It's Questian's birthday, and your hosts are celebrating with the most creative gift they could think of: a crowdsourced collection of "You know you're a woman in accounting when..." moments from their community. From conference survival strategies to scheduling babies around busy season, the hosts laugh, vent, and commiserate over the absurdities of life in this profession. Plus, a bonus visit from Nancy's best friend Shawn Simmons, who joins Nancy and Questian to share her sabbatical project using graphic design and fiber arts to build community around women's menopause journeys.ResourcesMenopause Resources 5-min Survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLXGxG-pYYJNS63ppsPC34o1-GVJtnsLkbLmTSvskxa_xiOg/viewformShawn Simmons on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-simmons-6783208/Bookkeeping Buds - https://www.bookkeepingbuds.com/Theatre of Public Speaking - https://publicspeaking.mistymegia.com/?ref=857055Aileen Gilpin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aileengilpin/Candy Bellau on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicejohnsonkramerica/Lynda Artesani on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-artesani/Melissa Miller Furgeson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamillerfurgeson/Vanessa Vasquez on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/quickbooksenespanol/Mindy Leubke on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindyluebke/Ellen Oliver on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-oliver/Dr. Jackie Meyer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjackiecpa/Robina Bennion on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robina-bennion/Jean Zick on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanzick/Jennifer Weed on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferweed/Dr. Sam Graber on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsamgraber/Dawn Slokan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnslokan/Terry Saracino on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-saracino-098644187/Stephanie Steinke on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-steinke/Olivia Henley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-henley-756b468/Gail Perry on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gailperrycpa/Misty Schachtell Megia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-schachtell-3a634a2/Theatre of Public Speaking on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theatreofpublicspeakingCindy Schroeder on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brightbooks/Bookkeeping Buds on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bookkeeping-budsSPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub] Join Our LinkedIn Page!https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcastSubscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcastFollow She Counts on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/Connect with Nancyhttps://www.thedancingaccountant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpaConnect with Questianhttps://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/This podcast is a production of Earmark Media

After one of Nancy's slide decks recently turned up in someone else's presentation without her name or her invitation, she and Questian decided to dig into the many forms plagiarism takes in professional life. From blatant reuse of materials to the murkier territory of borrowed ideas, they explore why credit tends to drift toward higher-status voices; what the research says about how this affects women differently; and why speaking up — for yourself and for each other — is the most important thing you can do about it.ResourcesStudies and articles cited:Nature, 2022 - Women are credited less in science than men - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9352587Research Policy, 2024 - Gender homophily - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733323001798articles by women receive fewer forward citations from menNature, 2025 - Smaller attendance in female talks highlights an imbalanced visibility in academia - https://www.nature.com/articles/s44185-025-00100-xPsychology of Women Quaterly, 2024 - On the Perception of Men and Women Researchers in Gender Stereotype-Inconsistent Domains - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03616843241236397Psychological Bulletin, 2023 - Exploring Gender Bias in Six Key Domains of Academic Science: An Adversarial Collaboration - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15291006231163179SPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub] Join Our LinkedIn Page!https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcastSubscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcastFollow She Counts on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/Connect with Nancyhttps://www.thedancingaccountant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpaConnect with Questianhttps://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/This podcast is a production of Earmark Media

When an Ernst & Young seminar told female executives that women's brains absorb information like pancakes soak up syrup, as opposed to retaining information like men, whose brains are more like waffles, it made headlines — and it still stings. Nancy and Questian dig into why sexist trainings on topics like women's clothing and appearance remain a workplace issue in accounting, from vague dress code language to the cognitive toll of constant self-monitoring. The conversation gets personal, gets real, and ends with a three-question self-test that has nothing to do with what anyone else thinks.ResourcesDress for the job you want meme - https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLyndaCarter/photos/dress-for-the-job-you-want-/1159144220762794/Erica Goode LinkedIn post re: physical attractiveness comment - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erica-goode-cpa_opentowork-activity-7394630117991309312-LD3k“Professionalism” often codes male and white… unless you’re Will Ferrell on SNL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mLsU46h8IAStereotype Threat - https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/stereotype-threatStudies & Articles Cited:https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-ernst-young-how-to-dress-act-around-men_n_5da721eee4b002e33e78606ahttps://www.app.com/story/money/business/main-street/2021/06/02/ernst-young-training-program-nj-investigation-fine-power-presence-purpose/7489879002/https://people.com/human-interest/women-ernst-young-told-dress-act-around-men/https://news.bloombergtax.com/financial-accounting/ey-settles-n-j-charges-over-offensive-leadership-traininghttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/27/ey-oceania-staff-bullying-racism-sexual-harassment-elizabeth-broderickhttps://www.fastcompany.com/91229638/lookism-is-alive-and-well-and-getting-worse-heres-why-your-appearance-is-judged-more-than-performancehttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.xSPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub] Join Our LinkedIn Page!https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcastSubscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcastFollow She Counts on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/Connect with Nancyhttps://www.thedancingaccountant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpaConnect with Questianhttps://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/This podcast is a production of Earmark Media

Judie McCarthy's team was spending a third of their time chasing down information—then one of her biggest clients called in tears, completely overwhelmed by the constant requests. Judie joins Questian and Nancy to share why that moment launched her from bookkeeper to tech founder. She talks through juggling two full-time jobs for years, selling her 25-year practice to the lowest bidder (and why that was the right call), and why the fear of regret turned out to be stronger than every other fear she had about building something new.ResourcesJudie McCarthy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/judiemccarthy/Client Hub + She Counts - https://www.clienthub.app/lp/shecountsClient Hub on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/client-hub-inc/Laura Redmond on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraredmond/Dolly Parton quote - https://x.com/DollyParton/status/1182038149087846402Studies on the topic of gender differences when selling a business:Research shows a higher share of female directors is associated with fewer acquisition bids and lower bid premiums (suggesting more conservative deal-making) - https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/2012/retrieve.phpResearch shows that greater female representation correlates with smaller relative transaction sizes in M&A - https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/full/10.1142/S2282717X25500033Why do female entrepreneurs decide to exit their ventures? - https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1573378/FULLTEXT01.pdfSPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub] Join Our LinkedIn Page!https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcastSubscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcastFollow She Counts on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/Connect with Nancyhttps://www.thedancingaccountant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpaConnect with Questianhttps://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/This podcast is a production of Earmark Media

Questian and Nancy sit down with Misty Megia of the Theatre of Public Speaking to explore why women so often stay muted—in meetings, on stages, and in their own heads. They unpack the roots of negative self-talk, why we're so much harsher on ourselves than we'd ever be with a friend, and how to bridge the gap between knowing something logically and feeling it emotionally. Misty shares specific techniques for moving past self-doubt and making self-promotion feel authentic instead of performative.ResourcesMisty Schachtell Megia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-schachtell-3a634a2/Theatre of Public Speaking Spring 2026 Cohort - https://publicspeaking.mistymegia.com/bundles/tops-spring26?ref=857055Theatre of Public Speaking Spring 2026 Cohort VIP - https://publicspeaking.mistymegia.com/bundles/spring26-vip?ref=857055Theatre of Public Speaking on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theatreofpublicspeaking/Theatre of Public Speaking on IG - https://www.instagram.com/theatreofpublicspeaking/Dr. Tara Swart, “The Source” - https://www.taraswart.com/the-source/Dr. Tara Swart videos - https://www.taraswart.com/videos/List of common cognitive distortions - https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/products/common-cognitive-distortions-pdfNegative self-talk meme - https://kbravo.substack.com/p/cartoon-autopsy-negative-self-talkKate Johnson, “How Accountants Can Grow On Video” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFWwclJHcjEChair Whimsy Upholstery Courses - https://chairwhimsy.com/courses/The Blissful Life Podcast - ToPS Series - https://youtu.be/uM5voT6Fhks?si=-R3zNWReZNmR8LT6Studies Cited:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10963437/https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.10985https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3652533/https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/2025/program/paper/4diYF3ZQhttps://labs.psych.ucsb.edu/sherman/david/sites/labs.psych.ucsb.edu.sherman.david/files/pubs/sherman.lokande.muller.cohen_.2021.sa_.pdfSPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub] Join Our LinkedIn Page!https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcastSubscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcastFollow She Counts on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/Connect with Nancyhttps://www.thedancingaccountant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpaConnect with Questianhttps://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/This podcast is a production of Earmark Media