Are you auditing at the speed of risk? Richard Chambers—50-year internal audit veteran and AuditBoard advisor—joins Blake to map the path forward. Hear why AI now ranks as risk #1, how to build continuous risk monitoring, and what “independence, not isolation” means for the three-lines model. Learn where CAEs should start with AI (risk assessment, analysis, reporting), how to audit culture and AI governance, and how to earn audit committee trust with no surprises.

Chapters

• (01:37) - Richard Chambers' Career Journey

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Connect with Our Guest, Richard Chambers

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-chambers-a5108914/
Twitter: https://x.com/rfchambers
Website: https://auditboard.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

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

Live from Boston on the final stop of the Advisory Amplified tour, Blake sits down with James Erving from Fathom and Chris Macksey from Prix Fixe Accounting to explore what advisory services really mean beyond bookkeeping and compliance. Chris shares how his firm requires advisory for all restaurant clients, using industry expertise and operational metrics to guide decisions on everything from menu pricing to expansion timing. The conversation covers the difference between delivering information versus being integral to decision-making, with insights on forecasting, benchmarking, and why visual KPIs help clients with low financial literacy understand their business performance.

Chapters

• (00:22) - Welcome to the Earmark Podcast

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Connect with Our Guests:

James Erving

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

Learn more about Fathom

Official website: http://fathomhq.com

Chris Macksey

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

Learn more about Prix Fixe Accounting

Official website: https://prixfixe.accountants/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

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

On the fifth stop of the Advisory Amplified tour in Atlanta, Blake sits down with Lisa Gilreath of Acuity and Valerie Heckman of OnPay to discuss what empathetic leadership actually looks like in an industry notorious for long hours and tight deadlines. The conversation covers everything from recognizing when team members are struggling to handling toxic high performers, with real talk about building slack into capacity planning and why unused PTO is a red flag. Lisa and Valerie share concrete steps for creating a culture where people feel supported enough to lean in when it matters most.

Chapters

• (01:17) - Defining Empathy in Accounting

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Connect with Our Guests:

Valerie Heckman

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

Learn more about OnPay

Official website: https://onpay.com

Lisa Gilreath

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-gilreath-2ba506a/

Learn more about Sorren

Official website: https://sorren.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

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

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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Download the Earmark CPE App
 
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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
https://humanatscale.com/?utm_source=earmark&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-promo&utm_content=shownotes

Take the Assessment
https://humanatscale.com/assessment?utm_source=earmark&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-promo&utm_content=shownotes

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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Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

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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/