Life In Accounting - The Where Accountants Go podcast

It's hard to believe, but after a little over 5 years and 240+ episodes, we are going to be shutting down the podcast... at least for now. The journey of starting from zero and building the collection of interviews one-by-one over this 5 year time period has been incredibly fun and humbling.  I've been so grateful for all the guests that said 'yes' to being on the program.  And I've been even more grateful for you, the listeners, who continue to show up and download the shows every week.  It truly has been an amazing experience. I think we have proven our purpose - that you truly can do practically anything when you start with a background in accounting, and so I'm comfortable that we can discontinue the show for now. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of any assistance to you with your own career journey going forward though.  We are always happy to help in any way that we can. Thank you for listening!  :)  

Professor Mansour Farhat, a previous guest on our show, came back for this episode of Where Accountants Go to tell us about a new offering he has helped make available for accounting students. If you weren't already aware of Mansour from his 1900+ Youtube videos on accounting topics, you definitely should go back in our archives to episode 107 where we delve even more in-depth into how he got started in the Youtube world (107: Mansour Farhat – Saving Accounting Students One YouTube Video At A Time | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)). Professor Farhat started producing accounting educational videos simply because he was very busy teaching classes at two different schools at one point.  He started his Youtube channel as a way to be more efficient with his time, and it ended up being a resource that is now used by accounting students all over the globe.  After a friend called his attention to how popular the channel had become, he decided to greatly expand it and make it even more searchable.  Fast forward a little bit, and Mansour now has over 1900 videos online, and produces supplemental material to be used in conjunction with popular CPA review courses as well! The new offering we talk about in this episode though is that of helping students that need to meet the 150 hour credit requirement for the CPA exam get those credits in a more economical and efficient manner.  Mansour co-founded an organization called CPACredits.com that allows students to take courses online, in about half the time, and at a very economical rate in order to get the ten to thirty extra credits they may need to sit for the CPA exam.  While this would benefit just about anyone looking to meet that requirement, I believe that it will be a game-changer for those individuals that didn't get the hours earlier in life, and now feel that they can't due to complications with returning to school.  For those people already several years into their careers and family lives, this could be the solution that allows them to get certified. For more information on CPACredits.com or Mansour's other video offerings, please click on the links in the text above. To listen to this interview with Mansour Farhat, please use the player below:

Hitendra Patil of AccountantsWorld, who also frequently appears on the list of the Top 100 Most Influential People In Accounting, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. We like to cover a variety of career topics for accounting professionals on this show, and entrepreneurship-done-well is definitely one of them.  In this episode, Hitendra discusses the concept of how to become an “Accountaneur”.  This particular term, which Hitendra has trademarked, encompasses the idea of not just being a self-employed accountant, but being successful in the endeavor from both the earnings standpoint and the desired lifestyle perspective.  You will need to listen to the audio interview for a complete definition, but a large part of what Hitendra discusses is how to evolve past simply being a client's chosen accountant, and going further to learn their business and the nuances of how they become successful.  This allows the Accountaneur to become more of the trusted advisor that we all aspire to be.  It really is a good discussion we have in this approximate 1-hour episode. For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  John Garrett and Lindsay Stevenson To listen to this episode with Hitendra Patil, please use the player below:

Lee Frederiksen of Hinge joined us for this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Lee's team approached us with this topic, and we were very excited to have the discussion.  “The Great Resignation” is a phenomenon affecting the entire labor market, and the accounting profession is no exception.  The market was already tight in terms of the number of accountants available versus the number of job opportunities, but with opportunities increasing and some individuals choosing to exit the labor market by choice, the number of open jobs within our field has skyrocketed.  It's a peculiar situation, and although it has its advantages, there are also some dangers as well. In this episode, we will discuss the situation from both the employer's perspective and the job seeker's perspective, because there are opportunities and dangers on both sides.  It's rare that we get to interview a behavioral psychologist on our program, so this was a real treat.  And the topic we discussed is definitely on the cutting edge of current events. For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  Carl Peterson and Terrell Turner To listen to this episode with Lee Frederiksen of Hinge, please use the player below:

Jennifer Todling, Partner with EY, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. When we scheduled this episode, we knew it was going to be a story of a successful, progressive accounting career as Jennifer had been with EY approaching 18 years and is a partner with the firm.  However, we didn't realize all the additional value that this interview would bring! In addition to discussing her progression to partner over the years, we also discuss a few other pleasant surprises in her journey.  One additional item of value was the discussion of her short departure from EY to pursue a Fellow position with the SEC.  Jennifer spent about 3 years on the regulatory side, which was both an enjoyable experience and something that helped build her skill-set for when she later returned to EY. We also discuss how she had to go remote for personal reasons very early in her career.  That may not seem like a big deal now, but this was prior to Zoom, Teams, and all the other tools we use now to do remote work.  The process was much more paper intensive, so she wasn't sure it was even possible in the beginning.  However, due to the support from a few leaders at the firm, they were able to make it work and her progression with EY continued.  It really is an interesting part of the interview.  Make sure you listen to this one all the way through. For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  How To Advance to Partner, and Samantha Bowling's interview. To listen in on this interview with Jennifer Todling, please use the player below:

Tom Golden, a retired forensics partner from PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), who also has authored two forensics thrillers, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. If you have ever wondered about the realities of investigating major frauds, then this is the episode for you.  Tom very accidentally got into the forensics area when he discovered anomalies on one of his first client assignments at PwC, and that ended up turning into a major fraud investigation that lasted over a year.  After that experience, he realized that investigating fraud was something that he very much enjoyed, so he convinced the firm to let him start the forensics department, and ended up building that into a career for himself in the 26 years that he was with PwC. Another important item to note about Tom's career was that it wasn't all behind a computer and a desk.  His investigations took he and his team across the globe and into some very dangerous situations.  Make sure you listen to the audio interview to hear Tom tell some of those stories.  They definitely are much more suspenseful than you would expect. For details on two of the investigations Tom was involved in, check out his two thriller novels:  Sunday Night Fears and One Honest Soul. Other related podcasts you will enjoy:  Kelly Richmond Pope and Mindy Mejia To listen to this interview with Tom Golden, please use the player below:

Jason Parr, the President of Peisner Johnson, a state and local tax consulting company, joined us this week for Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the road less traveled so-to-speak with respect to careers… that of staying at the same company and continuing to build your career at that one organization.  For Jason, that meant starting as an assistant in accounting prior to earning his degree, and ending up as President after a couple decades of diligent effort and personal growth.  Jason tells the story better than we could in a simple show notes summary, so make sure you listen to the full interview using the player below, or by using your favorite podcast app. If you ultimately want to work your way into executive management, this is definitely an episode you will want to hear.  Jason was very open about his path, even about some of his doubts and learning opportunities along the way.  This was a great interview. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Paula Gold-Williams and Anoop Mehta To listen to this interview with Jason Parr of Peisner Johnson, please use the player below:

Alicia Maples, a professional business coach that I personally have worked with for many years, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.  In this special edition episode, we have a very direct and practical conversation about managing the client base in a public accounting firm.  If you are in business already, or just starting to think about starting your own firm, this episode will be beneficial to you. The main topic we discuss is how to let go of clients that don't fit your desired end goals, but we also discuss how keeping bad clients can affect not just your lifestyle, but that of your team as well! If you would like to find out more about Alicia, or take her 5 Day Credibility Challenge, make sure you visit www.brilliantsmb.com To listen in on this interview with Alicia Maples, please use the player below:

Andrew Jordan, CPA and COO of FinancePal, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  We touch on many topics in this particular show, from finding the right career fit for your own needs, all the way to starting and merging a firm.  And we even cover a story of fraud in the middle of the interview!  Many, many lessons in this episode. Andrew's career journey started as many do… he worked hard to do well in college and was hired by one of the national firms right out of school.  He passed the CPA exam early, and was on his way to have the ‘dream career' in large public accounting.  What he didn't realize at the time was that it was typical for the firm to over-hire, and then make adjustments after busy season.  Unfortunately this meant he was left without a job even after passing the CPA exam.  However, this ended up being a blessing as it launched him on a new path of joining a smaller firm and continuing his career progression there. Not too many years later, he was recruited by a client tech company for their CFO role.  It was a tremendous opportunity.  He learned quite a bit, but unfortunately part of that was about the fraud that was occurring within the company.  He survived that tumultuous time though and helped the company recover.  Later on, due to decisions made by the private equity owners, the company closed down and Andrew decided to start his own practice. For the story of how he started and grew his practice, and eventually merged it into FinancePal, make sure to listen to the full audio interview.  Andrew was very open and transparent with the story of his journey – something we always really appreciate. For other episodes you may enjoy, listen to these prior shows:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Ryan Lazanis To listen in on this interview with Andrew Jordan, please use the player below:

Loreal Jiles, the new VP of Research & Thought Leadership with the Institute of Management Accountants, joins us for this very interesting episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the technological transformation that has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen within the accounting profession.  Loreal has spent many years working in this space, both in her current role with the IMA as well as with the large multi-national organization BP.  However, in addition to the technological discussion, we also take significant time during this interview to delve deeply into Loreal's very successful 14 years with BP.  It's rare we see individuals move up that quickly and over such an extended period of time as Loreal, so that part of the interview has several gems of advice as well. If you are looking to build your career with a large organization, or have an interest in technology and how it will continue to transform our profession, this is an ideal episode for you. Other episodes that will interest you are:  Jody Padar and Stewart Goodson For more information on the IMA, visit IMAnet.org To listen in on this discussion with Loreal Jiles, please use the player below:

Announcement!  We are not gone, just taking a couple weeks off to recover from Covid. Join us again on August 31st when we release our next guest accountant interview.  You will enjoy this one - all about digital transformation! In the meantime, if you haven't seen our Classes section and upcoming Excel and Tax courses, check out www.mgrar.com/classes See you in 2 weeks! Mark  

This is a special announcement edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. For many years we have provided tax training for entry-level accountants and those without much tax experience through our live courses.  We are super excited to announce that now that training is available to anyone, anytime, anywhere! If you are an entry-level accountant that wants to learn CPA-firm-level tax skills, this course is for you. If you are an experienced accountant, but without tax background, this course can help you learn CPA-firm-level tax preparation skills as well. If you have had a tax internship or two, but didn't feel like you learned everything you would like for a strong foundation, this course is for you as well. (Note:  This course is NOT for experienced tax preparers with 2+ years of experience.  It is meant to mirror on-the-job type internship training, so it's more appropriate for less experienced students.) If you are interested in learning more about the content of our Individual Tax Bootcamp ON—DEMAND, click here:  MGR On-Demand Courses.

Geraldine Carter of She Thinks Big Coaching joined us for this special edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. While our show usually highlights the career paths of successful accountants, or individuals that started in accounting and have went on to blossom that knowledge into new, unique career paths, sometimes we produce a special episode focused on helping accountants with their entrepreneurial endeavors.  This episode is exactly that. For this week's show, our guest, Geraldine Carter, drills down on the issues that make some accountants' entrepreneurial dreams turn more into nightmares down the road.  Many of us ultimately would like to have our own practice, but often the freedom we think we are going to achieve doesn't become a reality.  We end up working for our practice instead of it working for us. In this episode, Geraldine covers many of the pitfalls that a self-employed accountant can encounter, and how to fix those issues so that you can thoroughly enjoy running your practice, and so that it meets all your needs and expectations as well. For more information on Geraldine Carter, please visit her website at: Business Coaching for CPA's & Small Firms | She Thinks Big Coaching If you enjoy this episode with Geraldine, please also check out:  Sarah Elliott and Mariette Martinez To listen to this interview with Geraldine Carter, please use the player below:

Tracy Coenen of Sequence Inc, a Chicago-based forensic accounting specialty firm, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Tracy always knew she wanted to be involved with investigations and the criminal justice system.  In fact, early in her life she dreamed of being a Prison Warden!  However, after taking a class in financial crime investigation, she realized that she enjoyed the analysis that comes with such an investigation, and decided to pursue a career investigating financial crimes.  She continued with her Criminology major in school, but also got her MBA with enough hours to sit for the CPA exam.  She passed the exam, spent a short time at Arthur Andersen, then a few years at a small forensic accounting firm, and then decided to launch her own business – Sequence Inc. For the past 20 years, Tracy has operated her company basically as a solo entrepreneur, with the exception of a short time earlier on that she talks about in the interview.  She chooses to keep the firm small from a team standpoint because it allows her to focus on the activities that she most enjoys – digging into the details and doing the investigation itself. Another valuable portion of this episode is our discussion of what it takes to be a good expert witness in trials.  Tracy has well-developed skills in that area, and shares some of her insights into that role in this interview.  It's definitely something you don't want to miss. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Fred Olivares To listen in on this podcast episode with Tracy Coenen, please use the player below:

Michelle Garrison, a CFO in the Houston area, joined us for this continuation of our “2nd-career-accountant” series of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Michelle's career started a little differently than most of our guests.  Michelle was actually a very successful electrical engineer in her former career, and as she got further into the details of running her own electrical contracting company, she realized she had a talent for understanding the financial side of the business.  As time went by and the contracting world was becoming more competitive, she decided to move her career in the direction of accounting, completing a Masters degree in Accounting and obtaining a consulting position within the field.  Her consulting work fast-tracked her into many career-building opportunities, and eventually she landed in the role where she is today:  the CFO for a healthcare organization in Houston. If you are a 2nd-career-accountant yourself, or are about to be, you will definitely enjoy this interview.  Also, if you want more insight into how an accounting education can help you be a better overall business advisor, then this show is for you as well. Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Robin Thieme and Brian Henderson To listen in on this interview with Michelle Garrison, please use the player below:

Nancy McClelland, a CPA in the Chicago area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  In this episode, we are going to cover many items, probably the most interesting being how she came up with the name for her practice – “The Dancing Accountant”! As you might expect, Nancy's early background was in music.  Her mother was very creative, and her father was the more analytical one.  While in college, Nancy tried many majors, but eventually chose music.  She very early on landed a role in administration with an arts school, and realized that she also had talent inherited from her father as well – that of organization and analysis.  It was through combining both her creative side and analytical side that caused her to excel in accounting / administration roles with music-related companies.  It wasn't long though until she realized that all small businesses have similar issues to that which she was encountering in the music world, and so she then decided to start her practice – Nancy McClelland LLC.  If you want to hear the full story of how she moved from that initial name for her practice to “The Dancing Accountant”, you'll need to listen to the audio portion in order to her it from Nancy's own lips.  It's a very interesting story. To find out more about Nancy's firm, please visit:  The Dancing Accountant If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  John Garrett and Ann Margaret Johnson To listen in on this interview with The Dancing Accountant, Nancy McClelland, please use the player below:

This week on Where Accountants Go: The Accounting Careers podcast, we rebroadcast a show where  Mark Goldman, the host of Where Accountants Go, was a guest on another podcast by the name of “Accountable”. “Accountable” is an extraordinarily well-produced podcast hosted by David Peters, a prior guest on our show.  In this episode, David interviews Mark on aspects of the job market, hiring for accounting professionals, and career management.  David did such a great job with the interview as well as the production of the show, that we wanted to re-run it so it could benefit you (our listeners) as well. If you'd like to hear other episodes of “Accountable”, please visit their website by clicking here. To hear David's own interview on this episode, visit: 221: David Peters , CPA – Host of Accountable | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) To listen in on this interview Mark did with David Peters on the Accountable podcast, please use the player below:

Cece Leung, Founder of The Entrepreneur CFO, author of “Dear Accountant”, and host of the podcast by the same name, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In this episode, we cover many, many topics.  Cece's early career was somewhat unique for our show in that she worked in mutual fund accounting and other fields having to do with the financial capital markets.  Eventually though, she joined a start-up in the financial services field and that launched her into the world of smaller businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors, and her vision of the business world was widened.  Up until this point, she had lived primarily in large-corporate-America, or more appropriately the global corporate marketplace.  However, when she joined this start-up as their Controller, she was forced to widen her knowledge base as she was not as focused in one area as she had been previously. That experience, plus her ‘side hustle' as she describes it, positioned her well to eventually start her own entrepreneurial CFO business.  In addition, she perceived a lack of information for younger individuals regarding all the options that are available for accounting professionals, so she started her podcast and wrote a book by the same name highlighting some of the amazing careers of accounting professionals she had come in contact with.  That book and podcast are titled, “Dear Accountant”. If you are interested in the financial markets, a career that mixes both finance and accounting, or helping smaller businesses with finance issues, you will enjoy this story. Also, make sure to check out both Cece's book and podcast (click on the appropriate link). If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to check out:  Adriana Carpenter and Kim Nourie To listen to this interview with Cece Leung, please use the player below:

Dawn Goldberg, CPA and Certified Life Coach (and mother of course), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  In addition to being a coach for CPAs that are mothers, Dawn is also a Community Manager for CPA MOMS and hosts their podcast as well! Dawn was introduced to accounting as many of us are, through her high school bookkeeping class.  She had a great teacher that informed her it was a wonderful career path ‘for a woman', and therefore she decided to pursue it as her chosen career field.  Ironically, after working for several years in the Big 4, she decided to go ahead and leave to be a full-time, stay-at-home mother for a while in order to not miss out on some of the small moments that she treasured.  (Although many of the partners she worked under had been understanding, there were a few that were not so understanding, so it made it a good choice to take some time off at that particular point.) Upon re-entering the workforce part-time and later going through a divorce, she was researching different self-help resources when she decided that maybe that could be a new career path for her… helping others through what she had been through in both her career and her own personal life.  It was at that point that she decided to study to be a Certified Life Coach. Fast forward several years and Dawn has joined both her podcast and overall professional endeavors with the CPA MOMS organization, and she coaches ladies through the challenges that come with being both a CPA and a mother in today's workplace. Make sure you listen all the way to the end on this one as Dawn shares some very valuable and interesting career tips for us in our post-Covid world.  I found a lot of truth in her perspective of what the workplace is like now and how it may become in the near future. If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also check out:  Amanda Aguillard and Elena Levario For Dawn's own podcast, visit Podcast — CPA MOMS® (cpa-moms.com) To listen in on this interview with Dawn Goldberg, please use the player below:

Dr. Adrian Mayse, CPA, Accounting Department Chair at Howard University, and author of the children's book “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” (!) joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Like many of our guests over the years, this guest was suggested by one of you, the listeners!  When I received the suggestion I was obviously intrigued, but when I looked on Amazon for Adrian's book and saw the quality, I couldn't help but ask him to come on the show. In this episode, we cover Adrian's early career of course, but then we get into two very informative & fun discussions about 1) what it takes to get your PhD in accounting, and 2) how he decided to and ultimately did publish his book, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant”.  In a nutshell, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” is a children's book focused on teaching young children about the profession of accounting, as well as showing diversity in the profession – both of which are incredibly important.  I truly feel that Adrian has done both the profession and society overall a good deed by putting this book out into the marketplace, and I know it will make many people's lives better over time. You can find Adrian's book at: When I Grow Up I Want To Be... An Accountant: Mayse CPA, Dr. Adrian L., Perryman, Reshonda, Ross, Frank K.: 9798599300236: Amazon.com: Books If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Ed Polansky and John Garrett To listen in on this interview with Dr. Adrian Mayse, please use the player below:

Robert Nordlander, a former Senior Special Agent in the Criminal Investigations area of the Internal Revenue Service, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In this episode, we discuss what originally drew Robert into law enforcement, how he ended up landing the position with the IRS, and some key cases he worked on during his tenure with the Service.  We also discuss the podcast he created last year (“Fraud Fighter Podcast”) and how he has learned so much about the commercial side of forensics through that very same effort. If you are interested in forensic accounting, law enforcement, or even starting your own specialty consulting company of any kind, you will find value in this episode.  Robert was very generous and open in discussing his career.  You definitely will have many take-aways from this interview. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Bill Cotter , Felicia Farrar, and Fred Olivares To listen in on this episode with Robert Nordlander, please use the player below:

For this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we have a short CareerTalk mini-episode for you covering an important concept specifically for those entering the job market.  Whether for a student internship, your first professional job, or even if you are simply looking for something new, the idea we cover in this show will be beneficial. With the Covid shelter-in-place situation going on for over a year, it was easy to get into the habit of not getting out, and to being somewhat closed off from other professionals.  However, with many areas starting to open back up, it's important to continue to build, or in some cases re-establish, those important professional relationships. In this short episode, we talk about networking and the importance of it going forward. (Disclaimer:  If you are in an area that has not opened up, it's important to be cautious of course.  This episode is meant for those in geographical areas where professional association meetings and other business events are starting to become live / in-person activities again.) To listen in on this episode, please use the player below:  

Ryan Lazanis, the Founder of Future Firm and a previous guest on our show, re-joined us this week for a more in-depth discussion of how to build a modern accounting practice that is both scalable and something that fits the life you want to lead. Ryan started his career in a typical staff accountant role like many of us do, and even tried both public accounting and industry like many of us as well.  However, after only a few years and while he was still in his 20's, he decided to build his own accounting practice, but in a way that fit the lifestyle  he wanted to lead – something with more work/life balance than we generally picture in public accounting. At about the 5 year mark, he had been approached so much about potentially selling his practice that he had to seriously consider that option.  After much soul-searching, he decided to go ahead and sell the firm and pursue another passion of his… helping other firm owners build a practice for themselves that fit their own specific dreams. Future Firm, Ryan's current endeavor, helps firm owners build and scale a modern firm that meets their financial needs, but doesn't wear them out in the process.  He focuses on technology and subscription-based offerings in order to help the owners more easily manage their workload and thus their practice. If you have any interest in building a firm, or if you have built a firm and would like it to be a little more lifestyle-friendly for you and your team, you will really enjoy this episode. To find out more about Ryan's offerings, please visit… futurefirm.co/newsletter - for his free newsletter, or futurefirmaccelerate.com – for more information on his consulting & coaching services For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  Ryan Lazanis interview #1 and Ron Baker To listen in on this discussion with Ryan Lazanis, please use the player below:

Julio Gonzalez, the founder of Engineered Tax Services, joined us from Florida for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. We find our guests for the show from many sources, but in this case we just noticed some intriguing content online and decided to delve deeper and find out more.  Julio Gonzalez' early career took him into the specialized tax field, and that opportunity and knowledge base eventually led to him starting his own specialty practice and building it into an organization of several hundred people.  Engineered Tax Services now helps accounting firms and their clients in the areas of cost segregation, R&D tax credits, energy credits, and much more.  In addition, the company also has other offerings focused on helping the CPA firms they work with improve various aspects of their own practices. If building a niche specialty interests you, or simply building a complex organization over time is something you aspire to do, this episode will be of great value.  We were fortunate that Julio spent the time to record this.  I'm sure you will enjoy the episode. For information on Julio's company, visit Engineered Tax Services | Where Engineering & Accounting Come Together. For other episodes you will enjoy, check out:  Brannon Poe and Chris Rosas To listen in on this interview with Julio Gonzalez of Engineered Tax Services, please use the player below:

Amanda “Jo” Erven of Audit.Consulting.Education.,LLC, in the Denver area joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Jo started her career in public accounting, but quickly moved into internal audit after only a short time.  She knew that she wanted to go deeper into helping one organization than typically possible in public accounting, so the internal audit route ended up being better for her.  And she did very well!  Over not too many years she found herself in the role of Internal Audit Director with a financial organization and enjoyed a tremendous amount of satisfaction by working to make internal audit more of a “crossing guard” function instead of a “bad cop” role (to use her own description). Eventually though, Jo decided that she wanted to go broader and help even more organizations achieve the same value-added approach to internal audit, and that is when she formed her company.  The name of the company is “Audit.Consulting.Education.,LLC”, and she helps companies with their internal audit strategies, teaches continuing education and university courses, and also does a variety of consulting in the areas of risk and policy development. Make sure you listen all the way to the end of this episode though.  Jo shares some valuable insights for younger accountants as well regarding how to tell if the organization you work for, or will work for, is a good fit for your own personal values.  That advice is sure to help you find better matches for yourself in your own personal career journey. If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also check out:  Kelly Richmond Pope and Kathy Kapka To listen in on this episode with Amanda “Jo” Erven, please use the player below:

David Peters, a CPA in the Richmond, Virginia area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  David's career is an excellent example of how when you start with a background in accounting, you can go almost any direction you would like, or even many if you prefer! David was an unlikely accountant per se, in that he never had an interest in accounting early in life.  It wasn't until he decided against his first choice of career paths (Theology), that his father suggested that he may excel in Accounting and that it was a solid choice for stability reasons.  Although he obviously continues to live out his faith in his life overall, as it turns out many of his strengths have fit well into building a very successful career in the accounting and finance realm. Fast forward to today, and David does tax work, consulting, and financial advising work for his clients.  In addition, he teaches at both the university level and as a continuing education instructor for CPA Societies and a few for-profit CE providers.  He truly has a tremendous amount of variety in his career, and you can tell that he thoroughly enjoys it. To find out more about David's podcast “Accountable”, visit ‎Accountable on Apple Podcasts Or for information on the educational courses offered through David's company, visit Peters Professional Education For other podcast you will enjoy, try… Tracie Miller-Nobles and Anjali Jariwali To listen to this interview with David Peters, please use the player below:

Diane Yetter, the Founder of the Sales Tax Institute, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  If you aspire to be the true subject matter expert in your field, whatever that may be, you will really enjoy this particular episode. Diane's specialization started much differently than you may imagine.  She didn't start out to specialize in the sales tax area, but rather became very knowledgeable & skilled in it due to automation projects she participated in very early in her career.  Those projects involved improving systems around the accounting for sales tax, and consequently she became a true subject matter expert in a relatively short period of time.  During her work in the field, she also became involved in training teams on these items, and realized how much she enjoyed the training aspect.  It was because of that realization that she decided to strike out on her own and form the Sales Tax Institute in 1996, an organization that handles both training & implementations in the sales tax systems field. For those that enjoy stories of building and re-building businesses, Diane's story will be enjoyable for you as well.  She has made many changes back and forth over the years in her business, as most do, so there is tremendous learning value in that portion of the interview as well.  It's a great story of building a business by seeing a need in the marketplace, and filling it. For other episodes you may enjoy, check out: 66: Stewart Goodson – How Robotics Are Changing the Accounting Field | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) 163: Even a Nerd Can Be Heard – An Interview with Geni Whitehouse | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) For more information on Diane Yetter, visit any of the following links: YETTER Tax: http://www.yettertax.com/ Sales Tax Institute: https://www.salestaxinstitute.com/ Diane Yetter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianeyetter/ YETTER Tax Twitter (used as Diane's personal account): @YetterTax https://twitter.com/YetterTax YETTER Tax LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yetter-tax/ Sales Tax Institute Twitter: @SalesTaxInst https://twitter.com/SalesTaxInst Sales Tax Institute LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-tax-institute/ Sales Tax Institute Facebook: @salestaxinstitute https://www.facebook.com/salestaxinstitute/ To listen in on this interview with Diane Yetter, please use the player below:

Stephen Westbrook, a CPA that has served a few non-profits as their CEO, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Steve's career started as many do.  He initially worked for a couple accounting firms, and then moved on to one of his audit clients.  In this case however, it was with a small non-profit that had recently lost their CFO.  Steve approached them about the opportunity because the purpose of the organization was a great match for his own interests, and suddenly he had his first opportunity in industry – at the CFO level! Fast forward over a decade and a few other positions in both the non-profit and for-profit world, and he once again was presented with an opportunity he couldn't pass up.  That opportunity was to be the Chief Executive Officer of a gospel rescue mission that served the homeless and hungry.  This was an area that Steve had always cared about, so it was a natural fit for him to move into this role.  Steve has been with ECM, or Erie City Mission, since 2016, and the organization has over 500 employees, operates both a men's and women's shelter, and distributes over 130,000 meals per year.  It's a role that is fulfilling from both the career and personal standpoint.  And on top of it, he is able to serve additional organizations as a contract or fractional CFO on the side as his schedule permits.  He has the best of both worlds. If you want to find out more about ECM, please visit Erie City Mission | Erie, PA. Steve's consulting company can be found at www.westbrookinnovative.com For other episodes you may enjoy, check out 123: From the Commercial World to Local United Way CEO – Lyndon Herridge CPA | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) or 112: New Year Special – Revisiting Our Conversation With Harriet Helmle, CPA and Founder of SA Youth Literacy | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) To listen in on this interview with Stephen Westbrook, please use the player below:

As a part of our “2nd-career accountant” series, Brian Goldbard in the Dallas, Texas, area joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Brian enjoys a successful career in private equity accounting now, and has done very well in just a few years, but prior to that he spent 17 years in television production believe it or not!  In this continuation of our 2nd-career series, we delve into the different positions that Brian held, from cameraman to production manager, and how he ultimately made the decision to exit the field in hopes of finding something that better fit his long-term aspirations. One very important step Brian took that you can't miss is that he invested in himself.  Instead of simply looking for a new job, he decided to increase his skill set by going back to college and ultimately getting his accounting degree.  It wasn't long after that when he completed his CPA as well, which has only helped to continue his success in the profession.  I admire that he not only took action, but made a long-term investment in himself… and much later in life than many. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Brian Henderson and Bill Fumetti To listen to this episode with Brian Goldbard, please use the player below:

Gale Crosley, a CPA that has spent the majority of her career in sales, marketing, and product development, and now advises the nation's top accounting firms on such issues, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Gale's career has definitely turned out differently than her original master plan, but as we discuss near the end of the interview, it's turned out much better than she ever could have dreamed. Gale started her career with the plan to become a partner in an accounting firm, as many young students do.  However, after spending just a few years in two of the national firms, she decided to look elsewhere to continue her career… perhaps in industry.  She ended up interviewing with IBM, but found that they had no accounting opportunities in their local office.  Their local office only had a sales team, and so they tried to recruit her for that.  Sales was never something Gale had thought about, so she quickly turned down the opportunity and continued to look.  It wasn't until they came back several times trying to recruit her that she decided to give it a chance and signed on for a special new program IBM was launching.  That was the start of a 12 year period with IBM, and also the start of her real world education in sales, marketing, and product development. After her experience with IBM, as well as a few technology start-ups, she decided that she definitely wanted to have her own business, but not necessarily in the same space (technology).  After much market research, and cross-referencing that with her strengths in sales and marketing, she landed on the specialty of consulting with accounting firms on their market strategies, and now serves some of the largest accounting firms around. This episode is not only a story of business growth, but also of finding your natural talent and using that to shape a career.  Gale is definitely a subject matter expert in her field, and you can tell she thoroughly enjoys it as well. For more information on Crosley Company, visit them at Home - Crosley and Company (crosleycompany.com) For Gale's book on CPA firm success, click here - Amazon.com: At the Crossroads: The Remarkable CPA Firm that Nearly Crashed, then Soared (0884918221111): CPA, Gale Crosley, Stover, Debbie: Books Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Ron Baker and Sarah Elliott To listen in on this episode with Gale Crosley, please use the player below:

Ann Margaret Johnston, a CPA in Georgia with a unique niche for her practice in professional poker players (!), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. As with many guests, Ann Margaret was referred by a former guest of the show, and actually one of her former employers – Ben Loggins.  When Ben contacted us and asked if we wanted to interview the CPA for professional poker stars, we couldn't refuse! Even Ann Margaret's early career was filled with ‘hussle'.  She's worked hard to get to where she is today, and definitely took some risks along the way.  Ann Margaret originally got into accounting simply due to a job opportunity becoming available after she decided against pre-law as a major.  However, she quickly started to work on her accounting education over the next 9 years, going to school in the evenings.  After working at a few firms, and then unfortunately being caught in a layoff, she decided to start taking on clients of her own, and eventually parlayed that into a winning hand – her own accounting practice. Along the way though, she recognized that there was an opportunity to combine her newly acquired love of poker with her career to form an exciting and much-needed niche: the niche of helping professional poker players handle their taxes.  And you will be able to tell quickly in this episode that it's a specialty that she thoroughly enjoys.  A specialty is always a good idea, but when you thoroughly enjoy that specific arena yourself, it makes for a wonderful career choice.  Ann Margaret genuinely enjoys being able to help this very specific section of the marketplace. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Ben Loggins & CPAOnFire Josh Bauerle. Also, to find Ann Margaret's book, please click here. To listen in on this episode with Ann Margaret Johnston, please use the player below.

Bill Von Fumetti, a CPA and the owner of Booming Bookkeeping Business, joined us for this special “2nd-career” edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Had we not already decided to call these our “2nd career” series, we would probably have to do something different since accounting was Bill's 4th or 5th career choice depending on how you count them!  Bill worked in many different areas before finally landing on accounting as his career of choice.  He started out in database development actually, then moved on into an entrepreneurial calendar production business, then to a role as a personal/business assistant, and then he even managed a gym!  All along the way though he realized the importance of understanding accounting and business, and that is ultimately what led him to decide that accounting would be an excellent way to settle down with a long-term fruitful career. Fast forward to today and Bill operates his own practice, and also helps other accountants and bookkeepers attract the clients they want through his Booming Bookkeeping Business company.  If you want to learn more about that, please make sure to check them out online as well.  He's definitely very passionate about our profession, and I'm sure he would have some valuable advice for anyone looking to build a similar accounting/bookkeeping career. For other episodes you may enjoy, please check out:  Brannon Poe and Chris Hervochon To listen in on this episode with Bill Von Fumetti, please use the player below.

Brian Henderson in the Austin area joined us for this “2nd career” edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  This is one of our “second career” episodes meaning that the guest started in a different career first, and then migrated later on into accounting.  For Brian, it was professional baseball! Brian's boyhood dream was to play professional baseball, and unlike many though, he actually did get the opportunity to do so.  Although he was cut from his freshman team in high school, he continued to work at it, played college baseball, and eventually was able to get drafted to play professionally – which came with a signing bonus and two additional years of college scholarships for his post-baseball life.  Brian played for six to seven seasons, spending part of the time as a Durham Bull (reference the Kevin Costner movie), and was on a triple A team. How does this relate to accounting though???  We will get to that now… Many of the lessons Brian learned during his baseball days have served him well in accounting.  First was the lesson of persistence.  Had he not stuck it out in those early years, he never would have had the opportunity to play professionally later on.  This carried over to the determination he needed to return to school and finish his degree, hoping for a career that was a little easier from a physical standpoint.  Also, the people skills he developed during that time served him well for getting his first real accounting position… a position he basically got through networking.  And lastly, all kidding aside, he learned to “embrace the suck” (a quote from Brian), which definitely helped him through the time preparing for the CPA exam.  I think that's something most of us will understand. 

For this episode, we actually revisit an idea from a very recent guest - Chris Hervochon. Due to very bad weather conditions in Texas, we got behind on recording episodes.  However, as luck would have it, there was a concept that Chris had shared in his recent episode with us that made for a good CareerTalk mini-episode.  It was great timing for sure! In this mini-show, we talk about the value of 'learning what good looks like', or setting yourself up for opportunities that will do just that.  It was a very small portion of the previous show, but Chris mentioned it a couple times and I thought it was an important concept to delve deeper into in this additional broadcast. We will return next week with another full episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, but in the  meantime, please listen in on a few thoughts I had on this very important concept that Chris Hervochon shared:  learning what good looks like. Have a great week!

Maxene Bardwell, a highly-accomplished professional in the field of Internal Audit from the Maryland area, joined us for this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  If you have ever considered moving your own career in the direction of audit, or internal audit specifically, this episode will be extremely valuable for you. Maxene's career started in a role that she actually didn't even realize was internal audit when she accepted it.  It was titled Risk Analyst, and was in the financial institution industry.  However, she quickly realized as she got into the job that it was an audit role at its core, and it ended up being a great career path for her.  After 24 years in the field now, she is the Associate Inspector General for a major water utility in the Northeast. Another interesting facet of this episode is that we talk about the six, yes six (!), certifications that Maxene holds.  She became a CPA first, but then as she got deeper into the field of audit and as the field continued to adapt over the years, she continued to attain additional certifications that have helped her to continue to show excellence and capability across many aspects of the work.  Luckily, as we find out in this episode, much of the continuing education is cross-applicable. 

Chris Hervochon, a CPA in South Carolina that has developed a niche business in the area of providing accounting services for marketing agencies and creatives, joined us this week for Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In addition to having a thorough discussion of the benefits of having a specialty, we also talk for a while about Chris' experience as a professional golfer for a short time right before beginning his accounting career.  Right as he was graduating, he decided to pursue his other passion for a while and see how that worked out.  Although he is happy that he gave the field of professional golfing a chance, it ended up being a little more difficult to make a living than he preferred, so he returned to his originally chosen major – Accounting. We spend most of the second half of this interview discussing Chris' accounting practice and the specialty he's developed in a relatively short period of time.  It really is a worthwhile discussion to listen to for anyone considering striking out on their own at some point.  Niches truly do make sense, and Chris does a great job of verbalizing why. For other episodes you may enjoy, please check out:  CPAonFire Josh Bauerle and Amanda Aguillard To listen to this interview with Chris Hervochon, please use the player below:

Carl Peterson, the VP of Small Firm Interests with AICPA, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  In this episode, we cover Carl's not-quite-traditional start to his career, his many years of successfully running his own practice with his wife whom is also a CPA, and his eventual transition into the Small Firm Interests role at AICPA.  There definitely is much variety in this episode. If you… Didn't take college as seriously as you think you should have early on, and therefore had to work harder to get a good start, or Found that you liked public accounting due to the variety of work, or Ever felt like running your own practice may be the path to take, or Ever simply wondered what life in a small firm may be like… … then this episode will have value for you. Carl's interview is packed with great insight into what it means to work in a small firm, and what some of the unexpected advantages are.  In addition, he admittedly didn't work as hard in his early college days as he should have, and therefore had to job hunt more than the typical accounting major.  However, there are great insights to be had from that part of the story as well.  You certainly will both enjoy and learn something from this particular interview. If you do enjoy this interview, please also check out:  Josh Bauerle and Marcus Dillon Also, for other career-related advice, please check out our book “49 Tips For A Successful Accounting Career” on Amazon. To listen in on this interview with Carl Peterson, please use the player below.

In this special episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we pieced together five interviews with five distinguished accounting firm partners in order to bring you a special resource. Our guests came from firms ranging in size from boutique, niche local firms, to multi-office firms, to a Big 4 firm as well.  The partners that generously donated their time for this endeavor were: Joey Tackett with the national firm Deloitte Kim Ford with theKFordGroup, a boutique firm in San Antonio, Texas Tim Pike with Howard in Dallas, Sheila Enriquez with Briggs & Veselka, a regional firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, and Jocelyn Hill with Williams Adley, a niche firm in Washington, DC We discuss how to move up to partner, what they learned about being a partner that they didn't realize before, who may not enjoy being a partner in an accounting firm, and other general insights into what being a partner in a CPA firm truly means.  This is sure to be one of our more timeless resources as far as our podcast goes. This show is definitely longer than others, but that's because there wasn't really much we could cut.  All of the information the five partners shared was key to the overall purpose of the show.  We hope you both enjoy the show and get much value from the information they were willing to share. If you do enjoy this particular episode, please also check out:  How To Pass The CPA Exam To listen to this conglomerate show with five CPA firm partners, please use the player below:

Tasha Fox, a CPA that was recently recognized by CPA Practice Advisor on the list of Most Powerful Women in Accounting, joined us for this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. This was a first for our show in that we have never had an accounting executive from a Native American tribe on our program, so we took the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the actual accounting processes and structures in hopes of gaining a little bit of an understanding of accounting in a tribal organization.  Tasha was very generous with her time and explanations of how the tribe operates from an accounting standpoint, so you will not only enjoy hearing the interview, but you will get an education as well!  This really was a valuable interview from several standpoints. If you enjoy this interview, make sure to also check out our conversation with:  Sarah Elliott and Kimberly Ellison-Taylor To listen in on this interview with Tasha Fox from the Osage Nation, please use the player below:

Carolyn Smith, Senior Partner with C3 Financial Partners in Texas, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Carolyn's career started as many do… in public accounting.  And in fact, she spent the first 30 years of her career with the same accounting firm, minus a one-year detour into industry.  During that time, she developed expertise in helping business owners exit their businesses through a variety of scenarios.  However, one of the scenarios that sometimes happen particularly caused her to be emotionally attached to her work, the scenario of a business transfer due to a death.  After many years working through these transitions, Carolyn decided to try to get on the front-side of these tragedies by going into the field of planning around the insurance that is needed.  She got her life insurance license, and later on her CAP certification (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy), and now helps family businesses plan for the possibility of the passing on of a key member of their team, as well as how to plan for giving that they may want to do from a legacy perspective.  This really is an interesting episode. If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Harriet Helmle To listen to this interview with Carolyn Smith, please use the player below:

Kelly Boswell, the Director of Tax Controversy with the San Antonio based accounting firm ADKF, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. Kelly accepted her new role as Director of Tax Controversy early last year, so we invited her on the show to talk more about that specific specialty.  “Tax controversy” specialists seem to be popping up with many firms in the marketplace, so it was time to do an episode that covered that area of interest in depth.  As you will hear in Kelly's career story, many of her previous experiences helped build her into an ideal professional for this type of role, and we discuss some of that background in this interview so that those interested in the field can guide their own career in that direction. However, we also stumbled on another interesting facet of Kelly's career journey:  the fact that she postponed her career for 12 years after finishing school.  Kelly was at the point right after college where her and her husband wanted to start a family, so she temporarily put her career on hold about the time most people are just getting started.  This made for an inspiring story though, as you will hear about the steps she took to help better her situation when re-entering the workforce.  There is tremendous value in that portion of the story as well. There truly is great value for many different types of professionals in this episode.  If you enjoy this interview, please also check out:  Shanikwa Davis and Elena Levario For more information on Kelly's firm, you can visit https://www.adkf.com/ To listen in on this interview with Kelly Boswell, Director of Tax Controversy, please use the player below:

Jose Campos, a Partner with Deloitte in California, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. We were referred to Jose by a listener that heard him speak on the subject of diversity in the profession, and we certainly were not disappointed.  Jose has had an amazing career, staying with Deloitte all the way from starting as an entry-level accountant, to becoming Partner a while back.  Plus, he has been a leader with Deloitte in the area of Diversity & Inclusion, a true passion for Jose.  Interestingly enough, he almost chose a career working to advance the interests of minorities early in his life, and even though he chose accounting instead of that path, he has still been able to help the profession make significant headway in that area. In addition to Jose's work as a Big 4 Partner and in the diversity area, he has also served on the State Board of Accountancy for the state of California, a job that carries with it tremendous responsibility as well.  We truly do get into a wealth of information in this podcast episode. To find out more about Deloitte specifically, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html. For information on their D&I efforts, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/deloitte-inclusion.html?icid=top_deloitte-inclusion For other episodes you may enjoy, make sure to listen to:  Joey Tackett and Amy Pitter To listen in on this episode with Jose Campos, please use the player below:

Ron Baker, Founder of the Verasage Institute and one of my absolute favorite podcast hosts, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast. If you haven't heard The Soul Of Enterprise podcast, you are missing out.  Ron Baker co-hosts the program with another brilliant thinker, Ed Kless, and provides some of the most thought-provoking content I have ever experienced.  It's quite literally one of my favorite two podcasts. Ron started his career in public accounting, moved into industry, and then founded his own accounting firm.  It was during those early years that he began to severely dislike the concept of the billable hour and timesheets in public accounting.  That disdain for the billable hour led him to write a book, the first of many actually, and that launched his eventual consulting career working with firms to make the profession better.  He now devotes his full-time efforts to pricing strategy and related topics.  The organization he founded, the Verasage Institute, is a think-tank formed for exactly the purpose of reaching the tipping-point where the billable hour will become just a footnote in the history books.  And what's interesting, is that it looks like we are there.  There definitely have been a large number of firms that have moved away from the billable-hour concept, and it appears that its eventual death is becoming a certainty. If you like a story of finding your passion, and devoting your efforts to making a difference in the world, you will love this episode. Make sure to check out the links above in the shownotes as well for Ron's own podcast, as well as some of his books. To listen in on this interview with Ron Baker, please use the player below:

Ben Loggins of Loggins, Kern, McCombs in Atlanta, Georgia, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  In this episode, we discuss the growth and progression of Ben's firm, and also his outside-of-work interest in the area of Roswell history and supporting US figure skating! We initially asked Ben to be on the show to discuss the progression and growth of his accounting firm because it has been a while since we had a long-term CPA firm owner on the program.  And we did have a good discussion of the history and changes with their firm over the years, including some talk regarding finding the right partners for your firm.  However, we also happened into a discussion surrounding Ben's hobbies, both of which originated due to interests his daughter had.  His daughter was involved in figure skating for many years, and because of that Ben served on the Finance Committee for the US Figure Skating organization.  And in an even more interesting turn of events in our interview, we also found out that Ben speaks on the history surrounding extra-terrestrial events in Roswell, New Mexico – you know, alien stuff!  He's done quite a bit of research on the topic, and even has a YouTube video about Roswell.  Check it out at: https://youtu.be/lQf8-AoAyoI This interview was fun on many levels. For more information on Ben's firm, please visit their site at: https://www.logginscpa.com/our-firm/ I'm sure you will really enjoy this interview.  To listen in on the discussion we had with Ben Loggins, please use the player below:

Jaclyn Badeau of Badeau Consulting joined us for this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  Jaclyn's career spans public accounting, large industry, global travel positions, and now her own consulting practice.  There is something here for everyone! Jaclyn's career started very early.  She actually had her first accounting clerk job while in high school!  She very much enjoyed that position, so majoring in accounting was a natural choice. After college, she worked in public accounting for six years, and then in industry with the Tempur Sealy organization for almost 9 years after that.  Through those various management roles, she continued to be involved in leadership training and coaching, which further refined her own leadership coaching skills.  Eventually, she decided in early 2020 to devote herself full-time to coaching others, and Badeau Consulting was formed.  Now she works with both groups and individual professionals who want to go the “extra M.I.L.E.”, an acronym that stands for motivate, inspire, lead, and empower.  You can tell that Jaclyn really enjoys helping others grow, so this was a natural next step in her journey. Learn more about Jaclyn's company at www.badeauconsulting.com For other episodes you will enjoy, make sure to listen to:  Robina Benion and Brian Kush To listen in on this interview with Jaclyn Badeau, please use the player below:

Joey Ryan, the CFO and Co-Founder of a company working in the blockchain solution space, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. We haven't touched on blockchain much yet on this show with the exception of an episode or two, so this was a refreshing topic.  Joey started his career in public accounting, but as he worked to keep up his knowledge of current issues in the profession, he became interested in blockchain and crypto-currency.  Fast forward a couple years and he was meeting the individuals he co-founded Gilded with at a crypto-currency Meetup event.  And as they say, the rest is history. Gilded creates accounting solutions for companies that transact business in crypto-currency.  Their products plug into existing accounting systems in order to enable functions such as billing and collections to be handled in crypto-currency mediums. If you want to know more about how crypto-currency affects the accounting profession from a very practical standpoint, this episode is for you. For another episode that may interest you, check out:  Shehan Chandrasekera To listen in on this episode with Joey Ryan, please use the player below:

It's hard to believe that the time flew by so fast, but we are celebrating our 200th episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. If you've been a listener for a while, you know we've changed several things along the way.  We've changed our intro section a few times, our outro section many times, our website address, and even our intro music – which we like much, much better now!  But one thing that never changed is our commitment to bringing you great guests each and every week.  Until now that is… ha! For this episode, we decided to turn the tables and I (Mark Goldman, the regular host) asked a good friend to interview me for this particular show.  Sarah Elliott of Intend2Lead, a wonderful friend of the show, agreed to do the job of interviewing me for this one episode.  We discuss many things, and honestly it was a new experience for me.  It's odd being interviewed for your own show

Greg Kyte, a CPA in Utah that does stand-up comedy, serves as host for several conferences, and still works his full-time day job as a Controller, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast. I first encountered Greg through the “mind-numbingly repetitive” commercials he has done for one of my own personal favorite podcasts – “The Soul of Enterprise”.  I didn't know this until the interview, but the commercial spots he recorded for that show were supposed to be used for a short time (or so he thought), but ended up being so impactful that they continued to be used over and over for years.  If you haven't listened to that particular podcast, please check it out.  They have great content, and you will crack up when you hear Greg's 3 commercial spots – they truly are hilarious. Greg works as a Controller for a medical building management company full-time as well.  However, that doesn't stop him from being the comedic host for conferences such as Xerocon, or from recording comedic CPE sessions for online providers.  He's found the best of all worlds! One take-away for me personally was that Greg has been able to pursue his passion because he was willing to put himself out there and be judged.  Whether it was in the initial years doing stand-up, or the letters he wrote to the editor of the Journal of Accountancy, Greg hasn't been shy about expressing himself and waiting to see how it's received.  And obviously it's been received well – he really is a funny guy. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to also check out:  John Garrett and Geni Whitehouse To listen in on this interview with Greg Kyte, please use the player below.

Stephen Oliver, a CPA that focused his career early on in consulting areas such as forensic projects, litigation support, and merger/acquisition analysis, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. I've personally known Stephen for many years, but even I learned quite a bit from this interview. Stephen started his career with a small start-up accounting firm in an intern role, but it wasn't the type of work you may expect.  Due to the focus and start-up nature of that firm, he ended up working with clients on business planning very early in his career.  That experience, coupled with some valuable relationships, ended up landing him another internship with Arthur Andersen in consulting & litigation support immediately afterwards.  As you can tell, he was becoming a specialist even as an intern, so when he graduated and began working full-time, he was able to continue working on consulting projects instead of the typical tax or audit roles, which was exactly what he wanted to do. Fast forward many years now, and he has been able to become a well-respected subject matter expert in the areas of litigation support, forensics, and mergers & acquisitions.  He's worked at both large and small accounting firms, and large & small companies in industry.  He's also been a featured panel speaker at local business owner focused events. Gethsemane Partners, Stephen's own practice that he launched several years ago, is now expanding into fractional CFO offerings as well, which is a natural evolution given his own personal background. For more information on Gethsemane Partners, please check out:  https://g-ptrs.com/ For other related podcast episodes, please listen to:  Robin Thieme and Ramsey Womack To listen to this interview with Stephen Oliver, please use the player below:

Twyla Verhelst joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  As you would expect, we discussed FreshBooks and how that accounting solution has expanded in recent years, but we also cover Twyla's earlier career history as well.  Twyla has had an amazing journey, spanning typical accounting roles, to starting several businesses, to founding a charitable endeavor, to her role now with FreshBooks.  It truly is an amazing journey. I confess that I typically thought of FreshBooks as a micro-business solution for solo-preneurs.  However, I was mistaken.  Make sure you listen all the way to the end on this episode.  Twyla gives us a great overview of the platform changes they have made in recent years, and how that has enabled them to handle much larger enterprises in the small & mid-market space. If you enjoy a story of entrepreneurism, you will love this episode as well.  Twyla co-founded a cloud accounting company, a software application company, a charitable organization, and even a mortgage company early in her career.  She definitely has an entrepreneurial streak. Once you listen to this episode, if you would like more episodes on similar topics, make sure you check out:  Mike Whitmire and Amanda Aguillard To listen in on this episode, please use the player below.

Felicia Farrar, a CPA, CFE, and now a PhD candidate as well, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. We haven't touched on careers within governmental accounting in a while, so this episode will be a refreshing change.  Felicia joined us for this program to discuss her career path that started with several years early on working with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  In an interesting turn of events though, as she progressed in her education, she decided to leave the Service in order to expand her experience base.  After some time in the Big 4, and then some time in accounting for a major municipality, she decided to return to the IRS and continue her career there. In addition to the discussion of Felicia's career, we also delve into the importance of attaining appropriate credentials along the way.  As you will hear during this interview, Felicia made most (if not all) of her career decisions based on the experience she would gain or the importance of the work.  Also, she always made sure that she worked towards getting the appropriate credentials for the job, such as the CFE certification, CPA certification, and even advanced degrees.  She definitely has worked hard to get to where she is today. Governmental accounting positions can be very rewarding for many individuals, and Felicia's career path is an excellent example of that.  I think you will thoroughly enjoy this episode. For similar episodes, check out:  Bill Cotter and Amy Pitter To listen in on this interview with Felicia Farrar, please click on the player below: