The 229 Podcast

May 25, 2026: Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson turn the episode into an informal review of Sarah's MIT AI Strategy and Leadership course, and the insights are worth the homework. From the surprisingly perfect parallel between today's AI resistance and the original Luddites, to the counterintuitive finding that the organizations succeeding with AI are the most operationally aligned, not the most technically advanced, this conversation cuts straight to what healthcare leaders actually need to know right now. Lead with curiosity, start with clean data and aligned people, and remember that the real AI differentiator is not automation. It is velocity.
Key Points:
02:27 Inside the MIT AI Class

08:42 Trust and Leading Through Change

18:41 Operational Alignment Wins

22:52 Curiosity and X Teams

26:17 Courage and Closing

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May 26, 2026: Krista Arndt, Associate CISO at St. Luke's University Health Network, and Anahi Santiago, CISO at ChristianaCare, join Drex DeFord for an unfiltered conversation about what it actually takes to lead healthcare security in 2026. From saving nearly 200 hours a month with Microsoft Security Copilot to building a team culture so strong that people rarely leave, Krista and Anahi pull back the curtain on AI adoption, mental health advocacy, and the intentional choices that separate thriving security leaders from burned-out ones.
Key Points:
03:27 Saving Time with Security Copilot
12:15 Partners, Vendors, and AI Value
15:09 Work Life Harmony and Community
24:38 Lightning Round Hype Songs Wrap

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May 22, 2026: Laurie Wheeler, COO - IS&T of MultiCare Health System, is a leader whose philosophy centers on curiosity, humility, and genuine human connection. Laurie shares about her 26 years at MultiCare through listening tours, transforming employee engagement, and leading without ego. From teaching high-reliability courses to creating clinical super user groups, Laurie demonstrates how operational excellence and compassionate leadership create workplaces where people want to build careers they're proud of.=
Key Points:
02:18 Mentorship and Trust

09:57 Healthcare and Hospitality

13:00 Leadership and Humility

20:15 Speed Round and Final Thoughts

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May 20, 2026: Mark Ferrari, VP of Advisory Services at Fortified Health Security, joins Drex DeFord on UnHack for a candid conversation about the threat landscape keeping healthcare security leaders up at night. From asset inventory gaps to the explosion of identity-based attacks, Mark brings a rare perspective shaped by military service, 30 years as an EMT, and deep healthcare IT experience. He pulls no punches on why healthcare keeps buying tools before defining the problem, and what it actually takes to reduce risk rather than just measure it.
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Key Points:
01:16 Mark Ferrari Background

05:21 Hot Topics: Basics and IAM

12:40 Incident Response Patient Safety

14:46 EMT Mindset Closing

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Ransomware attacks don't always start with a ransomware gang. They start with someone who gets paid to find the door.
Aleksey Volkov, known online as ChewbaccaCore, was an initial access broker. His job was identifying vulnerable companies, exploiting their networks, establishing a foothold, and selling that access on dark web marketplaces. Over 16 months in 2021-2022, his work enabled attacks on seven confirmed US businesses, resulting in $9M in confirmed losses and $24M in intended ransom demands. In March 2026, he was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison.
For healthcare leaders, the takeaway is uncomfortable: healthcare organizations are premium listings on these dark web markets. Legacy systems, large vendor and contractor ecosystems, high-value data, massive operational disruption risk, and historically thin security investment relative to exposure all show up in the listing price.
Someone may have already found a way into your network. They may be holding it. It may have already been sold. Stopping a ransomware gang when they arrive is one problem. Knowing whether someone has already been paid to find the door is a different one.
Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid
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