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She Counts

She Counts

By: Questian Telka EA & Nancy McClelland CPA
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 She Counts brings together respected educators Nancy McClelland, CPA, and Questian Telka, EA, for candid conversations about what it’s really like to be a woman in accounting. Whether you’re in corporate, at a firm, or running your own show, this podcast offers a space to feel seen, heard, and understood. From taboo topics to everyday challenges, She Counts is more than a podcast—it’s a community where women in accounting, tax, and bookkeeping can come together and get real.© 2026 Questian Telka, EA & Nancy McClelland, CPA Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • Pancakes, Power Suits & Personal Autonomy: What Women Wear at Work Isn’t the Problem

    Pancakes, Power Suits & Personal Autonomy: What Women Wear at Work Isn’t the Problem
    Feb 25 2026
    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.SponsorsForwardly - https://www.forwardly.com/shecountsRelay- https://relayfi.com/shecountsClient Hub - https://www.clienthub.app/lp/shecounts(00:00) - Welcome to She Counts(01:16) - Why Women’s Clothes Are Still Policed at Work(02:14) - The Resurfaced EY Workshop: ‘Power Presence and Purpose’(04:04) - Pancakes vs. Waffles: The Absurd ‘Brain’ Analogy(05:34) - Masculine/Feminine Scorecards & Stereotypes in Leadership(08:01) - ‘Sexuality Scrambles the Brain’: Dress Codes Start Young(10:16) - Polished, Don’t Ramble, Don’t Confront: Behavior Rules for Women(13:35) - Shifting Responsibility + A Real Conference Story(16:58) - When Attire Really Is a Safety Issue (Rail Yard Example)(20:09) - Accountability & Research: Fines, Reviews, and Lookism Today(25:58) - The ‘Attractive Accountant’ Comment: Why ‘Just Take It as a Compliment’ Fails(29:15) - Blending In vs. Being Yourself: Power Suits, Color, and the Double Bind(30:39) - Finding Your Style Again: The Necklace Story & Owning Your Presence(33:59) - Dressing for Alignment: Quieting Self-Doubt So You Can Focus(35:06) - Objectification Theory: How Body Monitoring Hurts Performance(37:49) - The Double Standard: Why Women Overthink Outfits (and Men Don’t)(40:53) - Dress Codes & the ‘Emotional Tax’ (Especially for Women of Color)(42:08) - Pantyhose Rules and Other Outdated Policies: Real-World Stories(45:24) - Gender-Neutral Policies vs. Reality: Redefining Professionalism(49:58) - Culture Fit Matters: When a Suit Makes Clients Trust You Less(54:12) - From Appearance to Function: How Allies Can Redirect the Conversation(56:10) - What to Do If You’re Unsure What to Wear: Mentors, HR, and Clarity(01:01:23) - Practical Self-Test + Closing Challenge to Rethink Dress CodesResourcesDress 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
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • When There’s No App for What You Need: Building the Tool You Wish You Had

    When There’s No App for What You Need: Building the Tool You Wish You Had
    Feb 11 2026

    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.

    Sponsors
    Forwardly - https://www.forwardly.com/shecounts
    Relay- https://relayfi.com/shecounts
    Client Hub - https://www.clienthub.app/lp/shecounts


    • (00:00) - Welcome to She Counts
    • (02:13) - The Birth of Client Hub
    • (09:38) - Transitioning from Practice to Tech
    • (16:24) - Selling the Practice
    • (23:38) - Building and Vetting a Software Idea
    • (35:27) - The Importance of Listening in Leadership
    • (36:59) - Building Client-Centric Tech Products
    • (39:46) - Keeping It Simple: Focus on Core Features
    • (42:47) - Challenges and Triumphs of Women in Tech
    • (55:01) - The Power of Partnerships and Community
    • (01:02:02) - Advice for Aspiring Female Founders

    Resources


    • Judie McCarthy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/judiemccarthy/
    • Client Hub + She Counts - https://www.clienthub.app/lp/shecounts
    • Client 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/1182038149087846402
    • Studies 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.php
      • Research shows that greater female representation correlates with smaller relative transaction sizes in M&A - https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/full/10.1142/S2282717X25500033
    • Why do female entrepreneurs decide to exit their ventures? - https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1573378/FULLTEXT01.pdf

    SPONSORS: [Forwardly, Relay, Client Hub]


    Join Our LinkedIn Page!

    https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-counts-podcast


    Subscribe on YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com/@SheCountsPodcast


    Follow She Counts on IG

    https://www.instagram.com/shecounts.show/


    Connect with Nancy

    https://www.thedancingaccountant.com/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcclelland-cpa


    Connect with Questian

    https://www.reqoncilefinancials.com/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/questian-telka-ea-78383666


    Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcast

    https://www.earmark.app/


    This podcast is a production of Earmark Media
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  •  Unmuted: Turning Down the Self-Doubt, Turning Up the Volume

     Unmuted: Turning Down the Self-Doubt, Turning Up the Volume
    Jan 28 2026
    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.SponsorsForwardly - https://www.forwardly.com/shecountsRelay- https://relayfi.com/shecountsClient Hub - https://www.clienthub.app/lp/shecounts(00:00) - Welcome to She Counts (02:12) - Misty's Inspirational Story (05:42) - The Concept of Unmuting (12:31) - Overcoming Self-Doubt and Negative Self-Talk (16:40) - Practical Tips for Building Confidence (32:25) - Reflecting on Childhood and Self-Doubt (34:27) - Navigating the Challenges of Self-Promotion (41:20) - The Importance of Community and Support (47:00) - Learning from Men: Authentic Self-Promotion (53:25) - Upcoming Programs and OpportunitiesResourcesMisty 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
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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