app01 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 22:30:05 +0000 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) FEI Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Workforce Development” https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/tags/workforce%20development Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 Financial Executives International presents the FEI Podcast: an audio digest focusing on the ideas and strategies in finance and accounting. en-us episodic Discussions and thought-provoking ideas from Financial Executives International Financial Executives International Financial Executives International presents the FEI Podcast: an audio digest focusing on the ideas and strategies in finance and accounting. no business, finance, accounting, strategy Financial Executives International info@financialexecutives.org From CPA to Founder: Why This CFO Says It's Time to Take More Risk – with Chrissy O'Hara https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/186 4306e205-0142-418f-a043-b28629241f69 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 Financial Executives International full Financial Executives International Chrissy O'Hara, CFO of SoftLedger, shares what entrepreneurial freedom really costs and why more finance and accounting professionals need to take bigger risks. 33:20 no <p>What happens when a CFO trades the structure of a traditional corporate finance career for the unpredictability of a startup? In this episode, recorded live at FEI's <em><strong>Financial Leaders Forum</strong></em> in San Antonio, host Heather Cole sits down with <strong>Chrissy O'Hara, CFO of SoftLedger</strong>, to talk about the real tradeoffs of entrepreneurial freedom: cash flow stress, family members who keep asking when the “real job” is coming, and the discipline it takes to keep pivoting when plans change. O'Hara also shares how she learned to let go of the perfectionism her CPA training instilled, how she and her team use AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT day to day, and why she believes more finance and accounting professionals need to step into entrepreneurship and be in the room shaping the next generation of tools, rather than waiting for someone else to make those decisions for them. Special Guest: Chrissy O'Hara.</p> CFO entrepreneurship, startup CFO, SoftLedger, career transition, financial leadership, accounting software, AI in accounting, FEI Podcast, cash flow management, FP&A, risk taking, financial executives What happens when a CFO trades the structure of a traditional corporate finance career for the unpredictability of a startup? In this episode, recorded live at FEI's Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio, host Heather Cole sits down with Chrissy O'Hara, CFO of SoftLedger, to talk about the real tradeoffs of entrepreneurial freedom: cash flow stress, family members who keep asking when the “real job” is coming, and the discipline it takes to keep pivoting when plans change. O'Hara also shares how she learned to let go of the perfectionism her CPA training instilled, how she and her team use AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT day to day, and why she believes more finance and accounting professionals need to step into entrepreneurship and be in the room shaping the next generation of tools, rather than waiting for someone else to make those decisions for them.

Special Guest: Chrissy O'Hara.

]]> What happens when a CFO trades the structure of a traditional corporate finance career for the unpredictability of a startup? In this episode, recorded live at FEI's Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio, host Heather Cole sits down with Chrissy O'Hara, CFO of SoftLedger, to talk about the real tradeoffs of entrepreneurial freedom: cash flow stress, family members who keep asking when the “real job” is coming, and the discipline it takes to keep pivoting when plans change. O'Hara also shares how she learned to let go of the perfectionism her CPA training instilled, how she and her team use AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT day to day, and why she believes more finance and accounting professionals need to step into entrepreneurship and be in the room shaping the next generation of tools, rather than waiting for someone else to make those decisions for them.

Special Guest: Chrissy O'Hara.

]]> From Job Fear to Competitive Edge: How One CFO Is Leading with AI – with Kevina Purmanund https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/185 c963727a-de3e-4d86-960b-c4351d379304 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 Financial Executives International full Financial Executives International Kevina Purmanund, CFO of the 1826 Group, joins host Heather Cole to share how she turned early AI anxiety into a competitive advantage for herself and her finance team. 26:44 no <p>What happens when a CFO realizes AI could replace her job, and decides to master it instead? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Kevina Purmanund, CFO of the 1826 Group, live from the FEI Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio. Purmanund shares how a single conversation with an investor sparked her AI journey, how she now runs ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot side by side to compare results, and how a revenue-per-head report that used to take a week now takes 30 minutes. She also opens up about the mistakes AI has caused, the review process she built to catch them, and how she brought a skeptical accounting team along with weekly demos and hands-on projects. Along the way, they cover data security and compliance, what to look for in AI training, and why investing in coaching and peer networks has been just as important to her growth as any AI tool. Whether you are just starting to experiment or already building your own tools, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to lead through change. Special Guest: Kevina Purmanund.</p> CFO AI adoption, AI in finance, AI for financial leaders, finance transformation, AI governance, AI training for CFOs, financial leadership, 1826 Group, FEI Podcast, AI implementation, AI dashboards, finance automation, executive coaching What happens when a CFO realizes AI could replace her job, and decides to master it instead? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Kevina Purmanund, CFO of the 1826 Group, live from the FEI Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio. Purmanund shares how a single conversation with an investor sparked her AI journey, how she now runs ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot side by side to compare results, and how a revenue-per-head report that used to take a week now takes 30 minutes. She also opens up about the mistakes AI has caused, the review process she built to catch them, and how she brought a skeptical accounting team along with weekly demos and hands-on projects. Along the way, they cover data security and compliance, what to look for in AI training, and why investing in coaching and peer networks has been just as important to her growth as any AI tool. Whether you are just starting to experiment or already building your own tools, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to lead through change.

Special Guest: Kevina Purmanund.

]]> What happens when a CFO realizes AI could replace her job, and decides to master it instead? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Kevina Purmanund, CFO of the 1826 Group, live from the FEI Financial Leaders Forum in San Antonio. Purmanund shares how a single conversation with an investor sparked her AI journey, how she now runs ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot side by side to compare results, and how a revenue-per-head report that used to take a week now takes 30 minutes. She also opens up about the mistakes AI has caused, the review process she built to catch them, and how she brought a skeptical accounting team along with weekly demos and hands-on projects. Along the way, they cover data security and compliance, what to look for in AI training, and why investing in coaching and peer networks has been just as important to her growth as any AI tool. Whether you are just starting to experiment or already building your own tools, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to lead through change.

Special Guest: Kevina Purmanund.

]]> Why CFOs Can't Just Layer AI on Broken Processes – with CohnReznick https://feipodcast.fireside.fm/184 d48e9e94-cf66-48ba-864c-2b5c66840abe Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 Financial Executives International full Financial Executives International Jennifer Witts and Kyle Vroegh of CohnReznick join host Heather Cole to explore why AI adoption requires more than technology – it requires process readiness, cultural safety, and responsible governance. 39:06 no <p>What if the biggest AI challenge for CFOs is not the technology itself, but the culture and processes required to use it well? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Jennifer Witts (Partner) and Kyle Vroegh (Director) of CohnReznick's Client Advisory Services Practice to unpack what separates financial leaders seeing real AI results from those spinning their wheels. They cover where CFOs should start with AI adoption, why layering automation on broken processes backfires, how to build a psychologically safe culture around experimentation, what governance and security questions to ask when evaluating outside firms, and how the role of the financial executive is shifting toward advisory and strategic work. Whether you are excited, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a practical, no-hype path forward – one bite-sized use case at a time. Special Guests: Jennifer Witts and Kyle Vroegh.</p> CFO AI adoption, AI in finance, AI strategy, financial leadership, process automation, AI governance, finance transformation, outsourced accounting, organizational culture, AI implementation, CohnReznick, FEI Podcast What if the biggest AI challenge for CFOs is not the technology itself, but the culture and processes required to use it well? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Jennifer Witts (Partner) and Kyle Vroegh (Director) of CohnReznick's Client Advisory Services Practice to unpack what separates financial leaders seeing real AI results from those spinning their wheels. They cover where CFOs should start with AI adoption, why layering automation on broken processes backfires, how to build a psychologically safe culture around experimentation, what governance and security questions to ask when evaluating outside firms, and how the role of the financial executive is shifting toward advisory and strategic work. Whether you are excited, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a practical, no-hype path forward – one bite-sized use case at a time.

Special Guests: Jennifer Witts and Kyle Vroegh.

]]> What if the biggest AI challenge for CFOs is not the technology itself, but the culture and processes required to use it well? In this episode, host Heather Cole sits down with Jennifer Witts (Partner) and Kyle Vroegh (Director) of CohnReznick's Client Advisory Services Practice to unpack what separates financial leaders seeing real AI results from those spinning their wheels. They cover where CFOs should start with AI adoption, why layering automation on broken processes backfires, how to build a psychologically safe culture around experimentation, what governance and security questions to ask when evaluating outside firms, and how the role of the financial executive is shifting toward advisory and strategic work. Whether you are excited, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a practical, no-hype path forward – one bite-sized use case at a time.

Special Guests: Jennifer Witts and Kyle Vroegh.

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