Reiss and I discuss how over-centralization is hollowing out many of our local economies and sense of connection.We explore why rebuilding decentralized systems may be the only path to restoring both economic sovereignty and meaning in daily life. Topics include:The collapse of local food production through the story of One Mighty Mill who is trying to rebuild America’s organic flour supply chain from scratchThe Mumbai food ecosystem — a thriving, decentralized market now under siege by delivery appsHow “business-in-a-box” platforms and AI-assisted design can enable true decentralizationWhy tariffs, robotics, aging populations, and lower religiosity are going to shape the next era of productionChapters:00:00 Introduction00:35 Decentralizing the US Food System: One Mighty Mill09:15 Mumbai's Decentralized Food System13:43 Business in a Box Enabling Decentralization20:27 Key Trends Driving Decentralization: Tariffs, Robotics & More30:51 America’s Literacy Problem & Getting The Population To Care31:55 Finding Sources Of Meaning As Family & Faith are Declining34:37 Why Economic Opportunity Is King42:37 Short-Term Pain For Long-Term Gain45:09 VC’s Newest Muse: Vertical Integration & Trillion-Dollar Outcomes47:53 Why We’ve Lost The Motivation To Fight For What To Believe In53:59 All Humans Play Status Games01:00:03 The Mickey Mouse Economy01:03:40 Hidden Powers Of DecentralizationFollow Jordan on X: https://x.com/jrwolfeStatistics:Stone Mills in the U.S. Stats - www.onemightymill.com54% of adults in the U.S. have a literacy rate below a sixth grade level - https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics#:~:text=21%25 of adults in the,were born outside the US.How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020 - https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/How has marriage in the US changed over time? - https://usafacts.org/articles/state-relationships-marriages-and-living-alone-us/The Experiences of U.S. Adults Who Don’t Have Children - https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/Does proximity matter in shopping behavior? - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856425000990Resources Mentioned:Book - The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play it by Will Storr - https://www.thescienceofstorytelling.com/booksArticle - The Mickey Mouse Economy by Oren Cass - https://www.commonplace.org/p/our-mickey-mouse-economyThe UK and India just signed a 'historic' free trade deal - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/05/uk-india-free-trade-deal/Why Gen Z is Saying “No” to Romance and What it Means for Us All - https://firstthings.org/why-gen-z-is-saying-no-to-romance-and-what-it-means-for-us-all/?utm_source=chatgpt.comReinventing Retail: How local kirana stores are adapting to India’s quick commerce boom - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/sme-sector/reinventing-retail-how-local-kirana-stores-are-adapting-to-indias-quick-commerce-boom/articleshow/122082309.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com&from=mdrThe Protolabs Network Standard - https://www.hubs.com/partner-network/Subscribe & Follow:📰 Join the Substack – ⁠⁠⁠https://goingdirect.substack.com/subscribe⁠⁠🎧 Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts – ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-direct-conversations/id1800505663⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to YouTube for more deep dives on decentralization, robots, and the real economy – ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@goingdirect_/videos⁠

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