Deidre Diamond -- The Soft Skills of AppSec

Technical ability can open a door in security, but communication and relationships often determine what happens next. Deidre Diamond, founder of CyberSN, joins Chris and Robert to explain the human skills that developers and security professionals need to work effectively with colleagues and business leaders. She discusses listening, setting expectations, practicing difficult conversations, and building confidence through repeated speaking opportunities. The conversation also explores the application security job market as it looked at the time, the value of developers who understand security, and how companies evaluate candidates making a career transition. Deidre connects these skills to stronger teams and better opportunities, offering concrete first steps for people who want their technical work to have greater influence across an organization.

The Application Security Podcast is brought to you by Security Journey.

About Security Journey
Security Journey provides application security education for developers and everyone in the software development lifecycle.
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Connect with Deidre Diamond:
→ Deidre Diamond on LinkedIn
→ CyberSN

Mentioned in this episode:
→ CyberSN
→ Toastmasters International

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Chapters:
00:00 The soft skills of AppSec with Deidre Diamond
01:50 Deidre’s path into cybersecurity
05:26 Defining strong communication and interpersonal skills
11:39 Bringing developers into business conversations
14:09 Practicing better communication
16:24 First steps for developers who want to improve
19:15 Toastmasters and speaking outside your comfort zone
24:20 The application security job market
28:20 Career opportunities for security-minded developers
30:47 Security as a business and investment differentiator
33:14 Moving into a security role
35:11 A call to practice and build relationships