Audience 1st

For years, security has been treated as a necessary evil - a budget line item that CFOs approve without truly understanding its business impact. But what if cloud security could be a revenue driver, an efficiency enabler, and a cost-saving powerhouse? In this episode, Dani Woolf sat down with Chris Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer at AlgoSec, to break down how CFOs should really evaluate cloud security investments, not just as a defensive measure, but as a business accelerator. They dove into the cost of inaction, the inefficiencies draining budgets, and the financial case for security automation - all from a CFO’s perspective. If you’re still treating security as an overhead cost, this conversation will change the way you think about it. To get a demo of AlgoSec, visit: https://www.algosec.com/lp/request-a-demo

In this milestone 100th (and birthday!) episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf is joined by veteran cybersecurity leader David Doyle from DirectDefense for a brutally honest conversation about what’s broken in today’s security leadership models and how the rise of the vCISO is more than just a stopgap. Together, they unpack the myths, power dynamics, and misaligned expectations that drive burnout, stall progress, and keep companies from building real security maturity. This episode is a blueprint for cybersecurity executives, CISOs, and vCISOs who are serious about designing resilient organizations that can lead through complexity. You’ll Learn: 1. The real reason CISOs are burning out and why it’s not just about stress 2. How most orgs misunderstand the vCISO role (and end up wasting budget) 3. When to bring in a vCISO and how to avoid hiring the wrong one 4. Why CISOs and vCISOs should be tag-teaming, not competing 5. How to measure progress beyond compliance and build a culture of strategic leadership 6. What makes a good vCISO indispensable, not replaceable Subscribe & Follow: Follow Audience 1st wherever you get your podcasts Connect with Dani Woolf on LinkedIn Learn more about CyberSynapse and qualitative buyer research

In this special episode of Authenticated, Confide brings together a powerhouse panel of security operators, marketers, and founders to dissect the brutal realities of go-to-market in cybersecurity. From failed conference booth investments to relationship-first community building, this conversation goes deep on why most vendors still miss the mark, and what it actually takes to build trust with today’s security buyers. Whether you’re a CISO, product marketer, founder, or GTM leader in security, this episode cuts through the noise with raw, unfiltered truths about what works, what backfires, and where the future of security GTM is headed. Key Themes We Cover Why cybersecurity is one of the hardest GTM motions in tech—period The myth of the CISO as the sole buyer (and who actually influences decisions) How real community works—and why fake ones backfire Why founder curiosity and customer obsession are the biggest predictors of success The buyer psychology behind trust, timing, and transference What not to do at RSAC (and how to rethink your event strategy) The role of failure, redemption, and authentic messaging in building credibility Tactical ways to break through cynicism and engage skeptical security practitioners Subscribe & Follow: Follow Audience 1st wherever you get your podcasts Connect with Dani Woolf on LinkedIn Learn more about CyberSynapse and qualitative buyer research 

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Val Popke to explore the unspoken human dimensions of cybersecurity leadership. Val, a veteran, assurance leader, and self-described “Wandering Cyber Vulva,” challenges the industry’s prevailing narratives around hiring, communication, inclusion, and resilience. The discussion goes beyond traditional security frameworks to uncover the cognitive and cultural risks impacting practitioners at all levels. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of why burnout, disconnect, and distrust are systemic, not personal, and how security leaders must evolve to lead in environments of increasing complexity, diversity, and psychological strain. Key Themes: Why psychological safety and cognitive clarity are prerequisites for functional security operations. How the industry’s hidden majority is misaligned with traditional corporate norms and what needs to change. The mismatch between capability and visibility in how cyber professionals are evaluated and excluded. A linguistic and philosophical reframe that emphasizes collaborative understanding over performative inclusion. Why many security professionals are forced to protect their organizations from internal dysfunction while defending against external threats. Trust, mission, and why so many veterans find a natural home in cyber until corporate incentives erode that foundation. Subscribe & Follow: Follow Audience 1st wherever you get your podcasts Connect with Dani Woolf on LinkedIn Learn more about CyberSynapse and qualitative buyer research   

What does it really take to secure applications across a hybrid, multi-cloud environment? In this episode of Audience 1st, I sit down with Adolfo Lopez, Sales Engineer at AlgoSec, who brings a practitioner’s lens to the cloud security conversation. From his experience as a network engineer to helping organizations operationalize cloud security today, Adolfo walks us through what most teams overlook—and how to get it right. We cover: Why visibility into application flows is foundational for multi-cloud security What enterprises miss when they treat the cloud like a lift-and-shift extension of on-prem Why security must be application-centric—not infrastructure-led The critical role of policy discovery, orchestration, and automation How AlgoSec ACE helps teams answer the question: “What will break if I make this change?” If your team is working across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem—and struggling to manage risk, connectivity, and policy alignment, this episode breaks it down practically and tactically. To get a demo of AlgoSec, visit: https://www.algosec.com/lp/request-a-demo

In this provocative and no-fluff episode of Keyboard Samurai, host, Wil Kluv, sits down with Dani Woolf and Ben Siegel to unpack what’s broken in how cybersecurity vendors go to market and how to fix it using real buyer data and a deeper understanding of human psychology. Dani and Ben, co-founders of CyberSynapse and veterans of cybersecurity GTM, break down why so many tech marketers are stuck in echo chambers, how pressure from investors leads to safe (but disconnected) strategies, and why most teams are making decisions without actual buyer validation. They explore the psychological barriers to change, why the “herd mentality” is sabotaging innovation, and how to replace opinion with evidence through first-party qualitative research. They also take on the traditional analyst model, offering sharp critique and a more human, scalable alternative rooted in community-sourced insight.

Most vendors won’t admit this, but we will: Your brand doesn’t have a messaging problem. It has a presence problem. And it’s why buyers leave RSA feeling numb, unseen, and unready to trust you. In this episode, Dani Woolf sits down with Zachary Hyde, someone she doesn’t always agree with, which makes this conversation one of the most honest and urgent before a major conference. Together, they break down why most GTM teams think they’re being empathetic but are actually performing a buyer-first fantasy while still clinging to control. If you're showing up to RSA Conference this year with a booth, a badge, and a team under pressure to "drive pipeline" - this is your mirror. Listen before you land in SFO. What We Cover: Why vendors fail to empathize with buyers at conferences How canned “empathetic marketing” actually erodes trust Why emotional presence is a muscle to be consistently massaged The difference between tone-matching and real psychological safety Red flags buyers spot immediately and won’t tell you about What to do this week to actually build trust at RSA (no fluff, no fake discovery)  

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani sits down with Kristin Demoranville, CEO of Anzen Sage and host of the Bites & Bytes podcast, to uncover the hidden vulnerabilities in one of the world’s most overlooked critical infrastructure sectors: food and agriculture. From insider threats in peanut processing to cyber attacks that disrupt egg supply chains, Kristin breaks down why OT security in food systems isn’t just about uptime, it’s about human lives, brand trust, and national resilience. She pulls no punches, sharing raw stories from the frontlines: Why cybersecurity leaders in food facilities are flying blind What happened when nobody spoke up at Boar’s Head How misinformation campaigns are now a cyber risk vector Why “brown cows make chocolate milk” isn’t just a joke—it’s a symptom of a dangerous knowledge gap We also unpack: The behavioral blind spots holding back executive buy-in Why empathy, not just engineering, is the key to securing food systems What must change in the next 5 years to avoid preventable tragedies

Everyone in tech is suddenly “building community.” But most aren’t building anything close to the real thing - community that's built on mission, trust, and transparency. In this raw, no-buzzword conversation recorded live at CyberMarketingCon, Dani Woolf sits with Ben Siegel, George Kamide, Bronwen Hudson, and Elliot Volkman, real community builders, to unpack what community actually means, why most efforts fall flat, and what it takes to build something alive, resilient, and trustworthy - especially in an industry like cybersecurity where trust is scarce and attention is fractured. We go deep on: Why most corporate “communities” are poorly disguised funnels The difference between an audience, a user group, and a true community What trust looks like when your members are CISOs, not consumers Why growth is nonlinear, unpredictable, and absolutely not guaranteed The emotional labor and invisible moderation that holds real communities together You’ll also hear tactical advice on how to build thriving spaces across Reddit, Slack, LinkedIn, and beyond - without flashy tools or six-figure budgets.

Multi-cloud security isn’t just a technology challenge—it’s an organizational mindset problem. Security teams are juggling AWS, Azure, and GCP, each with different security models, policies, and rules. The result? Silos, misconfigurations, and security gaps big enough to drive an exploit through. In this episode, I sat down with Gal Yosef from AlgoSec to break down: Why multi-cloud security is so complex (and what security teams are getting wrong) How to bridge the gap between network security and cloud security teams How large enterprises manage cloud security policy enforcement across business units The shift from one-size-fits-all security policies to flexible, risk-based guardrails Why automation and visibility are critical for securing multi-cloud environments If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.