Daniel Batten

Daniel Batten's avatar
Daniel Batten
Dsbatten@nostrich.love
npub13lky...lpsy
Focusing 2026 on coaching Bitcoin builders and leaders newsletter: danielbatten.substack.com
Over the last couple of months I've been wondering whether to spend more of 2026 working on Bitcoin narrative-shifting, advising Bitcoin companies or coaching. My attention has been evenly split between the three this year. After a couple of months I worked out that the biggest impact I can have is by coaching others. That's my life's work, and what gives me the most joy (these two tend to go together). Even the narrative shifting I helped with around Bitcoin mining was just to prove to myself what works so I could better coach that to others. Having coached for about 15 years, it's also quite familiar to me, and I can't think of a group of people that I'd rather help than Bitcoiners who are building a better future for us all. It's also given me time to work out that the right peer-group is one of the strongest ways to bring out the best in people. So here's something I wrote a couple of days ago to start to let the world what I'll be doing. It's focused on quite a specific type of person who in the past I've tended to do my best work with. Here goes ... Is this you? You have completed some high impact missions already. Your involvement with Bitcoin is another example of you seeing the future, and taking aligned action. Now you're doing the most impactful things you can for Bitcoin. Like any parent feels, you want to make sure you are being your best, to the mission you have brought into the world The challenge: Having been successful before, it is tempting to think "I can do this myself". Maybe you can. But that's also not the point. Maybe in the past you used a strategy of burning the candle at both ends, which will no longer work with your current life circumstances. Perhaps you were successful, but you lost something valuable on the way - your connection to your kids, spouse or a close friend, or a part of you that you put on hold (and it still is?). Perhaps you compromised on your vision at some key point In each case, our past successes leave clues. They invite us and prod us to evolve. Introspection is the first step. But it's only the first step, because the gravity of our past habits and actions, good and bad, is strong. Overcoming this requires a new, stronger gravity This gravity is your new tribe: a group of people just like you who share not only a commitment to their own crazy-big vision, but a commitment to the fulfilment of yours. They walk ahead, and in their light, you see your own potential and your own vision more clearly No surprise that the people in this group tend to become friends for life How it works: Every week, you, me, and your tribe meet together. We share wins, learn new skills, rewire old ways of doing things, and find paths around obstacles. As a natural consequence of doing this, everyone's inspiration levels go up, ensuring that your mission becomes like Bitcoin itself: backed by a mountain of energy. Everyone in the group also meets in Costa Rica once a year in person, and I'm there for 1:1 calls where there's a need for a deep dive on a specific challenge or event. Who am I: You and I probably share a lot in common. I've built companies/investment funds outside of Bitcoin, discovered Bitcoin and took action and now am doing the most impactful things I know how to do within Bitcoin's ecosystem. People have told me I've helped turn around the narrative on Bitcoin and energy, paving the way for more institutional adoption My real calling though is as a guide to others pursuing their mission I was neither a natural leader nor a natural communicator. As a result, missions I cared about would fall short. I had to learn how to bring out the best in myself first, so that I could help bring out the best in others. I now do that for Bitcoiners Over the years I've learnt to help others turn their blindspots into strengths. Combined with the power of the group, complete shifts from each person become the most likely outcome If this is you, let's chat. image
What's the biggest determinant of how you start 2026? How you end 2025. Here's why... If you end 2025 by gradually slowing down, deferring, delaying then you'll begin 2026 dealing with the things you deferred from last year, enjoying the fruits of the habits you didn't cultivate in 2025, and beginning from a static start. If you give 100% til the finish line, cultivate new habits now, complete old actions now, initiate new ideas now, then break 100% when on break (no email, no work related activities), then you'll return fully rested, with new initiatives already in place, with energy and with momentum created from the previous year. Not theory: I've been coaching people for 15 years, and I noticed that this behavior made a big difference As my coach often reminded me when I was about to do something non-excellent "the genesis of the thing becomes the thing" How you start 2026 becomes 2026. The seeds of success for next year are being planted right now, with the habits you form, the actions you don't defer, the help you enlist. You cannot slow your way into momentum You cannot mediocre your way into excellence You cannot 50% your way into 100%
During our @bitcoinmenaconf panel on Nation State Adoption, Bitcoin mining came up many times, both from @PrincFilip1 (Prince Filip of Serbia) and @Bilalbinsaqib (Pakistan's Minister of State for Crypto) as the frictionless way for Nations to acquire Bitcoin Probably nothing image
Was great to moderate this panel with Prince Filip, Abdullah and Bilil (leading Pakistan’s bitcoin adoption strategy) who shared some new insights about nation state adoption. I invited them to talk about the challenges as well as the wins.
Harvard now has $443Million in BTC exposure They also have a Sustainable Investing Team that capital allocations must pass through They wouldn't have been able to acquire Bitcoin 'til 2024 The changed energy narrative means a raft of new institutions can now purchase Bitcoin image