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Secure Talk Special Episode: Building Secure Societies in the Age of Division: The Seven Lessons for Humanity Heading Into 2026

Secure Talk Special Episode: Building Secure Societies in the Age of Division: The Seven Lessons for Humanity Heading Into 2026

December 30, 2025

"In 20 years, we transformed food allergy awareness from nonexistent to universal—no law required. What if we could do the same for data security and AI governance?"

This special episode reveals how grassroots cultural shifts create lasting change, and why 2026 might be the year cybersecurity professionals become architects of something bigger than defenses.

We've distilled 2025's conversations with experts from Harvard, MIT, NYU, Brown, and the AI development frontlines into seven actionable lessons that reframe security from technical problem to human opportunity. From understanding the 800 billion AI agents already in our systems, to recognizing why your most valuable threat intelligence is already in your logs, to building the communities that make external defenses less necessary.

Here's what successful security leaders are realizing: The organizations thriving in 2026 aren't just protecting systems—they're creating conditions where humans and AI can flourish together.

THE SEVEN LESSONS: • Social division is our greatest vulnerability (and connection is our strength) • Technology won't save us from ourselves (but we can) • Real change happens through grassroots cultural shifts • AI demands fundamentally different thinking (here's how) • Our values can blind us (when to trust them, when not to) • The weakest links are often invisible (where to look) • Context matters more than technology (your advantage is closer than you think)

PERFECT FOR: Security leaders building resilient organizations | Professionals navigating AI transformation | Anyone ready to move beyond purely technical solutions

🔗 StrikeGraph: https://strikegraph.com

💬 Which lesson will change how you approach security in 2026? Let us know below.

#Cybersecurity #AIGovernance #SecurityLeadership #CyberResilience #AIEthics #CISO #ThreatIntelligence #FutureOfWork

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View full transcript

About our guest

Justin BealsFounder & CEO Strike Graph

Justin Beals is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and governance who is passionate about making arcane cybersecurity standards plain and simple to achieve. He founded Strike Graph in 2020 to eliminate confusion surrounding cybersecurity audit and certification processes by offering an innovative, right-sized solution at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

Now, as Strike Graph CEO, Justin drives strategic innovation within the company. Based in Seattle, he previously served as the CTO of NextStep and Koru, which won the 2018 Most Impactful Startup award from Wharton People Analytics.

Justin is a board member for the Ada Developers Academy, VALID8 Financial, and Edify Software Consulting. He is the creator of the patented Training, Tracking & Placement System and the author of “Aligning curriculum and evidencing learning effectiveness using semantic mapping of learning assets,” which was published in the International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJet). Justin earned a BA from Fort Lewis College.