InfoSec to Insanity

SPECIAL GUEST: John Harmon, CEO FRSecure

They’re the ones who always show up. 
Always have the answers.
Always say, “I’m good.”
And they might be the ones hurting the most.

In this deeply personal episode, Evan Francen and Matt Goodacre shine a light on something we all overlook: the silent suffering of the strong ones — the leaders, the fixers, the ones who never ask for help.

Based on Evan’s blog post, “Check on Your Strong Friends”, this conversation gets real about:

• Why high performers and helpers often hide their own pain
• The myth of strength as self-denial
• Why “I’m fine” is sometimes the biggest red flag
• How to show up for the people who hold everyone else together
• And why it’s time to stop assuming the strong ones are okay

⸻ 🔔 It’s not just a reminder — it’s a challenge. Check on your strong friends. And let them check on you. 

#InfoSecToInSanity #MentalHealth #StrongFriends #CybersecurityCommunity #Vulnerability #NoMoreMasks

Burnout isn’t always a breakdown. Sometimes it looks like working late, smiling in meetings, answering emails at 2am — and slowly falling apart behind the scenes.

In this episode, Evan Francen and Matt Goodacre dig into the real face of burnout — the version that’s high-functioning, hidden, and happening to more of us than we’d like to admit.

Based on Evan’s blog post, “Burnout Looks Different Than You Think”, this honest and eye-opening conversation explores:

• Why burnout isn’t always obvious — even to the person going through it
• How cybersecurity culture often celebrates dysfunction
• The difference between being tired and being spiritually depleted
• How to recognize the warning signs in yourself and others
• And why we need to stop waiting until people crash before we care

⸻

🔔 This episode pulls no punches. It’s not about fixing burnout — it’s about finally calling it what it is.

#InfoSecToInSanity #Burnout #MentalHealthInCyber #HighFunctioningBurnout #CybersecurityWellness #HonestConversations

Streamed live on May 29, 2025 #Addiction #Burnout #MentalHealth

When we hear the word addiction, we think of needles, bottles, and rehab. But what if the most dangerous addictions are the ones we don’t even recognize?

In this raw and revealing episode, Evan Francen and Matt Goodacre take on the addictions we normalize — workaholism, chaos, constant stimulation, toxic relationships, tech dependency, and more.

Inspired by Evan’s blog post, “Addiction Isn’t Just Drugs and Booze”, this conversation will dive into:

• Why addiction is about what we can’t walk away from
• How the infosec industry rewards addictive behavior while ignoring the damage
• The hidden cost of being “high-functioning” but not healthy
• Personal stories of struggle, survival, and learning to say enough

If you’ve ever numbed yourself with work, busyness, or burnout — you’re not alone. This episode is for you.

Tune in for truth, vulnerability, and a better conversation about what addiction really looks like.

Read the blog: https://evanfrancen.com/2025/05/11/addiction-isnt-just-drugs-and-booze/

 #InfoSecToInSanity #Addiction #MentalHealth #CybersecurityCulture #Recovery #Burnout

In this brutally honest and deeply personal episode, Evan Francen and co-host Matt Goodacre dive headfirst into the chaos, creativity, and constant mental noise of living with ADHD — especially in a nonstop, hyper-connected world like ours.

Based on Evan’s blog post, “The ADHD Mind in a 24/7 World”, this conversation explores:

• What it really feels like to have an ADHD brain in cybersecurity
• How the industry’s always-on culture clashes with neurodivergent minds
• The strengths, struggles, and misunderstood brilliance of ADHD professionals
• Why silence can be deafening, and why focus is often a moving target

They’ll share war stories, trade coping strategies, and (probably) get distracted along the way — all while keeping it 100% authentic.

📣 Let’s talk about ADHD, mental health, and surviving the infosec grind — with empathy and zero bullsh*t.
🔗 Read the blog first: https://evanfrancen.com/2025/05/09/the-adhd-mind-in-a-24-7-world/

#InfoSecToInSanity #ADHD #MentalHealth #Cybersecurity #Neurodiversity #LivePodcast

We all know someone who seems to have it together. They’re high-performing, always reliable, maybe even admired. But beneath the surface, they’re barely holding it together.

In this episode of InfoSec to Insanity, Evan Francen and co-host Matt Goodacre dive into the brutal reality of high-functioning depression and anxiety, especially in high-stress careers like cybersecurity. Based on Evan’s deeply personal blog post (https://evanfrancen.com/2025/05/06/strong-on-the-outside/), this conversation exposes what most people never see—the silent battles behind the smiles, the crushing weight behind the competence. 

We’ll talk about:

• Why “functioning” doesn’t mean healthy
• The danger of internalizing pain to keep up appearances
• How to recognize the signs (in yourself or others)
• Why the strongest people often hide the deepest pain
• What we can do to break the cycle and actually heal

If you’ve ever felt like you’re surviving instead of living—this one’s for you.
📅 Recorded live on YouTube – May 15, 2025 @ 9pm CT

In this deeply personal episode, Evan Francen and co-host Matt Goodacre confront the often-ignored mental health crisis within the cybersecurity industry. Drawing from Evan’s recent blog post (https://evanfrancen.com/2025/05/02/we..., they discuss the hidden struggles faced by professionals in a field where admitting vulnerability is often seen as a weakness. 

What’s Inside:

• The pervasive culture of silence and its impact on mental well-being
• Evan’s personal journey through ADHD, addiction, and anxiety
• The alarming rates of burnout and suicide among InfoSec professionals
• Practical steps to foster a more supportive and open industry environment

Recorded live on YouTube on May 8, 2025, this episode aims to break the stigma and encourage honest conversations about mental health in cybersecurity.

Join the Conversation: Tune in to this important discussion and be part of the movement towards a healthier InfoSec community.

In this episode of InfoSec to Insanity, Evan Francen and Matt Goodacre dive into the winding, messy, and sometimes hilarious journey of figuring out what the hell you’re actually built for in life. Spoiler: it’s probably not what your high school guidance counselor told you. 

Live from a cruise ship (yep, really), Evan shares a powerful conversation with an older couple that sparked this episode’s core question: Why do we pressure people to choose a career path before they’ve even lived a little?
Expect raw honesty, a few personal war stories, and some serious reflection on how trying things, failing, and pivoting might be the only real way to figure out your calling—whether it’s infosec, garbage collection, or bartending.

In this episode:

• Why we’ve got career discovery all backwards
• The long, weird resume that led Evan to infosec
• How societal pressure can screw up great potential
• What it actually feels like when you find what you’re built for
• Advice for the young, the stuck, and the still-searching

This one’s for anyone who’s still figuring it out—or has a few career skeletons in their closet. (Spoiler: so do we.)

In this episode of InfoSec to Insanity, we dive headfirst into the explosive story shaking the cybersecurity and legal worlds—the FBI investigation into Mark Lanterman, a high-profile cyber forensic expert who’s worked on over 2,000 cases.

How did someone with that much influence—and trust—end up under federal scrutiny? What does this say about our industry’s obsession with credentials over character? And how many other “experts” are we blindly trusting without question?

Join Evan Francen and Matt Goodacre as they break it all down—candidly, critically, and without pulling any punches. We’ll talk about:

• The facts behind the case
• The dangerous consequences of assumed credibility
• How this affects our legal system and security industry
• What we all need to do better moving forward

Bring your favorite beverage, buckle up, and be ready for some uncomfortable truths. 

Two decades deep into the “War on Terror” and guess what? We’re still footing the bill—and it’s not just in dollars. It’s in surveillance, silence, and the slow death of civil liberties. In this episode of InfoSec to Insanity, we’re digging into what we’ve really lost since 9/11. From the Patriot Act’s shady legacy to the mass surveillance that makes Orwell look like an optimist, we’re pulling zero punches.

Join us as we unpack:

• The quiet expansion of government spying in 2024
• Why your grandma might be on a watchlist (seriously)
• The illusion of security vs. the cost of freedom
• How privacy became a punchline—and what we can still do about it

This one’s for the folks who aren’t okay with being watched while they microwave a Hot Pocket. Bring your questions, your conspiracy theories, and maybe a tin foil hat—because this is gonna get real.

Subscribe, show up, speak up.
It’s time to reclaim the narrative.

Why do massive security failures happen—and nobody gets held accountable?

In this raw and unfiltered episode of InfoSec to Insanity, we’re diving headfirst into the Accountability Vacuum that plagues the cybersecurity industry. Breaches keep happening. Sensitive data keeps leaking. Companies issue statements, pay fines (sometimes), and move on… but the people responsible? They skate.

Join us as we dig into:
🔥 High-profile breaches and the aftermath
🔥 Why CISOs and execs rarely face real consequences
🔥 The role of compliance theatre and corporate cya culture
🔥 Legal loopholes, PR spin, and boardroom silence
🔥 How we actually fix this broken system

It’s time for some hard truth and zero sugar-coating. If you’ve ever wondered why security failures keep happening with no real fallout, this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for.

🎙 Hosted by veteran InfoSec pros with a mission to fix the broken industry—one brutally honest episode at a time.