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

I bring 28 years of cybersecurity leadership across military, government, and private sector environments. I build scalable security programs that support the whole organization, not just IT. My work protects infrastructure, enables go-to-market strategy, and strengthens trust across ecosystems. I am open to roles like BISO, Deputy CISO, CISO, Director of Security, and Head of Security.

My expertise spans cybersecurity strategy, enterprise risk, IAM, cloud security, AI governance, compliance, and GRC. I have led programs aligned to FedRAMP, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, and NIST. I work cross-functionally to align security with business outcomes and sales success.

I served 20 years in the U.S. Army leading cybersecurity and IT operations across Afghanistan, Belgium, South Korea, and the Pentagon. In the private sector, I have led programs at Deque Systems, Infor, and Symantec, maturing security while reducing friction and enabling growth.

Highlights
• Achieved ISO 27001 certification in under 12 months
• Built a public trust center that cut client review times by 50 percent
• Led security for FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board (JAB) environments
• Delivered IAM across SaaS and enterprise platforms
• Integrated AI tools into secure business workflows
• Streamlined GRC using Drata and other tools
• Accelerated RFP and security questionnaire responses
• Enabled go-to-market success through trust and transparency

I focus on accessible cybersecurity by designing policies, controls, and training that work for everyone, including those using assistive technology. Security that is not accessible is not secure.

I was elected in 2025 to the board of Vocal Point, a nonprofit serving people who are blind or have print disabilities. I provide IT and cybersecurity oversight to support inclusive access and resilient operations.

I am a published author, speaker, and mentor. Learn more at accessiblesecurity.org, co-authored with Aliyu Yisa.

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The Battle

Dani Woolf

Justin M.

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