In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, StickmanCyber’s Founder Ajay Unni sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the personal side of building a global cybersecurity brand. Ajay reveals how a failure in his 12th-grade exams in India became the catalyst for his first software company. He explains his leadership philosophy, which integrates meditation and ethical business growth, proving that you don't have to be greedy to succeed in the high-stakes world of tech. They also touch upon why the web browser has become the primary attack surface for modern hackers and despite heavy investments in EDR tools and network security, many organizations remain blind to data exfiltration happening inside the browser.

00:00 Starting a company without experience
9:51 Ajay's move to cybersecurity
17:41 Cybersecurity-as-a-service and integrating AI for compliance
31:19 Shadow SaaS and browser blind spots
45:41 The fine balance between productivity and AI data leakage risk
50:12 Meditation and ethical business growth as cornerstones of leadership

🔔 Follow Ajay and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayunni/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Gautam "Gotham" Sharma, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Education and Training at AccessCyber, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss why cybersecurity education and hiring are broken. The conversation explores nontraditional cyber career paths, why certifications alone don’t get candidates hired, and how hands-on projects prepare people for real-world security roles. Gautam breaks down browser security, SaaS sprawl, zero trust, and why defending the browser is essential for modern enterprises. He debunks viral AI ransomware statistics and explains why the industry needs better skepticism and even satire.

00:00 Founding of AccessCyber, what you learn in school vs. what enterprises are doing
9:35 Finding the right fit in cybersecurity
16:55 Hacking vs academia
32:26 How comedy helps Gautam be better in cybersecurity
40:00 CISO insights and browser security
51:39 Fighting misinformation in tech

🔔 Follow Gautam and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gothamjsharma/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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Deployed as a lightweight extension, SquareX turns any browser, on any device, into a secure enterprise browser. Find out more about SquareX at https://hubs.la/Q03rPcbf0

In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Larry Whiteside Jr, Co-Founder and President of Confide, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the real risks facing today’s CISOs. Drawing from three decades of experience across the U.S. military, the Pentagon, and Fortune 500 leadership roles, Larry explains why the CISO role is the most exposed and misunderstood position in the C-suite. They dive into cybersecurity governance, power dynamics with executives, vendor hype, regulatory pressure, AI disruption, and why security leaders are often blamed despite lacking authority.

00:00 How a Pentagon analyst role turned out to be for Chief of Information Warfare
19:28 "You are not greater than the good of the entire building"
27:48 Why the cybersecurity buying process is fundamentally broken
35:28 Can, or should a CISO be likable?
43:32 Larry's leap to entrepreneurship
50:06 Changes in IT landscape: Cloud, SaaS, AI
1:00:23 Narcissistic tendencies in cyber leadership
1:11:39 Career advice and how to avoid burnout

🔔 Follow Larry and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrywhitesidejr/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

🔥 Powered by SquareX
Deployed as a lightweight extension, SquareX turns any browser, on any device, into a secure enterprise browser. Find out more about SquareX at https://hubs.la/Q03rPcbf0