From SOC to CEO, and Learning from Failure to Find Success

From SOC to CEO, and Learning from Failure to Find Success

Author: BKBT Productions May 19, 2025 Duration: 33:07
Quinnlan Varcoe, founder of Blueberry Security, joins the show for a raw conversation about building a security startup! Quinn takes us through her wild ride from SOC analyst to founder - including how she shut down her business only to relaunch it stronger than ever.  George K and George A talk to Quinn about: * Finding your true product-market fit in the security services space * The brutal reality of B2B sales cycles (hint: they're WAY longer than you think) * How literally ONE client call changed everything while she was recovering from surgery * Her narrative-based approach to security operations training Plus, Quinn opens up about her experience as a trans founder in cybersecurity, navigating both professional challenges and today's political climate. This episode is PACKED with insights for founders, security practitioners, and anyone interested in the human side of building something from scratch.  --------------- 🏳️‍🌈 Pride Month is just around the corner! We're once again running our t-shirt campaign to raise money for scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in cybersecurity programs. In the month of June, all profits from any Pride gear purchased from the BKBT Swag Store will be donated. Set your reminders for June, and check out the collection: https://bkbtpodcast.shop/

There’s a lot of noise in the world of technology talk, but Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks cuts through it with a focus on the people behind the products and the societal currents shaping our digital landscape. Hosts George K and George A steer conversations that are less about specs and hype, and more about real-world consequences. You’ll hear them dig into topics like the messy rollout of new AI tools, the often-invisible backbone of digital infrastructure, and why communities adopt or reject certain technologies. This podcast regularly features guests from various fields who offer unvarnished opinions on what’s genuinely functional and what’s fundamentally flawed in our tech-saturated lives. The discussions move beyond simple commentary to challenge the standard narratives promoted by the tech industry, examining the cultural and social ripples of every new development. It’s a show for anyone who feels that technology coverage often misses the human element-the frustrations, the adaptations, and the ethical dilemmas. Tune in for a grounded, critical, and consistently engaging dialogue that connects the dots between code and culture. This production from BKBT Productions lives up to its name, getting down to the brass tacks of how technology is built and used, with a bare-knuckle honesty that’s increasingly rare.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks
Podcast Episodes
How Expertise becomes a blind spot in technology development [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:45
Graeme Rudd spent years taking emerging technology into austere environments and watching it fail. He assessed over 350 technologies for a Department of Defense lab. The pattern was consistent: engineers solved technical…
Getting Addicted to the Process and Chasing Excellence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:10
What happens when you go all in and bet on yourself? Taylor McClatchie, professional Muay Thai fighter with ONE Championship, joins the show to share how she did just that. She spent a decade in reproductive science, wor…
Re-thinking How AI Can Actually Drive Business Value [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:13
Eric Pilkington joins the show to cut through the noise around artificial intelligence and deliver some hard truths about what's actually working—and what's just expensive theater. AI isn't new; it's been around for 70+…
Confronting Big Tech's Abuses as a Question of Human Rights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:36
Hannah Storey, Advocacy and Policy Advisor at Amnesty International [https://www.amnesty.org], joins the show to talk about her new brief that reframes Big Tech monopolies as a human rights crisis, not just a market comp…
Can Ethical AI Democratize Therapy and Higher Quality Care? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:03
Clinical psychologist, Dr. Sarah Adler, joins the show this week to talk about why "AI Therapy" doesn't exist, but is bullish on what AI can help therapists achieve. Dr. Adler is a clinical psychologist and CEO of Wave […
So, Are We Gonna Cure Cancer or Just Double Down on Mining Attention? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:59
This week George K and George A switch formats to tackle the AI revolution's messiest questions—from autonomous coding agents to digital actresses and deepfake scams. The hosts examine what happens when innovation moves…