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.

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Simon Osamoh is a seasoned security practitioner with over 20 years of experience in counterterrorism, risk management, and security consulting. His career highlights include leading counter terrorism at the Mall of America. He’s also spent 14 years as a detective in England, collaborating with intelligence services on the 2006 liquid bomb terrorism plot, which reshaped global aviation security. As a former Director of Risk and Compliance at top financial institutions, including Wells Fargo and US Bank, he has overseen critical risk programs in areas such as business continuity, crisis management, and regulatory compliance.

In our discussion today, we discussed Simon’s work as the founder of Kingswood Security Consulting, where he helps clients develop programs to prevent workplace violence, lends his expertise as an expert witness in legal cases involving targeted violence and retail crimes, and more. Please check out the show notes for links to Simon’s several best-selling books, his podcast, and his website to connect.

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#041 – In this next episode, I was joined by Terry Conlon, a global leader in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and the author of The CPTED Paradigm – A Holistic Approach to Crime Prevention.

Today’s conversation explored what CPTED is, how it’s applied differently across global communities, how to sell the idea to decision makers, the central role of people in the process, and why CPTED should be accessible to everyone. Terry also shared how he’s working to bring these concepts to a wider audience.

Terry brings nearly three decades of experience in physical security and crime prevention. He is the Founder and President of the European Institute of Crime Prevention, President of Safer Spaces International, and a Director at RFC Security Group.

It was an honor to sit down with Terry for this discussion, and I think you’ll find his perspective both insightful and practical.

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In this special (AI) recap episode of The Security Student Podcast, Travis reflects on the biggest lessons from his last ten conversations — spanning architecture and PropTech, intelligence, crime analysis, business continuity, red teaming, executive protection, and more. Instead of rehashing every detail, this episode dives into the themes, insights, and takeaways that matter most for security practitioners at every stage.

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#039 - Today’s guest is Paula Balmori Beltrán, Global Director of Security Design and Integration at Brivo, President of the Secure Building Council, and Director of the U.S. CPTED Association. Paula is a recognized leader at the intersection of architecture, security, and PropTech. Her background spans architectural design, risk consulting for military bases, and security leadership for global enterprises.

In this episode, we talk about her journey from design to security, how she’s leading the development of the SHIELD certification for secure buildings, and why CPTED and PropTech are essential to building safer, smarter environments. We also dig into lessons learned from enterprise projects, strategies for aligning stakeholders, and the growing role of AI in security design.

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#038 – In this next episode, I was joined by Randall Stickley, a Lead Intelligence-Targeting Analyst supporting federal law enforcement and national security clients. His prior work includes intelligence specialist and supervisory roles addressing drug crises, corporate threats, and national security issues, as well as supporting Fusion Centers. Randy is also an instructor and active member of multiple professional organizations, which you'll hear more about in our conversation. And he holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in National Security and Political Science from Fairmont State University, along with advanced certifications.

You'll find this episode fascinating to hear about Randy's career path, his perspective on what it takes to be a successful analyst, the lessons he's learned from being an instructor, and much more, including the book he recently published.

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

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