Podcast
Outspoken with Shana Cosgrove
Hosted by Shana Cosgrove · EN
On this show we'll talk about tech - software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning - government contracting, the business of business, money, and what really drives us.
10episodes
Episodes
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From the Rafters: Bailey Bickley, Chief Strategy Officer, NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center
Oct 11, 202200:47:36Tap to summarizeCollaboration, Transparency, and Family Legacy.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Bailey Bickley, Chief Strategy Officer for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. Bailey discusses The NSA’s journey from a private organization to one that is now discussing cybersecurity publicly to help ensure online safety. Bailey’s family has been a part of The NSA for 3 generations, and Bailey explains why this family legacy is so important to her. She also explains SolarWinds and other hacking incidents, and why the mission of The NSA is so vital to protect the national interests of The United States. Lastly, Bailey reveals to us her favorite book, future TED talk topic, and the popular movie franchise that puts her to sleep!QUOTES“You want to build trust through transparency. Folks won’t take action on our cybersecurity guidance, unless they trust the source of that guidance.” - Bailey Bickley [05:32]“I realized very early on that my enthusiasm, my ability to connect with people was a skill. It wasn’t just a personality aspect, but it was something that I could leverage in the workplace to get the job done.” - Bailey Bickley [21:38]“If you don’t lean into identifying what you don’t understand and remediating that, you’ll only get so far. [...] Making sure you put the work in first, versus relying on other people to teach you, I think is really important.” - Bailey Bickley [38:00] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meet Bailey Bickley[05:01] The Shift into a Public-Facing NSA[14:42] SolarWinds Cybersecurity Incident[17:15] NSA’s Missions[21:01] How Bailey’s Personality Fits into NSA[24:07] Bailey’s Start with NSA[34:57] Mistakes and Moments of Failure[37:14] Advice for Young People[39:38] Bailey’s Book Recommendation[43:49] Bailey’s Surprising Fact[46:48] Outro RELEVANT LINKSBailey Bickley on LinkedInIntelligencecareers.gov/nsaNyla Technology SolutionsI’d love to hear from you -- your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you’ll give us 5 stars. I’ll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don’t forget to hit “subscribe” so you’ll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.<p class="ql-align-cen...
Transcribe →From the Rafters: Nic Cober, Esq., Principal Managing Partner of CJR and Founder of The BOW Collective
Oct 4, 202200:56:28Tap to summarizeSeeing Abundance, Supporting Women, and Shifting the Narrative.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Nic Cober, Esq., Principal Managing Partner of CJR and founder of The BOW Collective. Nic describes her journey to and through serial entrepreneurship, from her unexpected first small business venture as owner of a hair salon and day spa to her current role as cofounder of a multi-million dollar legal and consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She talks about the joy she finds in working directly with small businesses and consulting with banks, municipalities, and others to support small-business owners. She shares how her new nonprofit venture, the Black Owner and Women’s Collective, came to be and how she got to ring the bell at the NYSE. Nic encourages women to support women-owned businesses and to realize that partnerships are power, and she has ideas for what to read even when you’re tired of reading.QUOTES “What I realized and what I think has been my forever light bulb moment is whatever you had you can have again. Because I had the intellectual property to do it the first time. And so: OK, you’ve lost that, well, what did you do right? What relationships did you make? How can you repurpose your gifts in order to get it again?” - Nic Cober [13:35] “I don’t see a lot of married CEO women that are able to have tremendous success personally and professionally without a truly supportive person. And when you own a business together, it stands to reason that it works because you both want it to work. You are both aligned. [. . .] We are both alpha personalities, but we do the beta. We do the beta dance.” - Nic Cober [35:16] “Partnerships are the best key to success. It’s people. [. . .] If you don’t have a collaborative nature on how you can make your business a win-win and triangulate that, you won’t be successful. But if you do, you will always have advocates and allies out there that will come to your aid when you need it the most.” - Nic Cober [46:07] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:55] Meet Nic Cober[03:25] From Practicing Law to Owning a Small Business[11:50] From Running a Small Business to Advising Small Business Owners[14:22] Dealing with Adversity, Getting Past Fears[19:25] Consulting with Small Businesses[24:52] Narrowing vs. Broadening Your Business’s Appeal[26:40] On Partnerships, Relationships, and Inspiring Parents[33:40] Spouses Who Work Together and Marriages That Work[38:38] The BOW (Black Owner & Women’s) Collective[46:07] Partnerships Are the Secret to Success[51:31] On What to Read Even When You’re Too Tired to Read[53:40] Women Supporting Women and Women-Owned Businesses[56:04] Outro...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Amit Singh, Chief Architect for the Intel Sector of BlueHalo.
Jul 19, 202200:50:51Tap to summarizeEquity, Taking Chances, and Keeping it Fun.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Amit Singh, Chief Architect for the Intel Sector of BlueHalo. Amit explains how he ended up studying electrical engineering at the University of Virginia. He also discusses the recent sale of Asymmetrik to Blue Halo, revealing why giving equity to his employees felt natural and how the sale affected him emotionally. Pranks and humor are how Amit keeps things light in the business world, and we hear how they not only helped him survive college but found their way into software on April Fools’ Day. Lastly, Amit argues for the importance of executive coaches, lists impactful books, and divulges his collegiate athletic achievement.QUOTES“I like to start things, I don’t necessarily have to finish them. I think of myself as a zero to one kind of guy” - Amit Singh [16:50]“I’ve tried to reduce the barriers or eliminate the barriers between the engineers and the end user. Because [there’s] all kinds of ways to separate the engineers from the mission, and I feel like it’s very important to remove those obstacles to be successful.” - Amit Singh [34:56]“As a subcontractor, you have the luxury of saying no. As a prime, you don’t have that luxury anymore, so you’re going to have to say yes to some things that you may not have done before. But that’s where partnerships and relationships with other companies can help fill those gaps.” - Amit Singh [45:53] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meet Amit Singh[05:20] Amit’s Role Today[06:40] How Amit Decided on Electrical Engineering[12:10] Leaving NASA and Starting Asymmetrik[15:23] Working for Himself[22:50] Finding a Partner[25:40] Reflections on how Asymmetrik Handled Equity[28:46] Amit’s Emotional Reaction to Selling[29:59] Where Amit’s Confidence to Take Risks Originated[35:37] Easter Eggs in Grapevine[38:06] How Amit Found Balance in Responsibilities as CTO[41:44] Discussing Marriage[46:43] Books that have Impacted Amit[48:15] The Value of Having an Executive Coach[50:31] Outro RESOURCESArlington Capital PartnersBlueHaloVirginia State UniversityUniversity of VirginiaOld Dominion University<...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Tasha Cornish, Executive Director at Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI).
Jul 12, 202200:52:39Tap to summarizePhilanthropy, Cybersecurity, and Bringing the Energy.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Tasha Cornish, Executive Director at Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI). Tasha discusses how her work has helped improve the nation, from running a human services nonprofit during COVID to defending the country from cyber attacks during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She also explains why cybersecurity is important for every business and why information truly is power within the IT sector. Tasha gives advice to those entering the world of cybersecurity and reveals what advice she’s seeking out for where she’s at in her own career. Lastly, Tasha tells us about her adventure journey from snowboarding, scuba diving, running marathons, and possibly even CISSP.QUOTES“There’s a very interesting debate when it comes to the human factor of cybersecurity. It’s a combination of training your staff but also making sure that your networks are not over privileging your staff, that they have access to all these systems they don’t need to access. [...] Which gets a lot of pushback of course from people who are trying to work hard and be productive, but it does help protect our systems” - Tasha Cornish [29:04]“Like anything else, if you don’t have the people and processes in place to use these [cybersecurity] products, they’re kind of useless.” - Tasha Cornish [30:11]“[Local governments] are a huge target [...] It’s a lot, for schools and hospitals really, so we are out here trying to be a good source of information. And those folks are understaffed often, their security teams are strapped ” - Tasha Cornish [33:33] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meet Tasha Cornish[03:38] Tasha’s Work at a Nonprofit During COVID[04:32] How Tasha Started on her Career Path[08:56] Tasha’s Experience During COVID[10:15] Starting at CAMI[14:04] CAMI’s Mission[16:24] Size, Scale, and Impact of CAMI[24:23] CAMI’s Cybersecurity Role in the Russo-Ukrainian War[25:47] CISA[31:51] CAMI’s Goals for 2022[33:05] Cybersecurity Bills in the Maryland House[37:57] Choosing Priorities in the Cybersecurity[38:55] CAMI’s Board[43:42] Advice for People Getting Started[45:27] WiCyS[49:31] Tasha’s Book Recommendation[50:31] Tasha’s Surprising Fact[52:18] Outro RESOURCESShiba InuSaint Mary’s Outreach Center<a href="https://www.nei.nih.gov/" rel="noopener nore...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Megan Jaffer, CEO of IAI Strategies LLC and host of the Iron Butterfly Podcast.
Jul 5, 202200:57:14Tap to summarizePerseverance, Transparency, and Breaking the Glass Ceiling.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Megan Jaffer, CEO of IAI Strategies LLC and host of the Iron Butterfly Podcast. Megan discusses the origins of her desire to get into the intelligence community and how she persevered until she got what she wanted. We hear the importance of Ellen McCarthy, INSA, and the many women along her professional journey that boosted her up. Megan opens up about the Iron Butterfly Podcast, revealing how it started and what her missions are with the show. Lastly, we hear Megan’s favorite book, her surprising fact, and some bonus advice on how to have a successful marriage with two professionally-driven partners.QUOTES“We wanted this to be a podcast where we were telling the real stories of women in intelligence. And it’s not just about what they do, but it’s the fascinating stories about who they are as women.” - Megan Jaffer [28:59]“Part of the reason that AWIC has been successful is that not everybody grows up in this area, around this community. I’m one of those people that had no touch points, I didn’t know anyone.” - Megan Jaffer [33:36]“I have always been taught that you have to tell people how you feel when you love them and you appreciate them - and if they’ve done something well or they’ve touched your heart in some way. And so, I try to do that in my life. ” - Megan Jaffer [39:59] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meeting Megan[04:01] The TIM Collective[08:28] Ellen McCarthy[13:13] Discussing INSA[14:19] Megan’s Desire to Enter the Intelligence Community[19:12] Where Megan Gets Her Perseverance[25:38] Starting the Iron Butterfly Podcast[33:36] The Importance of Accessibility in the Intelligence Community[36:13] Getting Over Nervousness Around Senior Women[40:51] Dream Sessions[46:02] Advice Given and Advice Received[49:36] Megan’s Book Recommendation[51:01] Megan’s Surprising Fact[51:53] Making Marriage Work with Two Professionally-Driven People[56:54] Outro RESOURCESAmazing Women of the IC (AWIC)Command PurposeIntelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA)Elle...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Christie Getman, Country Director for Nepal at Mercy Corps.
Jun 28, 202201:07:27Tap to summarizeDiscovery, Immersion, and Breaking the Mold.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Christie Getman, Country Director for Nepal at Mercy Corps. Christie describes how she landed on her path of international work, explaining her desire for a unique career. She also discusses the value of athletics and how she met her husband through a running club. Shana and Christie dive into the technical side of the work of Mercy Corps, illuminating the ways in which the mechanisms of foreign aid have evolved. Lastly, listen to the end to hear why Shana’s voice provides Christie comfort while she’s flying through mountains in the cabin of a small propeller plane.QUOTES“One of the messages that I always say to people is that this is a whole life career. This is not like ‘this is my job and this is my life.’ When you’re in this line of work, it affects your entire life - you have to be all in.” - Christie Getman [34:14]“The best thing that you can do if you want to support emergency response is send cash. It is the most cost effective, it’s the most efficient, it’s the lowest overhead, we can trace it the best, it gives people dignity, and it supports the local economy.” - Christie Getman [56:08]“What I’ve learned is that I need to just sit with it. Just lean into the silence for an extra minute or two, and inevitably someone who’s less assertive will come forward, start, and give their opinion if I hold back. But if I don’t hold back - and I jump in - that other person may never speak up.” - Christie Getman [62:51] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meeting Christie[04:34] Christie’s Time in Baltimore[08:46] Christie’s Childhood[18:38] Athletics as a Part of Building Community[21:43] Getting her Masters in Anthropology[25:22] Christie Explains what an NGO is[26:55] What Drew Christie to International Work[32:15] Countries that Christie Lived in[35:21] Motherhood When Working Internationally[39:42] Christie’s Work in Nepal[44:02] Experiencing COVID in Nepal[47:00] Getting Technical[58:38] Christie’s Advice for her Younger Self[63:42] Impactful Book[64:27] Christie’s Surprising Facts[67:08] Outro RESOURCESUniversity of RichmondBaltimore Family AllianceThe Breakers Palm BeachPennsylvania Association...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Vimesh Patel, Chief Technology Advisor at World Wide Technology and Board of Directors Member at INSA.
Jun 21, 202200:45:40Tap to summarizeIdentity, Family, and Protecting the Nation.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Vimesh Patel, Chief Technology Advisor at World Wide Technology and Board of Directors Member at INSA. Vimesh and Shana discuss how they first met and what she learned from him. Vimesh details his early experience with the NSA and how he was able to secure paternity leave for the birth of each of his 3 children. Vimesh also explains how he found meaning during his career journey, realizing that service to his country gave the work that he was doing a deeper meaning. Finally, Vimesh tells us what he reads to stay informed and how his extroversion is not an endless resource.QUOTES“So many people say, ‘People are natural leaders or they’re just really good at what they do.’ And I say, ‘you can train yourself in anything.’ I think it’s learning and practicing.” - Vimesh Patel [06:18]“At 16, they’re putting me on a polygraph and asking me if I’ve ever revealed classified information, not that I ever knew any classified information at the age of 16. And somehow I got cleared right, and I walked into the world of the intelligence community.” - Vimesh Patel [08:06] “And I think it was something towards the end of my career that I was always conscious of - well now I’m in that senior seat right, and people are looking at me. What do I do to make it so that people are comfortable? So that we have more diversity and that people don’t feel like they can’t advance in the government.” - Vimesh Patel [17:02] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meeting Vimesh[05:07] Vimesh’s Body Language Talk[06:45] Beginning a Career with The NSA[08:23] Vimesh’s Parents[09:24] Choosing Electrical Engineering[10:28] How Vimesh Became a Senior Relatively Quickly[11:00] Advice on Finding a Mentor[13:25] Vimesh’s Two Master Degrees[15:22] How Vimesh Met his Wife[16:06] Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion[23:17] Vimesh’s Time at The National Counterterrorism Center[26:43] Vimesh’s Location When 9/11 Occurred[28:09] After NCTC and Vimesh’s Paternity Leave[31:33] Balance Within Marriage[32:49] Leaving The NSA[36:40] Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA)[40:35] Vimesh’s Advice to Young People[42:02] What Vimesh is Reading[43:20] Vimesh’s Surprising Fact[45:20] Outro RESOURCESAIOpsNational Security Agency (NSA)<a href="https://...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Ashley Spurr and Lisa Harris, Co-Owners of Elevare, LLC.
Jun 14, 202200:53:23Tap to summarizeSupport, Communication, and Simplifying Complex Problems.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Ashley Spurr and Lisa Harris, Co-Owners of Elevare, LLC. Ashley and Lisa discuss starting Elevare and how they landed on the name over chips and salsa. They also explain how narrowing their offerings resulted in a more refined approach for Elevare. Ashley and Lisa dive deep into the world of GWACs, Polaris, Service MACs, and more. Finally, Ashley tells us about the many animals she has living on her property while Lisa reveals how she became a Guinness World Record holder.QUOTES“They fall into that sales pitch that they’re going to have the tool, and automatically poof they’ll have a pipeline. But it’s not that easy, and that’s why the service that Ashley and I offer is so important. We can manage the tool, and we can take it and give them just the opportunities that they should be looking at” - Lisa Harris [12:00]“I have a list of everybody I have ever talked to on the phone about Elevare’s services. And every six months I’m shooting them an email - ‘hey, still here, what do you need?’ Because that repetition is letting them know that even though you’re not supporting them, you still think about them.” - Ashley Spurr [28:10]“The average is 18 months before you win something in the federal space as a prime or sub [contractor], so you have to stick with it. And I think we bring that calmness of telling you ‘just stay with it, and it will work out.’” - Ashley Spurr [33:38]“When you get started, do not skimp on your attorney, do not skimp on your accountant. Make sure you do everything right from the beginning because you don’t want to be playing catch-up. Don’t start your business first and then go back and try to put all these things in place.” - Lisa Harris [46:17] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Meeting Ashley and Lisa[06:27] Starting Elevare[09:00] How Ashley and Lisa Met Shana[11:48] Getting Comfortable with Business Tools[15:24] Lisa’s Transition from a Full-Time Job to Elevare[17:42] Ashley and Lisa’s Morning Meetings[18:29] Ashley’s Family[20:07] Refining the Services Elevare Offers[23:29] Lisa’s Family[24:37] Picking Elevare’s Name[29:22] Landing New Clients[31:33] What Elevare Offers[39:25] GWACs[41:30] Polaris and Service MAC[43:20] Ashley and Lisa’s First Jobs[44:24] Unique Benefits to a Woman-Owned Business[47:40] Ashley’s Surprising Fact[49:35] Lisa’s Surprising Fact[51:16] Advice for their Younger Selves[53:02] Outro RESOURCES<a href="https://www.visitfortwayne.com/" rel="noop...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Gerard Spivey, Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon Web Services.
Jun 7, 202200:55:55Tap to summarizeCuriosity, Focus, and Forging a Path.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Gerard Spivey, Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon Web Services. Gerard speaks in detail about Amazon’s interview process, giving us insight into their procedures and how he prepared himself. We also hear about Gerard’s time at Amazon and the types of work he’s taking on. Side hustles are a way of life for Gerard, and he speaks about his latest experiences managing his YouTube channel, Gerard’s Curious Tech. Lastly, Gerard talks about his time at NYLA and how he was able to bring his full self to work thanks to NYLA’s culture.QUOTES“I can do slow and steady, I can find my target audience, and then once I have that I can figure out what I want to parlay that into later.” - Gerard Spivey [25:59]“‘I’m a Senior Director [at Intel], and I can do what I want’ is basically what he told me. He’s like ‘the company has a 3.0 thing, but for someone like you who actually knows what they’re talking about it’s not a problem.’ So I said, ‘Ooh this is my time, they’re letting me in’” - Gerard Spivey [42:07]“You’re in a good spot in your career when you’re valued for the thing you’re going to do next versus the thing you did previously. What you’re going to do next is your competitive value - that is what you bring to the table.” - Gerard Spivey [48:27] TIMESTAMPS [00:04] Intro[01:31] Gerard’s Wedding Ceremony[02:32] Working at Amazon Web Services (AWS)[05:33] Amazon’s Interview Process[12:06] Gerard’s Experience with the Job Market[15:54] Working at Amazon[19:11] Starting a New Job During COVID[19:43] Side Hustles[23:21] Gerard’s YouTube Channel[31:08] Gerard’s Childhood[31:52] How Gerard Decided to Study Electrical Engineering[34:19] Choosing a College[45:13] Gerard’s Advice to his Younger Self[47:42] Favorite Books[50:57] Gerard’s Time at NYLA[55:36] OutroRESOURCESAmazon EC2Amazon EC2 Instance TypesAmazon DynamoDBSite Reliability Engineering (SRE)Commercial Cloud Services (C2S)<a href="https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-the-star-interview-response-technique-2061629" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"...
Transcribe →For the Back of the Room: Laura Neuman, Entrepreneur, CEO, and former candidate for Governor of Maryland.
May 31, 202200:57:12Tap to summarizePersistence, Service, and Making a Difference.Content warning: This podcast episode contains brief discussions of sexual assault.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Laura Neuman, Entrepreneur, CEO, and former candidate for Governor of Maryland. Laura discusses how persistence and a love for work allowed her to leap every hurdle on her path to a career in tech. We hear how Laura turned a difficult experience into a powerful lesson about the importance of equity. Laura explains how reopening the investigation into her sexual assault created positive change not only for her but for countless other women.QUOTES“That path just wasn’t going to happen for me. I mean I wasn’t able to afford college, at that point I was choosing between gas, food, and shelter. And so, college just wasn’t an option for me. I did try, and I just couldn’t afford it.” - Laura Neuman [08:30]“I actually really enjoy working, I find it fun. And part of the fun for me is the interaction with other people. I get energy from being around people, and so I like that environment of being in an office. But what I really wanted was a path to opportunity - I wanted to be able to build a career.” - Laura Neuman [14:01]“I really, truly thought that I was the smartest person in the room. And then they did their IPO, and I realized in fact I’m not as smart as I thought I was. Because I got all those great perks and I had this lifestyle to go with it, but what I didn’t have was ownership.” - Laura Neuman [25:12] TIMESTAMPS [00:10] Intro[01:37] Laura Talks About Raising Children[02:07] What Motivated Laura to Run for Governor[06:39] Laura’s Experience with the School System[08:43] Laura’s Harrowing Experience[10:31] Applying for T. Rowe Price[13:59] Laura Loves to Work[21:45] Paying for College[23:14] Early Experiences with Tech Companies[28:37] What Motivated Laura to Work for Equity[31:24] The Sale of Matrics[32:04] Laura Reopens the Investigation into her Case[36:22] After her Assailant’s Prosecution[43:35] Running for Governor[46:46] Laura Believes in Tech[48:45] Discussing Laura’s Campaign[52:07] Advice to Young People[53:47] Laura’s Book Recommendation[55:04] Laura’s Surprising Fact[56:53] Outro RESOURCESInstitute of Notre Dame (IND)Freddie Gray Protest...
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