Lost In Cyberia
Cybersecurity doesn't have to be boring or a tick-box exercise. Annie-Mei Forster and Anika Guenov sit down with the people shaping the world of cyber: founders, researchers, and the occasional DEFCON after-party regular for honest, jargon-free conversations about what's actually going on in the industry. Because behind every threat, tool, and policy, there's a human story worth telling.
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Episodes
33 episodes
Ep. 31 When AI Therapy Works (And When It Doesn't) with Dr Rachel Wood
When life gets overwhelming, more and more people are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, and it's not hard to see why. Traditional therapy remains out of reach for many due to cost, stigma, and availability. But what happens when the...
Ep. 30 What The Heck Is Cyber Diplomacy?
Policy. Diplomacy. Cyber. Three words guaranteed to clear a room (or so you'd think).But cyber diplomacy matters and we provide real-world examples like the 2007 cyber attacks on Estonia, the Medibank breach and Australia slapping sancti...
Ep.29 Nearly Scammed by a Crypto.com Impersonator with Stephen Endicott
Imagine this, you're in your kitchen baking a cake and someone calls you from crypto.com saying they're from the security team and that there's been suspicious activity on your account. You are a crypto.com customer so this sounds pretty legiti...
Ep. 28 Staying Human In the Age of AI with Sam Brazier-Hollins
In this episode, we are joined by Sam Brazier-Hollins, Head of Technical Consulting at Fujitsu (also Annie-Mei's former manager). We got so into the convo straight away that we forgot to get Sam to actually introduce himself properly. But you c...
Ep. 27 Inside the Cybersecurity Hiring Market with Jasmine McCrudden
Jasmine McCrudden joins us for a juicy episode spilling the tea on all things cyber recruitment. Wanna know if you're doing enough to stand out on your CV? Not sure what hiring managers are looking for in the interview? Jasmine is h...
Ep. 26 Finding Your Place In Cyber with Dr. Vicki Gardiner and Madi Cook
We went to Canberra Cyber Hub HQ to chat with Dr. Vicki Gardiner (COO) and Madi Cook (Engagement Manager). Vicki has had a lengthy career in STEM but is a chemistry girl at heart. Vicki is our first guest to not only have a PhD but ...
Ep. 25 Building Australia's Cyber Civilian Reserve with Kersti Eesmaa
We're joined by Kersti Eesmaa, a former Estonian diplomat and current advocate for cyber resilience in Australia. Kersti shares her journey from diplomacy to becoming an ambassador for Estonia in Australia, and her transition to a new life and ...
Ep. 24 Exploring the Minds of Cyber Defenders and Attackers with Rue Maharaj
In this episode of Lost In Cyberia, we’re joined by Rue Maharaj. Rue shares his extensive background, detailing his journey from South Africa to Australia via New Zealand, and his transition from private sector IT roles to public sector cyberse...
Ep. 23 Risk, Curiosity & Cyber Careers with Louis Cremen
We are back in 2026 with our first guest of the year Louis Cremen (although this was recorded last year). Louis shares his interesting career journey from software development to becoming a leading cybersecurity educator. He talks about the cha...
Ep. 22 Nagivating Cyberia: Celebrating a Milestone and Reflecting on 2025
In the final episode of their first season, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika celebrate reaching 1,000 downloads with a not-so-suspicious balloon and recap the whirlwind year of 2025. The duo chats about their international listeners, weird podcast rec...
Ep. 21 Cloud, Celebs and Cybersecurity
Why should you have to decide between listening to Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber on your phone? With the cloud you don't have to... but at what cost?This episode of Lost in Cyberia was recorded down in Melbourne while we were the...
Ep. 20 Tackling Cybersecurity and Global Threats with James Corera
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika welcome James Corera, Director of Cyber, Technology and Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). James shares insights on his extensive career in nationa...
Ep. 19 Exploring the Intersection of Cybersecurity and Pro Wrestling with Ray Goldman
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika welcome special guest Ray Goldman, a former miscreant turned Business Information Security Officer. Ray shares his journey into the InfoSec world, his involvement with the DC 814 hac...
Ep. 18 Blue Team vs Red Team with Betta Lyon Delsordo and Clarissa Bury
In this episode of 'Lost in Cyberia,' hosts Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Betta Leon Delsordo and Clarissa Bury, to discuss their journeys and expertise in cybersecurity. Betta shares her path from self-taught coder to lead appl...
Ep. 17 Hacking Humans: What is Social Engineering?
Hosts Annie-Mei and Anika unpack social engineering or “human hacking”, with insights from books by Chris Hadnagy and Kevin Mitnick. They break down the attack lifecycle, common tactics (phishing, pretexting, tailgating, quid pro quo), and how ...
Ep. 16 Combatting Online Scams with Wadzi Nenzou
Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Wadzi Nenzou, who is the founder of 'Our Scam Stories'. Wadzi shares her mission of educating people about investment scams to help them build wealth without losing hard-earned money. With over 18 years of expe...
Ep. 15 Cybersecurity Conferences 101
Annie-Mei and Anika discuss their experiences of going to cybersecurity conferences. They talk about what you can expect and how not all conferences are the same. Anika explains her experience at BSides Canberra and doing the CTF challenge. Ann...
Ep. 14 From Working at Apple to DJing at DEFCON with Rodman Ramezanian
Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by cybersecurity professional Rodman Ramezanian. Rodman shares insights into his 14-year career, touching on his beginnings at Apple as an iOS specialist, his role in cybersecurity across various sectors, and his ...
Ep. 13 The Cybersecurity Degree Dilemma: Do You Really Need One?
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika explore the question of whether you need a cybersecurity degree to work in the field. With varied personal experiences, they provide insights into the current job market, entry-level...
Ep. 12 Diplomacy, Diversity & Degrees with Veronika Kolek Netolická
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Veronika Kolek Netolická, the co-founder of Women4Cyber Czechia and current cyber attachée for the Indo-Pacific at the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. T...
BONUS EP: Entrepreneurship, AI Security, and Overcoming Biases with Harriet Farlow
In this episode, Harriet and Annie-Mei have a chat over wine and ice-cream sundaes from a hotel room in Sydney before heading to a Gracie Abrams concert. They explore Harriet's journey as the founder of Mileva Security Labs, an AI security comp...
Ep. 11 How a Simple Question Launched a Cybersecurity Career with Alaina Lawson
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie Mei and Anika are joined by Alaina Lawson, a Perth-based cybersecurity consultant. Alaina discusses her journey into cybersecurity, starting from her interest in IT during high school, influenced ...
Ep. 10 Breaking into Cyber Project Management with Bianca Puglisi and Kathy Sisson
In this episode of Lost In Cyberia, Bianca Puglisi and Kathy Sisson share their unconventional journeys into project management. Bianca shares her journey from hospitality and psychology to joining the Army at 30, becoming a corporate trainer i...
Ep. 9 From Fashion Design to Cybersecurity with Hortense Rothery
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, we’re joined by Hortense Rothery, the Relationship Manager at Volkis. Hortense shares her unique career journey from studying fashion design in New Zealand to transitioning into software development and event...
Ep. 8 Revenge of the Nerds: Confronting Gender Bias in Cyber Security and Cybercrime
This episode of Lost in Cyberia is what we (Annie-Mei and Anika) presented at CyberCon Canberra 2025.We look at the evolution of nerd culture, from the dawn of the internet til now. We also discuss:Why th...