Technical excellence has always been table stakes forinternal auditors, but in today’s environment of complexity, technology, and ambiguity, it’s no longer what separates those who advance from those who stall.

In this opening episode of the SparkPoint Pro Podcast,host Matt Wood explains what this podcast is about, who it’s for, and why many highly capable auditors struggle to translate strong work into real influence.

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience across internalaudit, IT, GRC, and executive leadership roles, Mattexplores a pattern he’s seen repeatedly: auditors don’t get stuck because they lack skill — they get stuck because their work doesn’t clearly inform decisions.

This episode covers:

• What SparkPoint Pro is (and is not)
• Why accuracy and documentation alone don’t create influence
• How leadership expectations of audit have changed
• The difference between reporting issues and enabling decisions
• Why judgment, framing, and clarity matter more than ever

This is not a how-to episode on audit methodology. It’s areframing conversation for auditors who want to move beyond technical execution into trusted advisory and leadership roles.

If you’ve ever felt that your work was solid but your impactwas limited, this podcast — and this episode — is for you.