Black Women Wealth Through AI & Bitcoin

From ESL Teacher to Financial Struggle: My Rock Bottom

I remember that year in a bustling classroom in Thailand, where the humid air clung to my skin like an unwelcome guest. As a career-changer turned ESL teacher, I poured my heart into helping kids grasp new words. I loved my students deeply, but adjusting to the culture and environment was harder than I'd imagined. The paycheck in Thai baht was slim, and I'd spent my own savings just to get there. When I came home, I had very little money to show for it.

The years that followed were a patchwork of survival. I picked up jobs here and there, but health problems and the 2020 pandemic forced me into part-time work. Bills piled up. I couldn't keep up. For the first time in my life, I needed government assistance just to buy food. In 2023, my landlord raised the rent, and I had no choice but to move back home. Unemployed. Sitting in my childhood bedroom at 40-something, wondering where it all went wrong.

But here's where the story shifts. While scrolling through YouTube one day, I stumbled onto a video about Bitcoin mining. I'd been invested in cryptocurrency since 2017—those gains had actually kept me afloat during the 2020 shutdown when everything else fell apart. This video introduced me to something I'd never heard of: Bitcoin mining-as-a-service. No heavy equipment to clutter my room. No technical expertise needed. Just rent computing power from trusted farms and watch small, steady rewards trickle in.

That aha moment hit hard: this could be the passive income I'd been desperately searching for. Not a get-rich-quick scheme, but a legitimate way to build financial stability while I figured out my next move.

How I Discovered Bitcoin Mining as Passive Income

Two weeks of research led me to a realization: I didn't want this to be another side hustle. I wanted to build an actual business.

I'd been in the crypto space since 2017. I understood Bitcoin. I believed in it. But I'd been dabbling, experimenting, treating it like a hobby. What if I went all in - legitimately, legally, strategically?

It took another two weeks to commit. I set up a single-member LLC. I studied how Bitcoin mining businesses actually worked. My tax situation was in my favor - no W-2 income, just some passive dividend income from stocks, which put me in a very low tax bracket. If Bitcoin's price went up in the future, I could deduct business expenses now. The timing was actually perfect.

In late 2023, I bit the bullet: nearly $12,000 to purchase my first mining rig through Sazmining, plus management fees and LLC setup costs. (Later, I'd realize I'd overspent on things I didn't need and had to clean up messy taxes from prior crypto experiments. If I'd known better from the start, I could have done it for around $9,440. Lesson learned.)

I was nervous - I'd never run a real business before. But mostly? I was hopeful. Convicted, even. This was the future of finance, and I was finally positioning myself correctly.

Starting a Bitcoin Mining Business on a Teacher's Budget

Two weeks of research led me to a realization: I didn't want this to be another side hustle. I wanted to build an actual business.

I'd been in the crypto space since 2017. I understood Bitcoin. I believed in it. But I'd been dabbling, experimenting, treating it like a hobby. What if I went all in - legitimately, legally, strategically?

It took another two weeks to commit. I set up a single-member LLC. I studied how Bitcoin mining businesses actually worked. My tax situation was in my favor - no W-2 income, just some passive dividend income from stocks, which put me in a very low tax bracket. If Bitcoin's price went up in the future, I could deduct business expenses now. The timing was actually perfect.

In 2025, I bit the bullet: nearly $12,000 to purchase my first mining rig through Sazmining, plus management fees and LLC setup costs. (Later, I'd realize I'd overspent on things I didn't need and had to clean up messy taxes from prior crypto experiments. If I'd known better from the start, I could have done it for around $9,440. Lesson learned.)

I was nervous - I'd never run a real business before. But mostly? I was hopeful. Convicted, even. This was the future of finance, and I was finally positioning myself correctly.

My First Bitcoin Mining Payouts: Proof of Concept

One week after my rig went live, Bitcoin appeared in my wallet. My first payout.

The next week, another one.

It worked!

I sat there smiling at my laptop screen like an idiot, absurdly proud of myself. The amounts were small - I only had one rig - but that wasn't the point. This was proof of concept. This was scalable. This was real passive income that didn't require me to trade my time or health.

Bleisure Travel: Combining Crypto Conferences with Tax Deductions

That's when the pieces started connecting.

I'd been attending free crypto and tech meetups in my area, soaking up knowledge, networking with other Bitcoin enthusiasts. But I'd never been to an actual conference - they seemed expensive, intimidating, reserved for "real" industry people.

Then I stumbled across a book written by an accountant about planning bleisure trips - business travel that you legally deduct while also enjoying personal exploration. My ESL teacher brain immediately sparked: Wait. I could go to crypto conferences for professional development. Network with other mining business owners. Learn about the industry I'm now actually IN. And write it all off.

And then the bigger idea hit me.

What if I taught other teachers how to do this? Not just the Bitcoin mining part - but the whole ecosystem. How to attend tech conferences and turn those insights into STEAM lesson plans they could sell. How to build location-independent income streams. How to transition from burned-out educator to legitimate business owner.

Maybe it's selfish, but I want more wealthy, entrepreneurial, smart women friends I can travel with. There should be more teachers in tech. Especially women. We're natural educators - we already know how to explain complex concepts. We're used to working with limited resources and tight budgets. We're scrappy and strategic.

Why shouldn't we be the ones building the future?

Teaching Educators to Build Location-Independent Income

I'm planning my first major conference for next year - in Japan, of all places. Not just to learn, but to scout. To connect with other women building businesses in this space. To see what's possible when you stop thinking small.

This is how bleisure works: You go to a 2-3 day Bitcoin or tech conference for legitimate professional development. You network, you learn, you grow your business knowledge. That part is deductible. Then you add a few personal days to explore, experience the culture, eat incredible food, recharge your soul. The business portion pays for a significant chunk of the trip.

But here's what makes it even better for teachers: every experience becomes content. Every cultural insight becomes a potential lesson plan. Every conversation with an innovator becomes material you can share with other educators.

Your trip doesn't just pay for itself through tax deductions - it generates income.

Helping Teachers Blaze Their Own Trails: My Business Empowering Educators

After tasting that freedom myself, I could not keep it to myself. I wanted to be a guide to women like us, fellow teachers tired of the grind. We meet over video calls or in cozy workshops, where I share the steps that pulled me from burnout. Think of it as a map drawn from my own stumbles in Thailand's classrooms, now leading to crypto basics, smart travel, and steady income. No big promises, just real tools to build your path. I focus on three groups: Blazers starting fresh, Bloomers shaking off mid-life fatigue, and Beacons planning peaceful joys ahead. Each one gets tailored advice, rooted in my year abroad and that first mining payout that felt like a breath of fresh air.

Blazers: Kickstarting Your Crypto Journey Early

Young teachers, you stand at the edge of big dreams, much like I did fresh out of college. The classroom pulls hard, but so does the world outside. I help you start small with Bitcoin mining, no need for fancy gear or deep pockets. Cloud mining lets you rent power from farms, turning spare time into quiet earnings. Picture checking your phone during lunch, seeing rewards grow without lifting a finger.

Here are simple steps to begin, all under a tight budget:

• Pick a low-cost platform: Start with apps like those from ETNCrypto, where contracts begin at $100. They use clean energy, so you feel good about it too.

• Join a beginner conference: Look for local events or online ones first. My first in Bangkok cost little, but it sparked ideas for lesson plans that mixed blockchain with English games.

• Track small habits: Set aside 10% of each paycheck for your mining pot. Over months, it builds discipline, like saving for that first solo trip.

I wove those early insights into STEAM activities for my students, teaching them secure money basics through stories. You can too, fostering habits that last. For more on easy entry, check this beginner's guide to hobby mining. It keeps things straightforward, just like your busy days demand.

Bloomers: Reigniting Passion with Mid-Career Shifts

Mid-career, the weight settles in deeper, doesn't it? I felt it after months of repeating lessons in humid rooms, joy fading like a worn chalkboard. That's when bleisure saved me, blending conferences with rest to lighten the load. I guide you through trips that double as growth, claiming deductions that add up to real relief and extra cash.

Bleisure eases the burnout by mixing work with wonder. I attended a Lisbon event on crypto education, then wandered cobblestone streets lined with pastel houses. The sea air cleared my head, and talks on mining apps inspired new ways to teach vocabulary through digital wallets. Back home, those ideas cut my prep time, freeing space for family or a quiet hike.

To make it work without stress, follow these basics:

• Choose tied-to-job events: Pick conferences that boost your skills, like blockchain for educators. Deduct flights and fees if they link to your role.

• Blend in personal time: Extend stays for beaches or markets, but keep work notes clear for taxes. I saved $400 on one Bali trip this way.

• Consult rules upfront: IRS guidelines allow these breaks when honest. See understanding business travel deductions for teacher-friendly tips.

This shift brought adventure and income, turning exhaustion into excitement. You deserve that spark again, one step at a time.

Beacons: Securing a Bright Future in Retirement

As retirement nears, worries about empty nests and fixed incomes grow loud. I help you craft passive streams with crypto, paired with trips that stretch your savings. In my business, we plan golden years full of ease, not scrimping. Bitcoin mining runs steady in the background, like a trusted friend, while tax-smart travel keeps the world open.

I started this after my own first rig payout funded a calm weekend away. Now, for you, we set up simple services that pay out monthly, building a cushion without daily fuss. Imagine a Vietnam conference on sustainable mining, followed by boat rides on the Mekong. The water's ripple matched my growing peace, knowing deductions covered half the cost.

Key ways to secure it all:

• Build passive income: Use mining-as-a-service for hands-off rewards. Start small, let it compound over years.

• Plan advantaged getaways: Deduct professional trips abroad if they tie to future teaching or consulting. Rules favor educators attending relevant events.

• Mix joy with smarts: Create a fund from earnings for hobbies or visits to grandkids. I did, and it turned fear into freedom.

For details on seminar deductions, this IRS topic on work-related education spells it out clear. Let's shape your later days bright, full of choices you control. What trail calls to you first?

Conclusion

Looking back, my time teaching ESL in Thailand's humid classrooms left me empty, chasing dreams of freedom amid endless lesson plans and thin paychecks. That changed with one aha moment with a Youtube video, where I grasped how Bitcoin mining could build a business without the heavy lift of setting up rigs. Instead, I set up a simple mining-as-a-service plan, renting power from reliable farms, and watched small rewards flow in like a quiet stream. Those earnings funded my first real breath of relief.

My story started with burnout and government assistance. It led to a Bitcoin mining business, bleisure travel, and a vision for helping other educators build financial freedom.

But your story doesn't have to look like mine.

Maybe you're in your twenties, drowning in student loans, wondering how to build something that could eventually replace your teaching income. You're energetic, tech-savvy, and ready to hustle smart - you just need a roadmap.

Or maybe you're in your forties, financially stable but restless. You want more than the same routine. You're ready to expand into passive income without starting completely from scratch.

Or perhaps you're approaching retirement (or already there), dreaming of an expat lifestyle your pension won't fund. You want truly passive income that works from anywhere, and a community of women planning the same future.

I've mapped out three distinct pathways - each tailored to where you are right now.

→ Are you a Blazer? Early in your career, ready to build a STEAM lesson plan business while attending tech conferences? [Start here: The Blazer's Path to Financial Freedom]

→ Are you a Bloomer? Mid-career and ready to expand into strategic investments and bleisure travel? [Start here: The Bloomer's Guide to Passive Income]

→ Are you a Beacon? Planning your next chapter with Bitcoin mining and expat community building? [Start here: The Beacon's Roadmap to Retirement Freedom]

Your passport to freedom is waiting. You just have to choose your path.