the Bitcoin Fit Games was three aspects of it. It was like the fitness component, you know, like the survivor of the fittest. Then the Amazing Race part, where you had to go through the island and do a scavenger hunt and the trivia part as well, like Jeopardy. And then the Amazing Race part, where they were racing around the whole island.

The White Team's car broke down, and they broke down in front of a merchant, and one of the tasks was to orange pill a merchant, and they would get like, I think it was like 20k SATs whoever orange pilled the merchant. So their car breaks down, they end up orange pilling the merchant, and because of that, they end up winning the whole competition. And Heidi was watching everything that was going down, and literally, that little moment kind of changed her life by, you know, like just... I don't know, it was just this magical moment and having this experience of them seeing how generous the Bitcoin community is kind of just made them more bullish on Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson: No, you love to see like an event like that. You know, obviously the purpose isn't just the games themselves, but the comradery, the way it brings people together, the life-changing things like that that can happen out of that. So I love that you guys were able to pull that off. And we were talking before we started recording, you guys have in mind to do, I think, similar type events going forward.

Isabella Santos: Yes, we want to focus a lot on health and wellness. You know, give a purpose for Bitcoiners to come as well on the island and kind of be part of building a Bitcoin circular economy. I've always said this, I can't do this by myself, and I've noticed that many of the Bitcoiners that come they want to be part of it. And having events gives them a purpose to sort of deviate from their life, to come to the island and, you know, help out and see it.

Mike Peterson: They want an excuse to come, because it feels weird just showing up. But if there's an event or something, then it's like, okay, there's a reason to... exactly.

Isabella Santos: So we're also building like a recovery center, so we have, like, cold plunge, sauna. We already have the gym. We're doing yoga, pilates, workout classes. So it's like a Bitcoin hub. And the idea is to have, you know, retreats where Bitcoiners would come and be with each other and also plant their little seed.

You know, there's this Bitcoiner here called Bitcoin Larry. He's an amazing person, and he started coming this year. And I think the first time he came was in March, April, and he has seen the evolution of BTC Isla. Like he first came in, he came with his wife, and, you know, we had, at that time, I would say, like, 10 merchants accepting Bitcoin. We were doing the classes.

Mike Peterson: Remember when you started, you had like, three people show up for the class, and it was like, you could tell it just felt like, is this gonna work? But you like, stuck with it, and you kept pushing forward.

Isabella Santos: We were talking about that earlier in the... before we started the interview. Like, it's that. Like it's not winning the battles, it's winning the war. So once I started shifting from "It's okay," like, you know, if you take an L when no one shows up to your classes, it's okay. Like, when two or three people show up, you can't blame them, but you have to be able to shift and change your tactic or the way that you're doing this.

I've seen a lot of people have reached out to build their own Bitcoin circular economies and start it. And how do they do it? And that's the thing you just have to start. And it's trial and error. You know, maybe what worked in Bitcoin Beach is not going to work in BTC Isla. What worked in BTC Isla is not going to work, what's happening in Próspera in Roatán. But that's the thing. You have to get out there and try and fail. You're going to fail so much, and just once you get turned down, it doesn't matter. You just have to keep going and keep doing it and not be afraid to pivot.

You know, what I was realizing was, in the classes, my thing was, oh, I have to start with the education first. So that's how I was starting. And then I realized, no, I have... I'm not even Mexican. I need to earn their trust. You know, I'm coming into this community that is very community oriented, trust-based, and I'm expecting them to give me their trust because I believe I'm a good person. But they don't know that, so you have to do proof of work.

And I started out with like, "Hey, come to the classes. They're free." But I hadn't earned their trust yet. So with the gym and the Bitcoin Cafe, it's helped me to meet all the locals, and I'm slowly, gradually building their trust. And recently, like before coming here, one of the people that come to the gym, her name is Cons. She ended up opening a cafe. And because we knew her, we were like, "Hey, like, are you down to accept Bitcoin? You know, we can teach you about it." And you know, there's a lot of Bitcoiners that come to the island and they want to support businesses that accept Bitcoin. And because she had already been with us, she knew us already. She was like, "Okay, like, let's have a coffee. You can explain to me. It sounds complicated, but I'm down."

And ever since we put ourselves out there and shifted our whole mechanism on like how to orange pill the businesses and how to onboard them, we've seen more of an acceptance rate. You know, now we have over 30 merchants on the island that accept Bitcoin, which is more than 10% since there is 250 merchants.

Mike Peterson: That's amazing. That really is spectacular.

Isabella Santos: It's wild to see. Because if you would have told me a year ago that we would have had 30, I'm like, how? You know, I would start knocking on the doors and being like, "Hey, would you accept Bitcoin?" They'd be like, "No." But once you know the owner, you don't have to go out there and sweat and hand out flyers.

Mike Peterson: No, I love to see the progress you guys have been making. And like you were saying, lots of people have ideas, but you've, you know, taken it, and I want to give you credit for the work that's gone into it. And I know you have other people helping, but you've been the one spearheading it. Because people come all the time with ideas, but to have somebody actually follow through and make it happen. We've seen that with, you know, the cafe, with the gym, with all the events that you're doing. So congratulations on the impact that you're having there.

I know that that's kind of just your part-time thing, though, where you also have a job and a business that puts food on the table for you, that is your support. And I know you guys have been making huge strides with your media channels and the projects that you work on. So you were relaying to me that you guys started a new channel recently. So share with the audience a little bit about that, where they can find you guys and kind of what the focus of that is.

Isabella Santos: So about two years ago, we started Get Based, a production company to educate...

Mike Peterson: Which I love, that name. Get Based. Yeah, it was more of an action. Like, you know, you got to get based.

Isabella Santos: And it was founded by Adam O'Brien and Julien Figueroa and myself. And it started with the Peruvian Doc, you know, with the Bitcoin Circular Economies over in Peru, with Motiv. Yeah, which I love what they're doing out there. It's insane. You guys have to check them out.

And it was this idea where we want to create content, because that's the best way to reach people and reach new generations through video. You know, 2% of the whole world watches YouTube, which is insane. So our thing was, like, how do we educate the masses in like, this sort of entertaining way? Because the Bitcoin content is very dense, and if you're not in the, like, the rabbit hole and someone has pushed you down there, how are you gonna get in there?

You know, so we started out with BTC Isla, the show we just celebrated our one-year anniversary of the show, which started out me documenting everything that I was doing on the island. And we ended up perfecting the way that we would create the storytelling to reach brand new audiences, and not just Bitcoiners, but normies. You know, it's funny how they call normies that, you know, the people that have not been orange pilled yet.

And we just launched The Exit Manual. That's a show with Juliana. He's the main host, and the editing style is now reaching the new generation, like 14-year-olds. When you go back to the comments, you see 14-year-olds saying, like, "Oh my gosh, I've been into finance, but I haven't found a channel that resonates and speaks it in such a plain and simple language," which is that. Like, there's some barriers that keep, you know, the new generation from entering, because once you're in the rabbit hole so deep, you start hearing like orange pill, or you start hearing like HODL. You know, all these new terminologies that we've created. So it's been insane to see, because probably, I think, right now, we already have 18,000 subscribers in YouTube, and we launched in September. So it's like two months.

Mike Peterson: You're gonna have to give me some tips. And I got you. I think we're only at like eight or nine thousand for the podcast. So we, you know, and that's after a few years. So we need your help there.

Isabella Santos: Title and thumbnail. We cracked the code of YouTube, and it's a lot of research, and, like I was saying, pivot. When something doesn't work, pivoting. That's one of the things that I realized a lot of people get... they're like, stuck in comfortable in their ways. But you have to realize people consume content for them, not for you. So once we switched it, we're like, how can we feed information to the viewer that will benefit them? But YouTube is a freaking beast. I'm not the YouTube expert. We got Ben Cote and Juliana, the true masterminds. I'm just preaching what goes over into our weekly calls. I'm like the dinosaur with the YouTube, so.

Mike Peterson: That's amazing. So that's been fun for you guys to have this whole new project.

Isabella Santos: So much fun, and to see the feedback from, again, the community. Just like having this community that just backs you up is a game changer, because we all want to see and make the world a better place. And that's one of the things that blows my mind, is how everyone wants to see it better. And one of the things that I realized with Bitcoin is it's a network effect. It only works if we make it work. It depends on us if Bitcoin is going to be, you know, sort of like the end game or the final money. If we don't put in the work or put in our part, then there is a possibility for it not to work.

Like I was doing one of the stories in Bitcoin mining. I didn't realize how centralized Bitcoin mining was, and nobody's talking about it. Only the Bitcoin miners know how centralized Bitcoin mining is, and in every aspect, in the chips, you know, making the ASIC chips, they're all made in two companies in China, by Bitmain and WhatsMiner. And you're like, how is no one talking about this? Mining is one of the core principles of why Bitcoin works.

So I think it's, yeah, it's cool that we have ETFs now and that the finance bros are getting into it, but we can't let the noise distract us from the core vision of building, you know, sound, sound money. Which it is. We... I think the way that I view it is, Satoshi gave us sort of like the last sliver of hope in this, you know, kind of era that we're in where we're fighting good versus evil type. And if we don't fight for the good, which is like Bitcoin, which is the only way that I see, you know, our future be decentralized and not be controlled by all, you know, the deep state and everything that's happening behind the scenes. Then if Bitcoin doesn't sort of like save us, then what is, you know? Well, obviously God and, you know...

Mike Peterson: But yeah, Bitcoin's a tool. Yeah, it's a tool. I think that's always important that you see some Bitcoiners, that they make it their God and yeah, like that is going to, you know...

Isabella Santos: Sort of like, I look at it like, that's our sword to fight back.

Mike Peterson: Yeah, you know, it's an amazing tool to equalize the things, so that the poor have the same access as the wealthy. Yeah. No, I love that. Well, I won't keep you more, because I know you got to prepare. You're hosting the activities here today at this historic Bitcoin event here in El Salvador. So I love that they brought you in to lead the charge and get people going. And hopefully you, I know you got to go till, what did you say, till nine? Yeah, so that's gonna be... and you're working on only a couple hours sleep.

Isabella Santos: I actually... well, I woke up at 6am but it's gonna be a long day.

Mike Peterson: Well, you're young, so you'll be able to handle it. I'm young, but I'm not that young. So let people know how they can come visit and participate in the project there in Isla Mujeres, and then also about your channels where they can follow you, on Twitter, all that stuff, fun stuff on the rundown.

Isabella Santos: Okay, so my thing would be, Roman says it perfectly. He's like, if you're a Bitcoiner, you should make it your mission to visit at least one Bitcoin circular economy in your life, because I feel like it's fun and Bitcoiners need to spend their Bitcoin. And I would suggest, if you can follow me at IsabellaSG3 on Twitter or Instagram, whichever one you use, and follow BTC Isla on YouTube to see and support, you know, Get Based and the new show Exit Manual.

Mike Peterson: Awesome. All right. Well, make sure that you check out... you guys have such great content that you keep putting out, so...

Isabella Santos: We try.

Mike Peterson: Yeah, no, I love seeing it. It's always popping up, and you do a good job with the algorithm, because it's always popping up in my feed. But yeah, make sure and check out Isabella's work, and we will, I'm sure, be back here with you in the next year sometime to get some updates on what you guys are doing.

Isabella Santos: Hope so. I love coming back. So thanks.

Mike Peterson: Thank you.

Isabella Santos  0:00  

Yeah, it's cool that we have ETFs now and that the finance bros are getting into it, but we can't let the noise distract us from the core vision of building, you know, sound, sound money, which it is we, I think the way that I view it is Satoshi gave us sort of like the last sliver of hope in this, you know, kind of era that we're in where we're fighting good versus evil type, and if we don't fight for the good, which is like Bitcoin, which is our the only way that I see, You know, our future be decentralized and not be controlled by all you know, the deep state and everything that's happening behind the scenes. Then if Bitcoin doesn't sort of like save us, then what is you

Mike Peterson  1:21  

Isabella, how you feeling? I know you got in just last night, right?

Isabella Santos  1:25  

Yeah, good to be back in El Salvador, third time this year. I think this one was Rob. I felt like coming home, you know, like I got through the airport. There's the big drivers already there, everything did you pass the big display they had in the airport? Did I not pass it? I went out of my way to find it.

Mike Peterson  1:48  

Let me tell you this. I haven't got to see it, but it looks amazing.

Isabella Santos  1:51  

You can't see it unless you're coming in through gate 16 and 17. And I didn't know that, so I got in through gate six, and Stacy was like, Yeah, we're doing this. It's between gate 16 and 17, but in the arrival gate. So I'm sitting there, and I'm like, I have to see this for myself. So I'm going from gate six, going to, like, find this huge replica. Because the thing is, Bitcoin historical. Made this replica of the Bitcoin zone from the big from the National Library in the airport to welcome, you know, the Bitcoiners that are coming in. So I'm like, where is it? Where is it? I'm showing everybody the pictures. Thank God they made a tweet about it. Because I'm like, we need to find this. And they're like, Honey, you can't go there. It's through the arrivals gate, and you have to go through security. You can't, like, once you're out, you can't go back. And I'm telling them, No, no, like, I have to go there. I have to see it. And I'm like, sneaking my way in, trying to go back. I pass through one security checkpoint. And the security guide is like, if you want the Bitcoin ATM is right there. And I'm like, No, I want the Bitcoin replica of like the Bitcoin zone. And he's like, I haven't even seen it, but you know, you can go and try. So they let me in the first checkpoint, and then they're like, No, now you have to go upstairs. I go upstairs, where all the arrivals are coming in, the international arrivals, and I see this huge security line, but it was empty. And I'm like, I have to figure out how to get in there. So I take all my stuff, leave my luggage there, and I run to them, and I'm like, Guys, please help me go inside. I just want to take a picture of this huge Bitcoin sign that says, Welcome to the Bitcoin country. And the security guard is like, No, ma'am, you can't. And I'm like, please. And he's like, Fine, okay, go do it quickly, and then you just have to pass back through security. So they guide me through like this full on security guide where the person takes me there, and I see the sign, like the huge Bitcoin logo, welcome to Bitcoin country. And they had this huge flat screen where you can literally buy flights, book hotels, everything, through Bitcoin. Really, yeah,

Mike Peterson  4:17  

that's amazing.

Isabella Santos  4:18  

So I'm like, I made it well.

Mike Peterson  4:21  

So where there's a will, there's a way, yeah, so tell us what is going on in Isla Mujeres, the project that you have there. I know that you launched a cafe, which I love, that you're denominating the prices in SATs. That is amazing. But also, I know you've done a bunch of different events, so tell us first, give us an update on the cafe and how that's going.

Isabella Santos  4:49  

So an update on the cafe and Bitcoin. BTC isla. Last time we spoke, we had all these crazy ideas, and it was just that idea. Yes, and one of the things about the Bitcoin community is when you have an idea and you put it out there, they sort of make you accountable for it. And I think you played a huge role in it. I remember, so what happened after I came to Bitcoin beach in January. I was so inspired by everything you guys have there, you know, the huge Bitcoin logos, the signage, like you walk in, and even a trash can has the Bitcoin logo. And I'm like, oh my goodness, this is like, Bitcoin or paradise. And when I saw that, I'm like, no, no. Like, we got to think bigger, you know, we got to make it feel like home. Because I feel like that's one of the things that happens with Bitcoin. When everything is sort of like bitcoinized, you feel at home, even though it's a brand new place. And I go back, and I start talking to chat GPT, and I'm like, build me a Bitcoin cafe, you know, like an image, and put it in front of the ocean and all this, and it generated me a super realistic image of something that I can actually do. And I put it on Twitter, and I'm like, This is my next goal. I always put it on Twitter because it makes me accountable for it. If not, it just stays in an idea. And everybody has ideas, but people just don't execute them. And so anyway, put the tweet out there, and you're like, Yo, how can we make this happen? And I'm like, Mike, I can make it happen. Please, just give me faith. And you're like, all you need is, like signage and everything. And I had to build up, like the wall of the Bitcoin cafe, because we had the place already semi built, but it was sort of like an empty rooftop in a way. And I had to gather, like the paint, build the wall, secure it so we can actually make a Bitcoin cafe. Get the restaurant equipment. Get the restaurant equipment, the fridge, the oven, you know, like start doing. Get the freaking cups, the espresso machines, all this stuff that I didn't think through when I put that image. So anyways, to make the story like the long story short, the whole Bitcoin community sort of make that made this vision a reality. Because are you're familiar with geyser funds? Yeah, geyser fund has honestly helped so much with all of the projects, because you put the idea out there, and it just people help make it happen. And that's when I started getting, I got one of the first donations, and I started buying everything, you know, and I'm like, buying the wood. Get hiring, you know, the

Mike Peterson  8:01  

pictures on Twitter of them bringing bringing in the supplies and by hand, like hauling it in,

Isabella Santos  8:07  

and it's hard, because we're in an island, so we have to transfer everything from mainland. And once that started happening, it so happened that it was a reality to open it by August 21

Mike Peterson  8:20  

you made that happen quickly. I was

Isabella Santos  8:23  

I work fast. I'm like, once I have the tools to do it, I'm like, there's no barrier between me and making it happen. And it so happened that we were also building the Bitcoin gym. So it's the first gym on the island that accepts Bitcoin, I think in the first gym in all of Mexico that accepts Bitcoin and is actually now running its own node, and both of the projects were happening simultaneously. So the whole opening week was nuts. And as we're once okay, we built the Bitcoin Cafe. We made that happen. We're opening the Bitcoin gym, and all of a sudden I'm like, Okay, I'm building all these new businesses. Because why? What I realized what was happening on the island was I would orange fill the businesses, and they it would just stay there. They were already on boarded, but most of them weren't like, following on, because if you don't go back to your merchants and you use the Bitcoin regularly, there, some of them just forget, yeah. And I was like, Okay, I need to preach what I'm sowing. Like, I'm going out to them. And that's when I decided to sort of start building my own businesses so they can be like, okay, if I'm doing it, then I'm not being a hiccup hypocrite by telling you accept a Bitcoin if I'm not doing it. And that's when I started shifting to to like, building the Bitcoin gym and the Bitcoin cafe. And when I'm there, oh. Opening it for the grand opening, I decide to survive on the island for 21 days, but not just me going out there and spending it. I had to earn Bitcoin and through jobs. It was like any job possible that I could get my hands on and that would pay me in Bitcoin. I was there. I was game. I ended up, you know, like making tacos, selling churros, cleaning toilets, all for sads. And that's one of the things that most people don't talk about, getting paid in Bitcoin, you know, and doing jobs in Bitcoin. Because in order to build this Bitcoin circular economy, you need both, yeah, because how are you supposed to spend your sads and look at the world through, you know, everything being denominated on in Bitcoin if you are not making Bitcoin, you know, and it's probably one of the most underrated aspects of stacking Bitcoin, you know, earning it

Mike Peterson  11:08  

well, I love that you were it wasn't just online things you were doing, like physical jobs there in the community.

Isabella Santos  11:14  

It was crazy. I still have PTSD. I don't recommend it well, because I had a time crunch. So I had 21 days to survive on Bitcoin. That was the opening of the Bitcoin cafe and building it at the same time. So it was kind of chaotic, but we managed it. Pulled through, and now the Bitcoin Cafe is out there for you know, Bitcoiners that come to the island. The idea started because in Bitcoin conferences, you start talking to, you know, you have these interactions with Bitcoiners, and that's what sparks all the ideas and everything. It all starts through a conversation. And that's when I was like, no, no. Like, this is what needs to happen in BT Caesar. That was also one of my goals of 2025 to have a place, a hub for Bitcoiners to come and just chill, because we had my aquita The restaurant underneath, and it's a restaurant, you know, it's you can't be there and chill for the rest of the day, because you're keeping like, it's it's a business and it's all my business, so I can't be like, everybody come chill here for free. But with the Bitcoin cafe, it kind of offered that for Bitcoiners.

Mike Peterson  12:34  

No, I think it's important to have that physical space in a community. That's one of the reasons we opened the Bitcoin beach house in El zonte Was you need a physical space to be able to meet and to have that, that real life community aspect. I know you announced originally that you were going to denominate the the prices in SAT so you've been able to stay with that and and be curious to hear what your experience has been with that.

Isabella Santos  13:01  

Honestly, if it was up to me, I started it out like that, but I'm not gonna lie to you all these Bitcoiners are fake because they're like, yeah, have it priced in sads. But when it comes to the time when they're about to pay, they're like, what is it in dollars or what is it in pesos? So we all have to come to an agreement and be like, if we want it to be priced in SAS, be done. Be priced in SAS. Be priced inside. And don't tell me, because I can't be converting every day in pesos and dollars. So what I ended up doing was eliminating all the price Okay, so uncle Rockstar from BTC pay server actually helped me link my blink account from the Bitcoin cafe to the POS services the Bitcoin eyes machines. So honestly, it's been the easiest thing, and it kind of gives the customer, the bitcoiner that comes to spend their SATs, something like, oh, Bitcoin is being used as money, because it's a Bitcoin machine that prints out your receipts, and it's everything priced in Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson  14:16  

So you've been able to keep it priced in SATs that by them.

Isabella Santos  14:19  

I've, I'm not gonna lie to you, in the app, in Blink, I priced it in pesos, but when you get it, you get the receipt how much you spend in Bitcoin, in SATs, because it's been hard to do. That's what

Mike Peterson  14:34  

that's that's one of the things we want to move to denominating everything. And I think that's super important for us actually using Bitcoin and money is to denominate in SaaS. But you do get pushback, and you get it from Bitcoiners, and that's what's so frustrating.

Isabella Santos  14:48  

That's what I don't get, because it's like, it's a great idea, but we all have to come together and be like, Okay, it's gonna be priced in SaaS. And obviously it's inevitable, the price is gonna go up and down the. So goes up and down all the time, but it's, I don't know. It blows my mind how Bitcoiners are not accepted to again, because I don't know what we would have to do. My thing would be, okay, you price it in Bitcoin. The other option would be to have the price changer updated every three months, I guess, or to just leave it in SAT

Mike Peterson  15:23  

Yeah, what's the big deal? Well, you should at least shame them and say that if you're still a Fiat coiner, we will give you the price in Fiat, but if you're a bitcoiner, we'll give it to you in SATs,

Isabella Santos  15:36  

seriously, no, but it should be a community effort. Yeah, that's one of the things. I love the Bitcoin community, but most of them come on, they don't even spend their size. You've probably seen it a lot.

Mike Peterson  15:48  

We see people Bitcoiners come to the El zonte, and then they want to pay in dollars. You're like, What in the world? Like? They're like, Well, I'm saving my I'm like, Well, why do you have dollars? You can always that. It blows my mind, but yeah,

Isabella Santos  16:01  

no, that that gets me riled up. Yeah, because I'm like, if you want to see it as a medium of exchange, you have to spend it. And then there's some Bitcoiners that look at it and they're like, Oh, well, don't you think Laszlo should have never spent those 10,000 Bitcoin for that pizza, and then you're like, if he didn't do that, then we would not be where we're at, well at all. So it comes, I think it's up to the Bitcoiners either to push this adoption, and I've seen a lot of Bitcoiners actually like even fight that. Like Hernan from Cape Town, he has a Bitcoin Circular Economy too, and he, though I've seen him talk to other Bitcoiners, he's like, yo, it's Bitcoin. It's money. You have to use it as money. If not, then what are we doing?

Mike Peterson  16:55  

You know, if not, then your goal is having more Fiat. Not it is living on a Bitcoin standard.

Isabella Santos  17:00  

I don't know what needs to happen in the Bitcoin space to give people this push to just not be scared to spend Bitcoin. Because many people are like, Oh, the price is gonna go up. Why are you gonna spend it now? But then it's like, why don't you just, why are you holding on to fiat or have, like, a spending stash in a savings stash. You know, you don't have to spend all your Bitcoin, but you can get more or do services or work to get

Mike Peterson  17:31  

more Bitcoin. Like, well, that's what I always tell people, if you're living on a Bitcoin standard, you'll actually wind up with more Bitcoin, because you'll question your purchases, and you'll, you'll, you'll be more specific on how you want to spend your money, rather than just wasting it. So if you continue to live on a Fiat standard, you're going to continue to spend like a Fiat person.

Isabella Santos  17:54  

It does make you feel it filters your your your purchasing needs. Oh, yeah, for sure.

Mike Peterson  18:01  

And that simplifies your life, because most of stuff we wind up buying we don't need. Anyways, you're looking at your waters, right there. So tell us about this, this fitness event that you did. You know, obviously there's a big connection between the Bitcoin world and taking care of your body, and if you have low time preferences, not just with your money, but it's also with your health. So tell us about the the idea for this event, and I think it happened a few weeks ago, early October. Okay, yeah, so how did it go?

Isabella Santos  18:36  

So I've always been into fitness ever since I was little. And once you go down the Bitcoin rabbit hole, you realize that there's all these other rabbit holes that go with it. You know, the Fiat food, the wellness. You know how your body is literally your your temple. And I always, I'm very an open book, so I post everything I do. And Frida from Bitcoin Sports Network, they organize the golf tournament, and she reached out to me, and she was like, Yo, I love what you're doing on the island. I love how you are super into fitness as well, because she's a crossfitter. And she was like, I have this idea to do, like, Bitcoin thick games. And obviously the way that the Bitcoin sports at work wants to do it is they want to, you know, host these insane competitions, which is going to be amazing to see and see it unfold. And she was like, I want to try it out, doing it on your island. And we started talking about everything that we can do, and it lined up that we just opened the gym and we opened the cafe and everything. And the more that we started talking, we realized that, yes, we're going to do a fitness game, but we're going to do. A giving back aspects as well to the to the Bitcoin community. And what do I mean by that? So we have all these merchants in BTC, is that now we've managed to get over 30 and we want, like, especially me and Claudio, who do BTC, Isla, we wanted to give back to the merchants that have trusted us from day one. And what do I mean by trusted us? They believed in us when we came to them and we're like, Hey, can you just accept Bitcoin? You know, it's gonna bring in more customers. It's just like another form of payment, you know? And they took a leap of faith on trusting these two random strangers that you know, told them to accept Bitcoin, and they had been accepting bitcoin for almost a full year, and we selected the ones that had done more for the Bitcoin community. And the idea was we would choose four merchants, and we would have four different groups, and those groups of Bitcoiners would represent those merchants, and all the SATs that they accumulated would be given back to them. And we chose taco store, which is a taco stand, marquesita, marquesita and churro stand, and we chose the taxi driver who started the initiative to organize a Bitcoin taxi group, so there's over 10 taxi drivers that accept Bitcoin. And we chose Samuel a mango stand as well. And the what ended up happening was super interesting, because they saw the merchants how the Bitcoin community worked. It was the first time we had, you know, Bitcoiners come to the island and go to their shops, but this was the first event we had on the island that showed them how powerful the Bitcoin community is and how willing to help all of them, you know, because I think that's one of the core things about Bitcoiners, is it takes us back to like, back in the day when you would help your neighbor, you know, there, it didn't have to be in it For yourself, and you would just help your neighbor and one of the merchants, Heidi, who has a churro stand, she had had like something happened during that time that her sister ended up being extreme, like she didn't have any money to eat. And she was reaching out to Heidi and saying, like, Hey sister, like, can you please give me money? Because I really don't know what to feed my kids. And Heidi didn't tell me any of this until after. Heidi is the one that of the the winner, sort of, like, of the whole event, because her winning team ended up getting the most SATs. So Heidi's like, yeah. Like, honestly, what happened was Heidi's sister her husband had gotten to a car accident, and he crashed into a mafia car, and obviously, like, what are the odds that would happen? He didn't have the money to pay for the accident, so they just took him, you know, they took him, and he was the sole provider of the family, so she had nothing to literally feed her kids. And Heidi was like, I can't, I don't even have that much money to give her. And she kept praying and praying and praying. And the white team that won was actually losing so bad he they were like the only team that was losing in the whole competition. Mind you, the Bitcoin fit games was three aspects of it. It was like the fitness component, you know, like the survivor of the fittest, then the amazing grace part, where you had to go through the island and do a scavenger hunt and and the trivia part as well, like Jeopardy. And then the Mason Grace part, where they were racing around the whole island. The White team's car broke down, and they broke down in front of a merchant, and one of the tasks was to orange pill a merchant, and they would get like, I think it was like 20k SATs if they whoever orange filled the merchant. So their car breaks down, they end up orange peeling the merchant. And because of that, they end up winning the whole competition. And Heidi was watching everything that was going down, and literally, that little moment kind of changed her life by, you know, like just, I don't know, it was just this magical moment and having this experience of. Them. You know, seeing how generous the Bitcoin community is kind of just made them more bullish on Bitcoin.

Mike Peterson  25:07  

No, you love to see like an event like that. You know, obviously the purpose isn't just the games themselves, but the comradery, the way it brings people together, the life changing things like that that can happen out of that. So I love that you guys were able to pull that off. And we were talking before we started recording, you guys have in mind to do, I think, similar type events going forward.

Isabella Santos  25:30  

Yes, we want to focus a lot on health and wellness. You know, give a purpose for Bitcoiners to come as well on the island and kind of be part of building a Bitcoin circular economy. I've always said this, I can't do this by myself, and I've noticed that many of the Bitcoiners that come they want to be part of it, and having events gives them a purpose to sort of deviate from their life, to come to the island and, you know, help out and see it. You know, they

Mike Peterson  26:05  

want an excuse to come, because it feels weird just showing up. But if there's an event or something, then it's like, okay, there's a reason to, like exactly.

Isabella Santos  26:14  

So we're also building, like a recovery center, so we have, like, cold plunge sauna. We've already have the gym. We're doing yoga, pilates workout classes. So it's like a Bitcoin hub. And the idea is to have, you know, retreats where Bitcoiners would come and be with each other and also plant their little seed. You know, there's this Bitcoin here called Bitcoin Larry. He's an amazing person, and he started coming this year. And I think the first time he came was in March, April, and he has seen the evolution of BTC. Isla like he first came in, he came with his wife, and, you know, we had, at that time, I would say, like, 10 merchants accepting bitcoin. We were doing the classes.

Mike Peterson  27:07  

Remember when you started, you had like, three people show up for the class, and it was like, you could tell it just felt like, is this gonna work? But you, like, stuck with it, and you kept pushing forward.

Isabella Santos  27:19  

We were talking about that earlier in the before we started the interview, like it's it's that, like it's not winning the battles, it's winning the war. So once I started shifting from It's Okay. Like, you know, if you take an L when no one shows up to your classes, it's okay. Like, when two or three people show up, you can't blame them, but you have to be able to shift and change. You know, your your tactic or the way that you're doing this, I've seen a lot of people have reached out to build their own Bitcoin circular economies and start it. And how do they do it? And that's the thing you just have to start. And it's trial and error. You know, maybe what worked in Bitcoin Beach is not going to work. In BTC is not. What worked in BTC is not is not going to work what's happening in prosperity in roata. But that's the thing. You have to get out there and try and fail. You're going to fail so much, and just once you get turned down, it doesn't matter. You just have to keep going and keep doing it and not be afraid, to pivot. You know? What I was realizing was, in the in the classes, my thing was, oh, I have to start with the education first. So that's how I was starting. And then I realized, no, I have, I'm not even Mexican. I need to earn their trust. You know, I'm coming into this community that is very community oriented, trust based, and I'm expecting them to give me their trust because I believe I'm a good person, but they don't know that, so you have to do proof of work. And I had, I started out with like, hey, come to the classes. They're free, but I hadn't earned their trust yet. So with the gym and the Bitcoin cafe, it's helped me to meet all the locals, and I'm slowly, gradually building their trust. And recently, like before coming here, one of the people that come to the gym, her name is cons. She ended up opening a cafe. And we because we knew her, we were like, hey, like, Are you down to accept Bitcoin? You know, we can teach you about it. And you know, there's a lot of Bitcoiners that come to the island and they want to support businesses that accept Bitcoin. And because she had already been with us. She knew us already. She was like, okay, like, let's have a coffee. You can explain to me, it sounds complicated, but I'm down. And ever since we put ourselves out there and shifted our whole mechanism on, like how to orange fill the businesses and how to onboard them, we've seen more of an acceptance rate. You know, now we have over 30 merchants on the island that accept Bitcoin, which is more than 10% since there is 250 merchants,

Mike Peterson  30:08  

that's That's amazing. That really is spectacular.

Isabella Santos  30:11  

It's wild to see. Because if you would have told me a year ago that we would have had 30, I'm like, how you know? I, you know, I would start knocking on the doors and being like, Hey, would you accept Bitcoin? They'd be like, no, no, but it's once you know the owner. You don't have to go out there and sweat and hand out fires.

Mike Peterson  30:36  

No, I love to see the progress you guys have been made, making and and, like you were saying, lots of people have ideas, but, but you've, you know, take it, and I want to give you credit for the work that's gone into it. And I know you have other people helping, but you've been the one spearheading it, because people come all the time with ideas, but to have somebody actually follow through and make it happen, you've, we've seen that with, you know, the cafe, with the gym, with all the events that you're doing. So, so congratulations on the impact that you're having there. I know that that's kind of just your part time thing, though, where you have you also have a job and a business that you know that puts food on the table for you, that is your support. And I know you guys have been making huge strides with your media channels and the projects that you work on. So you were relaying to me that you guys started a new channel recently, so share with with the audience a little bit about that, where they can find you guys and kind of what the focus of that is.

Isabella Santos  31:31  

So about two years ago, we started get based, a production company to educate which I love. That name get picked. Yeah, it was more of an action like, you know, you got to get based. And it was founded by Adam O'Brien and Julien Figueroa and myself. And it started with the Peruvian Doc, you know, with the Bitcoin circular economies over in Peru, with motive, motives, yeah, which I love what they're doing out there. It's insane. You guys have to check them out. And it was this idea where we want to create content, because that's the best way to reach people and reach new generations through video. You know, 2% of the whole world watches YouTube, which is insane. So our thing was, like, how do we educate the masses in like, this sort of entertaining way? Because the Bitcoin content is very dense, and if you're not in the, like, the rabbit hole and someone has pushed you down there, how are you gonna get in there? Yeah, you know. So we started out with BTC Isla, the show we just had celebrated our one year anniversary of the show, which started out me documenting everything that I was doing on the island, and we ended up perfecting the way that we would create the storytelling to reach brand new audiences, and not just Bitcoiners, but normies. You know, it's funny how they call normies that, you know, the people that have not been orange filled yet, and we just launched the exit manual. That's a show with Juliana. He's the he's the main host, and the editing style is now reaching the new generation, like 14 year olds. The when you go back to the comments, you see 14 year olds saying, like, oh my gosh, I've been into finance, but I haven't found a channel that resonates and speaks it in such a plain and simple language, which is that, like, there's some barriers that keeps, you know, the new generation from entering, because once you're in the rabbit hole so deep, you start hearing like orange pail, or you start hearing like huddle. You know, all these new terminologies that we've created. So it's, it's been insane to see, because probably, I think, right now, we already have 18,000 follow subscribers in YouTube, and we launched in September. So it's like two months.

Mike Peterson  34:13  

You're gonna have to give me some tips, and I got you, I think we're only at like eight or 9000 for the for the podcast. So we, you know, and that's after a few years. So we need the we need your help there

Isabella Santos  34:25  

title and thumbnail. We fit, we crack the code of YouTube, and it's a lot of research, and, like I was saying, pivot when something doesn't work. Pivoting. That's one of the things that I realized a lot of people get. They're like, stuck in comfortable in their ways. But you have to realize people consume content for them, not for you. So once we switched it, we're like, how can we feed information to the viewer that will benefit them? But YouTube is a freaking beast. I'm not, I'm not the YouTube expert. We got Ben Cote and Juliana the true masterminds. I'm just, I'm just preaching what goes over into our and on our weekly calls. I'm like, the, I'm like, the dinosaur with the YouTube so,

Mike Peterson  35:21  

that's amazing. So that's been fun for you guys to have this whole new project.

Isabella Santos  35:25  

So so much fun, and to see the feedback from, again, the community, just like having this community that just backs you up is game changer, because we all want to see and make the world a better place. And that's one of the things that blows my mind, is how everyone wants to see it better. And one of the things that I realized with Bitcoin is it's a network effect. It only works if we make it work. It depends on us if bitcoin is going to be, you know, sort of like the end game or the final money, if we don't put in the work or put in our part, then there is a possibility for it not to work, like I was doing one of the stories in like Bitcoin mining. I didn't realize how centralized Bitcoin mining was, and nobody's talking about it. Only the Bitcoin miners know how centralized Bitcoin mining is, and in every aspect, in the chips, you know, making the ASIC chips, they're all made in two companies in China, by bit main and what's miner. And you're like, how is no one talking about this? Mining is one of the core principles of why Bitcoin works. So I think it's, yeah, it's cool that we have ETFs now and that the finance bros are getting into it, but we can't let the noise distract us from the core vision of building, you know, sound, sound money, which it is we I think the way that I view it is, Satoshi gave us sort of like the last sliver of hope in this, you know, kind of era that we're in where we're fighting good versus evil type. And if we don't fight for the good, which is like Bitcoin, which is our the only way that I see, you know, our future be decentralized and not be controlled by all, you know, the deep state and everything that's happening behind the scenes. Then, if Bitcoin doesn't, sort of like save us, then what is, you know? Well, obviously God and, you know,

Mike Peterson  37:37  

but yeah, Bitcoins, bitcoins a tool. Yeah, it's a tool. I think that's always important that you see some some Bitcoiners, that they make it their God and yeah, like that that is going to, you know, that's

Isabella Santos  37:50  

sort of like, I look at it like, that's our sword to fight back.

Mike Peterson  37:53  

Yeah, you know, it's amazing tool to equalize the things, so that the the poor have the same access as the wealthy, yeah. So, yeah. No, I love that. Well, I won't keep you more, because I know you got to prepare your your hosting the activities here today at this historic Bitcoin event here in El Salvador. So I love that you, they brought you in to to lead the charge and get people going. And hopefully you, I know you got to go till, would you say till nine? Yeah, so that's gonna be and you're working on only a couple hours sleep.

Isabella Santos  38:32  

I actually, I'm gonna know, well, I woke up at 6am but it's gonna be a long day. Well, you're

Mike Peterson  38:39  

young, so you'll be able to handle it. I'm young, but I'm not that young. So let people know how they can come visit and participate in the project there and Isla Mujeres, and then also about your channels where they can follow where they can follow you, on Twitter, all that stuff, fun stuff on the rundown.

Isabella Santos  39:00  

Okay, so my thing would be, Roman says it perfectly. He's like, if you're a bitcoiner, you should make it your mission to visit at least one bitcoin circular economy in your life, because I feel like it's fun and Bitcoiners need to spend their Bitcoin. And I would suggest, if you can follow me at Isabella SG three on Twitter or Instagram, whichever one you use and follow BTC Isla on YouTube to see and support. You know, get based and the new show exit manual, awesome.

Mike Peterson  39:36  

All right. Well, make sure that you check out you always, you guys have such great content that you keep putting out, so we try, yeah, no, I love, I love seeing it's always popping up, and you do a good job with the algorithm, because it's always popping up in my feed. So but yeah, make, make sure and check out Isabella's work, and we will, I'm sure, be back here with you in the next year sometime to get some. Updates on what you guys are doing.

Isabella Santos  40:01  

Hope so I love coming back. So thanks. Thank you.