Dr. Bonita “Bo” Best
THE RUNWAY
IS EVERYWHERE.
Every opportunity I’ve had started with a conversation.
Sometimes the runway is a stage. Sometimes it is backstage. Sometimes it is a community, a boardroom, a classroom, an airport—or an unexpected conversation.
Speaker • Advisor • Facilitator • Creative Director
The thread
IT WAS NEVER REALLY
ABOUT THE JOB TITLE.
Cybersecurity. Fashion. Education. Leadership. Entrepreneurship.
They can look like different lanes.
But the work underneath them has been remarkably consistent:
- Listen.
- Understand what is really happening.
- Make the complex practical.
- Give people the logic.
- Help them move forward.
HELPING PEOPLE
HELP THEMSELVES.
The setting changes. The way I think travels with me.
Follow the conversation
THE MOMENTS THAT
CHANGED THE CONVERSATION.
The best way to understand my work isn’t through a list of titles.
It’s through the moments when the expected conversation became something else.
Story 1
Backstage, but still on duty
Setting: backstage in the fashion / modeling world.
A model had a compromised bank account and needed help understanding what to do next.
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What happened: A model had a compromised bank account and needed help understanding what to do next.
What I did: Instead of taking over, I helped her slow the situation down, contact the legitimate bank, secure access and understand the logic behind the next steps.
What changed: Uncertainty became action.
Why it matters: Cybersecurity does not always arrive in a conference room. Sometimes the most important thing you can create is calm enough for someone to think.
Story takeawayCreate calm. Strengthen judgment. Help people act.
Story 2
From a last-minute gap to a standing-room session
Setting: a USPS career-development conference.
A scheduled speaker was delayed, creating an unexpected gap in the program.
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What happened: A scheduled speaker was delayed, creating an unexpected gap in the program.
What I did: I stepped in with Protect Your Digital Life—not as a lecture, but as practical learning. People used their own phones, walked through settings and learned why the choices mattered. I stayed afterward to help people one-on-one.
What changed: A schedule gap became an engaged learning experience, followed by expanded invitations.
Why it matters: Useful education meets people where they are. The goal is not simply to transfer information; it is to make people more capable when they leave.
Story takeawayTeach the why, not only the rule.
Story 3
Cyber help in a boutique
Setting: a fashion boutique.
People came in for clothing—and sometimes the conversation moved to privacy, permissions and digital housekeeping.
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What happened: People came in for clothing and sometimes the conversation moved to privacy, permissions and digital housekeeping.
What I did: I sat down, answered questions and made unfamiliar security concepts practical.
What changed: A retail space became a classroom.
Why it matters: The runway really is everywhere. Education does not require a podium when trust and curiosity are already present.
Story takeawayMeet people where the question appears.
Story 4
Redefining success
Setting: a corporate cybersecurity environment.
Training and compliance numbers were in the high 90s. The question: what does “compliant” actually mean?
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What happened: Training/compliance numbers were in the high 90s.
The question: What does “compliant” actually mean?
What I did: I looked beyond the completion number and questioned what the process was producing. That inquiry expanded into process change, policy updates, legal coordination and a more lasting system.
What changed: Success became more than completion.
Why it matters: A metric can tell you what happened. Better questions help you understand what it means and what should happen next.
Story takeawayDo not stop at the number. Ask what the number is telling you.
Story 5
She came in for fashion
Setting: Runway Recycled at Moorestown Mall.
A shopper came in for fashion—and a conversation about a cybersecurity comic book changed everything.
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What happened: A shopper connected to the Burlington County chapter of Jack and Jill of America came into the boutique while searching for retailers and fashion-show participation.
She was considering clothing for herself/models and whether Runway Recycled could dress models for a fundraising fashion show.
Then she noticed a cybersecurity comic book. I showed her the comic and explained that I had authored it through my work at Intuit. The conversation shifted.
She was also working on a grant requiring an educational component for young children. Cybersecurity education became part of that conversation.
The fashion relationship continued. I dressed models for the show.
Because she was new to producing fashion shows, I shared recommendations and arrived early to help during the first production.
About a year later, she found me again, now at Willow Grove. The grant was nearing award and she still remembered the cybersecurity conversation.
She wanted something appropriate for first- and second-grade children. The idea: we could make them Cyber Heroes.
What changed: That boutique conversation ultimately helped launch Cyber Hero Academy, including young participants completing the experience and receiving certificates.
And by the second fashion show, the coordinator no longer needed me there early to guide production. She had learned. She had experience. She could run her show. I could simply arrive to dress the models.
Why it matters: Fashion → mentoring → cybersecurity → education → independence. The opportunity changed form, but the underlying work did not: help people become more capable.
Story takeawaySuccess is not making people dependent on your expertise. It is helping them build their own.
How I think
HOW I THINK.
Different rooms. Different industries. Different problems.
The process underneath the work remains familiar.
Listen
Start with the person and the situation—not the assumption.
Discover the real problem
The first question is not always the real question.
Teach the why
Rules are easier to apply when people understand the logic behind them.
Build confidence
Knowledge should increase someone’s ability to decide and act.
Create lasting systems
The goal is not dependence on the expert. The goal is stronger people, practices and systems.
“I don’t tell people what to do. I give them the logic so they can decide.”
I style every engagement.
The runway expands
THE SETTING CHANGES.
THE WORK CONTINUES.
A runway can be a stage, a workshop, a strategy session, a classroom, a community, a camera frame, a boardroom—or the conversation nobody planned to have.
Speaking
Human-centered conversations designed to make complex ideas practical and memorable.
Advisory
Helping leaders examine people, behavior, culture, technology and organizational change.
Facilitation
Creating the conditions for people to surface problems, think together and move toward action.
Creative Direction
Shaping stories, experiences and visual ideas with intention.
Complimentary 30-minute consultation
Ecosystem
WHERE THE WORK LIVES.
The BEST Secret Weapon
Human-centered cybersecurity, human risk, advisory and education.
Digital SAM
Practical cybersecurity awareness resources from The BEST Secret Weapon LLC.
Runway Recycled
Sustainable fashion, reuse, restyle, rehome and experiential learning.
The BEST Talks
Conversations about people, journeys, business, cybersecurity, fashion, reinvention and life.
Cyber LifeLine™
Emerging philosophy and book work exploring cybersecurity as human judgment, agency, responsibility and life lessons in a digital world.
Recognition
QUOTED IN
ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD (ENR)
“The invoice may be authentic. The project may be legitimate. The payment may be expected. But the destination account may still be fraudulent.”
The invitation
THE RUNWAY
IS EVERYWHERE.
Complimentary 30-minute consultation