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
86 episodes
Revolutionizing Hiring: How Better Conversations Can Bridge Skills Gaps & Improve Retention (Guest: Tara Turk-Haynes)
This episode dives into innovative approaches to hiring that focus on genuine conversations, soft skills, and strategic collaboration. Tara Turk-Haynes shares practical frameworks and insights for transforming hiring processes to better ...
How a Career Fair Mistake Led to a Life-Changing Conversation (Guest: Dani Flores-Diaz)
In this episode, we explore the raw realities of career journeys, the power of authentic networking, and the importance of resilience in tech. Daniela, a college student and club president, shares her experience of overcoming insecurities at ca...
The Power of the Pause: Redefining Success Through Sabbaticals with Nyam Adodoadji
What if hitting pause could become the most powerful move in your career?In this honest and soul-stirring episode of Bytes, Bits, and Brilliance, Dawn sits down with Nyam, a digital product delivery leader who made the bo...
Beyond the Title: Authentic Leadership, Identity, and Wellness in Tech with Ali Ovalle
In this intimate and honest conversation, Dawn reconnects with longtime friend and former mentor Ali, an Afro-Latina, Caribbean-born technologist whose journey spans cybersecurity, data analytics, AI engineering, and beyond.Togeth...
Beyond Listening: Co-Creating Brilliant Communities in the Age of AI
This isn’t just a podcast—it’s a movement. In this episode of Bytes, Bits, and Brilliance, Dawn invites listeners to go beyond consuming content and instead co-create the next evolution of the show and its growing community.
Building Inclusive Tech Futures: Workforce Pipelines, Change Management, Mentorship (Guest Feevan Megersa)
In this episode, we dive into the evolving world of IT workforce development—from internships and apprenticeships to change management and inclusion. Feevan shares her inspiring journey into tech, starting from George Washington Uni...
AI, Audacity & the Future of Cyber Careers with Rob T. Lee
In this conversation, I’m joined by Rob T. Lee, Chief AI Officer and Chief of Research at SANS Institute—a globally respected voice in cyber, AI, and education who also happens to be down‑to‑earth, funny, and incredibly relatable....
Season 3 Kickoff: Finding Your Voice and Leading with Intention in an AI Era
Welcome to Season 3 of Bytes, Bits, and Brilliance! 🎙️In this solo episode, I share my vision for the season ahead.This season is all about intention, courage, and authentic leadership in a rapidly ev...
S2 Finale | For the Listeners – The Heart Behind the Mic
As Season 2 closes, I want to pause—not to summarize, but to celebrate.This season was never just about tech or cybersecurity. It was about you.The listener taking notes mid-episode. The one who pressed play through grie...
End of Season 2: Lessons in Power, Mentorship & Alignment
Season 2 started with a commitment to consistency.It ended with clarity about power.In this closing episode, I step back and examine the patterns that emerged across solo episodes and interviews—from career pivots and layoffs to f...
Agentic AI Is The New Digital Employee (Deep Dive)
This episode dives deep into the seismic shift from Generative AI (GenAI) to Agentic AI, moving beyond mere content creation toward autonomous, goal-driven systems. We unpack the fundamental differences between ...
Closing Season 2: Reclaiming Voice, Scale & Authority
As Season 2 closes, I reflect on what hosting this podcast revealed about me—not just as a leader in tech, but as a builder.This isn’t a motivational episode.It’s a reclamation.In this episode, I unpack what audacity really...
Alternative Pathways: Tech Apprenticeships and Returnships Guide
In this episode, we dive into the world of alternative tech pathways, exploring how apprenticeships and returnships are dismantling traditional barriers to entry. We break down how these "learn-and-earn" models allow partic...
Empowering Women in Cybersecurity: Sage and Haley's Journey
In this episode of the Bites and Brilliance podcast, I speak with Sage and Haley, on our Away Mission at the Aspen Cyber Summit in November 2025. Sage and Haley, both scholars at Bowie State University, share their journeys i...
What I Misunderstood About Mentorship Early in My Career - National Mentoring Month
Early in my career, I misunderstood what mentorship was and how it worked. I believed it had to be formal, perfectly aligned, and initiated by someone else. I didn’t yet understand my role, or how essential mentorship truly was.In this M...
National Mentoring Month: What Mentorship Gave Me That I Couldn’t Give Myself
No matter how capable or driven we are, there are things we simply can’t give ourselves. In this episode, I share what mentorship offered me over the years, from seeing myself more clearly, to gaining insight into paths I had never ...
Celebrating National Mentoring Month: The Moment I Knew I Needed a Mentor
People often talk about mentorship as if it begins with a single defining moment. In reality, it’s often a series of moments that share the same feeling. Being ready for more. Feeling adrift. Facing decisions without a clear path forward.
The Power of New Perspectives
What does it really mean to be “entry-level”?This episode of Bytes, Bits & Brilliance, is sparked by an unexpected conversation with Juan, a cybersecurity student I met at the grocery store.Being new—whether to...
Psychological Safety Is a Security Control: Cyber Stress in 2025
In this second part of the series inspired by the ISACA State of Cybersecurity 2025 Report, we move from pipeline and skills into the cultural and emotional reality of cybersecurity work in 2025. We look at incidents, underreporting...
Understaffed, Overlooked: Rethinking Cyber Careers in 2025
In this episode, the first of a two-part series, we unpack highlights of ISACA’s 2025 State of Cybersecurity report and what it really means for your career, your team, and your leadership journey. Instead of just listing statistics...
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...
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...
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...
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’...
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...