We all want to be happy at work. Or at least happier, don't we?

Across this conversation, listeners will learn about a foundational concept: Success often follows happiness rather than causes it.

Drawing on research in positive psychology, the episode outlines how mindset, habits and self-awareness account for a large share of overall wellbeing, far outweighing external circumstances.

It also explains how small, consistent practices such as learning to be grateful can recalibrate the brain's natural bias toward the negative.

Listeners will learn:

• The relationship between happiness and leadership

• Positive psychology as a field of research

• Research data on happiness and how it's a 'skill'

• The key components of developing workplace happiness and contentment

• How to recognise 'green-light moments'

• Ways to shift out of work-related ruts, regain perspective and avoid catastrophising

This Career Hacks episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for that elusive happiness factor at work.

Host: Jacqueline Blondell, Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Declan Edwards, happiness researcher, speaker, coach and consultant. He is founder of the BU Happiness College, which has a vision of making the skills and science of happiness more accessible to individuals, organisations and the world.

For more information, head to the BU Happiness College on LinkedIn.

Loving this episode? Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

Click subscribe on the channel to stay updated on the latest episodes.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at [email protected]

We've all probably had a manager or leader who struggles to delegate. Sound familiar?

This Career Hacks episode explores the art of delegation. It's an essential skill, particularly for new managers – and one that's often hard to master.

Getting the right balance between a hands-off approach and micro-management is key, and an empathetic approach can really help, say the experts.

Listen in to learn the behavioural traps that keep managers doing the work themselves, why burnout grows when clarity is missing, and how empathy offers insight into workload, motivation and fairness.

Also, learn how to check in without hovering, why communication gaps create rework and the value of curiosity when assessing team capacity.

You'll learn:

• Why not delegating limits leadership impact • How technical experts can shift from doing the work to guiding it • The emotional and psychological drivers that shape team performance • How empathy and curiosity help leaders understand real workload and risk

This Career Hacks episode is a must-listen for professionals seeking expert advice on how to best delegate.

Host: Jacqueline Blondell, Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Daniel Murray, international keynote speaker and author of The Empathy Gap, a handbook for business leaders who want to form stronger connections with the people they lead.

For more on this episode's guest Daniel Murray, head to his consultancy's website.

Loving this episode?

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

And don't forget to click subscribe on the channel.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at [email protected]

Are you a leader who dreads hard conversations? The uncomfortable feedback. The underperformance chat. The redundancy announcement.

It can be daunting.

But difficult conversations are part of every leader's journey, and mastering them takes skill, EQ and practice.

In this expert-led episode, we bring you tools to help.

Key learnings: • Why fear for even the most capable leaders drives avoidance – and how to break the cycle • How to prepare for tough talks without over-rehearsing • Practical ways to lead redundancy or performance discussions • Turning emotional moments into opportunities for growth • Understanding emotional triggers to finding constructive outcomes

Learn how you can use emotional intelligence (EQ) in five of the most difficult conversations you may have at work.

You'll discover evidence-based techniques to prepare for and conduct challenging discussions that build trust instead of tension.

This episode shows the power of EQ, and why it is often the difference maker in these tough scenarios.

The Career Hacks series is back and episode two is a must-listen for professionals seeking expert advice and guidance in these demanding situations.

Host: Jacqueline Blondell, Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Amy Jacobson, emotional intelligence expert, speaker and author. Her latest book is titled The Emotional Intelligence Advantage.

For more on Amy Jacobson, head to her website, which includes a section on her books.

Loving this episode?

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

And don't forget to click subscribe on the channel.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at [email protected]

Planning your next career move? If so, you're going to need a resume that stands out from the rest.

In this episode, you'll learn what hiring managers look for and how to present your experience with clarity and confidence.

With an expert guest offering tips and advice, discover how CV formats are changing, what recruiters see as red flags and the role keywords play in passing those annoying, AI-driven applicant tracking systems.

Key insights include:

• The resume length rule that really matters

• What to highlight at junior and senior career stages

• Skills, systems and certifications hiring managers notice

• Practical ways to tailor a CV to the job ad

• How to get around AI-powered ATS filtering – how it works and which keywords to prioritise

• Common mistakes that immediately undermine credibility

If you're aiming for your next role in accounting or finance, these Career Hacks insights could be the difference between being filtered out and being seen by the right people.

The Career Hacks series is back and is a must-listen this summer for anyone preparing their next career move.

Host: Jacqueline Blondell, Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Jasmine Ee, a senior consultant at staffing and recruitment company Hays

For more on what Hays does, head to the company's website.

Loving this episode?

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

And don't forget to click subscribe on the channel.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

How's your mental energy? It's an important question to ask yourself. Here's why.

As the working year draws to a close, your mental energy may be a little low. This can have implications not only for you, but your work productivity.

In this episode, we explore how finance professionals can protect their mental bandwidth, sustain their energy and lead with purpose without burning out.

You'll learn practical ways to recharge your "mental battery" and create balance in high-pressure workplaces.

You'll gain insights such as:

• How to measure and manage your mental energy like any other performance metric

• Daily habits to reset focus and reduce stress in busy work environments

• The link between wellbeing and productivity in finance roles

• Why emotionally intelligent leadership creates stronger, more resilient teams

Listen now for smart advice.

Host: Adrienne Biscontin, External Affairs Adviser, Policy and Advocacy, CPA Australia

Guest: Tim Jack Adams, author and founder and CEO of GreenX7

For more on today's special guest Tim Jack Adams, head to his website.

And learn more about GreenX7 and its 'battery check' mental health feature at the website.

Loving this podcast? You can listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

Did you know that Australia is the world's largest lithium producer?

In this episode, you'll learn more about the battery business – a complex area given its reliance on the mining sector and the associated challenges involved in extracting primary resources.

Listeners will gain an expert-led view of the global battery industry, and how mining, sustainability and policy intersect to power the next generation of economic growth.

Key areas covered include:

• What lithium is and how it powers everything from EVs to renewable storage systems

• Why "battery passports" are redefining responsible mining

• The opportunities and risks for Australia in refining and manufacturing

Listen now for expert-led views and insights.

Host: Patrick Viljoen, Policy Lead ESG, CPA Australia

Guest: Jairo Bernal FCPA, CFO of Wildcat Resources Limited and the former Head of Finance and Company Secretary at Chilean lithium mining company SQ

Learn more about the global mining industry and Jairo Bernal in this article on INTHEBLACK.

And this article outlines the opportunity ahead for Australia's battery industry.

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

AI is advancing fast – but is it responsible?

In this must-listen episode, global AI expert Dr Rumman Chowdhury shares what you need to know about building AI systems that are fair, transparent and future-ready.

Key insights and questions include:

• Is it too late to create a responsible AI environment?

• What defines responsible AI?

• Managing AI bias and ethical risk

• The rise of sovereign AI

• Workforce disruption: preparing for AI-driven change

• Is AI the final frontier for humans?

Listen now.

Host: Jacqueline Blondell, Content Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Dr Rumman Chowdhury. She is CEO and co-founder of Humane Intelligence, a nonprofit advancing community-driven AI auditing and evaluation. As the US Science Envoy for AI, Rumman engages in global AI governance efforts with a focus on emerging markets. Previously, she led AI ethics teams at Twitter and Accenture, pioneering enterprise-level AI risk mitigation tools.

Rumman is the CEO and co-founder of Humane Intelligence, and she is speaking at this year's CPA Congress.

You can learn more about Rumman at her website.

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

For four decades, Microsoft Excel has been a cornerstone of accounting and finance. From basic calculations to complex modelling, it has transformed how professionals analyse data, solve problems and make decisions.

To mark Excel's 40th birthday, Neale Blackwood CPA reflects on Excel's legacy and its impact on the profession. He shares his personal journey with Excel, explores its evolution from the early Mac days to the rise of AI and Python, and offers insights into why Excel remains essential in a tech-driven world.

Listen now to learn:

• How Excel revolutionised accounting and finance workflows

• Key milestones in Excel's 40-year journey, including the rise of VBA, PivotTables and Power BI

• What Excel's future looks like in the age of AI, automation and cloud collaboration

• Why Excel is still a must-have skill for finance professionals

Whether you're building financial models, exploring automation or simply aiming to sharpen your Excel skills, this episode offers insights into the past, present and future of the world's most important app for accounting and finance professionals.

Host: Tahn Sharpe, editor, INTHEBLACK, CPA Australia

Guest: Neale Blackwood CPA, accountant, author and Excel traine

Listen to our Excel Tips podcast here https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/excel-tips

You can read Neale Blackwood's Excel Tips column on the INTHEBLACK website here https://intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au/technical-skills

You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website.

Would you like to listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

This episode explores purpose-led leadership - a key to inspiring teams and achieving success.

Leadership is no longer defined by just technical skills — purpose, adaptability and the ability to bring out the best in others is becoming increasingly important.

Whether you're an emerging leader in accounting or a seasoned finance professional, this episode offers practical guidance to help you step into leadership with purpose, lead through adversity and change and inspire high performance across your teams.

Listen now.

Host: Tahn Sharpe, editor, INTHEBLACK, CPA Australia

Guest: Pip Marlow, non-executive board director, GAICD, advisor

Pip Marlow will be speaking at CPA Congress in person at the Gold Coast in October 2025.

For more background on this episode's guest Pip Marlow, head over to this article on the AICD website and the Future Women site.

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform.

Email the podcast team at [email protected]

In an interconnected world, one trait is fast becoming a must-have skill for finance and accounting professionals. It's cultural intelligence.

This episode explores how understanding cultural differences and adapting your approach can elevate trust, strengthen collaboration and deliver better business outcomes.

With expert-led insights, learn how cultural conditioning shapes trust and what strategies can help you lead with authenticity while respecting cultural norms.

Learn clear, actionable ways to embed cultural agility into daily practice – from client meetings to cross-border negotiations.

Key learnings include:

• How to identify and manage cultural blind spots in finance and accounting

• Practical strategies to build trust across borders and multicultural teams

• Why hierarchy and communication styles matter in Asia-Pacific contexts

• How culturally intelligent leaders navigate ambiguity and high-stakes decisions

• Tips for balancing authenticity with cultural adaptability in global business

Whether you're leading an international team, negotiating cross-border deals or simply aiming to sharpen your Asia capability, this episode will give you insights to succeed in today's global finance landscape.

Host: Tahn Sharpe, INTHEBLACK Editor, CPA Australia

Guest: Charlotta Oberg, Program Director, Asialink Leaders Program, Associate Director, Capability Development at Asialink Business

Links:

You can take a short, self-paced or facilitated course with the Asialink Business Academy.

Gain credentialed Asia insights and connections through the Asialink Leader Program.

And be inspired by Asia-capable leaders across sectors, including financial services.

Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

With Interest

INTHEBLACK

INTHEBLACK Out Loud

Excel Tips

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at [email protected]