Unbalanced

Candy Bellau, Sam Hallburn, Anchor

Unbalanced. Unafraid. Unstoppable. Unbalanced is all about the harsh truth of being a firm owner. The emotional toll, self-doubt, burnout, fear of failure, bad clients, and all the struggles no one talks about. Hosts Candy Bellau and Samantha L. Hallburn have raw, unfiltered, and unapologetic conversations with firm owners, revealing what it really feels like to sit in their seats. No polished success stories with a neat bow. No script, no rehearsals, no preparations. Just a brutally honest space breaking isolation and proving firm owners aren’t alone. Produced by Anchor.

에피소드

  1. Getting out of the weeds: fractional operators for accounting firms with Ashley Connell

    6월 23일

    Getting out of the weeds: fractional operators for accounting firms with Ashley Connell

    Ashley Connell spent a year having 60 one-on-one conversations with accounting firm owners before deciding to go all in on the profession. What she heard most often surprised her: loneliness. Not just the need for peers, but the need for someone inside the business they could actually talk to. Ashley is the founder of Prowess Project, which matches accounting firm owners with fractional operators, experienced operations professionals who embed in a firm and help the owner step back from running the day-to-day so they can focus on growing the business. In this conversation, Ashley breaks down how the matching process works, why emotional intelligence is the trait she screens for above all else, what she got wrong early on, and why she built monthly roundtables specifically for firm owners who feel like they are carrying everything alone. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    53분
  2. When the rug gets pulled: rebuilding with intention with Rick Meekins

    6월 16일

    When the rug gets pulled: rebuilding with intention with Rick Meekins

    Rick Meekins had built something real. Multiple companies running simultaneously, an engineer on staff, hands in product development, construction, and more. Then COVID hit, and almost overnight, everything stopped. What followed were months of debt, difficult conversations, and a slow reckoning with what comes next. In this episode, Rick, founder of Polaris Story and host of the Relentless Pursuit of Winning podcast, talks through what 30-plus years of entrepreneurship has actually looked like, including a restaurant that pushed him past his limits, a consulting business undone by forces outside his control, and a deliberate decision early this year to start over with coaches, accountability, and a clearer sense of purpose. The conversation covers underpricing out of fear, why knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things, and what it means to keep pursuing the win when the strategy has to change. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    44분
  3. What bad bookkeeping actually costs your clients with Melissa Guinn

    5월 6일

    What bad bookkeeping actually costs your clients with Melissa Guinn

    Melissa Guinn once found $180,000 of loan proceeds misclassified as income. Her client had paid taxes on money that was never earnings. A corrected return later, the client received $40,000 back. That kind of discovery is not luck. It is what happens when a bookkeeper asks enough questions, runs a real onboarding process, and knows what to look for. Melissa is the owner of Lookout Bookkeeping in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a virtual firm serving service-based businesses and real estate investors. In this conversation, she talks through the real cost of underpriced services, how she made the shift from hourly to monthly recurring revenue, why she attends tax webinars even though her firm does not do taxes, and what it actually takes to build systems that protect both clients and your own time. If you have ever undercharged, skipped an onboarding fee, or answered a client call during blocked work hours, this one is worth your time. Listen and follow the show so you never miss an episode. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    44분
  4. What you don’t see coming as a firm owner with Erin Pohan

    4월 28일

    What you don’t see coming as a firm owner with Erin Pohan

    Erin Pohan, founder of Upkeeping and creator of WAVE Seattle, joins Sam and Candy for a conversation about the parts of firm ownership no one really prepares you for. From building real community in the accounting profession to navigating a $100,000 IRS notice and a years-long fight to protect her business, Erin shares what it looks like to keep going when the unexpected hits. Along the way, they talk about conferences, connection, and why finding your people matters more than anything when work and life get complicated. This episode is honest, funny at times, and grounded in the reality of what it takes to build something and keep it standing. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    47분
  5. From doing the work to leading the work with Rachel Dauchy

    4월 21일

    From doing the work to leading the work with Rachel Dauchy

    What changes when you go from doing the work to leading a team doing it for you? In this episode, Rachel Dauchy shares what growth actually looks like behind the scenes, from navigating client expectations that don’t evolve with your business, to hiring, letting go, and learning how to trust your team. She talks about building a firm rooted in systems, automation, and specialization, while still holding onto the parts of the work she genuinely loves. This conversation also challenges the way we think about accounting itself. Not as rigid or purely technical, but as something far more creative, interpretive, and human. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    1시간 9분
  6. Why most accountants are asking the wrong questions with Debra Kilsheimer

    4월 14일

    Why most accountants are asking the wrong questions with Debra Kilsheimer

    Most accountants were taught to focus on the work. The transactions, the categorization, the details. But that’s not what clients actually need. In this episode of Unbalanced, Debra Kilsheimer challenges the way the profession has always operated. She shares why accounting should be about asking better questions, not just producing reports, and how AI is forcing a shift away from data entry toward real decision-making. From her unfiltered take on software and the future of the industry to her perspective on confidence, pricing, and doing things your own way, this conversation is equal parts practical and personal. It’s about thinking bigger, speaking up, and defining success on your own terms. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.

    1시간
  7. The moment your biggest client becomes your biggest risk with Tiffany Gonzalez

    4월 7일

    The moment your biggest client becomes your biggest risk with Tiffany Gonzalez

    What looks like growth on paper can quietly introduce risk beneath the surface. Tiffany Gonzalez shares how one client scaling rapidly forced her to confront client concentration, shifting power dynamics, and the pressure it puts on teams. She walks through how she navigated that moment without reacting from fear, including restructuring internally and returning to sales with intention. This conversation explores pricing discipline, boundaries, and what it really takes to build a resilient firm. It is an honest look at the tradeoffs firm owners face as they grow. Powered by Anchor.

    43분
  8. What almost broke her business taught her the most with Karen Reese

    3월 31일

    What almost broke her business taught her the most with Karen Reese

    In this episode of Unbalanced, Candy Bellau and Sam Hallburn sit down with Karen Reese of Starlight Bookkeeping for an honest conversation about the hard lessons that come with building a business. Karen opens up about trust gone wrong, cash flow mistakes, pricing clarity, and learning to put the right safeguards in place as her firm grew. It’s a grounded, practical episode about what firm owners often learn the hard way and what it really takes to build a business that works for you, not just because of you. Powered by Anchor.

    44분
  9. The mistake every new founder makes in their first year with Blair Drake

    3월 24일

    The mistake every new founder makes in their first year with Blair Drake

    Most founders don’t struggle because they aren’t capable, they struggle because they say yes to the wrong things early on. In this episode of Unbalanced, Blair Drake shares what her first year in business actually looked like, from a slow start to taking on work that pulled her away from what she really wanted to build. She opens up about the moment things shifted, not from doing more, but from getting clearer on her value and what she needed to say no to. This conversation explores the tension between being needed and being effective, and why patience, boundaries, and self-trust matter more than most founders expect. If you’re in your first year or thinking about starting something, this will feel uncomfortably familiar in the best way. Powered by Anchor.

    43분
  10. She tried psychedelic therapy to heal burnout. What happened next shocked her with Dr. Kristy Short

    3월 17일

    She tried psychedelic therapy to heal burnout. What happened next shocked her with Dr. Kristy Short

    Dr. Kristy Short returns to the Unbalanced Podcast for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had about mental health and what it really takes to heal. She shares the story behind her book Civil Warrior, the breaking point that forced her to rethink everything, and why high performers are often the best at hiding their struggles. Kristy also opens up about a psychedelic therapy experience that helped her confront fear, control, and the pressure she had carried for decades. This conversation explores burnout, anxiety, leadership, and the courage it takes to show up fully as yourself. Powered by Anchor.

    48분
  11. When success starts to feel like failure in firm ownership with Lynnette Oss Connell

    3월 9일

    When success starts to feel like failure in firm ownership with Lynnette Oss Connell

    Burnout is one of the most common experiences in firm ownership, yet it is rarely discussed openly. In this episode of Unbalanced, Lynette Oss Connell shares her journey from building a CAS practice to becoming a burnout coach for women in accounting. She talks candidly about the pressure of trying to hold everything together while raising a family, managing illness at home, and running a firm. This conversation explores the mindset shifts that helped her redefine success and why so many firm owners struggle silently. If you’ve ever wondered whether the stress you’re carrying is normal, this episode will feel deeply familiar. Powered by Anchor.

    46분
  • 11개의 에피소드

소개

Unbalanced. Unafraid. Unstoppable. Unbalanced is all about the harsh truth of being a firm owner. The emotional toll, self-doubt, burnout, fear of failure, bad clients, and all the struggles no one talks about. Hosts Candy Bellau and Samantha L. Hallburn have raw, unfiltered, and unapologetic conversations with firm owners, revealing what it really feels like to sit in their seats. No polished success stories with a neat bow. No script, no rehearsals, no preparations. Just a brutally honest space breaking isolation and proving firm owners aren’t alone. Produced by Anchor.

정보

  • 제작진
    Candy Bellau, Sam Hallburn, Anchor
  • 방송 연도
    2026년
  • 에피소드
    11
  • 등급
    무삭제판
  • 저작권
    © 2026 Candy Bellau, Sam Hallburn, Anchor
  • 웹사이트 보기
    Unbalanced