I got into cyber – through my collaboration with Cyber Guild co-founder, Mary Beth Borgwing, with whom I worked to broaden her group of women’s networking events into the mainstream cyberspace in the DC Metro area. At the time, I was creating a go-to market vision for my firm’s cloud and managed security services, and pivoted toward the fascinating wild west of 5G, Election Security, and pulling together topics around Uniting Women in Cyber. I learned that it’s never too late to begin learning, advocating, and advancing a generation during a disruptive digital transformation, like navigating the realms of cyber.
For me, a positive mindset is – committing to the practice of waking up to remind myself that I’m blessed with a purpose each day, and for cultivating the intentional side of gratitude – even in the most difficult circumstances.
Something few people know about me is – that my entrepreneurial spirit got a taste of adventure by helping my German friend and fellow cohorts (the Samwer Brothers) launch first of its kind trading platform, Alando AG, prior to moving to the Black Forest to work for a tech startup behind the platform. Alando was acquired within 3 months, became eBay Germany, and one of Germany’s most successful tech feats of all time.
I would tell my younger self – to remember to take those opportunities no matter how little, to learn something new. Whether moving to a new place, taking on a new job or career interest, or looking for meaning in something confusing: there’s ALWAYS an opportunity and a message there. Never overlook what seems too simplistic as often it’s the essence of everything we’re trying to figure out.