Earlier this month, my striking coach competed in his first boxing match. Though he’s primarily focused on MMA and other martial arts, he wanted to grow as an athlete and take on a new challenge. Despite preparing thoroughly, the night didn’t go as planned; he took heavy punishment, including knockdowns, compounded by a severe weight cut to drop a few divisions. While he felt ready to fight, the footage suggested otherwise. After a second knockdown, the doctor consulted, and the referee stopped the fight in round two. At the same time, his corner threw in the towel—a literal signal of surrender to protect the fighter. The corner crew sees more from outside the ring and makes a subjective call, providing perspective that the fighter, caught in the heat of the battle, lacks.
I thought about this today while reflecting on my recent experience in a SANS CTF as part of Tier 1 of the WiCyS Security Training Scholarship. The corner crew of women who supported complete strangers from around the world was truly astounding. It highlighted the importance of having a supportive team when you’re in the thick of it—solving unfamiliar CTF challenges, sharing tools and insights, and offering perspective when things got tough. From the start, Slack messages of support flooded in, covering everything from installing a VM for the first time, understanding ciphers, automating code in the terminal, to shouts of “you’ve got this, Queens!” As the CTF progressed, the questions and comments deepened, and whenever despair or frustration crept in, others quickly offered encouragement and solutions—from the technical to the mundane, like “stay hydrated.”
Just as my coach needed his corner in the boxing ring, I’ve realised the importance of a support network on this cybersecurity journey. Unlike other spaces, women in cybersecurity often band together to lift each other up. The reasoning is simple: we’re a minority in a male-dominated industry. We are literally stronger together, and yes, it might sound trite, but when one of us rises, we all rise. Like in the corner of a boxing ring, having people who have your back and want to see you succeed builds the confidence to take on hard things—like a first boxing match or giving it your all in your first CTF.
I firmly believe challenges are opportunities for growth—a belief gifted to me by the women in my life: my beautiful, resilient Mum, strong grandmothers, and older cousins who showed me that women could go after whatever they wanted. While I wasn’t always able to execute the game plan due to my own internal struggles, I always found value in the struggle itself – even it took the passing of time to realise the value. For me, if I wasn’t struggling, I wasn’t learning—and so it is with cybersecurity. I embrace the discomfort of learning new skills and being out of my comfort zone, and it was wonderful to see the Tier 1 cohort do the same, sharing in the discomfort and the wins.
Perspective is vital when tackling any skill, but it’s particularly valuable when chasing new goals. As I’ve been documenting on my blog, I’m preparing for my first novice boxing match, and it’s deeply uncomfortable at times to think about the unknowns—the dynamic, fluid nature of the sport, the technical, tactical, and physical demands, the high risk of harm, and the adrenaline that can cause unexpected reactions. In martial arts, the “what ifs” can drive you a little loca if you let them. But I’m lucky to have a corner of experienced coaches and fellow fighters who have my back, giving me perspective and preparing me with the skills and mindset to handle any challenges in training or the match. The confidence this gives me is unprecedented.
This is how I feel about the CTF I’ve just participated in and the incredible community surrounding it. Suddenly, I have an expanding network of remarkable women who are also being brave and chasing their goals. We all bring different experience levels and knowledge to the table, but that’s what makes a cohort like this so valuable. I’ve always rebelled against the idea that you should “surround yourself with like-minded people.” Like-minded people tend not to challenge you much; it risks becoming an echo chamber. Instead, I like being around people who are passionate, who are comfortable with being uncomfortable, or who, as Brené Brown says, are willing to “dare greatly”—whether in the boxing ring or the terminal window. These are my people, and I’m grateful.
Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash
Seeline CYBER 
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