The Heart, Spirit & Soul of Accounting

In episode 187 of The Woodard Report Podcast, Joe Woodard and Heather Day discussed the Top 50 Women in Accounting, private equity investment in accounting firms, mindset, stress regulation, and the continued evolution of accounting software. Patricia Hendrix also joined the episode for a member spotlight.

Current events

Heather opened with Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2026 and recognized several honorees connected to the Woodard community, including members, instructors, and Scaling New Heights contributors.

Joe followed with news about H.I.G. Capital’s investment in HBK and what it may signal about private equity continuing to move farther into the accounting profession. He and Heather discussed how firm consolidation is changing leadership structures, market dynamics, and the future of independent practices.

Watch Episode 187 here 

TV and movie quotes

Heather discussed a quote from House of the Dragon and connected it to mindset, confidence, and the way people see their own potential. She and Joe talked about how external appearances do not always reflect the strength, courage, or leadership someone brings to their work.

Heather also discussed the importance of how people approach their work and their lives. “Do you approach it with hope? Or do you approach it with resignation?” she asked.

Joe discussed the movie Pressure and the role meteorologists played in the success of D-Day. He connected it to accounting professionals as unsung contributors whose work can shape whether a business survives, grows, or understands its own success.

Joe expressed that the movie’s message to the accounting profession and the power of the work accountants do. “How can accounting be boring?” he asked. “It funds us, can bankrupt us, determines whether the business survives or fails.”

Excellent things learned

Heather shared how box breathing and nervous system regulation have helped her handle stress, anxiety and difficult situations. She explained how pausing to breathe can help the body reset so decisions can be made from a calmer place.

Joe shared what he learned from the book Enshittification by Cory Doctorow. He discussed how software platforms can degrade over time as companies shift focus from serving users to monetizing attention, and how that pattern may be showing up in accounting software and AI tools.

Two truths and a lie

Heather’s round focused on Tim Curry, including his voice work, Broadway career and audiobook narration. Joe’s round centered on Dolly Parton and a few surprising details about her songs, lookalike contest story, and honorary doctorates.

Member spotlight

Patricia Hendrix joined the podcast to spotlight Laura Solt with Solt Bookkeeping & Advisory, a newer Woodard member. Patricia shared that Laura’s aspiration for the year is to feel joy in her business again, which led to a conversation about work life synergy, capacity management, priorities and protecting boundaries.

Woodard Report article of the week

Heather highlighted Camden Bean’s article, I Found My Wife with a Sales Pipeline. She described it as a creative article that uses the idea of finding a spouse to explain how to think about sales pipelines, marketing, and ideal client profiles.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe to The Woodard Report Podcast

🎧 Listen to the full episode at woodard.com/podcast.

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Thank you to our show sponsor, Digits!

Digits is the world's first agent general ledger accounting software that works for you. Designed for the AI era, Digits automates bookkeeping and month-end processes and shifts your team from data entry to review and advisory. Visit Digits.com to get started today.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and edited by a human.