The Cyber Savvy Woman Podcast

Welcome to the Cyber Savvy Woman, where women business owners reclaim their power in the digital world. We shatter the myth that cybersecurity is too complex to master, and transform protection strategies into clear, actionable guidance. This is your digital empowerment sanctuary, where cyber fear becomes cyber confidence. Whether you’re protecting client trust as a therapist, or safeguarding financial data as an advisor, you’ll hear from women founders who’ve conquered digital challenges, and security experts who speak your language. Every woman leading a business deserves to feel unshakable in her digital decisions, no matter her technical background. Are you ready to stop letting cybersecurity intimidate you, and start letting it elevate you?

Episodes

Episode 119: Building Trust, Culture, and Compliance in an AI Workplace | Alexandra Martinez-Villarroel

How can businesses adopt AI while still protecting trust, culture, and the human side of work? In this episode of The Cyber Savvy Woman, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Alexandra Martinez-Villarroel — entrepreneur, HR expert, and Co-Founder of Leap AI Technologies — to explore how organizations can successfully navigate the intersection of AI, leadership, hiring, and workplace culture. Whether you're a business owner, HR professional, leader, or tech enthusiast, this episode offers actionable insights for building healthier, more resilient workplaces in an AI-driven world.

Episode 118: The Human Side of Smart Hiring Using Behavioral Data to Build Stronger Teams | Brian Gelt

Host Rachele Schainker sits down with Brian Gelt, founder of PeopleLytics and certified Predictive Index partner, to explore the human side of smart hiring. Together, they discuss how behavioral data can help organizations reduce bias, improve communication, strengthen leadership, and build more resilient teams. Brian shares insights from decades of leadership experience and explains why hiring based purely on gut instinct can lead to costly mistakes — and how aligning people with the right roles improves performance, retention, and workplace culture.

Episode 117: Leading with Curiosity in the Age of AI | Jen Seregos

In this episode of The Cyber Savvy Woman, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Jen Seregos, founder of Athena Digital, to explore how leaders can embrace AI thoughtfully while keeping people, ethics, and strategy at the center. Jen shares her journey from digital marketing into AI consulting and explains how curiosity — rather than fear or hype has shaped her leadership style, business growth, and approach to innovation.

Episode 116: From Tech Overwhelm To Tech Clarity | Edith Sumaquial

What if the secret to using AI and technology effectively wasn't about knowing more but was about asking better questions? Edith Sumaquial, founder of the Kulay Collective, is a seasoned strategist who works at the intersection of technology, business operations, and mission-driven organizations. With a background spanning journalism, iHeartRadio, and enterprise roles at Gallo Wine, Edith has built a career around one powerful skill: translating between the people who build tech and the people who need it.

Episode 115: Real decisions behind running a business in a digital world | Laryssa Wirstiuk

Running a business today means making constant decisions — what tools to use, where to show up online, how to communicate with clients, and how to stay focused when the digital world keeps changing. In this episode of The Cyber Savvy Woman podcast, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Laryssa Wirstiuk to talk about what it really takes to run a business in a digital world — beyond the trends, platforms, and buzzwords. Together, they unpack how business owners can make smarter digital decisions, choose tools that actually support their goals, and build a more confident approach

Episode 114: Why Digital Literacy Matters in the Age of AI | Martin Mehl

In this episode, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Martin Mehl to explore why digital literacy has become one of the most important skills for business owners, leaders, and professionals in the age of AI. Together, they unpack how technology is changing the way we work, why practical understanding matters more than just knowing the tools, and how people can build confidence in a world where AI is moving faster than ever.

Episode 113: Culture Before Code: Why People Make Tech Work | Anthony Calleo

Host Rachele Schainker sits down with Anthony Calleo, founder of Calleo EX, a culture and employee experience consultancy that helps organizations build stronger teams, healthier workplaces, and more effective leadership. Together, they unpack the powerful intersection of culture, technology, and leadership, and what women business owners can take away to make smarter decisions in their organizations.

Episode 112: Networking Without The Cringe: The Introvert’s Advantage | Greg Roche

In this episode of THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN, host Rachel Shanker sits down with Greg Roche, known as The Introverted Networker, to break down a smarter, quieter, and more effective way to build real relationships - without awkward events, cold outreach, or salesy tactics. After a career-changing layoff in 2012, Greg stopped avoiding networking and built a system around it. Now he teaches professionals and business owners how to grow their networks in a way that feels natural, sustainable, and actually works.

Episode 111: AI Agents, Automation, and the Systems That Actually Scale a Business | Wes Schaeffer

In this episode of THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN, host Rachele Schainker sits down with sales and marketing strategist Wes Schaeffer, also known as The Sales Whisperer®, to break down the real-world systems behind sustainable growth. From old-school sales to modern automation, Wes shares how he transitioned from cold calling and workshops to building scalable systems powered by automation—and now, AI. If you’ve been hearing about AI agents but aren’t sure where to start (or what’s hype vs. useful), this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap.

Episode 110: The Launch Queen Method: Strategy, Intuition, and Iteration with Yasmeen Turayhi

In this episode of The Cyber Savvy Woman, host Rachele Schainker is joined by Yasmeen Turayhi—product marketing leader, founder, and author—to explore what really drives effective go-to-market strategies. With experience commercializing over 200 technology products, Yasmeen shares why most companies skip the most critical step: truly understanding their customer. The conversation explores how strategy, intuition, and continuous iteration work together to create launches that actually resonate.

Episode 109: Cyber Savvy AI: Using AI Without Putting Your Business at Risk | Brett Schklar

In this episode of THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Brett Schklar, serial entrepreneur, AI adoption strategist, and author of AI Without the BS, to talk about how CEOs and business owners can embrace AI while protecting their companies from unnecessary risk. The conversation cuts through the hype around AI and focuses on practical leadership decisions: how to set the tone inside your organization, avoid “shadow AI,” create simple guardrails for employees, and focus on the use cases that deliver real ROI.

Episode 108: Inner Game, Outer Gain: Mindset, Messaging & Client Attraction with Nancy Fox

Nancy shares her journey from a corporate career in women’s lingerie (including leading product development, design, and marketing) into coaching and training—and why the modern business landscape demands smarter positioning, clearer niches, and more targeted relationship-building. You’ll also hear Nancy’s practical framework for “networking like a fox”: building the right mix of decision-makers, referral sources, and influencers, and using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and AI-driven research to save time, money, and energy.

Episode 107: Holistic, Not Halfway: Therapy, Nutrition & Mindfulness in Practice with Debby Simmons

What happens when holistic healing meets digital security? In this powerful episode, Debby Simmons, founder of Primrose Healing and Wellness, reveals how she's revolutionized mental health care by treating the WHOLE person—mind, body, and spirit—while navigating the critical cybersecurity challenges that every therapist and small business owner faces today.

Episode 106: Channel Leadership & Cyber Resilience with Michelle Hodges

Michelle shares insights from her extensive career in IT and channel alliances, including her experience driving channel-first transformations and building partner ecosystems. Together, Rachele and Michelle discuss how cybersecurity has shifted from a technical afterthought to a core business strategy — especially for small and mid-sized organizations.

Episode 105: Designing Spaces, Securing Futures with Amy Fregosi

Amy shares her journey from a deeply creative childhood to building a successful interior design business that blends beauty with technical expertise. Together, Rachele and Amy discuss how physical environments influence mental clarity, why structure is just as important as creativity, and how technology plays a critical role in modern design workflows. This conversation also dives into an often-overlooked topic in creative industries: cybersecurity. Amy explains why protecting your digital systems, passwords, and business identity is essential for long-term success — especially for women entrepreneurs and creatives who rely heavily on technology every day.

Episode 104: Leading Through Transformation: Trust, Resilience & Tech with Rachel Burr

Rachel Burr shares her journey into leadership coaching, the critical role of mindset and self-awareness, and why imposter syndrome is far more common among leaders than many realize—especially women. Topics include practical ways to build trust and resilience within teams, how leaders can create a healthy culture around cybersecurity without fear or overwhelm, and why partnerships matter when navigating complex technology decisions. Rachel also discusses key insights from her book Butterfly Goo, a powerful metaphor for transformation that emphasizes embracing discomfort, leveraging core strengths, and trusting yourself through change. The episode wraps with a rapid-fire cybersecurity round that blends humor, perspective, and practical awareness.

Episode 103: Proactive, Not Perfect: Protecting Your Future with Natalie Oh

Host Rachele Schainker sits down with Natalie of Taran Insurance. It's a candid conversation about what it really means to plan ahead—without fear, perfection, or technical overwhelm.

Episode 102: Lights, Camera, Confidence: Empowering Women Through Video with Caron Shahrestani

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Cyber Savvy Woman! Host Rachel Shanker, a Silicon Valley technologist and owner of CMIT Solutions, sits down with Carone Shahrestani—video marketing expert and founder of a boutique marketing company—to explore the latest tech trends and actionable strategies for women in business.