Iron Butterfly

By Iron Butterfly MediaSociety & Culture

Iron Butterfly episodes

May 04, 2021 Erringer Helbling: Ruby
Erringer Helbling, Director of Operations at HawkEye 360, joins us this week on the Iron Butterfly. Listen in as Errin discusses her Army service and explains the vital role of geospatial engineers to the intelligence community. In this episode, Errin shares her experiences providing humanitarian assistance through geospatial data, serving troops in combat zones, and meeting an unlikely character during her time as a Military Social Aide at the White House. She explains how to stay true to your purpose as you move through your career, and why she, an engineer, believes people are the most complex system. Tune in as Errin shares insight into her time at SpaceX, why she co-founded a non-profit supporting female veterans, and why she thinks all of us are like rubies.
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32 min
April 27, 2021 Chitra Sivanandam: Fermented Chimera
Tune in this week as we talk with Chitra Sivanandam, Chief Technology Officer at Reinventing Geospatial Inc (RGI) and recipient of the 2019 AI Industry Executive of the Year award. Chitra discusses what she’s learned over the last 25 years working as an imaging scientist with the IC and DoD and the importance of being comfortable with wacky and unusual ideas. She shares why bringing our whole authentic selves to the table is key to variety and diversity. Chitra emphasizes why we should give ourselves latitude and how owning a brewing company, The Craft of Brewing, comes full circle with advancing AI.
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34 min
April 20, 2021 J'Tia Hart: Sable Sage
Join us this week as we sit down with Dr. J’Tia Hart, PhD. J’Tia holds a degree in nuclear engineering and works in nonproliferation at the Argonne National Laboratory with the Department of Energy. Tune in as J’Tia talks about beginning college at the age of 15 and how fainting on a job helped lead her to a career in engineering. She discusses the importance of leaning into what you’re good at and remembering that you belong exactly where you are. J’Tia shares the three prongs of advice she offers to women in the IC and how she follows what sparks joy in her life, including her YouTube series, STEM queens (youtube.com/jtiaphd).
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32 min
April 13, 2021 April Falcon Doss: Grace Note
On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly, we sit down with April Falcon Doss, the Executive Director of the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown University. April first joined the IC after watching the events of 9/11 unfold on TV from her hospital bed after giving birth. She spent over a decade at the NSA where she served in many roles, to include helping stand up the Directorate of National Intelligence and as Associate General Counsel for Intelligence Law. After leaving the NSA, April practiced law in the private sector and served as Senior Minority Counsel for the Russia Investigation in the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. April discusses how social media platforms know our behaviors better than our families, the implications of technology changing faster than law and policy, and her book, Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care.
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35 min
April 06, 2021 Laura Thomas: Firefly
This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast we are joined by Laura Thomas, a former case officer at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During her time at the agency, Laura served as Chief of Base and led several sensitive programs. In this episode, Laura shares her view of what makes a good case officer, how a wine tasting with an asset helped to build trust with the US government, and her experience living “a double life inside a double life.” Tune in to learn more about the role of quantum science in the 21st century, the importance of hard conversations, and Laura’s aim to “illuminate the dark.”

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39 min
March 30, 2021 Special Episode: The Leprechaun, The Jackal, and Envoy
Join us this week for a special episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, where we host a panel of three amazing men in the IC. Our first panelist, Chairman Mike Rogers, was a former Army Officer and FBI agent, and served as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). We also welcome LTG Vince Stewart, a Marine veteran and career intel officer who served as the Director of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Lastly, we are joined by Nick Kolman-Mandle, a former briefer for the Secretary of State at the President's Daily Brief, who currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) at the State Department. This episode sheds light on the importance of male allies, innovative approaches to building teams, and the challenge of rebuilding America's trust in the keepers of our nation's secrets.
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1 hr 6 min
March 23, 2021 Janna Scott-Tarman: The Trampoline
Tune in this week for a powerful new episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast. Join us as we sit down with Janna Scott-Tarman, Senior Intelligence Oversight Officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency's Office of Counterintelligence. Find out why Janna considers herself an “accidental intelligence officer” and how her experience on September 11, 2001 shaped her career trajectory. Janna discusses everything from embarrassing memories as an intelligence briefer to the painful realities of leading teams through tragedy. She dives into how to protect the goals of women, and explains why her goal is to “catch you on your worst day and propel you on your best.”

Please note that this episode includes some content that may be graphic and shocking to listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

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39 min
March 16, 2021 Joan Dempsey: Steely Eyed Blonde
"I will gladly hold your capes for you,” Joan Dempsey tells our listeners on this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast. Joan served in the federal government for 25 years in a variety of roles with the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency. On this episode, Joan discusses being the only woman in the room, finding moments to create change, and the importance of remembering that life is short, but your work life is very long. Listen in to find out why Joan has a mentorship award named after her, and to hear her advice for the next generation of change agents.
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29 min
March 09, 2021 Jeny Mills: Blue Hand
Listen in to this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly Podcast as we sit down with Jeny Mills, an Africa Analyst at INR who grew up in the Comoros Islands. On this episode, Jeny shares her journey from human rights activist to Presidential Management Fellow at the State Department, and discusses trailblazing new paths for women, decision-making in crisis situations, and serving abroad in a danger zone. Tune in to hear Jeny debunk myths surrounding mental health in the IC, the importance of career off-roading, and the most embarrassing moment of her professional career.
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49 min
March 02, 2021 Dr. Stacey Dixon: Serene
This week on the Iron Butterfly, we sat down with Dr. Stacey Dixon, Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). In this episode, Stacey takes us along her path from academia to the intelligence community, which included stints on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) staff and as the Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). She shares how her STEM background helped her land multiple roles throughout her career, the importance of making elevator connections, why she loves not being the smartest person in the room, and how fear inspires you to do better. Listen in as Dr. Dixon talks about how she gets to “yes.”
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33 min