Three Deep Breaths: Jasmine Eskenzi on Cyber Mindfulness

This week on The Awareness Angle: Interviews, Anthony sits down with Jasmine Eskenzi, founder of The Zensory, for a fascinating conversation about how mindfulness, neuroscience, and emotional intelligence are transforming cybersecurity from the inside out.This episode dives into the often overlooked human side of security—how stress, distraction, and burnout make us more vulnerable and how tools that support focus and well-being can help us build safer, more resilient workplaces.🧠 Mindfulness Meets Security – Jasmine shares how small moments of awareness can have a big impact on decision-making, especially in high-stakes environments. ⚠️ Stress & Social Engineering – When our brains are under pressure, our judgment suffers. We explore how attackers exploit this and what teams can do to defend against it. 🎵 The Sound of Focus – Not all music is created equal. Jasmine explains how Zensory’s curated soundscapes help improve concentration, clarity, and calm at work. 🧍‍♀️ Humanising Cyber Awareness – Fear-based training doesn’t work. Jasmine talks about building empathy and trust into your programmes to encourage real behavioural change. 🧬 Neurodiversity & Inclusivity – One size never fits all. We discuss the importance of adapting tools and strategies to support different brains, learning styles, and needs. 📊 Wellbeing as a Risk Signal – What if focus and engagement data could help spot burnout before it leads to risky behaviour? Jasmine offers a fresh perspective. 💡 Beyond Compliance – From stress education to culture change, Jasmine shows how mindfulness-based approaches can turn training into transformation. 📲 The Zensory Way – With science at its core, Jasmine’s platform is helping companies blend neuroscience and practical tools to drive better habits and reduce human risk.Whether you work in cyber, L&D, HR, or just want to understand what really drives behaviour, this episode will change how you think about awareness.The Awareness Angle: Interviews is a recurring format released alongside our regular episodes, featuring honest, practical conversations with the people shaping the future of human risk and security culture.🕒 Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Mindful Security02:52 The Zensory: Merging Mindfulness and Cybersecurity05:56 Stress: The Hidden Catalyst in Cyber Attacks08:58 Spotting Stress Before It Impacts Decisions12:05 Humanizing Security: The Engagement Advantage15:01 Emotional Intelligence in Cyber Roles18:04 Managing Stress with Mindfulness Practices20:48 How Stress Rewires the Brain in High-Stakes Moments24:00 Embracing Neurodiversity in Security Workspaces26:57 Rethinking Cybersecurity Culture with Mindfulness32:02 Music for Focus: Why Simplicity Works34:13 The Amygdala Hijack: Stress and Reaction in Security36:48 Modeling Mindful Leadership in Cyber Teams40:03 Driving Culture Change for Stronger Security41:52 Measuring Engagement and Wellbeing in Security Programs46:03 From Awareness to Action: Behavioral Security Training51:02 Integrating Mindfulness Tools for Sharper Focus💬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check Out This Episode's Discussion Points⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ riskycreative.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🎵 Our Intro & Outro Song (© ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠16! by ⁠falling forever⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)License: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0