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powder days, pussy riot & private keys

more learnings from my n00b crypto journey, reveling in male-dominated spaces, and why bike racing is for sure a gateway drug to web3

Author

Laura Winberry
March 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

In this week’s issue:

gm and welcome to issue 9. Thanks for being here. 🫨

This week's Babe is coming in a bit shorter than usual because we've been getting absolutely DUMPED on here in the PNW and, well, I'm out in it—standing sideways, bopping around on a snowboard. Between face shots, front flips (jk I wish), and some good ol’ fashioned ragdolling, I've also continued to make deep turns in the world of Web3—more on that in a minute.

I spent an embarrassing amount of time this week trying to figure out whether to start this newsletter with "gm" or "GM" because apparently, capitalization matters in crypto land. But here's what I've learned so far: in Web3, everything is simultaneously the most important thing ever and also completely arbitrary and unserious depending on who you ask.

wake up morning GIF

gm

So—I'm sticking with lowercase because that’s what I opt for when I write poetry, plus I like to reserve all-caps energy for… all-caps energy scenarios (see emphasis on snowfall above). You don’t want to water down the inherent power of capital letters—using that shit sparingly is much more effective. Unless, of course, you’re the legendary CAConrad (I was lucky enough to experience a workshop with CA in grad school—he/they are wonderful).

After last week's creative DAO deep dive, I decided to take a slightly more personal turn this week. I've been circling the crypto ecosystem for close to six months now, watching from a distance like it's some kind of exclusive nightclub where I don't know the secret password. And I finally found a side door. While I'm not typically one for joining clubs, there is something irresistible about the web3 dance floor. Meaning—I'm all in, I don't gaf what I look like, the energy of it all is exactly why I'm here.

What to Expect from Babe (the unexpected, obvs)

Every Tuesday, at whatever time the data says is the best time, you’ll find Babe in your inbox. Each issue will look something like the one you’re reading now, only different. To keep things classy and somewhat organized, it will almost always include the following four elements. It will for sure serve.

Touch Grass: A deep dive wherein I analyze tech/art/society through a lens that'll make you question everything. Or at least wonder wtf I’m talking about.

It's Giving: A short list of hot takes and pattern recognitions for the culturally curious and spiritually aligned.

Still downloading: Where I run a buffer test with humans ahead of their time (or very much of the times, but never quite behind them).

Bible: A curated menu of internet gold that you absolutely need in your life, trust.

Touch Grass: Crypto's Learning Curve (it's vertical af)

While I'm still very much on the crypto learning curve, I'm not a complete beginner. I've been putting in the work to build my understanding over the past half year, and I now know my way around a wallet (centralized and decentralized), understand the basics of blockchain, and am pretty sure I’ve graduated from crypto kindergarten. (I mean, explain it to me like I’m five—always.). Compared to the OGs who've been in this space since 2013? I'm still figuring out the landscape, learning the nuances, and navigating the endless rabbit holes that make up Web3.

cat one of two: v into learning about crypto staking

And—there’s a thread I want to pull on here. That thread is this: like a lot of women, I've spent a lot of time in spaces where I'm not supposed to belong. I raced bikes professionally for over ten years (male dominated). I ran day labor jobs and fought wildland fires to make extra money (totes male dominated). I started a creative writing program at a men's prison (all men, obvs; though I did meet a sweet trans woman there) and currently co-chair a Police Chief Advisory Council (so many men).

What I’m getting at is being the only woman in the room isn't new to me. In fact, consciously and/or subconsciously, I think it’s something I’ve always kinda sought out. Maybe it’s the challenge of it, maybe it’s the oh yeah? let me prove you wrong of it, maybe it’s because I grew up semi-oblivious to the fact that I didn’t belong in these spaces (thanks, mom and dad). Who knows.

season 1 girl power GIF by NBC

Depending on the source, women make up between 10-29% of crypto investors globally. The gender gap is even worse among developers and founders. The sad truth is that the future of the internet is being built primarily by one demographic, which means it risks repeating all the same mistakes of Web 1.0 and 2.0—just with fancier technology.

This matters because blockchain technology isn't just about digital money or cartoon apes worth millions. It's about reimagining how we organize, how we build communities, how we distribute power. If these systems are built exclusively by one type of person, they'll inevitably serve that type of person best. Think: western medicine.

Rob Season 4 GIF by NETFLIX

If there's one thing I've learned from all those years as one of only a few women in the room, it's that I'm probably not actually the only one—I just haven't found the others yet. Which brings me back to SheFi and spaces like it (um, literally plugging Boys Club in almost every issue of Babe—they’re so good!). What makes these two entities special isn't just that they're created by women—it's that they recognize learning happens differently when you don't have to waste energy proving you belong there.

Um, mic drop.

The cheesy but true takeaway? Whether I'm dropping into fresh pow or wading deeper into web3, I'm bringing the same energy that's carried me through every other “you don't belong here” space—curiosity, persistence, and just enough audacity to keep things interesting.

It's Giving: Web3 Energy, Babe

Bible: Winter is THE Best

Bonus Palate Cleanser: Meet Pussy Riot’s Nadya, the Web3 Baddie the World Needs

Let's end with Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of Russian feminist protest art collective Pussy Riot and unexpected Web3 revolutionary (have you read Riot Days? if not, you should). After spending two years in a Russian prison for performing protest art, Nadya emerged and eventually found her way to the blockchain, using NFTs and DAOs to raise millions for causes ranging from Ukraine aid to reproductive rights.

What makes Nadya's Web3 work so powerful is that she's using these tools exactly as they were intended—as mechanisms for coordination outside traditional power structures. When you've been imprisoned by a state for your art, you understand the value of censorship-resistant systems in a way most crypto bros tweeting about freedom never will.

In 2021, she helped launch UnicornDAO, an investment collective focused on getting money into the hands of women and LGBTQ+ artists. In its first year, they collected over 1,000 NFTs by underrepresented creators and deployed $4.5 million to support their work.

But what really sets Nadya apart in the Web3 space is that she sees the technology as a means, not an end. For her, it's another tool to achieve her political goals. Because: art is politics, crypto is politics, any financial system is political.

In a space often dominated by techno-optimists promising revolution without doing the hard work of actual revolution, Nadya's approach is refreshingly grounded. She's been on the front lines of protest, paid the price for it, and now leverages new technology with clear-eyed purpose.

As I dig more into crypto and Web3, it's voices like hers I'm looking for—people who see blockchain as a tool for meaningful change rather than just a wealth generator or technological novelty.

OK, that's it for issue nine of Babe. Thanks for joining and for decoding this shit along with me.

Until next week, nerds.

xoxo,

lw

PS: Subscribe now if you want in on this arithmetic. Miss the last issue? It’s right here.

Next week in Babe: Etymology and language across worlds/industries, dumb job apps, and reason #637 why LinkedIn sucks.