In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Francesco Chiarini, Chairman of the ISSA Cyber Resilience Task Force and CEO & Chief Researcher at High Value Target, sits down with Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss what cyber resilience really means beyond incident response. They explore high value targets, recovery-first thinking, cyber risk quantification, and why most enterprises still misunderstand resilience. From board-level risk conversations to accountability, creativity, and skills gaps, Francesco explains how security leaders can move from reactive defense to sustainable resilience

00:00 Francesco's journey into cybersecurity, Incident response vs true cyber resilience
10:32 Defining company-specific high value targets correctly
16:15 What companies get wrong about cyber risk quantification
21:31 Why the CIA Triad matters most in pharma and healthcare
26:32 The need to address fundamental threats and manage legacy assets
34:29 The gaps Francesco wants to fill in cyber resilience
39:59 "Magic wand" for CISOs: Cyber Recovery

🔔 Follow Francesco and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiarini/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Dan Lohrmann, Field CISO for Public Sector, Presidio, sits down with SquareX Founder's Office's Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss how AI agents, browser-based threats, deepfakes, and shadow AI tools are reshaping the attack surface—and why CISOs must be embedded in AI governance early. They also touch upon what truly differentiates public-sector cybersecurity, from election cycles and budget whiplash to centralized security governance and trust-based leadership.

00:00 Introduction and when Dan almost got fired over Wi-Fi
8:57 What makes public sector security different from the private sector
13:21 Being Michigan's first ever CISO
22:39 Inside a $28 million ransomware negotiation
28:48 Emerging threats and securing AI
32:37 Advice for CISOs in 2026
35:42 Browser security in AI age and malicious extensions
43:04 People remember stories, CISOs need to earn trust

🔔 Follow Dan and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlohrmann/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Vivien Bilquez of Zurich Insurance sits down with SquareX Founder Office’s Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss whether AI can replace cybersecurity leaders, how CISOs should communicate risk to boards, and what skills will matter most in the future. Vivien shares why AI delivers universal answers but lacks human judgment, why CISOs must master storytelling and financial language, and how to secure executive buy-in through cyber risk quantification. From champion rock-and-roll dancer to CISO at one of the world’s largest insurers, he explains why nearly 50% of companies are uninsurable and how Zurich reduced 500 security questions to just 10 key controls that mitigate 70% of cyber attacks.

00:00 Vivien's start as an acrobatic rock-and-roll dancer, and how the CISO role is mixed with politics
7:42 Cybersecurity is human-centric
12:27 How 10 controls can mitigate 70% of cyber attacks
16:42 Quantifying cyber risk in financial terms
25:58 Cyber Insurance vs Cyber Resilience
29:39 The different people you deal with during a cyber crisis
37:24 Speaking to boards in business language, not cyber
45:10 Why AI cannot replace the CISO and human experience

🔔 Follow Vivien and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienbilquez/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, StickmanCyber’s Founder Ajay Unni sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the personal side of building a global cybersecurity brand. Ajay reveals how a failure in his 12th-grade exams in India became the catalyst for his first software company. He explains his leadership philosophy, which integrates meditation and ethical business growth, proving that you don't have to be greedy to succeed in the high-stakes world of tech. They also touch upon why the web browser has become the primary attack surface for modern hackers and despite heavy investments in EDR tools and network security, many organizations remain blind to data exfiltration happening inside the browser.

00:00 Starting a company without experience
9:51 Ajay's move to cybersecurity
17:41 Cybersecurity-as-a-service and integrating AI for compliance
31:19 Shadow SaaS and browser blind spots
45:41 The fine balance between productivity and AI data leakage risk
50:12 Meditation and ethical business growth as cornerstones of leadership

🔔 Follow Ajay and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayunni/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Gautam "Gotham" Sharma, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Education and Training at AccessCyber, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss why cybersecurity education and hiring are broken. The conversation explores nontraditional cyber career paths, why certifications alone don’t get candidates hired, and how hands-on projects prepare people for real-world security roles. Gautam breaks down browser security, SaaS sprawl, zero trust, and why defending the browser is essential for modern enterprises. He debunks viral AI ransomware statistics and explains why the industry needs better skepticism and even satire.

00:00 Founding of AccessCyber, what you learn in school vs. what enterprises are doing
9:35 Finding the right fit in cybersecurity
16:55 Hacking vs academia
32:26 How comedy helps Gautam be better in cybersecurity
40:00 CISO insights and browser security
51:39 Fighting misinformation in tech

🔔 Follow Gautam and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gothamjsharma/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Larry Whiteside Jr, Co-Founder and President of Confide, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the real risks facing today’s CISOs. Drawing from three decades of experience across the U.S. military, the Pentagon, and Fortune 500 leadership roles, Larry explains why the CISO role is the most exposed and misunderstood position in the C-suite. They dive into cybersecurity governance, power dynamics with executives, vendor hype, regulatory pressure, AI disruption, and why security leaders are often blamed despite lacking authority.

00:00 How a Pentagon analyst role turned out to be for Chief of Information Warfare
19:28 "You are not greater than the good of the entire building"
27:48 Why the cybersecurity buying process is fundamentally broken
35:28 Can, or should a CISO be likable?
43:32 Larry's leap to entrepreneurship
50:06 Changes in IT landscape: Cloud, SaaS, AI
1:00:23 Narcissistic tendencies in cyber leadership
1:11:39 Career advice and how to avoid burnout

🔔 Follow Larry and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrywhitesidejr/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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Field CISO John Carse of SquareX sits down with Jeremy Ladner of The CISO Signal to discuss the critical art of storytelling in cybersecurity leadership. In this episode of Be Fearless podcasts, Jeremy reveals why facts alone fail in the boardroom and how AI is rewriting the rules of social engineering and fraud. The conversation covers why hackers operate like aggressive marketing teams and the dangers of "almost secure" infrastructure.

00:00 Why the cybersecurity industry is actually a "True Crime" universe
5:17 Spy vs Spy
13:50 The Hero's Journey and how to tell a story
24:42 Most cyber breaches today don't start with brute force
33:02 Why cyber attacks is like sales and marketing
39:02 Bad cybersecurity is a decision problem
49:37 The browser is the "threshold" for attacks
53:15 How AI is both terrifying and exciting
58:12 CISOs are afraid of not being able to convince the organization

🔔 Follow Jeremy and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-ladner/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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Host John Carse, Field CISO of SquareX sits down with James W., Valens Global Analyst and creator of the Smoke Signal Newsletter and Burn Signal Podcast. In this episode of The Be Fearless podcast, they discuss the concept of "digital exhaust" and how invisible data trails are weaponized into "weapons of mass disruption". James shares insights from his FBI career, discussing the intersection of human psychology and cybersecurity. They explore the unique challenges CISOs face with employees' consumer behavior impacting corporate security , the future of AI processing on devices , and actionable advice for translating technical complexity into control.

00:00 How readily available personal information is online
10:45 Problems faced by security professionals
16:43 The privacy paradox
23:02 Threats with AI-powered browsers
32:04 Evolution of both computing and browser threats
40:53 On simplifying technical details
49:54 Advice for security writers: Clarity trumps applause

🔔 Follow James and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdigitalexhaust/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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