Live from Austin on the Advisory Amplified tour, Blake sits down with Madeline Reeves of Fearless Foundry and Wesley McDonald of Relay to explore what it truly means to be a renegade in accounting: firms that lead clients to somewhere new rather than settle for "the way things have always been done." The conversation explores why top firms aren't afraid to say no to the wrong clients, how transparency in compensation and career pathways can address the talent crisis, and the hard-won lessons learned about building cultures of collaboration over competition.

Chapters

• (00:37) - Defining a Renegade Firm

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Connect with Our Guests:

Madeline Reeves

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

Learn more about Fearless Foundry

Official website: http://www.fearlessfoundry.com

Wesley McDonald

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wmcdonald48/?originalSubdomain=ca

Learn more about Relay

Official website: https://relayfi.com

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Blake sits down with Mary Delaney, CEO of Karbon, and Kenji Kuramoto, co-founder of Acuity, to explore how standardizing workflows can unlock growth without sacrificing the artistry of advisory work. They discuss Karbon's acquisition of Aider, the power of time studies to identify automation opportunities, and why getting senior advisors to embrace process requires framing workflow as empowerment rather than micromanagement. Kenji shares lessons from building Acuity's advisory practice and why workflow due diligence became critical during their 14-firm merger with Sorren.

Chapters

• (01:14) - Introducing the Guests: Mary Delaney and Kenji Kuramoto

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Connect with Our Guests:

Mary Delaney

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

Learn more about Karbon

Official website: http://karbonhq.com

Kenji Kuramoto

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

Learn more about Acuity

Official website: https://acuity.co

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Most accounting firms are dramatically underpricing their services, but the fear of losing clients keeps them stuck. Marie Greene and Ryan Embry join Blake for a live conversation in LA about spotting underpricing, having the repricing conversation, and why your worst clients are often the most price-insensitive. Plus, a live role-play demonstration of how to navigate a difficult pricing conversation.

Chapters
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Connect with Our Guests:

Ryan Embree

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-embree-9463b286/

Learn more about Ignition

http://ignitionapp.com

Marie Greene, CPA

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

Learn more about Connected Accounting

http://connectedaccounting.co

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Recorded live in Seattle at the first stop of the Advisory Amplified tour, Blake sits down with Madeline Reeves (Fearless Foundry) and Lynette O'Connell (Burnout Bestie) to discuss the hard truths about burnout in accounting. Madeline shares how losing half her agency's revenue in 30 days forced her to stop trying to be likable and start building the business she actually wanted, while Lynette explains why nobody was coming to save her after scheduling overnight work shifts to keep up. They break down the three categories of burnout symptoms most accountants miss, why this profession attracts people whose love language is acts of service, and how to stop being the glue holding everything together.

Chapters

• (00:55) - Meet the Guests: Madeleine Reeves and Lynette Oss Connell

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Connect with Our Guests:

Madeline Reeves

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

Learn more about Fearless Foundry

Official website: http://www.fearlessfoundry.com

Lynette Oss Connell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnette-oss-connell-cpa/

Learn more about Burnout Bestie

Official website: https://www.burnoutbestie.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Can an AI‑native general ledger really automate the monthly close without losing control? Blake talks with Digits CEO Jeff Seibert about an “autonomous GL” built on a vector graph model, AI agents that research unknown transactions and auto‑reconcile to pixel‑matched statements, and human‑in‑the‑loop safeguards. Learn where Digits fits best today, how to pilot it with clients, price AI‑powered CAS, and keep trust with audit trails, object‑level permissions, and deterministic reporting.

Chapters

• (01:20) - Understanding Autonomous General Ledgers

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Connect with Our Guest, Jeff Seibert

Website: https://jeffseibert.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jseibert/

Learn more about Digits

Website: https://digits.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Still running every meeting and answering every Slack ping? Blake Oliver talks with Chase Damiano of Human at Scale about escaping founder bottlenecks. Learn a six-part delegation framework (responsibility, purpose, success, process, resources, decisions), turn 1:1s into leadership labs, build a team responsibility inventory and a delegation roadmap, and see why great prompts mirror great delegation. Leave with practical steps to hand off meetings, elevate decision-making, and reclaim time for strategy and growth.

Chapters

• (01:17) - Chase's Sabbatical and Transformation

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Connect with Our Guest, Chase Damiano

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

Learn more about Human at Scale

Visit Website
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Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Why do so many accounting firms struggle to bridge the gap between their stated values and actual workplace culture? In this episode, Blake Oliver sits down with Erin Daiber, founder of Well Balanced Accountants, to explore how firms can move beyond culture theory to real operational change. You'll discover why "we've always done it this way" thinking kills retention, learn specific strategies for showing appreciation without micromanaging, and understand how being too busy prevents the culture improvements you need most. Erin shares her framework for defining your current culture honestly, creating accountability structures that stick, and making small changes that build significant cultural shifts over time.

Chapters

• (01:06) - Erin's Journey into Accounting

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Connect with Our Guest, Erin Daiber

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

Learn more about Well Balanced Accountants

Website: https://www.wellbalancedaccountants.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What should you tell clients when tariffs increase and hiring slows? Blake Oliver discusses with Gusto senior economist Nicholas Tremper the effects on small businesses of high tariffs, reduced job growth, and a tighter labor market influenced by immigration policy. Find out how advising on cash flow and employee benefits can help your clients identify opportunities in a post-pandemic startup boom driven by artificial intelligence.

Learn more about Gusto
https://earmarkcpe.promo/gusto

Chapters

• (01:09) - Meet the Guest: Nich Tremper, Senior Economist

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Connect with Our Guest, Nich Tremper

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

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Please note: This episode was recorded before changes were made to the Big Beautiful Bill, which eliminated the removal of the PCAOB.

What happens when AI agents start doing your journal entries and reconciliations? Mike Whitmire, founder and CEO of Floqast, explains why accounting AI is fundamentally different from other business applications—and why auditability creates unique challenges that many companies will struggle to overcome. In this conversation, you'll learn how Floqast Transform enables accountants to build AI agents using simple narrative descriptions, thereby creating comprehensive audit trails while automating repetitive tasks. Mike walks through real-world examples, from benefit allocation journal entries to variance analysis, demonstrating how the "human-in-the-loop" approach handles exceptions and ensures compliance. Plus, hear his vision for the future accounting professional as an "accounting cyborg" who manages AI agents rather than junior staff.

Chapters

• (00:43) - Agents in Accounting

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Connect with Our Guest, Mike Whitmire

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

Learn more about FloQast

http://www.floqast.com

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What happens when a homeless 21-year-old musician transforms into a financial leader negotiating $20 billion deals at Google? Devon Coombs shares his remarkable journey from living in his car after his recording studio failed to becoming an ASC 606 revenue recognition expert who helped shape multibillion-dollar cloud contracts. You'll discover how he leveraged technical accounting expertise to leapfrog traditional career paths, why he cold-called a thousand controllers as a first-year auditor, and his predictions for how AI will transform accountants into "orchestrators" rather than individual contributors. Plus, learn why he's leaving Google to build a consulting practice focused on helping the profession adapt to an AI-driven future.

Chapters

• (00:54) - Devon's Early Struggles and Music Industry Journey

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Connect with Our Guest, Devon Coombs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devoncoombs/
Website: https://www.devoncoombs.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/