Overcoming burnout in cybersecurity and VMware’s XDR announcement | Guest Karen Worstell

Karen Worstell is a 25-year veteran of the tech, IT and security space; she’s a senior cybersecurity strategist at VMware and a chaplain. This episode goes to many fascinating places, from her days learning coding on a TRS-80 computer, how her extremely visual and right-brained approach to learning has influenced her security journey, her experiences as a woman in the industry and how her work as a chaplain brought her back from a security industry hiatus to help people suffering chronically from burnout. There’s also a bit about XDR — and its a big deal! 

0:00 - Burnout in cybersecurity
3:06 - Karen Worstell's start in cybersecurity
6:11 - A family of inventors
9:35 - Physical sciences and computer sciences
16:00 - Work as a senior cybersecurity strategist
18:18: - Working as a woman in cybersecurity
23:15 - Changes to make cybersecurity equitable
31:40 - Strategies for hiring equity in cybersecurity
34:00 - Burnout in cybersecurity
48:35 - Helpful cybersecurity organizations
51:37 - Why is XDR so important?
56:10 - Learn more about Worstell
56:44 - Outro

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