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Non-Conformist Series Back by Popular Demand

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Whatcha doing this weekend? YOU want to join me and a host of exciting speakers for Anarchapulco’s NON-CONFORMISTS SERIES, back by popular demand!

Learn more about decentralized solutions like the Free State Project.

Did YOU know thousands of like-minded libertarians are concentrating in New Hampshire to LIVE FREE AND THRIVE? That New Hampshire is now the freest state in the nation, and no state is positioned to catch-up? Not even Florida, man.

For only $79, you will get two days of incredible content. If you can’t participate over the weekend, choose the add-on for $50 to watch later! Use affiliate code “Thrive” to show me some lurv. REGISTER NOW!

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Liberty Forum Recap (Manch Talk 03/20/24)

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Join us this week for a recap of the Free State Project’s 2024 Liberty Forum, with Tulsi Gabbard, Bryan Caplan, and “Mayor Kane” Glenn Jacobs. Hear more about our surprise guest, Jeanne Dietsch, a one-term NH senator with a penchant for making lists, like Fascists and Commies do. Love what we’re doing in the Free State? Get your tickets for the next upcoming event, the 21st Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival! More HERE…

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BlogConferences

What’s Coming Up at Liberty Forum?

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

I can’t wait for Liberty Forum! Do YOU have your tix yet? If you’re planning to attend, please get yours today, and help take some pressure off the awesome organizing team! Thanks!

In looking over the schedule, NOW ONLINE, there’s a lot to choose from, but duty calls.

On Saturday, March 16th at 11:30AM in Ballroom B, I will be speaking about real estate tokenization with Porcupine Real Estate’s Mark Warden, Matthew Ping from Ledgeview Commercial, and Kumar Bukkapatnam of Standard Management. We’ll be discussing the untapped potential of DAOs as a vehicle for buying a slice of the Free State.

In addition, on Friday, I will first be listening to Nackey Loeb First Amendment winner, Laurie Ortolano, followed by a RTK panel discussion with one of the leading First Amendment lawyers in New England, Gregory Sullivan. Also on Friday, there’s a secession/independence panel where Free Staters will discuss their different visions for the future of New Hampshire.

I’d like to extend my personal thanks to Liberty Forum organizers Marian Ward, supported by Tammy Simmons Garthwaite, for all their efforts! It’s never easy, and I appreciate YOU!

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BlogConferences

A Philosophy of Individualism is Hard to Group

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

The ISFL Conference in Prague in 2016 holds many conflicting memories for me.

On the one hand, I was thrilled to be invited and participating in the conference, especially since I’d never been to the Czech Republic before, but, it was also on this trip that I became aware of how undeniably unhealthy I had become.

Physically, I was overweight, inflamed, and my fat ass was not enjoying hours of walking around a new city, usually a favorite pastime.

Mentally, I was exhausted. I’d been arrested, gone through a grueling court case which I eventually won 4 years later. I’d gotten fired from my day job, canceled if you will, before there was a name for it. I’d just triggered the move, announced at a press conference in February 2016, during the First in the Nation Primary, followed by an iconic Liberty Forum with Edward Snowden as our keynote.

I’d just handed the reins to Matt Philips, who was taking over as FSP president. I’d told the board, for the first time in five years, I would not be checking in at all for the week I was in Prague.

Drama!!! Much drama ensued, which you can read about in my next book.

The point of this post is about CHANGING THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE.

In order to do that, you need:

  • An honest reckoning with yourself
  • An expressed desire to change
  • An understanding about what to change
  • Knowledge on how
  • Focus on smaller goals

I’m in better shape, healthier, and happier now than I was 8 years ago.

There are many reasons for this, first and foremost an incredible, supportive (and competitive) partner, Louis Calitz.

Together, we changed our diets and lifestyles, including both independently quitting alcohol by December 2017.

Once you eliminate the low-grade malaise that proliferates your life on alcohol (it’s a neuro-toxin and depressant), other things become illuminated.

Things like Individualism.

And Individualism within a group.

Building a community of individuals is hard.

Building a strong community of strong LIBERTARIAN individuals is harder.

Everyone’s heard the joke, “It’s like herding cats.”

Some of you have heard my corollary, “Sometimes, you want to put those damn cats in a pillowcase and drown them by the river.”

But, of course, you don’t, because ultimately, we subscribe to the Non-Aggression Principle.

But you do need a coping strategy for when the collective, the whole, the wild and undefined group, lumped together as “Free Staters” gets blamed for AN INDIVIDUAL’S behavior.

Here’s the truth: I am NOT responsible for another person’s actions. And neither are you. And you should never let the enemies of liberty get away with demeaning a whole group for the acts of an individual. For example: You never see newspaper articles identifying murderers by their political parties, so why would we tolerate the media painting us all under one brush when an individual libertarian does something heinous?

It took me a long time to fully internalize this. Whenever “a Free Stater” does something you don’t like, it is an opportunity to talk about INDIVIDUALISM.

If you don’t like the brand, ask yourself, what are YOU doing to build a better one? How are YOU spreading the message of liberty? How are YOU showing up in the world?

Are YOU wearing a clean shirt today?

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BlogConferences

FLASHBACK: Snowed In at Liberty Forum 2016

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Above is what Edward Snowden saw at Liberty Forum 2016. (Get your tix to Liberty Forum 2024 with Tulsi Gabbard today!)

Right after he saw us all put up masks of his face to drive home the point, “We are all Edward Snowden now.” I remember during the sound check having to warn him about the masks because I thought it might be strange to be confronted by such a visual unexpectedly. He was embarrassed, flattered, and gracious.

Still think the whole Snowden package–from getting him to speak, to getting the announcement that he was speaking on the front page of hundreds of newspapers worldwide, to the masks, to the incredible interview with Nick Gillespie of REASON–was one of our coolest “Only in the Free State” moments!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. Feel free to add your recollections too.

***

I ran across this post that Liberty Forum Producer Angela Harris made soon after the 2016 event:

WOW, what a weekend! If you had told me a year ago that Emmett and I would be organizing the next Liberty Forum, and that not only would we have Edward Snowden as our keynote speaker, but that we would have already Triggered the Move weeks before, I would have told you were crazy – optimistic and cute, but crazy. Now my head is reeling from the reality of it all – I need a pinch! Or a drink! (Ask me about my Emergency Nip if we get a chance –this may become an essential part of my packing routine in the future.)

I kept watch over the course of the four days, and almost everywhere I turned, I saw smiling faces and heard excited voices – people greeting old friends, enrapt in conversations in the corridors, laughing together as they headed off to the next gathering. It was truly humbling and invigorating to play host to such a diverse and passionate group of people.

An event the size and scope of Liberty Forum does not come together overnight, and it does not happen at the whim of one, or even two, people – it takes a small army of dedicated volunteers to pull it off and make it look effortless and seamless, and each of our volunteers devoted untold amounts of time, talent, and treasure to make Liberty Forum 2016 one for the record books. My sincere, heartfelt thanks go out to everyone on the entire team, especially:

Amy Day for pulling together a million threads to make one cohesive, impressive schedule – your talents amaze me and I thank you for dealing with my billion-and-one emails every day;
Sandy Pierre for wrangling libertarian cats into speaking slots and ensuring they all had the information they needed;
Kyle Laura Bennett for stocking and managing a kick-ass VIP suite – it truly felt like home away from home (but much nicer!);
Chip Spangler for running back and forth between four salons to keep the A/V machine humming so that everyone could see and hear what was going on;
Liam Enael for sending the signal to the universe, designing and printing the printed matter, and pulling my bacon out of the fire more than once;
Samantha Leane for keeping the Registration table running smoothly and making sure everyone got where they needed to go – oh, and for having an amazing collection of pretty paperclips;
Hershel Nunez for reaching out to and wrangling not 10, not 20, but 40+ exhibitors – you are a gracious host and have great vision;
Nicholas Buroker for not breaking the Internet during the Snowden talk; 😉
Carolyn Albert for going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure speakers got here and home again, and had lodging in between;
Rachel Goldsmith for liaising with our sponsors and making sure their needs were all met;
Jessica Love for envisioning and creating Porc Family Connection, giving parents a place to take their kids and where they could have fun while interacting with other parents – I don’t think there is any other conference in the world that has anything close;
Christine Mizer Butler for outstanding creative vision for the Liberty in Action Awards dinner – you and your team knocked it out of the park!;
Andre Rosa for a fabulously funny story and spectacular performance – what a show!;
JJ Epic for filming Snowden’s talk and the Liberty in Action Awards – wonderful eye, beautiful work!;
Jon Lts for putting on a hilarious comedy show to start the weekend off on the right foot;
Theresa Eudaimonia for keeping our relationship with the hotel on good footing and other various and sundry important deeds of helpfulness throughout the weekend;
Tara.טארה פאוול for deescalating situations (and de-icky-fying situations) like a PRO!;
Chris Lopez for being an amazing ambassador for Manchester by arranging ten spectacular off-site tours for the weekend;
Glenn Bailey for always being ready with some muscle when needed;
Dawn Lincoln for keeping the salons running smoothly and ensuring our speakers and attendees had what they needed for the talks;
Kari DePhillips and Brinck Slattery for being the bestest PR team on the planet;
Tennyson McCalla for being everywhere, tirelessly taking photos of everyone and everything, and putting up with my self-critical eye;
Jeremy Harris for being an awesome Man Friday and happily filling in where needed;
and last, but by no means least, Carla Gericke and Matt Philips for being an outstanding resource for all things Organizer, and for landing some pretty phenomenal speakers!

My deepest gratitude to all! And this is only the tip of the iceberg; many of these team members had a team of their own, each and every one of them working to ensure that Liberty Forum 2016 went off without a hitch, that each attendee had an enjoyable time, and that folks would want to come back for Liberty Forum 2017. I would say they were totally successful! I am exceptionally proud to have worked with this outstanding group of folks; they are the reason Liberty Forum happened at all. Please give them a pat on the back if you see them. 😃 ❤

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BlogConferences

Anarchapulco 2024: By the Days

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Day One:

Welcome to Anarchapulco! Yesterday kicked off with speaker orientation, a shamanic blessing, and a circus! I also went exploring–Acapulco was hit by Otis, a devastating Category 5 hurricane last October and the damage is pretty bleak–followed by delicious roadside tacos ala Anthony Bourdain 😋 and then as I was heading home, I caught a beachy sunset. Looking forward to this week of discovering new things!

Day Two:

Today started with a 5.0 earthquake, a long walk on the beach, many fascinating talks, and connecting with interesting people. We are asking for the earth to remain still and rains to come at night when it least disturbs. I stared deep into the eyes of a stranger while holding hands for a whole song (I cried), had a meaningful talk with NJ gym owner Ian Smith, and I’m still 99.9% sure the earth’s round. I’m surprised by how few people have heard of what we’ve accomplished in New Hampshire, but I love hearing people say, “Oh another one from NH. I’ve been hearing about you guys!”

Day Three:

Day three of Anarchapulco is exactly what you would expect. It’s the day… You know the one. When everyone starts dragging ass, you realize why direct sunlight kills Vamps, and then the power goes out at the venue too (but luckily the Main Stage runs on generators).This morning, I enjoyed a long sunrise walk on the beach again and had a quick chat with Beth Martens.

If you’re seeking greater health, look into grounding/earthing… I first felt the benefits here in Acapulco in 2020, becoming aware of how good I felt after early morning beach walks and figuring out walking barefoot had something to do with it, and now I sleep with a grounding mat at home for the times I can’t get barefoot (I’m looking at you, NH Winters).

I connected with several speakers, yelled a correctly-timed, I-got-yer-back RON PAUL from the rear of the tent at the Gold Bug on stage (Wise Wolf Gold, pictured below), enjoyed a late lunch, and now I’m prepping for my emceeing (I get to introduce Free Stater, farmer, and father, Jay Noone, yay!) and my session on Sovereign Living tomorrow.

While the waiter at the hotel’s restaurant and I don’t speak the same language, we do, and he is in a battle to give me the hottest hot sauce. So far, I’m standing my ground, but real tears were shed this afternoon.

Taking an early night so that I can do a good job tomorrow continuing to raise the vibe of the tribe! Live free and thrive!

Day Four:

I’m officially pooped. I started the day sun-gazing while walking on the beach and ended it on a solo swim in the ocean in the dark. Top 10 scary thing!

In between, I did a 20 minute RAD talk, facilitated a feedback session, and introduced 8 fascinating speakers. I was on/off stage all day and my neck has never been more burned.

In South Africa, the Boers called the British “rooinekke” which literally translates to “rednecks” (because their necks burned as they lay in wait in the grass). This has nothing to do with anarchy per se but makes me realize
I’m punch-drunk with exhaustion (and hunger bc that banana I bought on the walk back to the hotel is a… plantain).

Until tomorrow.

Day Five:

Took kinda a slow one today and worked on myself.

A sunrise stroll, a dip in the ocean, cerviche, taking pleasure in the beauty around me, meeting Ian Smith, watching Jay Noone masterfully run the art auction, catching up with some of the incredible women I met this week, and listening to Jeff Berwick, where he gave me and the Free State Project and PorcFest a shout out, thanks!

The theme of this year’s event is REBORN and the logo is a Phoenix rising. And as he himself recognized in his closing remarks, Jeff truly seems like a different person since quitting alcohol and starting meditation.

Last time I attended, back in 2020, I gave one of my favorite talks to date. In that speech, I also spoke of quitting alcohol in 2017 and healing myself through diet (low carb/whole foods/avoid seed oils), meditation, exercise/yoga, and good social connections.

I’m reminded we are all fallible beings trying to be our best. Sometimes, we succeed.

Kudos to the entire Anarchapulco production team, and especially Catherine Bonandin who persuaded me to come. So glad I did! Love to you all! ❤

Last Day (not counting tomorrow when I leave):

Last day in Acapulco before heading home to the Free State tomorrow (long day of travel on my 52nd birthday).

Today I had coconut for breakfast with a fantastic fellow traveler, took a walk on the beach towards Acapulco where the devastation of Hurricane Otis is even more noticeable, and I felt another small earthquake just now, so, just so you know, I *did* feel the earth move! 😛


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ConferencesVideo

The Best Talk I’ve Done (So Far)

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

In 2020, I gave a talk on the main stage at Anarchapulco in Mexico. I didn’t know the video came out until I was looking for this essay, and randomly ran across it (the talk is based on the essay). I don’t typically like re-watching my talks, but I knuckled down and watched it yesterday, and something remarkable transpired… I didn’t hate it. I didn’t cringe. I didn’t get a minor panic attack, especially at the part at the start where my slides weren’t working correctly. I watched my talk and thought, Good job.

Me thinking ‘Good job’ about anything related to public speaking is… massive progress! This is only possible because, for the past five years, I have chosen to stick to the incremental improvements I’ve introduced into my life, while slowly adding more.

When you take care of yourself, through lifestyle changes like nourishing yourself with whole foods cooked in high good fats, getting enough sleep, hydrating, and socializing with people who fill your cup, you feel better… and when you feel better… you do better!

What are you working on in your life to make those small changes that add up? Are you journaling regularly? Are you making sure you’re drinking plenty–and I mean PLENTY–of water? Are you aware when you’re doom scrolling on your phone, and can you put it down?

As I say in the talk… how you spend your time equals you life. Spend it wisely!

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BlogConferences

My Weekend in the Free State

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

This weekend was one for the books! I went to three Free Stater-led events, and had to bail on several others! If you feel like you’re missing out, know this: Your one stop source for goings-on around the Free State can be found on the FSP CALENDAR. We make an effort to keep the calendar current and up-to-date, so let Chris know if you spot something awry.

Saturday morning kicked off with MVP, the Merrimack Valley Porcupine meetup, which has been running for almost 20 years. This event, which conveniently takes place on the first Saturday of the month from 11:30AM-1PM is an excellent place to come find out what’s happening over the next month. It’s where you can meet candidates and other activists, pitch ideas, and generally ease into life as an activist and Free Stater in the Merrimack area.

I learned there’s a lot cooking (will post more later), including this important CALL-TO-ACTION for tomorrow/Tuesday, Sept 5th:

STOP IRL SOCIALISTS AT CITY HALL! 9/5 Tues at 6PM, before New Movers, come tell real life communists that we don’t want a city department dedicated to homelessness because we know: WHAT YOU SUBSIDIZE YOU GET MORE OF and we don’t want more homeless people! Stay at 7pm to give your 3 minute remarks on why a brand new “Housing Instability” department is nonsense.

Next, I attended West Manchester Day, hosted by We <3 West, where my husband, Louis Calitz serves on the board. This family friendly event, now in its third year, was held at a new, more convenient locations at 300 Prescourt Street, where the soccer fields are located. Parking was easy. Toilets were available. Definitely a good location to scale the events. Hopefully more people will learn of the great work We <3 West is doing to revitalize the west side without demanding our neighbors pay for it.

On Sunday, I went to Durham to speak at the Fifth Annual FSB-DAC event at the Fenton’s Farm. I have spoken at 3 of the 5 events, and it was an honor to do so again. I spoke of the close ties between Free Staters and crypto, and some of the FSP’s history with Bitcoin, where Free Staters in New Hampshire were very early adopters, starting in 2012. The world’s first Bitcoin ATM was developed in Manchester!

Porcupine Real Estate, where I now work as a Realtor, was well represented, and I was delighted to pitch the crowd the following idea: Every libertarian and liberty lover in the world should own a piece of the Free State! And, through tokenization and a DAO, I am going to make that happen!

I also gave an impassioned shout out to Free Ross, which I have consistently done since I started attending this event. I won’t stop until we Free Ross!

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BlogConferences

FSP History: Paul Fest in 2012

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

On August 25, 11 years ago, several Free Staters went to support Ron Paul in Florida.

We had a booth with Bill’s LIBERTY TOO BIG TO FAIL sign, we solicited signers, and I gave a speech about the value of concentrating pro-freedom folk together in the great state of NH.

My highlights from that excursion were:

Tom Woods walking by me as we were getting ready to speak, me timidly greeting him fan-girl-style, Tom saying something like, “I know I should know who you are because I see you at these things,” and, as we shook hands, I mentally vowed that he’d remember me one day! (I think he does! 😛)

Getting interviewed by Tom Mullen for The Washington Times:

Meeting the great Walter Block. Walter has been a big intellectual influence on me, although he may not know it.

In September, my submission, solicited by him, will be included in a new autobiographical anthology of libertarian thought leaders edited by Prof. Block (yeah, I’m fancy now). Of my personal essay, he said: “Wow! This one blew me away!” Stay tuned for info when it drops.

What I remember most, though, about that trip, is the deep anxiety I felt. About life, about broken friendships, about having to give a speech in front of so many people. I surely did some tequila shots beforehand.

Looking back now, I’m so grateful for the choices I made to change my trajectory. Giving up the crutch of alcohol materially reduced my anxiety.

If YOU suffer from anxiety, you have to be willing to dig deep to make changes, and part of that is recognizing HOW YOU ARE FUELING YOURSELF. What do you consume? Alcohol, sugar, too much caffeine? Porn? Doom scrolling? Psst, all of these can cause you to sleep poorly.

Sleep poorly? Don’t expect your noggin’ to function right.

If you truly want to LIVE FREE AND THRIVE, with the emphasis on THRIVE, you have to ACTIVELY & CONSCIOUSLY seek to make that happen!

If I can do it, so can YOU! Follow me on social and subscribe here to CarlaGericke.com, where I frequently blog about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (emphasis on PURSUIT… YOU are the steward of your life, thoughts, and dreams!).

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