Can you not change registrars or transfer the domain? I wonder do they make you renew every year in case you make a valuable website and forget to renew it so they can...

I'm gonna try Qubes and get a laptop for it soon. Currently using Fedora on a Macbook. Probably won't daily drive it, but it might be fun.

I would say don't go for complete normies. Advocate and help people use Monero in technical or privacy focused communities. I have helped like 5 people get into Monero...