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. Discover the 5 transformative themes that surfaced across every conversation: how influence begins with service, why your personal story is your greatest asset, what makes leadership truly human, 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. Anna Arazo talks about lifting people up and Mac Lillard shows how calm leadership builds trust.
• Your Story Is Your Superpower: Every leader's influence starts with a personal story. Lexi Weber stopped waiting for permission, Zach Gordon encourages bold decisions, and Matt Tate shows how honesty breaks down barriers.
• Leadership Is Human Before It Is Technical: Beyond technical excellence, people follow people. Catherine Houghton reflects on burnout, Taylor Hartman explains psychological safety, and Gohan Dimitrovich reframes accounting as a human helping profession.
• Visibility Is Responsibility: Your voice matters. Caleb Jenkins shows how influence grows when you contribute with no expectation and Kendall King urges young leaders to act with conviction.
• Curiosity and Adaptability Shape the Future: With the biggest transition since paper ledgers, adaptability wins. Rachel Farris champions curiosity and Matt Tate calls this the best time to be an accountant.

This wrap-up honors the rising leaders shaping the next chapter of accounting and highlights the mindset shifts needed to stay relevant, visible, and impactful in a changing profession.

About Leaders of the Ledger
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/.

Follow CPA Practice Advisor on Social:

Twitter: https://x.com/cpapracadvisor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cpapracticeadvisor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3927201/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CPAPracticeAdvisor

In this episode, Rob Brown sits down with Matt Tait, a recovering attorney turned entrepreneur who has built and scaled multiple companies, including Decimal. Matt shares how he accidentally became an accounting influencer, why honesty and transparency outperform perfection, and why leading through change matters now more than ever as accounting experiences its biggest transformation since the shift away from paper ledgers.

Matt discusses the realities of entrepreneurship, the shift from startup mode to company-building mode, and the accounting industry's resistance to change. Matt explains why adopting AI isn't optional anymore, sharing his belief that "if you think change is hard, try not changing." He also opens up about identity, authenticity, and building your voice online, even if you're an introvert or an employee, reminding listeners that "building trust and credibility is the one thing AI will never replace."

From the future of accounting firms to personal branding, this episode is packed with practical insights and no-nonsense truth about leading through change.

Key Topics Covered

• Matt's journey from attorney to multi-company founder
• Why vulnerability builds trust more than pretending to know everything
• AI adoption and what happens to firms that ignore it
• "Choose your hard" – a philosophy for leadership and growth
• Building a personal brand authentically as an introvert

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for accounting firm owners navigating transformation, young leaders in accounting and finance, professionals looking to grow their personal brand, entrepreneurs dealing with scaling challenges, and anyone curious about AI's real impact on the profession.

About Leaders of the Ledger
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/.

Follow CPA Practice Advisor on Social:

Twitter: https://x.com/cpapracadvisor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cpapracticeadvisor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3927201/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CPAPracticeAdvisor

In this episode, Rob Brown sits down with Arna Erazo, a rising leader in Client Accounting Services. She built a thriving outsourced accounting practice at GHJ from scratch while working remotely from Oklahoma.

Arna shares her journey from Big Four audit to industry to advisory. She opens up about balancing motherhood and leadership. She discusses scaling her practice from four clients to over 100. Her team grew from one to 12 members across the country.

This conversation covers people-first leadership, building culture in remote teams, and why CAS is accounting's fastest-growing service line. Arna breaks down what CAS 3.0 looks like. She explains how firms can leverage AI and technology to elevate the profession.

She also discusses personal branding, writing thought leadership, and how both introverts and extroverts can become influential in their own ways.

Key Topics Covered:

• Scaling a remote outsourced accounting practice from the ground up
• Building firm culture and connection across distributed teams
• Balancing motherhood with demanding leadership roles
• People-first approach to team building and client relationships
• Why CAS is the fastest-growing accounting service line
• Leveraging AI and technology for accounting's future
• Writing and personal branding done intentionally
• Mentorship, coaching, and supporting the next generation

This episode is packed with practical wisdom for anyone building teams, leading remotely, or shaping the future of accounting.

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.

Follow CPA Practice Advisor on Social:

Twitter: https://x.com/cpapracadvisor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cpapracticeadvisor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3927201/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CPAPracticeAdvisor

Leaders of the Ledger 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/.