Talent First

SEASON FIVE: This week, I welcome back the wonderful Wendy Goucher, Cyber Consultant at Arcanum and author of the Netta in Cyberland and Eesha series for children, and the Canon Doyle stories for our older relatives. We chat about just how much the tech landscape has changed in the past three years since her first appearance, and how we can continue to protect our families in these increasingly co...

SEASON FIVE - In this week's episode of Talent First, I chat to Ben Tasker, Senior AI Learning Strategist for National Grid. After all the news about AI generated layoffs, I wanted to learn more about how tech professionals can prepare and not panic when it comes to this iteration of tech. We talk about upskilling, reskilling (and how to find the time), as well as how to hire for skills not tradit...

SEASON FIVE: *Sensitive subject matter*. In this week's episode of Talent First, I welcome back one of my favourite guests to the show, Nadja El Fertasi, Founder of Thrive with EQ who talks to me about her most recent offshoot of this venture, Shield with EQ. Nadja's mission is to empower individuals and families to build their personal Emotional Firewalls against scams, deepfakes, and online mani...

SEASON FIVE: In this week's episode of Talent First, I chat to parenting expert Sue Atkins about something that is becoming of increasing concern to parents globally - children and technology. When is the right time to give your child a smartphone? What should schools be doing and what support do they need? Is the UK government doing all it can to tackle online safety and security? For parents, te...

SEASON FIVE - In this episode I’m joined by Joe Wells, a passionate and driven voice in cybersecurity who is determined to make the online world safer for children. Together, we explore  Cyberherd , his inspiring initiative designed to guide parents, educators, and communities in protecting young people as they grow up in an increasingly connected world. Our conversation covers practical strategie...

SEASON FIVE: This episode, I chat to Aska Kuwabara, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Axartoys.ai and Founder of Getitdonewith. AI. We chat about her amazing new AI powered soft toy, MAXI, that aims to educate children not just around the use of AI but in traditional academic subjects too - no screen, just fun. We talk about her journey as a tech entrepreneur, what MAXI can do as well as the...

SEASON FIVE: In this episode of Talent First, I chat to Dr Elena Zehndorfer, academic, researcher and editor-in-chief at Blackheath Publishing. We cover a range of topics that will be of particular interest to parents of teenagers who are navigating the digital world. We discuss the issues of deepfake tech, how to parent in this post-truth era, and why our teens are susceptible targets for cyber c...

SEASON FIVE - In this week's episode, I speak to Stuart Walton about all things security awareness and training for businesses and for the family. We talk about his superhero analogy when it comes to online safety, the different forms of social engineering we encounter every day and how to protect our loved ones in particular from becoming a victim of cybercriminals. With plenty of humour and hear...

SEASON FIVE: In this episode, the first episode of season 5 of our award-winning podcast, I speak to Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org. We discuss a range of topics on our responsibility for understanding AI, not just in organisation but as individuals, so that we have a voice when it comes to its implementation and integration. We also chat about AI literacy and education a...

SEASON FOUR: In this episode, I chat to Lisa Plaggemeir, Executive Director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance about her career to date (from marketing to cybersecurity!), and about the incredible work of the NCA. When it comes to security awareness training, their free resources are second to none and created for people of all ages, including our aging relatives, and for organisations of all...

BONUS EPISODE: This week's episode of Talent First is with an incredible woman in cyberscurity who I have been wanting to chat to for some time! She is Candace Williams, Founder of Cyb(H)er Ally Solutions and staunch advocate for all those entering the profession and for women who are looking to get in and up in this industry. We talk all things influence, thought leadership and how to close the g...

BONUS EPISODE - In this week's episode of Talent First, I chat to one of my favourite women who I am yet to meet in the flesh, Keri-Lynne Shaw, Founder of The Salary Bump and its sister companies, The Career Bump and The Exit Bump. We talk how to negotiate for a better salary and promotion, how to negotiate pay at interview, when it is time to quit and if we should accept that counter offer. And o...

SEASON FOUR - In this fantastic episode, just in time for International Women's Day, I speak to Kathy Staudt, President and Co Founder of The Vibration Guys about her incredible career, about her experiences as a woman in STEM and about how to thrive, not just survive, in a niche industry. Her advice around building effective teams through trust is advice not to be missed. About Our Guest: Serial...

SEASON FOUR - This week, we're doing something a little different. It's a retrospective of three of our favourite episodes with women who are working for or in Texas. I talk sports betting, leadership, the future of cybersecurity and the efficacy of teams three incredible people who are paving the way in technology. About our guests (and their full episodes): Kelly Pracht is Co-Founder and CEO at...

SEASON FOUR: Another great advice-driven episode with Mani Keerthi Nagothu, Field CISO and LinkedIn Learning Instructor. We chat about the benefits of table top exercises as a form of training, how to evaluate progress and follow up as well how to create a security culture, how to prevent security fatigue and how to engender enthusiasm for security awareness, especially with reluctant members of s...

SEASON FOUR: In this episode, I chat to Luz Angeles, Security SE at SHI International Corporation about her views on leading remote teams, on-prem versus remote SOCs, as well as her predictions for security in 2025. We also discuss Luz's career to date, how she finds time to complete qualifications and certs to keep up to date and about her passion for supporting women in this industry through her...

BONUS EPISODE - In this episode of Talent First, I chat to Andy Ellis, author, CSO Hall of Famer and Partner at YL Ventures. We discuss his label of the 'idealized' CISO, what this means and how they are vanishing. We also talk about how to attract and retain talent, how CISOs can bridge the C Suite gap and how CISOs effect change successfully in their first few weeks. Another advice-laden episode...

SEASON FOUR: This week's episode is a bonus episode with Joshua Copeland, Field CISO, Cybersecurity Director and LinkedIn's self proclaimed 'Unpopular Opinions Guy'. We chat about what being a business enabler really means, how to alter the view of the cybersecurity department from cost centre to value add as well as that most contentious of subjects - the distinction between a technical vs a non-...

SEASON FOUR: In this episode of Talent First, I speak to Melinda Stallings, Founder of The Positive Consultant and another fabulous woman who is securing Texas through her leadership and positivity consultancy. We talk about what makes a good leader, how to deal with conflict and how leaders can be empathetic and benevolent without being a pushover. About Our Guest: Melinda Stallings is an interna...

Season Four - In this episode of Talent First, I talk cybersecurity leadership with Sonja Hammond, ORBIE finalist and CISO at National Veterinary Associates. Sonja offers fantastic advice on how to build a cohesive security team and the rewards and challenges of doing this remotely, as well as how to resolve conflicts between team members. We also talk interviewing for fit, and how to identify the...

Season Four - In this first episode of our new season of Talent First, I chat to Susanne Senoff, CISO for PROS about her views of the issue of allyship. We focus on allyship between women in corporate America, how we can support each other and the benefits of mentorship. We also have a quick chat about CISO/Board relationships, so this is an episode not to be missed! About Our Guest: Susanne Senof...

In this week's episode, I chat to Christophe Foulon, vCISO at Quisitive and Adjunct Professor at Bellevue University. We discuss a range of current issues in cybersecurity, from the so called talent gap to what entry level really means, and we chat about Chris's career journey so far. His work with Whole Human Cyber Initiative and his books on nailing the cybersecurity interview will be of huge in...

In this episode of Talent First, I return to the EdTech theme with my guest Martin Saunders, CEO and Co-Founder of EdShed. We discuss the fantastic range of products and services that EdShed offers Primary-aged children to support their learning and their wellbeing and sense of achievement. We discuss a range of topics including neurodiversity in schools, how the system is potentially failing pupi...

In this episode I speak to Professor Sarah Jones, Pro Vice Chancellor for Education at Solent University. We talk about passions that we share - how to enhance learning and teaching through technology, digital equity and accessibility and the future of education. We also discuss Sarah's work on AI literacy and her development of AI literacy frameworks for Higher Education students with a key focus...

In this episode of Talent First, we return to those leading the way in education technology - and this week I talk to Estelle Lloyd, Co-Founder and COO of Macademia, an edutainment platform whose mission is to help parents raise exceptional humans with their focus on being kinder, smarter and with a keen sense of social values. I loved this chat with Estelle - her views on digital literacy, access...