Life is an Adventure.
Embrace it.
Adventure is about challenge and growth.
Who am I?
I’m Anne, an AppSec expert, digital nomad, and full-time explorer living and working from my old Chevy Blazer.
Independence is everything to me. That’s why I left my home country Germany, embraced full-time travel, and built a life grounded in freedom, flexibility, and facing challenges head-on.
Security isn’t the only thing I like to analyze, break down and rebuild. Right now, I’m also learning how to repair my car myself, because just like in AppSec, true freedom and resilience comes from being able to fix what breaks. And it will break.
When I’m not working or wrenching, you’ll probably find me behind a camera. Photography has been a part of my life for over a decade. My way of preserving the moments that matter.
If you're looking for someone to guide you through the AppSec landscape with clarity, courage, and just the right dose of adventure. I'm in. Are you?
If the path is uncertain – keep moving!
My AppSec Adventure
My road into cybersecurity wasn't some straight highway. It was a muddy offroad trail through the IT wilderness, fueled by curiosity, a few tempting detours, and a stubborn drive to fix real world problems, not just clean up pretty documentation.
I startet as a software developer while pursuing my master’s degree in Applied IT Security. That also meant wrangling servers on the side, so I got a decent view of the whole tech landscape.
My dream? Become a penetration tester. But without hands-on experience, no one would hire me. Instead, I got asked to build a data protection management system. Sounded exciting at first, until I realized the company didn’t care about protecting data. They just didn’t want to get sued.
That’s when I learned: Compliance ≠ Security.
I didn’t want to play pretend. I wanted to solve real problems. So I bailed and went back to development. And that’s where I became that annoying developer. The one who wouldn’t shut up about security and technical debt, while everyone else just wanted to ship shiny features.
At the same time, I was stacking up pentesting certs, ready to finally switch tracks. But then, my relentless annoyance earned me an unexpected opportunity...
Complex problems. Simple solutions.
I was handed AppSec like a hot potato: a rough roadmap, no team. Just “go fix it.” So I did.
Over the next four years, I built a full-stack AppSec program from scratch. No compliance theatre. No checkbox circus. Just practical solutions that actually helped developers, because I was one. I didn’t follow standards. I followed what made sense. Step by step. On my terms.
Ironically, when the company later went through ISO 27001 audits, the auditors praised the AppSec program, even though compliance was never the goal.
I learned AppSec by getting my hands dirty.
Like any great overland expedition, the best stories come from the detours, not the destination. Turns out, AppSec was mine. I took a turn… and never looked back.
And now we’re here.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably on a mission too. You want software that holds up in a blizzard, not just another band-aid for a broken system.
Maybe you’re a developer ready to step up and own security. Maybe you’re a CEO looking for that one person to find and train as your future AppSec Lead.
This is your call.
I can hand you the map, so you can build your solo expedition. Or you hire someone who’s already walked the trail to guide your team.
Either way, I’m ready. Are you?
Adventure is in my blood.
Sounds too good to be true?
Yeah, I get that. But for me, the cozy office is long gone. I teach resilience from the place where it's actually built.
Today, I live and work full-time from my Chevy Blazer, exploring the world with my dog by my side. This lifestyle - Overlanding - isn’t just about travel. It’s about self-reliance, problem-solving, and being prepared for anything. You learn to trust your tools, know your limits. And figure out how to get unstuck when the road turns to shit.
That’s why Overlanding is the perfect metaphor for AppSec.
Security isn’t about avoiding risks. It’s about building resilience, adapting to what comes next, and having the mindset to face the unknown head-on.
Whether I’m repairing my rig in the middle of nowhere or helping teams navigate complex security terrain, the principles are the same: Be prepared. Stay flexible. Handle whatever comes.
Curious about that side of my life? Check out my YouTube channel Adventure Craziness, where I document the highs, lows and chaos of Overlanding. Raw, real and in German (my native language).
Because at the end of the day, I don’t play games.
We build what works. Or we leave it to fate.
Every adventure starts with the first step.