Cybersecurity isn’t just red or blue anymore... it’s purple, white, and deeply human. Maril Vernon, award-winning ethical hacker and Senior Solutions Architect at NetSPI, returns to the Hacker Valley Studio to discuss purple teaming as the most future-proof career path in cyber. She opens up about mentorship, burnout, compensation realities, and how we’re still failing the fundamentals.

Together, Ron and Maril dig into what purple teaming really is (and isn’t), why soft skills matter more than ever, and how defenders are the frontline signal source for law enforcement. From guiding her mom into IR to co-founding Mind Over Cyber, Maril embodies what it means to show up for the cyber community and demand more from the culture itself.

Impactful Moments

00:00 - Introduction

01:01 - Maril’s role at NetSPI

03:00 - Why purple skills are future-proof

05:19 - Salary truths in purple teaming

08:30 - Know your value, negotiate wisely

13:07 - How defenders enable law enforcement

16:22 - The real meaning of purple teaming

18:39 - Common misconceptions debunked

24:45 - People are always the soft spot

26:01 - The two security stack must-haves

29:00 - Mom made it to incident response

30:48 - Maril’s mentorship philosophy

34:09 - Why you need to post anyway

36:35 - What Mind Over Cyber is really about

40:00 - CISOs are burning out silently

41:31 - Closing thoughts

Links:

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