Voices of the Vigilant
Voices of the Vigilant
Podcast Description
"Humanizing cybersecurity with candid tales from cyberspace and beyond!"Voices of the Vigilant builds and shares knowledge by engaging with diverse voices and perspectives within the cybersecurity industry.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on key issues such as gender representation in cybersecurity, leadership transformation, and collaboration within the tech industry, with episodes covering topics like the challenges women face in tech as showcased in Hacking the Glass Ceiling, and innovations in application security shared by industry leaders like Clea Ostendorf.
Voices of the Vigilant is where bold conversations meet unflinching purpose. Hosted by Jess Vachon, cybersecurity leader, Buddhist minister, and founder of Vigilant Violet LLC, this podcast explores the front lines of digital resilience, ethical leadership, and equitable transformation in tech.
Through authentic dialogue with boundary-pushers, disruptors, and unsung heroes, each episode dives deep into the human side of cybersecurity—where strategy meets values, and innovation is grounded in integrity. From career pivots and cultural shifts to systemic inequities and visionary leadership, nothing is off the table.
This isn’t another tech podcast filled with jargon. Voices of the Vigilant is for those who lead with intention, speak truth to power, and are ready to reimagine what’s possible in an industry that’s overdue for change.
🔔 Subscribe, share, and step into a community where vigilance is both a practice and a path forward.
“Humanizing cybersecurity with candid tales from cyberspace and beyond!”
A lot of people think cybersecurity has one “right” entry point: computer science degree, IT help desk, then a straight climb into security. Courtney Hans is living proof that the best security leaders often come from the roads nobody expects. She’s led adventure travelers through remote terrain, earned an MBA, built security programs as a first security hire inside a fast moving SaaS startup, and now serves as VP of Cyber Services at ANV Cyber helping policyholders use cyber insurance as a relationship that reduces risk, not just a payout after a bad day.
We get into how confidence is built, not gifted. Courtney shares the real experiences that taught her “I can do hard things,” and why that matters when you’re laid off, starting over, or walking into a board level conversation. From there, we unpack the day to day reality of security leadership: influence without ownership, trust as your main lever, and why curiosity beats fear based messaging when you’re trying to build a security first culture.
You’ll also hear a grounded take on modern cyber risk management, including how insurance questionnaires miss nuance, how to avoid wasting budget on the wrong security tools, and why hardening what you already own in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 can deliver fast wins. We touch AI security, changing best practices, and the leadership skill of saying “I don’t know yet” while still staying accountable and helpful.
If you’re planning a cybersecurity career pivot, hiring security talent, or trying to make security work for the business instead of against it, this conversation will give you language, frameworks, and a mindset you can use immediately. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s considering a pivot, and leave a review to help more people find the show.
https://www.vigilantviolet.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/jessvachon1
Disclaimer
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