In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric sit down with Hon. Shannon Corless, former Assistant Secretary for Treasury’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis, to map how finance, technology, and national security now operate as one system.

She starts with a clear Blockchain/Digital Assets 101 and why on-chain transparency can aid law enforcement even as anonymity muddies attribution. Then they examine stablecoins and 401(k)s, diversification, and the case for real consumer education. From her experiences inside the room, Corless outlines founder-level guardrails for CFIUS-era capital and offers a different take on a U.S. sovereign wealth fund as soft power and taxpayer value. The conversation closes on the emerging TikTok framework; data control, board structure, and the still-thorny algorithm question.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:52 Halloween Decorations Debate

04:03 China's Tech Strategy and US Relations

08:05 Senate Judiciary Committee: Director Patel's Testimony

14:09 Introducing Hon. Shannon Corless

16:58 Understanding Blockchain and Digital Assets

22:51 Opportunities in Digital Currency

26:28 Cybersecurity and Digital Assets

32:40 Exploring Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies in 401k Plans

35:36 US Sovereign Wealth Fund

42:01 Understanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

54:32 The TikTok Controversy and Data Security

01:01:37 The Time Horizon of Sanctions

01:05:20 What We're Watching

Our guest: The Honorable Shannon Corless is a former career intelligence officer, who started her career as an intern with the Office of Naval Intelligence. She spent the entirety of her career at the intersection of national security and economics, the bulk of which was spent leading the IC’s support to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States at ODNI. For her final act in government, she had the opportunity to serve for three years as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.