The Security Circle

Send us Fan Mail “I didn’t feel pain. I didn’t hear gunfire. I just thought: ‘Derek, you idiot — how can you be falling at a time like this?’”   BIO *Shot 14 times with a high-powered rifle *Conscious and bleeding for 3 hours before rescue *30 seconds from death *Returned to elite sniper and counter-terrorism duties 2 years later *Zero anxiety, depression, or PTSD or ongoing therapy When you, your...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Episode Summary Inside the Polygraph Room: What the Body Reveals When Words Lie with Alan Saquella “A polygraph isn’t a lie detector — it’s a physiological monitor. The body reacts long before words do.” — Alan Saquella Polygraph tests are often misunderstood — portrayed as simple “lie detectors” with jerking needles and dramatic reveals. In this episode, polygraph examiner and...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Episode Summary A Continent in Motion: Eva Noelle on Security, Risk, and the Future of Security Risk in Africa In this powerful year-end conversation, Eva Noelle brings rare depth, context, and realism to what it truly means to operate in security, intelligence, and risk across the African continent. Drawing on extensive experience working across more than 50 African countries,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Security Circle Podcast, Host Yolanda “Yoyo” Hamblen is joined by Chris Stitt , a highly respected security and leadership practitioner whose career spans crisis management, international security operations, and complex bureaucratic environments. Chris brings rare credibility to the leadership conversation — not from theory, but from lived experience in hig...

Send us Fan Mail It’s Not in the Manual: Michael Gips on Writing the Leadership Book Security Needed In this powerful and deeply human episode of The Security Circle Podcast , host Yolanda “Yoyo” Hamblen is joined by one of the most respected voices in global security leadership, Michael Gips , to explore why the security profession needed this leadership book—and why it needed it now . Michael sh...

Send us Fan Mail Podcast Summary In this standout episode of The Security Circle , security legend Jeff Slotnick returns for his second appearance, bringing extraordinary depth, wisdom, and vulnerability. Fresh from a life-changing battle with cancer — which he faced with discipline, positivity, and what he jokingly calls “giving cancer a healthy body” — Jeff reflects on resilience not as a buzzwo...

Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Podcast Summary — When Sport, Strategy & Security Collide Security Isn’t a Solo Sport — And Why That Needs to Change In this powerful episode of The Security Circle , Yolanda “Yoyo” Hamblen sits down with security heavyweight Paul Harvey to explore the unexpected intersections between elite sport, leadership, crisis management, and modern protective security. Paul shares hi...

Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Episode Summary — “Why Defensive Security Isn’t Enough Anymore” In this episode, cybersecurity author, keynote speaker and ethical hacker Terry Cutler joins The Security Circle to unpack the harsh realities of today’s cyber threat landscape. Terry discusses the shift organisations are experiencing as budgets tighten while attacks accelerate, and shares real-world examples of ra...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful and engaging episode, YoYo sits down with Steve McGrath, the Head of Security at Wembley Stadium, to explore what it really takes to protect one of the world’s most iconic venues. With a background in counter terrorism policing and years of operational leadership, Steve shares an inside look into managing security for events that bring in up to 120,000 people at a...

Send us Fan Mail In Conversation with Kathy Lavinder In this powerful and wide-ranging episode, Yolanda “YoYo” Hamblen sits down with Kathy Lavinder , one of the most respected and experienced global recruiters in the physical security sector. With 25 years at the helm of her specialist search firm, Kathy brings clarity, honesty, and deep industry insight into the evolving world of security hiring...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Episode Summary AI changes the game — but humans still write the rules with Julian Fisher & Gavin Stone In this powerful episode of The Security Circle , former British intelligence specialists Julian Fisher and Gavin Stone pull back the curtain on the shifting landscape of espionage, AI, and global security. We explore the critical truth shaping modern intelligence work: T...

Send us Fan Mail “Predictability doesn’t make you weak — it’s what frees your brain to lead with strength. The more predictability you build, the more resilient your people become.” JSL. 🎙️ Podcast Summary: “Rewiring Resilience: From Surviving to Thriving” In this powerful episode of The Security Circle , Yolanda “YoYo” Hamblen sits down with Jennifer Selby Long , an executive coach and transforma...

Send us Fan Mail “In aviation security, there are no true competitors — just allies in the air, all working toward the same goal: keeping people safe.” Nigel Williams — Global Head of Security, Virgin Atlantic Nigel has extensive intelligence, investigative, and corporate security experience, having worked in both the public and private sectors, including business intelligence, UK counterterrorism...

Send us Fan Mail Bio: Dr Grant Van Ulbrich is an internationally recognised pioneer in Personal Change Management and the founder of Scared So What®, the world’s first personal change model, methodology, and app. His work empowers individuals and organisations to embrace transformation through leadership development, executive coaching, and scalable technology. A Forbes, Wall Street, Entrepreneur-...

Send us Fan Mail “Leadership isn’t about the badge on your chest or the title on your card — it’s about the respect you earn and the trust you build.” Episode Summary: No Titles, Just Leadership In this candid conversation, Guy and Phil dive deep into what real leadership looks like in the security industry. They strip away the labels and titles to focus on the qualities that truly inspire trust a...

Send us Fan Mail Jennifer Fraser is an author, award-winning educator, and consultant. She has a PhD in Comparative Literature and her books have always focused on how we have the capacity to transform ourselves. We can go from being readers to writers of culture. We can reject society's demands that we suppress our emotions and instead come alive with them. We can question the bullying dynam...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Podcast Summary — The Security Circle Big Scoop: Sir David Omand In this episode, I sit down with Sir David Omand , one of the UK’s most accomplished intelligence leaders, for a rare deep dive into a career at the very heart of national security. From Director of GCHQ to UK Security & Intelligence Coordinator reporting directly to the Prime Minister , Sir David has shaped s...

Send us Fan Mail “Resilience isn’t about never falling — it’s about getting up one more time than you fall.” 🎙️ Episode Summary In this inspiring episode of the Security Circle Podcast , Yolanda sits down with Connie Moorehead , CEO of the CMOOR Group, trailblazer, and lifelong mentor in the security industry. Connie opens up about her journey from being underestimated and dismissed — even called...

Send us Fan Mail “In private investigation, every case is different — but the human stories, the scams, the vulnerabilities, remind us why raising professional standards has never mattered more.” BIO With over 25 years of experience in the private sector, I am an accomplished international investigator and business leader with a proven track record in managing complex international investigations....

Send us Fan Mail BIO AMOTZ BRANDES Amotz is the CEO of Chameleon Group, first established in 1992. The company’s reach and reputation has grown and now supports a wide range of clients seeking top rung security consulting and training across the globe. Amotz  began his career in an Israeli Defense Forces Special Forces Reconnaissance Unit, leading recon and intelligence gathering teams on complex...

Send us Fan Mail Career Paul joined the SIA in 2001 after a 33-year career first in HM Armed Forces and then in the Police Service. Paul retired from policing in 2020 as Assistant Chief Constable (Specialist Policing Services) for Bedfordshire Police and the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire constabularies, with responsibility for major crime, armed policing, counter-terrorism, and specialist polic...

Send us Fan Mail “From the drop zone to the boardroom — Matt Hill reveals how hard landings and soldier grit forge stronger, smarter security leaders.”    BIO Matt Hill is a former Parachute Regiment Officer, Farmer, Martial Artist, and teacher of Systema — the natural movement based Russian Martial art blending health and real work self defence skills. From the Systema Academy in Wiltshire he has...

Send us Fan Mail "In this Security Circle episode, former police officer and wellness advocate April Chavez shares her journey from frontline policing to championing resilience, mental health, and self-improvement. Drawing on real-life experiences, April reveals how trauma impacts the mind and body, the power of self-awareness, and why changing yourself can transform the world around you. Her...

Send us Fan Mail BIO Darren Carter – Vice Chair, ASIS UK Chapter 208 | Director of Security, Luxury Hospitality Darren Carter is a highly respected security leader whose career spans over three decades across military, corporate, and luxury hospitality sectors. Beginning his professional journey in the Royal Navy , Darren developed a foundation of discipline, resilience, and operational excellence...

Send us Fan Mail 🔐 Top 5 Things This Podcast Unpacks 🚩 The Rise of Fake Identities in Remote Hiring  Nation-state actors — particularly from North Korea — are using stolen or fabricated identities to secure legitimate remote IT roles inside Western organisations, bypassing traditional recruitment filters. 🎭 Deepfakes and Digital Deception  From AI-generated avatars to fake GitHub profiles and f...