Michael Peres sits down with Lee Hyde, North American Esports Specialist at Lenovo, about how schools are building meaningful esports programs that go far beyond gaming. With experience leading initiatives at Lenovo and previously helping create the Carolina Gaming Arena at UNC Chapel Hill, Lee brings a practical view of how esports, technology, and education are starting to intersect in powerful ways.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• What “esports solutions for education” really means and why Lenovo is investing in the space
• The biggest challenges schools face when launching esports programs
• How K-12 and higher education esports differ, and what they can learn from each other
• The role of AI, immersive technology, and hybrid learning in the future of student engagement
• Why esports can open up real educational, social, and career opportunities for students

Michael Peres speaks with Goedele Mangelaars, solo founder of Pink Notebook, an AI-powered trip planning platform designed to make travel planning more visual, collaborative, and actually useful. With a life shaped by constant travel across the U.S. and London, plus experience at Skyscanner, Terra API, and Captify, Goedele brings a sharp perspective on why planning trips still feels more broken than it should.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How growing up across countries shaped Goedele’s relationship with travel and problem-solving
• What it’s really like building as a solo, female, non-technical founder
• Why she rejects the “move fast and break things” startup mindset
• The challenge of building across both U.S. and European markets
• What most AI travel planners still get wrong, and how Pink Notebook approaches it differently

Catching up on another episode with Jesse Shrader – environmental engineer turned Bitcoin infrastructure builder – as he unpacks how building sewer systems unexpectedly prepared him to build financial pipes for the future of money. From wastewater treatment to decentralized liquidity markets, Jesse shares how open-source technology, renewable mining, and the Lightning Network are reshaping what Bitcoin can actually do.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How Jesse’s background in environmental engineering led him to co-found Amboss and build infrastructure for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.
• Why Bitcoin mining isn’t as “dirty” as critics claim—and how renewable energy and stranded power (like hydro in Africa) are part of the story.
• What makes Bitcoin different from altcoins—and why “the next Bitcoin is Bitcoin.”
• How the Lightning Network adds speed and privacy without compromising Bitcoin’s 21-million supply and auditability.
• Whether quantum computing and SHA-256 encryption are real threats—or just headline-grabbing narratives.