In this season finale, host Rob Brown distills the most powerful insights from 14 standout accounting innovators featured in the CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40. Throughout this episode, discover the 5 transformative themes that surfaced across every conversation. Learn how influence begins with service, why your personal story is your greatest asset, and what makes leadership truly human. Additionally, explore why visibility carries responsibility and how curiosity and adaptability are shaping the future of the profession.
Key Themes Covered:
- Influence Begins With Service: Real influence starts with helping others. For example, Anna Arazo talks about lifting people up. Meanwhile, Mac Lillard shows how calm leadership builds trust.
- Your Story Is Your Superpower: Every leader’s influence starts with a personal story. For instance, Lexi Weber stopped waiting for permission. Similarly, Zach Gordon encourages bold decisions. Furthermore, Matt Tate shows how honesty breaks down barriers.
- Leadership Is Human Before It Is Technical: Beyond technical excellence, people follow people. In fact, Catherine Houghton reflects on burnout. Additionally, Taylor Hartman explains psychological safety. Moreover, Gohan Dimitrovich reframes accounting as a human helping profession.
- Visibility Is Responsibility: Your voice matters. Specifically, Caleb Jenkins shows how influence grows when you contribute with no expectation. Likewise, Kendall King urges young leaders to act with conviction.
- Curiosity and Adaptability Shape the Future: With the biggest transition since paper ledgers, adaptability wins. In particular, Rachel Farris champions curiosity. In addition, Matt Tate calls this the best time to be an accountant.
Ultimately, this wrap-up honors the rising leaders shaping the next chapter of accounting. It also highlights the mindset shifts needed to stay relevant, visible, and impactful in a changing profession.
Leaders of the Ledger is an ongoing podcast series spotlighting the innovators, firm leaders, and rising stars shaping the future of accounting with practical insights and proven strategies. This podcast is produced and owned by CPA Practice Advisor.
You can learn more about the podcast, episode recaps, and more at https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/podcasts/.
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Transcript (Note: There may be typos due to automated transcription errors.)
Rob Brown (00:00.143)
Influence is not being about the loudest voice, it’s about being the clearest voice, the most consistent voice, the most human voice. And you don’t need a giant platform to make an impact. These people I’ve interviewed, they’re not looking for millions of followers. Your story is your superpower. And every guest I interviewed asked them about their story and they carried the story that shaped their influence. Tim Petrie said, my entire journey has been about integrity leadership. He said he’s doing the right thing even when nobody will ever know. A recovering attorney, tender counting influencer said,
Simon leadership movies honesty his quote was not knowing the answer is a really good way to build trust so this second theme influence grows when you share your journey and you’re talking about what’s real theme three was that leadership is human before it’s technical technical excellence matters obviously it’s a given table stakes but people follow people not job titles people trust personal brands more than they trust corporate brands influence doesn’t start with visibility that’s part of it it’s no longer about you others mac lillard’s showed how steady
leadership builds trust. said you influence people by staying calm when things get complicated.
Rob Brown (01:12.067)
Aaron Marbron and this is the Leaders of the Ledger podcast. This is a season ending episode and I want to start with some gratitude. It’s been a privilege to interview some of the most influential people that are up and coming in this accounting profession. So big thank you to CPA Practice Advisor for creating the 40 under 40 list that has inspired the entire series. That list is a launch pad for rising accounting leaders and a clear sign on the future of the profession.
Thanks also to RightWorks for supporting the show and for backing the next generation of voices that really want to make this profession better. Thanks to everyone for listening. Firm owners, practitioners, educators, innovators, people who care about where the accounting profession is headed and what a stake in shaping that. I’ve done 14 episodes in this first season and I’ve spoke with emerging leaders who are shaking up my landscape all in their own way. Different styles, different backgrounds, a shared desire to do important work and
push the profession forward. And today in this wrap up episode, I want to those conversations together and share some of the themes that kept surfacing. Some quotes from some of these great people, themes about influence, leadership, voice, personal agency, and influence in a profession that needs all of these things. So theme number one, influence begins with service. This came through again and again with the people that I interviewed that influence doesn’t start with
visibility, that’s part of it, but it starts with service. Anna Arazo, you can check out her interview in this series. She said it with clarity. She said, you reach a point where it’s no longer about you. You are there to lift others up. Mac Lailaz showed how steady leadership builds trust. said, you influence people by staying calm when things get complicated. And goodness, we’re in a complicated world, we? Rachel Farris said, curiosity is the real driver of progress.
Ask better questions than everyone around you, she said. And Tim O’Neill reminded us all that leadership is growth in action. He said, I’m always looking to better myself. I’m always looking to better others. So when fun begins with service, that’s theme number one. When you make others better, when you serve others, your voice gets stronger. Theme number two, your story is your superpower. And every guest I interviewed asked them about their story and they carried.
Rob Brown (03:28.706)
the story that shaped their influence. Tim Petrie said, my entire journey has been about integrity leadership. said he’s doing the right thing, even when nobody will ever know. Lexi Weber had a breakthrough moment that many listeners can relate to. said, I stopped waiting for permission and that changed everything. Zachary Gordon encouraged people to act and not other things. said, make the jump, reach out, go to the event, take the step that you’ve been avoiding.
It was a really strong message on saying yes to things. John Malone highlighted the power of momentum, keeping going. said, just start. You’ve already got the skill to add value and you’d be surprised how far your voice carries you. And that tape from Decimal, a recovering attorney turned accounting influencer said, the most disarming leadership movie is Honesty. His quote was, not knowing the answer is a really good way to build trust.
So this second theme, influence grows when you share your journey, not a polished one, but you’re vulnerable and you’re talking about what’s real. Theme three was that leadership is human before it’s technical. So yeah, technical excellence matters. Obviously it’s a given, it’s table stakes, but people follow people, not job titles. People trust personal brands more than they trust corporate brands. Catherine Houghton offended one of the most honest reflections of this season that we’re in and she said,
Burnout forced me to stop and actually think about what makes me happy. Taylor Hartman said, influence grows when people feel safe to speak around you. That’s influencing very simple terms, isn’t it? You make people feel better. Gohan Demetrovich, he reframed the profession with beautiful simplicity. He said accounting is not only the numbers, it’s understanding people and helping them make better decisions. He was the first person I interviewed on this series.
Vitzer Garrido brought pride back into focus. He said accounting is one of the most noble professions in the world. And we think it is, but he called it and we need more of those bold voices. So leadership is human, it’s emotional intelligence, clarity, connection and care. And the fourth theme for me was that visibility is responsibility. I speak a lot about this. My book is on Amazon, Your Reputation. And I did a TED talk called The Personal Brand of You.
Rob Brown (05:51.872)
Invisibility is going to harm you. It’s going to harm the impact that you can have in the world. And you might, you might be out there thinking that you’re doing great things, but doing stuff is not enough. can’t lead from silence. Caleb Jenkins captured it well. said, your influence grows when you contribute without expecting to get back. So give first, the opportunities follow. Kendal King, very dynamic personality. He encouraged the next generation to act with conviction. He said,
Understand what your passion is, research how to enter that space and then go hard in it. Don’t be afraid. Might take highlight to the cost of staying quiet. He said authenticity and honesty build trust far more than pretending to have all the answers. So visibility is not just about the noise too. Yes, it’s been vocal and visible, but it’s about contribution. You’ve to say something meaningful. And when you speak up, the whole profession gets stronger.
And the fifth and final theme that I picked out from all of these interviews was that curiosity and adaptability define the future. Everyone I interviewed was an innovator in their own way. Every guest touched on this in their own way. Rachel Farris talked about curiosity as an advantage. Mac Lillard talked about mentorship and measured behavior, being curious about other people. John Malone encouraged professionals to stay teachable. That’s adaptable. Matt Tate said,
We’re in the single biggest transition since the ledger moved off paper and he called this the best time to be an accountant. So we know the profession is changing fast and the people that stay curious, adaptable and visible are the ones who will shape what’s coming next. So before we close, I want to honor everyone who shared their voice on the show from stepping up to the microphone and the camera. Gohan Gamitrovich showed the human side of accounting. Caleb Jenkins showed that influence starts with generosity.
Catherine Horton reminded us to protect our wellbeing. You can go on all of these shows on CPA Practice Advisor and check out these interviews. Kendall King reminded young leaders to go hard at their passion. Mack Lillard modeled calm influence under pressure. Richard Farris showed us how curiosity drives progress. Tim O’Neill highlighted growth and service as leadership attributes. Tim Peatree showed us that integrity happens in the unseen.
Rob Brown (08:13.492)
moments. Victor Guarido reminded us that the profession is noble. Zach Gordon encouraged bold steps forward. John Malone proved that starting is half the battle. Lexi Weber showed how visibility begins with one decision. She’s a real mover and shaker and he’s going places. So check out her interview. Taylor Hartman explained psychological safety with clarity.
Ana Arazo showed how influence begins and grows through lifting other people. And Matt Tate demonstrated the power of honesty and courage online. So a remarkable group of leaders. Keep looking out for the next cohort of CPA 40 under 40 influencers. Hopefully CPA practice advisor will do another list coming out soon. But these are all great leaders, different stories, shared strengths, all doing it in their own way. And as a final refraction, here’s what this
season of Leaders of the Ledger taught me that influence is not being about the loudest voice. It’s about being the clearest voice, the most consistent voice, the most human voice. And you don’t need a giant platform to make an impact. These people I’ve interviewed, they’re looking for millions of followers. They just have an intention. They have a courage. They have a willingness to share, to speak out, to support people around them. And this season has given us many examples of what that looks like.
And the profession needs more voices like theirs and more voices like yours, because you might be on this list in the future, or you might be doing your own thing and influencing a lot of great people. So keep on doing that. And as we finished this season, thanks again to CPA Practice Advisor and RiotWorks for supporting this project, for giving me the opportunity to host this show and championing that emerging talent on the 40 under 40 list. This a podcast you can pause for now as RiotWorks and CPA Practice Advisor consider
the next chapter, but the conversations continue. The community keeps growing. And if you want to stay connected to the people, shape in the profession, join the RightWorks community. There’s a lot of creators, educators, leaders on there are all looking to help each other grow. And if you want to make some of these people live, join the Accounting Voices Collective on LinkedIn. Go and find that page. We have regular virtual speed networking events every couple of months, and we invite all kinds of professionals.
Rob Brown (10:36.276)
innovators, vendors, coaches, consultants, trainers, fractionals, a broad church, people in firms, people owning firms, people in societies and institutes, professional organizations. They all want to share their personal brand, share their message. They want to connect and collaborate, build influence in the profession. So check those out. The next meeting is going to be in December as I record this and you’ll expand your circle and meet the people shaping
the next chapter of accounting. So thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting all of these leaders. Thank you for watching the show and thanks to all of you for the great work you do in this profession. I’m Rob Brown. This is Leaders of the Ledger. Stay curious, stay visible and keep moving the profession forward.
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