In this episode of Breaking Badness, Kali Fencl sits down with Mick Baccio, Global Security

Advisor at Splunk and former CISO for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign. Mick

shares his journey from aspiring Navy nuclear engineer to leading security in some of the

highest-stakes environments, including the White House.

They explore how threat intelligence, storytelling, and mentorship shape the future of

cybersecurity. From his early days in government to his work on the Splunk SURGe team, Mick

opens up about what it takes to build secure systems, stronger teams, and more empathetic

leadership in cybersecurity.