#179 | Freddy Cook | Army to Cybersecurity
Freddy Cook on military intelligence, climbing poles for Bell Atlantic, a career in cybersecurity, and running the LA Marathon at 50.Fredrick Cook was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, and raised across Atlanta, growing up in deeply racially mixed communities that shaped how he sees people and perspective. He came of age with undiagnosed autism and depression. At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving nearly six years in Military Intelligence. After the military, he began his civilian career in telecommunications as a pole climber for Bell Atlantic, eventually working his way up to Tier 3 support for the Department of Defense's fiber-optic network.In 2007, Fredrick pivoted into cybersecurity, first as a DoD contractor, then as a DoD civilian. In 2019, he left the federal government, moved to Los Angeles, and at 50 years old ran the Los Angeles Marathon.Three years ago, he co-founded Cyber Pathways, helping high-school students and career changers see a path to a tech career without college debt. Today, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and youngest son, working as a cybersecurity consultant, teacher, mentor, and firearm instructor, focused on growth, accountability, and building real pathways forward.Chapters0:00 Welcome Freddy Cook2:34 Running without music7:36 Living in a fishbowl10:12 Settling in Maryland12:47 Microaggressions in perspective15:22 A restless kid17:54 An army recruiter on the couch20:28 The pressure of not going to Morehouse23:01 The army changed him25:35 Learning to depend on your team28:09 Exhausted in training30:40 Top 1% on the army test35:40 Your peers are what you fear38:14 Too many fights43:16 Stationed in Germany45:53 Training areas after the Wall fell48:27 Selling cars and finding a path51:03 Tactical versus strategic intelligence53:35 A best friend and WorldCom58:36 A friend who became a brother1:03:38 What cybersecurity covers1:06:14 The DoD's information network1:08:45 Phishing emails every day1:11:20 Contractors behind the scenes1:16:23 Leaving the East Coast1:18:58 The CMMC standard1:21:28 No company is fully secure1:24:02 Phone cards and Ryan's first trip to China1:26:35 Old vulnerabilities, new exploits1:29:11 What it takes to work with the government1:31:41 Insider threats1:34:18 Jobs AI will change1:36:51 Always be ready to change1:39:26 Stagnation1:44:29 Ryan's political awakening in Canada1:47:07 Picking a camp1:49:40 Outsourcing your thinking1:54:42 Long-range shooting1:59:44 Road rage at a Waymo2:02:21 Safety and self-defence2:04:51 Mature your arguments2:07:27 Protest and public policy2:10:02 People who don't vote2:12:35 Civics in schools2:15:08 What did you do then?2:17:38 Your brain rebels against change2:20:11 Re-election versus approval ratings2:22:42 Where movements come from2:25:14 The people have to fix it2:27:45 Ryan detached from politics2:30:17 Laws and law-abiding citizens2:32:48 Accepting you don't know it all2:35:21 Thanks for coming on2:37:53 How couples argue2:40:24 Arguing past each otherThe Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyleRyan's TV series are streaming around the world.Follow the PodcastX: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcastFacebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcastFollow Ryan PyleYouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyleInstagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyleX: https://x.com/RyanPyleFacebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylehttps://www.ryanpyle.com
