This is it — the last episode of the Thrivecast, recorded live in front of a room full of Thriveal members at the Summit. And there was only one person I wanted sitting across from me for this one: Julie Shipp.

Julie came on as my administrative assistant 15 years ago. I asked her to be my partner not long after — a decision that, looking back, I probably wasn't remotely qualified to make and she definitely wasn't "qualified" for on paper. It ended up being the best call of my career. In this episode, we go deep. Julie walks through what it was actually like stepping into ownership with zero interest in ever being a partner at a CPA firm. We talk about the two years we spent fighting before we found Rocket Fuel and finally understood why we clashed — Visionary meets Integrator. She breaks down the "back of the house" role she's always preferred over the stage, why her gift for reading people and rooms became one of our sharpest tools in coaching, and the loyalty-to-a-fault pattern she's had to learn to manage as a leader.

We get into the early days too — the dinner where she thought I was firing her, the first fight we had as new partners where she had to teach me how to argue fair, and the agreement we made early on that neither of us would ever pull ownership rank on the other, no matter what the percentages said on paper. That one decision, it turns out, shaped almost everything that came after it. Julie talks candidly about the seasons where we hit critical mass — where personal crises and business pressure collided at the same time — and what it took to claw our way back to alignment when we could barely communicate.

We also get into the real stuff: the boundaries she had to teach me, the moment ownership almost broke us, what it means to stay loyal to a person while still doing right by the business, and what she says I still don't fully understand about her commitment after 15 years of working side by side. A few members from the live audience jump in too, asking about gut instinct, ownership alignment, and whether an integrator can really thrive without a seat at the table.

If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to build a real partnership — not just a legal one — this conversation is the closest thing to a blueprint we've got.

For nearly 15 years, the Thrivecast has been one of the most honest voices in the accounting profession about what it actually takes to build and lead a firm. In one of our final episodes, Jason sits down with Grant Niman, founder of Niman & Associates in El Segundo, California — a 45-person firm serving high-net-worth clients, family offices, and the entertainment industry through tax, business management, and estate and trust work.

Grant started the firm in 2008 after decades in the profession, including time at major regional firms and PricewaterhouseCoopers. But when Thriveal came into the picture — discovered by his daughter Lauren, who now serves as the firm's project manager — Grant was running a 45-person firm the way you run an eight-person firm. Sleepless nights, hands in every barrel, and a head about to explode.

What followed was a multi-year transformation that Grant describes as both uncomfortable and undeniable. Installing an accountability chart, deploying project management, stepping out of manager meetings, and allowing leaders to grow into the spaces he vacated — none of it came easy. Grant admits he pushed back, felt sidelined, and sometimes just wanted to move faster than the work would allow. But the results speak for themselves: their most successful tax season in years, a team that operates as a team, and a firm that kept humming while Grant took three weeks in Southeast Asia with a 16-hour time difference.

This conversation is a rare window into what real firm transformation looks like over time — not a highlight reel, but the full arc. Grant shares what it means to be a heartfelt leader who had to learn to get out of his own way, why he's building for succession rather than sale, and why, 43 years into the profession, the journey is still very much going up.

In this episode of the Thrivecast, Jason Blumer sits down with Rhonda Butler and Trey Touchstone, partners at HKB CPAs in Louisiana, for one of the final episodes of the show. The conversation is a candid look at what real CPA firm transformation looks like — messy, non-linear, and absolutely worth it.

Trey and Rhonda share how they discovered Thriveal, what pushed them to seek outside coaching and consulting help, and the specific changes that moved the needle most: building an accountability chart, rewriting job descriptions, assigning clients to specific team members, and creating a dedicated project manager role. They talk honestly about what those structural changes freed up — mentally, operationally, and strategically — and why firm transformation still took longer than they thought it should have.

The episode digs into the personal side of leadership growth too — how becoming more accountable leaders inside the firm spilled over into how they lead their families, develop their teams, and make faster, more confident decisions. Rhonda and Trey reflect on what they wish they'd known before starting the consulting process, and why trusting yourself and taking imperfect action beats waiting for the perfect answer.

The conversation closes with a look at the future: fewer clients, deeper relationships, a young and talented team to develop, and a firm neither of them wants to retire from. If you're a CPA firm owner thinking about making big changes to how your firm is structured and led, this episode is for you.