Navigating Mental Health, Narcissism & Burnout in Cybersecurity with Lisa Ventura MBE

02-10-2024 • 40 mins

Welcome to Razorwire, the podcast where I, James Rees, cover the cybersecurity topics that matter with expert guests from across the industry. We aim to help cybersecurity professionals enhance their skills, improve their work performance, and boost their overall quality of life in this demanding field.

The illustrious Lisa Ventura, MBE, award winning cyber security specialist and the founder of Cyber Security Unity, joins me in this episode. We talk about the pressing issues that cybersecurity professionals face on a daily basis, from mental health struggles to dealing with industry narcissists.

Lisa shares her insights on current industry developments and uses her personal experiences to offer practical advice and knowledge for cybersecurity professionals at all career stages.

Join us as we talk about:

1. Burnout and Mental Health in Cybersecurity: We talk about the root causes of burnout and mental health issues among cybersecurity professionals, and share practical strategies to protect your wellbeing in a high stress environment.

2. Navigating Industry Narcissism: Gain insights on how to identify and handle narcissistic behaviours in the workplace, and work towards a healthier and more supportive professional atmosphere.

3. Cyber Skills Gap and Industry Trends: Lisa's shares her thoughts on the role of AI and VC money, and the ongoing challenge of closing the cyber skills gap, especially in smaller organisations.

Tune in to Razorwire and empower yourself with the knowledge and resilience essential for thriving in the cybersecurity arena.

Lisa on handling narcissists in the workplace:

"If it gets too much, I have only one bit of advice. And it's not a good bit of advice to say, and that is to find something new as soon as you possibly can and leave because those individuals will never change."

Lisa Ventura, MBE

Listen to this episode on your favourite podcasting platform: https://razorwire.captivate.fm/listen

In this episode, we covered the following topics:

Burnout and Mental Health: Discover strategies for managing burnout and maintaining mental health in cybersecurity.
Cyber Skills Gap: Learn about the factors contributing to the cyber skills gap and how this can be addressed.
Responsibility and Fear: Understand the psychological impact of responsibility and blame in security roles.
Budget Reductions and Layoffs: Find out how budget cuts and layoffs are affecting the industry post-pandemic.
Handling Narcissistic Individuals: Get practical advice on dealing with narcissistic individuals in the workplace.
Infosec Industry Trends: Explore current and future trends in information security, including AI misuse.
Legislation and C-Suite Attention: Learn how new legislation is increasing executive-level focus on cybersecurity.
Experiences in Infosec: Hear firsthand accounts of dealing with negative behaviours in the industry.
Targeting and Narcissism Among Women: Uncover insights on targeting and hypocrisy, even among diversity advocates.
Challenges for Young Professionals: Find out how mentorship can help newcomers overcome challenges and impostor syndrome.