Dani Woolf (She/Her)

User Experience Specialist

Founder & CEO @ Audience 1st | Content @ Nucleus Security | Customer Research Certified

Five years ago, I pissed off a CISO so badly in front of my CMO, he helped me build a $1M+ cybersecurity buyer intelligence business. That humiliating moment during a website messaging feedback session? Best career move I ever made. Here's the uncomfortable truth about B2B tech marketing most won't tell you:

Most marketers create buyer personas in echo chambers instead of interviewing real buyers to get direct buyer insights. They're selling to fictional characters while their actual prospects choose competitors.

I learned this the hard way when a CISO, my customer, publicly destroyed me for using a buzzword out of context. At that time, I'd never actually talked to a single security leader about their real problems.

Instead of defending my approach, I asked him for coffee to learn why I upset him. That conversation led to thousands of conversations with CISOs, security architects, and IT leaders who taught me what B2B marketers get dangerously wrong about technical and business buyers.

What I discovered:
→ IT buyers don't trust marketing because marketers don't understand them and their environments
→ The best "research" comes from actual conversations, not survey data
→ Skeptical IT buyers will tell you exactly what they need - if you ask the right questions
→ Authentic relationships beat aggressive outreach every time

Today I help B2B cybersecurity companies understand their skeptical buyers through:

🎯 CyberSynapse - Direct access to vetted IT decision-makers for buyer intelligence that actually drives revenue

🍳 Cooking with CISOs - A TV show that builds real relationships with technical leaders (yes, over actual food)

📺 YouTube/Content - Sharing what 1000+ technical buyers taught me about effective B2B marketing

Some of the most skeptical and hard-to-reach cybersecurity buyers have dubbed me the marketer they actually trust - and I teach other B2B marketers how to earn that same trust and credibility.

Ready to stop operating in the dark and start growing with confidence?

Visit the links in my Featured section to see how I can help.

Founder and CEO

I'm removing the barrier to customer insights for go-to-market teams in growth-stage cybersecurity companies so they can scale growth and retain loyal customers.

Dani Woolf

NextRay AI Detection & Response Inc

I wore every hat, from sales and marketing to operations and product strategy. As COO, I built and led the U.S. operations for a global network security company. I established our U.S. presence while driving initiatives across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC. I balanced high-stakes sales with cross-team collaborations, with an 11 hour time difference.

The Big Picture:

Building U.S. Operations: As the first American hire, I created the foundation for NextRay’s U.S. presence. This included sales pipelines, operational processes, and establishing partnerships to position the company for growth.

Driving Results Across Markets: I led efforts across regions, securing POCs and building relationships with governments, channel partners, and large enterprises.

Despite market headwinds in Turkey that led investors to scale back U.S. operations, my efforts laid valuable groundwork internationally, proving the potential of the company’s technology and market fit.

The Details:

Sales Leadership: Built a complete sales process, secured multiple POC agreements, restructured pricing and offers, and led partnership opportunities across markets.

Marketing Strategy: Developed customer personas, crafted compelling messaging, analyzed competitors, and directed product positioning efforts.

Operational Excellence: Initiated SOC2 compliance, managed cross-functional projects across time zones, created our tech stack, negotiated and managed vendors, and developing cybersecurity policies.

Strategic Partnerships: Forged a tech alliance with a UAE cybersecurity company, demonstrating joint value propositions and securing executive buy-in.

Investor Relations: Engaged with potential investors and M&A inquiries, presenting the company’s value and assessing the opportunity.

The experience allowed me to hone my skills in adaptability, cross-functional leadership, and building strong foundations in a complex environment.

I thrive in fast-paced, dynamic roles where strategy meets execution.

Chief Operating Officer

Goliath Cyber Security Group

I changed immensely during this role, changing from 'tech brain' to 'business brain'. When I joined Goliath Cybersecurity Group as Director of Sales, the company had no ideal customer profile (ICP), no established sales process, and no targeted messaging. My job was to build a system that worked from the ground up. I took my technical background and transformed it into a sales toolkit that resonated with non-technical SMB executives, helping them understand how cybersecurity solved their business challenges.

The Big Picture:

Built a Sales Function from Scratch
Developed ideal customer profiles (ICPs) tailored to industry, company size, and cyber maturity, ensuring our approach targeted the right customers.

Mastering Communication
Transitioned from a technical mindset to a business-focused sales approach, translating cybersecurity concepts into benefits that mattered to non-technical decision-makers.

Driving Sales Growth
Made over 3,000 cold calls (without an auto dialer), led dozens of sales presentations, closing deals with SMBs. Largest deal closed was ~ $10,000.

Biggest lessons:

"The best product isn’t always the best choice"
Budget, timeline, convenience, cost of ownership, etc., are just as important.

"People buy for their own reasons, not mine"
Understanding motivations is more important than pitching my perspective.

"Sales is about helping, not pushing"
Success comes from guiding prospects to the best decision for them.

"Almost everyone is accessible"
Too many people take my call and agree to spend 30 minutes with me.

"Friday is the best day to cold call"
Personal record: 6 meetings booked on one Friday. First contact with director and c-suite prospects.

I thrive in roles where I can build something new, tackle challenges head-on, and grow alongside the teams I lead.

Director of Sales - West

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Learned the bigger picture in cybersecurity by stepping beyond the technical. I managed a multi-network security plan at a heavily classified nuclear research lab. My plan required collaboration with dozens of teams and compliance with rigorous government standards. This role forced me to zoom out and understand the broader landscape of cybersecurity, including how decisions ripple across teams, operations, and organizational goals.

Adjusting to institutional rigidity was a major shift for me. I didn’t understand stakeholder reasoning and often pushed too hard, thinking speed and results were all that mattered. Over time, I realized cybersecurity isn’t just about policies and tools. It’s about people, processes, and balance. These lessons shaped my approach in leadership and sales roles later in my career.

The Big Picture

Leading a Comprehensive Security Plan
Ensured compliance with NIST 800-53 standards and guided >30 teams to produce technical documentation.

Understanding Cybersecurity Holistically
Gained a clear understanding of how cybersecurity fits into an organization’s broader objectives, balancing technical priorities with operational realities.

Adapting to a Rigid System
Navigated the challenges of a highly regulated environment, learning to slow down, adjust my communication style, and gain stakeholder buy-in.

Key Lessons Learned:

Adaptability is Essential
Being fast-paced can sometimes be a roadblock.

Stakeholder Buy-In is Key
Bulldozing through decisions without understanding stakeholders’ reasoning creates friction and undermines progress.

Cybersecurity Decisions Are Balancing Acts
Decisions must consider operational impacts.

Other details:

Used Splunk Search Language to review logs from over 80 sources

Automated compliance evidence gathering to streamline NIST 800-53 audits.

Evaluated and approved/denied cloud software use cases for internal customers

Designed Tenable.sc dashboards for compliance and automated vulnerability scans.

Information System Security Officer

Lockheed Martin

Launching my cybersecurity career at Lockheed Martin.

My journey into cybersecurity began at Lockheed Martin, where I gained hands-on experience in a high-stakes, advanced security environment. I was flown out for the role while still in college after impressing an HR manager at RSA, the largest cybersecurity conference.

Unlike traditional SOC analyst roles, I had the opportunity to lead incident response efforts, develop custom detections, and mentor new analysts. I was also one of three analysts selected from a pool of 20 to meet with the White House Chief of Staff, an experience that underscored the national importance of cybersecurity.

Key Contributions:

Incident Response: Led efforts to detect and mitigate high-priority threats, collaborating across teams to protect critical systems.

Custom Detection Development: Built email and network detections using YARA, blocking malicious emails and preventing breaches.

Team Mentorship: Coached three new analysts in cybersecurity fundamentals, strengthening team capabilities.

Early Recognition: Identified a network of compromised suppliers within six months, earning a Recognition Reward.

Skills and Tools:
YARA, Splunk, Wireshark, IDS, IPS, SIEM, Command Line, Cybersecurity Operations, Incident Response

What I Learned:
Cybersecurity requires both technical expertise and collaboration to protect critical systems.

Hands-on experience is key to building a strong foundation in detection, analysis, and incident response.

Effective communication is vital, whether mentoring team members or engaging with national stakeholders.

This role ignited my passion for cybersecurity and gave me the skills and confidence to take on complex challenges early in my career.

Cyber Intelligence Analyst

I talk about cybersecurity in plain language. No tech background needed.

It all started when I got struck by a train.

Well... struck by an idea while I was on a train.

I was leaving San Francisco after the world's biggest cybersecurity conference (RSA).

While waiting for BART (the metro), I saw a guy with an RSA bag and struck up a conversation.

He spoke about his startup, then admitted he had no idea how to handle security.

"What do I do? I don’t have the money or direction for cybersecurity. Should I buy laptops for everyone? What if they use their personal ones? What software do I need?"

He wasn't some tech newbie... he was an experienced software engineer. And if he didn't know what to do, who would?

I started thinking back to all the times family, entrepreneurs, and business owners had asked me about cybersecurity over the years.

There’s a massive gap between normal people and cybersecurity know-how.

That gap is dangerous.

Someone in my family was targeted. A scammer sent him a photo of his house with ominous threats attached.

He didn't know what to do. He showed me and asked, "Should I take this to the FBI?"

No. He got your email and address, then looked you up on google earth.

To a cyber pro, it seems silly.

We see these scams ALL the time.

But to everyone else it's FRIGHTENING.

Cybersecurity isn’t a small issue. It’s huge. And I want everyone to have the chance to understand it.

But surely, with ALL the cybersecurity experts out there, someone must be spreading the word, right?

Well… kind of.

Most content out there is extremely technical. Written by experts, for experts. It’s hard to find a voice that speaks directly to non-cyber people.

There’s a need for a translator - someone who’s been in the technical trenches, navigated policies, and understands the business side... and can make it all accessible.

That’s why I’m here. To break down the expert "mumbo jumbo" and make cybersecurity something anyone can grasp.

My background?

-Executive at a global cybersecurity company (Chief Operating Officer)
-Managed cybersecurity policy for a nuclear research facility (Information System Security Officer)
-Protected the world's biggest defense contractor from Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and cybercrime groups (Cyber Intelligence Analyst)
-Sold cybersecurity advisory and services to small and medium businesses across the U.S.
-B.S. in Computer Science

Cyber threats are here to stay, but they don’t have to be mysterious. I'm here to be your guide.

taplio

The Battle

Dani Woolf

Grayson Berman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?