Random Access Memories

Jake Bernardes
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  • Technology

Technology isn't built by companies. It's built by people. Random Access Memories (RAM) is where technology gets personal. Host Jake Bernardes sits down with founders, CISOs, engineers, operators, investors, and community builders to explore the stories behind the products, the pivots, the failures, and the moments that shaped their careers. Whether we're talking cybersecurity, AI, startups, leadership, or life outside the office, every conversation asks the same question: What shaped the person behind the technology? New episodes every week. Presented by Hubscale.

Episodes

  1. 9h ago

    Career, Motherhood & Becoming CEO | Avani Desai, CEO of Schellman

    Avani Desai once believed she had to make an impossible choice: be a good mother or become an exceptional executive. Today, she's CEO of Schellman, and she's building the kind of workplace she wishes she'd been able to see earlier in her career. In this episode of RAM, Avani joins Jake Bernardes to talk about growing up as the daughter of immigrants, beginning her career as one of the only women in penetration testing, and eventually becoming one of fewer than ten women leading a top-100 CPA firm. But this isn't really a story about becoming CEO. It's about what happened along the way. Avani opens up about being afraid to disclose her first pregnancy because she worried it could affect her next promotion, seeing her newborn son fewer than 50 days during his first year, and ultimately leaving a job she loved because she refused to sacrifice the kind of mother she wanted to be. Then an opportunity at Schellman changed the equation. Now, as CEO and mother of three, Avani is trying to make sure the people coming behind her never feel forced to make the same choice. It's a conversation about ambition, representation, parenthood, leadership—and redefining what having it all actually means. In this episode Why Avani's father moved his family to America specifically to create more opportunities for his daughtersGoing from penetration tester to privacy, marketing, president, and ultimately CEOWhat it feels like to be the only woman—or woman of color—in the roomWhy Avani was afraid to tell colleagues she was pregnantThe impossible choice she felt forced to make between motherhood and her careerSeeing her son fewer than 50 days during his first yearWhy she ultimately left a job she genuinely lovedFinding a company where parenthood and ambition didn't have to competeWhy 70% of Schellman's executive leadership team is femaleWhy Avani believes representation isn't about celebrating being “the only”—it's about making sure you're not the lastHer approach to being fully present at work and fully present at homeWhy Schellman shuts down for three weeks every yearWhy “rest is not a reward after burnout. It is part of performance.”Building a leadership team strong enough that the CEO can make herself “irrelevant”Chapters 00:00 – Meet Avani Desai 01:54 – Her hero: the father who sacrificed everything for his daughters 02:42 – Growing up as the daughter of immigrants 04:34 – Reinventing yourself without changing companies 06:35 – Being a female penetration tester in 2002 06:52 – Becoming one of the few women leading a top-100 CPA firm 07:34 – Why being “the only” isn't something to celebrate 08:04 – Being afraid to disclose her pregnancy 09:00 – The impossible choice: executive or mother? 09:47 – Seeing her son fewer than 50 days in his first year 10:18 – The opportunity that meant she didn't have to choose 10:55 – Building a leadership team that's 70% women 12:35 – Why Avani talks publicly about the good and the bad 13:12 – Can you actually “have it all”? 14:00 – Protecting the hours that belong to her family 21:38 – Why Schellman completely shuts down 22:26 – Why she rejects unlimited PTO 24:12 – “My job is to make me irrelevant” 24:30 – Why exhaustion shouldn't be a badge of honor 24:50 – Rest is part of performance

    Career, Motherhood & Becoming CEO | Avani Desai, CEO of Schellman

  2. Jul 27

    The Uber Incident Through a CISO Family's Eyes | Joe & Prathiba Sullivan

    Everyone remembers the headlines, but very few know what happened after the cameras left. Former Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan and his wife, Prathiba, join Jake for an honest conversation about what it was like to navigate one of cybersecurity's most public legal battles—not as a security leader, but as a family. From media scrutiny and online speculation to preparing their children for the possibility of prison, Joe and Prathiba share the conversations that happened behind closed doors and the resilience that carried them through. This isn't another breach retrospective. It's a story about marriage, community, parenthood, and what happens when your hardest professional moment becomes your family's burden too. If you've ever wondered what leadership really costs, this episode is for you. In this episode What life looked like behind the headlines of the Uber incidentHow public scrutiny affects spouses and children—not just executivesNavigating fear, uncertainty, and the possibility of prison as a familyWhy community became their greatest source of strengthTeaching resilience, honesty, and courage through adversityHow hardship ultimately strengthened their marriage and reshaped their purpose

    The Uber Incident Through a CISO Family's Eyes | Joe & Prathiba Sullivan

  3. Jul 15

    Living Through the SolarWinds Breach with Tim Brown, CISO

    The Emotional and Strategic Resilience of a CISO: Insights from Tim Brown In this episode, Tim Brown reflects on his extraordinary journey through one of the most high-profile cybersecurity breaches in history, his health scare, and how these experiences reshaped his outlook on leadership, community, and the future of cybersecurity. Main Topics: The human side of cybersecurity leadership and managing personal health amid high-pressure incidentsThe importance of community support, compartmentalization, and resilience in crisis situationsLessons learned from a major breach and regulatory challenges, including navigating SEC casesThe evolving role of the CISO in strategy, AI, and business impact awarenessThe benefits of pivoting careers and fostering innovation within the cybersecurity communityTimestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Tim Brown and episode overview 01:09 - Tim’s background, heroes, and personal interests 02:25 - Handling a major breach and personal health during crisis 04:00 - Managing work-life separation during high-stress legal and public scrutiny 06:00 - Lessons from a prolonged SEC case and their impact on mindset 07:24 - Decision to fight SEC charges and the importance of integrity 09:00 - Recognizing physical health signals amid stress 10:37 - The role of recovery versus stress and mental well-being 12:36 - How the incident changed life priorities and outlook 14:36 - Reflecting on advice for cybersecurity professionals before a crisis 17:02 - Factors motivating the decision to fight legal battles 19:20 - Post-crisis career pivot and current roles with Team8 22:24 - Trends and challenges in the cybersecurity community, including AI and future skills 28:18 - Resilience, design, and strategic thinking in the evolving security landscape 36:44 - The importance of visionary thinking beyond immediate technical solutions 37:22 - Final reflections: whether to avoid hardship or embrace growth 38:46 - Closing remarks on community, leadership, and future directions Resources & Links: Team8CISO VillageTim Brown on LinkedInBook (The CISO Journey)Connect with Tim Brown: LinkedInTwitterTim emphasizes the importance of community, strategic thinking, resilience, and integrity in cybersecurity leadership. His journey highlights how personal experiences can reinforce professional purpose and community contribution.

    Living Through the SolarWinds Breach with Tim Brown, CISO
  • 3 Episodes

About

Technology isn't built by companies. It's built by people. Random Access Memories (RAM) is where technology gets personal. Host Jake Bernardes sits down with founders, CISOs, engineers, operators, investors, and community builders to explore the stories behind the products, the pivots, the failures, and the moments that shaped their careers. Whether we're talking cybersecurity, AI, startups, leadership, or life outside the office, every conversation asks the same question: What shaped the person behind the technology? New episodes every week. Presented by Hubscale.

Information

  • Creator
    Jake Bernardes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jake Bernardes