The Job Security Cybersecurity Podcast
The Job Security Cybersecurity Podcast, brought to you by Expel Security, explores the unique perspectives and stories of the people who make the cybersecurity industry what it is—whether they realize it or not. Hosts Dave Johnson and Tyler Zito recognize that we're living in an enlightenment period of cybersecurity, where the industry has stabilized with established education systems, compliance frameworks, and documented methodologies. But it took a lot to get here.
This podcast looks inward at our community and culture, sharing the stories of how we built this industry through DIY traditions, mythologies, and countless people figuring it out as they went. We explore not just the technical aspects of security, but the human elements—from current students and interns to seasoned professionals, and even those outside cybersecurity who offer valuable perspectives on risk, strategy, and innovation.
Expect conversations about where we've been, where we are now, and where we're headed next. We'll talk to adjunct professors, threat hunters, entertainers at hacker conventions, and professionals from adjacent industries who can teach us something new. This isn't another podcast about threats and threat actors—it's about the people doing the work and the lessons we can learn by looking in slightly different directions.
Join us for a mix of education, entertainment, and optimism as we celebrate how far cybersecurity has come while inspiring curiosity and innovation for the future. Whether you're taking a lunch break or winding down after incident response, we're here to help you relax with good stories and interesting discoveries.
The Job Security Cybersecurity Podcast
Episode 5: Hackers helping hackers: Mental health in cybersecurity
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In this episode of The Job Security Podcast, host Dave Johnson sits down with Amanda Berlin, CEO and co-founder of Mental Health Hackers, to explore the mental health challenges facing cybersecurity professionals and what the community is doing to address them.
This conversation covers the unique stressors in cybersecurity work, the prevalence of neurodivergence in tech, practical strategies for combating burnout, and how Mental Health Hackers is creating safe spaces at conferences worldwide where hackers can support other hackers.
KEY TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS
4:00 How Mental Health Hackers got started
5:22 What Mental Health Hackers does
7:52 The challenge of finding mental health professionals who understand cybersecurity
8:32 Practical strategies for preventing burnout
12:08 Why polymaths have an advantage in mental health
13:35 The most common mental health issues in cybersecurity
16:10 The pressure of leadership and C-level mental health
18:52 Finding therapists who can follow technical conversations
20:43 Connecting mental health professionals with InfoSec practitioners
22:50 Mental Health First Aid training—what is it is and why it matters
24:13 How to volunteer or sponsor Mental Health Hackers
26:49 What businesses can do to support mental health
29:17 The cultural evolution of the cybersecurity community
32:05 How DEF CON has changed over the years
35:26 The connection between physical and mental health
KEY QUOTES
"Do something that is not security related, something that's not your day job related. For a long time I did not do that and burnt out." - Amanda Berlin
"There's actually a really high occurrence of general mental health issues in STEM fields, as well as neurodivergence. We see it all the time." - Amanda Berlin
"When my kids tell people what my nonprofit does, they describe it as sort of like a daycare for adults that are geeks. And it's pretty close to that." - Amanda Berlin
HELPFUL LINKS
Mental Health Hackers - https://mentalhealthhackers.org
CREDITS
Host: Dave Johnson
Producer: Ben Baker
Sponsor: Expel Security
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The Job Security Podcast explores the unique perspectives and stories of the people who make the cybersecurity industry what it is, whether they realize it or not.