Welcome to The Fires of Freedom. I’m Katherine Novikov.

You may know me as the founder and former CEO of Diamond Mind Incorporated, the nation's leading provider of payment processing software and services to K through 12 independent schools. I would like to state that I have had no contact or communication or any kind, or connection with Diamond Mind since 2016 when I sold the company to a private equity-backed organization due to a cancer diagnosis.

What you may or may not know about me is I'm also a veteran of the US Air Force's Electronic Security Command. I'm the mother of sons who are Russian, Ukrainian, and obviously American heritage. I'm an American who's achieved the American Dream. And I'm also an American who's had a life of international travel and work that's given me the perspective of a truly multicultural global person. I never thought I'd add podcaster to the short bio of mine but here it goes.

I have to speak out, out of moral necessity. Like everyone, I see and feel uncertainty and danger all around and growing day by day. Powerful people on the world stage - in the US and EU - are speaking and acting illogically. For example, banning fertilizer and fuel that reduces the world supply while simultaneously predicting famine. Top academics at Ivy League universities and luminaries such as Yuval Harari are promoting illogical ideas such as “only whites can be racist,” “men can have babies,” and “children should be sexualized,” “high school girl should compete with teen boys,” and perhaps worst of all that free will is a myth.

Church and Faith leaders are going along with these crazy ideas trying to bend what they call faith to conformity with the humanistic ideas under a banner of inclusivity. So, like you, I see many serious threats to who we are as Americans as Westerners and even as human beings.

So, while I never thought I would do a podcast, I now feel I have no choice. So, thank you for having a listen and I hope you'll share your reactions, responses, and ideas - both positive, negative and in between - with me so that together we can build a picture - a clear picture - of what's going on so that we can all make wise decisions for ourselves in the clear light of day.

So, that's what this podcast is going to be about. Together we're going to dive deep into the topics of freedom and free will and how we're in danger of losing both; why and what we can do about it. We’ll take both a global and domestic view of the history unfolding before us. We’ll consider both taboo and critical existential questions such as: Are we headed into World War III; Is there going to be or is there already a civil war in the United States, as Bill Gates says there will be; Why isn't life in the United States going back to normal after the COVID event; In general, what the heck's going?

Do Americans still live in a free country? Did we ever? What will happen to the West? How could the political turmoil affect us, all our families, our safety, our financial security? And what might I - we, all of us - do say and think to make a positive difference during these crazy times; when right and wrong so often seemed inverted.