The Woodard Report Podcast: Featuring Heather Satterley and Joe Woodard

On this episode of the Woodard Report podcast, Heather speaks with Kristen Keats about how to bring joy back into accounting. Kristen is a CPA and industry leader, with over twenty years experience serving small businesses and self-employed clients. With Heather, she shares her mission to create more meaningful, balanced, and fulfilling work for accountants by focusing on client relationships, fair pricing, and team connection. Together, they discuss shifting from burnout and billable hours toward a mindset of empowerment, communication, and purpose where both clients and accountants thrive. About Kristen KeatsKristen launched her career at a national accounting firm and owned her own practice for more than eight years. Before founding Breakaway, Kristen served as a partner at a local Portland firm and a senior tax manager at a large regional firm. Kristen is an avid and early adopter of new accounting technologies and an expert on cloud accounting. She is passionate about listening to her clients and gaining a well-rounded understanding of their needs and long-term goals, always striving to make their lives easier. Kristen received her degree from the renowned W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. When Kristen is not advising her clients and leading her team, she enjoys reading, camping, and, most of all, spending time with her two lively teenagers. * Connect with Kristen Keats on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenkeats/] Thank you to our show sponsor, Canopy!Unclunk your firm with Canopy, the fully integrated practice management that helps accountants build the firm they always wanted. The suite includes client and document management, workflow, time and billing, engagements and proposals, and more. Check out getcanopy.com [https://www.getcanopy.com/]. Learn more about the show and our sponsors at Woodard.com/podcast [https://www.woodard.com/podcast]

On this episode of the Woodard Report podcast, Joe speaks with Jeff about the future of AI in accounting and how predictive models can transform bookkeeping accuracy. Jeff shares how his company, Digits, leverages AI not to replace accountants but to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and give professionals more time for higher-value work. They also explore the difference between generative and predictive AI, the role of accountants in reviewing outputs, and why firms must adapt quickly or risk being outpaced by competitors. About Jeff Seibert Jeff Seibert is the co-founder and CEO of Digits [https://digits.com/], where he's building the world's first AI-powered accounting platform for startups and small businesses. Jeff is also a frequent presenter on both entrepreneurial and technical topics and has lectured at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Tufts, as well as keynoted Scaling New Heights, Twitter Flight, AppsWorld, AnDevCon, EclipseCon, and others. Learn more about Jeff at: * JeffSeibert.com [https://jeffseibert.com/] * Twitter [https://x.com/jeffseibert] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jseibert/] Thank you to our show sponsor, Canopy! Unclunk your firm with Canopy, the fully integrated practice management that helps accountants build the firm they always wanted. The suite includes client and document management, workflow, time and billing, engagements and proposals, and more. Check out getcanopy.com [https://www.getcanopy.com/]. Learn more about the show and our sponsors at Woodard.com/podcast [https://www.woodard.com/podcast]

On this episode of the Woodard Report podcast, Heather speaks with Madeline Reeves about the evolution of advisory services in accounting and how firms can confidently transition from transactional work to advisory relationships. Madeline shares insights from her Advisory Amplified Roadshow, a national event series designed to give accounting professionals practical tools for productizing advisory services, building stronger client connections, and leveraging AI to unlock efficiency.  About Madeline Reeves Madeline Reeves’ career has centered around working with accounting firms to help elevate understanding by providing education & coaching around cloud based technology. Learn more about Madeline Reeves and Advisory Amplified at this link. [https://www.advisoryamplified.com/virtual] Thank you to our show sponsor, CorpNet! CorpNet is the trusted leader in business formation and compliance services, offering one of the best tools for accountants, CPAs and tax professionals nationwide. The CorpNet Partner Program, 10X her firms revenue by helping clients form a business, register for payroll taxes, maintain compliance and more. Learn more about the show and our sponsors at Woodard.com/podcast [https://www.woodard.com/podcast]

On this episode of the Woodard Report podcast, Heather and Joe speak about upcoming regulatory changes that could ease the burden on government contractors and the potential disruption of the proposed HIRE Act, which would heavily tax outsourced accounting labor. They also dive into how the profession must adapt to staffing shortages, the evolving role of CPAs and noncredentialed accountants, and the transformative impact of AI on jobs. Current events — * White House proposes to get rid of 60 accounting requirements for contractors [https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/white-house-proposes-to-get-rid-of-60-accounting-requirements-for-federal-contractors] * Will the HIRE Act hurt outsourcing? [https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/will-the-hire-act-hurt-outsourcing-for-accountants] TV/Movie quote of the week — * Heather mentioned the movie "Her" * Joe mentioned the miniseries "aka Charlie Sheen" Excellent things we learned — * Fourlane CX: Cloud Interface For QuickBooks Desktop [https://www.fourlane.com/cx/] * A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond [https://a.co/d/6IHIkVx] Member spotlight — * Brittany Byrd presented by Lamont Nesbitt, Practice Advancement Coach at Woodard The Woodard Report article of the week — * Next-Level Bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online: Going Beyond the Basics [https://report.woodard.com/articles/next-level-bookkeeping-in-quickbooks-online-going-beyond-the-basics-qbowr] Thank you to our show sponsor, CorpNet! CorpNet is the trusted leader in business formation and compliance services, offering one of the best tools for accountants, CPAs and tax professionals nationwide. The CorpNet Partner Program can 10X your firms revenue by helping clients form a business, register for payroll taxes, maintain compliance and more. Learn more about the show and our sponsors at Woodard.com/podcast [https://www.woodard.com/podcast]

On this episode of the Woodard Report podcast, Heather and Joe speak about the Supreme Court’s pending decision on tariffs, how it could trigger massive refunds for businesses, and why accountants need to prepare now. They also discuss Ernst & Young’s $1 billion investment in AI, exploring how automation might relieve staffing shortages while reshaping the profession. Current events — * Refunds on Tariffs if Supreme Court rules them Unconstitutional [https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/09/08/u-s-may-have-to-refund-half-its-tariffs-if-supreme-court-deems-them-illegal-bessent-says/168585/] * Ernst & Young (EY) pledged $1 billion to advanced AI and workforce development [https://www.businessinsider.com/ey-consulting-accounting-less-boring-ai-2025-6] TV/Movie quote of the week — * RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars * Joe mentioned Game of Thrones Excellent things we learned — * The Case for Using Small Language Models [https://hbr.org/2025/09/the-case-for-using-small-language-models] * The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision [https://a.co/d/5jk9cHy] Member spotlight — * Jane Watkins The Woodard Report article of the week — * Better Questions. Better Hires. Stronger Firms. [https://report.woodard.com/articles/better-questions-better-hires-stronger-firms-wimawr] Thank you to our show sponsor, Zoho! Zoho is a unique and powerful software suite to transform the way you work, designed for businesses of all sizes, built by a company that values your privacy. Learn more about the show and our sponsors at Woodard.com/podcast [https://www.woodard.com/podcast]