Episode Overview

CyberWire Daily’s October 5, 2025, “Career Notes” episode features Sloane Menkes, a Principal Consultant in PwC’s Cyber Risk and Regulatory Practice and leader of the Microsoft Cyber Alliance. In this reflective and candid interview, Menkes shares her personal and professional journey into cybersecurity, the role of mentors, the power of problem-solving, and her commitment to supporting women in the field. The episode’s main theme is the importance of curiosity, resilience, and giving “the extra 2%”—a mantra from her youth that’s shaped her outlook and career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Interests and the ‘2%’ Mantra

[01:15 - 03:20]

• Menkes describes her nonlinear approach to life and affinity for “solving for variables,” a mindset that has continuously driven her.
• She recalls being comfortable across varied social circles, from “nerding out” with future hackers to participating as an athlete.
• Major Influence: A high school moment where a peer told her, “Sloane, do you realize if you put 2% more effort in, you would be phenomenal at everything you do?” This offhand comment became a lifelong mantra.
  • Quote: “I say, ‘what is the 2%?’ But I actually have made that into this mantra and this person has no idea what an effect they had on my life.” – Sloane Menkes [02:40]

Academic Path and Love of Problem-Solving

[03:20 - 05:05]

• Menkes set her sights on the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she initially pursued engineering before discovering her passion for operations research—a blend of mathematics, computer science, and economics to solve complex problems.
• She describes her “mind-blowing, eye-opening experience” with advanced calculus, aligning formal math with her instinctive thought processes.
  • Quote: “Figuring out nonlinear math really spoke to me the way that I had been thinking most of my life...There was actually a method to my madness.” – Sloane Menkes [04:30]

Military Discipline and Early Cyber Exposure

[05:05 - 06:50]

• Menkes discusses her military family background and the steep learning curve in adapting to military discipline.
• She graduated as one of five honored with a military award, later securing a coveted Air Force slot for a Management Information Systems graduate degree.
• In her first Air Force posting at Headquarters OSI (Office of Special Investigations), she encountered one of the earliest cybercrime forensic labs and worked with Howard Schmidt, later the first White House cybersecurity head.
  • Quote: “He [Howard Schmidt] asked me several times to help him with his briefings...this is where I first started to get interested in cybersecurity.” – Sloane Menkes [06:35]

Transition to Cybersecurity Consulting

[06:50 - 07:52]

• After leaving the Air Force, Menkes had a brief State Department cyber lab stint before joining PwC, where the dynamic cybersecurity environment and the people kept her engaged.
  • Quote: “None of this would keep me as excited to stay there if it weren’t for the people I’m working with—and I mean both my clients as well as...at PwC.” – Sloane Menkes [07:33]

Mentorship, Career Advice, and the ‘Bucket’ Perspective

[07:52 - 08:50]

• Citing a PwC mentor, Menkes shares the importance of putting problems in “buckets”—how much something will matter in 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years—to maintain perspective and resilience.
  • Quote: “If it’s going to matter six years from now, well, that’s career-changing...but if it’s not going to matter six days from now, we’ll make amends.” – Sloane Menkes [08:15]

Women in Cybersecurity: Progress and Encouragement

[08:50 - 09:32]

• Highlights her passion for supporting women in cybersecurity, recalling a nearly unprecedented gender split when she joined PwC in 1997, and how it took a decade to see numbers rise.
• Encourages women—even those without a direct educational background in cybersecurity—to explore, learn, and not be intimidated by the field.
  • Quote: “Don’t let that be intimidating, instead, let that be inspiring.” – Sloane Menkes [09:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My life I saw as variables and I was looking for ways to solve for them.” – Sloane Menkes [01:22]
• “You would be phenomenal at everything you do.” – Sloane’s high school classmate, recounting the 2% comment [02:25]
• “I could see on a sheet of paper and understand that there was actually a method to my madness, or perhaps not madness, but a method to my thinking.” – Sloane Menkes [04:32]
• “Putting things in buckets helps with perspective.” – PwC mentor, paraphrased by Sloane Menkes [08:00]
• “Don’t be afraid to explore cybersecurity… even if it’s not the thing you studied for.” – Sloane Menkes [09:10]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:15] – Introduction, nonlinear life approach, and the “2%” story
• [03:20] – Academic journey: Air Force Academy, calculus, and operations research
• [05:05] – Military service, early cyber forensics exposure, Howard Schmidt story
• [06:50] – Transition to consulting, finding inspiration in people at PwC
• [07:52] – Mentorship, prioritizing challenges with the “bucket” method
• [08:50] – Women in cybersecurity, encouragement to newcomers

Conclusion

This episode offers an honest, encouraging look at the winding path into cybersecurity, driven not by a rigid plan but by a love of problem-solving and openness to new experiences. Sloane Menkes’s “2%” mantra and her advice—to put in a little more effort, maintain perspective, and never let intimidation stop you—are especially empowering for anyone, but particularly for women aspiring to enter the field. The episode closes with an inspiring nudge: dig in and let your curiosity push you forward.