What does it really take to build trust, community, and resilience across an entire state’s cybersecurity ecosystem? In this episode, we go deep with Ryan Murray on how showing up matters more than titles, and how long-game relationships make or break vendor partnerships. We also dive into personal stories around growing up in Yuma to how a three-piece suit became part of Ryan’s brand. Along the way, we hit on why education gaps persist in cyber, what happens when vendors fail to play the long game, and how AI and deepfakes are rewriting the threat landscape. This episode brings humor, honesty, and hard truths about the work ahead. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording this one!

00:00:00 — First impressions, podcast setup, and showing up for community

00:15:31 — How showing up builds statewide trust in cybersecurity

00:33:01 — Growing up with limited means, education gaps, mentors, underserved communities

00:51:01 — Why being accessible matters

01:08:01 — Vendor vs. Partner: How vendors lose when they don’t play the long game

01:26:01 — The hidden power of statewide purchasing

01:48:01 — Training users vs. securing systems; why humans still click the link

02:13:01 — AI risks, deepfakes, and why modern users can’t keep up with threat evolution

02:30:01 — How early career experiences shape today’s leadership

02:51:01 — Building relationships that last;

03:10:01 — Personal stories: growing up in Detroit, loss, manifesting success, learning from mistakes

03:28:01 — The culture of technology adoption vs. security maturity — why we’re wired to chase shiny new tools

03:45:01 — AI risks, human nature, the speed of tech vs. the speed of wisdom; why building trust and empathy matters more than ever