Kelly Richmond Pope on Fool Me Once, All the Queen’s Horses, and Her Journey as Professor, Board Director, Tech Exec, and Filmmaker

In this empowering Verses in Service episode of No Boxes: Just Verses, we sit down with Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope, CPA, documentary filmmaker, and fraud expert. Are you a leader trying to understand risk management, curious about how fraud works, or looking for the blueprint to scale your research into a globally consumable business? Dr. Pope's journey is a powerful testament to resilience, the art of turning academic passion into a public service, and why true crime is the perfect lens for teaching finance. Tune in to hear the playbook for synthesizing complex concepts into compelling stories.Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope is a nationally recognized expert in risk, corporate governance, and audit practices. She is a published author, documentary filmmaker, and endowed full professor. Her book, Fool Me Once: Scam Stories and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry, was recognized as one of the 15 best business books of 2023 by Inc. Magazine. Dr. Pope is also the founder of the ed tech company Red Flag Mania, which uses true crime to train professionals in accounting and fraud risk management. She is a Qualified Financial Expert and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).Key Takeaways:Learn how the profound, back-to-back loss of both parents in her twenties forced Dr. Pope to rely on gospel music and deep resilience, setting a foundation that redefined how she works and moves.Discover how Dr. Pope successfully scaled her academic research and knowledge into a global platform (a book, a documentary, and an ed tech company) by using the universally appealing genre of true crime to explain complex accounting and auditing concepts.Hear the powerful lesson Dr. Pope learned by studying for the CPA Exam ten years after college: even with a PhD, technical competence is never assumed. You must be willing to re-study the basics and prove your credentials.Find out why organizations—large and small—still fall victim to basic fraud schemes (like the Dixon, Illinois municipal fraud). The root cause is simple: trust, and a lack of proper checks and balances, proving that human nature is still the biggest risk.Understand why Dr. Pope intentionally plays upbeat music (like the bonus song "What's My Favorite Word") before leaving the house: she channels that joy to give her the energy to be the enthusiastic, present, and successful leader she is.Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope's journey proves that the most impactful leaders can transform complex knowledge into accessible, powerful stories. What area of your expertise can you teach the masses using a compelling new narrative? CONNECT WITH KELLY RICHMOND POPE:WebsiteBooksDocumentaryRed Flag ManiaLinkedInInstagramPlaylistCONNECT WITH SHANNON:FacebookInstagramLinkedIn Shannon | LinkedIn NBJVTheme Song: Pedal to the Medal by Martin Luther (Spotify | Apple Music)