The Leadership Lessons Hidden Inside Community

What a weekend.

Every year, what starts as stress somehow turns into one of my favorite weekends of the year. This year we celebrated our fifth annual CyberjutsuCon alongside the 12th Annual Cyberjutsu Awards at the Microsoft office in Rosslyn, Virginia.

Seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones, watching people reconnect, learn, grow, and support one another is why we continue doing this work. We had sessions ranging from AI and careers to leadership, hands-on technical workshops, and everything in between.

I arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning to what can only be described as... wet. Vegas was triple digits, but DC humidity is just a different kind of hot. Thursday was spent running errands, connecting with friends, and making sure all the last-minute details came together before the weekend officially kicked off.

Friday started with four workshops, each running four hours. As always, Friday also turned into one of those days where you're picking up supplies, moving equipment, checking boxes, and hoping you didn't forget anything.

Then Saturday came.

The weather may have been gloomy, but the views from the 13th floor of Microsoft were incredible. Looking out over the city while everyone began arriving gave me one of the few moments all weekend to stop, breathe, and take it all in.

One thing I will say... Invest in an event planner.

For years, I've led the charge on organizing our conference and awards experience with a fantastic team of volunteers and supporters. This year was different, and honestly, it needed to be. As Cyberjutsu continues to grow and mature as an organization, bringing in people who can own pieces of the experience becomes important. Huge thank you to Uso Sayers and the team at Karibea Events for helping bring everything together.

Looking back, I realized this wasn't really about event planning. It was about making room for the organization to continue growing. Before I move on, I have to give some love to our volunteer team.

People see conference day. They don't always see the months leading up to it. Planning meetings. Reviewing speaker submissions. Sponsor conversations. Career Center planning. Awards planning. Registration. Room layouts. Solving problems before they ever become problems. Then conference day arrives, and another group steps in to manage the day-of hosting logistics. From helping speakers to supporting the career center to setting up and cleaning up.

Handling the hundred little things that keep an event moving. Watching the team take ownership of their areas made me smile. Some of these volunteers have been with Cyberjutsu for years. Others were volunteering for the first time. Everyone jumped in where they were needed, and that's something I'm incredibly proud of.

The flowers around the space were beautiful. Lilies, roses, chrysanthemums in whites, pinks, and oranges. It was funny watching people by the end of the day saying, "Yep...I'm taking those home." One small touch that I absolutely loved was our seeded badges from Botanical Paper.

Instead of another badge ending up in the trash, attendees can plant it and grow wildflowers. It felt like such a simple way to reduce waste while giving people something lasting to take home beyond the memories.

Okay...back to the speakers.

Wow.

We opened with the fabulous Katie Nickels, an OG Cyberjutsu member and lead volunteer. Highly recommend connecting with her on all things Threat Intel. Katie walked us through how AI is awesome at patterns when trying to determine behavior.

One new addition this year was our lightning talks. If you've never done a lightning talk, try one.

In a world where so much data flows daily, being able to pull out the most important details to share is a valuable skill to practice and use. You won't always have the time to go into detail when the shit is hitting the fan.

Congratulations to everyone who stepped up and shared.

One story from the weekend keeps replaying in my head. Every year we hear one or two stories about someone's life being turned upside down because of relationships, work, burnout, or simply trying to figure out where they belong. They're looking for a second chance. They're looking for opportunity. Sometimes they're just looking for a place to breathe.

This year we received a thank-you letter from a survivor of domestic violence that reminded me why Cyberjutsu exists. Over the years we've heard all sorts of stories through Wicked6, CyberjutsuCon, mentoring, volunteering, and our other programs. This year was another reminder that sometimes what people need isn't another certification or another technical class.

Sometimes they just need people who believe in them. They need someone to remind them they aren't doing this alone.

Those are the lives changed by the volunteers, speakers, mentors, sponsors, partners, and members who continue showing up year after year.

While the sessions were happening, Robin was leading Backdoors & Breaches in the Incident Response Village. This has become a staple of the conference over the last three years, and for good reason. The exercise walks participants through an incident and challenges them to think through decisions, communication, and response in real time. It's hands-on, it's engaging, and it's something people can take back to work on Monday.

The Career Center was busy throughout the day as well. One of my favorite moments was watching recent graduates and early-career professionals sitting down with award winners, speakers, and hiring managers. Sometimes all it takes is one conversation to change someone's confidence or their career path.

Saturday night wrapped up with the 12th Annual Cyberjutsu Awards Sneaker Ball.

We finally had the opportunity to welcome the amazing Camille Stewart as our keynote. If you haven't picked up her book yet, I highly recommend it. Her experience across government and industry brought a perspective that couldn't have been more fitting for the evening.

Then the music started.

Hefbeats kept the dance floor full with line dances, old-school favorites, and just enough songs to remind us that cybersecurity professionals know how to have fun, too. I still can't get past about step four of the Tamia dance, but I tried. We ended the night the same way we usually do—with karaoke.

Robin and I somehow found ourselves singing Eminem and Rihanna again. At this point, I think it's officially tradition. Watching everyone laugh, dance, sing, and simply enjoy being together will always be my favorite part of these events.

There are months of planning behind a single weekend. Countless volunteer hours. Meetings. Phone calls. Emails. Last-minute changes. You hope people leave having learned something new, met someone they wouldn't have met otherwise, or found the encouragement they needed to keep going.

Sometimes you don't realize whether any of that happened until after the event is over.

Between the conversations, the thank-you letter, the hugs, the friendship bracelets that everyone seemed to be trading, and the smiles on people's faces, I was reminded why we started this journey in the first place.

What does Cyberjutsu mean to me?

It's a place where you can show up as yourself.

I know what it's like to be underestimated. I know what it's like to be told you're too much, too outspoken, too aggressive, or that you don't fit someone's idea of what a cybersecurity professional should look like.

We don't do that here.

As I unpacked after the weekend, I realized I hadn't been thinking about whether every session stayed on schedule or every detail went exactly as planned. I kept thinking about the people. The volunteer who quietly stepped into a leadership role. The first-time speaker who decided to take a chance on a lightning talk. The recent graduate making connections in the Career Center. The attendee who reminded us that Cyberjutsu had become a place where they could finally breathe.

We spend a lot of time in cybersecurity talking about technology, threats, AI, and what's coming next. Those conversations are important, and they'll continue to evolve. But this weekend reminded me that the strongest organizations aren't built on technology alone. They're built by people who are willing to invest in one another, create opportunities for others, and leave the door open for the next person.

Maybe that's what I've been reflecting on the most.

It's a place where people can learn, teach, mentor, ask questions, make mistakes, celebrate wins, and discover that they belong. To everyone who joined us—in person, online, as a volunteer, speaker, sponsor, partner, or attendee—thank you. You are the reason Cyberjutsu continues to grow, and I'm grateful to be part of this journey with you.

See you next year!