Mike Pirie on Growing Up in South Africa, Cybersecurity, Crypto Scams & Building New Skool Communities

Mike Pirie is a cybersecurity and technology leader with a risk-first lens on crypto; and one of the most unexpectedly fascinating life stories you'll hear. From being raised in a beach lighthouse hostel in Port Elizabeth to navigating apartheid-era schooling, mandatory military service, and eventually landing in South Carolina, Mike's path is anything but linear.

In this episode of Hair Stories with Carin Chantel, we get into the real stuff: Flock of Seagulls hair, painting himself with oil-based paint as a kid, and the honest journey of a receding hairline. But also; crypto. Mike entered in May 2020, grew a portfolio fast, got burned by scams, and turned those hard lessons into communities that help everyday people (especially busy parents) navigate decentralized finance with real security guardrails.

We also talk about his spiritual life, reiki mastery, a decades-long journaling practice, a bipolar misdiagnosis he only learned about two years ago, and what it means to parent a 27-year-old and a 21-month-old at the same time.

In this episode:

• Growing up in South Africa during apartheid & attending multiracial private school
• How mandatory military service led him into forensics, tech, and eventually Microsoft
• International career stops: Israel, the UK, Canada, and beyond
• Entering crypto in 2020; the wins, the scams, and what he learned
• Building crypto communities on Discord, Patreon, and now Skool
• Launching "Mystical Mic" a community rooted in spiritual practice
• "Palmetto Tech" tech support for solo entrepreneurs and mompreneurs
• Journaling, poetry, creativity, and trusting intuition
• A misdiagnosis that changed everything

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  Mike’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cryptoeasewithmike

  Follow him on Skool https://www.skool.com/@mikepi

  Mystical Mike Skool

  
  

  
  

Follow Carin Chantel

Album photo by: Hannah Pirie