Last week, our founder Patrick Kelley had the privilege of presenting on a topic often overlooked in our industry: the mental health challenges facing cybersecurity professionals.
The presentation, now featured by the EMC cooperative group (NRECA), highlighted the relentless stress, burnout, and emotional toll that defending critical infrastructure can bring. We talked about how protecting the grid goes beyond patching vulnerabilities and watching alerts; it also means protecting the people who stand watch.
Kelley says IT and cyber workers are susceptible to blaming themselves when they feel burned out and thinking it's their responsibility for “unburning out" themselves. He encouraged attendees to lean on their colleagues in the program the way operations crews do during outages and mutual aid events.
“The way that we move forward is to be more like the linemen in those trucks," he said. “We need to support each other like they do."
The Problem We’re Facing
Cybersecurity teams in cooperatives are under constant, high-stakes pressure. With limited staff, evolving threats, and 24/7 vigilance, it’s easy to lose sight of the human cost of protecting member communities. Fatigue, anxiety, and burnout can lead to mistakes—mistakes that attackers are waiting to exploit.
The Conversation We Need
During the presentation, Patrick emphasized that acknowledging and addressing mental health isn’t a weakness—it’s a strategy. We need to normalize the conversation, reduce stigma, and build workflows that allow cybersecurity professionals to sustain their mission without sacrificing themselves in the process.
Practical Steps We Shared
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Curate threat feeds to reduce noise and alert fatigue.
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Set clear boundaries for after-hours work and incident escalation.
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Integrate wellness resources into your incident response plans.
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Provide training and awareness around mental health just as we do phishing or ransomware.
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Build a culture where asking for help is seen as responsible, not weak.
Moving Forward
The fact that NRECA chose to highlight this presentation shows how cooperatives are leading the way in prioritizing both operational resilience and human resilience. We’re honored to support their mission and to help co-ops find a balance between strong cybersecurity and strong people.
If your organization is ready to have this conversation, we’re here. Because at the end of the day, protecting the grid means protecting the people who protect it.