Building Bridges with Positive Intent
Common Threads
W.G. Spoor’s path from a family-run accounting firm in St. Petersburg to leading Sorren’s national tax strategy is anything but conventional. On Episode 7 of Common Threads, he reflects on the values shaped by his upbringing, like presence and a deep commitment to people, and tells Heath Alloway about how those principles have guided him through mergers, cultural shifts, and the evolving demands of the profession. Delving into the challenges of balancing growth with well-being, W.G. highlights the importance of “relationship currency” and shares some lessons he’s learned on either...
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Authenticity in Leadership
Common Threads
Matthew May, Sorren’s National CAS Managing Partner, brings a blend of humor, candor, and strategic vision to the firm’s evolving landscape. In this conversation with Heath Alloway on Episode 6 of Common Threads, Matthew traces his career path from a practical start in accounting to leading the integration of multiple firms and scaling a national client accounting services team. He reflects on lessons learned from entrepreneurial ventures, the importance of thinking like a client, the nuances of industry specialization, and how authenticity drives everything he does. Whether building trust...
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The Human Side to Creating Lasting Impact
Common Threads
Jessica Espaillat’s journey weaves together the worlds of mental health counseling and HR leadership, revealing how empathy and intentionality can shape a thriving workplace. She sits down with Heath Alloway on Episode 5 of Common Threads, starting with her unexpected career pivot, where she found herself at the heart of a growing firm, championing a culture where people feel valued and supported. Her insights, drawn from both personal and professional experience, illuminate her goals of fostering open communication and building unity across Sorren’s diverse teams. Jessica and Heath also...
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From Fear to Focus: Stories of Growth
Common Threads
Heath Alloway leads a candid conversation with Matt Aycock and Steve Bunch on Episode 4 of Common Threads. Reflecting on the winding paths that led them into public accounting, Matt and Steve reveal how chance, competition, and a healthy dose of fear shaped their careers. The realities of building a practice, such as navigating mergers and weathering setbacks, come into focus, and turning pressure into motivation has been a key ingredient in the success of both guests. Turning to the art of business development, Matt and Steve approach the topic from wildly different perspectives, with Matt a...
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Crafting a Culture from Hire to Retire
Common Threads
Jim Hickey didn’t set out to become a Chief Human Resources Officer, but on Episode 3 of Common Threads, his accidental path becomes a lens for exploring what it really means to build culture in a fast-changing setup like Sorren’s. He tells host Heath Alloway about his working-class roots in Columbus, the turns in his career path that eventually led to Sorren, and how mergers, legacy loyalties, and the “hire to retire” philosophy collide in the real world. Jim expresses a deep connection with people’s anxieties about jobs and identity—to him, they are as real as any business...
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Career Moves: Ambition, Imposter Syndrome, Opportunity and More
Common Threads
From a childhood shaped by her father’s lessons in frugality to a leap-of-faith move from Maine to Tampa, Alexia Pappas’s path is marked by bold decisions and unexpected turns. On Episode 2 of Common Threads, she talks to host Heath Alloway about the anxiety of starting over in a new city, the relief of finding a mentor who valued her drive over her résumé, and the challenge of building trust with clients. Sometimes that meant learning the hard way, like the time a misdirected email nearly derailed a relationship she’d spent years nurturing. Multiple times throughout her career, Alexia...
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Building Common Threads: Launching Our Journey
Common Threads
Josh Tyree’s story began before dawn, delivering newspapers through Idaho winters, a thread that weaved through his rise from small-town jobs to the accounting profession to president of Sorren. Host Heath Alloway guides the conversation as Josh reflects on the unexpected turns that shaped his career, particularly his decision to return home to Idaho to join Harris, which ultimately led to helping build something entirely new. Josh speaks on the challenge of merging firms, the urgency of adapting to rapid change, his and Sorren’s focus on relationships, and as the firm grows, how this...
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Introducing the Common Threads Podcast
Common Threads
Connections. Conversations. Common Threads. A podcast that seeks to explore what brings us and keeps us together. One conversation at a time, we share stories of struggle, triumph, and leadership that leave a lasting impact. Join host Heath Alloway as he highlights the ways guests have touched the lives of others in their communities, and tackles the big questions we all face. How can I make an impact? What is my role in molding our future? Am I making a difference? Rooted in legacy, the power of one: This is Common Threads.
info_outlineHeath Alloway leads a candid conversation with Matt Aycock and Steve Bunch on Episode 4 of Common Threads. Reflecting on the winding paths that led them into public accounting, Matt and Steve reveal how chance, competition, and a healthy dose of fear shaped their careers. The realities of building a practice, such as navigating mergers and weathering setbacks, come into focus, and turning pressure into motivation has been a key ingredient in the success of both guests. Turning to the art of business development, Matt and Steve approach the topic from wildly different perspectives, with Matt a self-declared strong introvert, and Steve someone who always found development natural and easy. But for both, the value of authentic relationships and the power of intentionality are critical elements. Their stories offer a window into the evolving culture at Sorren, where collaboration and trust fuel growth, and where the willingness to share knowledge and support others is as vital as any technical skill.
Get the full show notes and more resources at CommonThreads.Sorren.com