Burned out? Read this before you quit

After years in tax or audit, even the most dedicated accountants can wake up wondering, "Is this it?"

Enter Angela McKay, PCC, SHRM-SCP. She's a former HR executive turned certified career coach who helps accomplished professionals revive their careers without starting over through her Soul-Led Career method.

Here, McKay shares how to trade exhaustion for alignment, recognize the strengths you already have and rebuild excitement for your work, one intentional step at a time. If you've ever felt torn between stability and something more meaningful, McKay's approach might offer the clarity you've been craving. 

—Interview by Janet Berry-Johnson, edited by Bianca Prieto

Many CPAs find themselves years into a successful career in audit or tax yet feel unfulfilled or burned out. What's the first step someone should take when they feel stuck but aren't sure what to do next?

The first step is less about figuring out what to do next and more about understanding who you are now. We evolve as people, but we’re not trained on how to evolve our work with us.

Track your daily tasks, taking note of what energizes you versus what drains you in your current role. You're gathering data and looking for patterns.

Once you understand what actually lights you up versus what you think should, the path forward becomes clearer. You might discover you don't need to leave—you need to shift how you're showing up. Or you might realize it's time for something bigger or different. Either way, you're deciding from clarity, not desperation.

Get clear on what you actually want your life and work to look and feel like. Then map your existing strengths and desired direction to that vision. CPAs have incredible transferable skills: analytical thinking, systems understanding, decision-making under complexity and advising through difficult situations. These apply in operations, strategy, leadership, consulting, entrepreneurship—far beyond traditional accounting.

Your current role becomes the platform for what's next, not the obstacle to it. You're not starting over—you're building forward.

What are some career paths or roles that CPAs overlook but might be a better fit for their strengths and personality?
They might not realize their value beyond traditional accounting: operations and strategic finance roles, CFO or fractional CFO positions (especially at mission-driven organizations), business consulting focused on strategy rather than compliance, internal finance roles at companies they're passionate about or even one-on-one financial coaching helping individuals with money mindset and budgeting.

But the "right" path is deeply personal. It depends on your values, what kind of impact you want, what environment brings out your best and more.

The key isn't finding the perfect role on a list. It's getting clear on what you want your workday to feel like and what problems you want to solve. We can then begin to identify roles matching that vision.

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What mindset shifts are most important for professionals who feel stuck but are afraid to pursue or don't know of the unknown?
The biggest shift: You can choose your current discomfort as permanent, or take a chance on temporary discomfort for an aligned future.

Most people stay stuck because they're more afraid of discomfort that might come with change than the discomfort they're definitely experiencing now. At least current discomfort is familiar, right?

But change doesn't require a dramatic leap. It can be steady and practical—one intentional step at a time.

The other critical shift is moving from "stuck" to "I'm choosing to stay while I build what's next." When you own that you have choices, you stop being at the mercy of your circumstances and start being the architect of your transition.

What advice do you have for accountants who are worried AI will make their jobs irrelevant?

Acknowledge the worry without letting it paralyze you. Yes, AI will change how we work—technology always has. But focus on what you can control today, not predictions about five years from now.

AI can handle tasks. Humans can handle meaning. AI can process data, but it can't understand context, read the room or build trust. Start paying attention to where clients need more than accurate numbers—they need guidance, partnership and perspective.

Lean into those parts of your work now. Not to become something you're not, but because strengthening what's human about your work better prepares you for whatever changes might come.

The accountants who thrive won't waste energy resisting technology. They'll use it to handle tasks so they can focus on what makes them uniquely impactful.

The Net Gains is your one-stop shop for fresh, FREE accounting insights. You can reach the newsletter team at thenetgains@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

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The Net Gains is curated and written by Janet Berry-Johnson and edited by Bianca Prieto.