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Core Sample

Stories from the women holding up the mining, critical minerals, oil & gas and defense world. 19 Episodes Sep 18, 2026

Core Sample is a podcast for women working in mining, critical minerals, oil and gas, and defense. It shares stories from women across these industries and natural resources. The show is hosted on the Sturnella HQ Substack and invites listeners to join the conversation. It aims to highlight the people holding up these sectors.

Episodes

Caroline Chapdelaine on Building Defense Hardware at Scale Sep 18, 2026 1064 Caroline Chapdelaine on Building Defense Hardware at ScaleWhat does it really take to manufacture advanced defense hardware in the United States?In this episode of Core Sample, I sat down with Caroline Chapdelaine, CEO of Northstar Photonics, to talk about what sits behind a finished piece of precision defense technology.We discuss photonics, navigation systems, specialized manufacturing, supplier

The Choke Point Is Moving Sep 2, 2026 726 The Choke Point Is MovingAmerica is rebuilding its industrial base but rebuilding capacity is only part of the problem.The next challenge is protecting the people, knowledge, capital, technology, suppliers and infrastructure that make that industrial base work.In Episode 16 of Core Sample, I’m looking at a pattern emerging across critical minerals, manufacturing, research, defense and secure techn

Follow the Choke Point Aug 19, 2026 933 Can’t Find a Cybersecurity Job? The Work May Be Moving Somewhere Else.For recent college graduates, the cybersecurity labor market can feel contradictory: employers continue to talk about a skills shortage, yet breaking into the profession has become extraordinarily difficult.In Episode 15 of Core Sample, Sydnie looks at the problem from a different direction.What if cybersecurity jobs aren’t disa

The New Risk Perimeter Aug 16, 2026 414 I skipped a week and I feel a bit rusty after Black Hat USA but I hope you enjoy.America is investing heavily in mines, processing facilities, advanced materials, magnets, batteries, semiconductors, drones, and defense manufacturing.But as the industrial base expands, so does the definition of the cybersecurity perimeter.In this episode of Core Sample, Sydnie looks beyond the traditional network p

Security Is Physical: From Mine Sites to Farm Fields Aug 4, 2026 801 Cybersecurity does not stop at the server room.When technology controls a conveyor, ventilation system, irrigation pump, grain elevator, drone production line, or manufacturing cell, a cyber incident can stop physical work, damage equipment, interrupt food production, and potentially affect human safety.In this episode of Core Sample, Sydnie explores why understanding operational environments is e

Acceleration: Money Is Moving Faster Than Organizations Jul 25, 2026 1047 In this episode of Core Sample, Sydnie examines the gap between winning a strategic opportunity and being ready to absorb it. The race is no longer only about securing critical minerals, contracts, or federal capital. It is about execution.In This Episode* The proposed $1.5 trillion FY2027 defense framework* APFIT= the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program and

From the Ground to the Arsenal: Follow the Money Jul 19, 2026 1609 In this episode of Core Sample, Sydnie connects the suspension of CMMC Phase II with the proposed $1.5 trillion national-defense budget, the Office of Strategic Capital’s new financing pathways.The central question is not simply how much the government is spending but how taxpayers are expected to receive a return. (As always, this is not investment advice. It is an exercise in reading public budg

Critical Minerals and Mine Sites Jul 10, 2026 1334 In This EpisodeWhat critical minerals mean for defense, energy, AI, and advanced manufacturing.How abandoned mine lands and tailings may fit into the domestic mineral security conversation.Why mineral security is not only about new mines.The policy changes that could improve U.S. mineral security.What may drive future demand for critical minerals.How to balance environmental remediation, mineral r

Volatility is Not the Story Jul 4, 2026 864 We hit 1,000 downloads recently, so a big thank you. In this shorter Fourth of July episode of Core Sample, I’m reinforcing two signals that matter right now.First: gold tested the $4,000 level, commodities are still feeling heavy, and the tape is uncomfortable. But the strategic thesis hasn’t changed. Government-backed financing, uplistings, DOE awards, loan commitments, and public-market positio

The Map is Public Now Jun 27, 2026 933 On June 25th, the Department of War released a PR email about the Investment Intelligence Center, a public dashboard tracking more than $6.5 billion in national-security capital across hundreds of investments. In this episode of Core Sample, I walk through what the map shows, what it confirms about the industrial-base rebuild thesis, why the recent commodity selloff doesn’t break the signal, and w

From the Ground to the Arsenal Jun 17, 2026 813 At one point this year, the United States reportedly had roughly two months of rare earth supplies left for the materials that go into precision munitions, radar, night vision, and the F-35.In this episode of Core Sample, I show you how the public documents connect rare earth processing bottlenecks, the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the largest defense budget request in US history, federal small busine

Episode 7 Run Your Own Race Jun 12, 2026 638 SHOW NOTES:Title: Run Your Own RaceSubtitle: Joan Benoit Samuelson broke away from the pack at mile three and won the first women’s Olympic marathon mostly alone. I just spent three days at the Elko Mining Expo, and what I saw there told me something the tape didn’t. Going it alone isn’t always wrong.There is something deeply uncomfortable about being the only person walking in the opposite direct

Episode 6 Patience Is Golden May 30, 2026 852 I started my career as an equity trader straight out of college at an asset management firm. Later I went into investment banking and then hedge funds. Long before cybersecurity, I was reading the data.And the data right now is telling a story most people aren’t hearing.In 2025, gold returned over 63 percent. Silver between 140 and 180. Energy is outperforming broad equities. The US debt is over 3

Episode 5 When Everything Feels Uncertain, The Numbers Know May 24, 2026 1033 Jumping in to add a note - I know these recordings are not perfect, they are not supposed to be but the information needs to be shared and that is why I’m doing this. Show Notes:There is a specific feeling that shows up when you’re standing at a crossroads. A career that stopped fitting. A sector shifting underneath you. A hunch you can’t quite name yet.That feeling is loud. And it makes it very h

Episode 4 Your First Due Diligence Tool Is Free May 16, 2026 666 I started this episode differently as yesterday (5/14/2026) I gave a talk to ISACA Phoenix and I wanted to make the presentation available to this audience. The link to the PDF presentation with the worksheets is on page 5 and 17. The worksheets help guide a career pivot and this may be relevant if you listened to Episode 3 and are interested in how Cybersecurity connects with mining, resources an

Episode 3 The Ore Body Nobody is Talking About May 8, 2026 456 There is an ore body in the mining and critical minerals space that nobody is talking about. It’s not a deposit. It’s a workforce gap. And it sits right at the intersection of cybersecurity governance, capital markets, and resource sector expertise.In this episode of Core Sample, I’m naming it out loud — because I don’t think enough people are.The SEC’s 2023 cybersecurity disclosure rules changed

Episode 2 The Timing Will Feel Wrong May 8, 2026 420 I ran a race this weekend. I didn’t run a great one.The time was off. My splits weren’t where I wanted them. And standing at mile 26, I made a choice about the story I was going to tell myself — the timing was off. Not the runner. There’s a difference. And it matters.In this episode of Core Sample, I’m pulling that thread through everything I do — endurance sport, entrepreneurship, and capital mar

Episode 1 Original Story May 6, 2026 402 Show Notes.EPISODE 1: SHOW NOTES PACKAGEShow Notes:This is the episode where it all begins.I’m Sydnie Beckman — founder of Sturnella, capital markets cybersecurity advisor, endurance athlete, and gold bug since 2001. In this first episode of Core Sample, I’m telling you exactly how I got here. Not the polished version. The real one.I walked away from a corporate career — cybersecurity, risk, big i

Welcome to Core Sample Mar 31, 2026 147 This is Core Sample — a podcast about the women who work across the full length of the mining and critical minerals supply chain. From the pit to the boardroom, from the assay lab to the trading desk, their work powers the energy transition, national defense, and the global economy. Most people have no idea.In this first episode, I’m sharing why I started this show, who it’s for, and what I hope i

Core Sample

Episodes

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