Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks

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...

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...

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 Met...

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 abo...

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 question...

How do MSSPs provide real value instead of slinging snake oil? How can they actually build a better client? Mike Pedrick, veteran consultant and vCISO joins the show! George K and George A get into: 🥊 the vCISO battle: legit help or fluffy title? 🌳 which outreach tactics make Mike want to end someone's family tree! 📝 why a mindset around signed contract at any cost will always erode trust ...

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 🤝...

Maril Vernon is a force of nature. Last year alone she won hacker of the year, keynoted a DefCon village, and also won the SANS DMA for podcast of the year, and there's no sign of her slowing down. George K and George A talk to Maril about: ⚡️ Making the career transition from operator to business leader. ⚙️  The ONE thing she looks for in new tooling. 🔮 And what the very near future holds...

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 balan...

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...

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!

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 researc...

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 distress...

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 messa...

🥳 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: ma...

🙌 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...

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 announc...

Globetrotting SDR Chris Lieu jumps into the ring! He’s got a storied background and he’s new to cyber, so George K and George A wanted to find out: 🤔The role curiosity has played in his career so far 🤙How he establishes connections with prospects 😳Why he’s turned DOWN meetings ⏳ And how to value CISOs’ time We also bring back the Sales Gauntlet! 🐉🔥 ✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts...

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 l...

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...

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 rea...

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 te...

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 start...

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 communicati...

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 cybersecur...