Brad led the outwardly “successful” life into his 20s: Succeeded in school, elite university acceptance, job at a top international accounting firm, CPA designation. But he had no plan other than the standard American narrative. His first year at work he saw what “success” looked like for the firm’s partners — working 80-hour weeks and not taking vacations – so Brad looked for a different path. He and his future wife also had an epiphany: eventually they would want to have kids, but with high pressure jobs in a high cost of living area, they wouldn’t have the time or freedom they desired to spend with those future kids. This led him to the concept of financial independence.
Brad returns to the podcast from episode 50 to update us on his life of Financial Independence and getting his own podcast started!
Amie is a tax professional with over 13 years of diverse experience, including roles in both public accounting and private industry. She currently is a Senior Tax Manager at Eide Bailly LLP serving clients in the Des Moines, Iowa market as well as writing internal and external technical tax communications for their National Tax Office. Her published work has appeared in The Tax Adviser, Thomson Reuters, and local publications. She also maintains a personal blog at www.livingthetaxlife.com where she writes about tax, business, and life in general.
Amie talks about her first travel experience, getting lost in foreign countries, and how her experiences from travelling help her handle day-to-day conflicts in the office!
Mike returns from episode 11 to tell us why he switched from baseball to hockey, how his co-workers and clients react to his new passion, and gives us a background on his charity organization “Hand to Hold”!
Mark owns MGR Accounting Recruiters, a San Antonio focused recruiting company, and Where Accountants Go, a career-content site for accounting professionals.
Mark talks about how he found his passion for running and how his experience in working for the family business made it easy for him to share this passion in the office!
Holly returns to the podcast from episode 60 to give us an update on her long-standing home renovation project and how much her farm has grown! She also talks about how her clients have been more open about their passions & hobbies as Holly has become more comfortable to share hers!
Billy Kelley tells us the story of his very first hunting trip that made him realize his passion for it! He also talks about how hunting has taught him patience, how he applies that to handling conflicts in the office, and why it is important to know your why!
Randy returns from episode 16 to talk about his most recent favorite concert, how he is taking more of an interest in other people’s hobbies, and how ACM LLP is encouraging a culture of sharing passions outside of work!
Bill talks about his passion for inline skating and how it has given him the confidence to be more upfront about his passions outside of work. He also talks about how he has yet to find someone to keep up with him and his skating!
Seth returns from episode 51, to talk about his shifted interest from hiking to video editing for his consulting courses. He breaks down how he although enjoys his work as a consultant, his true passion in his work is currently more towards the video editing aspects of it! Seth also talks about how he found relief in diving into this passion during a time of loss in his life.
Jose Zavala talks about his passion for hunting and how it has given him the skills of being patient and taking a step back to breathe in stressful and fast-paced moments in the office! He also discusses how the idea of dressing for success does not always have to be a suit and tie!