✊ The sales revolution will not be televised. Jessica Crytzer, CRO at LimaCharlie, jumps into the ring to give the sales leader perspective on what’s changing in cyber!

George K and George A talk to Jessica about:

💥 Her recipe for being bold in sales leadership, and why the models of the past do not work well for startups today.

🎯 Why the CISO is probably not your target, and how to engage buyers effectively.

💡Her advice to aspiring sellers and CRO peers.

🤖 Why she requires so much research on prospects and why you can’t AI your way to success.

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

The triumphant return of Kayla Cytron-Thaler! Kayla returns with fresh insights from changes in her career path.

In this episode, George K and George talk to her about:

🔄 Embracing change in career paths, highlighting the value of detachment and sometimes taking steps “backward” to leap forward.

🎯 Why she doesn’t want to use AI and why her authentic and personalized outreach strategies work so well.

🛠️ Practical tips for effective sales and business development, emphasizing the human touch over automation.

⚛️ Her equation for finding the best fit for your skills to advance your career and growth.

Follow Kayla on LinkedIn

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George A is speaking at SecureWorld Toronto on April 3! Listener can get exclusive discounts off passes:

💥 BKBTSWC1: $50 off Conference Pass (final cost is $200) – includes access to ALL sessions, 6 CPE, and lunch during lunch keynote

💥 BKBTSWO1: $45 off Open Sessions Pass (final cost is free) – includes access to keynotes and vendor breakout sessions

💥 BKBTSWP1: $75 off SecureWorld PLUS Pass (final cost is $555) – includes 6-hour PLUS Course on April 2 and 6 additional CPE; access to ALL sessions on conference day, 6 CPE, and lunch during lunch keynote (12 CPE total)

Register here!

🔥 New episode alert! Diving deep into the world of marketing with Clark Barron, the man, the myth, the flamethrower.

George K and George A talk to Clark about:

🥷Ronin: Why he created his own Marketing-as-a-Service platform and the gaps it aims to bridge in the tech marketing landscape.

🔍 The moment he realized how disconnected his marketing practice was from cybersecurity buyers

🏭 The marketing profession's identity crisis as a “factory job”

🧨 His advice for marketers looking to make a genuine impact and swim against the current

Follow Clark on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

🚀 Launching a ballistic payload of insight at your brainbox! Royce Markose jumps into the ring with over 20 years experience, from auditing mainframes, to Fortune500 enterprise infosec, and now to vCISO.

George K and George A talk to Royce about:

🤔 What’s changed for SecOps leaders and how they should approach career growth

🎱 How to break into cyber, and how it’s different today than when he started

🤝 Why networking with vendors is vital for practitioners

🎯 For marketing and sales: What he really wants when he goes to a conference as a CISO

Follow Royce on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

This episode is filled with so much gold, we should charge you Big 4 consulting fees just to listen to it! Industry leader Merritt Baer talks about the role of the Field CISO, and how she advises young companies. But in between those topics is so much fire.

George K and George A talk to Merritt about:

🤝The value and empathy a Field CISO can bring to customers

💼 How to build the business case for security projects (and what sales folks can learn from that)

🏗️ How building a security culture might be more about doing and planning

🚀 Lessons learned for founders trying to solve problems and taking those solutions to market

Follow Merritt on X @merrittbaer and LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

If they try to shut you out of a conference, start your own! That’s what BlackGirlsHack did with SquadCon, creating arguably one of the most inclusive cybersecurity events in the industry. And one with the dopest after-party. Part of the leadership team jumped into the ring:

George K and George A talk to BGH about:

✊BlackGirlsHack’s mission and work

🔥The origins story of SquadCon

💅🏾Showing up as your authentic self

💡And their top advice for newcomers and career pivots

Get to SquadCon with our exclusive discount code! Purchase "Pre-Sale Podcast Friends'' tickets at either the General or VIP level. Use registration code "BKBT24." Supplies are limited!

Register here: https://www.blackgirlshack.org/event-5495307/Registration

Many thanks to

• Rebekah Skeete, Chief Operations Officer
• Tanisha O’Donoghue, Chief Strategy Officer
• Dr. Aleise McGowan, CISO

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, the fabulous Tashya Denose joins the show to talk about how she found success in cybersecurity and in rooms where she stands out as a Black woman precisely by embracing her authentic self. After time with the Pentagon and the Secret Service, Tashya has gone to manage security programs at the biggest tech companies, including Google and Meta.

George K and George A talk to Tashya about:

🫵 How embracing and being true to her authentic self became Tashya’s superpower

🫣 Facing down imposter syndrome

🐺 How to survive and thrive even when if feels like you’re working in a den of wolves

🏗️ What vital skills to focus on as you learn technical skills and how to build them

Listen to Do We Belong Here (in the Cyber World)?

Get involved: Black Girls in Cyber

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, Kenneth Ellington jumps into the ring to talk about how he went from IT to cybersecurity at warp speed, and how he started Ellington Cyber Academy to help others do the same. But Kenneth doesn’t just teach technical skills. He’s talking to students about all the other ways to elevate their careers.

George K and George A talk to Kenneth about:

🚀How talking to others about your ambitions is the first step to supercharging your career

🤚Advocating for yourself and what you want

🤝The business communication skills he learned and honed working at the sandwich counter in Publix!

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow this LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

What would you do if someone said you couldn’t succeed because no one knew who you were? Shinesa Cambric decided to go full Beast Mode, writing a book, speaking widely, and lifting others.

George K and George A talk to Shinesa about:

😳The hypocrisy of tearing others down in cybersecurity

🙌 How she chose to build on a foundation of values rather than chasing a “personal brand”

💥Audience questions! Including, why it’s never too late to define yourself on your own terms.

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles an Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How do MSSPs provide real value instead of slinging snake oil? How can they actually build a better client? Mike Pedrick, veteran consultant and vCISO joins the show!

George K and George A get into:

🥊 the vCISO battle: legit help or fluffy title?

🌳 which outreach tactics make Mike want to end someone's family tree!

📝 why a mindset around signed contract at any cost will always erode trust 

3️⃣ Mike's top 3 recommendations for any MSSP

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles an Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!