ByMatthewSmith: Diving Deep When Curiosity Bites
(Who the hell am I, and why should you care?)
Ten years ago, while on a TED Talk stage discussing a WWII bombshelter I'd unearthed (and the Latvian brewmeister family I'd tracked down who built it), I had a revelation: This is what I'm supposed to do:
Follow my curiosity. Find the weird stories hidden in plain sight. Explore them obsessively. And come back to tell you what I've learned.
Welcome to ByMatthewSmith.
What is ByMatthewSmith?
This isn't a niche publication in the traditional sense. The niche is me— whatever has sunk its teeth into my curiosity and won't let go.
I go deep. Way deep. Some might say obsessively deep. I investigate topics that pique my curiosity or that I believe hold fundamental importance to life, spanning health, politics, religion, history, consciousness, and the tangled places where they intersect.
My mission? To follow the threads, however strange, pull back the curtain, and share the stories I uncover in my relentless search for truth.
What Can You Expect as a Subscriber?
Deep Dives: Expect series and long-form essays where we explore a single topic thoroughly, often culminating in a "season wrap-up" (which might just become a book).
Regular(ish) Updates: When I'm actively researching and writing a live topic, I aim to publish weekly, typically on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
A Wild Ride: Reading ByMatthewSmith will introduce you to new, sometimes bizarre, often challenging ideas. Prepare to be astounded, occasionally confused, maybe pissed off, but ultimately enlightened. It's a journey into the complex, the hidden, and the fundamentally important.
Is This For You?
This space is for the relentlessly curious.
Were you told you asked too many questions as a kid?
Do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and crave an honest, deep perspective you can trust?
Do you sometimes feel like your brain works a little differently (perhaps a touch neurodivergent)?
Are you interested in the truth, especially when it's inconvenient or challenges your worldview?
If yes, you've found your people.
Who is this NOT for?
If you're firmly married to a specific ideology – religious, spiritual, political, or cultural – and aren't open to questioning it, this probably isn't the place for you. We wrestle with uncomfortable truths here.
Why Subscribe? The Benefits
Beyond getting my latest deep dives straight to your inbox, subscribing means:
Navigating Complexity: Get a guide through bewildering topics with a commitment to honest exploration.
Fueling Your Curiosity: Engage with ideas that challenge, expand, and perhaps even reshape your understanding of the world.
Joining the Quest: Be part of a community that values deep inquiry and isn't afraid to look where others won't.
So, who the Hell Am I? (About Matthew)
My story's a bit... unusual. I was born across the street from a particle accelerator, not far from where my grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project. Mostly normal childhood — aside from that time dad moved us into a schoolbus. Things got stranger when my family moved next door to a dictator in South America during a civil war (and Reagan's attempt to oust said dictator).
But the real catalyst? Returning home to discover my mom believed our family was entangled with the Illuminati, she’d experienced things years before Stranger Things made them mainstream. That lit a fire in me: find the truth, uncover the conspiracies, understand the hidden forces shaping our world.
After diving into religion and philosophy, I ventured into business, always seeking to peek behind the curtain. My life has been a crash course in the strange, the hidden, and the profound. ByMatthewSmith is the continuation of that lifelong quest for truth – about life, who we are, and what it all means. I aspire to blend the irreverence of Tom Robbins, the heart of Elizabeth Gilbert, the wisdom of Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and the tenacity of a Bob Woodward or Erin Brockovich in this exploration.
Support the Quest: Choose Your Tier
While much of my work is free, you can fuel this mission by becoming a paid partner in the investigation.
1. The Paid Subscriber ($20/mo or $200/yr)
The Investigation War Room: Instant access to our private Discord server where we crowdsource leads and map the “Ghost Fleet” in real-time.
The Vault: Access to declassified PDFs, internal memos, and “members-only” deep dives that are too sensitive for the public feed.
Champion Independent Research: You are directly funding the FOIA requests and archival trips required to bring these stories to light.
2. The Research Fellowship (Founding Member — $600/yr)
This is for the relentlessly curious only—writers, journalists, and historians who want the raw data.
The Master Archive: Access to my 1,789-page chronological research library (over 584,000 words of curated entries).
AI Research Suite: A personal invite to the NotebookLM archive where you can “chat” with 300+ primary sources and declassified trial documents.
The Zotero Files: My complete filing system, including extracted interviews, details, cross-referenced actors, and strategic tags.
Lead Investigator Status: A dedicated Discord role with access to private research calls and the “Founding Members” lounge.
Why I’m Opening the Vault
I’ve spent decades collecting cards, interviewing witnesses, and mining declassified records. I’ve done the work of extracting the vital threads and organizing them into a functional timeline. By joining at the Fellowship level, you aren’t just reading the results—you are getting the keys to the library itself.
What Readers Are Saying
"If truth is stranger than fiction, then an untold origin story from the life of Matthew Smith promises to be exceptionally so. Everyone should come along for this ride…" - Brian Chandler
