Urban Girl Corporate World

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, Nicole checks in live from Black Hat MEA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recording from the expo floor while attending and speaking at one of the world’s leading cybersecurity conferences. Nicole focuses on one of the most common questions she receives across conferences and client engagements: how to put together a great talk. Drawing from her experience speaking globally, she shares practical guidance on identifying the purpose of your presentation, knowing your audience, structuring your message clearly, and using storytelling to keep people engaged. She also covers slide design, narrowing your message to key points, the importance of practice, and why bringing your full, authentic self to the stage makes presentations more impactful. Whether you are preparing for a conference talk, board presentation, podcast appearance, or team update, this episode offers advice you can apply right away. Have a career question you want Nicole to answer? Email:UrbanGirlCorporateWorld@gmail.com Visit Nicole’s website:https://www.nicoledove.com/ Enjoying the podcast? Leave a 5-star review, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share.

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, Nicole checks in from Bucharest, Romania, where she reflects on a full-circle career moment and celebrates her first international speaking engagement at the GoTech World Conference. Nicole shares why this trip was especially meaningful, from reconnecting with former colleagues to recognizing the power of long-term professional relationships and strong leadership. She then dives into one of the most frequently asked questions she receives: mentorship. Nicole breaks down why clarity is key before seeking a mentor, how to identify the right people to learn from, and the importance of preparation, reputation, and driving the mentor–mentee relationship with intention. If you’re considering mentorship or want to make better use of it, this episode offers practical guidance you can apply right away. Have a career question you want Nicole to answer? Email: UrbanGirlCorporateWorld@gmail.com Visit Nicole’s website: https://www.nicoledove.com/ Enjoying the podcast? Leave a 5-star review, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share.

Welcome to Season 8 of Urban Girl Corporate World! In this season opener, Nicole checks in from Shanghai, China as she celebrates Cybersecurity Awareness Month and reflects on what it means to lead global teams. She shares insights on building relationships across cultures, growing her business, and writing her first book, Learning Cybersecurity Fundamentals, a guide designed to help others navigate the cybersecurity industry with confidence. Nicole also gives us a look ahead at what’s to come this season, including short, powerful solo episodes answering your most frequently asked career questions. Want to read a sneak peek of Nicole’s upcoming book?Check out the first few chapters here. Got questions you want Nicole to answer?Submit them to UrbanGirlCorporateWorld@gmail.com Join the Urban Girl Corporate World Facebook community:facebook.com/groups/urbangirl Visit Nicole’s website:https://www.nicoledove.com/  Enjoying the podcast?Leave us a 5-star review and be sure to like, subscribe, and share!

Nicole interviews Ashley, who she works with as an Executive Coach, and discusses their leadership philosophies on the final episode of season 7. *** Enjoyed this episode? Rate, review, and share with someone navigating their own journey in leadership. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In this episode of the Urban Girl Corporate World Podcast, Nicole sits down with Ervin McBride, a cybersecurity professional, mentor, and North Carolina A&T alum, to discuss his intentional journey into the tech world, the power of mentorship, and the importance of representation in cybersecurity. Ervin shares how intentional networking helped him break into cybersecurity and how internships during college gave him the chance to explore different career paths before discovering the "right fit" in cybersecurity. After meeting Nicole at AfroTech, he took the time to build trust and vet her before asking her to be his mentor—an example of how genuine connections can lead to powerful relationships. The conversation dives deep into how Ervin navigates imposter syndrome, especially as one of the few Black professionals in many cybersecurity spaces, and how he channels that experience into creating awareness content on social media and mentoring others as a way of giving back to the community. Ervin describes why cybersecurity is a field he loves—it keeps him on the edge of his seat and demands that he always stay ready. With the landscape constantly evolving, continuous learning and adaptability are key. Follow Ervin on social media to keep up with his cybersecurity awareness content and professional journey. *** Enjoyed this episode? Rate, review, and share with someone navigating their own tech journey or exploring mentorship. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, Nicole sits down with Hatu Kanu, Technical Recruiter at Riot Games and founder of Power Pivots, to break down the key strategies for landing and excelling in a tech career. They dive into the biggest resume mistakes & Hatu shares interview best practices. They also discuss how to engage with recruiters the right way, why conferences should be used for real-time networking with a job in mind, and how to follow up effectively to foster genuine connections. Once you’ve secured an offer, negotiation is a must—Hatu explains the mindset shift needed to confidently advocate for yourself, understand salary bands, and communicate the value you bring. If you're ready to level up your job search, this episode is packed with actionable insights! Connect with Hatu at Hatu@powerpivots.co, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole chats with Christina, Producer at Riot Games, about her incredible career journey—from facing constant rejection to finally landing a job offer that changed everything. Christina shares her experience relocating across the country to a place she’d never even visited, navigating the workforce as a neurodiverse professional, and tackling her first big project at Riot: Tech Talks which you can watch here. They also get real about the misconceptions about introverted leaders and the power of self-awareness. Plus, Christina reveals why she keeps a “Brag File” and why you absolutely need one too! Loved this episode? Like, subscribe, and share to help others tap into these career gems! 🚀✨ ****

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole sits down with Adrianna Seeny, Data Scientist, for a powerful conversation on confidence, resilience, and authenticity in the workplace. Adrianna shares her journey of securing a job after interviewing at AfroTech, the challenges of navigating corporate culture as a woman of color, and how she balances managing emotions while breaking stereotypes. Nicole & Adrianna unpack the discomfort of talking about money, the athlete’s mindset of continuous learning, and why chasing excellence is the ultimate career move. If this episode resonated with you, like, subscribe, and share to help more professionals step into their power! 🚀✨ *** Interested in leveling up at work? Check out Nicole's LinkedIn Learning Course: Stand Out as a Power Performer for tips on managing your manager, leveling up your performance, and sharing your wins.

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole sits down with Cameron Johnson, Cybersecurity Manager, to break down the strategies that drive success in cyber. They dive into the power of networking, the importance of trust between teammates, and the formula they used to make magic as colleagues. Cameron shares his approach to influencing engineers, navigating unclear paths into cybersecurity, and making strategic career moves. They also explore how to find the right mentor (and why just asking isn’t enough), the concept of anxious action, and why sometimes not asking is the key to getting what you want. Plus, they discuss the art of strategic sniping and why chasing impact should be your ultimate career goal. If you found this episode insightful, like, subscribe, and share to help more professionals elevate their careers! 🚀✨ ***** Does the BISO career path sound interesting to you? Check out Nicole's LinkedIn Learning course, "⁠Cyber Careers: Becoming a BISO⁠"

Welcome to Season 7 of Urban Girl Corporate World! In the season opener, Nicole shares the inspiration for the new season, what listeners can expect and challenges us all to be clear on what it is that we are chasing. ***** Got questions you want Nicole to answer? Submit them to UrbanGirlCorporateWorld@gmail.com ***** Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a 5 star review! And be sure to like, subscribe and share.

Live from Las Vegas, Nicole shares reflections from her first Customer Advisory Board meeting, her motivations for goals of board service, getting board training and meeting the CEO who told Google that $23B just wasn't enough. * Join the Urban Girl Corporate World "Winner's Circle" for exclusive access to insider events, training, podcast updates, newsletters and more. Register here. * Interested in Board Training? Learn more about United Way's VIP Program here.

Nicole chats with Jason Amos - PMO Leader & Real Estate Investor - who provides fresh, thoughtful perspectives on how to maximize earning potential, qualifying beliefs, the power of pace, investing strategies, leverage, real estate and his non-traditional thoughts on traditional work . Join the Urban Girl Corporate World "Winner's Circle" for exclusive access to insider events, training, podcast updates, newsletters and more. Register at www.NicoleDove.com

On this week's episode, Nicole records from the expo floor at AfroTech in Houston. Tap in to hear about her talks, Riot's Pull Up & Play Game Night, concerts, conference events and much more. *** Join the Winner's Circle to get insider insights on winning at work and register for future link ups. *** Register at www.NicoleDove.com

This week Nicole interviews Devon Bryan, Global CISO of Carnival Corporation. They talk all things cybersecurity careers, the inspiration to start Cyversity, managing the cybersecurity of floating cities, and redefining ROI. To learn more about Cyversity and their programs, visit their website or LinkedIn page.

And we're back! Nicole kicks off Season 6 from Dublin, Ireland and shares what's been happening since the last episode including her partnership with LinkedIn Learning, what inspired her talk this week at the world's largest black tech conference - AfroTech, keynoting the CAU Hooding Ceremony, expanding her podcast portfolio and winning the 2024 Team8 CISO Village Award in Silicon Valley. Check out Nicole's LinkedIn Learning Courses: Stand Out as a Power Performer Ransomware Cybersecurity Supply Chain Cybersecurity Becoming a Cybersecurity Professional Listen to the Women in Security & Privacy Podcast here.

Nicole interviews Ellen Bailey (VP of Diversity & Culture @ Harvard Business Review) about her journey to leadership, successfully shifting culture through strategy, challenges she's overcome along the way and how they are working together to bring Harvard Case Studies into HBCUs across the nation. 

Nicole & Libby Herman (Business Security Officer, ADP) discuss what it takes to be successful as a Business Information Security Officer, how the role is often misunderstood, strategies we’ve used to influence decision makers and advice we’d give to practitioners interested in the role.

Nicole and Chris Magno (Fortune 500 GM & Columbia University Professor) discuss a course he co-created on cognitive bias, roles that helped him build intellectual curiosity, leveraging storytelling to drive influence, overcoming leadership challenges, the secret sauce to building great teams, and what organizations get wrong with risk management. 

In the opener of Season 5, Nicole talks about her new job, board seat appointment, her LinkedIn Learning course on Supply Chain Security, what she's speaking about at RSA and new updates for this season of the podcast. 

Nicole & Caroline Wong (Chief Strategy Officer, Cobalt.io) discuss her book, "Security Metrics, A Beginner's Guide", winning the EWF Woman of Influence Award, challenges she's overcome and her upcoming LinkedIn Learning course on the OWASP Top 10. You can find Caroline's book on Amazon here.