The CPA MOMS Podcast

Every CPA has a story - we all have a journey we've taken to get us to where we are. This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Chi Nguyen-George.  Chi is a CPA, a working mom of 2, and a military spouse.  After spending 5 years in public accounting she switched to government accounting and currently works as a government auditor.  During this time she created a blog, sharing how she passed the...

If you haven't already noticed, the accounting industry is struggling, big time. Unfortunately though, our profession also normalizes the struggles - stress, overwhelm, frustration, not enough time, too many demands, not being valued, overcommitting - I could go on but you get the drift. But here's the tricky thing that I've noticed with accountants - we have a hard time asking for help. It's as i...

How much time and effort does it take to be successful at something? And how do you know you're not wasting that time and effort on something that just isn't meant to be? How do you know when to walk away or when to keep going? It might sound a bit harsh, but it's true - there is one skill that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. It's the thing that can make that happy marriage possibl...

Every working mom would love to have a crystal ball in order to see how their choices today will eventually affect their children in the future. Well thankfully I can offer you that crystal ball! I had the pleasure of interviewing my two young-adult children, Kelly Goldberg and Brendan Goldberg, about what it's been like having a working mom, how my choice to work has affected each of them, and th...

Now that tax season is over, are you feeling less overwhelmed? Even as I'm asking this question, I already know the answer - there might be less on your to-do list, but I'm going to bet that you probably deal with overwhelm on a daily basis, not just during tax season or busier times during the year. If you're anything like the accountant moms that I coach, overwhelm is like a constant hum that so...

Whether you're a new mom, or your last child has finally left the nest, most of us at some point are going to be empty nest accountant moms. It can be hard to fathom, especially when your children are young, but there's going to come a time when they will leave to start their own lives and empty nest syndrome might set in. When the time comes, not only is there confusion about what's next for your...

When looking at the stories of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in modern history, you'll often find a quote about the part that intuition played in their success. For example, in a NY Times article, Steve Jobs is quoted saying, "Intuition is a very powerful thing; more powerful than intellect in my opinion". However, that special intuition that we believe makes successful people successf...

If you've been in the accounting profession for awhile, you've probably experienced those "OMG, there's not enough time" moments where you might have felt like you had a semblance of control over everything and then something gets thrown into the mix and it seems like the weight of it all will just crush you. Maybe you've taken a time management course or you've read some articles or books on the...

Have you ever been confused about which courses to take for continuing education or not known where you rate in regards to certain knowledge and skills? Well if you're interested in a more personalized approach to continuing education, then Illumeo is the answer. Illumeo has been named "Top Innovators in EdTech" year after year, offering expert-led courses, CPE tracking tools, live webinars, an en...

If you feel like your time is not your own and you're constantly wishing there were more hours in the day, time boundaries might be just the thing you need. Not only will you have much better control over your time, but you'll also be able to get more done in less time, making it possible to add even more hours to your day. By learning how to set and commit to your time boundaries you make it much...

With everything we have going on in our lives, it can seem like things just keep piling up on us so much that one day we wake up and realize that we've been in a bad mood for what seems like years. This realization can be jarring and uncomfortable, especially if someone else points it out to you. It can also be confusing - you're not exactly sure when or how it started, but your negative attitude...

If you're like a lot of accountants and moms, you've probably got a running to-do list either nearby or easily reachable. You most likely have work things, family things, house things, and tons of other things on that to-do list. Most accountants couldn't even fathom not having a to-do list in order to get everything done, without having something fall through the cracks. Believe me, I get it - we...

While there are many industries that have felt the effects of the "Great Resignation", this trend has had a significant impact on the accounting profession. The truth is that, although people are leaving their jobs in record numbers, there's also an even greater sense of job insecurity than ever before. If you think about it, the days of having a "job for life" are over - that might have been the...

Do you find it challenging, or even impossible, to stick to what's on your schedule? Join the club! So many of us, especially busy accountant moms, have a hard time not only managing our time, but actually following through with what we schedule, or what we plan to do. It often seems like no matter how hard you try and no matter how many pretty planners, detailed to-do lists, or apps you use, you...

As a mother, you probably know all about mothering a child, whether you would consider yourself a good mom or not. You most likely know the do's and don'ts, the basic expectations for taking care of a child, and have a general idea of the ongoing things you need to learn as your children go through various stages of development. But here's what research found - when well educated mothers were aske...

The term "intrapreneur" is a relatively new term used to describe individuals inside an organization who are employees, but who are also entrepreneurial. They're not just good employees, they also have a way of viewing things differently and seeing beyond what they've been tasked with, embodying an entrepreneur mindset even though they're not one yet. If you've ever watched the show Undercover Bos...

So did you set any goals for this year? Did you join the gym, start a new diet, or set a financial goal? Each year we are encouraged to take time in December to reflect on the previous year, and to decide to set goals in January for the upcoming year, but unfortunately we're often frustrated about our goals by mid-February and ready to give up. Has that ever happened to you? Whatever your situatio...

Do you feel like you'd have more time or get what you want done if you could just focus? Well, you're not alone because most of the accountant moms I work with, myself included, often struggle with the ability to focus, especially when we have so much on our to-do list and we're surrounded by so many distractions. The truth is that one of our greatest assets is our attention, but unfortunately we'...

As we roll into a new year, and those of us in public accounting roll into a new tax year, we thought it would be a great time to talk about your calendar. It doesn't matter whether you have a super organized calendar or you're a hot mess, understanding how to get your calendar to work FOR you, instead of against you, will be helpful this year. The thing when it comes to using a calendar, is that...

When you add the pressure that accountants in general have, to the pressure that working mothers have, especially since the pandemic, it's no wonder so many of us are buckling under it all. It's a common sentiment among accountants that "It's just too much". But just like there's a healthy range for your blood pressure, in reality the pressure being too low is as concerning for a doctor as the pre...

A lot of us like the idea of possibly doubling our income, being able to be home when our kids get home from school, or being in control of our career advancement, but as soon as there's a flicker of hope in the possibility, that light quickly gets extinguished. Either the "But how?" question, or the thought that life is just too overwhelming as it is, just stops us in our tracks. Here's the truth...

Is it just me, or are you also hearing a lot more about having a personal brand? When you think of the word "brand" what comes to mind? Do you think of big brands like Amazon, Apple, or McDonalds? Or do you think of smaller things like the brand of toothpaste your family likes or the brand of mechanical pencils you can't live without at work? The interesting thing when it comes to having a persona...

Have you ever had something happen and you weren't able to get closure around the situation? Where something ended, like a relationship or a job, or maybe something changed in some way, and you were left trying to move forward without being stuck in the past? If you've ever struggled with getting closure, we're here to tell you that it's not only possible, but that it's also incredibly powerful. Y...

As accountants, we live in an exceptionally data-driven world, surrounded by facts and figures all day, every day. We are the compilers, synthesizers, and analyzers of our company and client's data, helping to make sense of it all so that decisions can be made today and in the future. Unfortunately, because of the data-driven work that accountants do, we can frequently get caught in the trap of no...

While excuses can often be considered a polite way of getting out of doing something you don't want to do, like bowing out of the invitation for dinner by saying you can't get a babysitter when you really just don't want to go, sometimes excuses are actually getting in your way more than you realize. Sometimes your excuses keep you stuck, have you doing things that aren't in your best interest, or...