Barak Engel on Fractional CISO Life, Resilience, and Relationship-Driven Security Consulting Thomas chats with Barak Engel, founder/CEO of EAmmune and an advisor/board member across several security organizations, about his 23-year consulting journey, including creating the virtual/fractional CISO concept in 2003 and the realities of “feast or famine” work.

Barak discusses rapid context switching (and hitting his limit while serving six CISOs at once), resilience through setbacks such as the 2008 crash and Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how reputation and long-term relationships drive EAmmune’s referral-only growth through “concentric circles” as clients change jobs.

He emphasizes transparency, accountability, avoiding short-term exploitation, delegating to strengths (including hiring a people manager), and focusing on minimizing damage rather than preventing all mistakes. Book recommendations include Anthony de Mello’s "Awareness," Malcolm Gladwell’s "Blink," and "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," plus Barak’s book "The Crack in the Crystal"

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:31 Origin of EAmmune Name

02:39 Resilience and Career Overview

04:51 Fractional CISO and Context Switching

06:38 Jessica Burnout Story

08:39 Lightning Angel Name Meaning

09:10 Relationships Over Everything

11:58 Bankruptcy and Customer Lifeline

15:15 Bootstrapping and Early Hustle

17:38 Strengths Focus and Delegation

19:33 Leaving Corporate and Forced Independence

22:34 Referral Growth Philosophy

23:58 Radical Transparency

24:59 Accidental Career Path

25:56 Reputation Compounds

28:12 Resilience Over Perfection

30:53 Trust Beats Skill

32:43 Owning Mistakes

34:39 Pretty Little Princess

36:04 Practice Context Switching

39:11 Humility and Humanity

43:00 Books and Farewell