22
POWERFUL
LESSONS
FROM 2022
@monicatalkscyber
SWIPE
01
DARING TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST FACTOR IN
ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS
There is no progress without action.
There is no action without intention.
There is no intention without belief.
Luck favors those who dare to believe.
@monicatalkscyber
02
NEVER CHANGE YOURSELF TO
PLEASE ANYONE
Diversity isn't just about gender or
race. It's also about identity.
Remember, you don't need to:
1. fit any stereotypical boxes.
2. fit into someone else's agenda.
3. change or hide your identity to
please anyone.
@monicatalkscyber
03
THE SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU
CAN MAKE IS TRY TO DO ALL BY
YOURSELF
Whether you are a leader, an
entrepreneur, or anyone trying to
build and achieve your dreams, you
need great people around you. Trying
to do all by yourself can take you
down like nothing else.
@monicatalkscyber
04
THE BEST LEADERS BELIEVE IN YOU
The best leaders
1. stand by you
2. lead by example
3. open doors for you
4. build a fail-openly culture
5. don’t run away from conflicts
6. inspire you through motivation
and not fear
7. and most importantly hold
themselves accountable.
@monicatalkscyber
05
YOU CAN’T HIRE A CISO AS A ONEPERSON TEAM AND EXPECT IT TO
FIX ALL YOUR PROBLEMS
The biggest mistake organizations
make is hire a CISO as a one person
security team. Especially when they
are in the beginning of their journey,
but never change as the business
changes. Even for an SMB today, a
one-person CISO team doesn’t cut it.
@monicatalkscyber
06
IN A TOXIC CULTURE, IT IS THE BEST
AND THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE
THAT LEAVE FIRST
People don’t “leave” jobs.
They leave
- Bad bosses
- Toxic cultures and
- An environment that doesn’t treat
them as humans.
@monicatalkscyber
07
IT’S YOUR NON-TECHNICAL
EXPERTISE THAT WILL ULTIMATELY
MOVE SECURITY FORWARD
Security is an art. Security is a feeling.
Security is more human than
technology. Your technical skills may
move the needle within security but
it’s your non-technical expertise or
people skills that will ultimately
move security forward.
@monicatalkscyber
08
CURIOSITY AND GRIT CAN TAKE
YOU PLACE NO PLANE CAN
Overnight success is a myth. It took
me years to
- Gather myself
- Build self-awareness
- Realize that my dreams mattered
not just for myself but for those
around me.
My curiosity and grit took me places I
never could even imagine.
@monicatalkscyber
09
KNOWING WHEN TO LEAVE IS A
LIFE-SAVING SKILL
Sometimes to move forward you need
to leave. You need to leave that
- Toxic job
- Expensive party
- Negative relationship
- Energy-draining conversation
@monicatalkscyber
10
YOUR PATH IN LIFE IS UNIQUE
There is no one path. Not in
cybersecurity. Not in life. Just
because it’s been a certain way,
doesn’t mean it needs to continue
that way. To find yours:
1. Know your why.
2. Define yours goals.
3. Build your path to achieve those.
@monicatalkscyber
11
EVERY EXPERT TODAY WAS A ONCE
A BEGINNER
Every leader today was once a novice.
Every CTO today once knew nothing
about technology.
Every hacker today once knew nothing
about coding or social engineering.
You are not late in the game!
Small consistent steps make big
differences. Focus. Do. Repeat.
@monicatalkscyber
12
YOUR AGE DOES NOT DEFINE YOU
Life is about YOU
- Starting
- Stoping
- Failing
- Learning
- Unlearning
- Restarting
- Reseting
WHENEVER the heck YOU want.
@monicatalkscyber
13
YOUR FAILURES ARE YOUR BEST
FRIENDS
Failures are the push you never knew
you needed.
Mistakes are the gift you never knew
you'd embrace and learn from.
Rejections are the blessings you never
knew would open so many doors.
@monicatalkscyber
14
THERE ARE NO BAD DECISIONS
There are no bad decisions. Except
the ones you don't learn from.
Don't let decision making paralyze
you. 80% correct decision made
timely, is far better than a 100%
correct decision made never.
Make decisions faster.
Learn. Make some more. Get better.
@monicatalkscyber
15
PEOPLE BUY INTO STORIES
Your customers, your board, your
shareholders and your audience may
ask for statistics, facts and figures,
but they buy into stories.
Storytelling isn't just fiction.
Good storytelling wraps facts, figures
and statistics into powerful stories
that are emotional and engaging.
@monicatalkscyber
16
GAPS IN A CAREER ARE NORMAL
You may be replaceable at work,
but you sure as hell aren't
replaceable at home. It doesn’t
matter what the reason is, no one
needs to be working 24/7/365.
If an employer doesn't want you
because you prioritized life,
may be that employer isn't a right fit
for you in the first place.
@monicatalkscyber
17
NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE
TWICE
Failure isn’t really in failing.
It’s in never learning.
One of the biggest skills In today's
economy is the ability to:
- Learn
- Unlearn
- Re-learn.
@monicatalkscyber
18
AMBITION IS A HIGHLYMISUNDERSTOOD EMOTION
You can both have:
1. Gratitude for what you do today
2. Ambition and drive to go all-in for
who you want to become tomorrow.
These are not mutually exclusive.
Be ambitious and driven in the micro.
Be patient in the macro.
@monicatalkscyber
19
EXTERNAL VALIDATION IS YOUR
SINGLE BIGGEST ENEMY
No one has it "figured out".
Not me.
Not you.
Not a third person claiming it.
The only person you need to make
proud is you.
@monicatalkscyber
20
YOUR EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Life is all about taking chances.
Life is all about trying something new.
If you’ve experience from other
industries and are looking to switch,
you don’t need to start at an entry
level position in cybersecurity.
Entry-level is 0 experience.
Your experience matters.
@monicatalkscyber
21 BONUS
NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR...
Never apologize for these three things:
1. Quitting toxic relationships
2. Following your dreams
3. Being yourself
You are beautiful.
You are enough.
You do you.
@monicatalkscyber
Merry
christmas and
a fantastic
start to an
enriching 2023!
@monicatalkscyber