Security Catalyst is now ValueSmith®

For nearly 30 years, I’ve been in the security trenches—as an operator building and leading teams, delivering outcomes, and sharing what I’ve learned through books, podcasts, keynotes, training, and consulting. My job has always been the same: help security leaders and their teams solve problems that move the business.

But what I found myself drawn to had less to do with security and more to do with the real difference it made with the people I worked with. That’s the catalyst side of Security Catalyst.

People told me their teams worked better when I was around. Projects moved more smoothly. Leaders seemed clearer, more confident. More than once I heard, “My spouse can tell when you’re in town—I’m happier, easier to be around.”

What was I doing? Helping leaders and teams forge clarity—so they could stop thrashing, align faster, and ship work people could see. Often by walking into the messy middle: priorities, ownership, decision-making, and the unspoken politics that stall everything.

And here’s the thing: I kept seeing the same problems impacting teams in every organization, not just security teams. As the work demanded it, my role expanded to help those teams too. The security team got better as a result.

Increasingly, clients brought me in as a more active advisor—almost like a wartime consigliere, but without the war. Drawing on decades of experience as an operator to help them navigate their organizations, lead their teams, pull them out of survival mode.

That’s what I do. That’s what people count on me for.

There was a bigger pull inside of me. Something demanding to be built.

That’s ValueSmith®.

ValueSmith helps leaders turn invisible work into visible wins—no matter what they do.

It’s the logical evolution. It’s what happens when you finally figure out who you are and what you’re meant to do. And it’s a big leap.

If you’re a security person: Security is in my bones. Always will be. I’ve spent 30 years—easily 80,000–100,000 hours—living in this space. If you knew me through security work, you’re in the right place. This is the next evolution: security getting louder, broader, more entangled with everything else—and leaders needing more than technical answers to navigate it.

For everyone else: If you’re leading complex, invisible work and struggling to prove value—this is for you too.

I’m excited about what’s ahead, and I’d love for you to be part of this journey if it makes sense.

Start here: what ValueSmith is, who it’s for, and how I work.