The Security Student Podcast

Today I'm joined by Michael Farley. He is a 17-year veteran of the security industry who has worked in GSOC leadership at some of the most demanding technology environments. He specializes in standing up and optimizing global security operations centers, engineering SOPs, runbooks, and instructional systems that turn operational chaos into what he calls "Source of Truth" command hub...

Today's guest is Michael Gips, Managing Director of Enterprise Security Risk Management at Kroll and founder of Global Insights in Professional Security. Mike holds both the CPP and Chartered Security Professional designations, and his path to security is one of the most unconventional I've come across — starting with a Harvard Law degree, a clerkship reviewing death penalty cases at the...

Today, I am delighted to introduce Jerry Heying, CEO and President of the International Protection Group (IPG), overseeing global executive protection, secure transportation, and security services across 40+ countries. He also serves as Executive Protection and Security Director at the Executive Protection Institute, a training school certifying specialists and trainers over his 18-year tenure. He...

Dr. Elizabeth Goins is a leading communication expert specializing in executive coaching, consulting, and training worldwide. Her highlights include a Ph. D. in Organizational Communication & Technology from The University of Texas at Austin, researching narratives for complex tech, regulations, and policies in oil and gas. She advanced via a post-doc at a cybersecurity think tank, translating...

Simon Osamoh is a seasoned security practitioner with over 20 years of experience in counterterrorism, risk management, and security consulting. His career highlights include leading counter terrorism at the Mall of America. He’s also spent 14 years as a detective in England, collaborating with intelligence services on the 2006 liquid bomb terrorism plot, which reshaped global aviation security. A...

#041 – In this next episode, I was joined by Terry Conlon, a global leader in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and the author of The CPTED Paradigm – A Holistic Approach to Crime Prevention . Today’s conversation explored what CPTED is, how it’s applied differently across global communities, how to sell the idea to decision makers, the central role of people in the process, an...

In this special (AI) recap episode of The Security Student Podcast , Travis reflects on the biggest lessons from his last ten conversations — spanning architecture and PropTech, intelligence, crime analysis, business continuity, red teaming, executive protection, and more. Instead of rehashing every detail, this episode dives into the themes, insights, and takeaways that matter most for security p...

#039 - Today’s guest is Paula Balmori Beltrán, Global Director of Security Design and Integration at Brivo, President of the Secure Building Council, and Director of the U.S. CPTED Association. Paula is a recognized leader at the intersection of architecture, security, and PropTech. Her background spans architectural design, risk consulting for military bases, and security leadership for global en...

#038 – In this next episode, I was joined by Randall Stickley, a Lead Intelligence-Targeting Analyst supporting federal law enforcement and national security clients. His prior work includes intelligence specialist and supervisory roles addressing drug crises, corporate threats, and national security issues, as well as supporting Fusion Centers. Randy is also an instructor and active member of mul...

#037 – In this next episode, I was joined by Erin Grippo, Senior Manager of Product Operations at Brivo, who brings nearly a decade of experience in the security industry across marketing, business strategy, partnerships, and product operations. Today’s conversation explored Erin’s career journey and how she navigated major transitions across roles, companies, and countries. We discussed her philo...

#036 — In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Bruner, a crime analyst and adjunct professor with a rich background in crime analysis, intelligence, and law enforcement. We discuss how crime analysts support their organizations, key skills for success, advice for aspiring practitioners, and more. Amanda currently works at CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation, providing training and assis...

#035—In this next episode, I was once again joined by Jeff Donaldson, PhD, to continue the conversation on emergency preparedness, this time discussing it in the context of enterprises and business continuity.  This episode starts by looking at the topic from a business perspective. Specifically, we covered a range of ideas, including adaptive business continuity compared to the traditional approa...

#034 - In this next episode, I was joined by Jeff Donaldson, PhD to kick off a new topic we haven't discussed on the podcast yet — emergency preparedness. This episode starts with a look at the topic from a micro perspective, personal preparedness, and future episodes will touch on the macro, such as corporate or public-level preparedness and resiliency. Jeff brings a tremendous amount of exp...

#033 - In this next episode, I was joined by Ben Hosking, executive protection leader, and Business Manager with Panoptic Solutions , who serves as clients' go-to provider in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific. Ben contributed great insights to this episode from his about 2 decades of experience, ranging from serving as a Territory Response Group Operator supporting Dignitary Protection, Tactic...

#032 - In this next episode, I was joined by Shawn Abelson, physical red teamer, business owner, and graduate faculty member with the University of Minnesota's Security Technology Program. Shawn's led and developed Red Team programs and he has a ton of great insights for those interested in the red team philosophy and how to develop red teaming skills. His experience spans diverse roles...

#031 - In this next episode, I was joined by Sean Salomé, who has a very unique career that's spanned from 0311 and special operations as a MARSOC Operator to leading intelligence programs in the US Marine Corps. Plus, his work on the private side in intelligence and physical security. Additionally, Sean studied international relations at UT Austin. Our conversation today was focused on proje...

#030 - In this next episode, I was stoked to be joined by Kyle Croll, GMON, GCIH, Sec+, and MBA candidate at UT Austin.  He's lived the life of a physical security practitioner, from being in the US Navy to protecting high-net-worth clients and advising organizations — what's more is that he's also pivoted from purely physical security projects to technical information/cyber securit...

#029 - In this next episode, I was joined (once again) by Ilya Umanskiy, an experienced security consultant who has advised security organizations and supported physical security, resilience, and investigative projects worldwide. (It's a tradition for me to join Ilya for a podcast session around the end of the year. ) In our last conversation (Episode #1), one of the most downloaded episodes...

#028 - In this next episode, I was joined by Jim McConnell. You'll recognize his name if you follow topics on LinkedIn, such as supply chain security, infosec, physical security, and many more. Jim brings tremendous experience to us from his 30+ years of leading and supporting broad security initiatives in the telecom space. He also contributes to the Technical Committee and Working group of...

#027 - In this next episode, I was honored to be joined by M. George DeBusk, MD, MSc, FACS, FCCP. He's a trauma surgeon and critical care physician specialized in trauma and emergency surgery. What makes him a fantastic resource for security practitioners like us is that he's made a career out of educating, training, and providing medical oversight for security providers, first responder...

#025 - In this next episode, I was joined by the great Nickolas L. Allen, MPH, CPH, once again. As you may recall, Nick joined me on Episode 10 last year. This time he's back to share his experience moving from the Intel Analyst side and on to Emergency Management. What I found most educational about chatting with Nick, was hearing his thoughts on niche areas of emergency management that the...

#026 - In this next episode, I was joined by the man who needs no introduction (but he'll get one anyway) Chuck Andrews, MSME, CPP. He's a leader in the security industry, with over 40 years of law enforcement and corporate security experience. He leads many giant projects, including The Friends of Chuck, Texas Night, and many others. Chuck’s earned his master's in Security Executiv...

#024 - In this next episode, I recorded a joint podcast with Ronald J., founder of the Global Security & Protection Group (GSPG) podcast. We focused this session on sharing our recent experience at the inaugural Executive Security Operations Conference in Kansas City — hosted by the Board of Executive Protection Professionals. We discussed highlights from conference presentations, key ideas we...

#023 - In this next episode I was honored to be joined by Hector Alvarez MSPsy, CTM. He's a leader in workplace violence prevention who has extensive experience supporting clients across industries when it comes to behavioral threat assessment, workplace training, and more. Currently, he's the President of Alvarez Associates LLC where he helps clients with these challenges. Plus, he&apos...

#022 - In this next episode, I took a step back to review notable ideas and topics that came up during the last 7 podcast sessions. How can we learn if we just speed through these episodes? I hope this episode helps solidify key ideas in our minds. --  Get the resources and show notes mentioned in this episode  -- https://thesecuritystudent.com/shownotes