CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Discover the link between triggers, burnout, and the power of saying “not right now.”Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationLet’s be honest: the accounting profession isn’t exactly known for work-life balance. Long hours, tax season sprints, and "just one more thing" emails can leave even the most seasoned pros teetering on the edge of burnout.In this episode of ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA, confront that edge—and explain why healthy boundaries are more than just trendy jargon. They're essential tools for staying sane, productive, and professionally respected. MORE Accounting ARC: Your Identity is Not a Liability | What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service “Burnout is basically professional depression,” says Mason, CEO of High Rock Accounting. “If you find yourself triggered, angry, or exhausted at work all the time, there’s a good chance your boundaries are being violated—and you might not even realize it.”From protecting their calendars to setting clear expectations with clients and teams, the ARC crew shares how they’ve each developed personal systems that work for them, not just their inboxes. And while TikTok may glamorize the “just say no” mentality, the hosts caution against confusing boundaries with avoidance.Originally published May 29, 2025. 

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From unclear goals to digital missteps, this episode outlines what it takes to transform with confidence.Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownChange isn’t slowing down. It’s speeding up. And according to Hannah Munro, that’s precisely why finance professionals can’t afford to treat transformation as a one-time event. More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here In this episode of Accounting Influencers, Munro—managing director of ITAS Solutions and host of the CFO 4.0 podcast—discusses driving successful change in accounting and finance. She dives into why so many transformation initiatives fail and outlines a smarter path forward for firms looking to adapt, evolve, and thrive.“The pace of change is accelerating,” Munro explains. “That volatility and uncertainty are forcing finance professionals to elevate their role.”According to Munro, a startling 70% of transformation projects fail, but she believes it’s not because change is impossible—it’s because the foundations are shaky from the start.This was originally published April 19, 2025.

CPAClub is doing what few dared: killing the billable hour, shrinking the workweek, and proving that audit doesn’t have to suck.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrPublic accounting has long had a reputation for being slow to change, but in the world of audit, that pace has been glacial. Chris Vanover, CPA, founder and president of CPAClub (formerly AuditClub), is here to challenge that status quo. In this episode of The Disruptors, Vanover shares how he’s rebuilding audit from the ground up—ditching billable hours, crushing burnout, and making accounting cool (and flexible) again. CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES: The 100th Episode of The Disruptors MORE STREAMING: Erica Goode: Build a $200K Firm in 15 Hours a Week | Randy Crabtree: Live at the Intersection of Passion & Skill | McClelland and Telka: Women Ready to Rewrite the Rules of Accounting | Jacob Schroeder: AI Won’t Replace Accountants—But It Will Reveal Who’s Replaceable | Ditching Corporate America: The Bold Story Behind PBS Accounting’s Rapid Rise | Jean Zick: Happy Team = Happy Clients | Breslin & Greathead: Be a Client Advocate | Dominic Piscopo: Clear Pay=Bargaining Power | Debbie Kilsheimer: Stop Thinking Small  And the transformation doesn’t stop with audit. CPAClub has expanded into tax and advisory, now offering a broader array of subscription-based solutions for CPA firms.CPAClub isn’t your typical firm—and Vanover isn’t your typical leader. Rather than tracking time like an industrial-era factory, CPAClub operates like a subscription service. CPA firms buy weekly “access passes” to seasoned professionals—aka “chiefs” and “crew”—who deliver solutions, not hours. Each day ends with a “solution scorecard” detailing the work completed, best practices, and observations.

"We've got a real problem. And no easy fix."Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownThe accounting profession is undergoing a seismic shift—and not all of it bodes well for those who value independence, innovation, or client service. In this episode of Accounting Influencers, veteran tech strategist Randy Johnston, shareholder at K2 Enterprises, reveals the hard truths behind the changing operational and technological landscape of accounting firms. MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown Johnston, who has advised thousands of firms across four decades, shares what he’s hearing behind closed doors at events like AICPA ENGAGE. From AI hysteria to private equity overreach, the most alarming trend is clear: “We’re seeing the erosion of what made accounting firms trusted advisors in the first place.”According to Johnston, the most disturbing trend is the hollowing out of accounting technology products. As private equity and public companies consolidate the market, product quality is dropping, support is slower, and innovation is stagnating.

Get more control, greater flexibility, and a path to smarter growth.Gear Up for GrowthWith Jean CaragherFor CPA TrendlinesIn this episode of Gear Up for Growth, powered by CPA Trendlines, Anshul Agrawal, founder of June15 Consulting, shares how direct ownership offshoring is helping CPA firms unlock long-term value and sharpen their competitive edge.  Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effficient growth in today's competitive landscape. Gear Up for Growth every Friday here. More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More Gear Up for Growth More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here “Direct ownership offshoring is no longer just for the Top 100 firms,” Agrawal explains. “Whether you're a solo practitioner or a mid-sized firm, the model gives you full control of your offshore team without the middlemen – and that changes everything.” According to Agrawal, direct ownership offshoring – where firms directly employ and manage offshore staff – offers a more strategic and cost-effective alternative to traditional outsourcing. It enables firms to maintain independence, expand capacity, and deliver year-round support while improving margins.

Learn why today’s students want more than titles—and how employers should respond.Accounting ARCWith Arpan Grewal and Harshita MultaniCenter for Accounting TransformationAccounting ARC: Student-Led Conversations isn’t just another student podcast—it’s a cross-generational wake-up call.In this episode, business students Arpan Grewal and Harshita Multani, both interns for the Center for Accounting Transformation, lead a powerful dialogue with Texlin Usher Quinney, CPA, PMP, Ph.D., and Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA. Their topic? The flawed premise of “finding your passion.” MORE Accounting ARC: Your Identity Is Not a Liability | What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service |“My daughter thought her first job out of college had to be her passion,” explains Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ and co-founder and educator for TB Academy. “But passion isn’t a one-time decision—it’s an evolution.”That reframing hits home for Grewal and Multani, who admit to once dreaming of wildly different careers. “We grew up with Barbie being everything—doctor, astronaut, president,” says Grewal. “So why should we pick just one thing?”

Forward-thinking firms transform disruption into dominance. Accounting InfluencersWith Rob BrownIn a profession built on precision, trust, and timeless principles, a disruptive force has arrived—and it’s not just another regulation. It’s technology. Automation, AI, and machine learning are redefining accounting at a rapid pace, sparking a pressing question: Is technology a force for good, or the demise of accountants as we know them?  MORE Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown In this episode of Accounting Influencers, host Rob Brown tackles this seismic shift head-on. With over 300,000 accountants having exited the profession since 2020—a 17% decline—Brown cuts through the noise to examine whether accounting is facing an extinction event or a long-overdue evolution.He asks, “Tech is coming for your job—are you ready?”That provocative question lies at the heart of this episode, which unpacks the opportunities and risks technology presents to today’s firms and professionals. Spoiler alert: tech isn’t the enemy. But indifference might be.

“When people see their strengths clearly for the first time, they feel seen, and that changes everything.”MOVE Like ThisWith Bonnie Buol RuszczykFor CPA TrendlinesAt Clark Nuber, developing talent is more than a bullet point on a strategic plan; it's woven into the fabric of how the firm operates. Angela Oakley, director of the firm’s Talent Advisor Program, sits down with the Move Like This podcast to share how her team has successfully embedded the CliftonStrengths assessment into nearly every phase of the employee life cycle. From onboarding to performance conversations, strengths-based coaching has become a core tool for helping individuals grow and for building stronger, more connected teams.More MOVEOakley describes how the initiative began in 2016, after one of the tax teams had already explored strengths to improve internal collaboration. That early success, along with a culture already committed to learning and people-first leadership, laid the foundation for broader adoption. With support from key influencers and her own certification in the assessment tool, Oakley began integrating CliftonStrengths into the firm's coaching framework, building buy-in organically, one conversation at a time.The launch of the Talent Advisor Program shortly before the pandemic created a timely opportunity to scale this approach. Meeting regularly with employees at all levels, Oakley and her team were able to personalize development using strengths as a shared language. Whether coaching new associates or partnering with team leads, the focus remains the same: help people understand what they do best and how to use those strengths to navigate challenges, build relationships, and succeed at work.

Thrive with a lean schedule, happy clients, and a calm home life.The DisruptorsWith Liz FarrErica Goode was exhausted and burned out as a corporate accountant and mom of two young children. “I could not figure out a sane way to operate a 50-hour work week and raise two kids and have a spouse who worked a 50-hour work week,” Goode explains. “I don't think there is a great way to do it. It does not leave a lot of margin to be a full-time working parent.” CPA TRENDLINES CELEBRATES: The 100th Episode of The Disruptors MORE STREAMING: Randy Crabtree: Live at the Intersection of Passion & Skill | McClelland and Telka: Women Ready to Rewrite the Rules of Accounting | Jacob Schroeder: AI Won’t Replace Accountants—But It Will Reveal Who’s Replaceable | Ditching Corporate America: The Bold Story Behind PBS Accounting’s Rapid Rise | Jean Zick: Happy Team = Happy Clients | Breslin & Greathead: Be a Client Advocate | Dominic Piscopo: Clear Pay=Bargaining Power | Debbie Kilsheimer: Stop Thinking Small | So she quit to become a full-time mom. However, she missed accounting.  So when the owner of the fitness studio where one of her children took Tae Kwon Do classes asked for help, she said yes, even though she had never touched QuickBooks before.