Most finance teams stay on Excel longer than they should. The hard part is knowing when it is actually time to switch.

In this episode, I sit down with Paul Barnhurst, also known as The FP&A Guy. Paul has trained thousands of finance professionals, hosts three podcasts including FP&A Unlocked, and has tested almost every major FP&A tool on the market. He is known for his clear, independent reviews and helping finance teams make smarter choices about the tools they use.

We break down when Excel stops being enough and how to know it is time to move to a real FP&A tool. The biggest mistakes companies make when buying FP&A software, including the implementation traps that quietly kill projects. How to spot red flags in software demos and what to ask before signing anything. Where AI actually fits into the modern finance team and where it is just hype. What Paul found when his team tested Claude on real financial modeling cases. The difference between deterministic and generative AI and why finance leaders need to understand it. How FP&A teams will look different in the next few years. And the one soft skill Paul says is now more important than the technical ones.

If you lead a finance team or you are an FP&A professional trying to figure out when to upgrade your tools and how to actually use AI, this episode is the honest map you have been looking for.

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Most founders make the same fundraising mistakes and do not realize it until the cash is gone.

In this episode, I sit down with Julianne Averill, a healthcare AI CFO, board director, and fractional CFO with over 20 years of experience helping life science and digital health companies scale through fundraising, M&A, and IPOs. She has been through over 50 transactions on both the buy and sell side and currently serves as a fractional CFO working with multiple founders.

We break down how startup funding actually works from Seed all the way to IPO. What investors are really looking for at each stage. The difference between debt and equity and why getting that wrong can be one of the most expensive decisions a founder makes. The 9 mistakes she sees founders make during fundraising that kill deals before they start. What actually happens when a company goes public and why it is not the finish line most people think it is. How AI is changing the way investors discover and evaluate companies. And the ideal finance team structure as a company scales.

Whether you are raising capital, sitting on a board, or leading finance at a growing company, this episode covers the full picture.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Julianne shared her sample pitch decks during the conversation. Grab both here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GlZiV70W4zIulXhFgf1Z9TtkeLyyzR7r

In this episode of The Diary of a CFO Podcast, host Wassia Kamon sits down with Dave DeFreitas, retired group CFO of Caterpillar Inc., to explore the unconventional career path that took him from staff accountant to the C-suite.

Drawing on over 30 years of experience leading finance teams at one of the world's largest manufacturing companies, Dave shares why he had seven different jobs in his first six years before getting his first promotion, and how those lateral moves built the foundation for executive-level thinking.

The conversation also explores:

• The situational leadership framework that allows leaders to adapt their approach based on where each team member is in their development,
• Why understanding how a company works matters more than functional expertise,
• The critical difference between managing change and leading improvements.

This episode is for CFOs, aspiring CFOs, and senior finance leaders who want a realistic roadmap to the C-suite and the leadership skills that matter most once you get there.

Key Timestamps

01:19 Three things that made the difference to group CFO

03:25 The power of lateral moves in career progression

12:06 Situational leadership framework explained

15:41 Leading a team where most direct reports are older than you

24:04 The difference between managers and leaders

28:16 Value stream mapping and process optimization

42:09 How university curriculum needs to evolve for AI

47:37 What finance professionals must do to adapt to AI

Learn more about the podcast at https://www.thediaryofacfo.com

Explore the CFO Readiness Scorecard at https://thecfo.scoreapp.com

👉 If becoming a CFO is in your 5-year plan, get your free CFO Readiness Scorecard here:

http://thecfo.scoreapp.com

Stepping into your first CFO role can feel overwhelming. In this episode, former divisional CFO and GrowCFO Mentor Kevin Appleby shares what really changes when you move from finance leader to CFO.

Drawing on years of experience working with finance leaders across industries, Kevin shares why many CFOs feel unprepared when they step into the role and how the real work begins after the reporting is done. The conversation examines how CFOs add value through judgment, questioning, and forward-looking insight, especially when the path forward is unclear.

This episode is for CFOs, aspiring CFOs, and senior finance leaders who want clarity on what actually matters in the seat and how to grow into the role without trying to be everything to everyone.

Key Timestamps

00:02 Intro

02:18 What separates good finance teams from great ones

05:48 Asking better questions to drive real insight

09:28 Developing business partnering skills through responsibility

12:42 Why CFOs must shift from backward-looking to forward-looking work

18:34 Imposter syndrome and confidence in new CFOs

24:56 Choosing which CFO skills matter most

37:56 The importance of FP&A and delivering bad news early

41:14 Why risk management sits with the CFO

44:22 What new CFOs should focus on in their first 90 days

Learn more about the podcast at https://www.thediaryofacfo.com

If becoming a CFO is in your 5-year plan, get your free CFO Readiness Scorecard here: http://thecfo.scoreapp.com

Get Involved Have a question or topic suggestion? Email: Ask@thediaryofacfo.com

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