Audience 1st

What Cybersecurity Leaders Must Learn from OT Practitioners in Underserved Critical Infrastructure

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast,
Dani sits down with Kristin Demoranville, CEO of Anzen Sage and host of the Bites & Bytes podcast, to uncover the hidden vulnerabilities in one of the world’s most overlooked critical infrastructure sectors: food and agriculture.
From insider threats in peanut processing to cyber attacks that disrupt egg supply chains, Kristin breaks down why OT security in food systems isn’t just about uptime, it’s about human lives, brand trust, and national resilience.
She pulls no punches, sharing raw stories from the frontlines:
Why cybersecurity leaders in food facilities are flying blind
What happened when nobody spoke up at Boar’s Head
How misinformation campaigns are now a cyber risk vector
Why “brown cows make chocolate milk” isn’t just a joke—it’s a symptom of a dangerous knowledge gap
We also unpack:
The behavioral blind spots holding back executive buy-in
Why empathy, not just engineering, is the key to securing food systems
What must change in the next 5 years to avoid preventable tragedies

Why Most Tech “Communities” Fail Before They Begin

Everyone in tech is suddenly “building community.” But most aren’t building anything close to the real thing - community that's built on mission, trust, and transparency.
In this raw, no-buzzword conversation recorded live at CyberMarketingCon, Dani Woolf sits with Ben Siegel, George Kamide, Bronwen Hudson, and Elliot Volkman, real community builders, to unpack what community actually means, why most efforts fall flat, and what it takes to build something alive, resilient, and trustworthy - especially in an industry like cybersecurity where trust is scarce and attention is fractured.
We go deep on:
Why most corporate “communities” are poorly disguised funnels
The difference between an audience, a user group, and a true community
What trust looks like when your members are CISOs, not consumers
Why growth is nonlinear, unpredictable, and absolutely not guaranteed
The emotional labor and invisible moderation that holds real communities together
You’ll also hear tactical advice on how to build thriving spaces across Reddit, Slack, LinkedIn, and beyond - without flashy tools or six-figure budgets.

5 Mindset Shifts Security Teams Must Adopt to Master Multi-Cloud Security

Multi-cloud security isn’t just a technology challenge—it’s an organizational mindset problem.Security teams are juggling AWS, Azure, and GCP, each with different security models, policies, and rules.The result? Silos, misconfigurations, and security gaps big enough to drive an exploit through.In this episode, I sat down with Gal Yosef from AlgoSec to break down:
Why multi-cloud security is so complex (and what security teams are getting wrong)
How to bridge the gap between network security and cloud security teams
How large enterprises manage cloud security policy enforcement across business units
The shift from one-size-fits-all security policies to flexible, risk-based guardrails
Why automation and visibility are critical for securing multi-cloud environments
If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.

How to Diagnose Your Organization’s Real Growth Problem

In this episode of Audience 1st, Dani Woolf cuts straight through the noise to confront the silent killer of growth in B2B organizations: misdiagnosing the real growth problem.
Most GTM teams think they’re aligned. They’re not.
Most believe they’re solving the right thing. They aren’t.
In this raw, unfiltered solo episode, Dani unpacks why internal alignment is often a lie, how companies waste entire quarters solving surface-level symptoms, and what it takes to actually identify the bleeding neck - the one problem that’s quietly draining your growth, budget, and team morale.
If you’ve ever felt like your team is moving fast but going nowhere, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.
What You’ll Learn:
Why most organizations aren’t solving their biggest growth problem and how to tell if you’re one of them
The high cost of chasing lagging indicators instead of root causes
The real reason marketing, sales, and product don’t align and why buyer truth is the only fix
How to recognize “growth triggers” that signal it’s time to do qualitative buyer research
Dani’s four-step clarity framework: Diagnose → Validate → Align → Act
How to stop guessing, and finally build from buyer reality—not internal theory
Don’t just walk away from this episode inspired. Take action.
Ask yourself:
What’s the one growth problem we think we’re solving right now?
Who told us that?
When was the last time we heard it from a buyer’s mouth verbatim?
What would it feel like to know we’re solving the right thing?
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start listening, reach out to Dani and her team.
Let’s uncover the bleeding neck together.

The CISO POV Checklist That Drives Buying Decisions

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, to uncover the raw truth behind how CISOs evaluate security vendors, what actually moves a deal forward, and why most POVs fall flat before they even start.
Jason gets brutally honest about the emotional dynamics of enterprise buying, the real reason vendors lose trust, and what it actually takes to turn a POV into a purchase.
If you’re in product marketing, sales, or demand generation at a cybersecurity company, this episode will change how you think about the buyer journey and give you a blueprint to win trust, increase conversions, and build long-term influence with technical buyers.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why emotional certainty - not ROI - is the key to winning a CISO’s trust
The most common POV mistakes vendors make (and how to avoid them)
How Jason evaluates vendors - and what gets them instantly disqualified
The danger of relying on generic “What problems are you solving?” questions
Why transparency beats feature-stuffing in every sales motion
How to make your booth presence less awkward and more effective
The impact of new SEC regulations on security budgeting and priorities
Why buyers referring your product - even after saying no - is the ultimate win
If you’re serious about understanding what really drives buyer decisions in cybersecurity subscribe to Audience 1st Podcast. New episodes every week. Raw, unfiltered, and straight from the source - your buyers.
🎧 Listen now, take notes, and share with your GTM team.

Why the Legacy Analyst Model is Misaligned with Cybersecurity Buyer and Vendor Needs

In this episode of Risk & Real, host Jeffrey Wheatman sits down with Dani Woolf, co-founder of CyberSynapse and CEO of Audience 1st, to discuss a major shift happening in the cybersecurity industry: the decline of the traditional analyst model and the rise of direct buyer engagement.
Cybersecurity vendors that engage directly with their buyers gain faster, more actionable insights than those relying solely on traditional analyst firms.
Tune in as we discuss:
The flaws in the traditional analyst model and why it’s no longer aligned with today’s fast-moving cybersecurity landscape.
Why analyst reports take too long to produce and how they filter buyer insights.
The power of direct buyer engagement and how vendors can gather real-time, unfiltered insights.
Why cybersecurity vendors are cutting back on analyst firm budgets and shifting to a hybrid research model.
How CyberSynapse enables vendors to talk directly to security practitioners, CISOs, and IT leaders.
Resources & Links:
Learn more about CyberSynapse: https://www.cybersynapse.ioFollow Dani Woolf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniwoolfCheck out Audience 1st Podcast: https://audience1st.fm
 
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Connect with host Jeffrey Wheatman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreywheatman
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