Kristin Demoranville joins the show this week to talk securing the food supply chain as critical infrastructure, incidents’ effect on the global economy, representation in ICS/OT, and more!

George K and George A talk to Kristin about:

• Dispelling misconceptions about OT security
• The food industry as critical infrastructure
• The need for more diverse voices in OT/ICS security to drive innovation and better solutions
• How to break into OT security

Plus some raw honesty about being a woman founder in the space and building community despite the challenges.

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

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!

This week, Stacey Lokey-Day joins the show to talk about her career pivot from stay-at-home mom to cybersecurity analyst!

George K & George A talk to Stacey about:

• How she leveraged a bootcamp experience into a successful career pivot
• Why she believes in "collecting experiences" early in your career, even the tough ones
• How her time in the SOC built up her resilience and confidence
• Finding your voice, and owning who you are in tech

The lessons from her story are valuable to anyone, at any stage of their career. Turn it up!

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

"Community" is getting bandied about a lot. What does it really mean, for both cybersecurity vendors and practitioners? This week's episode is a roundtable discussion recorded LIVE at Cyber Marketing Con in December 2024! The panel features Dani Woolf, Ben Siegel, Bronwen Hudson, Elliot Volkman, and BKBT's George K. 

Some key topics covered:

• Community is not something you can just spend money on.
• Successful communities are affecting change.
• You can't expect instant ROI from community building.
• Be passionate about your community's mission.
• Listen to your community; they will guide you.
• Communities are about adding value, not extracting.

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from BKBT! to you and yours! We have big plans...

We hope you have a peaceful New Year's, and we're wishing you all the prosperity for 2025!

😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards!

Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over $25, thru Dec 31st!

Shop today: https://bkbtpodcast.shop

Thanks for all the support over the years, we appreciate you!

Happy holidays from BKBT to you and yours! Enjoy the time, and may be it restful, relaxing, and free of critical open-source vulns.

😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards!

Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over $25, thru Dec 31st!

Shop today: https://bkbtpodcast.shop

Thanks for all the support over the years, we appreciate you!

As 2024 comes to close, we revisit some of the most listened to episodes in Season 3 so far!

• Don Jeter, CMO at Torq talks about breaking through the noise, and how to stand out in a market full of boring B2B copycats
  
• Lauren Palmer talks about why Sales is a profession people should be proud of, and how to build teams that don't abuse trust
  
• Andrew Owlett, global cybersecurity executive, explores how to tell the story of your career and your skills
  
• Michelle Eggers, pentester, talks about how she quickly broke into the industry and found a niche that has her sharing insights on the conference circuit so quickly

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

This week we sit down with Cecil Pineda to talk about building real community in cybersecurity, vendor relationships that actually work, and how to avoid being that annoying sales person calling every Monday.

George K and George A talk to Cecil about:

🛠️ Why technical operations experience matters for CISOs

☝️ The art of "bothering someone" (yes, there is an art to it!)

💡 His advice for vendors trying to break through

✅ How his team evaluates new tech 

Plus we get into what it really takes to build authentic relationships in this industry. Spoiler: It's not about automating thousands of emails!

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

Mainframe pentester Michelle Eggers joins us to share her incredible journey into cybersecurity, and specifically her niche in mainframe security.

George K and George A talk to Michelle about:

💪 Her hustle and flow switching careers into pentesting, including 40+ interviews and an intense training cohort

🍀 How she carved out a rare specialty in mainframe security through networking and seizing opportunities

😱"Do it scared" - her advice for speaking at conferences and pushing through imposter syndrome

💳 Why mainframe security matters (hint: it touches billions of financial transactions daily)

If you're trying to break into security, switch careers, or level up your technical skills - you need to hear Michelle's practical wisdom and refreshingly honest perspective on the journey.

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

JR Cunningham, CISO at Nuspire, joins the show to talk about why cybersecurity isn't just another IT job - mentally, it's more like being a first responder.

George K and George A talk to JR about:

🤔 Why we should consider cyber teams like first responders (not just IT staff)

😵‍💫 The unique mental health challenges of incident response

💪 Building cultures where defenders can actually take care of themselves

🧠 Why your IR plan needs to consider the human element

💬 "The higher up you go in security, the more you get the sh*t kicked out of you. Most professions get easier - ours gets harder."

Security leaders - how are you building support systems for your defenders?

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!

Andrew Owlett joins the show to talk about what actually matters in cybersecurity career development (hint: it's not your GPA)!

George K and George A talk to Andrew about:

• Why "failing" early in his career shaped his approach to leadership
• The problem with cyber's culture of shame and how to build confidence
• What cross-functional skills ACTUALLY look like (and how you probably already have them)
• Truth about work-life balance and corporate "family"

Plus we dive into real advice for career transitions, building authentic relationships, and how to craft your story.

No buzzwords, no BS - just practical insights from someone who's lived it.

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

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

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!