How do we protect ourselves in a digital world where attackers face almost no real consequences?

In this episode of Joey Pinz Discipline Conversations, Joey Pinz sits down with cybersecurity founder and inventor Mike Siers for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges everything we assume about online security, identity, and trust.

Mike’s journey begins in the Florida National Guard and a deployment to Afghanistan, where life-altering experiences shaped how he sees service, responsibility, and problem-solving. That same mindset later led him into healthcare innovation—and eventually into cybersecurity—after realizing that the internet lacks one critical element found in the physical world: real risk for bad actors.

Inspired by military strategy and an MIT thesis on cyber power projection, Mike explains a radical idea: what if unauthorized access attempts cost money? Instead of defenders absorbing endless attacks, attackers would inherit the risk before they even try.

This conversation explores how empathy fuels innovation, why most cybersecurity models are reactive by design, and how shifting incentives could dramatically change online behavior. It’s a powerful look at leadership, responsibility, and building solutions not just for today—but for the next generation.

🌟 Top 3 Highlights:

🔐 A new way to stop cyber attacks before they start

🧠 Why empathy—not fear—drives meaningful innovation

🌍 How redefining digital consequences could reshape the internet