Qualified Opinions

The skills that get you into public accounting are not the skills that keep you whole once you're inside. Ellen Sulistio spent a decade at a Big 4 firm and figured out the difference between surviving and actually thriving — then built those principles into an entire organization.Nobody puts "survived seven busy seasons without losing myself" on their resume. But maybe they should.In Episode 3 of Qualified Opinions, Drew Carrick (The Rapping CPA) and co-host Chris Vanover sit down with Ellen Sulistio, Senior Vice President at CPA Club. Ellen spent a decade at a Big 4 firm — not just grinding through it, but actually learning how to sustain herself inside it. And then she took those lessons and built them into the culture of an entire organization: four-day work weeks, no billable hour pressure, and real structural choices around wellbeing that aren't just perks on a careers page.This episode covers the human side of the profession that never makes it into the recruiting pitch:What it looks like to build a nonlinear career inside Big 4 — from audit to national office learning & developmentWhy your best performers aren't always your best teachers, and what that costs the people below themHow a PwC senior retreat became a turning point — and what a high energy score in a room of 95% burned-out peers actually signalsThe burnout checklist the AICPA released — and what it says about the state of the professionWhy the 4-day work week is structurally incompatible with the billable hour modelHow CPA Club eliminated 40–60 hours of manual work per project through automation — and why that's a people decision as much as an efficiency oneWork-life integration vs. work-life balance: the distinction that actually mattersThe newly coined concept of "career creep" — and how to stop it before it takes overMentorship as transportation: how to get someone from Point A to Point B without defining either one for themWhat to say to someone who's two years into the profession and already running on fumesEarn CPE credit for this episode by taking the quiz on the Earmark app. New episodes every first and third Wednesday of the month.Qualified Opinions is powered by CPA Club https://cpaclub.cpa/ — transforming accounting firms and professionals to create a better future for the entire industry.Ellen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esulistio/Drew's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewcarrick/Chris' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisvcpa/

Audit quality has often been an overlooked part of public accounting firm operations, even though it is one of the most important parts of the profession. When Enron and Arthur Andersen collapsed, and the PCAOB was born, audit quality had a moment in the spotlight. Even with control requirements and standards being put in place, many firms often talked the talk without walking the walk.Drew Carrick, The Rapping CPA, and host of Qualified Opinions, alongside co-host Chris Vanover, President & Founder of CPAClub, sit down with author of “The Truth About Public Accounting” and the audit partner who wrote the infamous anonymous letter to the PCAOB on audit quality, Bob Conway. They discuss how the PCAOB originated, how audit quality has (necessarily) evolved over time, and why it is now more important than ever to understand the significance of quality audits.Powered by CPAClub, this episode of Qualified Opinions can be found on-demand on the Earmark app, and is available there for CPE credit. New episodes every first and third Wednesday of each month.Episode 2: How Important is Audit Quality Actually? (April 14, 2026)

Amidst all of the PCAOB leadership changes, the QC 1000 implementation requirement is still set for December 2006 – but there are still a lot of questions around what it will look like when all is said and done.Drew Carrick, The Rapping CPA, and host of Qualified Opinions, alongside co-host Chris Vanover, President & Founder of CPAClub, sit down with PCAOB Specialist Brian Yujuico, VP of CPAClub, to discuss the fate of QC 1000, the future of the PCAOB, and what firms need to know as they approach this mandatory implementation deadline.Powered by CPAClub, this very first episode of Qualified Opinions aired live on Earmark, and is available there for CPE credit. New episodes every first and third Wednesday of each month.Episode 1: What WIll Happen to QC 1000 in 2026? [April 1, 2026)

Qualified Opinions is a flagship content series from CPA Club, built to inform, challenge, and modernize the conversation around public accounting.Episodes feature relaxed, story‑driven conversations between the hosts and guests who add meaningful perspective—firm leaders, educators, industry voices, and professionals who’ve seen the system from the inside.Hosted by Drew Carrick (aka The Rapping CPA) alongside Chris Vanover, the show blends real‑world experience, career perspective, and candid discussion on what’s actually happening inside public accounting. Each episode explores the intersection of audit quality, firm culture, career growth, and the business of the profession—with honesty, humor, and practical insight.Best of all, if you're a CPA, you can earn CPE credit for listening to this episode by heading over to Earmark and completing the quiz!