She Counts

Nancy and Questian make the case for why conferences can have such impact for women in accounting, and how to get the most out of them when you show up. They share their industry favorites; what they look for when prioritizing certain events over others; how to define and reach your attendance goals; and the mistakes that sometimes keep people from getting full value out of the experience. Whether you're a self-described introvert who sets out to introduce yourself to just one other person, or a woman who could spend the whole week connecting in the hallways and soaking...

In a special crossover episode with the Unofficial QuickBooks Accountants Podcast, Nancy and Questian are joined by Alicia Katz Pollock to dig into why so many technically skilled bookkeepers struggle to charge what they're worth — and what it takes to bridge the gap between expertise and authority. Alicia gets candid about her own discomfort with pricing, using a real business pivot as a window into the self-doubt that holds back even the most accomplished practitioners.

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When Questian read through 31 pages of divorce paperwork and added it to her Ta-Da List (see Ep. 25), it cracked open a conversation she and Nancy had been circling for a while. This episode gets honest about navigating divorce while running a business and raising kids — what it means to grieve something you chose, and why relief and devastation aren't mutually exclusive. They dig into radical acceptance, the DBT concept that two opposing truths can coexist, and what it looks like to keep showing up professionally while your personal life is in freefall.

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Questian and Nancy close out Season Two with Valerie Heckman, Accountant Community Manager at OnPay, and a deceptively simple idea: the “Ta-Da!” list. Instead of measuring your day by what’s left undone, what if you kept track of what you actually did? Valerie shares how this practice helped her interrupt burnout, why women in accounting are especially prone to dismissing their own wins, and how sharing those moments with others can change the culture of your firm. Although a Ta-Da list isn’t a cure-all, it is an effective tool that can shift how you end your day, how you...

It's Questian's birthday, and your hosts are celebrating with the most creative gift they could think of: a crowdsourced collection of "You know you're a woman in accounting when..." moments from their community. From conference survival strategies to scheduling babies around busy season, the hosts laugh, vent, and commiserate over the absurdities of life in this profession. Plus, a bonus visit from Nancy's best friend Shawn Simmons, who joins Nancy and Questian to share her sabbatical project using graphic design and fiber arts to build community around women's menopause journeys.

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After one of Nancy's slide decks recently turned up in someone else's presentation without her name or her invitation, she and Questian decided to dig into the many forms plagiarism takes in professional life. From blatant reuse of materials to the murkier territory of borrowed ideas, they explore why credit tends to drift toward higher-status voices; what the research says about how this affects women differently; and why speaking up — for yourself and for each other — is the most important thing you can do about it.

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When an Ernst & Young seminar told female executives that women's brains absorb information like pancakes soak up syrup, as opposed to retaining information like men, whose brains are more like waffles, it made headlines — and it still stings. Nancy and Questian dig into why sexist trainings on topics like women's clothing and appearance remain a workplace issue in accounting, from vague dress code language to the cognitive toll of constant self-monitoring. The conversation gets personal, gets real, and ends with a three-question self-test that has nothing to do with what anyone else thinks.

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Judie McCarthy's team was spending a third of their time chasing down information—then one of her biggest clients called in tears, completely overwhelmed by the constant requests. Judie joins Questian and Nancy to share why that moment launched her from bookkeeper to tech founder. She talks through juggling two full-time jobs for years, selling her 25-year practice to the lowest bidder (and why that was the right call), and why the fear of regret turned out to be stronger than every other fear she had about building something new.

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Questian and Nancy sit down with Misty Megia of the Theatre of Public Speaking to explore why women so often stay muted—in meetings, on stages, and in their own heads. They unpack the roots of negative self-talk, why we're so much harsher on ourselves than we'd ever be with a friend, and how to bridge the gap between knowing something logically and feeling it emotionally. Misty shares specific techniques for moving past self-doubt and making self-promotion feel authentic instead of performative.

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Recorded live at AFWA’s Women Who Count Conference, Questian and Nancy are joined by employment attorney Kami Hoskins and HR leader Julie Thiel for an unflinching conversation about sexual harassment in accounting. From boundary-crossing “jokes” and unwanted physical contact to explicit quid pro quo threats, this panel breaks down how harassment actually shows up at work… and why it’s so often minimized, misread, or missed entirely in the moment. They pull back the curtain on what really happens when HR gets involved, why silence is often mistaken for professionalism, and how power dynamics shape who is believed and who is...

Recorded live at AFWA’s Women Who Count Conference, Questian and Nancy are joined by employment attorney Kami Hoskins and HR leader Julie Thiel for an unflinching conversation about sexual harassment in accounting. From boundary-crossing “jokes” and unwanted physical contact to explicit quid pro quo threats, this panel breaks down how harassment actually shows up at work… and why it’s so often minimized, misread, or missed entirely in the moment. They pull back the curtain on what really happens when HR gets involved, why silence is often mistaken for professionalism, and how power dynamics shape who is believed and who is...

Two accountants with ADHD (and one who’s got lots of questions) get real about what it's like when your brain won't filter information, when 30 minutes turns into either 3 hours or 3 minutes, and when opening your email derails your entire day. Jina Etienne joins Questian and Nancy to discuss early- vs later-in-life diagnosis; the exhaustion of masking symptoms for decades; the superpowers inherent in ADHD; and why women in accounting are finally putting words to experiences they've had their whole lives. If you’ve wondered about ADHD in accounting… yet all your resources are male, this is the episode for yo...

When nearly everyone in the room raises their hand to admit they experience imposter syndrome… it's time to stop calling it a “syndrome”. Questian and Nancy explore why this near-universal feeling shows up differently for high-achieving women in accounting—who, for various reasons, often push through it more slowly than men—examining the systemic and social roots that reinforce it. They share personal stories of feeling unqualified despite clear evidence to the contrary, and offer practical frameworks for recognizing, reframing, and finding relief from these persistent self-limiting beliefs.

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Candy Bellau joins Nancy and Questian to discuss a problem that costs women accountants thousands of dollars every year: underpricing. The conversation covers why women tend to charge 25-50% less than men for the same work, how compassionate pricing and relationship loyalty keep us trapped in unsustainable business models, and what changed when Candy discovered male colleagues were quoting double her rates despite having less expertise. The three dive into practical solutions, including reframing value-based pricing, building community support around fee conversations, and remembering that sustainable pricing is not only about personal profit, but also about taking care of...

Most professionals treat "yes" as their default setting, then spend their lives playing catch-up. Brandy Jordan joins us to help reframe "no" as a necessary operating system for strategic decision-making rather than a personal failure. The discussion covers the planning fallacy, why self-abandonment is unsustainable leadership, and how starting with no actually leads to better, more intentional “yes” decisions.

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Nancy and Questian record live from the Bridging the Gap conference, with audience Q&A moderated by Erin Pohan. They share raw, unfiltered answers about jealousy between friends, the shame of being called "too much," body image struggles across the spectrum, and why imposter syndrome might not be a syndrome at all. From tears to belly laughs, this celebration of Season Two proves that putting yourself out there publicly is messy, terrifying, and absolutely worth it.

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Twyla Verhelst joins Nancy and Questian to explore why women accountants are slower to adopt AI and why that matters more than you might think. From biological risk aversion to the "cheating" stigma, Twyla unpacks the unique barriers women face with technology while revealing how every prompt we enter (or don't enter) is actively training these tools. If we don't take our seats at the AI table now, we're allowing these transformative technologies to be designed without our input, our communication style, and our needs in mind.

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Nancy and Questian sit down with three powerhouse conference organizers who are reshaping the accounting event landscape: Sharrin Fuller (AFWA Women Who Count), Erin Pohan (WAVE Conference), and Madeline Reeves (Advisory Amplified tour). These women discuss pricing psychology shaped by wage gaps, navigating traditional gender roles as primary breadwinners, and why smaller, women-led conferences create space for vulnerability and real connection that larger industry events often miss. The conversation explores everything from the loneliness of firm ownership to getting a seat at the table without being labeled "emotional," and highlights three of the most important educational opportunities of the...

Justine Lackey thought she wanted to build a million-dollar bookkeeping firm – until she recognized the roadmap to get there was literally causing her physical pain. She realized that chasing revenue without building systems creates a "runaway bus" business, and rebuilt her company to harness sustainable growth and serve clients better. She shares the difference between vertical growth (more clients, more money) and lateral growth (better processes, stronger foundation) and reveals the mindset shift that helped her see her firm as a sellable asset… and why she now teaches other women to define success on their own terms.

The accounting profession starts with gender parity… but ends with a massive leadership gap – and the discrepancy has nothing to do with either talent or capability. This episode examines the structural issues that cause firms to lose women mid-career, from unconscious bias in performance reviews to assumptions about working mothers. Nancy and Questian break down the research on interruption patterns, pay disparities, and the "motherhood penalty," then offer concrete ways leaders can create more equitable pathways to partnership.

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Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE and author of "The Elevation of Empathy," shares her raw story of surviving a toxic partnership where she endured cruel comments about her weight and appearance, and how that shaped her perspective on leading with empathy. Through personal examples including her own leadership failures at work and lessons from her time as a softball coach, Dawn reveals how empathy can be cultivated, practiced, and wielded as a strategic advantage. The conversation tackles the unique challenges women face when leading with empathy, the emotional labor often expected of female managers, and why caring for others doesn't...

Nicole Davis, Forbes Top 200 CPA and CEO of Conscious Accounting, shares her journey from being called "darling" in client meetings to becoming a force who dominates every room she enters. She candidly offers advice on how to feel like you own a room… that wasn’t “built” with you in mind. She reveals how true power isn't about titles or corner offices, it's about owning your story and making others accept who you are on your terms. Nicole discusses why women are uniquely positioned to lead the AI revolution in accounting, the critical difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and how show...

Recorded live at Scaling New Heights, Nayo Carter-Gray shares her hard-won wisdom on setting client boundaries, and her frustration in receiving a scathing one-star review that turned into a teaching moment. From effective communication skills, to tools such as using answering services and shared email inboxes, to crafting the perfect out-of-office message and managing client expectations through education… she reveals how clear strategies and proactive systems create better client relationships, not damaged ones. You'll learn why "no" is a complete sentence and discover practical tools to protect your time without the guilt.

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Nancy and Questian dive deep into the difference between fearlessness and courage, sharing vulnerable stories: about becoming a dancer at age 40, speaking to a room of hundreds of people, and starting their own businesses. They explore why saying "don't be afraid" misses the point—true courage isn't the absence of fear, but choosing to act despite it. From imposter syndrome to asking for money, they discuss the specific fears women in accounting face and offer practical tools, such as: affirmations; breaking down scary tasks; remembering your “why”; and borrowing confidence from mentors.

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Burnout coach and CPA Lynnette Oss Connell joins us and shares her personal journey from running a successful accounting practice while juggling five kids, to recognizing and addressing signs of complete burnout. She explains how women experience burnout differently than men due to biological and social factors, and why 99% of accountants struggle with chronic stress. Lynnette introduces the concept of time versus energy management audits, as well as different strategies for burnout prevention versus recovery. Lastly, we discuss the critical importance of building authentic community before crisis hits.

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What do you do when your world falls apart—but the deadlines don’t stop?

In this deeply personal episode, we’re getting real about the moments that nearly broke us. Nancy shares what it was like to run a firm while surviving months without being able to sit or lie down due to seizures. Questian opens up about her son’s sudden hospitalization and the toll it took on her body, business, and spirit.

We talk about the pressure women in accounting feel to keep it together, to "suck it up," even in the middle o...

Mentorship can transform careers, yet women in accounting often struggle to find female leaders to guide them - despite equal numbers entering the profession, only 19% of partners are women. Questian and Nancy explore how seeing someone who looks like you succeed makes your own success feel possible, sharing personal stories of mentors who believed in them before they believed in themselves. The hosts discuss both the psychology behind effective mentorship and practical ways to find mentors who align with your values, regardless of their age or position.

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Nancy McClelland and Questian Telka introduce their new podcast dedicated to women in accounting, sharing their unconventional paths into the profession and the friendship that sparked this project. They discuss their mission to create an authentic community where women can share challenges and triumphs without filtering, preview over 50 future topics they've accumulated over two years, and explain how their "conversational chemistry" transformed casual chats into a platform for collective wisdom. Through personal stories about struggles with confidence, education, and finding community, they establish that this isn't about preaching solutions, but creating a space where everyone's voice counts.

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