February 13, 2026

From History Teacher to Cybersecurity Director: John Murrow's Unique Career Journey

28 minutes

In this episode of Breaking Into Cybersecurity, we explore the incredible journey of John Murrow, who transitioned from being a history teacher and college athletic coach to becoming the Director of Delivery at Elite Ops. John shares how his passion for technology was reignited despite early-career obstacles, the critical role of military service in his career transition, and how foundational skills in networking and people management were vital to his success.

Learn about the importance of continuous learning, the impact of family and networking, and the value of hands-on experience. Don't miss John's valuable advice for aspiring cybersecurity professionals!

00:00 Introduction to Breaking Into Cybersecurity

00:58 John Murrow's Early Career Path

02:04 Transitioning to Cybersecurity

02:52 Joining the Military for a Career Change

04:32 Starting at Elite Ops

04:50 The Importance of Communication Skills

06:04 Advice for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals

07:25 The Role of Military Experience in Cybersecurity

08:43 The Value of Hands-On Training

12:20 Challenges and Opportunities in Cybersecurity Education

19:09 The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity

27:06 Final Thoughts and Career Advice

Sponsored by CPF Coaching LLC - http://cpf-coaching.com

The Breaking into Cybersecurity: It’s a conversation about what they did before, why they pivoted into cyber, what the process was they went through, how they keep up, and advice/tips/tricks along the way.

The Breaking into Cybersecurity Leadership Series is an additional series focused on cybersecurity leadership and hearing directly from different leaders in cybersecurity (high and low) on what it takes to be a successful leader. We focus on the skills and competencies associated with cybersecurity leadership, as well as tips/tricks/advice from cybersecurity leaders.

Check out our books:

The Cybersecurity Advantage - https://leanpub.com/the-cybersecurity-advantage

Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path: How to Break into Cybersecurity at Any Level https://amzn.to/3443AUIHack the Cybersecurity Interview: Navigate Cybersecurity Interviews with Confidence, from Entry-level to Expert roles

https://www.amazon.com/Hack-Cybersecurity-Interview-Interviews-Entry-level/dp/1835461298/

Hacker Inc.: Mindset For Your Career

https://www.amazon.com/Hacker-Inc-Mindset-Your-Career/dp/B0DKTK1R93/

About the hosts:

Renee Small is the CEO of Cyber Human Capital, one of the leading human resources business partners in the field of cybersecurity, and author of the Amazon #1 best-selling book, Magnetic Hiring: Your Company's Secret Weapon to Attracting Top Cyber Security Talent. She is committed to helping leaders close the cybersecurity talent gap by hiring from within and encouraging more people to enter the lucrative cybersecurity profession. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneebrownsmall/Download a free copy of her book at magnetichiring.com/book

Christophe Foulon focuses on helping secure people and processes, drawing on a solid understanding of the technologies involved. He has over ten years of experience as an Information Security Manager and Cybersecurity Strategist. He is passionate about customer service, process improvement, and information security. He has significant expertise in optimizing technology use while balancing its implications for people, processes, and information security, through a consultative approach.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophefoulon/

Find out more about CPF-Coaching at https://www.cpf-coaching.com