Debra interviews cybersecurity veteran Rick Doten about how he entered the field after reading The Cuckoo’s Egg in 1991, evolved from desktop support and networking into ethical hacking, and experienced early security tools like Pearl-script IDS, Netcat, Nessus, and Gauntlet firewalls. Rick shares his path into leadership, including his first CSO role in 2012, leading hacking, forensics, incident response, and risk teamsthrough acquisitions (including Verizon Business), serving as Lockheed Martin’s chief scientist for cybersecurity, becoming a first-time CISO building a program from scratch, and later working as a fractional CISO before launching his consulting firm. The conversation focuses heavily on neurodiversity (ADHD,autism, dyslexia and related traits), its strengths in cybersecurity, masking and misdiagnosis—especially in women—and practical accommodations, plus Rick’sthree CISO rules: understand the business, don’t make users the biggest hackers, and find community.

00:00 From CISO to Cybersecurity Voyager

00:08 Introduction & Origin Story

03:06 Early Days of Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking

04:59 Path to the CISO Role

07:25 Life as a Fractional CISO & Advisory Work

10:42 Neurodiversity in Cybersecurity

11:32 ADHD, Pattern Matching & the Neurodiverse Brain

20:35 Neurodiversity Through History & Pop Culture

25:30 Managing ADHD: Stimulants, Hyperfocus & Self-Awareness

41:04 Career Visibility & Building Your Network

44:59 3 Rules for New CISOs & Finding Community

45:45 Where to Find Rick Doten

Cyber risk quantification is becoming one of the most important skills for CISOs and security leaders. In this episode, Debra Baker interviews Chris “CPat” Patterson (Risk Wrangler), a veteran cybersecurity and GRC leader with over 15 years in the industry.Chris shares practical insights into cyber risk quantification, FAIR methodology, cyber risk cadence planning, and how executives should evaluate cybersecurity investments. He explains how organizations can move beyond simple red-yellow-green risk scoring and instead quantify risk in financial terms that executives understand.We also discuss:• How the Cyber Resource Cadence Framework helps CISOs plan security programs• Why risk quantification beats heat maps and ordinal scoring• The difference between FAIR, bow tie models, and other risk methodologies• How organizations should determine their true cyber risk appetite• The importance of resilience, backups, and incident recovery• Why AI will transform GRC and risk management• How post-quantum cryptography may impact cybersecurity in the futureChris also shares lessons from major cyber incidents like SolarWinds and ransomware attacks, including how CISOs can protect themselves when communicating risk to executives and boards.If you’re a CISO, cybersecurity leader, GRC professional, or security practitioner, this conversation will help you better understand how to translate cybersecurity risk into business impact and financial decisions.

Interview with the Aspiring CIO & CISO Book Author: Career Insights and Cybersecurity ChallengesIn this engaging episode, Debra interviews an accomplished author who has written several books aimed at aspiring CIOs and CISOs. The conversation covers the author's journey in writing his books, the inspiration behind them, and his career transition into retirement. They discuss the challenges and rewards of the CISO role, the evolution of cybersecurity, and the future impact of AI on the industry. The author shares valuable insights on mentoring, public speaking, and balancing career with personal life. Don't miss this in-depth discussion filled with practical advice and fascinating stories from the world of cybersecurity.

00:00 Conversations with a CIO/CISO - Interview with David Gee

00:30 Introduction

00:46 Writing the First Book

03:10 The Second Book Journey

05:11 Working with Publishers

08:49 The Third Book

10:30 Retirement and Career Transition

11:38 Consulting and Advisory Work

12:48 Mentoring and Giving Back1

7:19 Evolution of the CISO Role

18:31 AI and Cybersecurity Challenges

22:43 Favorite Stories from the Book

26:49 Wrap Up