Nic Carter, founding partner at blockchain-focused VC firm Castle Island Ventures, seems to be everywhere these days—especially on X, where he’s relentlessly posted everything from his MMA journey to his reportage blowing the lid off of the Biden administration’s covert and sweeping effort to cripple the crypto industry. “Completely ordinary people can do exceptional things,” he mused, citing Joshua 1:9, “if they possess 3 things: desire, discipline, and sacrifice… the thing I fear the most is complacency and resting on my laurels.” Ranging widely from his home base in Miami to the very halls of power in Washington, Nic paused to share a peek into some favorite fixtures of his inner and outer life.

01 Cryptocurrencies

Disclosure—both Castle Island Ventures and I hold positions in all the coins below:

Bitcoin. The big daddy. The OG. The first and last coin. Bitcoin is busy embracing its destiny as a new monetary standard and a replacement for our moribund fiat system. Nothing can stop it now.

Tether. Not exactly a cryptocurrency per se, but in terms of being a medium of exchange, it is undoubtedly the most successful crypto asset of any sort. It settles more value than any other.

Solana. Rising from the ashes once again, Solana has shrugged off the SBF affiliation and has become a genuine contender in its own right.

Ethereum. Not to be forgotten, Ethereum is still true to itself and its curious little path. It remains the home of DeFi.

Monad. My pick for the best next-generation L1. EVM and Solana, plus speed, alongside great memes. What’s not to like?

02 Destinations

St. Helena. The British Overseas Territory where Napoleon was exiled (for the second time) owing to its remoteness. It is so isolated in the South Atlantic between Namibia and Brazil that it hosts many endemic species set on their own evolutionary path. Reachable only by boat until a decade ago.

Isle of Skye, Scotland. You may remember the Old Man of Storr rock formation from the opening scenes of Prometheus— breathtaking geological formations.

Lofoten, Norway. The most picturesque place I’ve ever visited is a remote island chain inside the Arctic Circle. If you go in the summer, the sun never sets. Wild, remote, eerie.

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Buried in the subtropical jungle are hundreds of unexplored ruins of the Mayan civilization. Offers surreal walks through the fallen remnants of a savage era.

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. This peninsula on the Pacific coast of CR is wild and sparsely populated, reachable only by charter plane. It has a vibrant jungle and beach.

03 Workouts

Muay Thai sparring. There’s something special about it. If you leave a leg dangling out there, your quad will be mincemeat in a matter of seconds. Endlessly creative with abundant ways to hit and get hit. Keeps your head on a swivel.

Boxing sparring. If you are interested in feeling more physically wretched than you will ever feel in your life, do ten three-minute rounds of sparring with a superior opponent.

Sprints. A set of eight 400-meter track sprints with 30-second breaks, aiming for 75 seconds per lap. Best results when paired with the South Florida sun and humidity.

Olympic lifts. You don’t need anything other than the big compound lifts with heavy weight and low reps. Deadlift, squat, and bench press will get you there.

Pilates. Pilates is wildly underrated for guys. I have a lot of respect for the Pilates girlies after a few sessions on the reformer.

04 Habits

Sun. I try to get at least an hour of whole body sun exposure a day (with no sunscreen). Thankfully, I live in South Florida, where this is doable year-round—massive quality of life enhancement.

Prayer. The Bible isn’t just for Sundays. I read it every day. I pray about everything. Trivial things. I pray for my friends, for strangers, and I pray for myself—for humility and for strength.

Continuous learning. At any given time, I am involved in learning a new skill. This makes me uncomfortable but it increases my neuroplasticity and extends the pas sage of time. Hyperbaric

Oxygen Therapy. A new thing I’ve been doing lately is breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized oxygen chamber for 90 minutes. I’m not sure what it’s meant to do exactly, but it feels electric.

Journaling. Not very masculine-coded but I treat it as the rough draft for my memoirs. I don’t think anyone will ever read them, but I amuse myself, and that’s all that matters.

05 Bible verses

Ephesians 5:11: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Isaiah 6:8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Ephesians 6:11–13: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

John 1:4–5: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”