The Imposter Syndrome Network Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Calkins, a visionary in the tech industry whose early love for technology led him to run a BBS at the tender age of 12.Mark has navigated the highs and lows of the tech world, starting his career amidst the internet bubble and quickly advancing to work on AS 1 by 18. His journey took a pivotal turn at Time Warner Telecom, shaping his future endeavors.He shares his transformative experience at ViaSat, where he played a key role in pioneering internet serv...

In this episode, we’re thrilled to feature Glenn Dekhayser, a tech virtuoso whose career spans over 28 years, marked by a relentless pursuit of simplicity in technical solutions for complex business needs.Glenn takes us back to his roots, where a computer gifted by his mother ignited a lifelong passion for technology, leading him to an early job at Radio Shack. His knack for sales, honed by his experiences as a musician, paved the way for his college years, where he learned the invaluable ski...

In this episode, we’re joined by Arjan Timmerman, a distinguished IT architect and analyst whose career has flourished over 25 years across the European tech landscape.Arjan recounts his early days, from his first summer job dealing with tulip bulbs to his “real” job involving AutoCAD drawings, which led him to pioneer a computer backup system for storing these designs. This marked the beginning of his technological journey, navigating through the eras of floppy disks and evolving storage cap...

In this episode, we chat with Steve Dodd, a seasoned network engineer with a career spanning over two decades.Steve shares his accidental stumble into networking, his growth through working on increasingly larger networks, and his current role at Slack, where he navigates the complexities of cloud-based networking.We explore the parallels between his passion for skiing and his approach to networking, emphasizing the importance of consistency, practice, and being open to coaching and feedback....

Today we chat with Professor Gihan Dias, who is widely regarded as the father of the Internet in Sri Lanka. He brought the Internet to his country, starting from his post-graduate studies in California, where he first encountered the technology.We dive into his career journey from setting up the first e-mail system, the Lanka Education and Research Network (LEARN), and the LK domain registry, to his current work on cyber safety, e-learning, and language. He reveals his problem-solving and inn...

In this episode, we chat with Josh Snowhorn, the founder and CEO of Quantum Loophole, a data center company that is building the biggest data center campus in the world, with the most amount of power and fiber. Josh shares his career journey, from how skipping work to go surfing accidentally got into telecom and data center sales, to becoming a leader and innovator in the interconnection industry, working for companies like Terremark, Verizon, Cincinnati Bell, and CyrusOne. He also talks abou...

Today we chat with Phil McKinney, a successful business person and innovator who has been the CTO of HP and the CEO of Cable Labs.We explore Phil’s career journey from starting as a software engineer and working on projects such as the original Mac, biometric security, and computer graphics, to leading the innovation program at HP and creating products that earned HP a spot on Fast Company’s list of the most innovative companies.He shares some of the lessons and insights he learned along the ...

Our guest today is Doug Madory, the director of Internet analysis at Kentik.He shares his journey from being a curious kid who transcribed games from magazines to becoming a world-renowned expert in Internet measurement and data analysis.Doug explains what Internet analysis is and how he uses data to uncover the secrets and mysteries of the Internet infrastructure. He also talks about his work at various startups and companies, such as Renesys, Dyn, Oracle, and Kentik, and some of the patents...

Our guest today is Stan Barber, a veteran IT professional with 40 years of experience in networking and internet technologies.He shares his journey from being a computer systems administrator at a medical college to working for various internet service providers to joining Google Fiber and beyond.From a rather non-technical background of studying biochemistry and psychology in college, he explains how he uses what he learned and applies the scientific method to his way of looking at problems....

Today we chat with Slim Hamouda, a freelance network automation engineer from France who works with various clients to help them automate their network operations and workflows.We explore Slim’s career path from studying telecommunications engineering, to earning Cisco certifications, to becoming a network automation expert. He reveals some of the difficulties and rewards of working as a freelance consultant, and how he builds trust and rapport with his clients.Slim also shares his passion fo...

Today we chat with Leslie Daigle, CTO at Global Cyber Alliance, where she works on addressing cyber security challenges that require collective action and coordination among different stakeholders in the internet ecosystem.We peek into Leslie’s career journey from being a computer science student to a programmer, a manager, a leader, and a collaborator in various internet-related organizations and projects, such as Bunyip, IETF, World IPv6 Day, and MANRS.In this talk, we will hear some of Les...

Today we chat with Doug Kay, a self-branded security-minded network engineer with past roles at multiple networking companies.We tackle Doug's career journey from starting as a Novell and Windows administrator, to working at Juniper, Cisco, Gigamon, Nokia, and Arista, in various roles such as pre-sales, post-sales, and government contractor. He shares some of the challenges and opportunities he faced along the way, as well as some of the skills and technologies he learned.Doug talks about how...

Today we chat with Maxie Reynolds, a former underwater robotics pilot, cybersecurity expert, and founder of Subsea Cloud.We cover Maxie’s diverse and adventurous career path, from working offshore in oil and gas to studying computer science and cybersecurity, to starting her own company that combines her passions for the ocean and technology.Maxie explains the concept and benefits of Subsea Cloud and addresses some of the challenges and misconceptions about putting data centers underwater, su...

In this episode, we chat with Sagi Brody, co-founder and CTO of Webair, the predecessor of the current Opti Tech.Sagi talks about his over 20 years of IT experience and his journey from starting Webair in the late 90s, and how it grew to the point where it evolved to today’s Opti.We talk about Sagi’s current projects, his role as a consultant, and how he overcame his imposter syndrome and managed to combine his skills with his early interests in aviation and space.Join us on this journey into...

In this episode, we have a conversation with Nick Buraglio, a network engineer and a board member of the Route Views Project, a public service that provides a view of the global routing system.Nick tells us how he went from being an art student and a skateboarder to becoming one of the leading experts on IPv6, the latest version of the internet protocol that enables communication across the network.He also shares his experience of working on various volunteer projects, such as building intern...

In this episode, we have a conversation with Du’An Lightfoot, a senior cloud networking developer advocate at AWS and the founder of LabEveryday, a popular YouTube channel that helps aspiring IT professionals pursue their dreams.Du’An tells us how he started his tech career in the Air Force and how he overcame his fear of making mistakes and his imposter syndrome along the way. He also shares his advice on how to learn new skills, set goals, and find mentors in the tech industry.Du’An is a te...

In this episode, we chat with Darren Fulwell, a chief evangelist at IP Fabric, a network assurance platform.Darren has been working in networking for more than 25 years and is passionate about network design, automation, and operation. He’ll share his journey from being a computer science student to becoming a network architect and consultant. He’ll also tell us how he got involved with Cisco’s certification advisory council and the INIT 6 initiative, a community effort to promote network aut...

In this episode, we chat with Dave Siegel, a visionary technology leader who specializes in product strategies, network planning, business planning, network architecture and design, and leadership and management. Dave has been helping build the Internet since 1993 and has been self-employed since 2018.Dave shares his journey from starting his own ISP in Tucson to working at Global Crossing and Level 3, and how he became a consultant and a board member of NANOG. We also discuss Dave’s passion ...

In this episode, we chat with Becca Chambers, a marketing and brand leader who is also a neurodiversity advocate.Becca has a diagnosis of ADHD, which she discovered in her 20s. She’ll share how she found her passion for branding and communications, and how she worked in various roles in cybersecurity, an industry that embraces the weirdos and the misfits.We’ll explore Becca’s views on neurodiversity, and how she advocates for shifting the thinking away from seeing neurodiversity as a disorder...

In this episode, we chat with Justin Ryburn, a field CTO for Kentik, a network analytics company.Justin has a diverse background in networking, pre-sales, and software. He’ll share his journey from being a computer science student to becoming a field CTO and an author.We talked about how he wrote a “Day One” guide for Juniper on BGP flow spec, what motivated him to do so, and what challenges he faced along the way.We’ll also discuss his role as a field CTO, how it differs from a sales enginee...