Episode #32
From English Teacher to OSINT Investigator: Lindsey Yagi-Hatake on Breaking Into Cybersecurity
In under a year, Lindsey Yagi-Hatake went from teaching English in a public school classroom to working as a professional OSINT investigator. Her path into cybersecurity did not start with a certification or a computer science degree. It started with survival. Lindsey spent six years as a public school English teacher and holds a master's degree in education administration along with certifications in teaching English as a second language, where she specialized in helping immigrant students adjust to life in a new country. That background in language, culture, and patient instruction shapes how she approaches her work today as an OSINT investigator and privacy manager at Decisive Resources, where she works alongside Mishaal Khan. In this episode, Lindsey shares the full story of how she broke into the field. After becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2024, she found herself being digitally stalked and geolocated, and when the systems meant to protect her fell short, she taught herself open source intelligence to document what was happening. She talks about the gatekeeping she ran into early on, the moment she spent her last $500 on a DEF CON badge, and how the community at Noob Village and mentors like Mishaal Khan and Chadd Watson changed everything. She also shares hard-won advice for anyone trying to break in today. This is a conversation about grit, community, digital safety advocacy, and what it really takes to get into cybersecurity in today's job market. ========================= Connect with Lindsey Yagi-Hatake: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyhatake/ ========================= Connect with your host, Phillip Wylie: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/phillipwylie X: https://x.com/PhillipWylie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillipwylie
