Lost In Cyberia

Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Wadzi Nenzou, who is the founder of 'Our Scam Stories'. Wadzi shares her mission of educating people about investment scams to help them build wealth without losing hard-earned money. With over 18 years of experience in financial services, Wadzi discusses the importance of sharing scam survivor stories to reduce stigma and educate the public. The conversation covers the increasing sophistication of scams, common scam tactics, and which demographics most likely to be targeted.

Annie-Mei talks about the time she was scammed in China.

Do you have a scam story that...

Duration: 00:48:52

Annie-Mei and Anika discuss their experiences of going to cybersecurity conferences. They talk about what you can expect and how not all conferences are the same. Anika explains her experience at BSides Canberra and doing the CTF challenge. Annie-Mei talks about her first time going to the biggest hacker conference in the world - DEFCON. Spoiler alert: it was awesome. 

00:00 Introduction

01:08 First Cybersecurity Conference Experiences

05:52 BSides Canberra: A Community-Focused Event

07:42 The Fun and Challenges of Cybersecurity Conferences

15:52 Speaking at CyberCon Canberra

18:56 DEFCON: The Pinnacle of Cyber Conferences Duration: 00:48:55

Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by cybersecurity professional Rodman Ramezanian. Rodman shares insights into his 14-year career, touching on his beginnings at Apple as an iOS specialist, his role in cybersecurity across various sectors, and his position as the Director of Events and Professional Development for ISACA Canberra. He also dives into the unexpectedly transferable skills from DJing to his professional life, the importance of communication and mentorship, and his experiences at events like DEFCON. Rodman highlights the multifaceted nature of cybersecurity careers and the value of involvement in community and professional development activities. This episode offers a comprehensive...

Duration: 00:59:57

In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika explore the question of whether you need a cybersecurity degree to work in the field. With varied personal experiences, they provide insights into the current job market, entry-level challenges, and the importance of hands-on skills versus formal education. They discuss alternative pathways like bootcamps, networking, certifications, and transferable skills from other industries. The conversation also touches on the importance of following your gut and not conforming to rigid career expectations.

00:00 Introduction and Hosts' Backgrounds
01:21 The Cybersecurity Job Market
03:19 Importance of Skills Over Degrees
05:07...

Duration: 00:57:02

In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Veronika Kolek Netolická, the co-founder of Women4Cyber Czechia and current cyber attachée for the Indo-Pacific at the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. The discussion takes place at the Czech Embassy in Canberra, looking at  Veronika's extensive background in cybersecurity, her education, and her various roles and initiatives. The conversation explores the importance of diversity and inclusivity in cybersecurity, the foundation and growth of Women4Cyber Czechia, and the challenges of bringing more women and underrepresented groups into the fold. The episode also tou...

Duration: 00:50:20

In this episode, Harriet and Annie-Mei have a chat over wine and ice-cream sundaes from a hotel room in Sydney before heading to a Gracie Abrams concert. They explore Harriet's journey as the founder of Mileva Security Labs, an AI security company that addresses security risks to AI systems. Harriet shares insights into the challenges of starting and running a business, especially as a young woman in a male-dominated field. The discussion delves into issues of bias, gender, and ageism in the professional world, and the importance of resilience and adaptability. The conversation also touches on public speaking, the...

Duration: 00:36:58

In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie Mei and Anika are joined by Alaina Lawson, a Perth-based cybersecurity consultant. Alaina discusses her journey into cybersecurity, starting from her interest in IT during high school, influenced by her family background in IT. She shares how asking a simple question to a customer when she was working in a bakery changed her entire career trajectory. Alaina also shares her experiences navigating a male-dominated field, the encouragement she received from mentors, and her various roles in cloud engineering, technical writing, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). The conversation touches on...

Duration: 00:40:30

In this episode of Lost In Cyberia, Bianca Puglisi and Kathy Sisson share their unconventional journeys into project management. Bianca shares her journey from hospitality and psychology to joining the Army at 30, becoming a corporate trainer in cyber, and currently serving as the Operations Manager at Solvyr. Kathy details her career path from being a photographer in the Air Force to working within New Zealand's government and defence sectors, and now tackling IT security projects in Australia. Together, they discuss their experiences and challenges in the cybersecurity field, share insights into effective project management, and emphasise the importance of...

Duration: 00:57:38

In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, we’re joined by Hortense Rothery, the Relationship Manager at Volkis. Hortense shares her unique career journey from studying fashion design in New Zealand to transitioning into software development and eventually finding her calling in cybersecurity. She discusses the challenges of running a fashion business and moving back to New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hortense talks about why we need to stop saying ‘imposter syndrome’, the importance of work-life balance, and the role of mentors and managers in building confidence. She also reflects on her views regarding the impact of AI and th...

Duration: 00:27:14

This episode of Lost in Cyberia is what we (Annie-Mei and Anika) presented at CyberCon Canberra 2025.

We look at the evolution of nerd culture, from the dawn of the internet til now. 

We also discuss:

Why the “hacker in a hoodie” stereotype is doing more harm than good 👨‍💻The echo chamber of women-in-tech panels and why men need to be part of the convo 🧠Toxic work culture, burnout, and the pressure to play tough 💼🔥Cybercrime targeting women (deepfakes, harassment, etc.) and why it’s often overlooked 😡The contrast between Kevin Mitnick and Steve Wozniak 🤖Feminist crime theories, cyber...

Duration: 00:36:05

March nearly broke us, but it also kind of made us. In this episode, Annie-Mei and Anika unpack a chaotic month full of firsts: our first podcast guests (shoutout to Harry from Phronesis and Hortense from Volkis 💜), first guest spot on another podcast (AISA Cyber Voices, with David!), and Anika’s first-ever conference presentation (spoiler: improv background came in handy 🎭).

We chat about:

CyberCon chaos 🧠Presenting at Volkis Day in Sydney (Chinese firewalls and Aussie cybercrime ft. pig butchering scams 🐷💔)Annie-Mei winning a Cyber Security Award and calling out a toxic ex-boss in her acceptance...

Duration: 00:31:23

Harry Smith (who also goes by Harrison, Hazza or H) is our very first guest on the podcast! Harry works at Phronesis Security in the application security space but has previously done pentesting on LLMs (large language models). We spoke to Harry when he was up in Canberra for CyberCon.

If you're looking to get into cybersecurity and want to know how you can practice hacking (ethically), then this is the episode for you. Harry discusses how doing capture the flag (CTF) competitions and Hack The Box challenges helped him get a foot in the industry. 

Duration: 00:38:28

Have you ever been told that a team you're interviewing for are like a family? 

If you have it's probably a good idea to widen that job search.

In this episode we discuss red flags people should look out for in a job interview, what questions you should ask in a job interview and the green flags that you can look out for.

Send us a text

Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals

Duration: 00:41:23

In this episode hosts Annie-Mei and Anika discuss whether International Women's Day (IWD) is achieving its purpose of promoting equality and diversity in the Cyber Security industry.

IWD was first observed on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. This date was chosen by Clara Zetkin, a German socialist, to commemorate the 1848 revolution and a key workers' protest in Prussia.

However, the date was later changed to March 8 in 1913. This shift was influenced by Russian women, who held a mass strike for “Bread and Peace” on March 8, 1917 (February 23 in the Julian calendar, which Russia used at t...

Duration: 00:50:26

 In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, Anika and Annie-Mei recount their top five cyber security milestones from 2024, including cryptography publications, conference appearances, and hands-on digital projects. They also touch on dating apps, examining their technical and security aspects, and offer a timely reminder for everyone to spend more time offline. Tune in for down-to-earth look at cyber security successes and the balance between digital achievements and real-world experiences. 

Send us a text

Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals

Duration: 00:40:05

This episode looks at how people can reach their goals by taking baby steps, whether that's for public speaking, networking or anything else in life. Annie-Mei and Anika discuss their family upbringing and how that has made them the people they are today. Annie-Mei talks about how she never had thought about being a confident person until it was pointed out to her by Anika. They discuss the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone through solo travel, improv classes and talking to strangers. Meeting people can be scary but showing vulnerability can be a great way to...

Duration: 00:26:39

In this episode, Annie-Mei and Anika share their personal experiences, highlighting that a technical background isn't strictly necessary and emphasising the value of transferable skills from other industries like hospitality. They stress the importance of networking and showcasing personality, advocating for proactive job applications even without fully meeting job requirements. The discussion also touches upon the challenges of work-life balance in demanding tech roles and how experience in navigating high-pressure environments can be an asset. Finally, they underscore the need for strong communication and writing skills to effectively convey technical information.

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Duration: 00:46:32

Welcome to the Lost In Cyberia podcast where we break down cybersecurity into byte-sized pieces so you don't have to! We are your hosts Annie-Mei and Anika. In our very first episode we talk about the importance of mentoring and what mentors and mentees can learn from each other. We also discuss Anika's career journey including her time working in hotel quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic. And do you actually need to know how to code to work in a cybersecurity role? We discuss all of this and much more. 

Follow us on Instagram where we will b...

Duration: 00:32:49