Heather Esposito’s career path is anything but linear: from special education to earning six Mary Kay career cars (including the Pink Cadillac), rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and rising into leadership development at major companies—before returning to accounting, earning her CPA later in life, and launching two businesses. In this interview, she shares how curiosity, resilience, and lifelong learning shaped every pivot, plus what she believes is changing fast in the accounting profession. Listen for practical insights on reinvention, leadership, and skills-based growth.

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Cool Careers in Accounting Ep. 34 - Turning Experience into Expertise: A Story of Learning and Reinvention with Heather Esposito

Veteran CPA and former healthcare CFO Melvin Alexander joins host Chris Mitchell to unpack what makes healthcare finance uniquely challenging—and surprisingly mission-driven. They dive into how reimbursement really works, why consolidation keeps reshaping hospitals, and how labor, inflation, and technology pressures are squeezing margins. Melvin also explains what “complex accounting events” look like in healthcare and shares practical career advice for students and accountants considering the field. If you want a clear, real-world look at the financial engine behind patient care, this episode delivers.

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Balancing the Future Ep. 35 - The Business of Care: Healthcare Accounting in a Changing Market with Melvin Alexander

In this episode of Tax News Now, Mark Gallegos and his guest, Brandon Lagarde of Eisner Advisory Group LLC, explore the rapidly evolving tax landscape surrounding two major money-in-sports trends: the explosion of legalized sports gambling and the rise of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) income for college athletes. The discussion covers key compliance issues practitioners need to understand, including the new gambling loss limitation rules, reporting of winnings, recordkeeping challenges, and the tax complexities of cryptocurrency used for wagering. The episode also highlights the unique tax challenges facing college athletes and encourages CPAs to take a proactive advisory role as both areas continue to grow.

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Tax News Now Ep. 18 - From the Casino Floor to the Locker Room: What CPAs Must Understand About Gambling Losses and NIL Taxation with Brandon Lagarde

AI isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s rewriting budgets, internal controls, and even how long leadership has to make decisions. In this episode, Dr. Sean Stein Smith breaks down what’s changed fast, why traditional GAAP reporting struggles with AI’s intangible commitments, and how investors and executives alike can cut through hype by focusing on cash flow and footnotes. Join us for a practical, finance-first roadmap for navigating what’s coming next—and where the real ROI will (and won’t) show up.

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Balancing the Future Ep. 34 - Accounting in the AI Era: What CPAs Need to Know with Dr. Sean Stein Smith

What does a Big 4-trained CPA have in common with stilt-walkers and viral baseball? Dr. Tim Naddy breaks down how he went from public accounting to academia, entrepreneurship, and ultimately CFO of the Savannah Bananas—where games are full-blown shows and every decision is filtered through a “does this make it better for the fan?” mindset. He also discusses trusted-advisor skills, why creatives need financial armor, and how to avoid burnout while building a career with purpose. If you think accounting is boring, this episode will change your mind.

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Cool Careers in Accounting Ep. 33 - Bananas and Balance Sheets: The Business of Making Baseball Fun with Dr. Tim Naddy

Thinking about leaving a traditional finance or accounting role? Britt Clark joins host Mike Potenza to explain how he went from earning his CPA a decade into his career to becoming a corporate controller to leading FP&A at Aflac—then making the leap into fractional CFO work. He breaks down how he landed his first clients, why relationships beat cold marketing, and how to set boundaries so the work doesn’t become a 60-hour grind again. Britt also shares practical ways he uses AI to speed up analysis and communication while keeping human judgment in the driver’s seat.

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Cool Careers in Accounting Ep. 32 - Turning Experience into Freedom: Becoming a Fractional CFO with Britt Clark

In this episode of Tax News Now, Mark Gallegos and his guest, Terry Lemons, Public Relations Director at Frost Law and former Communications and Liaison Chief at the Internal Revenue Service, takes listeners inside the IRS, exploring how the agency is structured, how it operates, and what really happens when major tax legislation gets passed and implemented. Topics covered include the IRS's internal decision-making process, the ongoing challenges of staffing reductions and processing backlogs, and the critical role that tax professionals play in keeping the tax system functioning.

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Tax News Now Ep. 17 - Behind the Curtain: How the IRS Really Works and What It Means for Your Practice with Terry Lemons

This episode is a true case study of a cannabis operator that looked “buttoned up” on paper—SOPs, cameras, and compliance staff—until regulators showed up. What began as a routine, anonymous mold complaint escalated when inspectors found predated sanitation logs and started pulling supporting records. The deeper they looked, the more control gaps surfaced: no documented monthly inventory counts, finished product left unsecured, and security footage that wasn’t being reviewed—until it revealed repeated employee theft. Naomi Granger explains the red flags and the checkpoints accountants can use to prevent enforcement action.

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BAP Ep. 2 - One Red Flag: A Cannabis Controls Wake-Up Call with Naomi Granger

What if the biggest risk in your firm isn’t a technical accounting issue—but a quiet licensing and mobility misstep you didn’t know you were making? In this episode, CPA QualityPro CEO Lindsay Patterson shares how she went from journalism to the AICPA, earned her CPA while working full-time and raising kids, and then built a platform to help firms stay compliant across 55 jurisdictions. You’ll hear practical insights on mobility myths, common renewal and registration pitfalls, and what the 120-hour pathway—and even potential 90-hour degrees—could mean for substantial equivalency, multi-state practice, and your talent pipeline.

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Cool Careers in Accounting Ep. 31 - The 120 Pathway: New Licensure Mobility Rules and Hidden Pitfalls with Lindsay Patterson

Rescheduling could be the biggest tax shake-up the cannabis industry has ever seen—but the hype may be ahead of the facts. In this interview, CPA Bruce Andersen explains what President Trump’s recent executive order actually does (and doesn’t do), why 280E relief isn’t immediate, and how operators should plan spending, depreciation, and estimated payments while the industry waits for agencies—and potentially Congress—to act. You’ll also hear what “protective claims” really mean, why “federally legal” is a myth, and how hemp policy could complicate the path forward.

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BAP Ep. 1 - The Executive Order Heard ’Round Cannabis: What Happens Next? with Bruce Andersen

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Ruth Berry

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