Hacker Valley Studio

Latest Episodes:

Risk: Black Swans Versus Gray Rhinos with Michele Wucker Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever heard of the term, “Black Swans” or “Gray Rhinos”? Black Swan are events that we never saw coming, while Gray Rhinos are the things we see from a mile away. In this episode, author and strategist Michele Wucker explores the gray rhino and risk fingerprint metaphors and translates big picture trends in ways everyday folks can apply to their lives.

Sponsor Links:
A big thank you to our friends at PlexTrac and Axonius for sponsoring this episode!

Axonius, the first company to solve the cybersecurity asset management problem. Give your team's time back to work by checking out axonius.com/

PlexTrac, the proactive cybersecurity management platform, brings red and blue teams together for better collaboration and communication. Check them out at plextrac.com/hackervalley

Guest Bio:

Michele Wucker is a strategist and the author of four books including the global bestseller, THE GRAY RHINO: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore. The metaphor and principles from her book have moved markets, shaped financial policies, and made headlines around the world. It helped to frame the ignored warnings ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic and have even inspired the lyrics of the hit pandemic pop single, “Blue & Grey” by the mega-band BTS. Michele’s 2019 TED Talk has attracted over two million views.

Additional Links:

Learn more about Michele’s research here.

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Choosing the Right Words with Terre Short Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

We believe you are what you listen to -- including the personal podcast that is playing in your head every day. What is it saying to you? Our guest Terre Short excels at distilling leadership skills into actionable steps and choosing the right words to inspire others and giving ourselves the words we need to move forward.

Guest Bio:

Terre Short is a human potential developer who has more than 30 years of leadership experience, a Masters in Business Administration/Healthcare Management, and her Professional Coach Certification (PCC). She coaches leaders on tactics to raise engagement and improve retention. She also leans on the content in her book, “The Words We Choose: Your Guide to How and Why Words Matter in helping others become their best selves.”

Sponsor Links:
A big thank you to our friends at PlexTrac and Axonius for sponsoring this episode!

Additional Links:

Book Terre as a Speaker or Coach and purchase Terre's book

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Becoming the Maestro with Rob White Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

When Rob White was a child, someone called him a loser -- it wasn't until he confronted his negative talk that he rose to greatness. From humble beginnings to his current status as a real estate developer, restaurateur, world traveler, international best-selling author, Rob has distilled his life experiences into sound, practical advice. Listen carefully to this episode because it's time to bring out YOUR inner maestro.

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Uptycs and Axonius

Additional Links:

Stay in touch with Rob White on Twitter and pick up his book, The Maestro Monologue here

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Episode 200 Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Ron and Chris take a stroll down podcast memory lane in celebration of Hacker Valley’s 200th episode. The guys reflect on their rise from humble podcast beginnings, their ever-growing fascination with human-centric stories, making a difference, and what lies ahead for Hacker Valley Media.

Key Takeaways:

01:29 Celebrating episode 200!

02:47 From humble, homegrown beginnings

03:38 Scaling and growing

06:12 Facing our biggest challenges

08:21 Tapping into our inner child

13:20 Human-centric stories

17:14 Making a difference

18:45 Thanking our team

20:37 Thanking our listeners

21:39 A humbling realization

22:40 What’s to come?

25:00 Growing together

27:05 Our advice to you

29:03 Stay in touch!

Sending all of our listeners a big THANK YOU for all of the love, support, and feedback we’ve received over the last 3 years! We could not have done it without you. Cheers to the next 3 years! - Ron and Chris

Links:

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Uptycs and Axonius

Episode 199 - Sharing The Mic with Camille Stewart Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Ron and Chris are joined by Camille Stewart, the Global Head of Product Security Strategy at Google and Co-Founder of Share The Mic. The trio have an honest conversation about advocacy and representation in cybersecurity, the story behind Camille’s Share The Mic social movement, how we can begin to move in the right direction, and how culture shapes the way we interact with technology. Lastly, Chris talks about Hacker Valley’s stance on representation – from award nominations to our greatest loss in listenership history.

Key Takeaways:

02:47 Bio

05:43 Advocacy - it’s in my DNA

07:16 Giving a voice to the underrepresented

08:54 “Share The Mic”

12:28 The state of diversity in cybersecurity

14:28 Achieving a better tomorrow

18:94 How do we bridge the opportunities gap?

20:13 The intersection of culture and technology

22:45 Who is Camille Stewart?

26:00 The dark side of speaking up

28:53 This is a mission critical issue

30:12 Stay in touch with Camille!

Links:

Stay in touch with Camille Stewart on Twitter | LinkedIn |Instagram

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Uptycs and Axonius

Episode 198 - Scaling Your Efforts with Veronica Kirin Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Ron and Chris sit down with anthropologist, author, entrepreneur and coach, Veronica Kirin, to learn how she distilled her seventy hour work week down to ten. Veronica shares her knowledge on helping small businesses scale, why and which automation tools are a scaling must-have, hiring best practices, and the power of goal mapping. Lastly, Veronica shares her seventy year business plan method which helps folks actualize their long-term vision.

Key takeaways:

02:53 Bio

04:39 Anthropology and business - bridging the gap

07:37 What is scaling and how do we do it right?

11:20 Tools to help you scale - Ron’s take

13:55 Veronica’s 3 Pillars of Business Scaling

16:33 Hiring woes

17:18 Hiring best practices - trip wires

20:38 How are current events changing business?

23:21 Actualizing your legacy

26:52 Creating goal maps

30:12 Get connected

31:30 Reach out for help

33:16 Stay in touch with Veronica!

Hacker Valley Studio: Swag | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Veronica Kirin: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

Thank you to our friends at Axonius and Uptycs for sponsoring this episode.

Episode 197 - Leading Your Tribe with Simone Knego Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Ron and Chris are joined by speaker, entrepreneur, mother of six and the best-selling author of The Extraordinary UnOrdinary You, Simone Knego. The trio explore the highs and lows of parenting, while attempting to manage it all – and then some! Simone shares how believing in herself was the secret sauce behind writing a book and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, why patience truly is a virtue, and how a positive mindset can help get you through even the toughest of days. Lastly, soon-to-be-married Ron Eddings, gets advice on marriage and building a family.

Key takeaways:

02:33 Bio

04:01 Staying humble

05:11 Positive role modeling

07:43 Raising a multi cultural family

09:10 Trying to manage it all

10:57 The book - sharing her story

13:35 Believing in yourself

15:29 Patience is a virtue

18:47 Mindset and daily affirmations

22:21 Social media and “mom guilt”

24:21 Advice for the soon-to-be married, Ron

26:50 Self-care and honoring your family

28:46 Stay in touch with Simone!

Hacker Valley Studio: Swag | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Simone Knego: LinkedIn | Website | Facebook

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

Thank you to our friends at Axonius and Uptycs for sponsoring this episode.

Episode 196 - Cybersecurity Advocates with Julie Haney Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Ron and Chris are joined by Julie Haney – a computer scientist and Usable Security Researcher at NIST, to talk about the human within the technologist. The trio sit down and have a powerful discussion on ways in which cybersecurity practitioners can bring their best work to the table, the importance of empathy within the workplace, and how to empower ourselves and the security community at large.

Key Takeaways:

02:55 Bio

06:46 Why research?

08:55 Bringing your best work to the table

11:28 Surprising research

12:46 What’s your superpower?

16:10 Empathy in practice

19:27 B.E.S.T.O.W.

22:22 Normalizing CS Advocacy

25:07 What’s missing in cybersecurity?

27:12 Being more intentional

Julie Haney: LinkedIn | Website | Twitter

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

Thank you to our friends at Axonius and Uptycs for sponsoring this episode.

Episode 195 - Shades Of Yes with David Chislett Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Ron and Chris are joined by author, poet, musician, artist and entrepreneur, David Chislett. David dives deep into the beauty and power of creativity and the creative process. The trio explore reasons we become less creative over time, how technologists can begin tapping into their creativity and why we should start replacing “but” with “and.”

Key Takeaways:

02:37 Bio

03:42 Origin as a creative

05:40 Losing creativity over time

10:23 A daily commitment to creativity

12:05 Structure in creativity

15:10 The hero’s journey

23:34 Innovation vs. Creativity

25:38 Defining creativity

28:59 Get in touch

Links:

David Chislett: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Join our monthly mastermind group via Patreon

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Uptycs and Axonius

Episode 194 - Priming the Mind for Happiness with Zahra Karsan Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of Hacker Valley Studio, Ron and Chris are joined by the author of 6 Weeks to Happy, success coach extraordinaire and CEO of GetZend, Zahra Karsan. The trio examine happiness and why it is so difficult to define and what role does personal freedom play in the matter. Zahra speaks on retraining your brain for success, learning the tools to thrive and recognizing your fears in order to make change. Furthermore, the group discusses energy and ego depletion and how it affects will power and overall performance.

Key Takeaways:

03:03 Bio

04:19 What is happiness?

10:52 Seeking freedom

14:10 Will accomplishing goals make us happy?

17:29 Regaining control over our lives

22:20 Understanding how to change mindsets

28:42 Will power and ego depletion

33:42 Advice for an action plan

36:18 Get in touch!

Links:

Zahra Karsan: LinkedIn | GetZend | Twitter