If you’re listening to this on the day it goes live, it’s Christmas Day—and I just want to start by wishing you a very happy holiday season.

Whether today is quiet or full, relaxing or a little chaotic, I hope it brings you a moment to breathe. A moment where you’re not thinking about deadlines, emails, or everything that still needs to get done. Just a moment to be present where you are.

I also know that for many accountants, this time of year can feel a little strange. Work may have slowed down, but your brain hasn’t. Or maybe you’re already thinking about what’s coming next—busy season, the new year, or all the things you want to do differently.

So if you’re listening while out for a walk, sitting with a cup of coffee, hiding in a quiet room for a few minutes, or even catching up later this week—this episode is here to meet you exactly where you are.

No pressure. No pushing. Just a conversation meant to help you think a little differently and feel a little lighter.

Let’s get into today’s episode….

The hard truth about any profession, especially accounting, is that It’s hard to watch good people leave.  I’ve seen it more times than I can count.

You know the ones I’m talking about — the employees who work hard, care about the clients, and always seem to go above and beyond. One day they’re part of the team, and the next day they’ve decided to move on.

For some firms, it feels like this keeps happening more and more. A great employee settles in, learns the ropes, becomes someone everyone depends on… and then they’re gone. And when they leave, it doesn’t just affect the firm — it affects everyone around them.

If you’ve ever been the person leaving, you know how complicated it feels. Sometimes it’s not about one big thing. 

It’s a buildup of stress, long hours, and wondering if there’s something better out there. You get tired of feeling like you’re running on empty, and eventually, you reach a point where staying feels harder than leaving.

And if you’ve ever been the person watching someone leave, that can be tough too. You see someone you respect pack up their desk, and part of you wonders if they know something you don’t. You start questioning things you hadn’t thought about before.

For firm owners and partners, it can be even more stressful. Finding great employees isn’t easy, and losing them creates ripple effects you can feel everywhere. It impacts deadlines, client relationships, and the rest of the team. And let’s be honest — it’s expensive to lose good people.

But this isn’t just a firm problem. It’s a people problem. Behind every decision to leave, there’s a person trying to manage stress, expectations, and their own well-being. Sometimes it’s not even about the job itself but about the way the job makes them feel day after day.

That’s why this conversation matters. If we want to understand why great employees leave, we have to look beyond job titles and client lists. We have to understand what’s really going on underneath the surface — for the employee, the team, and the firm.

Here’s the thing: most employees don’t start a new job planning to quit. They start hopeful. They want to succeed, grow, and feel like what they do matters. So what happens between that first day and the day they decide it’s time to walk away?

And, more importantly, what can be done to change it?

Let’s dive in.

Why Great Employees Are Walking Away

When good employees leave, it rarely happens overnight. It usually builds up little by little, day after day. What starts as small frustrations slowly turns into bigger doubts about staying.

For many accountants, it’s not about lacking skill or commitment. It’s about feeling stretched too thin. The constant deadlines, endless emails, and never-ending client demands can make even the most dedicated employees question if the pace is sustainable.

Sometimes it’s about feeling invisible. Great employees want to know their hard work matters, but when recognition is rare or support is limited, it starts to wear them down. Over time, the excitement they once had fades, and the job begins to feel like nothing more than survival mode.

And for many, it isn’t really about the work itself — it’s about the environment. You’ve probably heard the saying, “People don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad managers.” When employees don’t feel supported, understood, or valued by leadership, even the work they once loved can become too heavy to carry.

For others, it’s about the weight of unclear expectations. They want to do a good job but feel like they’re always chasing moving targets. That constant uncertainty can be exhausting, especially when it feels like no matter how much they give, it’s never enough.

From the firm’s side, this creates a ripple effect that goes far beyond a single resignation letter. When a strong employee walks out the door, clients may feel the shift, deadlines get tighter, and the rest of the team has to pick up the slack. One person leaving often leads to more stress for everyone who stays, and that stress can lead to even more turnover.

The truth is, most employees don’t leave because they want to. They leave because they reach a breaking point where staying feels harder than leaving. And firms often don’t see the warning signs until it’s too late.

The bigger question is — why does this keep happening? Why are so many talented, capable people reaching the point where walking away feels like the only option?

To answer that, we need to look deeper at what’s really driving this pattern — for both the employees and the firms trying to keep them. That’s where we’ll go next.

The Hidden Cost of Losing Great Employees

When great employees leave, the impact runs deeper than most people realize. It’s not just about filling an open position — it’s about the emotional toll, the financial strain, and the ripple effect it creates for everyone involved.

For employees, the pressure can feel constant. Long hours, tight deadlines, and competing priorities slowly chip away at motivation. 

Over time, stress builds, burnout sets in, and they start feeling stuck in a cycle they can’t control. That exhaustion often leads to disengagement, and disengagement eventually leads to a bigger question: “Do I even want to keep doing this?”

For firms, the consequences are expensive. When an experienced accountant walks out the door, replacing them isn’t as simple as posting a job ad. 

Studies show that replacing a skilled employee can cost up to 1.5 times their annual salary once you factor in recruiting, onboarding, training, and lost productivity.

And it doesn’t stop there. When one person leaves, the workload doesn’t disappear — it gets pushed onto everyone else. 

That added pressure leads to more mistakes, missed deadlines, and a higher chance of client dissatisfaction. The rest of the team feels the strain, and for some, that extra stress becomes the very thing that makes them think about leaving too.

This is how firms unintentionally end up in a cycle of burnout and attrition. Without the right support, employees burn out, they leave, and the people who stay become more overwhelmed — which increases the chances that they’ll leave as well.

But here’s the thing: this isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter — for the accountants doing the work and the firms leading them. Both sides need solutions that reduce stress, improve focus, and make the work feel sustainable again.

To get there, we first have to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface. And that means taking a closer look at what’s going on in the brain when stress and overwhelm take over — and how that plays into why great employees leave. That’s what we’ll explore next.

The Brain Science Behind Why Great Employees Leave

When people reach their breaking point at work, it’s easy to assume it’s about workload or deadlines. But underneath it all, there’s something deeper going on — it starts in the brain.

When the brain is under constant stress, it shifts into survival mode. Instead of calmly thinking through problems, the brain focuses on staying safe. In accounting, that might look like shutting down when faced with deadlines, avoiding tasks that feel overwhelming, or procrastinating on work you know needs to get done.

This isn’t laziness. It’s biology. The part of the brain responsible for problem-solving and planning takes a back seat when stress levels spike. That’s why even high-performing employees can find themselves disengaged, frustrated, and quietly wondering how much longer they can keep going.

For employees, this can feel like being trapped in a loop. You wake up tired, work hard all day, and still feel behind. The longer your brain stays in survival mode, the harder it becomes to focus, make decisions, and enjoy your work. Over time, leaving starts to feel like the only way to escape the pressure.

And here’s the part most people don’t stop to consider. If you leave without learning how to manage your brain in this job, you bring that same brain with you to the next one. A new firm might change the scenery, but it won’t automatically change how your brain reacts to stress, pressure, or expectations. Without new skills, the same patterns tend to show up again — just in a different office.

This is why working with a coach before making a big decision can be so powerful. Coaching helps employees understand what’s actually driving the stress, how their thoughts are fueling burnout, and how to calm the survival response so they can think clearly again. 

Sometimes the job really isn’t the right fit — but sometimes it’s the lack of brain management skills that’s making everything feel unbearable.

For firms, this creates a huge opportunity. Employees stuck in survival mode aren’t as productive, creative, or engaged as they could be. But when firms provide support — through coaching, time management training, and teaching employees how to manage their thoughts — they give their teams the tools to feel steady and capable again.

Teaching employees how to manage their minds doesn’t just help them feel better; it helps firms keep their best people. When employees learn how to take control of their focus and energy, they get more done, make fewer mistakes, and are far less likely to burn out or quit.

That’s why understanding the brain’s role in all of this matters so much. When firms address what’s happening beneath the surface, they don’t just reduce turnover — they help people thrive.

And the best part is, I’ve seen this shift happen time and time again. Let me share the story of one accountant who was ready to walk away from her job — until she learned a smarter way to manage her brain and her workload.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: From Overwhelmed to In Control

I worked with a senior accountant at a mid-sized firm who was ready to quit. She was smart, hardworking, and loved her clients, but she was drowning in deadlines and constant interruptions. 

Every day felt like a sprint she couldn’t finish, and she told me, “I feel like no matter how hard I work, I’m always behind.”

By the time we started working together, she had already updated her résumé and was quietly looking for another job. She wasn’t burned out because she didn’t care — she was burned out because she cared too much and didn’t see a way to make it all work.

Through our coaching sessions, she learned how her brain was reacting to stress and why it was making everything feel harder than it really was. Once she understood what was happening, we worked on simple ways to manage her thoughts, organize her time, and take control of her workload instead of letting it control her.

Within a few weeks, everything started to shift. She wasn’t working more hours, but she was getting more done. She started setting boundaries around her time, staying focused on what mattered most, and letting go of the constant guilt she’d been carrying.

Her stress dropped. Her confidence grew. And for the first time in months, she started enjoying her work again.

And here’s the best part — her firm noticed, too. Her billable hours improved, she was meeting deadlines without feeling frantic, and her clients were happier. What once felt like a problem with her turned out to be a problem with the way she was managing her brain, her energy, and her time.

Stories like hers are why I’m so passionate about this work. It’s not about fixing employees — it’s about helping them understand how their brains work so they can get out of survival mode and do their best work without burning out.

This happens every time employees are given the tools to manage their thoughts, their focus, and their time in a smarter way. And the firms that invest in helping their teams do this? They keep their best people longer, and everyone wins.

Now, let’s bring everything we’ve talked about together and recap the most important takeaways from today’s episode.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

Great employees rarely leave because they can’t handle the work — they leave because they reach a point where the stress, pressure, and lack of control feel unsustainable.

For employees, that often looks like burnout, frustration, and feeling stuck in survival mode. For firms, the impact goes beyond one person leaving — turnover creates missed deadlines, heavier workloads for the remaining team, and higher costs to replace talent.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When accountants understand what’s happening in their brains under stress, they can learn how to manage their thoughts, energy, and time in smarter ways. 

And when firms give employees the support and tools they need, everyone benefits — employees feel better, clients are happier, and the firm keeps its best people.

Here’s a simple question to ask yourself:

“Am I creating a workday I can actually sustain?”

If your answer is no, that’s your sign something needs to change — either the way you work or the way your firm supports you.

If you’re an employee, this question can help you check in with yourself. Are you working in a way that leaves you constantly drained, or are you managing your energy, time, and focus in a smarter way? 

If your days feel like nonstop chaos, it’s a sign that your brain might be stuck in survival mode — and there are better tools you can use.

If you’re a firm owner or partner, this question applies to your entire team. Are your employees working in a way that’s realistic and healthy, or are they set up for burnout? Supporting your team doesn’t just improve their well-being — it protects the firm’s results and reputation, too.

When you take the time to pause and ask this question, it creates awareness — and awareness is the first step to making lasting change.

One important takeaway for firm owners—coming from a Professional Certified Coach for Accountants:  More than 75% of the accountants who come to be coached by me are on the brink of leaving their jobs, and many of them don’t know what to do next. 

Most firm owners don’t believe they fall into that category—until they do.

What I want you to hear is this: great employees want to do great work. They want to stay. But they want to do that work in an environment that supports them as people, not just as producers. 

When firms put employee needs first—especially mental load, stress, and sustainability—retention stops being a mystery.  In other words, when the bottom line is more about employee sustainability than finances, everyone wins in the long run.

Next, let’s wrap up with a personal story in Pulling Back the Curtain where I share my own experience watching great employees leave — and what I learned that completely shifted how I look at stress and retention in accounting.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain…

When I first started my career at Deloitte, I remember watching some of the most talented people I’d ever worked with decide to leave. These were smart, driven, hardworking accountants — the kind of people you thought would stay and build long careers there.

But one by one, they walked away.

Back then, I didn’t fully understand why. I assumed it was just part of the profession — long hours, constant pressure, and endless deadlines. It was easy to believe that burnout was just something you had to accept if you wanted to be successful in accounting.

But over time, I started noticing a pattern. These employees weren’t leaving because they didn’t like the work or because they couldn’t handle it. They were leaving because they felt exhausted, unsupported, and stuck in a system that expected more and more without showing them a better way to manage it.

At the time, I didn’t have the tools or language to explain what was happening. I didn’t know anything about how the brain responds to stress or why so many accountants slip into survival mode without even realizing it. I just knew something wasn’t working.

Fast forward to today, and coaching has completely changed the way I see this problem. Now I know that turnover isn’t inevitable. 

The truth is that when accountants learn how to manage their thoughts, time, and energy — and when firms give employees the right tools and support — everything shifts. Employees feel more in control, firms see better results, and everyone benefits.

This is why I do the work I do. I don’t believe you have to choose between being great at your job and feeling good about your life. You can have both — but it starts with understanding how your brain works and using that knowledge to create a smarter way to work.

If you’re an accountant listening and struggling right now, know this: you’re not broken. Your brain is simply trying to protect you, and there’s a smarter way to manage the stress of this profession.

And if you’re a firm owner or partner, this is exactly the kind of transformation that’s possible when you invest in coaching for your team. If you’d like to explore what that could look like, you can schedule a free consultation with me at thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar.

I believe that every great employee deserves to have a great career working for a great firm.

The truth is that you’re already smart.  But this podcast, I promise, will show you how to be smarter.