Episodes

Episode Description Ron and Ed welcome John Dierkhising of Bottom Line Accounting Services and returning guest Shannon Kaiser of Summit for a conversation at the intersection of accounting, technology, and service. John brings the perspective of a practitioner who supports businesses using Sage and other accounting technologies, while Shannon brings deep experience in application hosting, cloud infrastructure, and managed services. Together, they explore how the right technology environment can...

Ron and Ed welcome back Fr. Robert Sirico, co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about human dignity, liberty, economics, and the moral foundations of a free society using the framework of Leo XIV's encyclical, Hagnifica Humanitas. Drawing on decades of work at the intersection of theology and economics, Fr. Sirico explores why the human person must remain at the center of economic life and why markets, entrepreneurship, and business are ultima...

What happens when there's no guest, no predetermined topic, and possibly only one host? It's time to bring back the spirit of Free-Rider Friday. With Ed potentially sidelined by jury duty, Ron raids his ever-growing stack of articles, ideas, observations, and assorted intellectual curiosities for a wide-ranging tour through whatever has captured his attention lately. Economics, business, technology, culture, pricing—and probably a few things that defy categorization—are all fair game. No agend...

Twenty-five years to the day after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Ron and Ed commemorate a day that changed America and changed each of us in ways both large and small. They share personal stories and memories from that time, reflecting on where they were, what they experienced, and what remains vivid a quarter-century later. Against the backdrop of America's 250th anniversary, the conversation broadens to consider the country we were then, the country we are now, and the ideals that have e...

What makes an experience unforgettable? Why do some ideas, brands, museums, and attractions merely inform us while others permanently change how we think, feel, and act? In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome Bob Rogers, founder of BRC Imagination Arts and author of Deep Story: The Complete Guide to Creating Transformational Themed Attractions. Drawing on decades of experience designing award-winning visitor experiences for organizations ranging from Disney and NASA to Co...

Professor Michael Munger returns to The Soul of Enterprise for a fourth visit and once again, the answer is transaction costs. Ron and Ed catch up with the Duke University economist, political scientist, author, and host of The Answer Is Transaction Costs to explore some of the provocative questions he has tackled in the podcast's latest summer episodes. Why is being late an economic problem rather than merely bad manners? How have social media dramatically lowered the cost of coordinating outr...

Ed and Ron (mostly Ron) empty out the overflowing stack of stuff and roam wherever intellectual curiosity takes them. On the docket: how Adam Smith's invisible hand actually works; what we should make of the latest government files on UFOs and UAPs (color us skeptical); whether standing desks are really healthier than sitting; the strange economics and crony capitalism of the college textbook market; encouraging news in the fight against dementia; and, in what may amount to professional heresy, ...

What does it take to lead one of the largest state CPA societies through one of the most transformative periods in the profession's history? In this episode, Ron and Ed welcome Denise Froemming, President and CEO of CalCPA, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of accounting, professional associations, and leadership in an era defined by AI and rapid change. Drawing on her experience leading major professional organizations, Denise shares how CalCPA is reimagining its role—from servi...

Last week, Ron and Ed began exploring Pope Leo XIV's landmark social encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. This week, they continue the conversation, moving beyond first impressions into the document's deeper implications for business, technology, and the future of human flourishing. What does it mean to remain fully human in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence? Can technology serve the common good without reducing people to data points or algorithms? And is AI simply another powerf...

Father Vincent DeRosa returns to The Soul of Enterprise to examine Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical and a landmark reflection on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. Building on our earlier conversation about Rerum Novarum, we explore how Catholic social teaching continues to evolve while remaining rooted in timeless principles. Ron, Ed, and Father Vincent discuss why the Church sees AI as a defining challenge of our era, drawing compelling paral...

The accounting profession has always adapted to change—but what if it could actively shape the future instead of simply reacting to it? In this episode, Ron and Ed welcome Tom Hood, EVP of Business Engagement & Growth at AICPA & CIMA, to discuss Rise2040, the profession-wide initiative designed to help accountants and finance professionals envision—and create—the future of the profession. Tom explains why AI, automation, shifting client expectations, and changing talent models require a new min...

For decades, we've been told that scientific progress depends on government funding. But what if that assumption is wrong? In this episode, Ron and Ed welcome Dr. Terence Kealey—physician, biochemist, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, and Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute—to explore one of the most controversial questions in science and public policy. Drawing on his research and books The Economic Laws of Scientific Research and Sex, Science and Profits, Kealey argues ...

What happens when you refuse to build your company the "right" way? Ron and Ed welcome back David Barrett, founder and CEO of Expensify, to discuss the unconventional thinking that transformed a simple expense reporting app into a publicly traded fintech platform. From bootstrapping product-led growth and rejecting traditional enterprise sales models to building a culture around engineering, experimentation, and long-term thinking, David shares why questioning accepted business wisdom has been c...

The Declaration of Independence is far more than a historical document. It is a statement of principles that has inspired generations to pursue a more perfect union. In this special Independence Day episode, Ed brings portions of the Declaration to life with a dramatic reading before Ron and Ed explore its enduring influence on America's greatest speeches. From Frederick Douglass's searing critique in What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Second In...

Artificial intelligence vendors love to talk about tokens and credits, but are these pricing models really helping customers—or simply obscuring the true cost of AI? In this episode, Ron and Ed take aim at the growing trend of token-based pricing, arguing that it shifts uncertainty and risk from providers to customers while creating unnecessary complexity. Drawing on insights from pricing experts, recent industry commentary, and their own experiences, they examine why cost-based pricing has long...

Debra Kilsheimer joins Ron and Ed for a lively discussion about leadership, culture, AI, persuasion, human nature, and the curious ability of professionals to simultaneously complain about a problem and defend the system causing it. We'll also explore what wisdom comes with experience, why logic is a surprisingly ineffective tool for changing minds, and whether the accounting profession is finally approaching an inflection point—or just finding new ways to avoid one. And yes, at some point we'...

Ron and Ed turn their attention to the upcoming Semiquintcentennial, with a little theatrical flair thrown in from Ed and his turn as John Adams in 1776. Along the way, they reflect on the ideas, personalities, and historical drama surrounding America's 250th anniversary—and what those themes might still teach us about leadership, liberty, and public life today. If time permits, they'll also weigh in on a few timely developments in the accounting profession and the ever-fascinating world of pric...

As part of our new partnership with SummitHQ, Ron and Ed welcome Shannon Kaiser, a technology leader whose career spans cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, application hosting, and managed services. Shannon shares how SummitHQ helps organizations navigate the increasingly complex world of IT while maintaining the security, reliability, and performance businesses depend on every day. About Shannon Kaiser Shannon Kaiser is General Manager of Application Hosting at SummitHQ and a veteran technolo...

Ron and Ed welcom Sarah Isgur to discuss her book "Last Branch Standing," which explores the Supreme Court's role in American government, its counter-majoritarian function and its independence from partisan politics. Contray to popular belief, very few cases are decided along ideological lines and Sarah will emphasize the need to protect the court's independence and criticized Congress for failing to act on key issues. We will ask her about billing by the hour and red her thoughts on political s...

This week, Ron and Ed deliver a wide-ranging pricing update, exploring the latest thinking shaping both accounting firms and the broader business world. Drawing from recent articles, posts, and commentary, they examine how AI companies like GPT, Claude, and Perplexity are positioning and pricing their offerings, including the growing role of token-based pricing models and what they signal about the future of value measurement. The conversation also dives into the dangers and unintended conseque...

In another installment of our fan-favorite miscellany series, Ron digs into the ever-growing stack of articles, ideas, trends, and observations he's been collecting—and finally clears the deck. From developments in technology and AI to economics, business strategy, professional skepticism, and the occasional offbeat tangent, this episode is a rapid-fire tour through the topics that caught Ron's attention but didn't yet have a home of their own. Along the way, Ron and Ed connect seemingly unrela...

In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome back Greg Tirico to explore the accelerating convergence of technology, especially AI, and its profound implications for professionals. Drawing on insights from the "Convergence 2026" report, Greg unpacks how traditional firm boundaries are dissolving as tech, talent, and capital increasingly intersect. The conversation dives into what this shift means for knowledge workers, from evolving skill expectations to the redefinition of val...

In this special episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome a panel of speakers from the Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS), an event focused on developing principled leadership and purposeful organizations. Joined by Bro. Thomas J. Cleary and fellow summit speakers, the conversation explores the intersection of leadership, values, and organizational culture. Drawing from their diverse experiences, the panel discusses how leaders can foster trust, inspire accountability, and navigate c...

In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ed Kless and Ron Baker speak with Alexis Kingsbury about a rather audacious experiment: running an entire accountancy practice staffed almost entirely by AI. The firm—Accrual Intentions—had eleven AI "team members" and one human: Alexis. What began as a curiosity about the real capabilities of AI quickly became something far more interesting. The AI team produced accounts, onboarded clients, and developed surprisingly human-like dynamics—personalities,...