Episode 30:
As CEO of Kyber Security, Lynn Souza has combined her 20+ years of experience in technology with her innate leadership skills and passion in order to set a new bar for excellence in cybersecurity services. Lynn is a hard-driving, goal-oriented professional who has blazed a trail for herself as one of the few female CEOs of a cybersecurity company on the East Coast. As a former division 1 softball player for the Big East Champion Providence College Friars, she understands the true meaning of teamwork and balance, leading her team of IT experts in a style befitting a competitive athlete. Among her employees, she is known and admired for her compassion, grit, and leadership. She believes talent is the greatest asset a firm possesses and goes above and beyond to cultivate the potential of her employees and encourage them to strive for excellence daily. An eternal optimist with a can-do attitude, Lynn brings an extraordinary level of enthusiasm and unwavering conviction to every endeavor.
Lynn leads with a bold and unconventional style. A true visionary, Lynn embraces opportunities for change and is energized by fresh perspectives. She encourages, if not demands, that her entire team takes an active role in the purpose and direction of Kyber Security. Lynn places the utmost value on creativity and cutting-edge thinking and she emboldens her entire team to speak their minds, ask the hard questions and to challenge conventional wisdom.
Lynn earned her BA in Communications from Providence College, where she is still very active and involved with the Friar’s softball team. When Lynn is not focused on Kyber Security, she spends as much time as she can with her 11-year-old daughter, Jordyn. Always craving adventure and knowledge, Lynn loves traveling to new places (especially international) and learning about different cultures.
What You Will Learn:
- Lynn Souza’s role as CEO of Kyber Security
- Why Lynn chose to move from networking to cybersecurity
- Cybersecurity threats that business owners should be aware of
- How Lynn moved her business into a new niche
- What it takes to find balance amidst changes at home and at work
- The challenge of operating as a CEO with mental illness
- Why you should make yourself vulnerable and be vocal about what’s happening in your life
- The importance of checking-in and building a buddy system
- How training for a marathon helped Lynn ground herself and become unf💗<kwithable
Resources:
- Website: https://kybersecure.com/
- Wingman Foundation/Dylan’s Wings of Change: https://www.crowdrise.com/donate/project/sandy-hook-promise-foundation-nyc-2019/lynnsouza1
Balance | Stay Balanced When Sh*t Hits the Fan
Lynn Souza is the CEO of Kyber security, a managed security services provider that operates ahead of the curve to protect business owners from cyber threats. On the East Coast, there is only a small handful of female CEOs in the IT industry. But Lynn wears that title like she was born with it. Lynn distinguished herself as an unf💗<kwithable leader before she ever became an entrepreneur. And as a D1 softball player, she developed a bold, innovative leadership style that is her hallmark today. In the face of adversity, she maintains balance no matter how many challenges she faces.
Handling Multiple Transitions at Once
Despite all of her successes and strengths, Lynn is in a period of great transition. She is going through a difficult divorce while facing new challenges as a business owner. She is learning how to be a single mother while struggling with mental illness. Hell, she is even preparing for a 
marathon. Those are strenuous changes, no matter who you are. However, Lynn’s vulnerability, transparency, and ability to achieve balance allow her to shine as a leader.
The Integration of Work and Family
Lynn started in the world of networking and moved into cybersecurity. The technology industry is “evolve or die,” so when Lynn caught wind of the cybersecurity trend, she pounced on the opportunity. It was not a decision based solely on personal gain or growth in revenue, and Lynn had her clients’ best interest at heart. We live in an era where one hit from malware or ransomware can put a small company out of business. So Lynn took responsibility for protecting her clients and helping them create a culture of caution with their IT infrastructure.
As you can tell, that is no small undertaking. With family problems to add, there is only so much you can do to compartmentalize. You might be the CEO of a company, but your life and career have to be integrated to protect your sanity. Even Lynn struggles with that notion, but vulnerability enables her to take full advantage of the support system she established with her family members and her peers. It allows her to shatter the illusion of helplessness.
Summary
Depression is paralyzing, and Lynn is an advocate for being vocal about it. It is something she has struggled with since she was thirteen years old. But adversity is inevitable. You will be faced with severe changes at home and work for the rest of your lives. So, remember that unf💗<kwithable leaders are always prepared. It might not feel that way at the time, but the recency of Lynn’s experience is a testament to that. The challenges you face are still going to be hard, but with a network of great people and an unwavering determination, you will achieve balance no matter what.
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