I Grow & Monetise Podcasts | CEO & Founder of Voics | Podcast Host at Kickoff Sessions

Most people think scaling to $1M+ is about posting more, working harder, or hiring faster.

It’s not.

It’s about building a simple ecosystem:

One offer. One content engine. One sales system that scales without you.

At Voics, we help coaches and agency owners grow from $20K to $100K/month and beyond by installing this exact Ecosystem.

The model is simple:

Offer – Build a painkiller offer that’s easy to sell and hard to say no to.
Content – Create assets that generate leads, not likes.
Sales – Design a simple sales system to close more clients.

We’ve helped over 500 agency owners and coaches to generate over $30M in client revenue.

Darren Lee

7 brutal lessons from scaling to multiple 7 figures: 

1. People won’t understand

You’ll lose friends and maybe your network along the way.

Not everyone will get your vision, and that’s fine.

2. No one will care like you

No one will care as much as the business owner.

Otherwise it would be their business.

3. You carry the emotional weight

The emotional load of your clients and team falls on you.

You will wear this across your face daily.

4. You’ll chew glass on the frontline

You’ll chew glass in the heat of battle.

You’ll develop scars that will become wisdom one day.

5. Your identity will limit you

You’ll only scale as far as your personal development.

Limiting beliefs, ego, and jealousy will ruin your business.

6. You need to outlast everyone

Competitors will copy you until they “burn down their business” and start padel.

You simply have to outlast everyone else.

7. Your personal problems will follow you

Every problem in your life will manifest as a business problem.

The only solution is to solve your personal shit.

But…

Once you crack it…

Every dream you had as a child becomes a reality.

Because in the end, everyone else complained, whined, and quit.

Stay in the game.
Chew glass on the frontline.

👇 LIVE workshop to scale your sales & revenue

I was sitting next to a billionaire at a mastermind.

The guy made $1.2B a year. Yes, a year.

He was the most unassuming guy ever. 
Normal clothes, no flash. 

Here’s what hit me:

If you think you know everything, you know nothing.

This guy was running a billion-dollar biz.

He was still taking notes, asking questions, and learning like a complete beginner.

Every time I'm in these rooms, I’m reminded of 3 simple things:

1. The gap between where I am and where I want to be.

2. The danger of getting complacent.

3. The power of being around people further ahead.

Not because they’re smarter, but because they fixed the one degree shifts in their business. 

And I mean this respectfully:

They’re not better than you.
They’re not smarter than you.
They just did the work.

And they got the right assistance at the right time.

This is why the right info matters.

-
P.S. I'm running a LIVE Masterclass tomorrow online. 

If you want to scale your business to 7-figures, register via the comments.

Helping coaches and agency owners grow a 7-figure business they don’t need to quit.

How to become irrelevant in 2026:

Copy everyone else’s frameworks.
Use everyone else’s scripts.
Blend into the background.

That’s how most people become obsolete.

Here’s how to become a category of one:

Use your story as your leverage.

When everything can be automated…

- Funnels built in 5 minutes
- Offers copied overnight
- AI running your entire biz

The only true advantage left is you.

Your weird quirks.
Your failures.
Your unfair beliefs.
Your personal journey.

That’s what people buy into.

Not your “program.”
Not your “system.”

The truth is 90% of products are basically identical.

Especially if you're selling info. 

Your origin story is what makes you untouchable.

Your mission, your values, your unique edge.

That’s how you build a biz around you in 2026.

You can create your own world.

I married my best friend with no one at the wedding.

We ate at “Nacho Daddy” for dinner.

Smashed some nachos and tacos.

Didn’t even tell anyone we got married.

No fancy BS. 

No honeymoon to Cape Town needed. 

I recorded four podcasts over the next 72 hours.

You can do whatever tf you want in this life.

I became a liquid millionaire in my 20s.

Now at 29 years old, I can tell you the first million is the hardest.

I chewed glass on the front line for YEARS.

I had three failed businesses before 23 years old.

Failed at running events.
Failed at dropshipping socks.
Failed at building software.

At every point, I was missing something crucial…

Then, once I passed $1M, the next million was “easier.”

Not easy, but easier.

Once you understand it’s nothing to do with the business.

And all to do with the skill.

You stop chasing the next business model.

And start chasing the never-ending pursuit of the skill.

Learn product.
Learn marketing.
Learn sales.

Because whether it’s selling B2B software or agency services…

It’s not just the scars that follow you.

But the skills do too.

Chew glass to $1M, then use the skill to get to $10M.

How would you triple your biceps and business?

Genuinely…

If you had no constraints, what would you do?

Well, my coach’s advice to me was pretty simple:

If you want to triple your biceps, train them every single day.

Do it first.
Do it when you’re at peak energy.
Don’t throw it to the side at the end of a workout.

Then complain about it while doing half-effort three months later.

It’s the same for your business.

If you want to triple your business…

You triple your outreach.
Triple your call volume.
Triple your marketing efforts.

Sounds kind of obvious, right?

Now, you might not exactly triple your business (or biceps).

But it would be pretty cool if you doubled it.

Are you building a sand castle or an empire?

Most online businesses are like a sand castle:

Look decent from a distance.

But the second you touch them, they fall apart.

Hyper-emotional “founder.”
Overly sensitive emotions.

Lead flow more like a rusty pipe.
Absolutely zero throughput.

And a sales process designed by Frankenstein.

No wonder scaling feels “hard.”
No wonder they “quit” for the next shiny thing.

The bigger the sand castle, the harder the fall.

When you set out to build an empire, you work on foundations.

You follow the 3 Ps of Empire Building:

Product:
Is your product scalable, repeatable, and enjoyable to deliver?

Process:
Do you have a systematic way to deliver insane results?

People:
Do you have the right people in the right seats who know exactly what to do?

Without the three Ps, shit starts to crumble.

You’ll never scale past the foundations of the business.

Take a good hard look at what you built, is it an empire or a sand castle?

This is a no-bullshit guide to scaling a top 1% sales team:

(From a guy who runs a 10+ person sales team that generates $500K/mo)

1. Product

Our products are scalable, repeatable, and enjoyable to sell.

After 5 years, we serve the entire market with different offers.

This theory is called the Ecosystem Model I personally developed.

(many people steal it lol)

If you have a digital business of any size, we can help you scale.

2. People

I will always be incredibly ruthless with people selection.

I want the right people, in the right seats, doing the right thing.

If you’re a princess, you will be cut.

If you think you’re different, you will be cut.

I don’t need individuals. I need killers.

3. Process

You can only scale to the level of your processes.

I built a tech company that manages the end-to-end sales process with AI.

We use AI to track calls, manage the pipeline, schedule calls, and squeeze every inch of juice left in the system.

(This is actual AI, not those ChatGPT wrappers lol)

The software is called Aura.

This is the real difference between staying small and absolutely going for it.

P.S. In 48 hours im running the Content to Clients workshop.

I'll show you exactly how to sign your next 10 clients in 2026.

Sounds good? Sign up below.

Here’s exactly how we’re scaling to $1,000,000/mo in 2026:

1. Only hiring A-Players

We are ruthlessly refining our team to have the right people in the right seats.

2. Moving to 100% in-office

If you want to get shit done, do it in person.

3. Going all-in on paid media

Organic has a cap.

We’re going all in on paid marketing to scale.

4. Building a large sales team

The goal is to have 20–25 people in our sales team this year.

We teach sales, so we better have a top 1% sales team.

5. Split focus

We’re not only scaling Voics, but building Aura into the world’s first AI-driven sales platform.

(Public launch on the way)

6. Building a leadership team

I’m not doing it alone. I have a COO and Head of Education.

Scaling aggressively requires a plan.

Here it is.

You shouldn’t have to do more work to scale.

If you 3X your revenue, it shouldn’t feel like 3X the workload.

And most importantly…

If you want to 3X your business, you shouldn’t run into a sales bottleneck.

A sales bottleneck is simply this:

The inability to scale.

You can’t track your leads systematically.

You don’t know the status of your deals.

You don’t know what’s actually driving revenue.

And you find yourself bogged down in sales admin just to stay afloat.

(or doing no admin at all, which is even worse lol).

On February 6th, I’m running a LIVE event to help you fix your sales bottleneck once and for all.

I’ll show you the exact system we use to scale sales:

- Book more qualified calls

- Eliminate time-wasters from your pipeline

- Track your sales properly

- And actually know what to fix to grow

Whether your goal is:

six figures per year… or six figures per month.

Sounds fair?

You can register for the live event below.

If your business feels hard af right now, keep going.

Brighter days are on the way.

Here are some of the scars from chewing glass since 2020.

Keep going.

Aura launches publicly on February 6th🐕

Over the past year, we’ve been building the solution..

The solution to your scaling problem.
The solution to your revenue problem.
The solution to your sales problem.

Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/d9fh5ZFB

We built this from the trenches.

Chewing glass on the front lines of online business, seeing exactly where sales breaks down as you scale.

With a high-performance sales team generating $500K+ per month.

And helping 500+ agency owners and coaches scale with a simple sales process.

On February 6th, I’ll be breaking down the inner workings of Aura:

- How to scale your revenue
- Without managing endless spreadsheets
- Without duct-taping tools together with sketchy Zapier flows

Aura is the only sales platform that is truly spreadsheet-less.

I’ll be showing you behind the scenes of:

- A real AI-driven sales pipeline
- Out-of-the-box performance analytics
- CIA-level tracking of every single lead

If you care about scaling, this is for you.

Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/d9fh5ZFB

80% of content is totally worthless.

It’s the 20% that drive leads, sales, and revenue.

If you’re a serious business owner, you should be optimising for the 20%.

All broke creators optimise for the 80%.

As a result, they have large accounts and small bank accounts.

I don’t know about you…

But I want the opposite.

Here’s exactly how you do it.

1. The Simple Story Framework

People buy the story, not the product.

What’s your story?

2. The Tactical Training Toolkit

People buy authority.

Without authority, you just have fluffy content.

3. The Closing Content Playbook

You need to educate prospects to show up to the call ready.

Without these three core areas, you will never book consistent calls that actually scale your revenue.

Today I’m running a LIVE workshop with digital entrepreneurs breaking this down.

If signing clients sounds remotely interesting to you…

Click the link below.

Most content never actually makes money.

Not because it's bad...
But because it's kind of beige...

I flew to Australia to sit down with Laura Higgins.

She works with creatives and helps them scale doing it the right way.

Keeping a love for the art and craft of business.
And their love for their creative work. 

We went super deep on:

- Why scaling too early can destroy your reputation 

- The shift from “creative” to real CEO (how to step back)

- Why being magnetic means repelling people

- And how great businesses are built on clear opinions 

Laura broke down what actually grows a business in 2026.
Andddd what not to do...
To sound beige lol.

Here's what you need:

Leads. 
Conversion. 
Delivery.

And caring deeply about client results (most important right?)

The full conversation is live now on YouTube.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did 🇦🇺

Turn Sales Calls Into Signup Calls With This Content Framework

Most digital entrepreneurs are struggling to close consistently.

Sales calls feel awkward. Prospects hesitate. And momentum drops for no clear reason.

Not because your offer is bad. Not because you’re not good at what you do.

It’s because your content isn’t doing the heavy lifting before the call.

In this free 90-minute live workshop, I’ll break down the exact content framework we’ve installed across 500+ digital businesses to turn cold “sales calls” into confident signup calls.

You’ll learn how to:
 • Build trust before the call even happens
 • Use one simple story framework to warm up prospects
 • Create training content that proves competence in advance
 • Send the right content so calls are easier to close

You’ll leave with a clear, repeatable system to turn content into qualified sales calls—and clients.

You don’t run a coaching business.

You run a sales organisation that happens to coach people.

Most coaches think they’re in the “coaching” business.

The reality is you’re in the sales business.

Coaching is just what happens after the sale.

If you can’t book calls, nothing else matters.
If people don’t show up, nothing else matters.
If you can’t close, nothing else matters.

Here are the only numbers you need to measure:

- Calls booked
- Show rate
- Close rate
- Cash collected

That’s it.

At Voics, we book 200+ calls per month.

65% show rate.
30% close rate.

Because we don’t build on luck, we build an ecosystem.

Your offer determines your pipeline.

If it’s positioned as a painkiller, people want to talk.

Your content and sales process determine conversions.

If they’ve watched your origin story, seen your objection-handling videos, and know your values, they show up ready.

Most coaches obsess over coaching.

Top coaches obsess over acquisition.

You can use a software called Aura that tracks, measures, and analyses every step of your sales process.

If you want to build a $100M software company…

Ask someone who sold theirs for $180,000,000.

I sat down with Frank Greeff, who hasn’t just done it once…
He’s back in the arena building again.

In Sydney, we broke down the path of what it actually takes to scale:

1.⁠ ⁠Hiring A-Players
How to attract top-tier talent, what to look for in the first 30 days.

2.⁠ ⁠Scaling a Software Company
From early traction to scaling aggressively and leadership.

3.⁠ ⁠Building an Incredible Community
Why community is now one of the strongest growth levers in SaaS.

This was scars and lessons from someone who’s been through the full cycle and came out the other side.

You can watch the full conversation below.

If you want to make more money, follow a sales process.

When I tried to grow Voics in 2021, it was a total shit show.

I was jumping into DMs, sending cold outreach, hoping something would land.

Nothing did.

I had no way to track conversations.
No way to follow up properly.
No idea what was working or not.

Then I’d get on sales calls…

With no process.

No structure.

No way to turn those calls into clients consistently.

Before I knew it, I was way behind on acquisition and completely stuck.

This is the founder dilemma:

No process, no consistency, no results.

So you spin your wheels and wonder why scaling feels impossible.

Here’s what actually fixed it for me:

- Book calls and track every lead
- Review sales calls properly (not vibes)
- Measure the right analytics
- Follow up when leads are ready, not randomly

That’s it.

Nothing fancy.
Nothing crazy.

Just a sales system.

I created a FREE training to help you start a coaching business.

From absolute scratch.

This is a complete end-to-end guide.

Absolutely everything you need to get your first 10 clients.

If you’ve got a skill, this is how you turn it into a business.

If you run an agency, this is how you introduce coaching.

If you’re a true expert, this is how you get paid for that expertise.

Ready to get started?

Click the link below.

Lester Chng

Cyber CEOs Brand Strategist. I build your brand as you build your business. | Senior Cybersecurity Advisor | Author | Naval Officer | CISSP | 🇨🇦🇸🇬 |

You head a leading cybersecurity firm.
But your online presence doesn't reflect it.

In fact, being invisible is damaging. 

You understand the power of thought leadership.
You know LinkedIn shapes deal flow and adds credibility in the industry.
You just don’t have the cycles (or the copy) to share your expertise and experience.

You have stories worth telling.

The insights from being in the trenches.
The deep conversations with your ace teams.
The hard discussions with your clients. 

Don’t let this wisdom go to waste.

That’s where I come in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How we work together.

Profile & Positioning
=> Rebuild your LinkedIn profile so visitors see industry authority, not “another vendor.”

Content engine
=> Ghostwritten posts that leverage your insights and expertise into engaging LinkedIn posts. 

Outreach campaign
=> Targeted DM campaigns and audience-building strategies that build your authority and land you on podcasts and conference stages.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You focus on growing your firm and protecting your clients.
And we will ensure the industry, clients, prospects, and investors can’t ignore it.

Let’s build the personal brand that commands the cybersecurity conversation and drives business.


Worked with global client portfolio 
- MSPs
- MSSPs
- Agentic AI SOC
- AI-powered GRC 
- Operational Resilience 

Senior Advisor, Financial Crimes Unit Exercises. BMO Fusion Centre

Execution of Financial Crimes Unit Exercise and Drill Program
• Design and execution of exercises and drills to operationalize the Financial Crimes Unit Fusion Centre
• Scenario creation and exercise execution for Information Security, Enterprise Fraud Management, Physical Security, and Global Crisis and Continuity Management teams 
• Providing effective challenge of incident response readiness through exercise observation
• Execution of enterprise-wide Purple Team Exercise


Cybersecurity Exercises: Purple Team, Ransomware, DDoS, Malware, Data Corruption, Data Breach, 3rd Party Incidents
Fraud Exercises: ATOs, Attack on Payment systems, Business Email Compromise, PII Breach
Physical Security Exercise: Active Assailant, Civil Unrest, Bomb Threats
Crisis Exercises: Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Operational Resilience, Fire Incidents, Natural Disasters, Utilities Disruption

Welcome to yr cyber flight simulator. 

I promise I won’t make u cry. 

The Cyber Range has been a faithful workhorse of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University. 

Incident response professionals, IT teams, municipal leaders, law enforcement officers, veterans, and foreign partners have gone through their paces at the range. 

Has yr team seen what a cyber incident looks like?

Have they been in the hot seat, trying to make sense of what’s happening and needing to coordinate and prioritise actions?

Have they been given the rigor of training to sharpen their instinct, rehearsal their articulation, and coordinate competitions priorities?

This is your cyber flight simulator. 

Step in and see what happens when the rubber hits the road. 

Or are you going to take the risk and wait for a real incident to find out?

Good luck. 
Godspeed. 


P.S 
Please follow Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University. 

We have been delivering exciting programs to individuals and organizations for years and have shaped Canadian’s Cyber Ecosystem. 

It’s going to be an eventful year. 

Follow + try to keep up w the Catalyst.

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I once received AAR feedback from an executive that changed how I view these "mundane" reports.

After-action reports are very important to the success of an exercise program. Without it, there is no chance of leadership buy-in, and soon the program will fizzle out.

These are typical uses/benefits of an AAR.

• capture lessons learned
• provide recap of proceedings
• serve as evidence for risk/auditors
• feeds into enterprise-wide action item register

On this occasion, I drafted the AAR for a fraud-related exercise. It involved many operational teams including executive involvement. The AAR was signed and sent.

One feedback from an executive stood out.

"It had alot of detail, but I don't know if it was a success".

That struck me. We just missed an opportunity.

An opportunity to highlight:
• the alignment with the overall security program
• the collaboration involved to run the exercise
• the advancement in teamwork 
• the reduction of risk

Include a clear story and highlight the win in your AAR.

Don't take these exercises and artefacts for granted.
Each event builds confidence, familiarity, and resilience.
Don't let it go unnoticed; give it its due credit.

P.S Have you seen AARs put to good use?

Most cyber CEOs think LinkedIn is about “posting more.”

It’s about posting with a positioning equation:
Authority + Trust + Leads

Don't start without a clear content strategy.

Here’s the simple way to build your content calendar.

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
1. Build authority so you become the obvious expert.
Authority is when your audience says,
“This person knows the space.”

Teach one niche concept per post (one takeaway).

Share your lived experienced not conceptual ones.

Break down “why this fails” in real environments.

Add proof when possible:
Lessons, patterns, results, before/after.
Authority posts go deep in your niche.
More “results, insights, wisdom.” Less "frameworks"

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁
2. Build trust so people believe in what you stand for.
Trust is when your audience says,
“I’d take a meeting with them.”
It comes from clarity and consistency, not hype.

Show how you think, how you communicate risk, and how you make tradeoffs under constraints. Use stories, principles, and honest calls on what you will and won’t do. When people understand how you deal with situations, they start to trust your delivery.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀
3. Generate leads without sounding salesy.

Direct: a clear CTA after you have earned it.

Indirect: a walkthrough of what it is like working w you.

Remove friction:
scope, timeline, roles involved, what success looks like.

Make it obvious you solve this specific problem for this specific buyer. Lead posts can be direct or indirect, and “walk-through” posts remove buying friction fast.

If you want a repeatable content calendar, stop brainstorming topics.

P.S Do you start writing without a plan?

Thanks Timothy Martens for prompt inspiration.

And Gerald Auger, Ph.D. + Mike Miller
for the reminder to include an image =)

How was your first full week at work?

This will happen if you don't intervene.

The Rule of the First 5 Days is a stock market indicator that states that if the market performs positively in the first 5 trading days of the year, there is a high probability that the markets will end the year positively.

Historical probabilities are between 69 - 84%.

Some of the reasons are:
Early Positioning
Investor Sentiment
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy


Bringing it back to how was your first week back at work?

Busy?
Stressed?
Juggling priorities?

Chances are if you don't make any changes, this will be how your year pans out.


If you had a great week, keep at it!

If not, time to review:
- the triggers
- the pain points
- the larger picture
- the longer term goals

Good luck for week 2!

P.S Dow has best 5-day start to year since 2006!

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bootcamp

Sign up here:
https://catalystcorporatetraining.classe365.com/form/view/AutoBootCamp?_gl=1*9rfqtg*_ga*MTQ4NTczNDM0MC4xNjk4MjQxODM1*_ga_YYXBQS6S5Q*MTcwNzgzMzEyNi4xODEuMS4xNzA3ODMzMTYwLjI2LjAuMA

Time is flying by. Jan is almost over. 

This is 1 thing I miss from 10 years ago. 


My lucious hair that would give me a chance at K-pop auditions. 

Just kidding. I stand no chance. 



What do u miss from 10 years ago?




Thanks sir Chris Chia for taking this pic and sending it again to me recently!

Leader, Coach, Facilitator

If your cyber exercise doesn't make you sweat,

why do you call it an exercise?

Too many teams are taking a stroll during tabletop exercises. They don't prepare in advance, they talk in circles, and frankly take it too lightly.

I have seen teams prepare extensively for exercises.

They relook their process and hold internal preparation meetings to validate if it still makes sense. They ask tough questions internally and the leaders confirm if their assumptions about alternatives, recovery times, capabilities, and priorities are still accurate.

The best teams go in well-prepared and respond confidently. This is not just for show. This is an opportunity where leadership teams have recognized the importance of readiness and set aside protected time to be intentional about preparation. 

This only happens if the exercise program is well-socialized.
When the experience and outputs are understood.
And the leadership is serious about training.

Otherwise, what's the point?
Check a box? It's 2026, do better.

Your next Cyber TTX will be miles better with this small tweak. 

Don’t rush the start of the exercise. 

I know you have been planning it for months. Your adrenaline is pumping and you assume the participants are chomping at the bit to begin. 

But don’t neglect the pre ex brief. 

Here’s why it matters. 

1. Not everyone is familiar w exercises

Some have never participated in one. 
Others can’t remember what it’s like. 
1 or 2 even have weird assumptions. 

2. Remind everyone of the Why

The stakeholders are not equally invested in the exercise or outcome. Half are wondering why they are there. 

3. A good start is important

Some exercises that start poorly can result in minutes of waffling, rabbit holes or just straight up disengagement. 

4. Questions forces a buy-in

Facilitate a short quiz or discussion. 
This makes participants feel involved and helps them warm up as well. 

5. Simple introductions helps

You will be surprised how often teams don’t know each other or what role they play in an incident. 
Take time to do a roundtable intro. 

6. Sponsor emphasis 

Allow the exercise sponsor to speak. 
This reiterates the investment, focus, and important of the exercise. 

7. Calms your nerves

Address concerns before an exercise can help mitigate against difficult scenarios such as wrong expectations and challenging stakeholders. 
There will also be disruption but touching on some issues early helps. 

The next time you plan yr exercise. 
Spend abit more time on the start. 
It will be worth it. 

P.S any other exercise faux pax?

What most Cyber CEOs post on LinkedIn 
 
- repost their company's post 
- post about the latest hack 
- random AI blog 
 
What should Cyber CEOs post on LinkedIn 
 
- customer success stories 
- lessons learned about your business 
- strong opinion about industry issues 
 
You are the leader. 
 
Lead by example. 
 
Here are more post ideas. 

Subject Matter Expertise
- insights
- pain-points
- transformation
- trends + opinion
- counter-trends
- mistakes you have seen others made

Trust
- client success stories
- decision-making dilemmas
- framework for decision-making 
- social proof
- results

Character
- guiding principles
- values
- client examples
- stories of resilience
- leadership

Authenticity
- challenges that excite you
- lessons learned
- challenges that you overcame
- best advice that you received

Majority of my bosses in Cybersecurity have been female.

Yet female only make up 21% of the cyber workforce.

I interviewed Sarah to get her insights on Women in Cyber.

Sarah is a certified coach, facilitator, and founder of the Human Skills Leadership Lab, a unique and customizable program that helps professionals develop the human skills (or ‘soft skills’) required for effective leadership in the modern workplace. 


𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

1. When you think about women leading in cybersecurity, what have you noticed most often in how they lead, communicate, or navigate their roles?

They’re brilliant and discerning. They carry a full plate - navigating complex decisions and significant risk - and still, they lead with calm authority, thoughtfulness and integrity. They think deeply about their teams, their organizations, their families, and the broader systems. They’re the kind of leaders the world needs more of.


2. As you look ahead to the Women in Cyber Leadership Program in Malaysia with the Catalyst, what aspects of the program are you most curious or energized about?
   
After 4 years collaborating with the Catalyst to support cyber leaders from across Canada, I’m incredibly excited to connect with cyber leaders from 7 countries across ASEAN. It will be thrilling to be part of the conversation as these women come together to learn from and with each other.

 

If you enjoyed this interview series, please follow Sarah Lang (MA, PCC, CPCC). She is a human skills expert, a Leadership in Communication Skills Coach, and has trained leaders from leading corporations and brands.

P.S. How are companies promoting diversity?

Soft Skills Expert • Certified Leadership & Public Speaking Coach & Facilitator • Program Design and Instruction @ U Toronto, KPMG, ESRI, Rogers • I help leaders transform confidence into connection and influence.

I trained Principle Warfare Officers. 

We assessed them on 3 attributes. 

The Principle Warfare Officer (PWO) was responsible for fighting the ship. 

This included the deployment of weapons, manoeuvres, and in many cases the control of multiple ships and aircraft to fulfil a mission. 

These are the 3 attributes. 

Knowledge 
- know the procedures 
- know the asset capabilities
- know the adversary’s capabilities 
- know the ever changing situation 

Command and control
- clarity of situation  
- clarity of instruction 
- clarity of orchestration

Creativity 
- demonstrates intuition 
- demonstrates flexibility 
- demonstrates adaptability 


In cybersecurity operations,

We assess
.
.
.
.
.

Hope you get my point. 

Happy training.

Most cyber CEOs aren’t afraid to post.
They’re afraid to be misunderstood.

And 19 other myths of writing on LinkedIn. 

 1. “I’ll get DMs from random people and waste time.”
 2. “If I post about a niche topic, it’ll limit my market.”
 3. “I should wait until my messaging is perfect.”
 4. “I’ll get fact-checked and embarrassed.”
 5. “I’ll be judged by peers in the industry.”
 6. “Clients will think I’m wasting time.”
 7. “I’m not a ‘social media' person.’”
 8. “I need a hot take every time.”
 9. “I’ll look like I’m bragging.”
10. “My team will cringe.”
11. “I need perfect writing.”
12. “People will think I’m selling.”
13. “I’ll attract trolls or get dragged.”
14. “I’ll upset a partner/vendor/client.”
15. “My competitors will copy my ideas.
16. “I’m not ‘big enough’ to have opinions.”
17. “If I post, I’m giving away the secret sauce.”
18. “Need to sound super technical to be credible.”
19. “If engagement is low, it means I’m bad at this.” 

P.S which is your fav? Mine is #8  🔥

I reviewed the LinkedIn headlines of 23 Cyber CEOs.

Not 1 mentioned these important aspects.

LinkedIn headlines are your first impression.
More precisely, the first 57 characters matter.

They are seen:
• on your profile
• during connection requests
• on the main feed via your posts
• in the comments with every response


I help [buyer] achieve [outcome] without [pain].

None of the CEOs mentioned buyer, outcome, or pain.

How would you write your headline?



[9]
CEO at [Company]
CEO at [Company]
CEO at [Company]
Founder/CEO at [Company]
Founder and CEO of [Company]
Founder and CEO at [Company]
Co-Founder & CEO at [Company]
Co-Founder & CEO at [Company]
CEO & Co-founder at [Company] - We are hiring!

[7]
CEO at [Company]| Autonomous SOC
CEO @ [Company]- Enterprise Hyper-Automation
Co-founder & CEO at [Company]| AI for Security Operations
Co-founder and CEO @ [Company] | Security Operations, at scale
Co-Founder/CEO at [Company]| Outpace attackers with agentic AI SOC Analysts
CEO @ [Company]| Executive | Entrepreneur | Revolutionizing the SOC with AI
Founder, CEO @ [Company] Autonomous SecOps & Investigation Platform with Hyperautomation.


[7]
Hiring misfits to solve security!
Tech Entrepreneur, investor and board member.
CEO at [Company] and Author of [Book] available now!
Building Your AI Knowledge Engine for Security Operations. Hiring!
Building great teams to execute on very difficult engineering problems
Tech Founder & Executive. Defender. Nation-state Hacker. Medal of Honor Recipient. Public speaker.
Empowering businesses: ChatGPT training, strategizing AI implementation, and offering tailored LLM and AI solutions for process automation.

AI tools are being used in yr org. 
Have your IR plans kept up?
Here are 4 changes to make. 

Implementing AI tools have left security team scrambling over the last couple of years to ensure it is securely deployed and monitored. 

Your incident response plans may have be neglected in the process. 

Consider these updates. 

1. Include AI related incidents 

- sensitive data exposure
- supply chain vulnerabilities 
- unauthorised model changes 

Don’t assume your plan is a catchall. 
AI asset owners don’t fully understand the security risks. 

2. Validate asset + contact list

- AI asset owners 
- data architects r crucial
- most of these folks r probably new

These AI gurus have been heads down focused on speed on implementation. They probably can’t spell cyber if u meet them for the first time on an incident call. 

3. AI specific containment

- understand the impacts 
- ask if traditional options will work

It’s going to get more complex as AI tools integrate across enterprise. It may soon become so entrenched that disabling it is a non option. 

4. Logs and investigation 

- review if current threshold is valid
- check on logs before/after go-live

You will learn to love “black boxes” and need to navigate round them. 


P.S what other areas to add?

2.

Incident response plans only play a small part in cyber resilience. 

“Do you have an IR plan?”

Is probably one of the most common question that consultants and experts use to gauge a company’s resilience. 

Many teams are happy to tick yes. 

But having a plan is merely the start. 

Here’s why:
- high turnover of staff
- fast pace of tech change
- lots of assumptions remain  
- plans get outdated due to new tech 
- teams don’t use the playbooks/plans
- primary teams hardly get trained
- secondary teams ignored 
- random cyber exercises 
- no training plan

There is barely any focus on training. 

7 men squads in the military get more training time and resources than multi-million dollar cyber defence teams protecting our financial ecosystem. 

Will having a plan alone save you?

And how long are you going to assumed your team is ready?

P.S the world is still a vulnerable place

Human skills training will unlock your career potential.

These are your advantages against AI... for now.

I interviewed Sarah to get her insights on human skills.

Sarah is a certified coach, facilitator, and founder of the Human Skills Leadership Lab, a unique and customizable program that helps professionals develop the human skills (or ‘soft skills’) required for effective leadership in the modern workplace. 


𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

1. What are some of the key human skills that will unlock an individual’s potential in the workplace?
   
First: self-awareness, because awareness always precedes change. From there, the skills of emotional intelligence, listening and clear communication. These will help you improve your relationships and increase your influence and impact.


2. Were there pivotal moments from your own experience or from those that you coached that reaffirm that Human Skills Training is a vital part of career development?

I’m reminded of this everyday, given how easy it is to outsource one’s thinking, ideas, and voice to AI. We’re constantly pitched the benefits of efficiency, when really it’s our unique essence as a human that makes us compelling. Human skills will always be vital to professional and personal development.  


If you enjoyed this interview series, please follow Sarah Lang (MA, PCC, CPCC). She is a human skills expert, a Leadership in Communication Skills Coach, and has trained leaders from leading corporations and brands.

P.S. Are you worried about AI impacting yr career?

5 LinkedIn posts that should be part of your pre-RSAC marketing plan. 

If your Head of Marketing is not bugging you to start posting on LinkedIn before RSAC, ask them why?

Even better if they tell u what to post. 

Here’s 5 posts that I will write. 

“Heading to RSAC next week. Here’s the one question I’m asking every CISO I meet.”

“One year ago, [Client Type] was struggling with [Specific Problem]. Here’s what changed.”

“Everyone’s talking about [Trending Topic] at RSA. Here’s what they’re missing.”

“We’re bringing [Specific Thing] to RSA. Here’s why we built it.”

“I have 8 meeting slots open during RSA. Here’s who I wld love to talk to.”

_____________

Here’s 3 reasons why you shld post. 


REASON 1: 
Conferences are chaotic. 

This gives you a chance to cut through the noise.  

REASON 2: 
Post-Conference follow-up success is built upon pre-conference interaction.  

Unless you are a magician and can engage random folks on the floor. 

REASON 3: 
Yr competitors are already doing so. 

Silence = Falling Behind

You don’t want to waste all that $$$$

———————

No time to write?
Overwhelmed by the preparation?
Rather spend time on client demos?

Let’s work together and take that off your plate.

LinkedIn posts can be complicated.  

I simplify it by 3-2-1 method. 

3 types of posts 
- authority 
- leads 
- trust

Cycle this through the week. 

2 content pillars
- cybersecurity exercises
- LinkedIn copywriting 

Alternate pillars per day. 

1 target audience per post

Focus on 1 reader. 


What’s your 3-2-1?
⬇️

People judge within 7 seconds of opening yr mouth.

That's why I still get nervous before every presentation.

I interviewed Sarah Lang to get her insights on public speaking and establishing leadership presence.

Sarah is a certified coach, facilitator, and founder of the Human Skills Leadership Lab, a unique and customizable program that helps professionals develop the human skills (or ‘soft skills’) required for effective leadership in the modern workplace. 


𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

1. How would you explain what leadership presence is for those looking to grow in their career?
   
Leadership presence is your ability to stay grounded and intentional in all moments - including when you’re under pressure. In a society driven by distraction and dopamine hits, leaders who embody this type of presence, steadiness and self-trust stand out.  


2. What are some ways to practice being more grounded and present?

• Spend time on analogue hobbies that anchor you to the physical world - art, books, gardening, cooking, etc.
• Practice mono-tasking on purpose.
• Try slowing down your communication - listening, speaking, pausing, saying less.
• Regulate your nervous system with breathwork, yoga or grounding activities.
• Carve out daily moments to pause and transition between meetings and events


3. Presenting to an audience is a real fear for many professionals. Do you have a couple of tips that you usually teach?
   
First, get crystal-clear on what you’re trying to say and why it matters to your audience. Then, practice your vocal and non-verbal delivery to make sure you sound like you care about what you’re saying! I also teach simple ways to work with nerves rather than fight them so speakers can stay connected to themselves and their audience.
 

If you enjoyed this interview series, please follow Sarah Lang (MA, PCC, CPCC). She is a human skills expert, a Leadership in Communication Skills Coach, and has trained leaders from leading corporations and brands.

P.S. What's the best advice u received on public speaking?

Most Cyber CEOs post randomly and wonder why LinkedIn isn't working.
They write when inspiration strikes.
They share whatever feels right in the moment.
They post about the latest breach one day, their product the next, then go silent for weeks.

The result? Confusion. Zero traction. Wasted effort.

Here's what you should be doing instead:
Plan your content around 3 post types.

1. Authority posts
This is where you demonstrate expertise.
Share insights from client engagements. Dive deep into problems you're solving. Break down complex security concepts.

Examples:
"5 issues all enterprises face with AI governance"
"How we helped Company X reduce risk by 40%"
"The biggest misconception about Zero Trust"

These posts establish you as the expert in your niche.

2. Trust posts
This is where you build relationships.
Share your founder journey. Talk about team culture. Reveal the challenges you've overcome.

Examples:
"Why we started this company in 2019"
"The toughest decision I made as CEO"
"What our clients don't see behind the scenes"

These posts show the human behind the solution.

3. Lead posts
This is where you attract prospects.
Address pain points directly. Show transformation. Make your solution crystal clear.

Examples:
"Overwhelmed with compliance requirements?"
"How we saved a client 2000 hours per year"
"Is your board asking about AI risks?"

These posts turn readers into conversations.

Now here's the system:

Mon: Authority post
Wed: Trust post
Fri: Lead post

Repeat this for 6 months minimum.
Map out topics under each category. 
Populate your calendar. 

Never start from a blank page again.

Most cyber CEOs will read this and do nothing.

They'll keep posting randomly.
They'll keep getting zero results.
Don't be most CEOs.

Plan your content. Execute consistently. 
P.S. What type of post do you struggle with most?

Worried about the removal of your role?
Don't be a deer in headlights.
Do this immediately.

2025/2026 is the new 2020.

The trigger is different.
Lockdown vs AI.
The outcome is becoming the same.

And we shouldn't really be surprised...
If you are, stop living under a rock.

What did you think would happen?

Just look around the wider workforce, companies, tasks, processes, meetings, discussions, emails.....

Bots will be much better at most of that.

Thanks Sherlock, so is that the end for the human worker?

Maybe.... but not yet.

So, until we start serving robotic overloads, let's prepare and control what we can.

These are 5 things I'll immediately do to mitigate job risk.

1. Get better at your work

Thanks, Captain Obvious.
You are welcome, but I made Major.

The people who are most worried are probably the ones with the most areas to improve...so if there was a time to buck up, its now.

Say yes more than no.
Spend that extra hour.
Put in that additional effort.
Put yr hand up for that project.
Capture your achievements.
Socialize the wins w teams.
Help other teams win.


2. Restart your network

Your Rolodex is creaky, I know, but it is time to revisit.

It will be awkward at the start, but keep at it.
Better now than when you "need" a job.

Pro Tip: Be genuinely interested in them

Your older connections are easier to rekindle than establishing new ones. 


3. Build your profile

Refresh and improve your LinkedIn profile + professional portfolio.

It's 2026, we go to your profile and website if we want to get a good sense of who you are.

How are you showing up?
• old dated profile pic
• high school quality about section
• boring as f experience description

Or are you invisible?
Makes sense if you are James Bond.


4. Grow your network

Do some research. 

Who are your peers?
Who is in your dream role?
Which are the interesting companies?

Some of the folks who reported to you may now be execs.

Don't wait till your need a network to build one.

The earlier you start the better.

What are you waiting for? The HR Call?



5. Think like an owner

This is the future of the worker.
Gone are the days of 40 year old career.
My mom celebrates 45 years at 1 company soon!

If you think like an owner, you stop waiting for permission.

You start taking action, owning the risks, and keep going.

What is one thing you think will change when there is this mindset shift from employee to "owner worker"?

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The Battle

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Likes

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