Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks (BKBT Productions)

What would you do if someone said you couldn’t succeed because no one knew who you were? Shinesa Cambric decided to go full Beast Mode, writing a book, speaking widely, and lifting others.

George K and George A talk to Shinesa about:

😳The hypocrisy of tearing others down in cybersecurity

🙌 How she chose to build on a foundation of values rather than chasing a “personal brand”

💥Audience questions! Including, why it’s never too late to define yourself on your own terms.

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles an Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

As 2024 comes to close, we revisit some of the most listened to episodes in Season 3 so far!

• Don Jeter, CMO at Torq talks about breaking through the noise, and how to stand out in a market full of boring B2B copycats
  
• Lauren Palmer talks about why Sales is a profession people should be proud of, and how to build teams that don't abuse trust
  
• Andrew Owlett, global cybersecurity executive, explores how to tell the story of your career and your skills
  
• Michelle Eggers, pentester, talks about how she quickly broke into the industry and found a niche that has her sharing insights on the conference circuit so quickly

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Ever wondered why cybersecurity hiring is broken? Jessica's flipping the script with a revolutionary approach to talent acquisition and development!

George K and George A talk to Jessica about:

• How she transformed the company’s hiring by focusing on building talent rather than looking for unicorns or perfect fits
• Why asking "Why are you here?" is her #1 interview question (and what she learns from it)
• How her military background shaped her approach to servant leadership
• Their "strange renegades" philosophy that's created remarkable team loyalty

"Accessibility does not equate to aptitude. Some people just don't have access, but that doesn't mean they won't be great employees."

Every company struggling with talent acquisition or employee churn needs to check out this conversation.

Jessica's transparency about Risk360's approach to compensation, benefits, and career development is refreshingly honest.

Listen now and let us know what you think! Could this approach work in your organization?

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🇨🇦 Toronto listeners! We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Register for the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale here

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

The team is taking a break to celebrate the end of season 1. Here’s a replay of our conversation with JD Sherry. It offers valuable insights from the VC side, with advice on how and when to scale sales teams, and a cautionary tale about what happens when cyber startups try to do that too early.

George K and George A talk to JD Sherry about his journey from CIO to VC, and everything he's learned along the way, like:

📈 Common pitfalls in GTM strategies

💰 How to scale a sales team successfully

💸 and how NOT to scale one

🤝 Why a consultative approach leads to longer term success

⚙️ and all the elements that need to lock into place across sales, product, engineering, and success to drive growth

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Both George A and George K will be at Black Hat and DefCon this year. You can hang out with with the Bare Knuckles crew and whole bunch of other podcast all-stars on August 9th at 5 pm, including Hacker Valley Media, The Cyber Queens, and Audience 1st. Register at cyberpodworld.com. Hope to see you there!

👊 ⚡️

In September, we joined forces with our friends at The Cyber Ranch Podcast and Simply Solving Cyber to issue the #CyberCommunityChallenge! We challenged:

• Vendors to adapt their campaigns for Cybersecurity Awareness Month to give back to the practitioner community.
  
• Practitioners to spread the cyber mission outside the walls of their organizations.

We saw a lot of posts, and we're excited to announced the winners!

What makes a successful SDR? And how do they stand out against all the noise?

SDR Manager Kayla Cytron-Thaler enters the ring, after having successfully gotten through to George A on LinkedIn! No really, he tried to ignore her, but she's that good. 👀 

George K and George A jump in, and there are real gems in this episode:

• 3️⃣ Kayla's 3 Cs for SDR success: Creativity, Curiosity, and Coachability
• 📈 Understanding CISOs' "zone of resistance"
• 🥳 How to stand out, while keeping the focus on the customer
• 🌬 How to avoid the stank of "commission breath" turning off a prospect

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

✅ Follow our LinkedIn page for updates!

What if cyber sellers built such strong relationships that they could refer prospects to one another? Carlos Guerrero and Maria Graham jump into the ring to talk about a new way to sell. 

George K and George A get into:

🤝 How the long game of building trust has helped pipeline generation and deal velocity. Could it be the mythic "flywheel" of every CRO's dreams?

⚖️ How Carlos and Maria balance relationship building mixed with traditional cold outreach.

🎨 The art of closing a deal!

🥅 How sellers and buyers are actually playing on the same team!

👊⚡️ You can now support the show for less than a cup of coffee, or join our membership tiers for swag and extra goodies!

✅ SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Tabletop exercises, a necessary evil or just a compliance snoozefest? This week, Kailee Miner sits down to talk about how she's revolutionizing cyber threat readiness training to make boring TTXs a thing of the past.

In this episode:

🥱 Why traditional tabletop exercises often fail to engage participants

🎭 How realistic simulations improve readiness vs. dry PowerPoint presentations

💰 Why companies should invest in communication skills for technical experts, not just certifications

💪 Building resilience through hands-on experience, not just theoretical scenarios

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⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

👀 If sales were a dating game, how would the other side look at your behavior? Cordial, friendly, or creepy incel? CISO Mike Rogers jumps into the ring - and he's a legit trained fighter! - to talk about what works and what's grounds for dismissal. 

George K and George get real loud on this one! 😬 

🔥 tips in this episode:

• Is the CISO really your buyer? Is that where outreach should start? 
• How vendors can better equip CISOs with managing stakeholder engagement?
• Confronting sexism and bias in the sales cycle!
• Honesty with sales reps!

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! 

✅ Follow our LinkedIn page for updates!

Mainframe pentester Michelle Eggers joins us to share her incredible journey into cybersecurity, and specifically her niche in mainframe security.

George K and George A talk to Michelle about:

💪 Her hustle and flow switching careers into pentesting, including 40+ interviews and an intense training cohort

🍀 How she carved out a rare specialty in mainframe security through networking and seizing opportunities

😱"Do it scared" - her advice for speaking at conferences and pushing through imposter syndrome

💳 Why mainframe security matters (hint: it touches billions of financial transactions daily)

If you're trying to break into security, switch careers, or level up your technical skills - you need to hear Michelle's practical wisdom and refreshingly honest perspective on the journey.

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Justin Merhoff, Director of InfoSec, and Florian Beijers, a blind web developer, join the show to talk about accessibility in cybersecurity. This week the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 34!

George K and George A talk to Justin and Florian about:

🔍 The current state of accessibility in cybersecurity and the challenges faced by practitioners with disabilities

🧠 How AI and assistive technologies may help accessibility in cybersecurity tools

🛠️ Practical steps companies can take to make their security solutions more inclusive

✍️ The importance of “accessibility by design” to avoid costly retrofits

Don't miss this episode on building a more inclusive future in tech!

Go deeper:

• RSA presentation on inclusive design in cyber https://www.rsaconference.com/library/presentation/usa/2024/balancing%20accessibility%20security%20and%20ai%20design%20inclusive%20security%20tools#

Follow Florian on

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blindlycoding
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ic_null

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

We're kicking off the show with a hard look at the cybersecurity vendor/customer relationship on LinkedIn. It's only fitting, given it where we first met. At its best, LinkedIn is a place to connect with thought leaders and make new professional connections that help you thrive. At its worst, the platform can feel like a speed-dating hellscape.

• What's the best way for sellers to approach prospects on LinkedIn?
• How do you add value? 
• How do CISOs like to use it?

We go after bad practices with bare knuckles, but get down to brass tacks with advice on posting rhythm, post types, and how to get the most out of this valuable platform. 

Subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

This week we dive into GRC Engineering with Justin Pagano, Emre Ugurlu, and returning guest Terra Cooke, three of minds behind the new GRC Engineering Manifesto.

We tackle:

• Why GRC folks are engineers (yes, really!)
• Moving beyond "legacy GRC" into systems thinking
• Building GRC tools that engineers actually want to use
• The intersection of AI and compliance automation

This one gets nerdy! But if you want to understand how modern organizations can take a systems-based approach to governance while keeping engineers happy, this episode is for you.

Check out the manifesto and repo at grc.engineering and join the conversation! 🛠️

Manifesto authors

• Ayoub Fandi
• Akshay Finney
• Austin Rust
• Charles Nwatu
• Emre Ugurlu
• Justin Pagano
• Terra Cooke
• Varun Gurnaney

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🇨🇦 We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Use our exclusive discount codes to save on registration for SecureWorld Toronto:

• BKBTSWC1 $50 off - BKBT Conference Pass
• BKBTSWO1 $50 off - BKBT Open Session Pass
• BKBTSWP1 $75 off - BKBT Plus Pass

Register to attend the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale here: https://lu.ma/of952b1f

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

George K and George A reflect on recent cyber news, trends, and podcast updates!

In this episode:

🤝 Cybercrime Crowdsourcing: Sophos is out with a new report on Russian hacker forums are gamifying cyberattacks. Borrowing from legitimate security events like Pwn2Own, they're offering cash prizes for innovative attack methods, but with darker aims.

🪞 Deepfake Tech Surge: With deepfake technology becoming more accessible, what are the implications for cybersecurity and public trust? Read more in Bloomberg. 

💸 How Much Impact Did the Zero Interest Rate Period Have on Tools Acquisition? George A gives the CISO perspective on reckoning with tighter budgets and how interest rates will be reshaping cybersecurity tool purchases.

Also mentioned:

Layoff to Liftoff: George K is chronicling his own layoff journey because George A told him to, through a series of LinkedIn articles. Chapter 1 is out now. 

Famed hacker Sick Codes on ARM putting the D in DBAGs when it comes to security researchers’ work. Read more on LinkedIn.

👀 Coming soon!

🙌 MORE guest interviews!

🎁 Swag store!

Follow the show on LinkedIn, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

How do you stand out in a crowded cybersecurity market? Pete Johnson, CMO at Cranium.ai, jumps into the ring to talk about creativity and building relationships with practitioners. George K and George A talk to Pete about:

💡What today’s leaders can learn from Gen Z

🌯 Burrito marketing! And the lessons from spontaneity…

📢 The value of “narrow-casting” vs broadcasting when it comes to cyber messaging

🤝 How and why leaders to need lifting others as they go

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it helps others find the podcast!

BONUS! In the last of our interviews recorded live at GoSec 2024  in Montreal, we talk to Andréanne Bergeron, PhD, Director of Research at GoSecure. 

George K and George A talk to Andréanne about her unconventional foray into cybersecurity and the lessons learned, as an academic, for workforce development and educating the next generation of defenders. She discusses her studies of cybercriminal psychology as a social scientist, and what the implication might be for defense strategies.

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

George K and George A jump into the ring to try something new: confronting weekly events!

This week, the Bare Knuckles crew brawls over:

• Waves of tech layoffs
• Laughable LinkedIn outreach tactics
• Disintegrating trust as an apparent sales strategy
• ChatGPT and brain viruses!

Subscribe today!

Ross Haleliuk jumps into the ring to talk about his new book, Cyber for Builders,” and the lessons he’s learned from building products and talking with practitioners over the years. George K and George A talk to Ross about:

🛠️ How new founders should approach building security products

🔍 Why security buyers will now demand more transparency, and what that trend means for product and GTM teams

🤝 Why the trust that comes with transparency is critical to growth

💸 When and how to raise money in the financial climate

👊⚡️ You can now support the show for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

The unstoppable Tennisha Martin joins the show this week! The Executive Director of BlackGirlsHack digs into what it really takes to build diverse cybersecurity talent pipelines in today's challenging environment.

George K and George A talk to Tennisha about:

• How BGH is using AI and hands-on labs to teach real-world hacking skills
• Why traditional education often falls short on practical cybersecurity training
• The economic barriers keeping talented people out of tech careers
•  Building sustainable nonprofit programs when traditional funding gets rocky

Plus we dive into some raw talk about staying focused on the mission even when external pressures try to knock you off course.

As Tennisha puts it: "Our mission hasn't changed just because the administration has changed. We're still training people, still getting folks certified, still building that workforce."

Whether you're interested in cybersecurity education, diversity in tech, or nonprofit leadership, this episode has something for you.

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🇨🇦 We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Use our exclusive discount codes to save on registration for SecureWorld Toronto:

• BKBTSWC1 $50 off - BKBT Conference Pass
• BKBTSWO1 $50 off - BKBT Open Session Pass
• BKBTSWP1 $75 off - BKBT Plus Pass

Register to attend the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale here: https://lu.ma/of952b1f

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

This week, George K and George A delve into the sales shenanigans they endured recently, and report from the frontlines of enterprise AI tech. In this episode:

🏆 Dubious honors that don’t help anything

🫠 How to royally botch a demo

📢 What old school event outreach can teach about personalization

🤖 And George A reports back from the AWS Summit on new enterprise AI capabilities

✅ Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🧢 Stay tuned for SWAG giveaways this week!

JR Cunningham, CISO at Nuspire, joins the show to talk about why cybersecurity isn't just another IT job - mentally, it's more like being a first responder.

George K and George A talk to JR about:

🤔 Why we should consider cyber teams like first responders (not just IT staff)

😵‍💫 The unique mental health challenges of incident response

💪 Building cultures where defenders can actually take care of themselves

🧠 Why your IR plan needs to consider the human element

💬 "The higher up you go in security, the more you get the sh*t kicked out of you. Most professions get easier - ours gets harder."

Security leaders - how are you building support systems for your defenders?

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Break through? No, PUNCH through the AI hype in cybersecurity this week’s guest, Mani Keerthi, Field CISO.

George K and George A talk to Mani about:

🥴 Making sense of AI, GenAI, LLMs and why clarity is lacking right now

🐍 Questions security teams should ask to separate snake oil from legit use cases

🤖 How the AI tech stack differs from IT tech stacks and why that matters

🚀 What the trinity of opportunity, experience, and interest means for career growth

This episode is full of insights for CISOs and SecOps teams!

🏳️‍🌈✊ This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

Part 2 of our interview with Mahdi Raza and David Mahdi! 

What role does training play in sales success? Are we setting BDRs up for failure? How do CISOs research products? All this and audience questions!

Brass Tacks:

• Get back to your childhood roots for persuasion
• How to add value when CISOs aren't ready to buy
• Nurturing security relationships

Subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

CISO, market observer, and newsletter author, Mike Privette, joins the show to talk about how a new financial reality is shaping the cybersecurity industry.

George K and George A talk to Mike about:

💡 Where companies now need to focus their energy in a new VC reality.

📉 How the end of free money affects sales culture and outreach methods

🤔 How security leaders are thinking about purchases, with tightened budgets

🪗 Why the cyber ecosystem is more like an accordion than anything else!

🎧 Check out Mike’s excellent newsletter, “$ecurity, Funded”

🔥 New episode alert! Diving deep into the world of marketing with Clark Barron, the man, the myth, the flamethrower.

George K and George A talk to Clark about:

🥷Ronin: Why he created his own Marketing-as-a-Service platform and the gaps it aims to bridge in the tech marketing landscape.

🔍 The moment he realized how disconnected his marketing practice was from cybersecurity buyers

🏭 The marketing profession's identity crisis as a “factory job”

🧨 His advice for marketers looking to make a genuine impact and swim against the current

Follow Clark on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

How much technical knowledge should cyber sales reps have? How do you build trust that drives long-term revenue? And just what level of awful do women in cyber have to put up with?

This episode comes out of the gates hard. Warning: contains very real and very NSFW descriptions of  sexual harassment.

Down to Brass Tacks:

• What SDRs and BDRs can do to succeed on their first day
• How to conduct deals with integrity
• How men in cyber can be real allies

If you like what you hear, subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

🙌 Eliza-May Austin, founder and CEO of th4ts3curity.company steps into the ring! Her viral LinkedIn post seeking someone to help with sales without being pushy or a knob set off something of a firestorm in cybersecurity sales. 😳 

George K and George A talk to Eliza about:

🚀 How she went from frustrated tech insider to CEO

🧞‍♂️ 🦄 ✨ The “magic genie” role she’s looking for, a consultative advocate who’s curious and works with a longer time horizon

🤝 The culture she’s built that seems 4 years of organic growth and little employee turnover

💪 The inner core of her confidence

There’s plenty of snark and laughter along the way!

👊 ⚡️ If you’re heading to Black Hat, come hang out with us and our podcast friends on Aug. 9th at 5 pm! 

Register here: https://cyberpodworld.com/

🤯 Response to our Hacker Summer Camp recap was immense! Shorter episode this week as George K and George A reflect on listener feedback, and touch on some plans for season ✌️, including…

👊⚡️ Listener support to produce MORE SWAG and hosted events!

🧳 🎙️ Bringing the Bare Knuckle energy to your next conference or gathering! Have pod, will travel.

🔥🔥 The heat can’t stop, won’t stop!

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🥳 Episode 51! Dani Woolf jumps into the ring to talk about getting to know your customers! Market research is one thing, but how can you use customer research data to drive results?

George K and George A jump in head first. In this episode:

📊 The cost of novelty vs consistency

💡 The differences in What, Now What, and So What in decision making

🧭 Forces at work in a changing cyber landscape: market maturity, outreach fatigue, and Google cracking down on bulk email sends

💪 How to operationalize customer research for the rest of your marketing team!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it helps others find the podcast!

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, the fabulous Tashya Denose joins the show to talk about how she found success in cybersecurity and in rooms where she stands out as a Black woman precisely by embracing her authentic self. After time with the Pentagon and the Secret Service, Tashya has gone to manage security programs at the biggest tech companies, including Google and Meta.

George K and George A talk to Tashya about:

🫵 How embracing and being true to her authentic self became Tashya’s superpower

🫣 Facing down imposter syndrome

🐺 How to survive and thrive even when if feels like you’re working in a den of wolves

🏗️ What vital skills to focus on as you learn technical skills and how to build them

Listen to Do We Belong Here (in the Cyber World)?

Get involved: Black Girls in Cyber

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Stop listening to this and go hang out with your friends and family!

We're hard at work behind the scenes, and will return to our regular programming on January 8th. But in the meantime, thank you for listening and for supporting the pod. That is your gift to us, and we appreciate it!

This week, Stacey Lokey-Day joins the show to talk about her career pivot from stay-at-home mom to cybersecurity analyst!

George K & George A talk to Stacey about:

• How she leveraged a bootcamp experience into a successful career pivot
• Why she believes in "collecting experiences" early in your career, even the tough ones
• How her time in the SOC built up her resilience and confidence
• Finding your voice, and owning who you are in tech

The lessons from her story are valuable to anyone, at any stage of their career. Turn it up!

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Long time listener Maria Graham steps into the ring! George K and George A talk to Maria about how her prospecting is built on research and looking for human commonalities, and why she thinks email doesn’t work anymore. 🤯 

🔥 🐉 ⚔️  We also unveil a new segment: THE SALES GAUNTLET!

Also in this episode:

• Brass Tacks on outreach strategies
• George A ambushes George K!
• George K and Maria convince George A to get into cyber sales?!

This episode is filled with all the usual snark, plus very healthy doses of laughs and colorful language. It was a blast, we hope you enjoy it!

If you like what you hear, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

www.bareknucklespod.com

How much technical knowledge should cyber sales reps have? How do you build trust that drives long-term revenue? And just what level of awful do women in cyber have to put up with?

This episode comes out of the gates hard. Warning: contains very real and very NSFW descriptions of  sexual harassment.

Down to Brass Tacks:

• What SDRs and BDRs can do to succeed on their first day
• How to conduct deals with integrity
• How men in cyber can be real allies

If you like what you hear, subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

Bonus! Chas Larios shares her 7 tips for cybersecurity marketers on how to earn security buyers' respect and trust. These are low-cost, high-return changes teams can make today!

This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

—————————

Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

This week we talk to Allan Alford talking about his 25 years journey from CISO to startups to consulting and now his return back to corporate America!

George K and George A talk to Allan about:

• His wild career journey - and what motivated his most recent career decision
• His new gig at NTT Global Data Centers, and why data centers are the next hot thing in security
• The truly global scope of his new gig
• Why people and process beat technology EVERY time - even in tech companies!

Allan also drops some straight FIRE about vendor relationships - including the sobering fact that in 25 YEARS, cold outreach has matched his actual needs exactly ONCE. Vendors, there’s a lot of learn here about how to stand out before and after the contract is signed.

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🇨🇦 We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Use our exclusive discount codes to save on registration for SecureWorld Toronto:

• BKBTSWC1 $50 off - BKBT Conference Pass
• BKBTSWO1 $50 off - BKBT Open Session Pass
• BKBTSWP1 $75 off - BKBT Plus Pass

Register to watch the can't-miss Cyber Pitch Battle Royale in Toronto! Practitioners get in free.

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Happy holidays from BKBT to you and yours! Enjoy the time, and may be it restful, relaxing, and free of critical open-source vulns.

😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards!

Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over $25, thru Dec 31st!

Shop today: https://bkbtpodcast.shop

Thanks for all the support over the years, we appreciate you!

Aaron Pritz of Reveal Risk joins us this week to deepfake George K in real-time video! Also, how to engage the workforce on new and emerging risks

👀 To see the video deepfake, check out our LinkedIn Page!

George K and George A talk to Aaron about:

🤖 Using deepfake tech for good - security awareness training that will blow your mind

🗓️ Why limiting security awareness to October is a mistake

🧠 Un-commoditizing training and making it relevant year-round

📱 Real-world advice on preventing deepfake attacks (it's easier than you think!)

For all you CISOs and security awareness pros out there - this episode is a must-listen. Aaron brings the heat with practical tips and a fresh perspective on engaging employees.

We're away at RSA this week, but the hits keep coming! Enjoy this "best of" episode featuring parts of our episodes featuring:

• (Serial killer) SCARY BDR tactics
• Erika Eakins 👑 on sexism and misogyny from the buying side
• Maria Graham ⚔️ runs the SALES GAUNTLET
• Mike Rogers 🥋 on sales tactics that break trust or leave buyers feeling icky
• Kayla Cytron-Thaler 💡 on the creativity and curiosity the SDRs need to break through the noise

Enjoy!

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🛎 Follow our LinkedIn page for more snark, tips, analysis, and giveaways!

👊 ⚡️

This week, researcher Kate Wood from Info-Tech joins the show to talk about the future of security autonomization with AI.

George K and George A talk to Kate about:

• The reality of AI adoption in security beyond marketing hype (and where the hallucinations are still problematic)
• Modernizing vendor risk management beyond checkbox exercises
• A fascinating framework for "autonomization" vs. automation - and understanding your tolerance for AI decision-making at operational, tactical and strategic levels
• And Kate drops some incredibly real and raw career advice on authenticity, pursuing work you love, and finding mentors

Research mentioned: https://www.infotech.com/research/ss/build-an-autonomous-security-delivery-roadmap

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🇨🇦 We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Register for the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale here

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

So...some things happened last week. George K and George A weigh in on the whirlwind with their usual delicacy and diplomacy.

Mentioned in the show:

• Dark Reading article on measuring employee input of sensitive data into ChatGPT
  
• George K experimented with a new app using OpenAI's API (say that three times fast), ChatPDF, which allows users to use regular text commands to query the contents of PDFs.
  
• A Loom video demonstrating how one user employed ChatPDF to search an MSA.
  
• Industry shifts from adtech to climate tech, is this where the next jobs will be?

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

All year we've been trying to rebrand "soft skills" as essential business skills for any cybersecurity professional. Evgeniy Kharam has literally written the book on it. He sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to talk about his new book, "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales."

This is a great breakdown of what kinds of communication skills are needed for both buyers and sellers trying to solve security problems. Don't miss it!

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

Ryan Heartfield — AI PhD and now founder and CEO of Exalens — jumps into the ring to talk about moving from academia to cybersecurity startupland, and his mission to transform OT security.

George K and George A talk to Ryan about:

💡How his vendor pains as an operator now inform his own GTM strategy

🤖 The hype and reality of AI in cybersecurity, and why understanding solution and model limitations is crucial

💼 The challenges and rewards of transitioning from technical roles to founding a startup

🔍 The importance of continuous learning and adapting to stay relevant in cybersecurity

🛍️The BKBT Merch Store is NOW OPEN: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/

Get 25% off with code: RSAC25SWAG

Expires May 24, 2024.
$25 minimum order required.

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

This week we sit down with Cecil Pineda to talk about building real community in cybersecurity, vendor relationships that actually work, and how to avoid being that annoying sales person calling every Monday.

George K and George A talk to Cecil about:

🛠️ Why technical operations experience matters for CISOs

☝️ The art of "bothering someone" (yes, there is an art to it!)

💡 His advice for vendors trying to break through

✅ How his team evaluates new tech 

Plus we get into what it really takes to build authentic relationships in this industry. Spoiler: It's not about automating thousands of emails!

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

2023 is winding down. George K and George A are busy behind the scenes for next year. Today is a reflective episode, featuring a collection of critical insights from a few guests over the past few months:

• Jason Carrico on sales process
• Mike Privette on the cybersecurity market in the larger macroeconomic picture
• Chris Lieu on his approach to outreach
• Dani Woolf on operationalizing customer research

Subscribe today, wherever you get your podcasts!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from BKBT! to you and yours! We have big plans...

We hope you have a peaceful New Year's, and we're wishing you all the prosperity for 2025!

😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards!

Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over $25, thru Dec 31st!

Shop today: https://bkbtpodcast.shop

Thanks for all the support over the years, we appreciate you!

Joel Benge, Principal at Message Specs, and self-described "message therapist," steps into the ring!

George K and George A talk to Joel about common sales and marketing messaging mistakes, and Joel runs the first “Messaging Maze,” with on-air reviews of audience-submitted outreach emails!

In this episode we get into:

💬 The power of empathy and understanding in building trust and open communication.

🔄 Taking a first principles approach to messaging involving all organizational facets.

🤝Joel takes audience questions in the Brass Tacks part of the show.

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Mentioned in this episode: The Storytelling Animal, by Jonathan Gottschall

Episode 100! And this time, George K and George A are the ones in the hot seat!

Guest host, and friend of the pod, Amber DeVilbiss takes the mic to put the Georges on the spot.

They take on listener questions about:

• Tech and industry trends, AI, new risks
• The deep, dark, and personal
• Selling and marketing tactics
• And MORE!

Thank you to all the listeners who submitted questions!

✊ The sales revolution will not be televised. Jessica Crytzer, CRO at LimaCharlie, jumps into the ring to give the sales leader perspective on what’s changing in cyber!

George K and George A talk to Jessica about:

💥 Her recipe for being bold in sales leadership, and why the models of the past do not work well for startups today.

🎯 Why the CISO is probably not your target, and how to engage buyers effectively.

💡Her advice to aspiring sellers and CRO peers.

🤖 Why she requires so much research on prospects and why you can’t AI your way to success.

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

Longtime cybersecurity leader Peter Schawacker joins us the show to talk about radical zeal, global talent, and creating safe spaces for queer communities.

George K and George A talk to Peter about:

👨‍🎤 How his punk rock roots and hacker mentality inform his approach to cyber and playing to win

🌏 Cultivating and employing global talent

🏳️‍🌈⚧️ Creating the Queer in Cyber community

🔍His new cyber tabletop research project, and how you can help.

🧨 In the Teardown: George K responds to copy/paste outreach from two different BDRs at the same company.

Learn more about Queer In Cyber:

• Queer in Cyber (QIC) channel on the Nearshore Cyber Discord: https://discord.gg/4BNshGdmBp (hashtag#queer-in-cyber)
• QiC Podcast Website: https://queerincyber.podbean.com/
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/@QueerInCyber

This month: All profits from Pride shirt sales will be donated to LGBTQ organizations!

Shop today: www.bkbtpodcast.shop

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

👊 ⚡ GIVEAWAY TIME! We're giving away 3️⃣ Bare Knuckles & Brass Tacks custom snapback and sticker sets this week!

George K and George A are busy planning the next few episodes. No new drop this week, but we wanna hear from you! Here's how you can win:

🔗 Share the link to a favorite episode on #LinkedIn this week.

✅ Be sure to tag the show so we know!

💬 And tell us why you liked the show and what you learned!

⏳ *Deadline: Friday, June 30th*

Ready, set, go! 🚀 

Mahdi Raza and David Mahdi join the podcast to talk about their new book, The Art of Selling Cybersecurity. 

Is selling to infosec art, science, or a bit of both? Ahead of the SiberX CISO forum at the end of the month, George K and George A dig in, and got so carried away that this interview will be split into two parts!

Part 1: The bare knuckle brawl over sales tactics that suck, methods that work, and how to build trust. 

Subscribe today!

www.bareknucklepod.com

How do you make an authentic connection with security buyers? London Miller jumps into the ring to talk about his journey from D1 athlete to cybersecurity sales Jedi.

George K and George A talk to London about:

• 🏈 Translating "non-technical" skills sets to cyber
• 🤔 The mix of humility and curiosity needed to succeed in sales
• 🤝 How seeking connection builds trust with buyers
• ✊ And how DEI efforts need authenticity to have any chance at success

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks wherever you get your podcasts!

🛎 Follow the LinkedIn page for updates, events, giveaways, and more!

How do you help others speak up on your behalf? This week, Kenneth Ellington jumps into the ring to talk about how he went from IT to cybersecurity at warp speed, and how he started Ellington Cyber Academy to help others do the same. But Kenneth doesn’t just teach technical skills. He’s talking to students about all the other ways to elevate their careers.

George K and George A talk to Kenneth about:

🚀How talking to others about your ambitions is the first step to supercharging your career

🤚Advocating for yourself and what you want

🤝The business communication skills he learned and honed working at the sandwich counter in Publix!

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member for a little as $3/month for swag and extra goodies!

🔔 Follow this LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

This week, Ads Dawson, Staff AI Security Researcher at Dreadnode, joins the show to talk all things AI Red Teaming!

George K and George A talk to Ads about:

• The reality of securing #AI model development pipelines
• Why cross-functional expertise is critical when securing AI systems
• How to approach continuous red teaming for AI applications (hint: annual pen tests won't cut it anymore)
• Practical advice for #cybersecurity pros looking to skill up in AI security

Whether you're a CISO trying to navigate securing AI implementations or an infosec professional looking to expand your skill set, this conversation is all signal.

Course mentioned: https://learn.nvidia.com/courses/course-detail?course_id=course-v1:DLI+S-DS-03+V1

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Don Jeter, CMO of Torq joins the show this week to talk about his crusade against boring cyber marketing, and why that means his title is really Chief Menace Officer.

In this episode:

💡Brand leads to demand. Focus on narrative and differentiation first.

🥳 Balancing fun, irreverent branding with deep technical expertise.

🔭 Looking outside cyber for inspiration - internet culture, consumer brands, and more

⚡️Speed and authenticity matter. Be ready to capitalize on trends.

For all you marketers trying to break through the noise - take notes. This is how it's done.

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⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

We're back! After a little break, George K and George A are back in the ring. This time, they're talking to Ben Kelly, the BDR referred to us by past guest, Mike Rogers!

📅 Learn how Ben is getting more meetings by sending FEWER emails!

🤝 Why Ben operates by the golden rule

📑 Why research and carefully crafted emails beat generic automation

🗣️ What he says when gets pushback

🐉 🛡️ And the return of the SALES GAUNTLET!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

What happens in Vegas...should not stay there! George K and George A share highlights and low points from Infosec’s big shindig in Sin City.

The Good:
🤝 The magic of meeting folks IRL
💡 Exchange of ideas
💪 Vendors showing up with the C-suite and experienced technical staff✊ SquadCon as a show and a vibe

The Bad:
🗣️ Public speaking skills need a boost
🏎️ Why are there so many F1 cars??
🙄 If you need gimmicks, how good can your solution be?

The WTF:
🛑 Endemic levels of sexual harassment NEED TO STOP
💀 Vendors relying sexualized messaging need to GTFO

👊 ⚡️ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

✅  Follow our LinkedIn page for updates!

Jeff Wheatman, security evangelist at Black Kite, jumps into the ring with a storied background, from consultant, Gartner analyst, CISO advisor, and now as evangelist. George K and George A talk to Jeff about:

🚑 Ambulance chasing and why exactly it doesn’t work

👉 Who you’re REALLY selling to (hint: it’s not the CISO)

🧘‍♂️ Jeff’s advice for staying sane amidst the stress and noise in cybersecurity

🦸 Why CISOs are not the hero in their own story (and who really is)

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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🙌 This October: The Cyber Community Month challenge is ON!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

What's the ideal cyber sales experience? Terra Cooke jumps into the ring to share the story of the best sales interaction she's ever had! George K and George A examine this further...

In this episode: 

🚨Why you should never go around someone's back to their boss, be it the CISO or whomever

💯 How to keep it real throughout the process

🤝 Why humility and humanity will get you far

🎯 How to listen for when your prospect identifies the target buyer

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Andrew Owlett joins the show to talk about what actually matters in cybersecurity career development (hint: it's not your GPA)!

George K and George A talk to Andrew about:

• Why "failing" early in his career shaped his approach to leadership
• The problem with cyber's culture of shame and how to build confidence
• What cross-functional skills ACTUALLY look like (and how you probably already have them)
• Truth about work-life balance and corporate "family"

Plus we dive into real advice for career transitions, building authentic relationships, and how to craft your story.

No buzzwords, no BS - just practical insights from someone who's lived it.

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

Today we have a special episode. George K and George A interview an anonymous cybersecurity professional about her experiences with sexual harassment. To protect her identity, we’ve changed her voice, and the image accompanying this episode uses a portrait rendered in Midjourney.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of repeated verbal and physical harassment that listeners may find distressing.

How do you know what’s a winning idea? Serial cyber entrepreneur Stuart McClure sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to record his thoughts on go-to-market strategies.

Stuart was the founder of Cylance, the fastest company to record $100M in ARR, and he’s the lead author on a book about hacking techniques. In short, he talks the talk and walks the walk.

In this episode:

💡How to tell a genius idea from just a neat feature

🤝How to build and scale without repeating the same tired playbook

🧠 How a background in psychology equipped him with the skills for business

⚡️Why being able to make fast decisions is so important

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

————————

🏆We’ve been nominated as Podcast of the Year for the SANS Difference Maker awards! Voting is open now through Oct 4.  🗳️ Vote for the show here: https://www.sans.org/about/awards/difference-makers/

Thank you for your support!

What are the red lines when it comes to sales outreach? Well, Martin Oresnik would argue it's when a vendor calls your family members asking for you!

When he posted about this a few months ago, Martin's post went viral, and seemed to touch a nerve in the infosec community. Which means the aggressive outreach tactics have officially started going way too far.

George K and George A wanted to fully humanize this experience because empathy is the only way to get back to trust in cybersecurity sales.

👊 ⚡️ Brass Tacks covered here:

• How to reach out to prospects when they gain new positions
• Sales training and playbooks
• What the balance of Patience/Persistence actually means

Subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com

"Community" is getting bandied about a lot. What does it really mean, for both cybersecurity vendors and practitioners? This week's episode is a roundtable discussion recorded LIVE at Cyber Marketing Con in December 2024! The panel features Dani Woolf, Ben Siegel, Bronwen Hudson, Elliot Volkman, and BKBT's George K. 

Some key topics covered:

• Community is not something you can just spend money on.
• Successful communities are affecting change.
• You can't expect instant ROI from community building.
• Be passionate about your community's mission.
• Listen to your community; they will guide you.
• Communities are about adding value, not extracting.

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

😳 🥊 🥊  Somehow we convinced a VC client partner to step into the ring! George K and George A talk to JD Sherry about his journey from CIO to VC, and everything he's learned along the way, like:

📈 Common pitfalls in GTM strategies

💰 How to scale a sales team successfully

💸 and how NOT to scale one

🤝 Why a consultative approach leads to longer term success

⚙️ and all the elements that need to lock into place across sales, product, engineering, and success to drive growth

Don’t miss this one!

Like, subscribe, and share wherever you get your podcasts!

👊 ⚡️

🤝 George K and George A join forces with Allan Alford from the Cyber Ranch Podcast, and Aaron Pritz and Cody Rivers of Simply Solving Cyber!

🤨 Together, this trifecta weighs in on the October bonanza that is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While the month started in 2004 to raise cybersecurity awareness among the general public, it’s now become an excuse for vendors to inundate inboxes with inane messaging.

🙌 Introducing: The Cyber Community Month challenge!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

While away at RSA, George K and George A heard about or received some heinous (and hilarious) outreach attempts including:

🥣 Alphabet soup terror

🗓️Calendar missiles fired at personal email addresses

🫠And using public fines to get a meeting

Then they dig into new technologies announced at RSA and talk potential impacts to security team practices.

Enjoy!

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🛎 Follow our LinkedIn page for more snark, tips, analysis, and giveaways!

👊 ⚡️

Is your sales process showing through?! Chris Castaldo, CISO at Crossbeam, jumps into the ring to talk about the worst and best he’s experienced on the buying side. Having started on the vendor side, Chris has a deep understanding of sales qualification. In this episode, we get into:

• How he views his role as a CISO when it comes to learning about new tech
• The value of partnerships over transactions
• His preferred method for reaching him
• Why “cold everything” is dead

We take on audience questions, and then get down to Brass Tacks: Chris’s top 3 recommendations to sales leaders for how to improve their processes.

If you like what you hear, subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

It's 2024! We're excited to be on this journey with you, and can't wait to bring you some incredible conversations with some badass guests this year.

Hope your New Year's is rightfully a time for celebration, reflection, and optimism. We're back to our regular program, starting January 8th!

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

👆Follow the show's LinkedIn page for regular updates and high-test doses of snark. 

💡 Evgeniy Kharam, cybersecurity architect, advisor, and evangelist, steps into the ring to talk about conferences, event follow up, and more!

George K and George talk to Evgeniy about his unique journey from the Israeli Navy to working with a superstar MSSP. The conversation touches on:

🤝 How to build common ground between buyers and sellers at cybersecurity events and conferences.

🗣️ Effective communication lessons from very particular paintball training course.

💪 Strategies for effective both engagement, including how to qualify out, how to pivot, and what kinds of positions should be on hand.

✋ Taking ownership and accountability when talking to buyers, as in what would you do if you weren’t repping a business but yourself?

Tune in and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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If you’re heading to Black Hat, come hang out with us and our podcast friends on Aug. 9th! Register here: https://cyberpodworld.com/

Recorded LIVE: The Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks closing keynote at SecureWorld Denver!

Titled, "Radical Transparency," George K and George A took on the holy trinity in cyber: people, process, and technology. 

For each part they break down where we need radical transparency to build trust, on both the buying and selling sides of the industry.

They also ask something new of the audience...

Neil Saltman joins us! Neil is a long time cybersecurity sales leader and the co-author of Cyber Security Sales: A Buyer’s and Seller’s Perspective. He’s also a brave soul, because he volunteered to step into the ring!

Bare Knuckles: Neil shares his thoughts on:

• Building trust through authenticity
• The need for relentless curiosity in security sales
• Meticulous notetaking with an always learning attitude

Brass Tacks: We get into specific recommendations for those starting out in sales, and how to balance "nice" with "pushy." Spoiler alert: It doesn't matter if you're not providing value.

Subscribe today!

www.bareknucklespod.com

This episode is filled with so much gold, we should charge you Big 4 consulting fees just to listen to it! Industry leader Merritt Baer talks about the role of the Field CISO, and how she advises young companies. But in between those topics is so much fire.

George K and George A talk to Merritt about:

🤝The value and empathy a Field CISO can bring to customers

💼 How to build the business case for security projects (and what sales folks can learn from that)

🏗️ How building a security culture might be more about doing and planning

🚀 Lessons learned for founders trying to solve problems and taking those solutions to market

Follow Merritt on X @merrittbaer and LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

George K and George A are out this week to keynote SecureWorld Toronto and host the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale. Catch up on interviews you may have missed with:

• Stacey Lokey-Day on collecting experiences to build your career
• Candace Williams on the keys to networking
• Allan Alford on the best ways vendors can engage with CISOs and ensure they stay in good graces
• Jessica Andree on how to build loyalty and performance through better talent acquisition
• Kate Wood on the top 3 pieces of advice for advancing your career

———

👊⚡️SUPPORT THE SHOW!

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

What if there was a better way to align what cybersecurity leaders are looking for and what vendors are selling? Victoria Germanova, founder and CEO of Callity believes technology can help do just that. 

In this episode, George K and George A talk to Victoria about:

• 🔥 Her experience with the cold-call trial by fire
• 🛡 Her mission to repair trust in B2B sales
• 🤝  How technology might liberate sellers to focus on what really matters: relationship capital
• 💰 And what she would tell a room full of CROs 

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🛎 Follow our LinkedIn page for more snark, tips, analysis, and giveaways!

👊 ⚡️ 

What does cybersecurity messaging look like to an outsider? Mariana Padilla, CEO of KIKrr, steps into the ring! George K and George A dialed in from opposite sides of the globe for this one!

In this episode:

🙌 Democratizing the software buying process

🤝 The power of community and storytelling

👀 Mariana's outsider perspective on cybersecurity's jargon addiction

💰 Where DEI needs to start in tech (hint: not just jobs)

📲 We want to hear from you! If you have an experience -good or bad- that you want to share, record a memo and send it our way to bareknucklespod [at] gmail.com! We’d love to feature your experience!

———

🙌 This Month: The Cyber Community Month challenge is ON!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

This week, George K and George A:

• Dig into the specious AI-powered outreach messaging tactics looming on the horizon
• Establish the new "Radio Silence Rate" metric using simple Jedi mind tricks
• Look at cybersecurity news from the US
• And George K dishes advice on how CISOs can prep for budget-tightening cycles

Again, for those in the back:

🔊 👂 Vendors, turn it up and take notes! If you pay attention, George A is effectively outlining how to approach CISOs when budgets are tight...!

✈️  Are you heading to RSA? Stay tuned for some exciting meet up opportunities!

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

www.bareknucklespod.com

Dr. Chase Cunningham, aka Dr. Zero Trust, joins the show to talk Zero Trust credibility, the state of leadership in cyber, and more!

George K and George A talk to Chase about:

⚓️ His unlikely journey from Navy engineer to cybersecurity expert

🛡️ The evolution and future of the zero trust model in combating modern threats

📚 Insights from his latest book on leadership

🏎️ And perhaps a new land speed record for the number of f-bombs in a BKBT episode…

🧨 In the Teardown: George A tells you just how much money a bad demo experience can cost you (Hint: it’s a lot).

Hacker and researcher Adrian Wood (threlfall), an expert red teamer joins the show to talk about using supply chain attack techniques to poison AI models. This is the cutting edge, and most organizations are entirely unprepared.

George K and George A talk to Adrian about:

🛡️ The practical challenges and misconceptions around AI threats

⛓️ How attacking ML models is similar to supply chain attacks but in a far more complex environment

🧩 The importance of understanding your business and ML pipelines for better security

🔍 Tips and strategies for how Blue Teams can start building defenses and where they should focus their attention today

Recommendations for learning more:

• Adrian’s research
• DEFCON 31 AI Village Presentation
• Andrej Karpathy's YouTube channel
• Andrej Karpathy's GitHub
• Fast.ai
• Adrian's Resource List

We're speaking at SquadCon on August 8th! Get your tix here: https://blackgirlshack.org/event-5495307 

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Support the show!
✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn
⭐️ Leave us a rating
☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

What does it really take to break into cyber? Mari Galloway jumps into the ring and brings her 15+ years of experience to bear.

George K and George A talk to Mari about:

🤔 The evolution of the cybersecurity industry and the challenges faced by women and minorities

😒 The rise of influencer culture in cybersecurity and what we’re NOT telling newcomers

🤝 The mission and growth of the Women's Society of Cyberjutsu

🎯 Practical advice for newcomers and career pivoters in cybersecurity

Further Reading:

• Securing Our Future by The Black Women in Cyber Collective
• CC Certified in Cybersecurity Cert Guide (NEW!)

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Support the show!

✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave us a rating

☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

Candace Williams, security leader, joins the show to talk about what ACTUALLY matters in networking and professional development in cybersecurity. No BS, just real talk from someone who's lived it.

George K and George A talk to Candace about:

• Why your internal barriers are often bigger than external ones
• The truth about transactional networking (spoiler: it doesn't work)
• Why chasing certs and being a “paper tiger” might not get you the job (and what will!)
• Why preparation beats perfection when opportunities arise

Candace drops some serious wisdom about building authentic relationships vs just collecting LinkedIn connections. Whether you're starting out or leading teams, this episode has something for you.

P.S. And no, she won't look at your resume if the first time you reach out is to ask for a job

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🇨🇦 We’ll be setting the stage on fire with the opening keynote at SecureWorld Toronto on April 8th. And…we’ll be closing out the show with our signature event, the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale!

Use our exclusive discount codes to save on registration for SecureWorld Toronto:

• BKBTSWC1 $50 off - BKBT Conference Pass
• BKBTSWO1 $50 off - BKBT Open Session Pass
• BKBTSWP1 $75 off - BKBT Plus Pass

Register to attend the Cyber Pitch Battle Royale here: https://lu.ma/of952b1f

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👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

CEO Carolina Ruiz jumps into the ring to talk about leading cyber consultancy, the value of diverse skill sets, and how she memorized ISO 27001 in a weekend! 😳

George K and George A talk to Carolina about:

🤔 The evolving threat landscape and its impact on cybersecurity strategies

🎓 Addressing the skill shortage in cybersecurity and innovative ways to tackle it

📜 The implications of new legislation and regulations in different markets

🌎 The growth and potential of the cybersecurity industry in Latin America

📚 Recommended reading:

• Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch: The Secret of Extraordinary Results, Igniting the Passion Within
• The Culture Map

—————————

Support the show!
✅ Subscribe and share your fave episode on LinkedIn
⭐️ Leave us a rating
☕️ Make a donation or sustaining contribution: https://lnkd.in/ewvn_ZGx

Now dropping on Mondays! In this episode, George K and George A take on:

• Toronto! That's right, both Georges are heading to the Canadian Women in Cybersecurity conference, hosted by SiberX. This podcast was cooked up after a ten-minute conversation at Black Hat 2022. Imagine what the crew can cook up in 24 hours!
  
• 💸 Sales tomfoolery continues, including ghosting warm leads...?! Isn’t revenue the goal…?
  
• 🛑 How to lose business!…by breaking trust and going around the project owner.
  
• 🙌 Developing personnel through autonomy, goal-setting, and more!

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🔔 Follow the LinkedIn page for updates, tips, snark, and giveaways!

👊 ⚡️

Welcome to Season 3! This week we’re bringing you the live recording of our talk at SquadCon during Hack Summer Camp a few weeks back. Our talk was called, “Future Proof Your Career with Cyber Threat Intelligence Techniques.” Many thanks again to the Black Girls Hack Foundation and the SquadCon crew for having us, and to Rebekah Skeete for the killer intro!

And, we’re fast approaching episode 100 of this podcast! We’re doing an AMA with a very special guest host. 

So, what do you wanna ask us? 

Email your questions to bareknucklespod@gmail.com, with "AMA" in the subject line. If we air your question, you can expect some special swag your way!

Longtime listener Sarah Breathnach jumps in the hot seat! Sarah shares her unique (and refreshing) perspective on cybersecurity marketing.

George K and George A talk to Sarah about:

🌐 The critical balance between being thought-provoking and respectful in content creation

👥 Building an audience and the importance of credibility and authenticity

🔮 How to stand out in the traditional, lead-gen heavy cybersecurity landscape

🤝 The shift towards value-driven content over conventional marketing tactics like whitepapers and tradeshows

🛍️The BKBT Merch Store is NOW OPEN!

Get 25% off! Use code: RSAC25SWAG

Expires May 24, 2024. $25 minimum order required.

Kristin Demoranville joins the show this week to talk securing the food supply chain as critical infrastructure, incidents’ effect on the global economy, representation in ICS/OT, and more!

George K and George A talk to Kristin about:

• Dispelling misconceptions about OT security
• The food industry as critical infrastructure
• The need for more diverse voices in OT/ICS security to drive innovation and better solutions
• How to break into OT security

Plus some raw honesty about being a woman founder in the space and building community despite the challenges.

———

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!

🤖 👍 Longtime listener and seasoned BDR, Nafis Muhammad, steps into the ring! What a story this guy has! George K and George A talk to Nafis about what he learned about building relationships and trust from selling door to door.

Also in this episode:

😳 How Nafis persevered after trying to cold connect with George A

💡 How he incorporated ChatGPT and Bard into his workflows without sacrificing relationship building

🤝 His approaches to personalization

🩺 Why domain health means so much to his outreach efforts

🐉 🛡 And Nafis runs an especially spicy Sales Gauntlet!

✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

🚀 Launching a ballistic payload of insight at your brainbox! Royce Markose jumps into the ring with over 20 years experience, from auditing mainframes, to Fortune500 enterprise infosec, and now to vCISO.

George K and George A talk to Royce about:

🤔 What’s changed for SecOps leaders and how they should approach career growth

🎱 How to break into cyber, and how it’s different today than when he started

🤝 Why networking with vendors is vital for practitioners

🎯 For marketing and sales: What he really wants when he goes to a conference as a CISO

Follow Royce on LinkedIn

👊⚡️ Become a Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks member!

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

If they try to shut you out of a conference, start your own! That’s what BlackGirlsHack did with SquadCon, creating arguably one of the most inclusive cybersecurity events in the industry. And one with the dopest after-party. Part of the leadership team jumped into the ring:

George K and George A talk to BGH about:

✊BlackGirlsHack’s mission and work

🔥The origins story of SquadCon

💅🏾Showing up as your authentic self

💡And their top advice for newcomers and career pivots

Get to SquadCon with our exclusive discount code! Purchase "Pre-Sale Podcast Friends'' tickets at either the General or VIP level. Use registration code "BKBT24." Supplies are limited!

Register here: https://www.blackgirlshack.org/event-5495307/Registration

Many thanks to

• Rebekah Skeete, Chief Operations Officer
• Tanisha O’Donoghue, Chief Strategy Officer
• Dr. Aleise McGowan, CISO

🔔 Follow our LinkedIn page for news, updates, and contests!

This is a special episode, recorded live at the Mind Over Cyber Networking Breakfast and Mindfulness Workshop at RSA Conference 2024. George A was called away for CISO things, but I had a chance to sit down with three guests who wanted to share their stories of resilience: challenges to their mental wellbeing and also the strategies and frameworks they use on the regular to navigate those challenges.

You are not alone. Our hope in sharing these stories is to help others understand many of your peers are going through the same stuff, but more importantly, share the ways they’ve learned to work with and through stress rather than try to block it all out or push it away.

I spoke with Allan Alford, Kade Hennings, and Amanda Berlin. We're grateful for their time.

WARNING: There is a mention of suicide in my last conversation, with Amanda. It’s in the general, abstract sense, nothing specific or graphic, but a warning all the same.

🙌 Today is World Children’s Day! We’re thrilled to bring you a series of interviews with the children of cybersecurity friends and colleagues, ages 9, 11, 14, 17, and 23. From curious to career-bound, George K and George A cover a lot of ground. In this episode:

🎩 Staying safe from “Black Hat” hackers!

🤖 Will the future be made of helpful or harmful robots?

🔐 Protecting your personal data and staying safe on social.

🎓 What excites a current student about a career in cyber!

The kids are alright. Let’s meet the moment and work on making technology safe for them!

🙏 Many thanks to the kids and parents for making the time for these interviews over the last month.

Oh, and another milestone: our first “clean” episode! 😂

✅ Subscribe to Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, wherever you get your podcasts!

George K calls in from the road, and he and George A reflect on powerful experiences with community in cyber from the past week.

Also in this episode: 

• What genuine leadership looks like
• How not to lose the room
• Up-leveling your conference game
• Why sexist conference practices need to called out
• Calling all VCs!

Mentioned in this episode: A Theory of Zoom Fatigue

Subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com

Kenneth Ellington returns, one year later to talk about the changes from leaving his corporate gig to work for himself.

George K and George A talk to Kenneth about:

• How he's balancing running a cybersecurity academy, staffing agency, AND active security work
• Real talk about the challenges of building business processes from scratch
• Brutally honest advice about job hunting in cyber
• Why job opportunities still exist in cyber - but you need the right mindset
• Contract work vs full-time positions

Favorite quote: "Be honest with yourself. Lying to yourself never is a good option."

Whether you're looking to break into cyber, considering the leap to entrepreneurship, or just want some straight talk about the industry - this episode delivers valuable insights from someone walking the walk.

Shout out this episode: Henry Davis, Techtual

With a sick guest, and some time zone tango as George K and George A are both traveling, we bring you a Best Of edition, featuring key moments from recent conversations with Evgeniy Kharam, Eliza May Austin, Medus4 aka Katelyn Bowden, and Jeff Wheatman.

In this episode:

• Tactical booth strategies to build credibility at events
• Reputation recovery from bad outreach
• A hacker’s advice on getting started and what male allies can do to stamp out toxic masculinity in cyber
• And how to lead sales with giving and relationship building

Also this week, we’re featuring a recent voice memo from listener Nick Mullen!

If you have an experience - good or bad - that you want to share, send us a voice memo at bareknucklespod [at] gmail.com

We’d love to feature your experience!

Long time listener and fellow podcast host, Jason Carrico, jumps into the ring to talk about the challenge of scaling sales teams! George K and George A really get into the nitty gritty on this one!

In this episode:

👁️ Where sellers should focus their attention (hint: it’s not the top of the funnel)

📈Common pitfalls to avoid when scaling a startup sales team

🤝 How all that “salesy stuff” is really a team effort with the buyer

🧠 The difference a change in mindset can make vs studying different sales methodologies

📕 Mentioned in this episode: “The Unsold Mindset”

🎧 Check out Jason’s podcast, “All That Salesy Stuff,” hosted along with his friend Walt.

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🙌 This October: The Cyber Community Month challenge is ON!

Vendors: we’re challenging you to come up with campaigns that give back to the customer community rather than sending awareness spam.

Client-side practitioners: Engage your communities, volunteer at schools, help nonprofits, etc. to spread cyber skills beyond just their employees.

🏆 We’re awarding prizes in November. Share your efforts on social with #CyberCommunityChallenge!

On the show this week: Reanna Schultz, SOC Team Lead and all-around badass, talks about life in the trenches of cybersecurity operations.

George K and George A talk to Reanna about:

🎯 What vendors get wrong about SOC life (hint: it's not all about alert fatigue)

🔍 The importance of integrating new tools with existing processes

🤝 Building authentic relationships in the cybersecurity community

💪 Developing communication skills for high-pressure situations

Plus, she shares her journey of finding mentors and building her career without following the typical playbook.

Whether you're a vendor trying to connect with SOC teams or an aspiring analyst looking to level up, this episode is packed with a lotta juice!

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🔥Want a little BKBT fire for your conference? Or maybe your GTM team needs a high-test dose of buyer insight at your next SKO! Drop us a line at bareknucklespod@gmail.com

This week Jeanette Belashov, of Anvilogic, joins the show to talk about smarter and more authentic cybersecurity marketing.

George K and George A talk to Jeanette about:

• Why the lead gen MQL mindset is total BS and hurts both your strategy AND your buyers
• Using selling signals instead of vanity metrics to actually help your sales team connect with the right accounts at the right time about the right use case
• Why marketers MUST get their hands dirty with the product and spend time understanding the day-to-day challenges of practitioners
• Creating hybrid attribution frameworks that actually make sense for today's complex buyer journeys

Jeanette drops some serious science about how successful cybersecurity marketers need to immerse themselves in the community - from Reddit threads to conference conversations - to truly understand what matters to security teams.

As the CISO said: "This has to be one of the most value-filled episodes I've ever been a part of... You could probably do an entire course based on the themes and ideas she brought up."

Check out the full episode wherever you listen to podcasts!

Why are so many cybersecurity company founders so bad at talking about their own products?! This week we're joined by Elliot Volkman and Doug Landis to talk about how they used storytelling training to transform one company’s message to its customers!

In this episode:

🤦‍♂️ Why so many founders are terrible at talking about their own products

🎭 The power of storytelling vs. spewing facts and stats

💰 Why companies should invest in communication skills for operators, not just technical skills.

📊 Building trust through customer stories, not flashy banners

🗣️ Practical tips for nailing your next conference presentation

Tune in for some real talk on how to cut through the noise and actually connect with your audience. No BS, just straight advice.

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🏔️We’re coming to SecureWorld Denver! Here are some exclusive discount codes:

BKBTSWC1    Conference Pass $50.00 Discount

BKBTSWO1    Open Sessions (Free)

BKBTSWP1    Plus Pass $75.00 Discount

🔥Want a little BKBT fire for your conference? Or maybe your GTM team needs a high-test dose of buyer insight at your next SKO! Drop us a line at bareknucklespod@gmail.com

🎙️ Veterans Day Podcast Panel!

We brought together an incredible panel of veterans who made the leap into cybersecurity:

George K and George A get into a raw and honest conversation about:

🔄 The realities of transitioning out to civilian life

😳 The culture shock of moving from military to corporate life

👏 Why military experience IS relevant experience (even if you think it isn't)

🤝 The power of networking and how to do it well

Many thanks to our panelists!

• Rick McElroy (USMC)
• Tom Marsland (US Navy)
• Larci Robertson (US Navy)
• Rafael Nuñez (US Air Force)
• and George A (Canadian Army)

————

👊⚡️BECOME A SHOW SUPPORTER

https://ko-fi.com/bareknucklesbrasstacks

For as little as $1 a month, you can support the show and get exclusive member benefits, or send a one-time gift!

Your contribution covers our hosting fees, helps us make cool events and swag, and it lets us know that what we're doing is of value to you.

We appreciate you!