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.
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.
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4 Jun 2026
From bookkeeper to AI builder: what the profession needs to know with Jan Haugo
Jan Haugo spent 40 hours a week for over 18 months learning, building, and breaking AI tools outside the accounting industry because she felt what was available inside it wasn't enough. What she came back with wasn't a collection of tips for writing better emails. It was a system: general ledger error detection, 1099 audit checking, brand voice training, and over 80 operations built to match how accounting firms actually work.
In this conversation, Jan walks through how she thinks about AI tool selection, why anonymizing client data matters more than avoiding AI altogether, and what it means to get 100 hours of production out of a 40-hour week. She also talks honestly about imposter syndrome, the validation that finally gave her confidence to teach, and why the accounting profession tends to sit quietly while the world changes around it.
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=57)
2 Jun 2026
Problems are really opportunities if you think about it with Richard Soo Hoo
A nonprofit's CPA said they didn't qualify. Their payroll company said the same. So did a second advisor. Richard Soo Hoo, owner of Richard Soo Hoo CPA and Associates, looked at the paperwork anyway, told everyone they were wrong, and three weeks later the organization had $425,000 in Employee Retention Tax Credits in hand.
That story sits at the center of this conversation, but it's hardly the only one. Richard reflects on what it actually means to get a tax refund (hint: it's an interest-free loan to the government), what happens when in-laws compare your work to the guy down the street who got them a $75 refund, and why decades of working inside Fortune 100 companies left him genuinely unprepared for the most interesting part of the job: dealing with people.
Candid, understated, and quietly sharp, Richard brings a perspective that only comes from working at every level of the profession. Listen to the full episode, and follow the show so you never miss a conversation.
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26 May 2026
Collaboration without competition: building better accounting firms with Richard Roppa-Roberts
Richard Roppa-Roberts did not plan to start a business. He bought a house on October 11, 2014, and was laid off the very next day. What followed was an accidental entrepreneurial career that now includes two businesses, over 7,600 hours of live peer conversation, and a near-coma hospitalization that tested every contingency plan he had built. In (http://built.In) this episode, Richard shares what he has learned running Quasar Cowboy and Roundtable Labs, including a simple calendar strategy for reclaiming time every month, how moving client communications entirely out of email changed the quality of his work, and why he believes collaboration without competition is the most underused growth lever in accounting.
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=55)
26 May 2026
Stop listening to what clients say they want with Ron Stauffer
Ron Stauffer walked in the door after his second layoff, gave himself one afternoon to feel bad about it, and had a check in his hand by the next day. That mindset, combining deep curiosity with relentless relationship-building, is at the core of how he has run Leader Digital for eighteen years without spending a single dollar on advertising.
In this conversation, Ron shares why most businesses asking for more website traffic actually have a broken sales funnel, and how asking the question behind the question changes everything. He talks about the gap between what clients say they want and what they actually need, why networking is fundamentally storytelling, and what it looks like to build a referral-based business from scratch, twice.
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=54)
12 May 2026
Why your cash flow problem probably isn't what you think it is with David Safeer
In this episode, David joins Sam and Candy to talk about what really drives small business financial trouble, why the root cause is almost never what the owner suspects, and what it takes for accountants and bookkeepers to make the shift into genuine advisory work. They also get into the realities of building a first-year conference, why most accounting-adjacent advice stays frustratingly surface-level, and what it means to charge for work while you're still learning to do it.
David is also hosting PIVOT, an intentionally small cash flow conference limited to 20 attendees, taking place May 24 through 29, 2026 at the Secrets Riviera Cancun in Mexico. Spots are still available. Mention The Unbalanced Podcast for a discount. Learn more at pivot2026.com (http://pivot2026.com).
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=53)
6 May 2026
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=52)
28 Apr 2026
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=51)
21 Apr 2026
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced)
14 Apr 2026
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. (https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=unbalanced&utm_term=episode_49)
7 Apr 2026
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.
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31 Mar 2026
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.
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24 Mar 2026
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.
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17 Mar 2026
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.
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9 Mar 2026
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.
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