I recently started facilitating an experimental new professional development program called Slide Deck Improv, and today I am excited to introduce you to two of partners in crime in this venture, Kristen Rampe and Jason Lieu. Kristen is the creator of Slide Deck Improv, a 10-year veteran of public accounting, and the owner of Kristen Rampe Consulting. Jason actually worked for Kristen during his short tenure as an accountant, but he left the profession to pursue improv and acting. Now he’s back ...
Oct 15, 2018•38 min•Season 2Ep. 13
My guest today is Courtney Kirschbaum, who I had the pleasure of speaking with after her keynote address at the Georgia Society of CPAs’ Southeastern Accounting Show in Atlanta. Courtney’s keynote address was titled “The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?” and it focuses on the idea that everything old is new again, especially when it comes to panicking about the younger generation. This talk was first inspired by a quote from Socrates: “The children now love luxury; they have bad...
Oct 01, 2018•43 min•Season 2Ep. 12
My guest today is Kate Colbert, the Founder & President of Silver Tree Communications and Silver Tree Publishing and the author of the newly released book Think Like a Marketer: How a Shift in Mindset Can Change Everything for Your Business. Kate provides great marketing advice for people in any kind of business, and she tailored this conversation for the financial professional. Now, this isn’t about converting accounting and finance professionals into marketers – It's about helping people l...
Sep 17, 2018•57 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Rebekah Brown is the Director of Development for the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute. Rebekah frequently presents to groups both locally and nationally on the future of the accounting profession and, as a certified Insight to Action facilitator, she has guided firms, nonprofits, and accounting professionals in the United States and Canada in their strategic planning process. On top of all the work that Rebekah does, she’s just downright passionate about the profe...
Sep 03, 2018•52 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Overwhelmed by trying to stay current with the rapid change in technology? Have sleepless nights because you fear that someone will #hack into your company? Just need IT help? Then this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 20, 2018•47 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Owen Wyss is the Financial Controller at Thompson Concrete Construction, and he can best be described by a quote he gave in a recent AICPA article titled “Tired of Getting After-Hours Work Email?” Owen said, "Given the fact that my company does pay for me to have the ability to access my email on my smartphone, I believe they expect me to be available in an emergency or in order not to delay a project or task, especially since we operate globally." Now, most CPAs don't feel that way – and that i...
Aug 06, 2018•47 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Cara Silletto is a retention guru who works with companies all around the country, in all different industries, to help them reduce employee turnover. To accomplish that, she bridges the generational gaps and helps managers be more effective in their roles. This is an issue that comes up a lot in firms today and it’s only going to be a bigger issue with each passing year. So if you’re clinging to the old ways – well, consider this a wake-up call. Because the firms who are set in their ways, who ...
Jul 23, 2018•57 min•Season 2Ep. 7
My guest today is Jennie Scheel, CFO of Five Nines Technology Group and a previous attendee of my Financial Storytelling seminar. After the seminar, she sent me an email with a nice compliment about the class and asked if I knew of any great summaries that I could share with her for taking accounting data and turning it into a powerful story… but at that time, and even still, I didn’t know of any. Instead, I helped Jennie develop her story for the organization in exchange for using this exercise...
Jul 09, 2018•38 min•Season 2Ep. 6
My guests today are Rich Stang and Brad Hoffman, who are partners in the Maryland accounting firm DeLeon & Stang – and it is not your average firm. I have included a case study on DeLeon & Stang in my upcoming book, Taking the Numb out of Numbers, and I brought Rich and Brad on the podcast so they can talk more about their fascinating firm. DeLeon & Stang is very much an anticipatory organization. They have created an exceptionally positive culture and go beyond traditional services ...
Jun 25, 2018•48 min•Season 2Ep. 5
My guest today is Dr. John Molidor, a Professor of Psychiatry and Community Assistant Dean at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine as well as a past president of the National Speakers Association Board of Directors. John shares his extensive knowledge about how to prepare a presentation that takes your audience's brain into consideration and provides a richer learning experience, or a “brain-friendly” presentation. John came to the NSA Ohio chapter in February 2017 and delivered a...
Jun 11, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Collaboration is a buzzword in business today. Everyone talks about it. But how do you do it? Well, today’s guest, Eddie Turner, thinks he has the secret sauce to collaboration: “It should be facilitated – facilitated collaboration is what accelerates performance and drives impact.” Eddie is known as “the leadership accelerator” because he works with leaders to accelerate performance and drive impact. He is a C-Suite network adviser, international certified coach, certified trainer, and professi...
May 28, 2018•49 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Today I sit down with four incredible guests – Michelle Sopp, Jennifer Oleksa, Chris Fleck, and Bret Johnson – to discuss our major takeaways from the 2018 National CPE Educators conference held earlier this year. If you are in the learning and development business, in any industry, pay close attention because all industries and professions need to adapt and change in response to new technologies and changing behavior. The conference objectives were: Creating a fun and dynamic learning environme...
May 14, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 2
This is an exciting time to be in the accounting profession – we are at a turning point, and the profession is recognizing that just counting beans is not going to get us into the next century (or even the next decade). We need to change our role and relationships with our clients, and we need to be proactive about investing in developing technologies that will allow us to do so. That’s why I sat down to talk with Amy Vetter, a key influencer in the accounting industry and an accomplished tech e...
Apr 30, 2018•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Today I’m celebrating my 100th episode (because I technically started this show with episode 0) – and I have a special announcement for all of you. First, I’d like to thank all of the guests who have given their time and shared their knowledge with my audience – without you, we never would have reached this milestone. I’d also like to thank my audience, especially those of you who listen every week. I hope you’ve been able to gather some nuggets of wisdom and applied them in your everyday life! ...
Apr 23, 2018•9 min•Ep. 99
Scott Palmer is the Executive Director of Adult Education at Butler Technology and Career Development Schools, and he joins me to discuss how the principles of improvisation have helped him create a collaborative environment with his team, his students, and the institution. Scott has been in adult education for more than two decades, and he loves this work because he is able to help others realize lifelong goals, whether that be pursuing a degree, completing a certificate, or getting a job. Scot...
Apr 16, 2018•42 min•Ep. 98
Kay Frances is a motivational humorist who has shared her message to “lighten up, stress less and take care of ourselves” for over 30 years. Kay is “America’s Funniest Stressbuster” – and she even wrote the book on stress, The Funny Thing about Stress; A Seriously Humorous Guide to a Happier Life! When it comes to humor, Kay is the real deal. She performed as a professional stand up comedian for many years and appeared on a number of national television and radio programs. Plus, as you’ll hear i...
Apr 09, 2018•46 min•Ep. 97
Bob Pacanovsky is what you might call a “Wow!” expert – with 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, primarily in the hospitality space, he has learned how create engagement, retention, and loyalty with customers, employees, and clients. Bob took that expertise and founded The Black Tie Experience, which helps companies and leaders create that Black Tie Experience for their customers and employees. The black tie is much more than a uniform – it’s a mindset. You don’t actually have to have a blac...
Apr 02, 2018•52 min•Ep. 96
Kristen Rampe, Founder of Kristen Rampe Consulting, returns to the show to discuss how CPE educators can get the best out of their presenters and subject matter experts and a new training tool for those who want to build confidence when speaking in front of a crowd: PowerPoint Improv! If you want to get better at speaking, this episode is for you. Kristen conducted an excellent breakout session during the 2018 CPE Educators Conference, in which a group of us discussed how we can get more engagem...
Mar 26, 2018•35 min•Ep. 95
Chris Loehrer is a right-brain person living in left-brain world, meaning he is extremely creative, has a BFA in animation and film, but currently operates in a leadership role within The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA)… not exactly what you might expect from a creative type. In this episode, Chris offers a unique perspective on the topic of leadership, and shares the challenges he faces with getting some of his ideas across and accepted in a numbers-driven, linear thinking business environmen...
Mar 19, 2018•44 min•Ep. 94
Ted Janusz is a speaker and marketing guru, and he’s here to help you get the most out of your online presence. We discuss how you can set your organization apart from the competition, how to get your clients and prospects spending more time on your website, and what you can do to raise your level of authority to be perceived as an expert in your field. Marketing isn’t the same as it was even just 10 years ago – or, at least, your marketing shouldn’t look the same as it did 10 years ago. For sta...
Mar 12, 2018•43 min•Ep. 93
Mary Foley energizes female entrepreneurs with the clarity, confidence, and tools to attract, engage, and win more clients. She is an author, energizing keynote speaker, business mentor, host of the P.O.W.E.R. Plug Podcast, and a lover of red capes. On today’s episode, we discuss her book Bodacious! Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Lovin’ It! Her sense of humor and positivity comes through on every page of – as it does every minute of this podcast! This book isn’t just for women, e...
Mar 05, 2018•54 min•Ep. 92
Jim Canterucci is a catalyst for growth leadership change. He is the Founder of Transition Management Advisors and Constituent Hub, the author of Personal Brilliance: Mastering the Everyday Habits That Create a Lifetime of Success, and creator of a comprehensive system for for leading change called Change Management Project - The Next Step. For years, Jim and his team at Transition Management Advisors have been helping their clients develop leadership capabilities to create a championship cultur...
Feb 26, 2018•54 min•Ep. 91
Laura Stoll is the Talent Development Consultant at Ernst & Young, and she has a fascinating perspective on how you can develop top talent within your organization that is influenced by her background in improv. Laura studied at Second City, iO, and ComedySportz Chicago. She even has the distinction of being the only student ever thrown out of previous guest (and current husband) Jay Sukow’s classroom! At EY, Laura strategizes, designs, and consults on large-scale programs designed to improv...
Feb 19, 2018•56 min•Ep. 90
Jon Petz is born to be on stage – so much so that he left his highly successful career as a corporate vice president to fulfill his purpose and passion by helping others laugh louder, perform better, and achieve more. We discuss how he evolved from a corporate executive to a business magician to an opening keynoter and MC, and how you can better engage your audience in any situation (plus, we laugh a lot along the way). As a speaker and MC, Jon engages and energizes his audience using his amazin...
Feb 12, 2018•49 min•Ep. 89
Jody Padar, AKA The Radical CPA, is a leader driven by a passion to foster real change in the accounting profession. She represent the next generation of accounting professionals, leading the vanguard for both digital CPAs and future-ready firms. Jody returns to the show to discuss her new book, From Success to Significance: The Radical CPA Guide, which is a practice-proven roadmap to a new business model for CPA firms. If you’re looking to change and you’re not sure how to begin, this lays out ...
Feb 05, 2018•51 min•Ep. 88
Marilyn Sherman is a speaker and author who has spent years motivating and inspiring audiences to get out of their comfort zone and get a front-row seat in life, and this is the perfect time of the year to check in with her because she has tips and techniques anyone can use to stay focused on their goals (and New Year’s resolutions). It’s the end of January, so some of you may have broken your resolutions already – and that’s okay! Listen to the entire episode, apply Marilyn’s tips, and then you...
Jan 29, 2018•54 min•Ep. 87
Keith Harmeyer is all about ideas! He is an expert in innovative thinking, creative problem solving, and idea generation who spent over two decades coming up with great ideas for some of the world’s best known and most successful companies (such as JPMorgan Chase, Disney, Conde Nast, and McDonald’s). Now, as a Founding Partner of SmartStorming and co-author of SmartStorming: The Game Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas, Keith is providing other organizations with the expertise, ...
Jan 22, 2018•56 min•Ep. 86
Today’s guest, Merle Heckman, truly understands the power of storytelling – and why it is needed in all aspects of business today. You see, Merle works with engineers, but he’s not an engineer (he’s the Manager of Organizational Development at Regal Beloit). And when engineers give presentations, they can be dense with jargon and hard to understand... not unlike when accountants give presentations. Merle wanted to know how individuals within his organization could give better presentations, so t...
Jan 15, 2018•59 min•Ep. 85
I’m really excited to introduce you all to Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, an actor, director, author, and theater teacher originally from Bogotá, Colombia. He is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University, where he teaches all levels of acting, voice, and improvisation – but not just to theater students. Antonio has developed a number of courses for non-theater students to help people develop their “soft skills,” or interpersonal communication skills – but, as listeners to this podcast know, thos...
Jan 08, 2018•51 min•Ep. 84
Happy New Year! To celebrate the beginning of what is sure to be another interesting year, I’ve gone through every episode from 2017 and pulled out a quote that I found impactful. Inspired by one of these quotes? You can find an image to download and share for each one by clicking this link. Resources: Connect with Pete and listen to previous episodes of the podcast at improvisnojoke.com -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Jan 01, 2018•39 min•Ep. 83
