The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Barak Engel, Founder and Chief Geek, Eammune

Barak Engel on Fractional CISO Life, Resilience, and Relationship-Driven Security Consulting Thomas chats with Barak Engel, founder/CEO of EAmmune and an advisor/board member across several security organizations, about his 23-year consulting journey, including creating the virtual/fractional CISO concept in 2003 and the realities of “feast or famine” work.

Barak discusses rapid context switching (and hitting his limit while serving six CISOs at once), resilience through setbacks such as the 2008 crash and Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how reputation and long-term relationships drive EAmmune’s referral-only growth through “concentric circles” as clients change jobs.

He emphasizes transparency, accountability, avoiding short-term exploitation, delegating to strengths (including hiring a people manager), and focusing on minimizing damage rather than preventing all mistakes. Book recommendations include Anthony de Mello’s "Awareness," Malcolm Gladwell’s "Blink," and "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," plus Barak’s book "The Crack in the Crystal"

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:31 Origin of EAmmune Name 02:39 Resilience and Career Overview 04:51 Fractional CISO and Context Switching 06:38 Jessica Burnout Story 08:39 Lightning Angel Name Meaning 09:10 Relationships Over Everything 11:58 Bankruptcy and Customer Lifeline 15:15 Bootstrapping and Early Hustle 17:38 Strengths Focus and Delegation 19:33 Leaving Corporate and Forced Independence 22:34 Referral Growth Philosophy 23:58 Radical Transparency 24:59 Accidental Career Path 25:56 Reputation Compounds 28:12 Resilience Over Perfection 30:53 Trust Beats Skill 32:43 Owning Mistakes 34:39 Pretty Little Princess 36:04 Practice Context Switching 39:11 Humility and Humanity 43:00 Books and Farewell