Meet Stacey Champagne | Founder & CEO of Hacker in Heels

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacey Champagne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Before making a career change from graphic design into cybersecurity, I was nowhere near where I thought I’d be for the vision of my life. Working 12-14 hours day, crying in my car, barely able to afford rent for a room despite having achieved what I thought was my “dream job.” Now I make nearly 5x my previous salary and feel incredibly fulfilled by my work.

Hacker in Heels was founded on the belief that my success in cybersecurity could be replicated. By empowering women to break free of careers that are no longer serving them, they can bring diverse skills and essential perspectives to a lucrative field critically short on talent. A computer science background is NOT necessary. Women’s lived experiences, for better or worse, make us assets for this work with our heightened vigilance.

It’s not an easy transition. Cybersecurity (and tech in general) has been notoriously unkind to women. It was important to me to build a company that’s real about the challenges, so that we can build resilience together and ensure we grow representation at the highest levels of leadership. More importantly, I wanted our community to feel authentic and connected—women who you’ll run to first to celebrate success and be there for you when you need support.

Running a business while actively working as a cybersecurity practitioner is no easy feat, but I’m very passionate about leading by example and elevating others with me. Quite frankly it’s work I’d be doing either-way—so I might as well get paid for it!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hacker in Heels has a very intentional framework that guides everything we do/offer, providing a methodical approach to launching and growing cybersecurity careers. Consistency and accountability is key to success, and we found other similar organizations unpredictable and quite frankly un-relatable. This makes it difficult for women to engage and stay involved, especially when they’re trying to make that initial switch from another career into cybersecurity.

One of the ways we execute on our framework is through our Monthly Connection Calls, where members get group coaching from guest mentors. Our mentors have a variety of backgrounds and experience. While many of them are cybersecurity practitioners, we also bring in career coaches, branding experts, financial planners, and others who we know can greatly help our members. There is no hard line between your career and your life, and so we really endeavor to empower women holistically knowing that it’ll positively effect how they show up in cybersecurity.

The real magic happens at the end of these calls, when women are placed into breakout rooms and get the chance to introduce themselves to other women in cybersecurity and connect on a more personal level. This gets women excited and invested—hearing what others are doing and whats possible for themselves. They become friends, advocates, and I would bet some day even co-workers!

I created the membership after seeing the real need to keep momentum at the end of our Changemakers program. Changemakers is a six-week program that helps women get clear on what really matters to them in a career, so that they can feel confident in their next steps. We weave in guidance on cybersecurity—focus areas, job roles, education, etc.—but wanted to make sure the experience would be useful even if participants decided NOT to pursue a career in cybersecurity at the end. The good news is that many of them do! Women would go on to participate in our Study Squads to earn their first cybersecurity certification, but without the next event to call into or group to hold them accountable, their aspirations would fall by the wayside. In our next launch of Changemakers, participants will automatically get one year of membership to help them stay inspired and motivated.

Just a month or so ago, we had our FIRST success story! One of our members, who previously worked in fashion design, participated in the first cohort of our Changemakers program. She went on to complete a 10-month program with NYU, and a few weeks after graduation she secured a job as a cybersecurity analyst.

Honestly, her success breathed new life into me and the business. Just a few months before that I was burned out and doubtful that Hacker in Heels would truly make a difference. Even though I had testimonials from women singing praises about our programs, all I could think about was my balance sheets and whether or not I had an “expensive hobby” or a business. Receiving that call validated every dollar I’ve put into this business—because to me this is more than money. This is changing women’s lives. This is helping women leave jobs, relationships, situations that are no longer serving them. This is helping women build generational wealth for their families. This is enabling women to support causes and leaders that have their best interests. And of course this is securing our increasingly interconnected society that critically needs more and more cyber defenders each and every day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Shopping in Scottsdale Quarter—Energetic town center with several good spots to eat, boutiques, and a make-your-own candle studio! Once you’ve checked out all the stores it’s an easy cross over to Kierland Commons for even more.

Books and Brews at Changing Hands—Probably my favorite independent bookstore, and I’ve been to quite a few. They have a fantastic bar serving coffee, tea, wine, and beer and make delicious baked goods in-house. Literally spend HOURS in there exploring the bookshelves.

Pizza and Cider at Cider Corps—If you like spicy, order a 40 Myke-Myke and pair with the Salami pizza. You can also bring outside food in to enjoy. Worth Takeaway is around the corner and equally tasty if you’d prefer a sandwich with your cider instead.

Cocktails at Maple & Ash—Order “The Lady in Black” and watch as the bartender lights a rosemary sprig on fire right on top of your drink. I love the fruity smoky-ness of this drink. They used to have my favorite Happy Hour menu, but have since changed things up. I would plan to eat elsewhere unless you like oysters.

Concerts at Marquee Theater—Never would have thought Arizona to be a hot spot for pop punk and alternative music. Coming from the northeast, I was prepared to be disappointed but have since been pleasantly surprised by how many of my favorite bands have come through. I like getting balcony tickets for the Marquee since it’s still a great view and there’s a railing to set your drinks on.

Dance at ZRoom—Sign up for Rick Coffey (@bigkidrick) or Michelle Tripp’s (@whereintheworldismichelletripp) classes. They teach Turn Up and VXN, which are amazing, empowering dance cardio classes that anyone can hop in, feel welcomed, and have a blast even without any prior experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Behind every great community… is a great community! I’m fortunate to have connected with a group of 15 women entrepreneurs earlier this year as part of Powerhouse Women’s Six-Figure School Accelerator. These women inspired and motivated me to really get out of my comfort zone and embrace a higher version of myself—someone that’s been within me all this time but too concerned about “what others will think” to let her out. Instead of convincing myself who I’m not, I focus more on who I am and want to be. How would “she” show up?

Website: https://www.hackerinheels.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackerinheels and https://www.instagram.com/staceychampagne

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceychampagne/