In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Val Popke to explore the unspoken human dimensions of cybersecurity leadership.

Val, a veteran, assurance leader, and self-described “Wandering Cyber Vulva,” challenges the industry’s prevailing narratives around hiring, communication, inclusion, and resilience. The discussion goes beyond traditional security frameworks to uncover the cognitive and cultural risks impacting practitioners at all levels.

Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of why burnout, disconnect, and distrust are systemic, not personal, and how security leaders must evolve to lead in environments of increasing complexity, diversity, and psychological strain.

Key Themes:

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Learn more about CyberSynapse and qualitative buyer research 

What does it really take to secure applications across a hybrid, multi-cloud environment?

In this episode of Audience 1st, I sit down with Adolfo Lopez, Sales Engineer at AlgoSec, who brings a practitioner’s lens to the cloud security conversation. From his experience as a network engineer to helping organizations operationalize cloud security today, Adolfo walks us through what most teams overlook—and how to get it right.

We cover:

If your team is working across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem—and struggling to manage risk, connectivity, and policy alignment, this episode breaks it down practically and tactically.

To get a demo of AlgoSec, visit: https://www.algosec.com/lp/request-a-demo

In this provocative and no-fluff episode of Keyboard Samurai, host, Wil Kluv, sits down with Dani Woolf and Ben Siegel to unpack what’s broken in how cybersecurity vendors go to market and how to fix it using real buyer data and a deeper understanding of human psychology.

Dani and Ben, co-founders of CyberSynapse and veterans of cybersecurity GTM, break down why so many tech marketers are stuck in echo chambers, how pressure from investors leads to safe (but disconnected) strategies, and why most teams are making decisions without actual buyer validation.

They explore the psychological barriers to change, why the “herd mentality” is sabotaging innovation, and how to replace opinion with evidence through first-party qualitative research. They also take on the traditional analyst model, offering sharp critique and a more human, scalable alternative rooted in community-sourced insight.

Most vendors won’t admit this, but we will:

Your brand doesn’t have a messaging problem. It has a presence problem.

And it’s why buyers leave RSA feeling numb, unseen, and unready to trust you.

In this episode, Dani Woolf sits down with Zachary Hyde, someone she doesn’t always agree with, which makes this conversation one of the most honest and urgent before a major conference.

Together, they break down why most GTM teams think they’re being empathetic but are actually performing a buyer-first fantasy while still clinging to control.

If you're showing up to RSA Conference this year with a booth, a badge, and a team under pressure to "drive pipeline" - this is your mirror.

Listen before you land in SFO.

What We Cover:

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast,

Dani sits down with Kristin Demoranville, CEO of Anzen Sage and host of the Bites & Bytes podcast, to uncover the hidden vulnerabilities in one of the world’s most overlooked critical infrastructure sectors: food and agriculture.

From insider threats in peanut processing to cyber attacks that disrupt egg supply chains, Kristin breaks down why OT security in food systems isn’t just about uptime, it’s about human lives, brand trust, and national resilience.

She pulls no punches, sharing raw stories from the frontlines:

Why cybersecurity leaders in food facilities are flying blind

What happened when nobody spoke up at Boar’s Head

How misinformation campaigns are now a cyber risk vector

Why “brown cows make chocolate milk” isn’t just a joke—it’s a symptom of a dangerous knowledge gap

We also unpack:

The behavioral blind spots holding back executive buy-in

Why empathy, not just engineering, is the key to securing food systems

What must change in the next 5 years to avoid preventable tragedies

Everyone in tech is suddenly “building community.” But most aren’t building anything close to the real thing - community that's built on mission, trust, and transparency.

In this raw, no-buzzword conversation recorded live at CyberMarketingCon, Dani Woolf sits with Ben Siegel, George Kamide, Bronwen Hudson, and Elliot Volkman, real community builders, to unpack what community actually means, why most efforts fall flat, and what it takes to build something alive, resilient, and trustworthy - especially in an industry like cybersecurity where trust is scarce and attention is fractured.

We go deep on:

Why most corporate “communities” are poorly disguised funnels

The difference between an audience, a user group, and a true community

What trust looks like when your members are CISOs, not consumers

Why growth is nonlinear, unpredictable, and absolutely not guaranteed

The emotional labor and invisible moderation that holds real communities together

You’ll also hear tactical advice on how to build thriving spaces across Reddit, Slack, LinkedIn, and beyond - without flashy tools or six-figure budgets.

Multi-cloud security isn’t just a technology challenge—it’s an organizational mindset problem.

If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.

In this episode of Audience 1st, Dani Woolf cuts straight through the noise to confront the silent killer of growth in B2B organizations: misdiagnosing the real growth problem.

Most GTM teams think they’re aligned. They’re not.

Most believe they’re solving the right thing. They aren’t.

In this raw, unfiltered solo episode, Dani unpacks why internal alignment is often a lie, how companies waste entire quarters solving surface-level symptoms, and what it takes to actually identify the bleeding neck - the one problem that’s quietly draining your growth, budget, and team morale.

If you’ve ever felt like your team is moving fast but going nowhere, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.

What You’ll Learn:

Why most organizations aren’t solving their biggest growth problem and how to tell if you’re one of them

The high cost of chasing lagging indicators instead of root causes

The real reason marketing, sales, and product don’t align and why buyer truth is the only fix

How to recognize “growth triggers” that signal it’s time to do qualitative buyer research

Dani’s four-step clarity framework: Diagnose → Validate → Align → Act

How to stop guessing, and finally build from buyer reality—not internal theory

Don’t just walk away from this episode inspired. Take action.

Ask yourself:

What’s the one growth problem we think we’re solving right now?

Who told us that?

When was the last time we heard it from a buyer’s mouth verbatim?

What would it feel like to know we’re solving the right thing?

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start listening, reach out to Dani and her team.

Let’s uncover the bleeding neck together.

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, to uncover the raw truth behind how CISOs evaluate security vendors, what actually moves a deal forward, and why most POVs fall flat before they even start.

Jason gets brutally honest about the emotional dynamics of enterprise buying, the real reason vendors lose trust, and what it actually takes to turn a POV into a purchase.

If you’re in product marketing, sales, or demand generation at a cybersecurity company, this episode will change how you think about the buyer journey and give you a blueprint to win trust, increase conversions, and build long-term influence with technical buyers.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Why emotional certainty - not ROI - is the key to winning a CISO’s trust

The most common POV mistakes vendors make (and how to avoid them)

How Jason evaluates vendors - and what gets them instantly disqualified

The danger of relying on generic “What problems are you solving?” questions

Why transparency beats feature-stuffing in every sales motion

How to make your booth presence less awkward and more effective

The impact of new SEC regulations on security budgeting and priorities

Why buyers referring your product - even after saying no - is the ultimate win

If you’re serious about understanding what really drives buyer decisions in cybersecurity subscribe to Audience 1st Podcast. New episodes every week. Raw, unfiltered, and straight from the source - your buyers.

🎧 Listen now, take notes, and share with your GTM team.

In this episode of Risk & Real, host Jeffrey Wheatman sits down with Dani Woolf, co-founder of CyberSynapse and CEO of Audience 1st, to discuss a major shift happening in the cybersecurity industry: the decline of the traditional analyst model and the rise of direct buyer engagement.

Cybersecurity vendors that engage directly with their buyers gain faster, more actionable insights than those relying solely on traditional analyst firms.

Tune in as we discuss:

Resources & Links:

Learn more about CyberSynapse: https://www.cybersynapse.io

Subscribe & Stay Connected!

Follow Risk & Real on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Connect with host Jeffrey Wheatman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreywheatman

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