Beyond Tax Season

Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity

Gary Thompson joins Beyond Tax Season to share how he built and scaled a CPA firm from a sole proprietorship to a top national firm and what today’s accountants must do to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry. From accidental beginnings in accounting to leading transformational growth, Gary unpacks the real drivers behind firm success: mindset, client relationships, and the shift from compliance to true advisory. He dives into why most firms struggle with proactivity, how to price for value (not time), and what it actually takes to become indispensable to clients.

Burnout Ends Here

What if growing your firm didn’t require sacrificing yourself? In this episode of Beyond Tax $ZN, Trow sits down with Lauren Baptiste, founder of Acheloa Wellness, to talk about burnout in accounting and how to overcome it without leaving the profession. After burning out herself, Lauren now helps professionals in accounting, consulting, law, and finance overcome burnout in 6 months or less while continuing to advance their careers. Her approach blends tactical skills (boundaries, time management, goal setting) with the mindset shifts required to grow without compromise. Lauren has worked with organizations including IBM, EY, the NFL, Warner Music, Estée Lauder, Standard Chartered Bank, and the United Nations. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Thrive Global. She is currently onboarding firms into her program, Retained by Choice, focused on closing the middle-management retention gap in accounting. If you feel successful on paper but exhausted in reality this episode is for you. Resources: * Stress quiz [https://quiz.acheloawellness.com/] * AICPA Burnout Prevention Toolkit [https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/download/pcps-burnout-prevention-toolkit] * Burnout Prevention and Burnout Recovery Support [https://www.facebook.com/groups/friedtheburnoutpodcast] Stay connected with Lauren: * website [http://acheloawellness.com/] * linkedin [http://www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=lauren-baptiste] * instagram [https://instagram.com/thelaurenbaptiste]

Scratching Your Niche

Carrie shares how she transformed a traditional accounting career into a mission-driven advisory practice helping contractors understand their numbers, scale smart, and actually achieve the dreams behind their business. From discovering Profit Mastery to tripling client bonding capacity, Carrie breaks down why education, empowerment, and niche expertise are changing public accounting.

Get Paid For Your Excellence

Pricing expert Casey Brown breaks down why so many CPAs undercharge and how to change it. She explains the psychology behind pricing, how to communicate value without feeling “salesy,” and why mastering discomfort in negotiation is key to earning what you're worth. A powerful episode for firm owners ready to raise prices confidently and serve clients at a higher level.

The Right Tools Make a Big Difference

Peter Wen, former CPA and founder of Tally4, breaks down why tax firms fall behind on technology and how modern tools can eliminate hours of manual work, streamline trial balances, and unlock true tax planning. He shares how real-time tax estimation, QBI automation, and clean data help firms move from compliance to meaningful advisory. Perfect for million-dollar firms ready to scale smarter, not heavier.