Hacker Valley Studio

Latest Episodes:

Episode 153 - Your Personal Brand in Demand with Stephen Hart Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio podcast. I'm sure you've heard of the term personal brand, and maybe you've asked yourself, what does it mean and how do I promote it. In this episode, we speak to someone that helps others develop their personal brand. We speak to Stephen Hart, entrepreneur, marketer, and brand strategist. We've known Stephen since way back. He's been a huge supporter, and someone that's helped develop our podcast and our branding. And this episode is nothing but pure gold and entertainment. Can't wait for everyone to listen. Let's jump right into it.

Our guest this episode is Stephen Hart. Stephen is the founder of Isles Media LLC, creator of Brand in Demand, and podcast host of Trailblazers.fm. podcast. Stephen always starts conversations off from a place of gratitude. He is grateful for his daughters, who have given him a “home base to run everything through. Beyond that, his is a Marketer and a podcast host for the last five, five and a half years. He is a brand strategist and the creator of an amazing program that he will talk about in a bit here.

Listen in as Stephen gives some great tips, and a special invitation.

00:59 Welcome and Intro to Steven Hart

2:16 Steven shares his background

3:45 Become a brand in demand

6:06 Creating a digital footprint

8:15 Desire to start a podcast

9:08 Share others success through Trailblazers.fm

10:00 Creating a course for others

11:23 Brand Management

13:05 Business Digital Footprint vs. Personal footprint

14:39 Brand does not equal logo

16:55 Recreating himself

18:26 Getting clear on goals

19:55 Lacking clarity & how to get clear

24:00 Foundation to your vision

27:10 Entrepreneurship can live simultaneously with employment

30:46 Investment vs. spending

32:45 Getting started on your own vision

35:00 Who do you want to serve?

37:47 Discount for Hacker Valley Tribe

Stephen Hart on LinkedIn

Stephen Hart on Twitter

Stephen Hart on Instagram

Visit Stephen on his website, stephenahart.com

Join Brand in Demand, brandindemand.co Coupon code: hackervalley200

Hacker Valley website, hackervalley.com

Hacker Valley Studio on LinkedIn

Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter

Hacker Valley Studio on Instagram

Sponsored by AttackIQ

Episode 152 - Cancelling the Cold Call with Nikki Ivey Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

It has been way too long in the making. But it's finally here! We have Hacker Valley merchandise available! We have shirts, we have hats, we have sweatshirts that you can purchase.

You are in the Hacker Valley Studio with your hosts Ron and Chris. Welcome back to the show. Today in the studio, we've brought in Nikki Ivey. Nikki is a B2B revenue growth and startup culture leader. She's recognized as a 2020 LinkedIn top voice, and she is the co-founder of SDR Defenders community.

For those that want to get to know Nikki and understand where she come from and what she is up to today, Nikki shares she works with Fortune 500 companies to help them make their outsides match their insides. In short, she helps folks close a gap, so everybody has access to a greater sense of belonging and purpose in the work that they do.

Sadly, Nikki started down this path because she felt she often did not belong or was not often treated like she belonged. Her mom says her first full sentence was, “That's not fair.” She actually studied broadcasting and journalism but then discovered that tech sales was an outlet for all of those things that she cared about.

Nikki cares deeply about culture and has experienced so many issues as she has gone through her career. The one thing she would love to change is people not being the gatekeepers rather be stewards.

Nikki has a lot of advice on “cancelling the cold call” and making connections. She is full of beautiful ideas to make everyone, from top to bottom in a company feel included, important and connected.

Key Takeaways:

:58 Episode starts with Ron and Chris

1:40 Nikki shares her background

2:55 Bringing people into the fold

5:18 Culture issues

7:57 Nikki’s superpower

10:00 Making connections

14:20 Doubling down

19:09 Being genuine

23:11 Building your brand

26:54 Final piece of advice from Nikki

Links:

Email Nikki

Nikki on LinkedIn

Nikki on Instagram

Nikki on Twitter

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon. Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Get your Hacker Valley Merch here!

Episode 151 - Health is Wealth with Alexis Robertson Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Today in the studio, we have Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at a large law firm and a recovering lawyer.

Alexis kicks in with a bit about herself, and shares “I am director of diversity inclusion at a large law firm but spent the first 10 years or so of my career dedicated to laws, going to law school and practicing as a lawyer for about seven and a half years before leaving legal practice closing in on six years ago, I grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, spent most of my life in the Midwest, except for time spent in DC at American University for undergrad and then I went to the University of Michigan for law school. That's me in a nutshell.”

Alexis shares throughout this episode how her health, exercise and food habits all became habit with some very big changes. It isn’t about getting healthy; it is about a long journey of being healthy. You will hear a little bit about her food choices and why she made them, the exercises she partakes in, and how she balances it all.

Key Takeaways:

1:27 Welcome

2:23 Alexis shares her background

3:25 Serendipity

5:33 Self-improvement journey

12:41 Healthy mentality with food

17:20 Next steps

21:12 Getting back on track

24:07 Fitness journey

28:16 Looking forward

31:13 Advice to others

33:17 Staying in touch with Alexis

Alexis on LinkedIn

Alexis on Instagram

The Path & The Practice Podcast

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Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Episode 150 - Making a Difference Mindfully with Natasha Barnes Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk to our special guest, Natasha Barnes. Natasha is the Associate Director and the CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellow of Protiviti. She is a certified mindfulness workplace facilitator and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Natasha is part of a movement to answer the question of does corporate America have a role to play in advancing racial equity within our nation, and essentially improving our overall societal well-being.

Technology serves as a way to propel the conversation forward, and recognizing global interconnectedness.

Listen in for all of Natasha’s insights!

Key Takeaways:

1:02 Welcome back

2:16 Natasha shares her background

3:11 Natasha’s journey through wellness

4:23 Mindfulness purpose

6:28 Instructing others

10:27 Corporate role

10:52 Four pillars

15:06 Her journey

17:24 Creating solutions

19:24 Progress

21:39 Equity through mindfulness and technology

26:48 Impact

Natasha on LinkedIn

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon. Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Sponsored by Attack IQ

Attack IQ Academy

Episode 148 - Immersed in Cybersecurity with James Hadley Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, have James Hadley, CEO of Immersive Labs, and we talk about the best ways to learn in cybersecurity.

James starts the show with his background and what he is doing today, which is Immersive Labs. But, he spent a lot of time in different organizations prior to that.

When it came to education, James found he had quite a poor memory, so he would always learn better through doing things rather than reading about things. Things would go in one ear and out the other.

In addition to learning styles, they all discuss measuring education. When it comes to measuring academics, for James it is all about the outcomes you want people to achieve.

They all agree that storytelling is incredibly powerful. James shares a few of his own drawing back on his incredible journey. And, of course, they round out the show with how to stay in touch and up to date with James.

Key Takeaways:

1:02 Welcome back

2:24 James’ background

5:06 Education experience

5:46 Changes

7:18 Measuring education

9:14 Balancing in testing

11:40 Biggest a’ha

13:14 Feedback

15:54 Learner vs. learner

17:37 Skill behind catching the bad guys

19:20 Applying knowledge

21:53 Geeks in the basement

23:47 The best job in cyber

26:30 Advice

27:58 How to stay in touch with James

Links:

James on Immersive Labs

James on LinkedIn

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon. Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Episode 147 - Learning Cybersecurity Until You Get It Right with John Strand May 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we brought back fan-favorite, John Strand. He is owner of Black Hills Information Security, a SANS instructor, and a mentor to many in the industry.

Johns starts the show sharing a little bit about his background and what he is doing today.

Ron and Chris dive a little bit deeper into John’s earlier life asking what his personal superpower, personal or professional, and when did that power really came about in his life?

John shares his experiences with failure, which he feels are key to where he is at today. How everyone needs to get comfortable with struggles, failures and hardships. On top of that, one needs to be able to laugh at themself.

Key Takeaways

1:02 Back with fan favorite John Strand

2:21 John shares his background

3:38 John’s superpower

5:51 Going through the grind to learn

8:30 Partnerships

11:44 Getting a head start

14:58 The entertainment factor

16:36 Journey through being an instructor

19:35 Pay what you can concept

25:53 Education systems

29:18 Advice from John

Links:

John Strand blog.

John Strand on Twitter.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon. Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Hacker Valley Blue Season 2 Finale May 18, 2021

Show notes

This is the finale of Know Thyself. What an incredible journey, we feel like this entire experience flew by so fast, we got to talk to so many incredible people about knowing yourself, knowing your team, knowing your tech stack, knowing your environment, and even knowing your story.

Make your organization better make your security posture better, strive for impact, what are the most high leverage things that you can do today to make everybody's lives easier, or more safe, and then yield the feedback, there might be some things that you might be missing, you might need to ask questions, ask for feedback, get some information from your stakeholders, what what are you thinking about that I might not be thinking about? asking these different things is how you know thyself. And this is how you get to know the people that are around you, your peers, your stakeholders, the more knowledge you have got started with that Sun Tzu quote, in the very beginning of the podcast, if you know yourself and you know your enemy, you need not fear the results of 100 battles. So if you really understand yourself, and you have good threat intelligence, understanding the externals, you have good vulnerability management that understands the externals and the internals, if you mash all that information together, I think you'll be able to do great things with your cybersecurity program.

Key Takeaways

0:02 Introduction to the show

0:49 Our Sponsor, Axonius

2:09 Welcome back

2:31 Reflecting on Know Thyself

3:17 Recap This Seasons Guest

3:22 Marcus Carey

4:17 John Strand

5:05 Aaron Reinhart & Jamie Dixon

5:54 Chaos Engineering

7:12 Lenny Zeltser, asset inventory

7:54 Kevin Allison, Storytelling is a soft skill

10:19 John Strand

12:13 Can we do better?

13:54 What kind of leader are you?

14:26 Do you have unsupported devices?

17:34 Ask yourself these questions

13:33 Go back to the EASY Framework

21:50 Learning

23:29 Exploration

24:00 Immersion

27:28 Reach Hacker Valley

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

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Follow Ron Eddings on Twitter

Follow Chris Cochran on Twitter

Supported by Axonius

Hacker Valley Blue S2 Episode 7 - Kevin Allison May 18, 2021

Show notes

In this masterclass of HVB season 2 we brought in a master story teller in Kevin Allison. The biggest thing is to get a person to understand, don't just summarize, don't just walk us through a Wikipedia like where you're just giving us a broad overview. And you're explaining; it’s important to remember sensory details that will help us see almost like movie scenes, what was happening between people. That is what brings the story alive. So that's a good case right there where the bones of the story were incredible. Like that's just on paper and an incredible overview of a story, but it's not going to work unless you can fill in all those sensory details that bring it alive and make it emotional for us.

Storytelling is a soft skill that offers the ability to contextualize cybersecurity in a manner that any organization can understand to allow their business to stay safe.

Key Takeaways:

0:00 Previously on the show

2:37 Kevin introduction

3:20 Episode begins

3:39 Where Kevin is today

7:58 Kevin’s origin story

12:04 Cybersecurity is performing

17:08 Storytelling for business

21:00 Engineering a story

26:12 Authentic storytelling

34:54 Speaking isn’t perfect

41:02 Where to find Kevin