I am lucky enough to be part of the DAOpunks Grant Cohort_02, for my submission to improve onboarding newcomers into web3 and crypto, through the onboarding process at BanklessDAO.

After spending the last 10 months completely immersed in the murky waters of the web3 and crypto space, I thought I had finally navigated myself through the ambiguity.

It was one week ago that I found out I had been chosen as a participant in DAOpunks Cohort _02. I was beyond excited and proud. You see, I had something to prove.

Something to prove to my family, to the ones that don’t root for the underdog, to my community, but especially to myself, that I could make a difference for my community, and this was my time to do it.

Full disclosure, I am not a writer. My brain thinks faster than I can speak, write or type (caused by an excessive amount of caffeine and ADHD) . I don't use Siri or chat gbt (I call it Chad COG) because I am paranoid AF.

So, I will not be using AI to write these weekly updates. They will be honest and from the heart. From one human to another, they will be the best that I can do. My organized chaos version of perfection.

This should be the first post in an ongoing series of weekly updates, as I document my journey while trying to improve the onboarding process, but it’s not. I am not excited anymore, I am not exactly sure what I am feeling, whatever it is, it is through a lens where newly visioned bufficorns and rainbows were quickly replaced, by the familiar state of a trustless abyss.

Before I get into why, let me first tell you a little about me.

I am basic. I am the most basic of basic bitches. I am an educated white female that is too young to be considered middle aged but too old to be considered young.  I am from a hardworking, educated, middle class, Catholic, American family. My husband and I have four children that we raise the same way we were raised.

You can’t get much more basic than that.

I went to college, because that is what I was supposed to do. I ended up with a few different degrees in different areas and with a variety of skills. This is because I never knew what I wanted to do, and didn’t want to just settle for what I was doing. I ended up starting my own business, however I was never happy.

My personality can come off as abrasive to some, that could be because I don’t like to sugar coat things, it could be because that’s just how I am. I am vocal, opinionated and ask questions. Lots of questions. I don’t always say things the right way or how others think I should say things and I am awkward at times.  I have never and will never fall in line with what others think. I have morals that usually have some quote to back them up with, that you could paint on a wooden sign and hang on your wall. (For example, “If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything at all” and “Don’t go digging if you don’t want to get your hands dirty” )

I am just that basic.

But I digress.

I began exploring crypto in September of 2021 and became interested in coding. When my youngest son started school, I didn’t want to go back to working a job that I didn’t love, so I decided to learn coding. I spent a few months trying to self educate but couldn’t grasp the technical pieces. Somehow GitHub led me to Gitcoin, where I was introduced to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). I organically landed in the Discord Server of BanklessDAO.

I joined the next new joiners session at BanklessDAO in August of 2022. It was a very nice information session where we then introduced ourselves in smaller groups.

It was on one’s self to get acclimated and grasp an understanding of the discord server chaos.

I inserted myself everywhere and attended everything possible.

I still felt out of place and downright unwanted in some areas. I remember decentralization, diversity and inclusion being shoved everywhere possible, but somehow I felt excluded and disconnected.

I continued to participate everywhere that I could, despite feeling inadequate, out of place and generally not wanted. I have always fit in, and I didn’t like this new found feeling. At the time, I couldn’t pinpoint why I had these feelings, I chalked it up to everyone else being in the community longer than I had and knowing each other better. But eventually, I came to realize that I was one of the few females in our community, and to my knowledge, the only White American Female.

But again, I digress.

I grew comfortable in The Project Management Guild, because of the confidence building, good vibes and leadership.

At some point, I was advised to make a list of things that I don’t like and change them. So I did, and I ran for the Grants Committee, thinking this is where I could start to make a change, make a difference.

Now while this is wonderful, I missed out on some basic information about wallet safety and security.

However, due to my trustless nature, I never clicked anything, so I thought that I was fine. That my wallet was secure.

I was wrong.

Listening to the Crypto Sapiens episode about what inspires web3 builders and founders.  I listened to it over and over, rewriting the episode description because I was so inspired. I got an overwhelming sense of community and for a second thought that maybe, just maybe I do fit in and belong.

In hindsight, that false sense of community and belonging caused me to let my guard down. The next day, I received what looked like a drop from a community that I am working on a collaboration with.  The link went to their discord; it looked like it checked out, but as the story goes, it did not. I couldn’t fucking believe it. I could literally feel the color drain from my face, almost passed out.

In a split second, I proved my DAO and crypto nay-sayer husband to be correct and brought full circle, my dis-sense of community.

I was disgusted for allowing myself to become vulnerable

And although I take full responsibility for the interaction, to me, something else is off. A previous exploit or connection allowed this interaction access to the funds. Now I am no expert, and while at first I was focusing on what was in my wallet, I started to think about what wasn’t.

You see, everything that I hold in my wallet, tokens and NFT’s are either tokens or NFT’s from within my community or ecosystem.

The 1 thing that isn’t in my wallet is a purchase that I made from a verified seller on OpenSea.

This heightens my already on high alert “mommy sense”. It also makes me think of a quote from one of my all time favorite movies, Tommy Boy.

Anyone that knows me, probably is aware that I can be sent down in a tailspin down a rabbit hole if I think it is worthy.