Stefanie Drysdale discusses how non-traditional career paths can enhance problem-solving and creativity when facing cyber threats.

Ever wonder how a commercial real estate professional becomes a cybersecurity expert? Stefanie Drysdale, the brilliant mind behind Prescient's Executive Digital Protection Program, shares her intriguing journey and how her eclectic interests, including a love for hip hop and a memorable Pink Floyd concert, have shaped her approach to cybersecurity. Stefanie’s story is a captivating testament to how diverse backgrounds can lead to innovative solutions in high-stress environments.

As we navigate the complex world of cybersecurity, Stefanie reveals how non-traditional career paths can enhance problem-solving and creativity when facing cyber threats. She emphasizes the importance of blending technical skills with business acumen and power skills like analytical thinking and curiosity. Our conversation provides valuable, practical insights for aspiring cybersecurity professionals on aligning their career paths with their unique strengths and interests. Equally important, we also delve into personal, actionable strategies for stress management and wellness, which are not just beneficial, but crucial for maintaining balance in a demanding field like cybersecurity.

Join us as we explore Stefanie's wellness routines, from visiting museums to the impact of AI on health optimization. We discuss the role of supplements and holistic health practices in achieving a balanced lifestyle, sharing personal anecdotes and tips. Stefanie also addresses women's unique challenges in cybersecurity, highlighting the importance of finding supportive work environments and maintaining a multifaceted identity. This episode is a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice, perfect for anyone looking to thrive in cybersecurity while maintaining a well-rounded life.

Please visit our website https://www.techexecwellness.com to stay up to date and subscribe to our newsletter!

Transcript

Cybersecurity Professional Shares Insights

Speaker 1 0:20

Welcome back to another episode of the Tech Exec Wellness Podcast.

Speaker 1 0:24

Today we are thrilled to have Stephanie Dreisdahl on the podcast.

Speaker 1 0:28

An instrumental part of building prescient cyber offerings, particularly the firm's Executive Digital Protection Program, which is geared toward corporate security professionals and private clients, supporting organizations and high-profile clients while assisting with operational growth.

Speaker 1 0:45

Having developed a well-rounded network of high profile security contacts, while keeping tabs on news and trends within the field, which are in constant flux, due in part to Stephanie's vision and efforts and this is actually for the listeners out there this is how I met Stephanie. She was one of the women out there that was front and center talking about all of these developments, so that's how I got to know Stephanie. She's also a longtime proponent of cybersecurity awareness and women in the cybersecurity industries, having hosted or participated in multiple webinars, presentations, panel discussions and video series about the importance of online security. Stephanie serves on the Board of Executive Protection Professionals, holds a certified cybersecurity awareness professional certification from CISA, as well as certifications in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as email authentication. So, stephanie, welcome to the show. Before we get started, what is your favorite music genre and can you tell us about a memorable concert?

Speaker 2 1:52

Holy cow One. Thank you for the great intro and thank you, melissa, for having me. I'm super excited to be here. Absolutely Favorite genre this catches me heat all the time, but I'm a big hip hop fan. I love my hip hop. I do love all music. I am like old school rock. I love all of my old R&B and blues and jazz and I love it all. But if you get in my car, most times you're going to hear hip hop.

Speaker 1 2:22

Oh my goodness, do you have a favorite artist? Is there somebody that's on repeat?

Speaker 2 2:27

There are a lot. There are quite a few that are on repeat for me. Favorite concert you said favorite concert, didn't you? That would be Pink Floyd. Always hands down, without doubt it was Pink Floyd, but no favorite favorite artists Like gosh. I couldn't, you know, I could not pick one. There's always so many, so many good things that I listen to. So, yeah, it's constantly playing in my world.

Speaker 1 2:54

Okay, let's take a step back here. I'm a Pink Floyd fan, so can you tell us about that experience, and what song is something that you continue to listen to today, because I love Pink Floyd?

Speaker 2 3:04

Oh, gosh, you know. Comfortably Numb, of course, is just the standard for the whole thing. But gosh, I'm blanking on this song at the moment. I'm not going to sing to you, I promise I'm not, but for me the concert was just. It was one of the coolest. It was one of my earlier concerts that I went to. I saw them at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. I was so taken aback by the whole experience that I thought my car was stolen because I was on the wrong side of the stadium. Looking for it afterward, oh goodness, it might have had something to do with the secondhand smoke, but I was well-behaved. I was just very, very out of my element.

Speaker 1 3:47

You know what song is coming up? A lot when I'm listening to Yacht Rock of all stations is I Wish you Were here, or when.

Speaker 2 3:54

That was actually. That was one of the ones that was on the tip of my tongue when you said that, so I'm glad you brought that one up. No, that is absolutely one of my favorites, but I don't think you could choose a bad one. I just don't. I think that discography is just flawless.

Speaker 1 4:09

I love that.

Speaker 2 4:09

Gilmore here in Chicago not long ago either. Actually, I say not long ago. It was pre-COVID, so that's like 100 years ago.

Speaker 1 4:17

Yeah, he's great. I think he did some collaboration with Kate Bush.

Speaker 2 4:23

Yeah, he can do no wrong for me.

Speaker 1 4:26

That's amazing. So for our listeners out there. Stephanie, I got to say you always put out a lot of informative information because in the world of cybersecurity, there's so many different things going on. There's new ransomware, there's data breaches. So with all of that, how are you balancing all of this high stress that's going on within the field?

Speaker 2 4:48

You know, I don't really see it as high stress.

Speaker 2 4:51

You know, obviously I empathize with my clients and the people that are going through all of this, but for me it's just kind of like a big puzzle, right, just to figure out what's happening, how it's happening and how to protect right.

Speaker 2 5:06

So if something came in one way, then my main goal at that point is to just make sure people knew what happened. You know how it came to be. I sat down with a group of CSOs the other day and it was a really, really lovely group and they were asking about different breaches and their big questions were around. You know, how did this happen, how did this kind of thing happen? And so you let them know that, like, listen, this is actually a very simple attack and this was a maybe more complex attack or this was a longer term play. But if you talk to people and you let them know, then they tend to have a little bit more tangible steps to protect themselves. And I guess for me, that's where my head always goes is you know how can I share this information in a way that helps protect people?

Speaker 1 5:51

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey into cybersecurity?

Speaker 2 5:56

Sure, I always tell people this was a very happy accident. I didn't, you know, go to school and wake up one day and decided I was going to be in cyber. That wasn't on my radar but through a series of happy accidents, I was approached by a head hunter. I was actually in commercial real estate at the time and so I was brokering businesses selling shopping malls, doing that kind of thing, and they approached me to introduce to the market.

Diverse Paths to Success in Cybersecurity

Speaker 2 6:22

Prescient had developed a traveler safety duty of care app called Prescient Traveler and it was heavily targeted toward corporate security teams and making sure they knew where their executives were. So I was the one that they thought would be a good person to introduce it to market and with my LinkedIn connections, which at the time weren't very many, we just kind of started from scratch. And throughout the course of doing that we decided that we were going to divest that and pivot into cyber and kind of leveraged all of the corporate security and CSO and then ultimately CISO contacts to really flesh out what's now, you know, strongest practice as our fastest growing, largest practice and then ultimately, the flagship offering, which was executive digital protection.

Speaker 1 7:10

That is amazing, and most people that I've met and we know a lot of the same people that run in the cybersecurity circle a lot of people have that non traditional background and in my opinion and I'd love to hear this from you I think those are the kind of people that do well in cyber because they not only have a technical acumen but that business acumen. What do you think?

Speaker 2 7:31

I totally agree. I mean, there's so many different skill sets that can be really leveraged and utilized within cyber. So much of it is translation, so you have what would be called soft skills. I saw in my LinkedIn feed today and forgive the lack of attribution because I can't recall exactly who said it, but there was a gentleman that said that those are power skills. Right, they're not skills, they're power skills, and I love that. Just because there are so many things whether it be communicating things to non-technical people, or whether it be just kind of looking at risk or asking different questions or looking at a problem in a new way that non-traditional background, I think, is so incredibly important to make sure that we're staying on top of these threats, because our attackers don't have a consistent background either. They're not all certified the same way, they don't all come with the problem the same way, so we need to be able to think very, very fluidly and very much out of the box.

Speaker 1 8:30

Wow, I couldn't have said that better myself. I mean, that is. That is actually a benefit, I think for us that are on the securing and remediation of data breaches, et cetera, is that we're so well-rounded and, like you just said, with the hackers and whatnot, I mean et cetera is that we're so well-rounded and, like you just said, with the hackers?

Speaker 2 8:47

and whatnot.

Speaker 1 8:50

I mean, yeah, I think that's a great skillset. What's the question I have for you? That was on the tip of my tongue there. You said that cyber to you is like solving a puzzle. So would you say that somebody that's analytical even yourself will do well in the field of cybersecurity?

Speaker 2 9:03

I think so I think being passionately curious is going to do you well, no matter where you are, and cyber is no exception to that. I mean just when things come through. Again back to the creativity. I mean, sometimes I hate to admit, but the hackers are pretty creative. They're coming at these problems and they're being very patient and very long-term, and that's how the defenders have to be. We have to be in a place where we're willing to just kind of look at it creatively and just be willing to solve a problem in a new way or to bring in a different skill set. I know people from all kinds of backgrounds that are in cyber and whether they're technical or non-technical, they all come from really, really unique spaces. You know art and you know athletes and all of these different places, and it's very cool. It's very cool to see them all work together.

Speaker 1 10:00

That's awesome. Before we get into wellness, what would your so if somebody were to come up to you today? They're in STEM, right, they're an undergrad. How do I get into cyber? What would you say to them?

Speaker 2 10:12

ask For me. I always reverse engineer that question. So, for me, if you would say, you know, stephanie, what would you do in cyber? I would think that I would be chained to a computer all day and I would be, you know, at a desk and that's what I would have to do. But that is. That could not be further away from how I spend my days. So what I would ask someone first is how do you want to spend your days? Do you like being at a desk? Do you like to be cuddled up at home with your tea and your cat and chilling out, listening to music, or do you want to be out in front of people? Do you want to be? Want to do? Do you want to, you know, help human trafficking victims? Do you want to study financial crime? Do you want to do what? What you and I do? Do you want to talk to people and communicate and, you know, share information? It just really depends what you envision yourself doing and then just walk it backward.

Speaker 1 11:22

You are the epitome of a leader, and I say that because you just articulated that so great and I think if somebody were listening to this contemplating a cybersecurity career, that they would feel at ease going. I don't have to know all of this stuff. I've got other things that I can contribute, so you know what I like that. Thank you so much for that.

Speaker 2 11:42

Thank you. You know my team, like I always say that my team is like superheroes. They are all. They have a superpower and I learned that when I started there and every new hire we get, I ask them what their superpower is, because it takes all of us Like I cannot do what they do, and a lot of them tell me the same, that they couldn't do what I do. So I think it really does take all of us to bring it together and to make this work. Thank you for that.

Speaker 1 12:11

So now we're going to pivot into wellness. So, Stephanie, what do you do to reduce stress and do you have anything that you like to do? Do you run spin? Tell us about that.

Empowering Team Wellness in Cybersecurity

Speaker 2 12:24

So the only running I'm going to do is like in heels to get out of the rain, like that's as close to running as your girl gets. No, I, you know, I have all of my little creature comfort. So I have my cocktails, I have my cigars, I have my healthy food. You know I love to, you know, have that bedtime and snuggle when you know I have a little bit of downtime. I love friends and family and doing that I like to, you know, like again, like we talked about earlier, with concerts and music, the arts theater, you know all of that stuff. So I'm just the kind of person that likes a lot of different things. So bring me all of those different things and I tend to be very, very happy.

Speaker 1 13:06

No wonder we get along so well, because I know when you were in Dallas we had sushi and you're just an incredible person. And how are you with your team? I know you have asked them what's your superpower. So how do you give them advice on how to stay well, and you know, step away from the desk If you got to take a, you know a breather. How do you talk to them about stress?

Speaker 2 13:30

Oh my gosh. So I try. I try not to give advice unless it's asked for.

Speaker 2 13:34

I know that there are, you know, especially you know, certain people close to me might might get a little more than they are, but for the most part, you know, I I'm just here to be a resource to them for whatever, and I always try to remind especially the women on my team and those that identify as women, that we're going to have unique challenges. That does not make us any less or different. It just means that we don't always get the clearest advice and the most ample resources. So for me, it's just about giving them a place to vent that, to talk about that, to think about their plans and their future. I think that it's really, really important as a team that we support each other in whatever that looks like, and sometimes it's work and sometimes it's stepping away from work. But yeah, as far as my team, like they, they could give me advice all day long. They're they're rock stars. They don't need a lot of advice and I try not to give too much.

Speaker 1 14:33

Yeah, no, I hear that. I hear that as well, and I think you know, from my own perspective, I embarked on this wellness journey about a year ago and I think we had met before then and for me it was. I got to carve out time for myself. I don't know what that looks like, but I'm going to be very disciplined about that. So, from your perspective, you know, what do you think? How does wellness play a role in cybersecurity? Because I know it's multifaceted, but what are the strengths or what are the pros to having that integrated into their professional lives?

Speaker 2 15:09

Yeah, I think for people that sit at a desk all day, it's going to be different. For them, they're going to need to take breaks. They're going to need to get up and move and be social, even though sometimes they're very much locked into what they're doing and they get in a zone. For me, it's the opposite. It's to take time to unplug, to not be social, to surprisingly let the introvert in me have a little downtime and to occasionally just not think about all things cyber and to not let all conversations go in that direction, because they tend to even, you know, family stuff. People are very curious, you know, invited to barbecues and whatnot, and people are always curious about it. Like, what about this, what about this? And it can really take over. If you love it, it's not a bad thing, right? I don't ever really mind talking about it, but like every once in a while to, you know, to make sure that I'm not, you know, leaning too much into it all the time.

Speaker 1 16:12

You know, there was a time where I had so. Back in the day, back in the day when I worked at Apple, they had this store where you could buy Apple swag, and the biggest mistake I made in my life was wearing anything that had the logo on it on a plane, because the next thing you know I'm tech support. How do I get my email?

Speaker 2 16:31

How do I get?

Speaker 1 16:31

iTunes and you know I never really had time to decompress because people were asking me all kinds of things.

Speaker 2 16:38

Oh my gosh, I love that. You know I rarely wear swag anywhere, just because you know we're so trained to think about privacy. I don't often. I mean, people at the office will see, but they already know who I work for. I try not to, you know, wear my lanyard or like, have you know, my prescient swag on or anything like that, cause I I try not to give it all away. But yeah, that's, that's going to be your, your job.

Speaker 1 17:03

If you wear your Apple gear, yeah, I'm not I, you know, realized when I was traveling so much and I was in the back or talking to the pilot, I said you know what? I'm not going to wear this stuff anymore. I was proud to work for them, like you said. I mean, that's the conversation, and there's so much more to me and, I'm sure, to you. Then, hey, stephanie's the cyber pro, but what else does she like to do? So I'm going to ask you this Are you somebody that likes to cook at home, or try new recipes.

Speaker 2 17:35

So I hate recipes because I don't like rules. Anyone who knows me knows that that's why I don't bake. I don't like specifics, I don't like rules. I like creativity. So I do like to cook, but it's going to be always a what do we got, what can we throw together, kind of thing, unless I'm planning something bigger. But yeah, I do like to cook. I find that I don't have a lot of time lately for that, but I do enjoy.

Speaker 1 18:03

So this is interesting I'm taking you for a very spontaneous person who is very dedicated and disciplined but doesn't like to play by the rules, and I like that. So how does that work out well with you know, kind of where you are in life, just kind of being spontaneous.

Speaker 2 18:23

I think you know, listen, there's so much discipline that goes into so much that the places I don't have to have it I just won't. But the places I do, I take it very seriously and I, you know, focus on that and make sure that that's an important part of my life. But I don't like rules for rules sake and I do love creativity. So anytime I can leave that open or fluid or up to you know, I tend to like that. But being busy, I do tend to have a lot of moving parts and so to that point I have to be very, you know, regimented about the things that are scheduled and the things that are important. So I do love those, those dead times in between, that I can be more flexible and more spontaneous.

Speaker 1 19:09

I don't know if you can relate to this, but they're. You know I'm pretty outgoing, but I think I'm one of those people that is an extrovert introvert, if that makes any sense, like if I'm out at a conference or something like that. I really need to decompress. I need to be by myself for I don't know, maybe a few hours or whatever. Do you ever get like that at all when you're just in front of people a lot?

Speaker 2 19:30

Yeah, for sure. I've had a lot of travel this year and there are definitely days where you have to dig deep and just push through. No one believes that I'm an introvert, but those that know me well know that I am. It does take a lot out of me, but I do love the people I get to work with. So I'm very fortunate that when I'm calling at work it's a dinner of 30 people that I think are really cool and really smart and I enjoy their company. So it's not hard, it's not awful, it's just. You know, to your point. You have to have your downtime. You have to have your moments where you have to dig deep and push through, but recharge after.

Speaker 1 20:14

So what is one of your favorite destinations in the world to travel? To what ignites your soul?

Exploring Wellness and Self-Care Trends

Speaker 2 20:20

I can't say that travel ignites my soul. I know a lot of people love to travel and I haven't done enough of it to really be able to say that, and the travel I have done has consisted of a lot of hotels and corporate headquarters and things like that, but I do love just anything fun and new and exploring. So if I go to a new town I love seeing you know any museums that I can hit while I'm there any theater, music, cool restaurants. I like all of that. Recently in London I got to spend some time at the Tate Museum when I was in what was it? Dallas the last time I was able to see the Holocaust Museum there, which was just. Those are things that I normally don't get to spend the time doing while I'm there for business, and it was really really nice to be able to do that.

Speaker 1 21:12

No, that's great. I know when I was in Philadelphia one time I went to the Bodies exhibit I think it was at the Ben Franklin Convention Center, I think it was. Yeah, I had like three hours in between flights and I had finished meetings with clients and I went over there and I'd never seen anything like that before. But it was so cool to just take in a museum by myself.

Speaker 2 21:34

Yeah, I love it. I mean, I'll do museums by myself all day long. That that doesn't bother me at all and, like I said, when I was in Dallas, that was just I was there, for I think that was the GSX conference that we were there for. But I got there on a Saturday night because we had a women in security gala and that was really lovely. But then there was basically a day on Sunday before the conference started, and so it was nice to be able to take the time.

Speaker 1 22:00

Yeah, I like to do that as well, I think, as I've gotten older, I like to be a little people-less sometimes, and I find it, you know, sometimes when I'm on a plane and this has happened a lot but people start talking to me. I meet people all the time, but now I just throw on the headphones and I kind of go into my own world.

Speaker 2 22:20

Yeah, I, you know I try to be social sometimes, but if I know I have a couple of days of nonstop social, I don't mind being antisocial. I'll throw in the ball cap, the glasses, the earbuds, look down, small talk with everyone. But it is still nice to connect with people that you know, that you're connected with online or that are in the same profession. That's always welcome.

Speaker 1 22:51

Yeah, I definitely want to conserve energy and one of the things that I have done is meditation, and I think that has helped me ground myself as well as energize myself. Do you ever try any meditation or anything?

Speaker 2 23:05

like that. So I so admire you for doing that and I know that it's it's. The data behind it is there. But yeah, I I struggle with that. I had to get a pedicure the other day and just sitting there while they did that was a lot for me. I you know I can be the laziest person when I'm in relax mode, but if you take me somewhere and you are a captive audience for an hour, I am going to be miserable. So, yeah, meditation is something I haven't gotten into yet.

Speaker 1 23:40

Yeah, Same. Maybe two years ago I tried to do those guided meditations. I'm like you know what? I can't do this. But there came a time where I said, you know what? I've got to take myself into my next chapter, and part of that was getting into meditation, which, yeah, there's a lot of scientific stuff to it. But I think when the person is ready, they're going to do it, and I was finally ready. But I struggled for years with that, Stephanie.

Speaker 2 24:07

Well, you're good motivation for me. Maybe I'll give it a go again, because I do know that you focus on your health and that's probably a good thing for me to do.

Speaker 1 24:19

Yeah, you know what, like I said, I had COVID. It lasted for a long time and that's when I had to reset everything in my life. And do you do any wearables, anything like that Apple Watch or use anything like that?

Speaker 2 24:33

No, no, I don't want any of that. Like it's it's. I'm plugged into my phone. You'll rarely see me without my phone somewhere on my body. But for the most part I'm pretty mellow as a human, so my heart rate doesn't really get up too much, unless I want it to, and I don't really track my steps. I mean, I'm moving, so yeah, the most I'm going to do is make sure I don't smoke too many cigars in a month.

Speaker 1 25:04

What do you think of AI as far as? Do you think it's going to benefit people with wellness? What are your thoughts on AI overall?

Wellness, Self-Care, and Career Advice

Speaker 2 25:14

I mean, I think it's like any tool, right, we can use it, we can abuse it, we can use it to attack or defend or whatever. And as it relates to wellness, I think it's incredible. I know that I use it for several things, but I use it to help me schedule my supplements right, so like which ones belong together, which ones do better in conjunction with different things. So you know, if I'm going to take collagen, I need to take vitamin C, right, that'll help me say, like, okay, the morning is the best time to take this or this with a meal or whatever. So I like to plug in all my stuff into AI and just tell me to optimize, right, and it does all kinds of things for me that way. So I enjoy the generative aspects of it as well as just, you know, having a place to kind of help organize thoughts and organize plans and all that.

Speaker 1 26:01

How did I know that you were going to surprise me plans and all that? How did I know that you were going to surprise me and I say that because I started taking supplements and my ears perked up and I didn't know that there are certain times of the day what kind of food you should take it with. So I'm really intrigued. What made you go in and start searching that?

Speaker 2 26:21

You know, I've always been into supplements. Like for some reason, it's just you know, whether it be just vitamins or vitamin C or whatever. It just felt like there are different times that you need things right and I'm all about holistic stuff before I go pharmaceutical. For me it just, you know, there would be things I would try and then I couldn't tell if they worked, and so I would stop.

Speaker 2 26:43

And then later I would say you know, gosh, that felt like maybe it was doing something and I'll go back to it. So for me it's kind of I have my staples and then I have the things I play with and I tweak a little bit. But yeah, it's, I like to. I like to make sure that, because I know I don't sit down for three squares a day and balance all of my good, healthy eating habits all the time. I like to try to make sure that I'm staying healthy in the midst of my busy life and all that good stuff.

Speaker 1 27:16

Okay, I'm going to tell you what I take and tell me if I'm doing the right thing. But I take oh gosh, I'm not a nutritionist.

Speaker 2 27:23

You're going to get me in trouble with people that actually know what they're doing.

Speaker 1 27:27

Okay, this is for entertainment purposes only. So I started taking fish oil because my eye doctor's like, yeah, it's really good. Because I started seeing squiggly lines, oh boy. And yeah, I was like, am I going blind? She's like, no, you just need some fish oil as you're aging. So I take that CoQ10, quercetin, B12, vitamin D, vitamin C and something that prevents allergies. I don't know what it is, but that's what I take every day.

Speaker 2 27:57

That's good stuff right there. That's good stuff. I think you're on the right track. I'm a big fan of collagen. Like, I love collagen both for hair, skin, nails it's good for all the insides and all that good stuff. I definitely love my vitamin C. I probably pop way too many Advil. That's not a supplement, but in my world it is. But yeah, I mean, throw in the bee pollen now and then, and you know just different like things that I try just to kind of see what they do. Yeah, I enjoy it.

Speaker 1 28:27

All right, I'm taking notes collagen and bee pollen. I'm going to check those out. So before we go, are you on the hydration station? Please tell me you're drinking a lot of water.

Speaker 2 28:40

I drink water, but sometimes it's augmented with a libation, which I know isn't quite the same. But yeah, I'm big on my kombucha and I like to mix it sometimes with a little Belvedere or a little tequila, just you know, because tequila is the healthiest alcohol, is it? It is it is. You want low sugar and you know alcohol is going to convert to sugar in your body anyway, so you kind of you want the lowest sugar you can. Red wine is a little harder on me than it used to be.

Speaker 1 29:19

Yeah, I can't do that anymore. And you know, being Mexican tequila has always been a fan favorite of mine, but I don't do it anymore. And you know, being Mexican tequila has always been a fan favorite of mine, but I don't do it anymore. But I used to like Don Julio. Yes.

Speaker 2 29:31

Yeah, that's good stuff. I mean Belvedere vodka is generally my go-to. As anyone that knows me, it's laughable now that anytime I go somewhere and I'm running a few minutes behind and people get there early, they know what to order for me. Wow that's awesome. But yeah, hydration is super important. I could do better.

Speaker 1 29:56

Yeah, I'll be like Gazoo on your shoulder. You'll be out traveling. I should really get a bottle of water, because Mel said I should.

Speaker 2 30:03

Exactly.

Speaker 1 30:04

That's what I'm going to do.

Speaker 2 30:06

I do drink it with. You know, a club soda mixers Like that helps, right, that counts.

Speaker 1 30:12

Yeah, that counts, it's in there.

Speaker 2 30:14

Little lime See Fruits. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 1 30:19

So is there anything that you would tell women in cyber today? Because we go, I do see on LinkedIn a lot there is women that are wanting to get out of cyber. What would you tell them to? How would you support them? What would you say to them?

Speaker 2 30:44

a different kind of position than a lot of women in cyber. I know a lot of actual technical women in cyber have to spend their days with people who sometimes don't have the best social skills and they're not very respectful of women in the business. It's pretty notorious among the gamer community and different parts of the community. I tend to spend my days with C-suite, which has its own bad behavior as well. But because there's a different expectation and accountability then I think it's a little easier. I would say you've got to do what makes you happy, right. Do what you enjoy doing every single day. And if the things you love doing every day are with the people you don't love every day, see if you can tweak that are with the people you don't love every day.

Speaker 2 31:26

See if you can tweak that it's not worth staying. People aren't going to change. If it's not working, don't spend a lot of time waiting for it to change. Just find a place, find your tribe, start your own, if need be. There are plenty of women in this industry that are starting their own companies. They're starting their own organizations because they're done playing someone else's game that's not working for them. And again, there are many men and many allies and many people in the business that are doing all the right things and I commend them. But if you're in one of the places that isn't working for you, don't waste time. Just you know, if you can and I don't mean to say that flippantly like it's super easy and I take for granted that job changes and locations are difficult but if you are able, when you are able, change what you need to change to be happy, life's too short.

Speaker 1 32:19

I love that, and also your vibe finds your tribe. I totally believe that.

Speaker 2 32:24

Yeah, you got to put yourself out there, right, like when, when I first started on LinkedIn and in cyber and all of these things, like no one knew who we were, no one knew prescient, no one knew me. No, it's but you, you just get out there and you my my other advice all the time you just say yes to everything. You know. If you're invited, you go. If you're asked to speak, you do like, just contribute where you can, what you can, and, uh, don't hold yourself back, don't you know? Don't wait for the time where you feel a hundred percent ready, a hundred percent comfortable. It's the biggest mistake you can do. And when you tell, you know, when you feel yourself realizing that this isn't your place or that you need to find your tribe or you need to go elsewhere, start positioning for that right. So, setting up what you need to set up to make that happen.

Speaker 1 33:16

Okay, I have to ask one more question, if I may. Of course, linkedin. So I remember that's how I met you and I'm very respectful of your time. But one of the things that I like is that you were consistent. I always saw you I think it was every Friday and I got to the point where I was a fan. I'm like, oh my God, I got to tune in. What is she saying today? And there was a time where you weren't coming up on my feed for some reason. On LinkedIn, what would you say to somebody who is branding themselves Because you've done an extraordinary job of that. So do they just go and do it? What do you suggest they do?

Speaker 2 33:53

You know there are people out there that will help you. I kind of just decided to wing it and do a little trial and error. I feel like, especially as a woman in security and cybersecurity, that I didn't feel as comfortable doing it in the way that you'll get a lot of advice and guidance about. So you get a lot of advice about be vulnerable, put yourself out there, make it personal, put your personal life out there, and that's just so counter to who I am as a human and what my profession advocates. So you're not going to see me put my private life out there. You're not going to see me oversharing. That's just not who we are and what we do. But there were a lot of opportunities for me to share and engage and support and encourage and be a resource, and those were the things that I focused most heavily on. To your point first, thank you so much for supporting and for your kind words.

Speaker 2 34:48

With the content, I have not been able to do it to that degree that I once did and we dropped back to every two weeks for a recap and it's just been incredibly difficult. But I do have some cool stuff coming up soon. You'll see it soon, but I did a couple of interviews that will release soon that everybody will get to see. Yeah, it's difficult. You have to get a schedule, you have to try your best to stick with the schedule and then, to my own, I had to adjust my schedule when it needed to be adjusted. So it's a very fluid thing.

Speaker 1 35:22

Thank you for sharing that, because now I'm over here wondering, am I oversharing? Because I was going back and forth about the whole podcast thing and I think when we get to be senior leaders, like we are, you have to put some content out there. And for me, I didn't want to be disingenuous, so I thought let me talk about my own journey. And then I started talking to other professionals in the field and they're like yeah, I want to come on and talk about it. You know, we've had Jen Easterly on here. We've had, oh my goodness, so many people, yeah, marcus Peterson, former NFL, and I hope that what I'm doing is putting out there, without saying it, it's okay to be okay and it's okay to be stuck, because nine times out of 10, there's somebody out there that went through the same thing, overcame it and can be an inspiration. So I hope that I'm able to do that to. You know, get people motivated and excited about, you know, little things like taking a walk and taking time for themselves.

Speaker 2 36:20

No, I think they're great points and I do love listening to you when you have guests on and all that. It's a lot of fun. I think you bring together a lot of facets of our personalities. I love when there are places where you can bring your whole self right and it's not just the touchy-feely stuff or the professional stuff, it's kind of where it all comes together. So I think you do a really good job of giving that space and putting it in context, because you know it's one thing to you know to be a woman, it's another one to be in cyber, it's another one to you know deal with your health and juggle all that and everything to be able to pull it all together. I think is is very cool because it is part of who we are, it's part of how we get it all done, but without making it all about one specific aspect.

Speaker 1 37:10

Wow, and I'll say this in closing I think you and some other women are part of the reason I decided to do this, because you just put yourself out there and again, it's consistency. I think that's huge.

Speaker 2 37:22

Yeah, I love that you're doing this. I think it's wonderful. But yeah, it's definitely good to have places where we can all kind of see inspirational women like yourself and be like okay cool, we're doing this thing right and we can support each other.

Speaker 1 37:39

Absolutely, Stephanie. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I know you're a busy woman and it means a lot to us. Thank you.

Speaker 2 37:47

Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure.

Speaker 1 37:50

So please remember to subscribe to our podcast on various platforms, such as Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio and many others. Thanks for tuning in and take care.