Ashley Buck

Overview

Ashley Buck is a community-focused technology entrepreneur who is developing an app and podcast that connects people with local impact initiatives. Gary met with her at her studio space in downtown Manhattan on May 17, 2025. Ashley is pregnant (due September 30) and expressed interest in potentially becoming involved with Alpha Schools as a guide after her child is born. She has a strong focus on practical community-building rather than theoretical discussions, and shares Gary's disillusionment with aspects of the crypto/Web3 world.

Background & Professional Details

• Developing an app that helps people connect with local community initiatives and impact projects
• Producing a podcast that highlights community leaders and practical solutions
• Has a studio space in downtown Manhattan with podcast recording capabilities
• Self-funding her current ventures
• Pregnant with first child (due September 30, 2025)
• Appears to have previous experience in the crypto/Web3 space but has pivoted to more practical community-building tools
• Mentioned having a partner who is involved in arts and culture rather than crypto

Professional Focus

• Building technology that connects people to impact initiatives in their communities
• Creating tools that facilitate real action rather than theoretical discussions
• Highlighting practical community leaders through her podcast
• Developing systems to facilitate volunteer support and incentives for community organizations
• Interested in education as a future focus area
• Skeptical of technologies that don't address fundamental real-world problems
• Values community-building before technological solutions

Connection to Gary

• Recently met (May 17, 2025)
• Shares views on the importance of real-world community building before technological solutions
• Both have experience with and some disillusionment about crypto/Web3
• Interested in Gary's work with Alpha Schools
• Expressed interest in potentially becoming involved with Alpha Schools after her child is born
• Philosophically aligned on the importance of purpose-driven education and development
• Could potentially become a guide at the Phi Di Alpha School

Personal Insights

• Values practical solutions over theoretical discussions
• Pragmatic about technology's role in community building
• Believes in building communities before building technology
• Expecting her first child (due September 30, 2025)
• Appears to be transitioning toward a new phase of life with motherhood
• Interested in education and development of young people
• Values emotional intelligence and mindfulness alongside intellectual development
• Expressed that she didn't feel sufficiently challenged or engaged in her own schooling

Potential Collaboration Areas

• Possible role as a guide at Alpha Schools after her child is born
• Knowledge sharing about community building and networks
• Connecting Alpha Schools with community leaders featured on her podcast
• Technology development for mapping parent and community networks
• Podcast featuring Gary or Alpha Schools' educational model
• Ideas for engaging students in community impact initiatives
• Developing emotional intelligence curriculum components

Key Quotes

"And with our app, it's like a first use case of here's an actual thing you can use to implement change. But then I think it can open up into other avenues."

"I'm very, like, featuring people who are hands on the ground in some way. If it's on the ground, get your hands dirty. That kind of thing."

"And I wasn't aware that you can't really get something new started without having significant buy-in... from real people that have real, often in-person trust circles."

"I always saw a conflict between the types of communities that would be attracted to a lot of the technology that was being built. Because a lot of times it was just about making a lot of money quickly. And I was like, that's not really a community."

"I love the word guide."

"I think education is the next big frontier... Because AI is going to take a lot of jobs, so people have to figure out what to do at home. And if we've been preparing people for a world that is now no longer there..."

Interactions

• 2025-05-17: First in-person meeting at Ashley's studio in downtown Manhattan. Discussed her app/podcast project, Gary's work with Alpha Schools, and potential future collaboration.

Next Steps

• Follow up about the Alpha Schools guide position in Phi Di
• Introduce Ashley to the New York Alpha Schools team when appropriate
• Learn more about the specific community leaders she has featured
• Potentially arrange a podcast interview about Alpha Schools
• Connect again after her child is born to explore collaboration opportunities
• Share more information about the parent networking needs at Alpha Schools
• Explore her perspective on emotional intelligence development in education

Transcripts

Transcript ID	Date	Summary
2025-05-17-ashley-buck-conversation-summary	2025-05-17	Manhattan studio meeting about community building, Alpha Schools collaboration, and education philosophy alignment