00;00;00;01 - 00;00;31;05

Andy

Hey, everybody, today I want to talk about the things we can do and decisions we can make ahead of time before something becomes an issue. Recently, most of us know about the government shutdown that had recently occurred. This is being recorded, November 24th, so of 2025. So anybody who wasn't aware of it in the US, the government had shut down, which was affecting air traffic because the air traffic controllers, some of them were having difficulty getting to work and some of them were being overworked because the government wasn't funded and they weren't getting paid.

00;00;31;05 - 00;00;47;13

Andy

So I had to travel during that week. And what happened was I was I knew I would be able to get out of my home airport in Phoenix, of course, if the flight gets delayed. I just got home so it wasn't as big of a deal, but if I was going to my destination, I had to connect to get home.

00;00;47;13 - 00;01;10;21

Andy

I couldn't get a direct flight, so I knew already I had to connect through another airport, which was a was another challenge. And of course, the whole network of of flights were being affected. So what I ended up doing was I postponed that trip because my feeling really was that once I get on that plane out of Phoenix, I had no control over when I could get back.

00;01;10;23 - 00;01;32;18

Andy

I knew I had a flight booked to come home and you know, that was scheduled to come home, but I didn't know if that flight was going to be there. And and during the time when I was supposed to return home, there's about 10% of the flights they were expecting to be affected in the US. So there was a high potential that I was I was going to have an issue with my flight getting home.

00;01;32;18 - 00;02;08;08

Andy

So really what I looked at was, you know what decisions can I make today to affect or put myself in a place where I'm not negatively affected by decisions that are out of my control? And so that's what I did. I just rescheduled my my trip to that client and, and, going in the future. But when I looked at, you know, look, talked about this, I thought about other sort of decisions that we make where they are one off things where we can make a choice and look at, you know, what decision can I make today where it's something that's not out of my control, but there's also much of our lives are spent

00;02;08;08 - 00;02;34;01

Andy

dealing with things that have already occurred and where especially there's possibly high stress. And I go back. I recorded an episode way, way, way, way back. It was episode number nine. So this goes back to early in the Art of consulting days, one of the first episodes. So and in that episode, I talk about a lot of stress, especially when your subconscious is working on things as you sleep.

00;02;34;02 - 00;02;50;13

Andy

This is one reason why we wake up at 3:00 or 3 a.m., and we have a hard time going back to bed, is because our subconscious is really working on the issues that are unresolved, and in that episode, I talk about some ways to deal with that. A couple of ways. You know, I recommend going back and listening to it.

00;02;50;13 - 00;03;14;03

Andy

You can hear how young my voice might sound back then, and hopefully it sounds young. But anyways, one of the things is to immediately get up and write down all the things that are that you know are on your mind that are causing stress, and then immediately identify which ones are connected because. And then identify a step that you're going to make today to deal with that.

00;03;14;03 - 00;03;33;22

Andy

One of the approaches to that is because often we can we can do things that will affect multiple areas in our lives. So and, you know, in that episode, I talk about the fact that if we don't do it, it's okay, because tomorrow morning we'll just wake up at 3 a.m. and our subconscious will remind us that we still have an outstanding task to do.

00;03;33;22 - 00;03;58;19

Andy

So it'll our body and our brain will just keep reminding us until we we hopefully ultimately deal with it. But one of the things I wanted to talk about was being more proactive or preemptive on issues, especially when issues become a problem. So when we're notified of a problem that we're experiencing and, you know, we none of us get through life without major problems, it does not happen.

00;03;58;19 - 00;04;18;01

Andy

You know, when we have those moments in our lives where everything is going good and things feel great and we're high, you know, we're on top of the world. Enjoy it. Because that does not happen. All the time. We're always going to have some issue and, you know, some issues are going to pop up at some point in time.

00;04;18;01 - 00;04;35;10

Andy

We all have to deal with it. That's just part of being a human being. And normally those issues will be, you know, I kind of thought of a few different categories. You know, one, of course, is health. You know, when we have either a health issue, we're dealing with or a health scare, you know, those are things it could be us or it could be a close family member.

00;04;35;12 - 00;04;59;11

Andy

But those are things that we're we have to deal with and things we have to look at and do something about. And, you know, we have to do some action towards dealing with that. Another one, of course, is financial. Most of us are going to deal at some point in our lives on a financial issue, either our own financial issues, which most of us will go through at some point, or it'll be a, again, a close family member.

00;04;59;11 - 00;05;15;07

Andy

It'll be a child, a, you know, an adult child. It could be a parent, it could be a lot of different scenarios of people who are close to us, who are going through a financial issue. But typically it's us like we're we're going to go through some financial issue in our lives that we're going to have to deal with another one.

00;05;15;07 - 00;05;35;27

Andy

It might, unfortunately, might be legal. You know, we might have a legal issue that we're trying to deal with. And again, that happens to people. It happens to close relatives. That's another one that, you know, we have to you know, people have to deal with. You know, the fourth one that I had was interpersonal issues. So when we're dealing with interpersonal issues it could be divorce.

00;05;35;27 - 00;05;53;11

Andy

It could be issues with family members. It could be issues with our our children. Our parents could be interpersonal issues at work. Right. We're dealing with those sorts of things. Those are those, again are issues we need to deal with that that come up and we have choices to make where we can ignore them, but they're not going to go away on their own.

00;05;53;14 - 00;06;13;22

Andy

And so we have to be proactive about that preemptive with what the next step is. We're in that situation. We have to deal with it. The last thing I want I have on the list is career. And the interesting thing was I wasn't even going to put career on the list because to me, typically our career is going to somewhat take care of ourselves itself.

00;06;13;24 - 00;06;36;24

Andy

Normally, if we've got a career issue, it's going to lead into a financial issue or a health issue is going to lead into a career issue. Interpersonal issues are going to lead into career issues. Typically, our career issues are often driven out of the other four issues, and we often see that where someone is going through a divorce and their job starts to suffer.

00;06;36;28 - 00;07;03;04

Andy

Many people I've not. I've been close to who who have gone through, unfortunately gone through that their career starts to suffer. And so, you know, that's one reason why when we look at those items, we need to be very proactive and preemptive about what our next decision has. One of the reasons why doing something is important is because we actually feel like we have some level of control over the things we do, rather than sitting back and letting things happen.

00;07;03;09 - 00;07;26;06

Andy

And we want to be in that situation where we're doing something. So if somebody realizes, you know, they have to deal with their health, do something about it and do something about it today or their finances or whatever one of those items are, you know, do something about it. It will not fix itself. And the stress and the in a subsequent issues that come with it will not just go away magically.

00;07;26;06 - 00;07;52;04

Andy

So what do you what can you do about these sorts of situations? The first thing is, of course, put a plan together. You know, even if the plan is just one step, if it's just to do one thing right, and it might be research right. Research, you know what to do in this situation. Today we've got AI that is a tremendous resource when it comes to searching for information, searching for help that might be out there, trying to find information that's there.

00;07;52;06 - 00;08;08;02

Andy

Now, one of the problems with the information is we need to be able to process it. And there's a lot of conflicting information. One issue that I was going through and I won't share the details on it, but there was a lot of conflicting information. I found information that gave me one direction and then other information completely contradicted it.

00;08;08;02 - 00;08;26;18

Andy

And so what I had to do there was I had now had to go find an expert in that area to try to find out what the facts really were. And so the next thing was, is to try to find an expert. So first the first thing was is the the initial, you know, looking for information. Then it was, you know, who can help me, right.

00;08;26;18 - 00;08;47;25

Andy

Who is out there that can help me? It was not easy to find because it was it was an expert in an area. And as I was reaching out to people, those individuals said, no, I don't know anything about that. And I just kept reaching out to people. One of the things is when you start to go down this path is we start to realize that there's a lot of people that handle basic stuff, but there's not a lot of people to handle expertise.

00;08;47;25 - 00;09;17;28

Andy

Right. Very specialized problem solvers, which is one reason why in consulting, typically, if you are an expert in an area, you're you're typically in more demand. You have to build up to that. But you want to find out who can help you. This isn't about just finding people who will listen. Sometimes it's good to get stuff off your chest, but you do want resolution, so, you know, find out who is out there that can actually help you in that same time, it's, you know, what decision can I make now, right, to start to deal with resolving this, this issue.

00;09;18;01 - 00;09;31;06

Andy

One of the big points is the way you got into the problem is not the same way you're going to get out of the problem. My mom used to have a saying or August, she still has a saying, which she doesn't say very often anymore, is it's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble.

00;09;31;06 - 00;10;00;04

Andy

But when we are in trouble in some area, it's important to not continue to stay in that trouble or to make the trouble worse. This is why we need to slow things down in most cases. Try to think through, get the proper advice, work through our challenges, think it through. And often we don't have that expertise. We, you know, we might have made up, made a wrong choice to get ourselves in the position we're in, but we often don't have the expertise to get out of that problem.

00;10;00;09 - 00;10;17;11

Andy

So we need to find the right people and we need to listen to them. But we also have to do a lot of homework to make sure we're asking the right questions and make sure that the information they're giving us actually makes sense, because we want to make sure that if we are in something that's serious, that we are getting the right advice to get out of it.

00;10;17;15 - 00;10;45;24

Andy

The next thing is, is really don't worry about an obstacle when we're working through something. And if you think of your career as it is right now, you probably faced thousands of little obstacles along the way, some big obstacles along the way. But you faced hundreds, if not thousands of them. Do not worry about the obstacles or someone saying, I don't have that expertise or know that, you know, you track somebody down that might be able to help and you find out they don't work there anymore and you don't know where to find them.

00;10;45;24 - 00;11;06;09

Andy

Don't be worried about that. Keep it up. Be tenacious. Right? Have persistence and just continuing doing those tasks. Continue. Add it every day because this is what that problem needs, what the resolution needs for you to work through it to get to a resolution that's going to work for you. So keep working through it. The resolution might not be perfect.

00;11;06;14 - 00;11;24;01

Andy

It likely is going to be something, especially if it's something that's major. It's probably not something that's ideal, right? Again, if we use the concept of divorce, I know a lot of people who have been through divorce, and it's not an ideal situation. For some people, maybe it is a good thing, but typically there's a lot of cost, there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of time involved, a lot of money.

00;11;24;03 - 00;11;43;03

Andy

So so the point with that, even even if it's something where people look at it as something of as negative, look at it as something that, how do I make this the best situation for me, and what are the things that I can do? Where can I find advice? Where can I find support? Where can I find individuals who can maybe help me predict what's coming next?

00;11;43;05 - 00;11;59;10

Andy

And as we keep moving down that road, we get more and more information, right? You ever you ever take a trip, right? We just push you to a place you've never been to. As we're driving down the road, we're looking in into the future horizon, right? We're driving and we're looking the future horizon. We haven't seen that before.

00;11;59;13 - 00;12;30;14

Andy

But as we're looking, you know, 100 yards down the road, we can see what's coming. Now it becomes apparent to what what's coming up. And every time we take one more step, things become a little more clear and we've gone through it. One of the things with working through and doing more preemptive or proactive sort of decisioning, and the reason why I call it preemptive or proactive, you know, proactive being, you know, making a decision beforehand, preemptive, you know, making decisions that deal with a particular issue.

00;12;30;14 - 00;12;50;05

Andy

So sort of a more of a, of a strategy around something has already taken effect. You know, you're already in, the situation and you're now making decisions that are going to put yourself in a position to be successful. But one of the things is it's this isn't about being vindictive, right? Like, so I use the example of of a divorce.

00;12;50;08 - 00;13;08;04

Andy

And the only reason I do that is because that's one of the, you know, that's a personal decision. It's something that that happens, that interpersonal that affects a lot of people, and it can affect someone even if they're not going through it directly. It can affect individuals. But the decisions we make is not to be vindictive or to be punishing for other people.

00;13;08;04 - 00;13;28;12

Andy

In this, we want to be professional, making decisions that serve us, that give us the result that we're looking for. And when we go through these particular issue, it could be a financial issue. It could be a lot of different situations where, let's say we ran onto some financial difficulties. It's to try to deal with the emotional end of it and learn from it.

00;13;28;16 - 00;13;47;01

Andy

One of the big things I find is, is every time we go through a big challenge, it's an opportunity for us to learn from it, to build a skill set to help us in the future and help us with with future issues. Again, because I said, like, we're not going to get through life without having some challenges and some big challenges.

00;13;47;04 - 00;14;08;26

Andy

And when we look at an individuals who are highly successful, they're making big decisions. And when we think, you know, one scenario, you know, I was talking about was I'm from grew up in Winnipeg, Canada, and there was a company called Canwest Global, and they owned a lot of the TV properties that they owned, like HD, HGTV, the Food Network.

00;14;08;26 - 00;14;34;02

Andy

I think they might have owned Lying Lionsgate Films. I could be wrong with that, but they did own some of the TV, movie studios, a lot of TV properties, and they ran on to some financial difficulties where they ended up having to sell off the company. Now we look at that and we go, okay, well, the CEO who really represented the family that built up this empire, right?

00;14;34;02 - 00;14;50;05

Andy

He's trying to make the decisions to keep this company alive. We kind of look at and go, well, yeah, that's his job. And and we can kind of look at it. Well, this is their family's legacy. This is their this is where their family makes money. This is where their family invested. This is how their their dad built out that business.

00;14;50;06 - 00;15;18;23

Andy

That individual had to work through those challenges. And come up with a try to come up with a plan to to save some of their properties and save some of their financial interests. So, you know, and hopefully you're not negotiating, you know, multi-million dollar bailouts. But there are people who do and you have to learn those skills. So, you know, one of the big things is that as we develop as consultants, we're going to be we're going to be negotiating and working through problems that become bigger and bigger and bigger as our careers advance.

00;15;18;23 - 00;15;43;12

Andy

And so this is where coming up with that ability to work through those starts with the the smaller issues. So as you're going through challenges is build up. That's that skill set. And and work through that and understand that again, people are going through these. And this is something that we we can't avoid in our lives. So so the big thing I think is, you know, really trying to understand the emotional piece of it as well and that the emotions will kick in.

00;15;43;15 - 00;16;00;04

Andy

But but also understand that there are solutions to the issues that we're in. And sometimes they may not be the ideal one. They may be something that we necessarily would choose, but there are solutions for the for the situations that we're in or the, the challenges that we're facing. And there are experts out there that can help us through it.

00;16;00;04 - 00;16;19;05

Andy

So work through that. You're going through it, know that. You know, it's again, it's going to happen. It's something that people go through. It's just part of living. It's part of life. It's part of being an adult. And, these things happen. And the more we're involved with different things in our career, the more advanced our career becomes, the more we're going to be.

00;16;19;05 - 00;16;38;03

Andy

These things are going to happen because we're going to be exposed to more of them from a professional level and also a personal level. There's going to be more challenges that come up and and understand that we have the skills to deal with that. We just have to, you know, find again the path and and trust the path and trust those around us as we work through it and do our research and and our due diligence.

00;16;38;03 - 00;16;56;17

Andy

So anyways, I wanted to share that, especially for anyone who's going through that now, but also anybody who goes through that in the future or if you've gone through that in the past. Really, it's a it's a great learning opportunity, even though, again, we wouldn't wish this on anyone, it does happen. So just keep being great, keeping yourself and keep working through things and just keep staying awesome.

The Art of Consulting Podcast – Episode Transcript

Hosts: Andy Fry & Cat Lam Episode Topic: Non-Disclosure Agreements and the Power of Keeping Information Confidential

[00:00 – Intro Music]

Andy Fry & Cat Lam (together): Welcome to the Art of Consulting Podcast with Andy Fry and Cat Lam. We are seasoned IT consultants, CPAs, and professional-development connoisseurs. Each episode we bring you an inspiring message to help you discover that X-factor as a professional in your field so you can gain the success you know you deserve in your career and in your life.

[00:15]

Andy Fry: Hey everybody, today I want to talk about non-disclosure agreements and keeping information close to our chest.

One of the things that, as a consultant, you've either already signed or you will sign—especially if you're new to consulting—is a non-disclosure agreement, or what's commonly called an NDA.

It really is a confidentiality agreement that says you're not going to share information that is not already public with people who shouldn't have it. Publicly traded companies require this because if you have access to their financials, or you're in meetings where they're about to disclose material non-public information, you possess something valuable.

If you start talking to other people, sharing that privately, or—worse—publicly, you can be sued, fired, or face a whole range of consequences depending on the severity.

Most NDAs are signed purely for protection; you sign it, you agree not to share, and most of us never have to worry about it day-to-day. But the broader concept of confidentiality is absolutely critical in consulting—and, honestly, in our personal lives too.

[01:10] The number-one reason it matters? We're trying to prove we're trustworthy.

Trust is a huge thing for me. I even wrote a book called The Trust Paradigm (there are actually three books with that title, but mine's the one with Andy Fry on the cover). I wrote it because I wanted to figure out: What is trust? How do you build it? How do you measure it?

As consultants, we prove trustworthiness through integrity—making sure the information we hear isn't used for our own benefit.

"Our own benefit" can be financial (classic corporate espionage—yes, it happens at the corporate level too, not just governments). Or, more commonly, it's the ego boost of feeling important because we "know something" and get to tell it.

[02:05] I've always treated any confidentiality agreement as lifelong. I have clients I haven't worked with in years. The information I learned back then—probably all public by now—but there could still be context, reasons behind decisions, who said what about letting someone go or selling a division… I view that NDA as in perpetuity. I'm never going to talk about it.

I recommend everyone adopt that mindset.

I actually had a client bring me into a highly sensitive project with only a handful of people in the loop. They told me point-blank: "We're bringing you in because you've proven in the past you don't share things you hear." They still made me sign another NDA. I signed it and said, "Just so you know—when I sign this, I treat it as forever."

[03:00] Organizations can and do test for leaks. At high-clearance levels it's obvious, but even regular companies sometimes plant slightly different versions of the same information to see who's talking.

So ask yourself with every piece of information: Is this my story to tell?

I once had a family member share something very personal that was happening with my immediate family—me, my wife, and our two kids. It wasn't their story. I told them, "That wasn't yours to tell." It hurt because it showed a lack of boundary awareness.

[03:45 – Personal story – Calgary street encounter] I was walking in Calgary for a client, and a friend's wife comes out of an apartment building that definitely wasn't where they lived. Eyes got big, I nodded, kept walking. I spent the next week wondering, "Do I tell my friend?" A week later he called laughing: "Hey, I heard you ran into [wife's name]. She was visiting a friend who lives there and couldn't remember your name in the moment." We both laughed—she thought I kept walking because I suspected something, and I kept walking because I didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing. Moral: We often don't have the full picture.

[04:40] As consultants we're paid for what we know. Having "extra" information can make us feel powerful, special, in the know. But watch high-performing executives in a room—they speak very little. Top performers are extremely discreet about what they share and with whom. That's the behavior we want to model.

[05:10 – Early-career story – drinks with another consultant] Over 25 years ago I was out for drinks. Another consultant bragged they'd just signed a big staff-augmentation deal with a health authority that was actually going to replace a bunch of internal employees. I had a close friend who worked there. I was torn—do I warn him?

A senior consultant gave me great advice:

1. You care about your friend—that's valid.
2. You don't actually know if the rumor is true or the full intent.
3. Even if you tell him, what do you expect him to do? Quit? Confront his boss? Live in paranoia waiting for the axe?

Sometimes "sharing because we care" just offloads worry onto someone else.

[06:10 – Practical tips for everyday confidentiality]

• Speakerphone etiquette: If you're on speaker and others can hear, announce who's in the room (or the car). I don't want to swear or share sensitive info if your 7-year-old (or anyone) is listening.
• Recorded meetings / Zoom / Teams: Once it's recorded or transcribed, you no longer control that file. Assume anything said can be forwarded.
• Sharing with spouse or significant other: It's normal to need to vent, but sanitize the details. Leave out names, specific identifiers, anything that could accidentally get repeated at the next dinner party.
• Doctor/therapist analogy: You wouldn't want your doctor or therapist going home and giving your spouse a play-by-play with your name attached. Treat client info the same way.

Assume you live in a small town where everyone knows everyone. That mindset keeps you safe.

[07:30 – Closing]

If you're new to consulting, this is one of the most important professional habits you can build. If you're seasoned, it's a friendly reminder.

Keeping information confidential when it should be is simply the right thing to do—and it will accelerate your career because people will trust you with bigger, more sensitive, and more lucrative engagements.

So keep being awesome, work hard, and have yourself a great week.

[08:00 – Outro Music]

Why We Should Assume Someone Is Always Recording

In this solo episode, Andy Fry reflects on how everyday behavior—inside and outside the workplace—shapes our personal brand and professional reputation. Through personal stories and relatable lessons, he reminds listeners that in today's world of smartphones and social media, every action could be on record.

Andy shares an eye-opening story about visiting a college track team whose coach insisted her athletes greet everyone politely because "you never know who you're talking to." That lesson sparked a deeper conversation about professionalism, reputation, and emotional control—especially when stress, anger, or frustration threaten to take over.

• Professionalism never turns off: Your personal and professional conduct are one and the same.

• Every interaction matters: Treat people kindly—you never know who's watching or recording.

• Control the triggers: Catch negative emotions early and reset before reacting.

• Grace and forgiveness: If you make a mistake, own it, apologize, and move forward.

• Stop glorifying others' failures: Resist the online culture of finding joy in others' missteps.

Andy closes with a reminder to lead by example, forgive quickly, and always put your best self forward—on and off camera.

Power Moves: Inside Energy Innovation and Consulting with Ashton Fox

In this episode, Cat sits down with Ashton Fox, President of Onix Energy, to explore how consulting and executive leadership are reshaping the future of energy. With an impressive career spanning renewable energy, natural gas, and electricity supply, Ashton brings a wealth of experience on scaling organizations, transforming business models, and leading companies through high-stakes change.

Ashton shares how he helped transform a negative-revenue startup into a $150M powerhouse, scaled solar and renewable operations across new markets, and shifted an energy supplier from 10% to 100% renewables. But beyond the numbers, he dives into what it really takes to be a transformational leader: building trust, managing culture during rapid growth, and creating sustainable strategies that last.

• Energy Leadership: How Ashton navigated the transition from fossil fuels to renewables while maintaining profitability and growth.

• Scaling with Purpose: Lessons on expanding a company's footprint from one market to six while multiplying revenue by 15x.

• The Consulting Mindset: Why consulting skills are crucial for energy executives — from solving complex problems to guiding strategic pivots.

• Sustainability in Action: How to implement efficiency programs that save clients 25% on energy costs while driving impact.

• Executive Lessons: Ashton's take on building recurring revenue streams, transforming company culture, and positioning businesses for long-term success.

This conversation is a must-listen for consultants, executives, and anyone interested in how innovation, leadership, and consulting expertise intersect in one of the world's most important industries.

Power Moves: Inside Energy Innovation and Consulting with Ashton Fox

What Guest is Promoting: https://onixenergy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonfox1/

Ashton Fox is a visionary C-Suite executive with extensive experience in strategic leadership, enterprise transformation, and organizational growth in the renewable energy sector. As the former CEO of a solar EPC company and COO of a natural gas and electricity supplier, Ashton has a proven track record of scaling organizations, driving market expansion, and delivering exceptional shareholder value.

During his tenure at the energy supply company, Ashton transformed the organization from a negative revenue startup to an entity with $150M in assets, expanded its footprint from one market to six, and increased the customer base and revenue by 15x. He pioneered the company's transition from 10% to 100% renewable energy sources and developed comprehensive energy efficiency programs resulting in average customer savings of 25%.

At the solar EPC company, Ashton led strategic growth and market expansion, scaling the sales organization by 50% while maintaining profitability and establishing strategic partnerships with key equipment suppliers.

Currently, Ashton is the President of Onix Energy, where he focuses on energy procurement and specialized sustainability programs for commercial clients. He also provides executive-level consulting services to renewable energy and cleantech organizations, focusing on strategic growth initiatives, operational excellence, and market expansion strategies. He specializes in transforming traditional energy companies into renewable energy leaders while establishing recurring revenue streams and optimizing financial performance.

In this episode of the Art of Consulting Podcast, hosts Andy Fry and Cat Lam sit down with Drew Mair, President of Ridgeline Solar, to explore his inspiring journey from Alberta's oil and gas sector to building one of the most respected solar manpower companies in Western Canada.

Drew shares how his early career as an electrician shaped his transition into renewable energy, and the challenges of moving from "one guy in a truck" to running a full-fledged solar construction business. He talks candidly about balancing golden handcuffs with flexibility, the risks of entrepreneurship, and the mindset shift from being self-employed to leading a team.

The conversation dives into:

• Starting Ridgeline Solar – why Drew left the oilfields to build something of his own

• Golden Handcuffs vs. Flexibility – making the choice to prioritize freedom and family over security

• Scaling a Business – moving from solopreneur to building teams, hiring operations managers, and creating systems

• Pipeline Fears – how Drew manages the ever-present fear of "dry spells" in project work

• Quality and Transparency – why Ridgeline Solar stands apart, with in-house electricians, rigorous QA, and complete transparency with customers

• Future of Solar Energy – the growth of utility-scale projects, opportunities in Alberta and beyond, and why Drew welcomes any innovation that moves clean energy forward

Whether you're an entrepreneur, energy enthusiast, or someone curious about the future of renewables, this episode delivers real-world lessons on resilience, leadership, and innovation.

• What Guest is Promoting: Ridgeline Solar

• LinkedIn: Drew Mair

Drew Mair – President, Ridgeline Solar Drew Mair is the President of Ridgeline Solar, a company specializing in utility-scale solar manpower solutions. With over a decade of experience as an electrician in Alberta's energy sector, Drew transitioned from oil and gas to renewable energy, driven by a desire for flexibility and a passion for building something of his own. Starting as a solopreneur—just one person and a truck—he grew Ridgeline Solar into a respected organization known for its operational excellence, transparency, and commitment to quality. Drew's leadership focuses on building strong teams, delivering high-value solar projects, and continuously improving processes to set new standards in the industry.

Breaking Barriers: Svetlana Winters' Journey from Russia to CFO in American Oil & Gas

In this episode, we sit down with Svetlana Winters, CFO at Alteriver, whose journey from Russia to the executive boardroom of a U.S. oil & gas company is nothing short of inspiring.

Svetlana shares how she left a top finance role in Russia to start over in the United States—facing language barriers, cultural challenges, and the uphill climb of rebuilding her career from the ground up. Her story is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and the strength required to thrive in male-dominated industries.

• Starting Over with Courage: How Svetlana navigated language and cultural barriers while rebuilding her career in a new country.

• Leadership in Oil & Gas: The realities of being a woman leader in a highly male-dominated sector—and how she earned respect through expertise and resilience.

• The CFO's Role Beyond Numbers: Why financial leadership is about relationships, trust, and proactive decision-making, not just balance sheets.

• Building Trust as a Leader: Svetlana's three-part formula for becoming a trusted advisor: build credibility through action, anticipate needs, and communicate with clarity.

• Global Lessons in Leadership: The cultural differences in management styles she's observed across Russia, the U.S., and beyond—and how they've shaped her approach.

Svetlana's journey shows that even when you have to start over, determination, strategy, and a positive outlook can take you to the very top.

Breaking Barriers: Svetlana Winters' Journey from Russia to CFO in American Oil & Gas

What Guest is Promoting: https://alteriver.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svetlanawinters/

Svetlana Winters is a seasoned finance and accounting leader with over 25 years of experience spanning FP&A, regulatory compliance, and strategic financial management. Currently serving as CFO at Alteriver, Svetlana has driven transformative initiatives including a $70 million cost recovery, IPO-critical audits, and the overhaul of asset management systems.

Her career includes senior roles at industry giants like Baker Hughes, CNJ Energy Services, and Tubular Solutions, where she led GAAP/IFRS compliance, tax strategy, and capital planning. Svetlana holds both a master's and bachelor's degree in accountancy and auditing from the East Siberian University of Technology, is a certified financial director and professional accountant through IFAC, and is fluent in English and Russian.

Her global perspective, technical expertise, and passion for mentoring make her a powerhouse in the world of finance and a role model for aspiring leaders.

Fractional CFOs: Turning Financial Chaos Into Strategic Wins with Emily Statler

In today's episode, Cat welcomes Emily Statler, a seasoned Fractional CFO and Financial Coach who has spent more than 20 years helping consultants transform financial headaches into strategic victories.

Emily shares how fractional CFOs are no longer just for big corporations — consultants, solopreneurs, and small-to-mid-sized firms can all benefit from high-level financial guidance without the burden of a full-time hire.

Together, Cat and Emily dive into three key perspectives:

• For solopreneurs and consultants: How to know when it's time to bring in financial expertise (hint: when your bank balance is always scraping zero or you're working nonstop with little to show for it).

• For growing firms: Why having clean books, cash flow clarity, and an exit strategy early on is critical if you want to scale or eventually sell.

• For aspiring fractional CFOs: Emily's own journey from bookkeeper to trusted financial partner, including how to land that first client and build confidence in this fast-growing field.

They also unpack hot topics like:

• How CFOs often bridge finance and operations

• What buyers really look for when valuing a consulting business

• Why having a clear exit strategy is essential, even if you never plan to sell

• The mindset shift required to stop "DIY-ing" everything and start building a sustainable business

This episode is packed with actionable insights for consultants who want to not only hit revenue goals but also build a business (and life) they actually love.

Emily's latest work can be found at Starr Books.

If someone enjoyed the show, shoot me a connection on LinkedIn—I'm all about meeting new people, swapping ideas, and growing together... 👉 Connect with Cat on LinkedIn

Meet Emily Statler, a Fractional CFO and Financial Coach with 20+ years of experience helping consultants turn financial headaches into strategic wins. Emily empowers consulting professionals to master cash flow, boost profitability, and truly enjoy their financial journey.

Her passion lies in connecting financial strategy to both business growth and personal fulfillment—ensuring clients not only hit revenue targets but also achieve the life goals that matter most. Emily's approach goes beyond spreadsheets, focusing on financial freedom that lets consultants scale their impact and live their dream lifestyle.

Outside of work, you'll find her soaring on new adventures, spending time with family, and prioritizing self-care.

Andy shares a story of a difficult time in his life where an apparent unassuming event helped move him forward and change his perspective. This began a path a consistent changes for the better.

In this episode Andy walks through two approaches he's used to achieve goals that take a long time to accomplish. How to breakdown goals into smaller components and how to continue a consistent approach to achievement.

In this episode Andy discusses that there is typically one project that defines our career, will we continue in consulting, or will will switch careers.

He discusses the signs and when this typically occurs as well as how to approach it. Its also a reminder for more seasoned consultants that this happens to others (and you may have forgotten it happened to you) and it may happen with minor changes in our careers.