WHAT WAS YOUR WAKE-UP MOMENT?

Waking up was not just a shift in my thinking. It was an earthquake that cracked the ground beneath my feet. It led to It Starts With Gold, a book co-written with Adrian Spitters, set to be released on the five-year anniversary of the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns.

This is not another finance book. While the world was distracted by fear and chaos, Adrian and I were each peeling back layers of misinformation. Independently, we uncovered the same disturbing truth. The chaos we were witnessing was not random. It was tied to the Financial Industrial Complex, a system designed to consolidate power and control through economic manipulation.

About a year ago, we realized our paths had led to the same conclusion. We decided to combine our findings in It Starts With Gold. This book is more than financial advice. It is a guide for reclaiming sovereignty in a world where illusions pass for reality. It is our call to humanity, a blueprint for navigating deception and anchoring ourselves in truths that cannot be manipulated.

It all started when my friend Rob asked me a simple and piercing question. "When did you wake up to the scam, the lie?" At first, I shrugged it off, unaware of how deeply psyops and manipulation had shaped my worldview.

In early 2020, reports trickled in from China about a strange illness. Videos flooded the internet showing people collapsing in the streets. Panic filled the air, and fear seeped into my bones. When the world shut down in March, something did not add up. Hospitals were empty, ambulance drivers were idle, and there was a strange calm where chaos was supposedly rampant. The news did not match the reality in front of me.

During the lockdowns, I returned to Toronto briefly to sell my home and planned to head back to San Diego. That was when I was hit by a pickup truck while riding my electric scooter. Thank God the front tire rolled up on the base of my scooter, giving just enough room so I was not crushed.

The accident shook me. The panic attack that followed shattered the facade. In that raw and terrifying moment, Rob’s question echoed in my mind. When did you wake up to the scam, the lie? The answer was staring me in the face.

I realized how external narratives had been forced into our lives, shaping how we think, feel, and act without us even realizing it.

The following weeks and months turned into a relentless quest for truth. I began questioning everything I once accepted without hesitation. I dug into the grand psyops behind what many were calling the “scamdemic.” Waking up was not a sudden moment. It was a slow burn of realizations that forced me to confront uncomfortable truths.

The hardest part was accepting that I had willingly handed over control of my life. I had trusted narratives designed to undermine my well-being. That realization lit a fire under me. I began trusting my own experiences, scrutinizing everything, and using my memories as tools to separate truth from lies.

Waking up is not easy. It takes courage and resilience. Along the way, I met others on the same path, fellow travelers in search of truth. We strengthened each other’s resolve, even as we had to let go of those still clinging to the official narrative.

If you are on this path, or just starting to feel that itch of doubt, lean into it. Embrace the fire within you. Even if others do not understand, even if you feel like the odd one out, hold firm to your truth and speak in your own voice.

This awakening did not only shift my perspective. It reshaped my entire life. Adrian and I realized that what was unfolding around us was not chaos. It was strategy. A carefully orchestrated plan by the Financial Industrial Complex to tighten its grip on the world.

This system does not only move money. It moves people, thoughts, and the very structure of societies. About a year ago, we combined our research and insights to create It Starts With Gold.

This is not a book about surviving a financial crisis. It is about reclaiming your autonomy in a world where deception is currency and control is the endgame. It is a guide for those ready to step outside the illusion, a call to humanity to anchor in truths that no institution can manipulate.

Peter J. Merrick, TEP