You’re not imagining it. This is hard.

Dear renegades, mavericks, and deviants,

I see you.

You’re doing more than most people realise.

You’re juggling so much, including some competing priorities. You’re chasing data that never quite fits. You’re under pressure to do more, but you’re barely recognised for what you deliver. You’re getting mixed messages - some energising, some exhausting.

I feel you.

You’re trying to move things forward. You want to grow. You want to drive real change. But you’re also unsure of lots things. One thing you’re not unsure about: It gives you life when one person says

“That thing you did? It helped.”

But it often feels like explaining the same things on repeat to people who don’t get it, or, worse, won’t prioritise it.

You’re pulled in different directions. Pushed to do more. But not always seen for what you already do.

You're hearing more and more about metrics, behaviors, AI. Sometimes you’re leading the conversations. Other times you’re wondering why you’ve been left out. And why you’re still seen as just the training & education, or security comms person.

Pushing water uphill.

That’s what it feels like. Sometimes.

You want to deliver content that lands, that resonates. You want to nudge people at the right time, to make smarter interventions that stop risks tipping into incidents.

Except the tools aren’t integrated, the data’s hard to access, and you’re stuck in a loop of manual work and chasing.

You're tired of manual work. Tired of chasing, following up, nudging, pulling together reports, tailoring content. Every time a new person joins. Every time a new department wants something slightly different.

You know it could be faster. Smarter. Simpler. But you’re still stuck doing it the long way

It’s exhausting, sure. But it matters. And you’re not on your own.

You know it, and I know it.

The human side of security isn’t fluff and vibes. And while some still dismiss it as “not technical”, they couldn’t be more wrong.

It is profoundly technical. Just not in the digital sense.

What most people don’t understand is it takes serious discipline to change what people actually do. It takes skills and knowledge across behavioural science, threat modelling and psychology. It takes a deep, systematic understanding of human cognition, social engineering, psychological vulnerabilities, and behavioural economics. At least it does, to do it well.

So if it feels like a challenge, that’s because it is.

It’s not about writing code. But it is about decoding human behaviour.

Which is just as complex.

And just as worthy of rigour, discipline, and respect.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to get a bit better at this every day.

You know the truth.

And you want to make a difference.

But you don’t want every move scrutinised. And you don’t want to put your head too far above the parapet. To lead, not constantly defend.

You want to be seen. Truly seen. For the depth, the expertise, the impact of what you bring.

You're not imagining it.

It is this hard.

But don’t give up.