Can Cybersecurity Leaders Protect Their Teams From Burnout?

As AI accelerates the pace of cybersecurity and pushes more complex decisions onto security professionals, managing burnout is becoming an essential leadership skill. Bronwyn Boyle, CISO at PPRO, and Don Gibson, cybersecurity leader at Anglo American, explore how AI is changing the cognitive demands of cybersecurity, why even experienced leaders can miss the signs of burnout, and how psychological safety, better workplace practices, and a no-blame culture can help build more resilient security teams. In this episode of The Watchtower, they join host Ash Hunt to discuss how expectations of CISOs are changing, why acknowledging burnout is no longer necessarily a sign of weakness, and what it takes to create a security culture that supports its people rather than simply asking them to withstand more pressure. Connect Bronwyn Boyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynboyle/ Don Gibson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-gibson-cyber/ Ash Hunt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashjhunt/ Chapters 00:00 Is Calling Out Burnout a Career Risk? 03:40 How Cybersecurity Leadership Has Changed 05:58 AI and the Growing Pressure on CISOs 10:06 How AI Is Shifting Cognitive Load 14:08 New Threats and Changing Security Practices 16:50 The Evolving Role of the CISO 18:37 Recognizing the Warning Signs of Burnout 23:06 The Personal Cost of Cybersecurity 27:14 Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety 31:02 Supporting Teams Through Pressure 34:52 Rethinking How Security Teams Work 37:04 The Exhausting Pace of Change 41:58 Building a No-Blame Security Culture 45:09 Practical Ways to Manage Stress and Burnout 49:47 Why Community and Peer Support Matter