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PODCAST

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks

BKBT Productions

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks is the tech podcast about humans. Hosted by George K and George A, this podcast examines AI, infrastructure, technology adoption, and the broader implications of tech developments through both guest interviews and news commentary.Our guests bring honest perspectives on what"s working, what"s broken, and new ways to examine the roles and impacts of technology in our lives.We challenge conventional tech industry narratives and dig into real-world consequences over hype

technology

All Episodes

40:23

Thinking Like an Adversary, and How to Prepare for AI...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/09/15

Phil Dursey joined the show this week to cut through the hype and talked through what red teaming for AI means in mindset and practice.The conversation reveals a fundamental problem: organizations are rushing to implement AI without understanding their own workflows. Executives are buying "the thing with the AI" expecting magic efficiency gains, but they've never mapped out basic business processes. You can't automate what you don't understand.Phil's approach starts with the right question: "Are we

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38:09

Stalkerware Being Sold on TikTok & Monetizing our...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/09/08

A stalkerware economy is thriving on TikTok, and it's generating hundreds of thousands in sales. Journalist Rosie Thomas from 404 Media joins the show this week discuss her investigation into GPS trackers being sold as relationship surveillance tools directly through TikTok Shop. This isn't some dark web operation - it's happening on one of the world's most popular social platforms.The findings are disturbing. Content targets people with taglines like "Is she really going out with friends?" are

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32:43

Robot Brothels, AI Therapists, and the Future of...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/09/01

This week on the show: some seriously cutting-edge territory. George A talks about what he saw at the Love and Sex with Robots conference in Montreal. Then George K and George A discuss AI companions, embodied LLMs, and the wild intersection of technology and human intimacy.This isn't just about sex robots - it's about the broader question of how AI is reshaping fundamental human experiences.The reality check: If you think this stuff is too niche or weird to matter, give it 5 years. This technology

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40:39

Building a Shield for Your Mind Against Digital...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/08/25

Sumona Banerji, founder of MindShield and PhD candidate in cyber psychology, joins us to discuss building cognitive resilience in an age of exponential technology and algorithmic manipulation.George K and George A talk to Sumona about: Truth is fragmented - Everyone only sees a piece of it, creating space for better discussion The TAR framework - Trigger, Analysis, Response for emotional regulation with manipulative content Expanding the amygdala - How meditation literally grows brain regions for

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38:28

Life After the NFL: Lessons for Identity, Goals, and...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/08/18

Former NFL player Mark LeVoir joins us this week to talk about life after pro sports, and the lessons he took transitioning to a career in tech.George K and George A talk to Mark about: The transition from professional sports to tech sales and why goals beat identity every time His simple method for aligning business outcomes with corporate objectives in enterprise deals Building sales teams that can fail fast, learn quick, and operate on trust instead of aggressive tactics Life lessons from the

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48:16

Sex & Tech: Privacy, Power, and Human Intimacy in an...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/08/11

This week Savannah Sly, dominatrix and sex worker rights advocate, joins the show to talk about privacy, power, and the nuances of human intimacy as generative AI takes hold. George K and George A talk to Savannah about: The current state of privacy for vulnerable communities and the real-world operational security challenges they face Practical steps individuals can take to protect their digital identities when dating online The intersection of AI, deepfakes, and the weaponization of intimate

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7:48

Season 4 is here! And with it, something new...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/08/04

Season 4 is here! While George K and George A are in Las Vegas for Black Hat and DEFCON this week, here's a preview of some changes coming to the podcast.We're grateful for every listener. Thank you for being on this journey with us!

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38:45

The AI-human future: Collapsing silos, leveling up...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/07/28

Rinki Sethi joins the show this week! She's held just security leadership roles on just about all possible sides, and now she's also a VC investing in the next generation of founders.George K and George A talk to Rinki about: Real talk and timeline on AI in SecOps How security teams are gonna get reorganized around AI tooling Why most founders fall in love with solutions instead of problems The brutal truth about career development in the AI eraBest quote: "I don't think AI is going to replace

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35:23

The Tech Industry and Being the Role Model You Needed...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/07/21

Kendrick Trotter joins the show to talk about going from Uber driver to a major account executive at a public cybersecurity company, then founding his own business that created over $70 million in annualized salaries for underrepresented professionals.George K and George A talk to Kendrick about: How a Division I football scholarship and one life-changing Uber ride with an Amazon VP changed everything His game-changing approach to calling CISOs Building Us and Technology - training 13,000+ people

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33:09

Status Check: AI Hype, Practical Use, & Up-skilling...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/07/14

George K and George A went completely off-script this week and recorded their first one-on-one episode in years. Fair warning: it gets heated about some industry trends that have been grinding their gears.George K and George A get into: The AI hype cycle vs. actual utility as George K articulates step by step how he used an LLM to prepare for a talk - what it could and couldn't help with The danger for companies gutting entry-level positions while claiming "AI efficiency" The risks of a

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50:56

Code as Critical Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship,...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/07/07

Tanya Janca joins the show this week, with unique perspective on building secure software and advocating for better cybersecurity policy.George K and George A talk to Tanya about: Her transition from 14 years as a Canadian public servant to private sector entrepreneurship The core values that guide her work: performing good and moving the industry toward secure software Entrepreneurship since age 19: solving real problems that hurt badly enough for people to pay Civil advocacy for security by

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44:47

Building Teams, the Quantum Future, Outsourcing, and...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/06/30

Vivek Khindria, longtime CISO, joins the show and he brought the heat. We talk building security teams, quantum computing timelines, and why your board doesn't want to hear about firewall rules.George K and George A talk to Vivek about: Why betting on business people and teaching them security > hiring tech nerds who can't talk to humans Why enterprises must start the conversation around crypto agility now with the quantum computing future ahead Your board wants to hear about "resilience," not

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31:36

Best of: Supporting the Queer Community in...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/06/23

This week, we're returning to the original inspiration for our Pride in Cyber campaign!Angela Brown and Amber DiPippa join the podcast to discuss their scholarship initiative supporting LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing cybersecurity.George K and George A talk to Ang and Amber about: The scholarship's origins and its goals for supporting LGBTQ+ cybersecurity students The realities and financial hardships unfairly leveled at queer communities Practical advice for authentic allyship and community

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43:41

Phish Club is Building a Community for Junior...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/06/16

Madeline and Oliver from Phish Club joined the show to talk community building for junior practitioners in cybersecurity.George K and George A talk to Madeline and Oliver about:The power of lateral networking - building relationships with peers who will rise together rather than just trying to impress executivesWhat actually gets you hired - home labs and technical write-ups beat certifications every timeCreating inclusive community - from Discord lounges to bringing non-cyber friends, because

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40:59

From Digital Saturation Back to Real Relationships in...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/06/09

While everyone's obsessing over digital lead gen and automation, veteran marketer David Mundy argues the best companies are going back to basics - building actual relationships and cutting through the noise.George K and George A talk to David about: Not hiring marketers with playbooks, and hiring hunters who understand the market is dynamic AF Why SDRs should work under marketing (yes, really) for that crucial feedback loop Why early stage marketing teams need to know how to explain your

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41:51

What's Really Plaguing SOC Teams, Lessons for Vendors...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/06/02

Erik Bloch, security operations expert and longtime infosec leader, joins the show to talk about the real problems plaguing SOCs and why the industry keeps missing the mark!George K and George A talk to Erik about:- The massive disconnect between what vendors think SOCs do vs. reality - spoiler alert: most founders have never worked in the trenches- Why we're still fighting the same problems from 20 years ago - false positives aren't even 10% of the actual work, so why do we keep obsessing over

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32:44

Burnout Lessons for Executive Leaders in Tech & Cyber

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/05/26

This conversation hits different. Mohammed "Moh" Waqas, CTO Healthcare at Armis, joined us to talk about burnout, mental health, and the hidden costs of our "always-on" cybersecurity culture.George K and George A talk to Mohammad about: Why perfectionism in cyber is literally making us sick How epilepsy taught Moh to recognize burnout triggers before they hit The real cost of saying "yes" to every sales deadline Why your team needs mandatory disconnect time (and how to make it happen) Leading

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33:07

From SOC to CEO, and Learning from Failure to Find...

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/05/19

Quinnlan Varcoe, founder of Blueberry Security, joins the show for a raw conversation about building a security startup!Quinn takes us through her wild ride from SOC analyst to founder - including how she shut down her business only to relaunch it stronger than ever.George K and George A talk to Quinn about: Finding your true product-market fit in the security services space The brutal reality of B2B sales cycles (hint: they're WAY longer than you think) How literally ONE client call changed

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43:47

New Research on Burnout and Performance in Cyber

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/05/12

Dr. Kashyap "Kash" Thimmaraju joins the show to talk about a new study on burnout, wellbeing, and flow state in security operations.George K and George A talk to Kash about: New research using psychologically validated scales to measure burnout in cybersecurity professionals How "flow state" might be the key to better performance AND preventing burnout The impact of remote work and isolation on security teams Practical techniques security leaders can implement TODAY to support their

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20:00

Memes, Menace, and Monster Trucks: Live from RSAC 2025

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks ·

2025/05/05

Recorded LIVE at RSAC 2025: Don Jeter, Chief Meme Officer at Torq returns! He breaks down how Torq built a cult brand in cybersecurity around their "SOAR is Dead" campaign.George K and George A talk to Don about: Harnessing creativity in an era of algorithmic optimization: “You're not remembered for the safe ideas ever" Building internal excitement with your team (especially sales) before launching campaigns Creating something people actually want to be part of, not just another product His

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172 results

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