JCIP #216 - Brett Scott

In episode 216 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Brett Scott. Brett is the author of ‘Cloud Money: Why the War on Cash Endangers Our Freedom’. Brett also has a SubStack called ‘Altered States of Monetary Consciousness’ where he explores the frontiers of modern money and in his words ‘draws pictures of it to help you see our economic system with new eyes’. In this episode we begin by discussing what it was like for Brett growing up at the tail-end of apartheid South Africa and navigating that as a white man. We then chart Brett's professional career, from working in left-wing politics, to being a financial trader and where he is today. Afterwards, we do a deep dive into Cloud Money through a mental health lens and the implications of a 'cashless' society on how we spend our money, live our lives and our local communities. We also discuss how financial institutions accelerated the move towards a cashless society during the Covid-19 period and their motivations for doing it. For Brett’s mental health, we discuss his diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the challenges that has brought his mental health from adolescence through to adulthood. In February 2022, these OCD symptoms caused Brett to have a mental health breakdown where he experienced huge anxiety, burnout and at one point, psychotic episodes. All of this overlapped with the writing of and publication of Cloud Money and we discuss how it impacted his mental health and how he overcame it. As always, #itsokaytovent You can purchase a copy of Cloud Money here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/439997/cloudmoney-by-scott-brett/9781529111484 You can subscribe to 'Altered States of Monetary of Consciousness' here: https://brettscott.substack.com/ You can follow Brett on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Suitpossum Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk