Today's guest is Michael Gips, Managing Director of Enterprise Security Risk Management at Kroll and founder of Global Insights in Professional Security. Mike holds both the CPP and Chartered Security Professional designations, and his path to security is one of the most unconventional I've come across — starting with a Harvard Law degree, a clerkship reviewing death penalty cases at the New Jersey Supreme Court, and a stint in litigation before pivoting to journalism. That pivot launched a nearly 13-year career at ASIS International, where he ultimately served as Chief Global Knowledge and Learning Officer, overseeing the magazine, certifications, standards, the CSO Center, and the organization's own security program. He's also a published security leadership author, professional media trainer, and one of the most active voices in the online security community.

In this episode, Mike walks us through his career journey and the lessons it produced, including the inside track on professional association pathways that can accelerate your rise into senior security leadership. We dig into why communication and storytelling may be the highest-ROI skill a security professional can develop, regardless of where they are in their career. Mike shares what the process of writing and publishing a security book actually looks like, and what practitioners with a body of written work should consider if they're thinking about doing the same. We close with an honest conversation about AI — where it genuinely helps, where it creates more work than it saves, and how to use it without sacrificing your credibility. Let's get into it.

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Today, I am delighted to introduce Jerry Heying, CEO and President of the International Protection Group (IPG), overseeing global executive protection, secure transportation, and security services across 40+ countries. He also serves as Executive Protection and Security Director at the Executive Protection Institute, a training school certifying specialists and trainers over his 18-year tenure. He carries an incredible depth of knowledge and experience from his career, which you’ll hear more about in our conversation. In this episode, we explore career lessons on educating practitioners, thoughts on continual learning, the business of security, and more.

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Dr. Elizabeth Goins is a leading communication expert specializing in executive coaching, consulting, and training worldwide. Her highlights include a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication & Technology from The University of Texas at Austin, researching narratives for complex tech, regulations, and policies in oil and gas. She advanced via a post-doc at a cybersecurity think tank, translating engineering research for political and public audiences. With 4,000+ coaching hours, 10 years teaching, and 400+ trainings, including Rhetoric of Oil and Leadership Coaching at undergrad/MBA levels, she advises on strategic messaging, energy policy, and stakeholder engagement.

Today, we explored her Pineapple Strategies work, empowering security professionals in storytelling, executive presence, and AI-era adaptation. See show notes for her website, LinkedIn, and Write Like a Boss Udemy course.

-- Get the resources and show notes mentioned in this episode --

https://thesecuritystudent.com/shownotes