Kendrick Trotter joins the show to talk about going from Uber driver to a major account executive at a public cybersecurity company, then founding his own business that created over $70 million in annualized salaries for underrepresented professionals.

George K and George A talk to Kendrick about:

• How a Division I football scholarship and one life-changing Uber ride with an Amazon VP changed everything
• His game-changing approach to calling CISOs
• Building Us and Technology - training 13,000+ people for free and placing them at companies like Zscaler and Airtable
• The harsh reality of what happened to DEI initiatives and why diversity of thought drives 30% more revenue

The bottom line: Kendrick's story proves that with the right mindset, genuine human connection, and "unreasonable hospitality," you can break barriers and create opportunities for others.

————

👊⚡️Support the show!

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

George K and George A went completely off-script this week and recorded their first one-on-one episode in years. Fair warning: it gets heated about some industry trends that have been grinding their gears.

George K and George A get into:

• The AI hype cycle vs. actual utility as George K articulates step by step how he used an LLM to prepare for a talk - what it could and couldn't help with
• The danger for companies gutting entry-level positions while claiming "AI efficiency"
• The risks of a generation that can't handle disagreement or boredom
• The return of Gilded Age exploitation disguised as "hustle culture"

Real talk: If your company is advertising 70+ hour work weeks as a feature, you're part of the problem. We didn't survive a pandemic just to forget every lesson about work-life balance for the sake of some exec's third yacht.

If you're feeling the cognitive dissonance of working in tech right now, you're not alone.

What's your take? Are they just two old guys yelling at clouds, or are these legitimate concerns about where our industry is headed?

————

👊⚡️Support the show!

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Tanya Janca joins the show this week, with unique perspective on building secure software and advocating for better cybersecurity policy.

George K and George A talk to Tanya about:

• Her transition from 14 years as a Canadian public servant to private sector entrepreneurship
• The core values that guide her work: performing good and moving the industry toward secure software
• Entrepreneurship since age 19: solving real problems that hurt badly enough for people to pay
• Civil advocacy for security by design policies and challenging inadequate government cybersecurity practices

Tanya's perspective on building businesses around genuine problem-solving rather than just seeking acquisition or wealth creation offers valuable insights for any founder. 

Whether you're interested in secure coding, entrepreneurship, or how to advocate for better cybersecurity policy, this episode delivers actionable insights from someone who's been in the trenches and made real impact.

Mentioned:

• The Eh List: https://ehlist.org/
• Forte Group: forte-group.org/home-our-mission
• Tanya’s petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/secure-canadas-future
• Tanya’s Secure Coding Guideline: newsletter.shehackspurple.ca/c/secure-coding-guideline

Vivek Khindria, longtime CISO, joins the show and he brought the heat. We talk building security teams, quantum computing timelines, and why your board doesn't want to hear about firewall rules.

George K and George A talk to Vivek about:

• Why betting on business people and teaching them security > hiring tech nerds who can't talk to humans
• Why enterprises must start the conversation around crypto agility now with the quantum computing future ahead
• Your board wants to hear about "resilience," not your latest pen test results
• How to balance outsourcing vs maintaining in house talent

Vivek's been around the block and back, knows his stuff, and isn't afraid to call out nonsense. Plus he talks about why most security leaders are burning out and what to actually do about it.

This is the kind of conversation that makes you better at your job, not just better at using buzzwords.

This week, we're returning to the original inspiration for our Pride in Cyber campaign!

Angela Brown and Amber DiPippa join the podcast to discuss their scholarship initiative supporting LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing cybersecurity.

George K and George A talk to Ang and Amber about:

• The scholarship's origins and its goals for supporting LGBTQ+ cybersecurity students
•  The realities and financial hardships unfairly leveled at queer communities
•  Practical advice for authentic allyship and community support

🏳️‍🌈👊⚡️The Pride in Cyber collection is now available in the BKBT Merch Store. ALL PROFITS from all sales of pride merch for the entire month of June will be donated to Ang and Amber's scholarship fund. Shop today at https://bkbtpodcast.shop/collections/pride-in-cyber

Madeline and Oliver from Phish Club joined the show to talk community building for junior practitioners in cybersecurity.

George K and George A talk to Madeline and Oliver about:

The power of lateral networking - building relationships with peers who will rise together rather than just trying to impress executives

What actually gets you hired - home labs and technical write-ups beat certifications every time

Creating inclusive community - from Discord lounges to bringing non-cyber friends, because networking is networking

The real skills that matter - curiosity in interviews, asking questions, and showing initiative beyond just following documentation

Their approach is simple but powerful: consistency, authenticity, and making sure no one sits alone in the back. The result? A thriving community that's helping practitioners actually connect, learn, and advance their careers together.

------

🏳️‍🌈 It's PRIDE month! ALL PROFITS from all sales of the Pride collection during the month of June will be donated to scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity.

And this year we have generous vendor sponsors who will match our donation!

Shop swag, help students. You can shop the collection here: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/

While everyone's obsessing over digital lead gen and automation, veteran marketer David Mundy argues the best companies are going back to basics - building actual relationships and cutting through the noise.

George K and George A talk to David about:

• Not hiring marketers with playbooks, and hiring hunters who understand the market is dynamic AF
• Why SDRs should work under marketing (yes, really) for that crucial feedback loop
• Why early stage marketing teams need to know how to explain your product's implementation
• How storytelling isn't optional, it's the skill that separates good marketers from great ones

Plus: Why the most technical sellers are winning, how to manage up when founders think it's still 2016, and David's exact hiring playbook for early-stage companies.

This one's packed with tactical gold for anyone in go-to-market. Worth a listen if you're a marketer trying to break through the saturation or a CISO tired of getting bombarded with irrelevant pitches.

------

🏳️‍🌈 It's PRIDE month! ALL PROFITS from all sales of the Pride collection during the month of June will be donated to scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity.

And this year we have generous vendor sponsors who will match our donation!

Shop swag, help students. You can shop the collection here: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/collections/pride-in-cyber

Erik Bloch, security operations expert and longtime infosec leader, joins the show to talk about the real problems plaguing SOCs and why the industry keeps missing the mark!

George K and George A talk to Erik about:

- The massive disconnect between what vendors think SOCs do vs. reality - spoiler alert: most founders have never worked in the trenches

- Why we're still fighting the same problems from 20 years ago - false positives aren't even 10% of the actual work, so why do we keep obsessing over them?

- The real burnout formula: high responsibility + low control + endless busywork that has nothing to do with catching bad guys

- Business alignment that actually works: Stop talking about theoretical $48 bazillion losses and start tying security outcomes to actual business growth

Whether you're a vendor or an executive leader, there's gold -- and data! -- in this episode. The "AI will solve everything" narrative is misleading, hear what actually works in security operations!

------------

🏳️‍🌈 It's PRIDE month! ALL PROFITS from all sales of the Pride collection during the month of June will be donated to scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity. 

And this year we have generous vendor sponsors who will match our donation! 

Shop swag, help students. You can shop the collection here: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/collections/pride-in-cyber

This conversation hits different. Mohammed "Moh" Waqas, CTO Healthcare at Armis, joined us to talk about burnout, mental health, and the hidden costs of our "always-on" cybersecurity culture.

George K and George A talk to Mohammad about:

• Why perfectionism in cyber is literally making us sick
• How epilepsy taught Moh to recognize burnout triggers before they hit
• The real cost of saying "yes" to every sales deadline
• Why your team needs mandatory disconnect time (and how to make it happen)
• Leading with radical transparency during layoffs and industry chaos

This isn't just feel-good advice – it's business-critical. Burned out teams cost more, perform worse, and leave faster.

Drop a comment: What's your biggest burnout trigger in cyber? Let's normalize this conversation.

---------------

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Month is just around the corner! We're once again running our t-shirt campaign to raise money for scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity programs.

In the month of June, all profits from any Pride gear purchased from the BKBT Swag Store will be donated.

Set your reminders for June, and check out the collection: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/

Quinnlan Varcoe, founder of Blueberry Security, joins the show for a raw conversation about building a security startup!

Quinn takes us through her wild ride from SOC analyst to founder - including how she shut down her business only to relaunch it stronger than ever. 

George K and George A talk to Quinn about:

• Finding your true product-market fit in the security services space
• The brutal reality of B2B sales cycles (hint: they're WAY longer than you think)
• How literally ONE client call changed everything while she was recovering from surgery
• Her narrative-based approach to security operations training

Plus, Quinn opens up about her experience as a trans founder in cybersecurity, navigating both professional challenges and today's political climate.

This episode is PACKED with insights for founders, security practitioners, and anyone interested in the human side of building something from scratch. 

---------------

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Month is just around the corner! We're once again running our t-shirt campaign to raise money for scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity programs.

In the month of June, all profits from any Pride gear purchased from the BKBT Swag Store will be donated.

Set your reminders for June, and check out the collection: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/