In this block, I sit down with Knut Svanholm in Lugano during the Summer School week.

Knut is a writer, educator, musician, rockstar, and one of the most recognizable voices in Bitcoin. In this conversation, we talk about what his life looked like before Bitcoin, how he moved from traditional “fiat jobs” into a Bitcoin-focused life, and what changed along the way.

Before Bitcoin, Knut worked at sea, first on a tall ship sailing around the Atlantic, and later in the offshore industry, taking technicians to wind turbines in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Eventually, he moved into an office role as an HR manager, responsible for hundreds of employees.

That was the moment when stress, lack of flexibility, and the inability to switch off pushed him toward writing. With spare time, limited internet, and a growing interest in Bitcoin, he started writing articles… and the rest is history.

We talk about:

life before Bitcoin

leaving the 9-to-5 to work 24/7 in Bitcoin

why Bitcoin gives people purpose

building your own rhythm as a Bitcoiner

creativity, writing, and deep work

morning routines and avoiding interruptions

Plan ₿ Summer School

music, rock bands, and Satoshi Rockamoto

Knut also gives a preview of his Plan ₿ Summer School lecture: a deep dive into praxeology, ethics, natural law, and first-principles thinking. His main point is that Bitcoin is not only about technology or money. It is also about human action, incentives, morality, and the refusal to aggress or steal.

Bitcoin is a way to rethink how we live and work.