Bytes, Bits & Brilliance: Career Insights and Inspiration
Bytes, Bits & Brilliance: Career Insights and Inspiration is your guide to building a thriving, long-lasting career.
This season, we’re diving into both the technical and human elements of a thriving career—exploring career strategy, leadership, and the evolving mindsets that fuel success, alongside deeper dives into cutting-edge technology tools, emerging industry trends, and critical technical skills.
With a mix of expert conversations and personal reflections, this season is about equipping you with the insights, strategies, and inspiration to move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Join us as we decode the wisdom of those who’ve forged their own paths and gain the insights you need to shape yours.
The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are personal and not reflective of any employer.
Episodes
66 episodes
Decoding the Shadows - IT, SaaS & AI: The Attack Surface You Can't See (AI-audio Deep Dive)
Shadow IT has evolved, and now the biggest threats lurk in unapproved cloud tools and ungoverned generative AI. This episode breaks down the critical difference between Shadow SaaS and Shadow AI, the severe risks they introduce, and...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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16:04
Inside Aspen Cybersecurity Summit: Policy, Presence & Trailblazers
Ever wondered what happens when cyber policy meets real-world collaboration in D.C.? Dive into my raw takeaways from the Aspen Cybersecurity Summit, a 10-year powerhouse event packed with federal insights, government initiatives, an...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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26:52
Centered and Certain: How Your Why Powers Every Pivot
Discover why knowing your “why” is more than a catchphrase—it’s your guiding light through career pivots, big decisions, and seasons of uncertainty. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s legendary framework, this episode unpacks the powe...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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23:08
The Seat, The System and the Shift: A Person of Color's Reflections on Leadership in Tech
What happens when you realize the language of diversity and belonging is everywhere — yet the systems remain the same? In this episode, we explore what it truly means to have a seat at the table and why representation alone isn’...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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25:11
The Folding Chair at the Table: What True Leadership in Tech Should Mean
What does true tech leadership look like when you’re stuck managing critical systems but don’t get to steer the ship? Inspired by a LinkedIn post, this episode, the “folding chair” at the corporate table becomes a metaphor fo...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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26:39
Your Strategic Guide to Technical Leadership and Scaling Security (AI Voiced Deep Dive)
Are you looking to understand how organizations deliver software at speed and scale while keeping security front and center? This episode is your essential guide to the methodologies that govern modern software delivery and the leadershi...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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17:49
The Cyber Talent Disconnect: What the SANS Report Didn’t Say
In this episode, I unpack the 2025 SANS Report, “Attract, Hire, and Retain Cybersecurity Roles,” and challenge what it really means for the global cyber workforce. We’ll talk about certification barriers, the myth of “no ...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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39:09
Using Our Voices: Reclaiming Power, Presence, and Purpose
In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Bytes, Bits & Brilliance, host Dawn Butler invites listeners into a heart-to-heart about what it truly means to use our voices — especially as Black women in Cybers...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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43:14
Strategic Skills Shift: Pivoting to Technical Account Manager and Advanced Customer Success Roles (AI-Audio Overview)
The Customer Success Manager (CSM) role has emerged as a critical strategic business function in the technology industry, particularly within SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) companies. But what does a CSM actually do, and ho...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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16:22
Empathy at Work: How Kindness is Rewiring the Workplace
What does it really look like to lead with empathy in industries that reward output over openness? In this refreshingly honest episode, I share my personal journey from environments lacking compassion to intentionally creating micro...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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25:52
Mentors, Soft Skills & Mindset: A Cybersecurity Story (Guest: Aaleyah Evans)
Is leadership just for those in corner offices? Not so fast. Meet a Bahamian computer scientist, Aaleyah Evans, whose early career in cybersecurity and academia challenged every stereotype—proving that relatabili...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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40:26
The Alignment Revolution: Turning Layoffs and Setbacks into Opportunity (Guest: Jessica Cumming)
What happens when your “perfect job” doesn’t fit? In this electrifying episode, meet a former tech pro, Jessica Cumming, who battled layoffs and glass ceilings—then flipped uncertainty into unstoppable growth.He...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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47:28
Breaking In Without Burning Out: One Woman’s Path Into Cybersecurity, One Connection at a Time (Guest: Sofi Rodriguez)
What does it take to pivot from a 24-year career in caregiving to a thriving path in cybersecurity? In this inspiring episode, we sit down with a former nanny and caregiver, Diana Sofi Rodriguez, originally from Peru, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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40:32
Cyber Thriver: Breaking Barriers, Building Networks & Uplifting Diversity in Cybersecurity (Guest: Geraldine Okon)
What does it really take to thrive for two decades in cybersecurity—and to blaze a trail for others? In this episode of Bytes, Bits and Brilliance, I sit down with the powerhouse behind
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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35:26
Leading Through the Shift: Human-Centered AI in Tech Transformation
This 20-minute episode dives into the transformative journey of tech leadership in the age of generative AI. Drawing from My personal reflections and insights from the Google Cloud Generative AI Leader training, it explores how lead...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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27:17
From Tech to Coaching: Boundaries, Balance, and Building Your Career with Intention (Guest: Dana Zellers)
In this episode, we dive deep into what it really takes to thrive in tech and beyond. My guest, Dana Zellers, a former tech worker turned executive coach, joins me to unpack the lessons of work-life balance, the power of boundaries, and ...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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46:45
🎙️ Beyond the Code: Redefining Success, Self-Advocacy & Joy in Tech (Guest: Sayantika Banik)
What does it really mean to thrive in tech? In this episode, I sit down with Sayantika Banik, a founder and data scientist who calls herself a “mixed bag.” From building backend systems to serving on the Django Software Foundation...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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43:34
The Impact of Standards: News, Facts, Figures and Fun (AI Voice)
In this audio overview, we're covering the intersection of:The Impact of Standards (ANSI's Role): Understand how voluntary consensus standards, coordinated by organizations like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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12:10
Paying It Forward: Mentorship, Mission & Legacy with JT Taylor & Adam Roberts
In the final part of this series, we zoom in on mentorship, representation, and legacy. The panelists share what grounds them, how they support the next generation, and what they hope for the future of tech—especially for underrepre...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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32:17
Panel Episode Part 2: Strategy, Skills & Staying Future-Ready (Adam Roberts & JT Taylor)
In Part 2 of the panel with Adam Roberts and JT Taylor, we talk about staying future-ready in an evolving tech world. The panel explores certifications vs. degrees, soft skills that matter, and how to stay ten steps ahead. It's strategy,...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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34:42
Panel Episode Part 1: Origins: How We Got Here & What We’ve Learned with JT Taylor & Adam Roberts
Origins: How We Got Here & What We’ve LearnedIn Part 1 of this 3-part panel series, we go behind the titles and hear the real stories—how two leaders built their tech careers from the ground up, the lessons they learned the ha...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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31:37
Financial Wisdom, Mentorship & Legacy in Tech: Charles Rush's Journey to Cybersecurity Leadership
How does someone go from cable installations at Cisco Academy to founding a cybersecurity powerhouse? In this episode, I sit down with Charles Rush III, a Cybersecurity Founder and government contractor—CISSP, PMP, FSCE certi...
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50:47
From Tech Veteran to Limitless Leader: How One Bold Move Changed Everything (Guest: Uma Subramanian)
What happens when you walk away from a high-powered tech career to chase your true calling? In this electrifying episode, I sit down with a former Microsoft leader, the powerhouse founder of Limitless Leaders, Uma Subramanian.
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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46:08
Authentic Networking and Skills Differentiation in the AI Era (Guest: Thalia Brown)
In Part 2 of our series with Thalia Brown, the founder of Authentic Discussion, we dive into the realities of recruitment and networking in today's competitive tech landscape. Thalia shares her journey with professional netwo...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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23:27
Innovating Gender Equity: Closing Gaps in Tech Hiring and Career Growth (Guest Thalia Brown)
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I sit down with Thalia Brown, the founder of Authentic Discussion—a pioneering learning platform using research-based tools, podcasts, virtual reality, and AI to tackle gender equity and workplac...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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35:38