Charity Wright: Pursue what you love. [Threat intelligence] [Career Notes] - CyberWire Daily

Podcast Summary: CyberWire Daily

Episode: Charity Wright: Pursue what you love. [Threat intelligence] [Career Notes]
Host: N2K Networks
Date: December 28, 2025

Overview

This episode features Charity Wright, a Threat Intelligence Analyst at Recorded Future, sharing her journey from aspiring Olympic figure skater, to US Army linguist, to cyber threat intelligence expert. Charity discusses her educational and professional path, her role in cybersecurity, insights from her military and intelligence experience, and the importance of pursuing one’s passions within the field. The episode is motivational and encouraging, especially for those who might feel siloed by their past experiences or background.

Main Themes & Discussion Points

1. Early Aspirations and Education

Charity initially aspired to be an Olympic figure skater.
Her interest shifted in late high school to international relations, leading to a degree in international studies at the University of North Texas.
(Timestamp: 01:19)
Quote:
"When I was young I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater, which did not happen, but it was something to strive after."
— Charity Wright, 01:20

2. Unexpected Military Recruitment and Linguist Path

Charity was recruited into the US Army for the linguist program during college, enticed by the opportunity to learn a foreign language, travel, and continue her education with Army support.
She was assigned to learn Mandarin Chinese, despite her initial doubts about learning such a difficult language.
Memorable Moment:
"I really didn't have confidence that I could learn Chinese, but I thought hey, I'm being paid to learn it so may as well try. And it was a really wonderful experience..."
— Charity Wright, 03:22
Charity’s first duty assignment as a linguist was at the NSA in Hawaii, which she found highly motivating and rewarding.

3. Service, Family, and Transition to Civilian Work

Charity balanced her career with family when her husband, also in the military, received orders for Maryland. She transitioned from active duty to the National Guard to support her family.
The move to the DC area presented challenges despite her skills and security clearance, due to a saturated market of veterans post-2012.
Quote:
"I thought for sure I'd be able to get a contract job... but it was 2012 and the economy was not great and the job market was flooded with veterans that were cleared."
— Charity Wright, 05:39

4. Entry Into Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence

Charity pivoted into cybersecurity in the private sector, describing it as one of the most exciting points in her career.
She joined a rapidly evolving field, leveraging her background in languages and global analysis.

5. Daily Life as a Threat Intelligence Analyst

Charity describes her work as fast-paced and continuously engaging, especially monitoring global events, with a special focus on Chinese influence operations in recent months.
She works on the global issues team, contributing to strategic intelligence and leading junior analysts.
Quote:
"My day to day, I wake up in the morning pretty early and I have to admit I'm a little addicted to my job. So I jump straight into what happened while I was sleeping. Is there anything breaking that I need to report on?"
— Charity Wright, 07:15

6. Teamwork, Learning, and Bias in Intelligence Analysis

Emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives in threat intelligence work, particularly balancing and acknowledging biases from a military background.
Values collaboration and learning from junior analysts.
Quote:
"These younger junior analysts are amazing. Their perspectives that they bring to our analysis and how we can check each other's bias, which is really important as an analyst..."
— Charity Wright, 07:55

7. Career Advice: Don’t Let Others Silo You

Charity advises resisting being “siloed” into roles based solely on your background, instead pursuing interests and areas that spark passion.
She credits confidence, honesty about skills and gaps, and a willingness to learn as key to her successful pivot into cybersecurity.
Quote:
"One of the most important things I've learned in my career is to not let anyone silo you into a role or a place that you are not happy in. A lot of times, people will label you based on your past experiences."
— Charity Wright, 08:19

8. Advocacy for Representation and Following Your Passions

Shares her drive to improve gender representation in cybersecurity, highlighting the need for more women on stage, on camera, and as public voices in the field.
Quote:
"There’s not enough women in this industry on stage or on camera or on the mic, speaking about their experiences, speaking about their knowledge and sharing that with the world. And we need more representation."
— Charity Wright, 08:51
Stresses the importance of working on what you love for both personal fulfillment and professional impact.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

"When I was young I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater, which did not happen..."
— 01:20
"I really didn't have confidence that I could learn Chinese, but I thought hey, I'm being paid to learn it so may as well try."
— 03:22
"I thought for sure I'd be able to get a contract job... but it was 2012 and the economy was not great and the job market was flooded with veterans that were cleared."
— 05:39
"My day to day, I wake up in the morning pretty early and I have to admit I'm a little addicted to my job."
— 07:15
"These younger junior analysts are amazing. Their perspectives that they bring to our analysis and how we can check each other's bias..."
— 07:55
"One of the most important things I've learned in my career is to not let anyone silo you into a role or a place that you are not happy in."
— 08:19
"There’s not enough women in this industry on stage or on camera or on the mic... and we need more representation."
— 08:51

Key Moments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Charity's introduction & early aspirations | 01:19 | | Reflections on Army linguist recruitment | 02:10 | | Learning Mandarin and first duty station | 03:22 | | Supporting family, National Guard transition | 04:20 | | Entering cybersecurity private sector | 06:00 | | Daily life as a threat intelligence analyst | 07:15 | | On team dynamics and analyst bias | 07:55 | | Career advice and challenges | 08:19 | | Women’s representation in cybersecurity | 08:51 |

Tone and Style

Charity’s tone is candid, energetic, and passionate, with a mix of humility and encouragement. She frames her personal journey as both instructive and inspirational, especially for listeners considering a non-linear career path or striving for greater representation in tech and cyber fields.

Summary Takeaway:
Charity Wright’s story is an inspiring testament to the power of adaptability, lifelong learning, and aligning work with personal passions. Her advice to pursue what you love and to defy being limited by one’s background is significant for anyone considering a shift within cybersecurity or technology. The episode is especially motivational for women and underrepresented groups seeking their place and voice in the industry.

Transcript

A (0:02)

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A (1:19)

Hello, my name is Charity Wright and I'm a threat Intelligence analyst at Recorded Future. When I was young I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater, which did not happen, but it was something to strive after. When I was maybe in late high school I started really taking an interest in the world around me, international relations. So I guess that did lead to studying international studies at the University of North Texas. I was in my third year of college when a hulking man in uniform approached me in the food court area and said I was wondering if I could sit down and talk to you about the U.S. army. And he was actually one of the rare recruiters that knew about the Army Linguist program and he was recruiting college students specifically that could test into the Linguist program. And you know, it captured my interest right away, learning a foreign language, getting out of my parents house, moving to California. So it sounded like a great opportunity and so I went straight into the army and they explained to me that the army will pay for the rest of your college classes. So I decided to take those classes one by one while I was serving on active duty. To being a linguist, I don't think I really understood what I was getting myself into. I think I imagined that I was going to be working at an embassy overseas and doing some kind of interpreting work, but I had not really researched what army linguists do. So I was very surprised and pleased to learn that the army assigned me to learn Mandarin Chinese. And to be honest I really didn't have confidence that I could learn Chinese, but I thought hey, I'm being paid to learn it so may as well try. And it was a really wonderful experience and then much to my surprise, I found out towards the end of the course that I was going to be assigned to work in Hawaii. So once I found that out, I was very motivated to finish. And then when I went to Hawaii, I was stationed to work at the National Security Agency. My husband at the time was also in the Navy and he was deployed on submarines. So I had to find some balance for the family and I decided to support his career and get out of active duty. And I transitioned directly into the Hawaii Army National Guard. Still as a Chinese linguist. Well, husband took orders to Maryland, so we relocated. And you know, being in the middle right by NSA headquarters at Fort Meade and the defense industry in D.C. i thought for sure I'd be able to get a contract job. But it was 2012 and the economy was not great and the job market was flooded with veterans that were cleared with security clearances. So it was a little challenging to get into a contract job. That's when I started a job in cybersecurity in the private sector. So to me that was one of the most amazing times in my career is actually switching from public sector to private sector and getting into cybersecurity, which was a brand new area for me. Working in threat intelligence is a really exciting, fun, fast paced environment. Like I work on the global issues team now, so I do strategic global intelligence. I still focus heavily on China and especially the past nine months or so I've been focused exclusively on Chinese influence operations. So there is never a dull day when you're monitoring threats around the world. My day to day, I wake up in the morning pretty early and I have to admit I'm a little addicted to my job. So I jump straight into what happened while I was sleeping. Is there anything breaking that I need to report on? And then within the global issues team, we're monitoring what's going on around the world and writing analyst notes. So it's kind of like a summary of what's happening, but also the analysis and we enrich it with other important factors that are happening around that. We have a wonderful manager who manages the team aspects and then I get to add the expert level analysis and help work with those junior analysts. I get to do senior review on a lot of their notes and you know, it's just an amazing environment where I learn from them and they learn from me. These younger junior analysts are amazing. Their perspectives that they bring to our analysis and how we can check each other's bias, which is really important as an analyst, especially as an American intelligence analyst. With a military background, I recognize that I do have my own biases that I have to keep in check. And while I may see something as very extreme, other people try to bring up, oh, well, here's a different perspective, and I love that. I think one of the most important things I've learned in my career is to not let anyone silo you into a role or a place that you are not happy in. A lot of times, people will label you based on your past experiences. So, for example, I came from a military intelligence background, and I literally knew very little about it and nothing about cybersecurity When I jumped into that position, and I really kind of put myself out there and said, hey, look, this is what I can bring to the table. This is what I'm really good at. Here's my gaps, and here's how I'm trying to fill those gaps, and that's what got me into this industry. But once you're in, a lot of times, people will try to be like, okay, you belong in this section, or this is your area of expertise, so you need to stick to this. But I like to encourage people to pursue what you love because you're really going to be good at what you do when you love it. And I feel very blessed to have found a job in a company that allows me to do what I love and what I'm good at. So I kind of went down my own path. And a lot of people were trying to, no, no, no. Go back to your threat intel role. You're a technical person. And I thought, you know what? There's not enough women in this industry on stage or on camera or on the mic, speaking about their experiences, speaking about their knowledge and sharing that with the world. And we need more representation. So part of it was a little bit of me going, hey, we need more women in this. And the other part was, this is really fun, and I love it.