001. Bergdorf's to Bitcoin: The Origin Story | How I Built a 70K Community & Went Deep on Bitcoin Mining

Welcome to Episode 1 of STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.I'm Emily Dempsey, and this is the full origin story of how this podcast came to be. How a girl from Chicago who grew up around finance,  and wanted nothing to do with it — ended up buying fashion at Bergdorf Goodman, building South Florida's largest women's network from a Facebook group, and spending two years making herself an expert in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and digital assets. This episode is the foundation. Everything on STACKED builds from here. Let’s get stacked. Connect with us:Subscribe to the STACKED newsletter — weekly headlines on Bitcoin, digital assets, business, and wellness, delivered every Sunday and Wednesday. Subscribe at ⁠www.stackedassets.co ⁠Follow Us:YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stacked-assets⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/stackedassets/⁠TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@stacked.assets⁠Follow Emily Dempsey:Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/emilydempsey⁠X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/EmilyDempsey⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-j-dempsey/⁠Follow The Brickell Babes: ⁠⁠⁠Become A Member: ⁠www.thebrickellbabes.com⁠⁠/membership⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thebrickellbabes/⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/thebrickellbabes/⁠⁠KEY TOPICS COVERED— What being a fashion buyer actually teaches you about business: margins, distribution, markdowns, and managing profitability end to end— How The Brickell Babes went from a Facebook post to 70,000 members and a real company — and what building trust at scale actually requires— Why Bitcoin mining is really an energy and leverage business, and what Emily learned from 50+ site visits in under 12 months— Why nobody in this space has a formal degree and why that means you can start learning today— The thesis behind STACKED: knowledge compounds, wealth is built not found, and the body is part of the portfolio TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 — Welcome to STACKED00:00:44 — No jargon, no hype — here’s the format00:01:25 — My dream of becoming a buyer for the biggest department stores in the world00:02:04 — Getting an economics degree with a minor in business to appease my parents00:02:36 — My first job out of college at Bergdorf Goodman00:03:50 — The pandemic, 10 years in New York, and feeling the itch for something different00:04:36 — How I started Brickell Babes as a Facebook group00:05:04 — Fast forward: 70,000 women and over 600K monthly impressions00:06:06 — Why there is no class, no degree, and no shortcut when it comes to Bitcoin00:07:25 — Why mining is all about energy, leverage, and pricing economics00:08:04 — Being on a plane every week — Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and conferences00:10:09 — Why I walked away from corporate to pursue entrepreneurship00:11:37 — Why I only work with long-term aligned partners00:12:44 — Hosting 200+ events, starting a book club, and giving back through Lotus House00:14:13 — Why there were no resources out there for women like me00:15:09 — Why mining is where money meets energy and infrastructure00:17:00 — What I learned evaluating 100+ mining sites: on-grid vs off-grid00:18:49 — My thesis: knowledge compounds and wealth is built, not found00:20:39 — I don’t care if you buy Bitcoin — I care if you understand it00:21:15 — The three pillars of STACKEDDISCLAIMERThis podcast is educational content, not financial advice. Do your own research; know your time horizon and risk tolerance.