Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Sanford. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have been athlete since I was the age of 11. I played soccer competitively in high school, named NIC-10 All Conference for 3 years in a row. I received three full ride scholarships but had decided to join the U.S. Navy instead. I continued to play during my 4 year enlistment on a women’s team in Washington D.C. Being a top athlete playing halfback, I was still wanting more. I joined the Washington Furies Women’s Rugby team, often going straight from a soccer game to a match. I played 2 45 minute halves and then half of the match. Unfortunately, I was not recovering from my injuries like I did in my teens. I had broken ribs, ankles and a shoulder injury I didn’t seek care for, which has continued to aggravate me into my adult years. I held some great roles after the military and eventually leadership roles that required intensive travel. I recall being on the road once for 7 day straight to attend client meetings and conferences. When I joined Apple, I traveled weekly and started to gain weight. Coming from the midwest, it wasn’t uncommmon to have delays or cancellations. Delays meant getting in my rental car and going to the hotel checking in late. Ordering room service and too tired to work out. I had injured my back from my work backpack and pushing and pulling luggage. As I reflect back, I see nothing but bad habits, eating senseless calories and a lack of activity. While I was successful at work and taking on bigger roles and responsibilities, it was also impacting my health. My big wake up call was working at a startup and catching covid. We were small so that meant wearing multiple hats, instead of resting I kept working. The impact of ignoring my health for years resulted in burn out and depression. I was inspired to get myself back in shape and never look back. I gave up unhealthy eating, red meat, alcohol and endless scrolling on social media. I started running again, lifting weights, meditation and reading. As I talked with other leaders I found out others were burned out working in technology. I decided to start a podcast with a friend interviewing others on their wellness journey and best practices. I was afraid to talk about my experience for fear of no one wanting to listen or that they even cared about meditation and wellness. Since starting the podcast, we have had on Jen Easterly, the Director of CISA, Marcus Peterson, a former NFL player, Wendy Bounds from the Wall Street Journal and avid Spartan racer and in October a CEO from an AI fitness company. I am so glad I took the risk as this has not only been fun but rewarding and inspiring for our listeners.

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into cyber by way of helping businesses deploy iPhone. Often times I was asked to sit with the IT staff and back then, deploy iphones one by one before MDM was launched. What sets me apart about my peers in cybersecurity are a few things. My ability to help non technical people understand the the implications of not being cyber resilient. Steve Jobs didn’t use wordy slides, he knew his product and he knew how to show clients the endless possibilities of using the iPhone and iPad in business. It really upped my game as I didn’t have bullet points on my slides as a guide, I had to know my product inside and out, articulate the value of a high priced item as a business expense. When I jumped into cyber I had that tool under my belt, I didn’t use fear to sell services or software, instead I walked the client through keeping operational if a data breach or if they were hit with ransomware. I was so confident from talking to C Suite leaders at Apple, it was natural for me to engage at that level as well as down the chain to the IT professionals implementing the solutions. What I am most proud of is working at a place like Apple, and knowing when I joined in 2009, I was part of the digital transformation on point of sale, applications to use while on the go and how to keep businesses operational away from an office. Looking back on my career, relationships are the most important to me. Taking care of not only clients but people. I relate to the statement, put your mask on before helping others. I think in whatever I do next, if I stay true to my heart, I will continue to do good things. My advice to anyone in business is to be authentic and have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and try to be of service to others. I have found satisfaction in helping people. The universe does the rest.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After working at my first startup, I wanted to take a pause and find out what I wanted to do next. I worked with an executive coach and found that I had alot of strengths to offer portfolio startup companies of PE’s and VC firms as well as established enterprise organizations. Strategy, operations, product launches, marketing, and helping clients put together the right narrative in a saturated market. I’ve done an excellent job in this downturn economy I am often recommended by M&A law firms and venture capitalists to help their clients or someone within their network through word of mouth. I have learned so much in the last year and am grateful for the new experience.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am a GenXer and grew up earning money from mowing lawns, babysitting or other things. I started working at 15 part time while going to school and playing sports. What has helped build my reputation is having a hard work ethic, building long lasting relationships and sometimes, taking calls outside of business hours. I have been on countless calls to trouble shoot technical issues or help take care of an irate customer. When working with partners like AT&T, I was called in daily to show a customer how to use the iOS platform to do more, to recreate their brand and provide a better customer experience through new apps. In cybersecurity I had the opportunity to work on breaches. I would receive a call on sunday from a law firm who’s client was breached. I would conduct an intake, prepare a letter of engagement, and contact a practitioner for the scope of work. The bottom line, I was always there to take a call or text after hours to help clients. I had gained celebrity clients along my career and have a portfolio of pop stars and celebs guiding them through cybersafety, necessary software updates, utilizing the cloud when away from a laptop to helping them stay cyber resilient while touring or on location. I have sat through countless data transfer exercises new phones. You really have to be of service to your clients in technology anytime and anywhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.techexecwellness.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasanfordcxo/