Send us Fan Mail

Host Shana Cosgrove interviews retired three-star General Mary O’Brien on Outspoken, discussing empowerment and innovation across organizations, illustrated by O’Brien’s “smart majors” story where junior officers combined existing government capabilities to solve complex problems. O’Brien recounts 38 years in uniform (34 active duty plus the Air Force Academy), why she applied to the Academy (interest in the space shuttle and college affordability), and how a STEM background in intelligence led into cybersecurity as technology, data, classified networks, and adversary threats evolved. She shares how she managed cyber safety at home, reflects on parenting during separations due to dual military careers, and advises defining your own “normal” rather than comparing to others. O’Brien describes an exciting retirement transition, recommends Ethan Mollick’s “Co-Intelligence,” and notes she has six grandchildren and supports the Cyber Guild’s workforce mission.

Quotes
[15:26] "I do. I, you know, I love a challenging problem and I used to experiment with technology at home."  - Mary O’Brien

[16:54] "What I found is we ended up having our own little cyber wars at home as my kids learned, especially my son, about VPNs to get around." - Mary O’Brien

[20:33] "My advice is, you know, what you decide is best for you, is your normal. And that There's nothing to be gained by trying to compare yourself or allow other people who have made different choices to pass judgment on your choices."  - Mary O’Brien

Timestamps

[00:00] Welcome to Outspoken
[02:00] Meet Mary O’Brien
[03:28] Smart Majors Story
[05:06] 38 Years in Uniform
[05:41] Why Air Force Academy
[09:55] Academy Life Lessons
[11:32] Into Cyber Intelligence
[15:26] Home Cyber Parenting
[17:58] Career and Family Normal
[20:59] Social Media and AI Fakes
[22:43] Retirement Transition
[25:57] AI Book Recommendation
[27:41] Cyber Guild Plug
[28:11] Closing and Thanks

Resources

Purdue University

Air Force Academy

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

The Cyber Guild

Relevant Links

Mary O’Brien on LinkedIn

Nyla Technology Solutions

Send us Fan Mail

Host Shana Cosgrove interviews Ross O’Rourke, CEO of Crimson Phoenix, on the critical topics of recruiting cleared engineers and driving authenticity in the competitive world of government contracting technology businesses. Ross shares his powerful journey: from an underprivileged Ohio upbringing and service as a Marine infantryman to founding iC-1 and scaling it to nearly 250 employees specializing in full-scope polygraph engineers. Discover his candid strategies for recruiter evaluation, metrics, and quick performance decisions. Ross also details the challenges and lessons learned from building and selling an in-house SaaS startup (Agile ATS) to ClearanceJobs, and offers non-negotiable leadership advice on building disciplined routines, visualizing goals, and balancing high-level travel with family priorities

Quotes

[04:08] "You just gotta be yourself and some people are gonna hate your flavor and some people are gonna love your flavor, but at the end of the day, you get to be authentic.." - Ross O’Rourke

[23:55] "Recruiting is frankly a numbers game. It really is a numbers game like. It comes down to how many people you can connect with on a daily basis." - Ross O’Rourke

[34:38] "You have to set your plan based upon principles. Principles are greater than feelings. Feelings will deceive you.." - Ross O’Rourke

Timestamps

[00:00] Welcome

[03:54] Authenticity Builds Trust

[06:32] From Ohio to Marines

[10:12] Success Mindset and Sacrifice

[15:53] Leap to Entrepreneurship

[20:34] Building Agile ATS System

[22:49] Traits of Great Recruiters

[24:22] Interview Tests and Hiring Fast

[25:45] Firing with Radical Candor

[30:04] GovCon Talent and Standards

[36:33] Family and Time Management

[38:53] Office Items and Deal Toys

[41:36] Closing Thanks and Outro

Resources

Strayer University: Acquisitions Major

American Psycho

The Pursuit of Happyness

Think and Grow Rich

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

AgileATS

Godspeed Capital

Relevant Links

Ross O’Rourke on LinkedIn

Crimson Phoenix

Nyla Technology Solutions

I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you'll give us 5 stars. I'll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don't forget to hit "subscribe" so you'll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Outspoken Podcast, Host Shana Cosgrove interviews Lindy Kyzer, a ClearanceJobs leader based in Omaha, Nebraska about security-clearance careers, recruiting market shifts, and building opportunity through networking and referrals. Lindy describes hosting ClearedCast and Federal News Network’s “Security Clearance and Security,” explains common clearance questions and misinformation (especially on Reddit), and plugs ClearanceJobs.com, a compensation survey, and her book and audiobook on the clearance process. She recounts how 9/11 and a ninth-grade trip to DC led to George Washington University, an Army internship, and Pentagon work before joining ClearanceJobs after being recruited via Twitter. As a solo parent of four, she shares travel and parenting strategies, emphasizes giving kids responsibility, and discusses authenticity in a male-dominated industry, advising competence, showing up, and not overworking for the same pay. The conversation also touches on clearance reform, reciprocity challenges across IC agencies, and Omaha highlights like the zoo and steakhouses.

Quotes

[19.39] "This is what I have is single parenting, solo parenting for kids... my kids are gonna have a strong female role model, whatever that looks like to say Hey, we just had to get things done. We're just making it every day and one day at a time." - Lindy Kyzer

[30.49] "The networking piece of it is huge. Nobody wants to be sitting applying for jobs all the time. You have to do both." - Lindy Kyzer

[39.58] "...build the job that you think you should be doing. Either your current employer will recognize that, or that's when you know you can pivot and find your next one." - Lindy Kyzer

Timestamps

[00:00] Welcome to Outspoken

[02:06] Clearance Podcast Breakdown

[03:01] Recruiting Market Shifts

[03:34] Omaha Roots and 9/11

[04:51] Falling for Washington DC

[09:00] Joining ClearanceJobs via Twitter

[13:20] Writing the Clearance Book

[14:45] Moving Home for Support

[17:21] Solo Parenting and Responsibility

[20:58] Authenticity at Work

[26:22] Clearance Job Search Tips

[36:17] Tenacity and Flexibility

[40:16] Omaha Surprises and Food

[42:28] Final Thanks and Wrap

Resources

ClearedCast Podcast

Federal News Network Podcast: Security Clearance Insecurity

Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake Podcast

ClearanceJobs

Trust Me: A Guide to Secrets

Relevant Links

Lindy Kyzer on LinkedIn

ClearanceJobs

Nyla Technology Solutions

I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you'll give us 5 stars. I'll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don't forget to hit "subscribe" so you'll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Outspoken podcast, host Shana Cosgrove delves into the Make-A-Wish Foundation with Lesli Creedon, CEO of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. They discuss the profound impact of granting wishes to children with critical illnesses, sharing personal stories and highlighting how these wishes bring hope, resilience, and joy to the kids and their families. The conversation also explores the complexities and challenges of leadership, the power of community support, and various ways individuals and businesses can contribute to making a difference. Additionally, Creedon discusses her personal journey, including her involvement with Make-A-Wish as a 'Wish Mom' when her son was diagnosed with leukemia. The episode is a heartfelt tribute to the life-changing work of Make-A-Wish and an encouragement for listeners to support this impactful cause.

Quotes

[02:49] “It has taken me a while to realize that I can say to them. I don't know. I don't know the answer, but we're all gonna figure it out together.” - Lesli Creedon

[05:31] “Life isn't a flat line, so you know, when you're really struggling at home or have a health issue or a child with a health issue, work unfortunately has to take a back seat.” - Lesli Creedon

[12:04] “...the ripple effects of the wish and the good vibes, for lack of a better word, that it gives to our staff, our volunteers, the doctors and nurses who treat these children, our donors who get to see the impact of their contributions. That ripple effect is really powerful.” - Lesli Creedon

Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction to Outspoken

[00:42] Sponsorship and Guest Introduction

[01:35] Challenges of Leadership

[03:19] Insights from Vistage

[06:02] The Impact of Make-A-Wish

[06:54] Personal Story: Becoming a Wish Mom

[14:03] Types of Wishes and Their Impact

[19:17] Fundraising and Community Support

[22:32] Personal Reflections and Closing

Resources

Make-a-Wish Mid-Atlantic

Vistage

Volunteer at Make-A-Wish

Events at Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic

Donate to Make-A-Wish

Email Lesli Creedon

Destiny of the Republic

Unreasonable Hospitality

Relevant Links

Lesli Creedon on LinkedIn

Make-a-Wish Mid-Atlantic

Nyla Technology Solutions

I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you'll give us 5 stars. I'll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don't forget to hit "subscribe" so you'll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Outspoken podcast, Host Shana Cosgrove interviews Lauren Wittenberg Weiner about her book Unruly and her journey building a government contracting firm that grew organically from overseas consulting work into a $100M annual-revenue company, including winning a $200M contract after months of protests, and later selling the business after 18 years. Lauren credits her willingness to take on unfamiliar work by leveraging experts, trusting her gut over outside pressure to scale, focusing on customer service and ethics rather than metrics, and leading through relationships, transparency, and “don’t be an asshole” leadership with candid feedback. She discusses non-transactional relationships, finding an unconditionally supportive and moral “village,” mentors’ guidance that “success is new problems,” balancing family priorities, outsourcing to buy time, therapy’s value, and practical GovCon growth advice: define a distinguisher, align need/funding/vehicle, and persevere past obstacles.

Quotes

[08.28] "The one thing I think I did probably better than anything else, was to trust my own gut in what we did, and what was comfortable for us, and what was right for us." - Lauren Wittenberg Weiner

[21:13] "When you are non-transactional, when you don't keep score, that's where the deep relationships I think come." - Lauren Wittenberg Weiner

[38.20] "You've gotta find what your distinguisher is and it cannot be... you're a small business and it cannot be... you're cheaper than everyone else 'cause that's a race to the bottom.” - Lauren Wittenberg Weiner

Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction to Outspoken

[00:52] Sponsorship

[01:23] Meet Lauren Weiner

[02:28] Starting Overseas

[03:56] Organic Early Growth

[07:29] Scaling and Gut Trust

[10:30] The $200M Win

[14:52] Leadership Not Metrics

[18:22] Kind-Hard Feedback

[22:53] Non Transactional Bonds

[25:16] Building Your Village

[29:41] Success Means New Problems

[30:59] Knowing When To Sell

[33:48] Life After The Exit

[35:08] Writing Unruly

[37:44] Three Growth Lessons

[50:24] Work Life Equilibrium

[54:16] Therapy And Coaching

[58:28] Almost Joined The Circus

[59:34] Closing

Resources

WWC Global

Tools of Titan

Unruly

Give and Take

The Psychology of Money

Relevant Links

Lauren Wittenberg Weiner on LinkedIn

WWC Global

Nyla Technology Solutions

I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you'll give us 5 stars. I'll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don't forget to hit "subscribe" so you'll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

Send us Fan Mail

Cyber Defense, Mental Health, and Hope

In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Capt. Lindsay Dady, Cyber Operations Officer at the United States Air Force working at US Cyber Command. Lindsay shares her journey from studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech to becoming a cyber operations officer. She discusses the challenges of her undergraduate years, her experience in ROTC, and how she unexpectedly ended up in cyber. Lindsay provides insights into the world of cyber warfare, the importance of defensive thinking, and the realities of working in classified environments. She also opens up about her experiences with burnout, the importance of mental health, and finding balance in high-stress situations. Lindsay reflects on her proudest career moments and shares her personal mantra for navigating military bureaucracy.

The views expressed by Lindsay on this episode are hers as the author and don’t reflect the official policy or position of The United States Air Force, United States Cyber Command, Department of Defense, or The United States Government.

QUOTES

• "My favorite part is that I don't know what I'm going to walk into that day. It can also be like the negative part, like I have no idea what I'm going to walk into today, but that every day is a surprise. [...] I don’t know what I’m going to walk into each day as part of the fun." - Lindsay Dady [39:02]
• “You both need to somehow balance being assertive but not too assertive because then you're just being bossy. You want to be in touch with your emotions, but you can't be emotional. “Why are you crying at that? You shouldn't cry at that” But then they'll also reverse like “well, why aren't you crying when this happens? Like shouldn't you care?” What do you want from me? Do you want me to do everything?” - Lindsay Dady [47:57]
• "Where there's a will, there's a waiver." - Lindsay Dady [50:34]

TIMESTAMPS

• [01:34] Meet Capt. Lindsay Dady
• [05:24] Studying Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech
• [09:05] The Challenges of Engineering School
• [18:17] Lindsay’s Determination
• [21:37] Current Role as a Cyber Operations Officer
• [29:44] Career Path in Cyber Operations
• [34:25] Thoughts on a Potential Future Cyber Force
• [40:36] Proudest Career Moments
• [44:35] Dealing with Mental Health and Burnout
• [48:21] Book Recommendations
• [49:18] Lindsay’s Surprising Fact
• [50:36] Personal Mantra
• [51:55] Outro

RELEVANT LINKS

• Capt. Lindsay Dady on LinkedIn
• Nyla Technology Solutions

I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you'll give us 5 stars. I'll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don't forget to hit "subscribe" so you'll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Shana’s Soapbox, Shana speaks at Anne Arundel Community College’s Women in STEM event. As the keynote speaker, Shana discusses the journey that took her from an interest in computer science to founding Nyla Technology Solutions. She offers advice to students: go deep technically, embrace the difficult times, and be brave. Finally, Shana answers questions from the audience.

Here now is the third part of Shana’s keynote talk, in which she answers questions from the audience.

TIMESTAMPS

• [01:04] What was Shana’s First Computer
• [01:20] How Should Students Develop Soft Skills
• [03:15] The Effect of Early Career Experiences on Forming Nyla
• [05:46] How Healthcare Professionals can Attain and Utilize Data Science
• [08:49] Combating Negative Bias of Women in STEM and Positions of Power
• [13:11] Combining Family Life With Career Aspirations
• [15:33] Applying for Jobs and Knowing Your Worth

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Shana’s Soapbox, Shana speaks at Anne Arundel Community College’s Women in STEM event. As the keynote speaker, Shana discusses the journey that took her from an interest in computer science to founding Nyla Technology Solutions. She offers advice to students: go deep technically, embrace the difficult times, and be brave. Finally, Shana answers questions from the audience.

Here now is the second part of Shana’s keynote talk, advice for students and young professionals navigating the ever-evolving world of STEM.

TIMESTAMPS

• [01:00] Go Deep Technically
• [05:45] The Obstacle is the Way
• [09:35] Move Forward Despite the Fear

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Shana’s Soapbox, Shana speaks at Anne Arundel Community College’s Women in STEM event. As the keynote speaker, Shana discusses the journey that took her from an interest in computer science to founding Nyla Technology Solutions. She offers advice to students: go deep technically, embrace the difficult times, and be brave. Finally, Shana answers questions from the audience.

Here now is the first part of Shana’s keynote talk - her journey from computer science student to CEO.

Send us Fan Mail

Innovation, Energy, and Space.

In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Michael Contreras, Founder and President at Ensemble Consultancy. Michael began his education in civil engineering, with a focus on structures and vibration. Through analyzing patterns, he was able to make a leap into innovation consulting, transmuting this knowledge from structural analysis to business models and marketing. Michael's journey through academia—boasting a PhD and Master’s from UCLA, a Master's from Rice, an MBA from Wharton, and a Fulbright scholarship that took him to Mexico City—was a series of steps aimed at filling the knowledge gaps he felt he needed to address. Download Spot The Station to see the Space Station as it moves across our sky: Michael and his team made it easy for everyone to witness our progress in space exploration from their front yards!

QUOTES

• “A lot of the best companies are startups with a background in marketing and sales, and I realized I needed to get that.” - Michael Contreras [11:45]
• “Sometimes when people fund an idea, they want to keep it going when it shouldn’t necessarily keep going. It’s having comfort with letting things die versus letting ego be the driving motivation.” - Shana Cosgrove [17:52]
• “When I was doing research, I was always more applied than theoretical. I always wanted to create something that had a market.” - Michael Contreras [24:20]

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:04] Intro
• [01:34] Meet Michael Contreras
• [03:40] Working With A Spouse
• [06:08] What Is Ensemble Consultancy?
• [08:01] How Did a PhD in Civil Engineering Turn Into Digital Consulting?
• [09:54] Leap to Marketing
• [13:03] What is Innovation Consulting?
• [16:00] NIST Technology Innovation Program
• [19:40] Government Work
• [21:34] Randy Pausch
• [23:41] Entrepreneurial Spirit
• [25:51] Educational Background and Evolution of Expertise
• [30:50] How Did This Final Digital Marketing Role Begin?
• [33:40] Ensemble Claim to Fame
• [38:50] US Fulbright Program
• [45:21] Any Professional Setbacks?
• [49:45] Advice for Young Professionals
• [51:26] Book Recommendations
• [53:37] Interesting Fact about Michael
• [54:55] Latino Business Action Network
• [55:58] Outro

RELEVANT LINKS

• Michael Contreras on LinkedIn
• Ensemble Consultancy
• Ensemble Space Labs
• Nyla Technology Solutions

I’d love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you’ll give us 5 stars. I’ll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don’t forget to hit “subscribe” so you’ll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana