Purpose can be forged in the most unexpected crucibles. From growing up as a homeschooled “Grady baby” in Atlanta’s South Cobb area to serving as an Army infantry officer deployed to Afghanistan with Special Forces, Zack Knight’s path took him through the grind of blue-collar work, the discipline of law enforcement, the chaos of combat, and the depths of his own personal rock bottom, before finding healing and a renewed sense of mission. In this episode of the Tango Tango podcast, host Lloyd Knight sits down with Army veteran, entrepreneur, author, and ATLVets founder Zack Knight. Despite sharing a last name, the two are quick to clarify they’re not related, though they’ve become close brothers in the veteran community. Zack reflects on his Atlanta upbringing, his years with the Smyrna Police Department, his decision to join active duty at 28, and his deployment to Afghanistan in 2019 where his unit lost six soldiers. They discuss the physical and mental toll of combat and Zack’s spiral into survivor’s guilt and a near-fatal crisis. From that low point, a friend’s simple challenge sparked a transformational self-discovery. Zack also shares the unconventional healing practices that helped him rebuild, from Emory’s outpatient therapy program…

From product verification and quality management to smart contracts and financial clarity, blockchain is a technology solving a variety of data-centric issues. In this episode of Digital Transformers, our host Kevin L. Jackson presents Digital Asset Innovators – a series from the National DigiFoundry that aims to highlight those individuals and organizations that are innovating across the digital asset ecosystem. Joining for this episode are Bryant Nielson and Ryan Williams – two experts at the very heart of blockchain progress. Discussions kick off with the inherent association of blockchain with Bitcoin in the public eye, despite cryptocurrencies being just one single application among many. “It’s impressive. It is impactful. But it’s not the whole forest. Blockchain is the forest,” Nielson explains. The guest speakers then turn their attention to the need to bring blockchain into the educational mainstream, providing students with knowledge to code smart contracts and develop tangible, in-demand skillsets. Further, Nielson and Williams also highlight the potential opportunity to tokenize and gamify learning, leveraging shortening attention spans and the societal drive towards digital dopamine hits for educational purposes. With the spotlight on blockchain-based learning growing, both interviewees also outline the importance of standardizing qualifications and certifications. Here, The…