Authoritarian movements don’t fear noise. They fear readers. Reading builds independent thought, empathy, and complexity, all of which threaten systems that rely on control, simplification, and unquestioned power.

Most big ideas don’t start with a business plan. They start with a moment that hits you so hard it forces your life onto a different track. For me, that moment was Alchemy 2016 —an art event in the woods of Georgia where people build wild things, share weirder things, and generally remind you that the world is more interesting when humans are allowed to be fully themselves. I left that weekend sore from dancing, sleep-deprived, and absolutely lit up with the urge to create so