Today our guest is Geni Whitehouse. Geni actually has many hats. She’s the founder of The Impactful Advisor, she’s ITA president, she’s a winery consultant, she’s been named multiple times, “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting,” I think it’s, and Geni, I’ll get it wrong, but “Top 25 Women in Accounting” or some other things I saw as well. I can let her maybe add to that things I missed. And she is a self-proclaimed nerd. So Geni, welcome to The Unique CPA.

Thank you so much, Randy, for being here, and many people back in my high school days proclaimed me the nerd. It wasn’t just self-proclaimed. I lived it, believe me. So, yeah, thank you for that introduction.

Yeah. Well, I think I’ve known of you for longer than I’ve known you. I think you and I met just like a year and a half ago for the first time, right?

Yeah. That’s right. I don’t know how that happens, you know, sometimes we’re so busy speaking at things, we don’t get to meet all the other people that are doing the same thing.

Yeah. But what I was going to say is I’ve never met you, talked to you, been around you, and said, “Look at that nerd.” So I’m not sure where the nerd comes from. So, I’m going to argue against the nerd status.

Okay. Well, you’re wrong. I have lots of people who would say that you don’t know, that you’ve never seen me geek out over a spreadsheet. I bought an abacus and taught myself how to use it. The slide rule was my favorite thing ever in high school. I mean, what more do you need? And I lettered in Algebra Two, Randy. Lettered in Algebra Two. They gave me the letter and I was like, “I’m never wearing this to school on anything.” So what more do you need? It’s not a fake thing.

Alright.

It’s a real life thing.

Well, two things you did right there: You’re starting to convince me that the title may be real, and two, one of the goals of the show, which we didn’t talk about ahead of time, was we laugh. So we’ve got those going already, so we’re good to go.

Well that’s good. That’s what keeps everything interesting.

Exactly. So I listed those things you do and you seem super busy when I read that out because on top of that, you’re at conferences all the time, you’re speaking at conferences all the time. Author, I know at least a book out there. Give us a little bit deeper background on… let’s just define those three things I mentioned. I mean, ’cause those are three, you know, kind of unique things: Impactful Advisor, ITA president, and winery consultant. So give us a little background on all three of those and what you’re doing there.

So, I’m kind of going to back up a little bit and explain that they’re all very connected to what I’m passionate about. They sound kind of diverse and I do bits of different things but it all comes together. So it started when I was a CPA myself. I started with Deloitte in tax, and I had 15 years in different tax roles, ending up in a small firm in Atlanta. And the day I made partner, I realized I was miserable, and I quit. So 15 years of being in accounting with the goal of being a partner, and I decided in seventh grade, Randy, speaking of nerds, because I loved math again, nerd. I went to my teacher and I said, “What do you do if you’re good at math?” And she said, “You either teach or you’re a CPA.” And I said, “Which one makes the most money?” And she said, “Accounting, CPA.” And I went, “Okay, that’s what I’m going to do.” And then, I mean, literally everything I did was to become a partner in a CPA firm from that point forward. 

Because my dad sold tax books to accounting firms. He worked for CCH. And so he thought they were the bees knees, so I thought, that’s the thing, Dad thinks it’s cool, I’m good at this nerdy thing, I’m going to be rich, here we go. So I mean everything. So I get into Big Eight, I immediately feel like I’m not good enough, because they give me a review that tells me I’m bad at everything. My first review was F’s in every score because I wasn’t detailed enough. So I spent 15 years trying to fit myself into what I’m supposed to be, and I get to the end of the rainbow and this is as good as it’s going to get, and I went, I don’t like this, and I’m committing now at the partner level. So I left and went into high tech and I did my first speech, and then I really brought to that speaking gig or that engagement inside a technology firm, a passion to make sure nobody else felt like I did.

Wow.

And so that passion made me, and the first time I did a speech, and again, I was at a software company, so I did some project management software training, I implemented PeopleSoft and did some consulting, and then I joined a software company, and my role there was to build CPA alliances. And I had to do a speech and I made people laugh and I saw the power of that on not only me, giving me permission and making me comfortable, but it made us all on the same team. And I saw the fear go away in the audience, and I immediately thought, “I got to get good at this.” So I started trying to find ways to get better and eventually took standup comedy training, and I did a TEDx talk, which talks about sort of all the things, but part of that was that my dad passed away shortly after I had given my first presentation, and I thought, how can I cope with this? What can I do to survive this? And immediately I thought I can give his eulogy and I can make it funny because my dad was very funny, right? 

So that was a coping mechanism and that really further motivated me to go get trained in stand up. So I did that, which was Randy, horrifying, and I was terrible, I’m sure. And my kids will never forgive me for having to listen to me do my own standup routine on stage at The Punchline. They sat there, my son was literally under the table when I was—there’s going to be a lot of therapy needed after this for both of us, but life-changing. I mean, once you’ve done that, it’s kind of like anything else is easy.

I’ll give you a ton of credit because, you know, people and you speak all the time and I don’t know how you are, but I don’t get nervous at all. It’s just—you get nervous?

I want to throw up and run away every single time, Randy—every single time.

I hear that a lot!

But I know I can survive it. That’s the difference.

Yeah. Okay. 

See, and you’re not nervous. I hate you for that, Randy.

Well, thank you. I appreciate it. But I’m thinking, should I be maybe? 

No!

What I was going to say is I feel like I’m brave and I would do a lot of things, but that standup that you that, I mean, I would be nervous. I would be like—out speaking, sure, I’ll get laughs. I want to get laughs. But when I have to get laughs and I’m up there and that’s the only reason I’m up there, and then they don’t laugh, I’ll be like, that would be so crushing to me. I don’t know if I can handle it, but I’m sure you learn a lot. I give you so much credit.

It is absolutely crushing. But you know, the thing about getting the laughs, it’s really not about getting a laugh. It’s about finding connection to the audience, Randy—the same thing that motivates you, motivates me. I want to feel like I’m connecting. And a laugh is one way, but also, you know, other kind of responses. So that’s part of why I like speaking because I can see immediately if I’m having an impact.

Yes.

But the thing about standup that you have to remember, Randy, is first of all, the audience is drunk ’cause you’re at a bar, and secondly, when you do this Punchline thing, it’s a graduation ceremony and everybody in the audience is a family member of somebody on stage. So everything you do is funny, including if you fall off the stage or forget your line or whatever, they’re going to laugh. So that’s the blessing of that. Especially the drinking part. That really helps. Everything’s funny at a certain level in the night. 

Well, you and I have done the drinking part together a few times and that’s always been fun. So, but yeah, sorry, you were going to go on. 

Yes, but I mean, most audiences, they’re trying to be on your side, but that’s what the humor does. It gets you on the same team somehow once you get ’em to laugh. Especially for us, Randy. ’cause no matter who we are in accounting, if somebody comes to an event that an accountant’s going to speak, they’re going, this is going to be awful, right? They’re going, this is boring and blah, blah, blah, and we’re not going to want to listen to any of this. And so anything you do above that very low bar is magical for the audience. So we have an advantage when we’re speaking as accountants to other people because they don’t expect us to be that good. 

No.

So you wear a purple shirt, Randy, and you’re a rock star. 

Well, I actually did have a purple shirt on at our conference last year. Well, they had purple highlights on it with a sparkly silver jacket. 

Oh, well there you go, see? 

Yeah.  So right there, that’s all I had to do and people paid attention. Alright, so we can keep going down this road, and I think we will at some level. Before we went on, we talked about this and how much training you’ve done, and I’m just so amazed and in awe of how dedicated you are to this speaking, and now I feel that I need to catch up and get out there and get some training, but that we can get back to. I did want to get back to you were saying how all three things tie together and what it is, so do you want to continue on that route? 

Yeah, so part of what I was passionate about is the fact that accountants are undervalued. That was one of the things that really bugged me, is how people didn’t know what we do and how important it is because they didn’t understand anything we said, first of all, ’cause we bore them to death, and secondly, ’cause we speak in a foreign language. So that was the first thing that I really, we’ve got to fix this. And then the second thing was, we’re not doing enough for our clients. We’re not asking questions. I mean, I was doing tax. I didn’t know what the heck was going on in the business. I could just say, yeah, you owe tax, or you get a refund, and I don’t know what you’re doing. And if they asked me that, I would go, “Uh, I don’t know, but you owe this much.” So it felt very meaningless, the work that I was doing. 

So those two things combined, the desire to make more impact with our clients and the desire to help accountants who do great work get recognized for that great work. And so that requires an ability to communicate with the clients in a better way: First to ask questions so that we know what they need, and secondly, to explain it in a way that they can apply, right? So that meant I had to communicate. And it really, when you go from accounting to technology, you’re going from nerd to geek, right? I mean, you’re still in a space where you’re doing the same thing. 

You’re covering them both, huh? Alright. 

Yep. So you have the same challenge. And so I really thought, again, by seeing that first presentation—and imagine how terrified. And the audience, Randy, were people who did not want to communicate with accountants, and my job was to connect them to accountants. So I have this hostile audience, I’ve got a pitch on why they want to partner with accountants to sell software. So that laugh took all the tension out of the room. And so I thought other people need to know how to use this. I need to know how to use this because I’m always talking about things that are complicated. And as a result, I’m not getting through to people. So that was the motivation, and so that went, I kept going, I got to reach more people with this because I know they’re struggling like I was, and so I had to get trained, and so that’s true of any passion. You know that Randy, I mean, if you’re passionate enough about something, you’ll find ways to fit it into your life.

Then I found a book that was called Even a Geek Can Speak, which you’ll notice sounds kind of familiar. I read that book, it was written by an attorney in Atlanta, where I happened to live at the time. I called him up and said, “I want to meet you.” And he said, “Okay, let’s go to lunch.” And so the next day I show up and I came to the lunch and I went, “I’m writing the sequel to your book, and it’s going to be called, Even a Nerd Can Be Heard.” And he said, go ahead, do it. And so, 10 years, it took me to do it, but I wrote it in ’09, and that’s where my company name came from. And because it’s what I believe, I might be nerdy, but you can still hear me right as long as I translate. And so the book’s actually called, How to Make a Boring Subject Interesting: 52 Ways Even a Nerd Can Be Heard, but that was the premise for it. But again, the passion to help other people speak better. And also Randy, have you ever been to an accounting training class? 

Yes. 

Did you take accounting at school? 

Yes, I did. 

Was that the most boring class you ever had in your life?

Yes. 

Yeah! And so I was like, I don’t want anybody else to have to sit through something like that. So I want to write a book that helps people communicate better. 

Well, now I need to read the book.

And my partner finally read it after being together four years. I gave him the book, like when we first met, and he was afraid to read it, and he finally went, “Oh, this isn’t as bad as I thought.”

That’s a glowing review. 

Thanks a lot. Great review, it’s going to go on Amazon. Yeah, but it’s out there, but that’s what that’s about. So the consulting I do with wineries is living what I think we need to do as accountants: go out there and help them improve their business results. During the course of my speaking things and I started speaking to all the state societies, after I left the software company, I discovered some advisory training. So I got trained in that and I went, this is what I’ve been looking for all my life. If I’d known about it, I might’ve stayed in the firm. So then I started speaking at those training classes, and then got connected to that course. So now I have the rights to that training to help other accountants do advisory. But in the meantime, I then joined a firm in Napa and used those skills to deliver advisory services. And I started doing that in 2007. 

So I’m applying this training that I found, and now I’m teaching it to other people and I’m still speaking about it via my keynotes and other presentations. And then in the meantime, a position opened up at the ITA, which was the first organization I joined after leaving the accounting firm that taught me how to be in the more marketing role. So I attended the first meeting there and it changed my life. I met all the other influencers in the accounting space who were working for other software publishers. And that was such a meaningful experience to me, when the president role came along, I went, I love this organization, I love how it fosters the things that I think are important, both in accounting and tech, and I put my name in the hat for the “part-time” role of being president, and somehow they chose me and I’m loving it. We put on three events a year. It’s tech people, many of whom are in accounting firms. So it crosses over a lot of different areas. So, confusing, it sounds like a lot, but it really all comes together. 

It all blends together? So first thing I want to ask, is it truly a part-time position? 

Not really. None of them are really part-time. And you know, but again, you expand on things that you care about, and you find a way to make it all fit. And I’m also very fortunate that everybody that I work with allows me to do that. The CPA firm is amazing and the work that I do there, because it’s strictly consulting, I don’t have tax seasons, I don’t do financial statements, so I have more flexibility and I could do project work with different clients, which is what I’m doing. And it’s really fun to work with wineries, Randy. 

Um, and it’s fun to go to wineries. 

Yeah. And I’m in Napa Valley now, even though I’m from South Carolina. That’s why I sound funny, and I don’t sound like a Napa person. 

We’ve talked about this, my wife and I spend quite a bit of time—it’ll be 40 days in the Sonoma County area, which is adjacent to Napa County for 40 days. So you and I are going to get together, and Kathy, and your partner, whoever else wants to and go visit our winery or two. So I’m looking forward to that. 

And I’m going to hook you up with all the cool wineries. So the CPA firm that I’m in has been a part-time role since 2007. So almost 18 years I’ve been working with this firm in only advisory. And I also do marketing. I do outreach, I do training classes to teach others about accounting and financial statement information for wineries. And they have really supported me in doing this and given me a platform to really do the work, not just talk about it. And it’s been amazing—wineries are amazing people to work with. It’s a great industry and a beautiful place to live. 

Oh, I can vouch for that. We don’t live there, but the beauty we get to see every year when we go out there. Alright, so these three things—working together—we said three because, but there’s way more because you’re out speaking all the time. You’re speaking and in fact, I think I saw a LinkedIn thing this morning or yesterday where you’re speaking at a winery event coming up next week. Yeah, next week. So when I saw, and this was before we met in person, when I saw that you were taking this role with ITA, and I had seen what you were doing and knew what you were doing at all these other places, I’m like, what is she doing? Does she have time for this? How is she going to do all of this stuff? You’re not spreading yourself too thin, are ya? I want to make sure you’re good.  

The Impactful Advisor training is an online training program, and I was doing a lot more live—not live, but—me-dependent training where I was doing cohorts and a lot more coaching through the online materials. And that piece has stopped. I’m doing a lot less of that. I’m now doing one monthly webinar in association with the online training for The Impactful Advisor. And that other part was really intensive on the selling and marketing side. I had to go, you know, sell a gig, do the gig, and it was a lot of personal time that was committed on that. And so that, I sort of scaled back on. So you figure out where the best use is and where you get the most impact for the time commitment. And so I was really working hard on that. And it really got me through Covid. I launched it during Covid when much of the speaking evaporated, right? So that was a huge part of my revenue. And so having that to do, and also something that I had wanted to take over for a long time, and it all came together, the timing was perfect. So it works out.

Yeah, just making sure you’re living your best life. 

Every day I can’t believe that I get to do what I do. And the people that I work with, and knowing that what I do matters that, that was the biggest change, and you know what that’s like.

Oh, believe me, I’m like you—every day is awesome. Everything I do, I love, I get to talk to people like you? This is what I do? I get to speak at events, I get to feel—and what you just said, I mentioned, you know, your Top 100 from Accounting Today multiple times. I was fortunate to be on that the last two years. And just the knowledge or the confirmation, I guess, that what you’re doing matters—it feels good. I mean it’s, you know, whatever, is it the right Top 100 or whatever, but the fact that you get confirmation that, yeah, you’re making a difference, is just pretty cool. 

Yeah. And for me, and just as you talked about being nervous when you speak, and what I realized in that TEDx talk, I mean, that was, I think I was more nervous about that than the standup because this is a 30 minute—no, up to 18 minutes talk. And it’s TED, I mean, it’s got the TED label, right? It’s a community-licensed event. It’s not the big stage, but still it’s a TED Talk you’re doing. It’s horrifying! You don’t have notes and you have 18 minutes where you’re just standing there talking. So before that, and also there’s this self-doubt about, I don’t have anything, I mean, I’m not TED worthy, I don’t have anything. I haven’t done anything earth shattering or anything. So here, I’m going to go up here and I’m just an idiot, a nerdy idiot, and I’m going to go on this stage and it’s going to be awful, and what if I bomb and you know, all this stuff. 

And so I’m backstage, I actually went outside of the theater and we’re in this huge opera house in Napa, and it’s got all these fancy seats and you see that and then you really freak out. So I go outside and pace up and down, and I’m going, what am I going to do? How am I going to do this? And I finally went, “I may not have anything important to say, but there is going to be one person in the audience that needs to hear what I have to say, and I’ve got to just focus on that. It may not be brilliant or earth shattering, but somebody’s going to need to hear it, and that’s what I’m doing this for.” And so I went out there, I did it. I came off the stage, we had our first break, and the second the break started, the woman came up to me and said, “You said exactly what I needed to hear.” Those were the first—and I just, I still get chills every time. And I was like, oh my god, and I just started to sob and I went, oh my god. She was like, I’m sorry. And I said, no, that’s exactly why I did this! You’re my “one.” And so every single time since then, I’ve had somebody say almost in those exact words. that’s what it’s about. And if I could do one person, every time I speak, somebody can get it, then that’s why I’m here. I believe that’s why I’m put here and that’s why I suffered, which I know you agree, the suffering is what teaches us, or fires the passion within. 

Oh yeah. What you said is like, I think you and I might be the same person because I agree. So I do, one of the presentations everybody that listens to this show knows this, but one of them is on mental health awareness. And it’s a personal story: I had a stroke 11 years ago and after the stroke, struggling mentally. So I do this and I get that same response: Somebody almost inevitably comes up afterwards and, you know, I needed to hear this, you made me realize that I don’t have to—’cause I, you know, dealt with depression and that after this—I don’t have to accept this. I can try to make a change. I’m going to go back to my hometown and I’m going to seek out a therapist and I’m going to start—like that kind of thing, just like you said, cry and goosebumps. It’s just crazy. 

There’s no better thing. And you know when you’re doing taxes, I’m sorry, you don’t get that kind of a response.

No. 

You hand it to somebody and they say thanks, and they stick it in a drawer. I mean, you can watch them. I would go out to clients and say, here’s your taxes. Isn’t this fabulous? Look what we did. And they’re like, yeah, thanks. And they would open the drawer, stick it in there and go, okay, so how are you or something, and then I’d leave. And there’s value in it. But I think we could extend the value much better by just having more frequent conversations with the client and ask them, how are you doing? And you know, what’s happening with your life and are you happy? And you know, all of that stuff. 

I mean, build a relationship? And ask questions and listen and all that kind of stuff?

Yes! That’s right. 

That’s pretty cool. I got to say one more thing, but based on what we’re talking about. ’cause this one just, and I don’t think I’ve ever said this on the show, maybe I have, but this one, just every time I even think about it—I’ll start crying probably. I was at a conference last year, it was last July, and I went in to listen to a speaker. I don’t do that that often, because you’re at conferences all the time, you know. But this is a friend of mine and he ended up, we were in round tables and he asked a couple questions, he spoke on a couple questions. Then he said, “Okay, I want you to talk about this amongst yourself at your table.” And he said something like. “I want you to imagine you’re at your retirement party and what would have to happen at that for you to feel like you had a successful career,” or something like that was the question. And so we’re at our table, there’s eight of us, and it gets to me and I said, “Well, honestly, a few different things. Bottom line is if somebody at that party came up to me and said, ’Randy, you made this profession fun for me,’ I would just break down crying right there.” And the woman across the table looks at me and says, “Randy, you’ve done that for me.”

Oh god.

And I literally, I want to cry right now. I mean, that was like one of the most amazing things anybody’s ever said to me. And that’s why I continue to try to make a difference in this profession. I’m assuming that’s you too. 

And that makes you want to reach more people, right? And that’s why the ITA thing at this stage of my life. Also, I mean, I’m, you know, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m looking at long-term, what’s my path to retirement, and being in an event where we put on three events and hopefully I can bring in other speakers that help communicate that because we got the same challenge in technology seats, and especially technology folks who are inside accounting firms, they’re struggling with the same thing. So if I can get the reach broader, that makes me feel more, you know, happier that I can have a bigger impact on people potentially, even though it doesn’t have to be me on the stage. So we kind of shift as we go through different stages of our lives. But yeah, I think that’s what we’re all here for. Yep. And I think many accountants came to this profession specifically to make an impact and they’re frustrated because they don’t know how. 

Those two words together: “Impactful Advisor.” 

That’s right! And when I kept, somebody interviewed me when I was opening up this business and they kept saying, and the word I used every time was impact: I want to make a more of an impact. I want to help other people have a bigger impact. And yeah, it’s a big thing about the motivation and also I think the opportunity. 

Yep. Alright, Geni, this conversation, I could keep going forever. Actually, there’s a ton I want to impact on that whole journey to partner and leaving immediately—I think we might have to have episode number two where we dig into that because I think there’s so much that people can learn from your journey. And the ways things you felt went right and the way things you would’ve changed and all that. So let’s, right now we’re going to agree we’re going to do another episode. 

Okay. You got it. And I’m going to interview you in the third episode. 

Alright, that sounds like a plan. That works. But, so this conversation was great. I love to see the path that you’ve gone. I love the passion you have for the profession. I think what you show is that if you can follow your passion, and still be part of this profession, and make an impact in the profession, and make it fun, and those are things that I think need to get out there more and people need to hear more, and you are doing a great job on that. Anything you want to wrap up on the conversation we had? 

Well, I think you’re doing the same thing, Randy. I think we definitely are kindred spirits. And I’m just excited that there are a lot more people that are talking about things like this than there used to be. It used to be you couldn’t get a slot as a speaker unless it was about GAAP or a FASB standard or Section 179. They didn’t want to hear about anything but technical topics, and now we have really grown such that people want to talk about other things—about how to be successful, how to communicate, how to live the life of their dreams. And I think that’s a huge shift, a positive shift for the profession. 

Yep. And I agree, I was going to stop there, but what you just said, I just got notified I was selected to speak at a conference and they selected my session, “Creating a Happier, Healthier Firm.” And I’m like, okay. that’s good. I like it. Alright, Geni, but before we wrap up, couple final questions. First is, and I didn’t tell you this ahead of time, so I’m surprising you with it, but I think it shows through that your passion is what’s going on in this profession. But when we’re not dealing with ITA and accounting and advisory and wineries, what is your outside work passion? What do you enjoy doing that’s not work-related? 

I have three grandchildren now, and I could spend every moment just staring at the youngest one who’s seven months, and the other one, the oldest one, who’s 11 and the 5-year-old. All three different stages, and they’re all just a blast to hang out with. So I would spend all my time running around playing with them. 

Nice, nice. That’s a good passion to have. And then finally, if people want to find out more about what you’re doing, what’s a good place for them to look or contact? 

So GeniWhitehouse.com is kind of my central page that brings all the various components together. Or you can visit EvenANerd.com and learn about some of the stuff. I don’t do a lot of updates on that one, but it talks about my speaking kind of focus. 

Alright, awesome. And we’ll put that in the show notes and everything. And Geni, I am so thrilled that a year and a half ago, uh, we ran into each other and I am honored to be able to call you a friend. So thank you for being on the show. 

Me too, Randy, it’s been a pleasure and I’m looking forward to meeting your wife and hanging out in wine country.