DEX in the City: The Hosts Sign Off With Their Best Advice for Women in Crypto

DEX in the City signs off with a candid assessment: Jesse said conditions for women in crypto had not improved that year, despite efforts to amplify more voices. The hosts argued that crypto needs perspectives from across society to help build a better financial system. They urged women to see the field not as a narrow career category but as technology with growing relevance across products and markets, and to enter through a problem they care about: learn how the technology works, then assess whether it can help address that problem.

For lawyers, Jesse recommended learning across regulators, markets, and money movement without expecting to become an expert in everything. X can help surface news quickly, but V warned that feeds require curation because they contain noise and misinformation; lawyers should verify claims against primary sources such as laws and regulatory releases. More broadly, speakers said credibility comes from understanding how crypto products work in practice: asset flows, smart contracts, control, and risks. Coding is not required for non-engineering roles, but practical knowledge is.

The hosts were frank that women may feel like outsiders and encounter discomfort in male-dominated settings. One speaker’s advice was to be “better” and act as the adult in the room—not because women lack intellectual ability, but because of the dynamics they may face. Speakers differed on handling motherhood at work: one concealed pregnancy-related appointments to keep attention on work, while others encourage women to identify openly as mothers. The hosts also described women, including female general counsels, being mistaken for escorts or paid attendees, or being asked why they were at events. They urged marketing and PR teams to put women before the press and on panels, and praised men who help recruit, retain, and represent women.

Speakers encouraged women to stay true to their principles, keep learning, and pursue work that can support vulnerable people, even when their views are unpopular. They also stressed that crypto needs debate and intellectual independence: solidarity can become conformity, and the industry is too new for anyone to have all the answers. Supportive peers can offer collaboration, honesty, and help through difficult project periods, but speakers cautioned against letting crypto become a person’s whole identity or social life. After FTX collapsed, one speaker became emotional in a Senate-office meeting after realizing the industry’s fate felt personally tied to their identity. Friends and interests outside crypto helped restore perspective; belief in the technology’s potential, they said, should be separated from individuals’ wrongdoing, and failures should be lessons rather than a reason to stop building.

The conversation also emphasized the value of understanding people outside the industry. A former government prosecutor recalled urging the FBI around 2016–17 to help with cases involving terrorists using Bitcoin; those cases drew much more attention later, as perceptions of crypto changed. The speaker cautioned against judging government workers from the outside, noting that DOJ and other agency staff handle financial and national-security threats. Speakers said the technology has improved, while blockchain and tokenization remain its foundation and Ethereum smart contracts have expanded the range of possibilities. Institutions that once dismissed crypto, including the FBI and banks, are now curious or beginning to engage, making movement between government and the private sector useful for understanding each other’s perspectives.

The hosts said finding a purpose in technology and crypto takes time, and warned that more down cycles are ahead. Jesse described relying on a small crypto community in difficult periods, while V recommended keeping relationships beyond the industry. One host said she hopes to mentor smart, ambitious, ethical people and may give women extra time to discuss retention and work-life balance; speakers credited supportive women and colleagues with helping them enter and remain in the field. The hosts closed proud of their contributions, including policy work and the show’s conversations, and reiterated that crypto should make its diverse voices visible—not present itself as a world of “crypto bros” alone.