Hacker Valley Studio

Episode 127 - Finding Comfort in Being Uncomfortable with Paul Rivera

Paul Rivera is the president and CEO of Def Logix, he built his own company from the ground up. Paul was born in the Bronx, NYC and grew up in both Queens, New York and Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. 

The two areas he grew up in couldn’t be more different and he faced a lot of social anxiety. In middle and high school Paul felt there was a difference between the things he worried about and the concerns of his peers. Young Paul would rather figure out how to improve himself than impress others with something more material.  Eventually at the age of fifteen Paul quit school and instead began going to the library. There he spent time reading on his own. He went from reading science fiction to learning about the physics, chemistry and math behind it.

In his twenties Paul moved back to New York for college and was working while attending school. Following in his hero Mr. Spock’s footsteps he took classes in: Logic, Philosophy and Computer Science. Paul fell in love with programming after building his own calculator application by using coding. Programming was a way to use computers to build things from his own imagination and engaging his creative side. He got his Computer Science degree in his mid twenties.

Paul speaks about the difference between New York City and the Dallas Fort Worth Area and some of the interpersonal differences moving to a less diverse area and not fitting in. Ron asks Paul what the missing puzzle piece that led him on the education path he chose. The conversation between Paul, Ron and Chris touches on different ways of learning and thinking. Paul shares about the school of hard knocks and researching, he shares about having to research excessively can lead to potential missed opportunities. 

Chris asks about a challenge he faced building Def Logix. Paul talks about finding his way as a significant contract closed out, dealing with employees being discontent and having to conceptualize Def-Logix 2.0. Our hosts Ron and Chris speak about the burnout that can happen when tasks aren’t aligned with purpose. Paul shares that he enjoys creating solutions more than other tasks that are typically aligned with being at the top of a company. Paul had to learn to delegate more in order to grow the company. Towards the end of our conversation Paul shares some of his experiences with public speaking, something he was very uncomfortable with at first. It was necessary for him to get out of his comfort zone in order to keep growing.

Impactful Moments During the Show

00:00 — Intro

01:35 — Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio and welcome to Paul Rivera.

03:05 — Learning the science behind the sci-fi.

04:25 — Why Paul quit school at 15 and his path back to education.

06:00 — Calculators and falling in love with programming.

07:40 — Thinking differently about clothing.

09:05 — Thinking outside the box with logic AND intuition instead of logic OR intuition.

10:31 — Paul’s key way of learning.

12:20 — Paul on building his own company and challenges faced.

14:20 — What would change if he closed shop and started again?

16:30 — The harebrained ideas, creating solutions and finding joy.

18:30 — Growth and getting out of your comfort zone

Links

You can find Paul Rivera on LinkedIn

Check out Def-Logix a cybersecurity company that does research and development, software development and secure networks. 

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter. 

Check out ByteChek they can help you establish your security program, automate your readiness assessment, and complete your SOC 2 audit faster.

Episode 126 - The Grit of Being World Champion Part 2 with Lee Kemp

In this episode we continue our conversation with Lee Kemp, a three time World Champion in Wrestling (1978, 1979 and 1982 all in the 74 kg weight class) and held the record for being the youngest World Champion. In addition to being a champion wrestler, Lee is a father, a wrestling coach, a public speaker, and an author. He learned many of the skill sets needed to navigate his life on the mat. A child of the 60’s, he was adopted at the age of 5, before adoption learned how to find his own contentment in the situation he was in. From a young age Lee learned how to focus on what’s important and tackle whatever he needed to get done.

Our conversation with Lee Kemp resumes with Chris asking Lee a question about representation. Lee shares that there were other Black wrestlers that were successful before him and while Dan Gable was a direct inspiration he saw additional championship inspiration in Black wrestlers. Lee found representation and inspiration to one day own his own business working for Tom Burrell of Burrow Communications. He shares tremendous insight about race relations in the USA being further complicated by suppression of stories, like that of the mathematicians from Hidden Figures.

When Lee’s family left Cleveland in 1968 they moved to Chardon, Ohio; this was almost an entirely White community. Growing up there Lee saw his family being accepted into this community and learned that mutual respect was possible. We ask Lee about what someone who wants to be a champion needs. Lee explains that putting your focus on someone else that is successful can help and that finding inspiration is a truly important thing. Listening is important, if someone like Lee tells you the steps that you need to take to truly become a champion it’s important to take the advice as a whole. 

Being the best isn’t the only measure of achievement, for Lee going for something with all your heart is meaningful. After winning World Championships and global competitions two years running Lee was on track mentally and physically to become an Olympic champion, but in March of 1980 President Jimmy Carter announced that the USA would not be participating at the Olympics. Lee explains how that opportunity being taken away impacts him even now. 40 years later the 2020 Summer Games have been delayed and Lee speaks a bit about that showing how the grit to be world champion endures.

 

Impactful Moments During The Episode

00:00 — Intro

01:00 — Welcome back to Part 2 our conversation with Lee Kemp.

01:33 — Looking at what types of representation mattered to Lee.

03:49 — Representation making a difference on a professional level.

05:50 — Lee speaks about Tom Burrell, advertising and race.

06:59 — Seeing your own value and everyone seeing each other’s humanity. 

07:53 — We’re all the same race.

08:39 — The examples that parents set. 

10:10 — Leaving Cleveland and moving to Chardon in 1968.

12:09 — The respect Lee’s father received from his community.

13:24 — Lee speaks about the importance of listening and empathy.

15:22 — Putting yourself in the right environment to be a champion.

17:07 — Taking advice and finding motivations.

18:31 — Going for something with all your heart. 

19:50 — A story of “Things not happening.” 

21:04 — Resiliency and the Tokyo Olympics, lessons learned.

22:25 — Thanks to Lee Kemp and for listening to Part 2 of the Grit of Being World Champion

Links:

Learn more about Lee Kemp and pick up his book Winning Gold. 

Watch the great documentary Watch Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story | Prime Video.

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Episode 125 - The Grit of Being World Champion with Lee Kemp

Our special guest this episode is Lee Kemp, a three time World Champion in Wrestling (1978, 1979 and 1982 all in the 74 kg weight class) and held the record for being the youngest World Champion. In addition to being a champion wrestler, Lee is a father, a wrestling coach, a public speaker, and an author. He learned many of the skill sets needed to navigate his life on the mat. A child of the 60’s, he was adopted at the age of 5, before adoption learned how to find his own contentment in the situation he was in. From a young age Lee learned how to focus on what’s important and tackle whatever he needed to get done.

Lee’s childhood with his adoptive family involved a lot of hard work. His family moved from the city to a rural neighborhood and he worked on a farm. There was a certain strictness his father held, if farm work needed to get done it had to get done. Over the summers of Lee’s youth, he learned about finding contentment in hard work and became comfortable being uncomfortable. Lee started wrestling in high school in the 9th grade and made the varsity team in the 10th grade, his first season in varsity he won as many matches as he lost. The summer between the 10th and the 11th grade year was the turning point for young Lee. He attended a Wrestling Camp that the wrestler Dan Gable was at right before the Olympic games of 1972, what he learned from Dan Gable at that camp became the catalyst for Lee becoming a different wrestler and different person. Lee gained a new mindset from that wrestling camp with Dan Gable. Coach Lee went on to win the state championship as a junior in high school, defeating the defending state champion. 

As the episode progresses, Ron and Chris ask Lee about his philosophies on consistency. Lee describes that at each point in his journey to be a champion wrestler he took every opportunity to learn more about his game and his opponents. While Lee was in wrestling camp with Dan Gable, he was the only willing volunteer that would allow Dan to try out wrestling moves on him. Lee knew that if he could understand how one of the greatest wrestlers performed offensively and defensively he could at a minimum learn something new and potentially incorporate it into his style. Lee’s determination has always been contagious and a positive influence to his community. An example that Lee shares is the story of his wrestling teammate Pat Christenson. Before defeating Dan Gable, Wisconsin had a drought of national champions in wrestling. Pat Christenson shared with Lee after defeating Gable he realized he could aspire to become a world champion also.

Impactful Moments During The Episode

01:30 - Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio.

01:56 - Introducing the three time world champion Lee Kemp.

03:04 - A child of the sixties and learning how to give back.

04:18 - Understanding where you come from and learning to be content.

07:01 - Characteristics of grit.

08:43 - Overcoming the biggest roadblock to success.

11:08 - Finding a worthwhile goal as a high school wrestler and learning from the best. 

12:26 - The inflection point towards success for wrestler Lee Kemp

14:24 - The fateful wrestling camp experience of 1972.

16:25 - Watching your camp coach from the summer with Olympic Gold.

17:28 - Lee Kemp finds the opportunity to wrestle against his former wrestling camp Coach, the gold medal winner Dan Gable.

19:05 - How Lee stayed focused on wrestling Gable despite detractors and distractions.

21:20 - Finding a different mindset, finding a different Lee Kemp.

22:51 - Taking little steps of confidence towards goals.

24:11 - Lee Kemp being in the moment wrestling in the last 30 seconds against Gable.

25:53 - From being in the moment to being part of the moment. 

27:30 - The reaction to breaking expectations

29:00 - A rivalry that couldn’t be played out in competition, an unofficial match between Kemp and Gable

31:00 - Moving mountains

32:57 - Inspiring future wrestling champions at University of Wisconsin

34:30 - Having a mindset and attitude for making things possible

36:30 - Thank you for listening to Part 1 of Lee Kemp on Hacker Valley.

 

Links:

Learn more about Lee Kemp and pick up his book Wrestled Away.

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Episode 124 - The Learning Leader with Allan Alford

Introducing the Cyber Ranch Podcast and Allan Alford!

Allan Alford is currently the Chief Technology Officer/Chief Information Security Officer at TrustMAPP. Allan Alford is a member of the Hacker Valley family and has launched a new show called the Cyber Ranch Podcast. Allan has been a CISO at a number of different companies and has a wealth of knowledge in Cybersecurity. Has about 20 years of Cybersecurity and has a background in product security. 

Allan is a tinkerer and a second generation information security practitioner. His father was a systems operator/administrator who specialized in Systems Security, his father brought their first IBM PC into the house while Allan was in middle school. Since that moment, Allan has always been interested in technology and had a group of friends who had the brand new tools of the time like the TI-99, TRS-80, IBM PC and Apple IIe. He and his friends were porting and writing games, hacking and war dialing. Allan’s mother was a school teacher and had house rules about television time, and so with an hour of TV a week Allan’s primary form of entertainment was reading.

In high school Allan took a creative writing class where he found a passion for storytelling and reading novels. Before entering college Allan was confident in his technology skills and decided that studying Humanities would make a greater impact for him. While studying, Allan learned that there were many parallels between the study of humanities and technology. There was a vocabulary, grammar, and structure by which things operated that had a consistent set of rules. Allan learned that the correct application of grammar and vocabulary helped all things work properly. 

As the episode progresses, Allan shares while reading books, articles or other word based sources there’s a sort of internal voice that is within his mind that reads the words ‘out loud,’ however once he’s immersed in the book or text that the subvocalization fades and there’s a much more immediate type of onboarding of the information, the non-conscious reading voice. Chris shares that he describes this as the flow of learning. Allan also speaks of lucking into a prime slot on the KTCU college radio station and how he found his groove djing by deconstructing threads of music. He would put together his set by starting with a popular song and tracing it back from influence and inspirations. 

Allan also shares his thoughts on the importance of networking - And not all networking starting points being equal. With his success now he tries to create bridges and conversations through his network that promote the exchange of ideas and further conversations for people, Allan is hoping to do the same with his podcast - The Cyber Ranch. Professionally he’s embarking on a new journey as the Chief Technology Officer at TrustMapp and is currently learning how to be a great producer of Security technologies. 

 

Impactful Moments During the Show

0:00 - Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio!

01:30 - Welcome back to the Hacker Valley studio and welcome to the Cyber Ranch podcast

02:30 - Allan’s Professional Adventuring Card

03:00 - Allan’s tinkering background and a second generation info security professional

04:30 - Writing and porting video games as a youth, growing up as a STEM kid

05:35 - Creative writing opening the world to storytelling

06:50 - Going to college already knowing about Computer Science

08:40 - Practices and techniques for learning rapidly and staying sharp

10:30 - Understanding the fields of vocabulary and grammar

11:56 - Conscious reading voice, non-conscious reading voice and flow

14:14 - From reading to producing work that people could consume

16:00 - DJ Deconstruction, how Allan put together a primetime radio set on KTCU

17:00 - Networking without inherited connections

19:20 - How networking works for Allan now

22:20 - Networking misunderstood, the traps of the output side

24:00 - Allan’s 70/30 rule for career advancement

25:30 - CISO and CTO parallels

27:30 - What motivated Allan to start his own cyber security podcast

29:30 - For someone entering the Cybersecurity world from a non-technical background

Links

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn Allan Alford - CISO & CTO - TrustMAPP

Check out The Cyber Ranch Podcast!

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor AttackIQ and enroll in The AttackIQ Academy!

Episode 123 - Adventures in Venture Capital with Lindsay Lee

Lindsay Lee is the founder and managing member of Authentic Ventures. Authentic Ventures is an early stage VC firm based in Oakland CA. Lindsay has worked many years in the investment industries as well as venture capital and ran a direct investment fund. Authentic ventures is a new kind of firm focused primarily on women and under-represented minority founders. Authentic Ventures is focused on building its own network of women founders of more diverse backgrounds and entrepreneurs who really want to see success translate into more opportunities for their communities.

Coming from modest beginnings and raised by immigrant parents from the West Indies, his parents really solidified the importance of education. Lindsay has worked in investment banking as an analyst alongside graduates of Ivy League schools, there he learned about his own determination to excel even in tough working conditions while learning as much as possible. After graduating from graduate school Lindsay started an ill-fated technology start up in 1999; funding was hard to find in the early naughts (00’s) especially for Black founders.

After pivoting to working in asset management companies Lindsay joined a family office where he built and managed a portfolio. He reached a turning point there where he was able to look at public and private investments and assess the landscape. Lindsay decided he wanted to differentiate himself and focus efforts on really approaching investment in his own way, to invest in “early stage companies,” as opposed to series A or series B companies. A peer at another firm told him that it was going to be double the effort and twice the financing to get it off the ground. Lindsay’s drive and the network he was a part of propelled him through the challenges. 

The conversation touches upon the “rules of the game” for galvanizing new ideas and bringing new products and companies into the market. He speaks about the roles that entrepreneurs, lawyers and investors have in capital markets. Lindsay found his calling as an investor was one where he was a coach, rather than an entrepreneur who is trying to score goals all the time. Lindsay describes how his focus was on cultivating relationships and community in order to grow an interconnected network that would allow for long lasting impact in the landscape while also bringing success to his firm. 

He shares that the one thing he’s had to get right is finding A+ people to work with. In his approach as an investor he is trying to set the table for women of color and reserve, or build, a seat at the table that allows for success to be shared.  Lindsay believes this focus will lead to more opportunities for more diverse teams. For folks interested in becoming an investor or entrepreneur Lindsay speaks about the importance of team building and utilizing the connections they already have as capital. He also urges people to not ignore the skills they’ve gained by applying themselves and that those skills plus knowledge of the space they’re focused on can create something that’s meaningful. 

Impactful Moments During Podcast

00:00 - Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio, introducing Lindsay Lee of Authentic Ventures, a VC firm that invests in seed and early stage companies.

02:30 - Building a more diverse inclusive VC network and culture. 

04:30 - What the exploration of VC was like for Lindsay and what were some of the motivations for moving in this way in that sphere.

06:45  - Why it’s important for diversity that a firm like Authentic Ventures exists in Silicon Valley and the tech community.

07:20 - How VC firms can help create more wealth across communities of color and gender.

09:30 - The journey to VC and what exploring that world looked like for Lindsay.

10:00 - Entrepreneurship as a sport: who are players, rule-makers and play callers.

11:45 - Taking the long view on cultivating good investments and finding the right people.

12:20 - Starting his own thing in VC, differentiating himself and dealing with uncertainty

14:27 - What immersion in VC is like, navigating changing landscapes

15:15 - If you’re looking for a challenge, investing is a good field; things not going to plan.

15:45 - Why you need to find A+ people.

17:20 - Staying humble and grounded in VC

18:14 - What creates success in entrepreneurial endeavors

19:30 - Why Authentic Ventures has a culture of good energy

20:45 - Studying and data in VC, compounding experience and knowledge, the value of having a community

22:40 - Trying to find ideas and company with momentum

23:20 - No free lunch in investing? What does a margin of error mean in this VC world.

24:45 - Why VC firms learn about the founders, how to scrutinize the methodology

26:00 - If you’re an entrepreneur why you should get to know a VC fund outside of funding events.

27:00 - Being an early believer in trailblazers

28:00 - Authentic Ventures tries to win together, with the right people

29:25 - Lindsay talks about not starting out on First or Second Base and making an impact that helps his community.

30:35 - Having something to prove as an analyst at investment banks

31:45 - The best lesson to learn as an investor, understanding the people, connecting with people that share your values.

33:30 - Why there’s no substitute for excellence or hard work.

37:23 - Staying power and determination: “Get your money right.”

38:30 - Staying in touch with Lindsay Lee and Authentic Ventures

 

Stay connected with Lindsay Lee by checking out Authentic Ventures

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.