I’ve always been in tech.

From the days of tinkering with the Commodore 64 in my childhood bedroom, to delivering computer equipment to small businesses, to running Y2K tests for a public school system (yep, that was a thing!)—I was there, learning, exploring, growing. I’ve worked at help desks, supported users through some of their worst tech days, and eventually found my stride in desktop support.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted. I realized what I’d really been reaching for all along: cybersecurity—not just the technical side, but the human side. The side that asks, “How do we help people feel safe?”… The kind that values clarity, kindness, and trust just as much as firewalls and policies.

And if I had to give this era of my life a name, hands down, it would be this:

My Speak Now Era.

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Why Speak Now?

Taylors Swift’s Speak Now album has always touched me deeply since I first listened to it. To me, it’s about stepping into your truth. Owning your voice. Saying the quiet thing out loud—whether it’s hard, healing, or hopeful.

And that is exactly what my journey into cybersecurity has felt like.

Not because I suddenly switched fields, but because I finally started to allow myself to claim what I had always quietly known: that I belonged here. That there was space in this field for someone like me—empathetic, curious, quietly driven. Someone who doesn’t always speak first in a meeting, but always speaks with care, with compassion, with empathy.

So now, I’m choosing to speak—in my own way. It’s a learning process, and I struggle and stumble.

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A “Track List” of Becoming

In my cybersecurity journey were a Speak Now track list, it might look something like this:

🎵Mine
The realization that this path could truly be mine. That everything I had learned—through customer support, technical work, through years of listening—it was all leading me right here.

🎵Enchanted
That moment of spark when a coworker noticed, “You’re really good at this. You explain things in a way that people understand.” That single comment set so much into motion.

🎵Back to December
Reflecting on all the times I doubted whether there was a place for someone like me in cybersecurity. Realizing those moments didn’t hold me back—they shaped how I now support and educate others.

🎵Speak Now
Launching my blog. Writing SharePoint articles at work. Talking about cybersecurity in a way that feels natural to me—honest, gentle, and accessible. I’m not shouting, but I am being heard.

🎵Long Live
This is the legacy I want to build: a kinder, clearer, more human approach to security. One where empathy and communication are treated like the assets they truly are.

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So, What’s Next?

I’m still learning, still evolving. I’m preparing and studying for my CISSP certification. I’m writing more regularly, both on my blog, and at work. I’m building a reference notebook for myself that’s equal parts security strategy and human insight. I’m helping research labs navigate their digital environments. I’m doing the work—quietly, steadily, and sincerely.

Somewhere in all of this, I’m realizing that this era—this Speak Now era—isn’t just a phase.

It’s a homecoming.

If you’ve ever felt like your softness, your style, your voice didn’t (or doesn’t) have a place in tech—let me remind you:

It does.
You do.
And the world will be better when you speak now.

💜🫶🏼

-Terry

Featured Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash