The Cyber Talent Matrix

Episode Summary What happens when you refuse to let the traditional mold define your path in cybersecurity? In this episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix , hosts Jeff Welgan , Dr. Sasha Vanterpool , and Will Denman dive into a bold, unfiltered conversation with Caitlin Sarian , the force behind Cybersecurity Girl . Moving past the standard "how-to" career checklist, this episode lifts the hood on the...

Episode Summary As organizations rush to integrate Artificial Intelligence, many are finding that AI has become "The Great Equalizer." When every knowledge worker has access to the same models and speed, where does competitive advantage come from? In this episode, hosts Jeff Welgan , Dr. Sasha Vanterpool, and Will Denman are joined by Jonathan Aberman , CEO of Hupside, to explore the concept of Or...

In this Season 2 premiere of The Cyber Talent Matrix , Jeff Welgan dives into the "Perfect Storm" currently reshaping the global cyber workforce. Joined by special guest Brian Correia , Director of Business Development at SANS | GIAC, we deconstruct the findings of the newly released 2026 Cybersecurity Workforce Research Report . The data reveals a fundamental transformation: for the first time, t...

In this episode of the Cyber Talent Matrix, host Jeff Welgan is joined by experts Dr. Sasha Vanterpool and Will Denman, along with special guest Dawn Butler, a former senior leader at Citi and host of "Bytes Bits and Brilliance." Together, they delve into the challenges of navigating an uncertain job market in cybersecurity, focusing on career disruption, identity, and resilience. Dawn shares her...

In this special Thanksgiving edition of The Cyber Talent Matrix , we step away from dashboards and datasets to focus on what really drives cybersecurity: people . CEO Jeff Welgan , alongside co-hosts Sasha Vanterpool and Will Denman , takes a candid look at the cyber workforce narrative — and Jeff doesn’t hold back. In this episode, he calls “bullsh*t” on the long-standing myth of a cyber talent s...

What does it take to strengthen our nation’s cyber resilience? Collaboration, intelligence sharing, and people ready to act when it matters most. In this episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix, host Jeff Welgan and co-hosts Sasha Vanterpool and Will Denman are joined by Dr. Katrina Rosseini, Chairwoman of the Board for the Civilian Reserve Information Sharing and Analysis Center (CR-ISAC) — an organiz...

What does it take to build a more inclusive, confident, and capable cyber workforce? Data, community, and a clear mission. In this episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix, host Sasha Vanterpool is joined by co-hosts Jeff Welgan and Will Denman, along with special guest Rebekah Skeete, Executive Director and CEO of BlackGirlsHack, to explore insights from the 2025 BlackGirlsHack Cyber Talent Study — a c...

S1E3: Forecasting Cyber Talent: Today’s Market, Tomorrow’s Skills Oct 7, 2025 The headlines say cybersecurity is facing a talent shortage — but what’s the real story in today’s labor market? And more importantly, what skills will define the cyber workforce of tomorrow? In this episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix, co-hosts Jeff Welgan, Sasha Vanterpool, and Will Denman are joined by special guest Wi...

S1E2: What's your Skill Language: Sep 24, 2025 Cybersecurity has no shortage of frameworks and taxonomies — NIST NICE, Defense Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF), SFIA, ENISA, and more. Each provides a structured way of defining roles, skills, and competencies, but they don’t always speak the same “language.” In this episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix Live, co-hosts Jeff Welgan, Sasha Vanterpool, an...

Welcome to the Matrix: Co-Hosts, Cyber Talent, and Workforce Intelligence Sep 10, 2025 Join us for the very first episode of The Cyber Talent Matrix! In this kickoff episode, you’ll meet your co-hosts — Jeff Welgan, Sasha Vanterpool, and Will Denman of skillrex — and hear what drives their passion for cyber workforce strategy. We’ll also unpack two big ideas that will shape the show: the Cyber Tal...