The Diary of a CFO – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to Season 2 of The Diary of a CFO.

In this kickoff solo episode, Wassia Kamon shares behind-the-scenes highlights from Season 1, why some careers stall at the executive door, and what actually opens it.

You’ll hear:

• The real reason technical skills alone won’t get you promoted
• The 3-digit P.I.N. code to executive leadership
• What separates great CFOs from the rest
• Why work-life harmony beats balance
• What’s new in Season 2?

🎥 Full-video episodes on YouTube

🗞 A brand-new Substack called Off the Record

Join the conversation at: https://wassiakamon.substack.com/

In this episode, Syed Nadeem shares the lessons he wishes more finance professionals learned early on. He talks about why certifications alone won’t get you promoted, and why your mindset, human skills, and personal brand matter just as much as your technical skills.

Syed also shares how losing his job became a turning point. He built a global brand and started helping others grow in their careers. From business partnering to leadership, this episode is full of insights that can help you stay relevant and move forward, no matter where you are in your finance journey.

Today’s episode is brought to you by BILL, a leading financial operations platform for small and midsize businesses. I’m also hosting a free webinar on June 24th, 2025 at 1pm ET. Click here to learn more.

In this solo episode, I answer 4 questions from my newsletter subscribers:

1. Is the climb and reach to CFO worth it?
2. Do you enjoy the work and people?
3. Do you have work-life balance?
4. What helped you get there?

If you’ve got questions about leadership, your team, or growing in your role, the best way to ask is through my newsletter. Subscribe at thediaryofacfo.com.

In this episode of the Diary of a CFO podcast, Edwine Alphonse shares her journey from a work-study student in Canada to a senior controller at Ramp, discussing her experiences in startups, the importance of accounting, and how to build a high-performing finance team. She emphasizes the critical role of accounting in business operations and the necessity for finance leaders to advocate for adequate technology for their teams.

Finance leaders are under pressure to move faster, stay accurate, and be more strategic. But not every challenge can be solved with technology.

In this episode, John Glasgow, Founder and CEO of Campfire, shares issues technology can help solve, like improving audit trails and enforcing controls, and the ones that require stronger business partnerships, like getting finance involved in the right conversations early.

We also get into why some teams over-engineer their processes, how to scale without adding unnecessary complexity, and what it really takes to grow as a leader in today’s business environment.

Sindy Wilson didn’t plan to be in finance. She was headed for med school until dissecting a rat and a cat made her rethink everything. That switch led her to a career in finance, where she’s led transformation at Kickstarter, Lyft, and AutoTrader. In this episode, she breaks down how to stand out, get on big projects, and lead major change in any organisation.

Six months as a CFO has taught me a lot about leadership, decision-making, and what it really takes to succeed in this role. In this solo episode, I share my biggest takeaways so far: why managing a board is nothing like just presenting to one, how to lead when there’s no playbook, and why staying plugged into the right circles is non-negotiable.

Most people assume nonprofits just need to balance donations with expenses. But in reality, nonprofit finance comes with its own set of complexities. In this episode, Stephen Newland shares what leaders need to understand about nonprofit financial management, and how to make better long-term financial decisions.

After 25 years as a CFO, Jeremy Earnshaw transitioned from managing numbers to mentoring leaders. He shares what he wishes he knew earlier, the common leadership mistakes CFOs make, and how coaching can accelerate career growth. We also talk about the shift from technical expertise to strategic influence, the importance of self-awareness in leadership, and the mindset changes that separate good CFOs from great ones.

What if the problem isn’t the numbers, but everything around them?

Beverly Davis has spent years helping businesses fix their financial blind spots. From misaligned strategies to communication breakdowns, she knows why execution often fails before it even starts. In this episode, we dive into what really makes or breaks a company’s financial success and how to spot the non-financial issues slowing your business down.