Professional Associates Archives - humanisethenumbers.online

Episode 163: Sam Pearce, Executive Coach at Train of Thought

Paul Shrimpling — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:43:12 +0000

Every time we work with a firm and every time we make a podcast, we seek to challenge the status quo. What we mean by that is that we want to challenge your thinking, your decision making, and even the actions you take, with the aim that you achieve transformative results.
When I invited Sam Pearce, of Train of Thought, onto the podcast, I felt that challenge myself, as he coaches and mentors people from the creative sectors, as opposed to the number industry that we're all in.
I was therefore expecting to hear a lot about differences that would challenge my thinking. What actually stood out for me, however, were the similarities of the challenges that he and the people in his industry are facing, and how we, in our profession, the accountancy profession, can learn from that.
So please come and have a listen to this podcast with Sam Pearce. Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Sam and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 163: Sam Pearce, Executive Coach at Train of Thought appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 162: Elaine Godley of The DISCPlus Academy

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:46:21 +0000

Can you begin to imagine what it's like to have been given a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, then to beat that diagnosis, not just once, but twice, through an awareness of the link between behaviour and health?
In our latest podcast, Elaine Godley of The DISCPlus Academy shares the insights and knowledge acquired from over 40 years of experience in professional services, including accountancy and legal.
More recently, Elaine has been exploring behavioural analysis and the impact of behaviour on our health. And let me tell you, it's an inspiring tale. We cover a range of topics in this podcast, including what it's like to work in professional services, the stresses and strains that it causes on our health, and the ability to self-manage, improving our outlook and being our authentic selves at work.
Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for Elaine’s contact information and for the additional downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 162: Elaine Godley of The DISCPlus Academy appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 157: Neil Campbell of Pure Path Advisory

Paul Shrimpling — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:49:30 +0000

I suspect that every one of your business clients seeks to work with you and your firm because you bring a dose of good business sense to everything you do with them.
Yes, there's accounts. Yes, there's tax. Yes, there’s audit and other accountancy services that you provide but, ultimately, their reason for working with you is connected with more than just the services.
It's connected with the way you help them feel that they've got a better, safer future – for themselves and their business, their families, their team, and their clients. In my discussion with Neil Campbell about sustainability, I was able to see, all of a sudden, how important that subject is, because it makes good business sense.
If you want one or two very simple, very practical frameworks around which to form a sustainability conversation with every one of your clients, a conversation that's got a practical edge to it, that raises the bar in the way they trust you, then seek out this podcast with Neil Campbell. Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Neil and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 157: Neil Campbell of Pure Path Advisory appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 156: Martin Wardle of TH Ward

Paul Shrimpling — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:34:53 +0000

What persuaded Martin Wardle to give up a partnership in one of the fastest growing firms in the Northeast to start his own business, not in general accountancy, but as a specialist tax boutique focusing only on tax returns.
What were the triggers for that event happening?
In the course of this podcast with Martin Wardle of TH WARD, we cover a lot of ground, including the pace of technology and where Martin sees the future of accountancy going. He also tells some great stories about the significant impacts he's had on clients that he's worked with over the years, and he shares a lot about what he's learned, both about himself and about the profession.
This is one not to miss. Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Martin and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 156: Martin Wardle of TH Ward appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 155: Derek Granger of Aris Growth

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Given the current pace of technology, how can you know how it will impact your firm?
Well, you obviously can't know for sure, but isn't it good to get an insider's viewpoint on how technology will change things?
In this podcast with Derek Granger of Aris Growth, Derek talks about where he works and how he sees the changes coming through into today’s firms, changes that will have a significant impact, not only on recruitment and training, but also on fundamental work practices.
To hear more about technology and to listen in to a wide-ranging conversation where we discussed private equity and the importance of soft skills in accountancy, listen to this podcast and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Derek and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 155: Derek Granger of Aris Growth appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 154: Luke Farren of The Modern Firm

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:25:37 +0000

When we discuss technology in relation to accounting, it seems that there has been a rapid pace of change with technology for years now, and it's only accelerating. And with the advancements in artificial intelligence, perhaps the speed of change will accelerate even more.
When I interviewed Luke Farren of The Modern Firm recently on the podcast, I felt that Luke's comments about why accounting needs shaking up are certainly worth a listen.
To hear more, join me and Luke and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Luke and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 154: Luke Farren of The Modern Firm appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 152: Phil Hobden of Sage

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:12:33 +0000

How do you ensure that you are continually delivering value to clients, so that they never question the fees that you charge, especially in this volatile, uncertain world in which we're living?
In this podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage, Phil and I cover several topics that are very relevant to the profession today, including: how do we deliver value?
Phil shares some great insights into his nine years working with accountants in a tech space, and also how he's developed a real understanding of accountants and their motivations and capabilities.
And we have a really interesting chat around how accountants explain what they do to clients.
So, please tune in and scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Phil and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 152: Phil Hobden of Sage appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 150: Jonathan Gaunt of FD Works

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:36:40 +0000

Occasionally, you have the privilege of having a deep conversation with someone who's well-versed in the profession, has worked in industry, has set up multiple businesses, who runs his own accountancy practice and, at the same time, is doing everything he can to influence the success of the profession.
That's the discussion that I dived into with Jonathan Gaunt from FD Works. He set up Xavier, which was sold to Dext and became Dext Precision, and then set up Socket.
In this conversation with Jonathan, we struggled to get to the numbers part of Humanise the Numbers and talked quite a bit about some very specific small things that have big results in enabling you to build your culture the way you want to build it – the working environment that you can be proud of, enjoy, and which delivers real financial success as well.
Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for Jonathan’s contact information and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

The post Episode 150: Jonathan Gaunt of FD Works appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 139: John Thompson, CEO of Wisdom in Practice

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:49:27 +0000

There is a thing that’s been talked about in the profession for decades, something which has never really got traction in every firm in a leveraged way. It works in some firms in a small way and in a very few firms in a big way. It’s that thing called 'Advisory'.
How you move your firm from compliance services to advisory services is an ongoing, almost endless question.
And yet, it's normal, it's natural, to have conversations – human being to human being, individual to individual – and you're doing it all the time. It's just that you may not necessarily be seeing it as a natural part of who you are as an accountant working with your clients.
But in this podcast discussion with John Thompson, we discuss the simple, elegant, obvious, natural merits of a normal, human skill that everyone can develop – the skill of conversation.
We can all improve our conversational skills, but we have a level of skill now. We just need to use these skills and recognise that we're using them in different settings, in different ways, and make it a natural, systemic, cultural way of doing things in our firm. And we might just achieve what John, in one of his firms, achieved, which was trebling fees within two years. Sounds like an outlandish headline, but the reality is it's feasible.
Average fees can be £10k per annum, £20k per annum, £30k per annum, and more. We know this because we see it in firms that have embraced having human conversations more often with more clients. And that's what this podcast is about.

The post Episode 139: John Thompson, CEO of Wisdom in Practice appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.

Episode 138: Russell Watkins, Lean Transformation Expert & Co-founder of Sempai

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:33:34 +0000

When you're trying to unlock the potential that you know exists within your team, within your client bank, within your firm as a whole, it can feel frustrating that you just can't seem to get to it, you can't unlock it.
In this podcast discussion with Russell Watkins, who's spent 30 years in the lean, process improvement space working with manufacturing and other businesses, we tap into a potential key for you, your team, your firm, to truly get to the levels of performance you believe exist within your firm.

The post Episode 138: Russell Watkins, Lean Transformation Expert & Co-founder of Sempai appeared first on humanisethenumbers.online.