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In an industry still grappling with gender disparity, two women have come together to create something both timely and powerful: Securely Yours: An Agony Aunt’s Guide to Surviving Cyber. Authored by Rebecca Taylor, Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager at Secureworks (a Sophos company), and Amelia Hewitt, Founder of CybAid and Managing Director of Hewitt Partnerships, this book serves as a no-nonsense, deeply honest career companion for women in cybersecurity and beyond.
Inspired by personal mentorship experiences, shared career challenges, and the noticeable lack of candid guidance for women in tech, Securely Yours blends humor, grit, and hard-earned wisdom into an engaging agony-aunt-style manual. From workplace burnout to building a personal brand, the book takes on taboo subjects many shy away from and offers readers a guide they can revisit anytime they need support or perspective.
It’s more than just a book—it’s a movement aimed at empowering women to survive, thrive, and shine in male-dominated industries, offering tools for self-advocacy and fostering true inclusivity. Here’s a closer look at the journey, motivation, and message behind this upcoming May 2025 release.
Inside the Pages of Securely Yours
- The Book’s Origin Story: What started as a joke between friends turned into a publishing mission. Taylor and Hewitt realized the immense gap in resources tailored for women in cybersecurity and decided to fill it with a guide drawn from their lived experiences and mentoring careers.
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Format with Purpose: Inspired by the relatable tone of agony aunt columns, Securely Yours aims to be a flexible, go-to companion. Readers can dive into specific chapters when facing particular challenges or read it cover to cover for the full experience.
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Identifying Key Topics: The authors selected themes based on the most frequent and pressing issues raised by their mentees. This included professional obstacles like speaking up, navigating burnout, and dealing with misconduct—areas often left undiscussed in corporate handbooks.
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Inclusion and Allyship: From day one, Taylor and Hewitt knew this wasn’t a book just for women. With chapters dedicated to allyship and insights from role models, they built a framework for men and peers to better support women in the industry.
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Emotional and Logistical Challenges: Writing the book meant revisiting painful professional memories, finding time amid busy schedules, and merging two distinct authorial voices. Project management tools and emotional resilience were key.
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Why the Taboo Matters: The duo intentionally confronted taboo topics to normalize difficult conversations in the workplace. They believe speaking openly about adversity, pay inequality, and mental health can break cycles of silence and isolation.
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Lessons Learned: Surprisingly, what started as a cybersecurity-specific guide blossomed into a handbook for any woman in a male-dominated profession. The response from contributors and readers-in-waiting reaffirmed their belief in the power of shared stories and solidarity.
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Podcast Extension: Knowing not everyone learns best through reading, they’ve created a podcast series to accompany the book—ensuring the messages reach wider audiences and varying preferences.
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More Than Just for Women in Tech: While written from the lens of female cybersecurity professionals, the book’s wisdom applies to anyone navigating workplace adversity or striving to become a better ally.
What Undercode Say:
Securely Yours stands as a cultural artifact within the tech world, marking a pivotal moment where mentorship meets mass publishing. This is not merely a guide—it’s a mirror held up to the cybersecurity industry, reflecting both its flaws and its promise.
The co-authors strategically use their unique backgrounds to construct a multidimensional voice, one that resonates with authenticity and relatability. They don’t write from theory, but from trenches—each page shaped by real encounters with exclusion, imposter syndrome, burnout, and resilience.
What elevates this book beyond a motivational pep talk is its structure. The agony-aunt format functions not only as a narrative tool but as a way to humanize complex, sometimes painful, discussions. It mimics the informal, supportive environments women often lack in their careers, and replaces corporate coldness with emotional intelligence.
Analytically speaking, the
Securely Yours
Its release aligns perfectly with current HR and DEI trends, where psychological safety, empathy-based leadership, and employee advocacy are front and center. For companies looking to foster a genuinely inclusive culture, this book can serve as a supplemental training tool or a mentorship baseline.
Critically, the accessibility of the language and format democratizes the content. You don’t need a technical background or years in cybersecurity to find value. You simply need a willingness to learn, empathize, or lead more effectively.
Taylor and Hewitt also model a sustainable work ethic, demonstrating how collaboration, accountability, and balance can lead to tangible impact—even while managing demanding careers. The book’s behind-the-scenes creation story offers inspiration for anyone considering a co-authored project in a high-pressure industry.
In a world where professional guides often feel clinical or generic, Securely Yours is refreshingly personal and undeniably powerful. It doesn’t claim to solve every problem but offers the solidarity and wisdom that women—and their allies—have been craving.
Fact Checker Results:
- Securely Yours is a real book authored by Rebecca Taylor and Amelia Hewitt, set for release on May 1, 2025.
- The authors are recognized professionals in cybersecurity and active mentors within the industry.
- The content targets women in cybersecurity but is structured to offer broad career guidance applicable across male-dominated fields.
Prediction:
Following its release, Securely Yours is poised to become a cornerstone resource within tech mentorship circles. Expect its insights to ripple beyond cybersecurity—into HR policies, leadership programs, and DEI initiatives. The authors’ podcast spin-off may expand into broader discussions, workshops, or even corporate consulting opportunities. If adopted as part of internal corporate resources, this book could significantly influence how companies address gender inclusivity, employee support, and leadership development in technical fields.
References:
Reported By: www.itsecurityguru.org
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