Balance is a dream for many professionals, and CPAs are no different. But with school, work, extracurricular activities, and family obligations, it can be hard to achieve that coveted sweet spot, where you feel accomplished in all areas.

For these four CPAs, balance isn’t just an aspiration, it’s a way of life. They’ve carved out time for both work and some unexpected passions. They’re proof that, when you choose the CPA designation, you’re not just choosing one path. Instead, you are adding another layer to your life that is filled with excitement, fulfillment, and purpose.

Affirming identity and celebrating culture

For Tam Nguyen CPA, CMA, her double life began with the birth of her daughter, Zoephi. As a proud Vietnamese-Canadian, Tam wanted Zoephi to have an appreciation for her heritage, and she committed to raising her bilingual. “I started to look for learning resources, and I reached out worldwide through online bilingual parenting groups,” says Tam. 

What she found was that many other parents faced similar challenges in sourcing Vietnamese language learning resources. Tam’s inner CPA intuition started to buzz, and in late 2021, she launched VietCan Books—an online store that provides books and resources for bilingual-aspiring families.

Her drive is entrepreneurial, but also community inspired. “It’s hard to be proud of your culture and language when you can’t see it or speak it. You don’t see why you should be proud,” says Tam.

She has seen how the resources have enriched families across Canada and the U.S., and she is proud VietCan Books is part of enriching a global Vietnamese community. 

Tam’s designation has come in handy as she learned the ropes of being a new business owner. “The Excel skills are definitely helping. [So is knowing about] cost control and strategically deciding what books to purchase,” she says. “Also procurement, negotiating with distributors, bookkeeping, and filing taxes.”

Running her new business, working as a CPA, and raising two-and-a-half-year-old Zoephi sounds like a lot to juggle, but Tam considers it to be the opposite. “Launching VietCan helped me appreciate that motherhood truly makes me a stronger ‘passion-preneur’ and a stronger team member working as a CPA,” she says.

Creating zen for all

Johanna Bond CPA, CA tries to be in motion as much as possible. From running to downhill skiing to barre, being active is extremely important to her. But when she heard about hot yoga 10 years ago, Johanna decided to try a workout that required her to be a little more still than usual.

“As soon as I took my first class, I fell in love. It’s not a competition, but you’re always in a sense of discovery,” she says.

Johanna soon developed an insatiable need to learn all she could about yoga, so she decided to sign up for a yoga instructor course. “I wanted to keep learning because there are so many levels and depths to yoga practice,” she says.

Johanna remembers teaching her first class was almost as nerve-wracking as writing the Common Final Examination. However, she quickly realized that many of her professional skills came in handy. “It’s a great way to practice public speaking but also to improve your communication skills, which is what we do in business every day,” she says. 

Johanna believes it’s never too early to develop your many layers as a CPA or as a student. It’s important to carve out even just 10 minutes to do something that re-energizes you and helps you re-focus. “Once you have your CPA career, you can build on those minutes to create the life you want,” she says.

Challenging stereotypes in style

“Models and women who do pageants are not intelligent.”

“You’re too unattractive for anything other than being a bookworm and a student.”

Nadine Niba CPA has heard these two narratives her whole life. But contrary to what her detractors believed, Nadine leads a layered life rich with beauty and intelligence.

“I got into pageantry because my self-esteem had taken a hit from years of being bullied and mocked,” says Nadine. “I was told I was too tall and no man would ever want me, and that made me feel ugly and depressed as a young girl.”

Nadine decided to focus on her schooling and eventually went to university, where she discovered a natural talent for accounting. She went on to become the best accounting student in her home country of Cameroon—twice!

In the midst of her high-performing academic career, Nadine was scouted by a modelling agent. To her shock, she was told the physical attributes she was bullied for were perfect for modelling and pageants. Nadine went on to win pageants and discovered a passion in modelling and fashion.

Nadine is now the Manager of Risk Assurance, Compliance, and Analytics at PwC and believes there are many connections between the layers of being a CPA and a model and pageant winner. “Being a woman in the workplace requires a lot of confidence, which I gained in my pageant days. You’re taught how to carry yourself and how to communicate effectively,” she says. “As a CPA, you have to communicate with stakeholders and advise businesses on how to implement controls, and if you don’t have confidence, that message will not be delivered.

“I have not been able to separate Nadine the beauty queen and Nadine the Chartered Professional Accountant,” she says. “I feel both personalities fit into each other to make me the person I am.”

Competing for a purpose

Scott Southwood CPA always has the best answer to the question, “What do you do?” In addition to being a CPA, Scott is also an athlete in the only sport in which skills are first learned for humanitarian purposes and competition second. For more than 10 years, Scott has competed in Lifesaving Sport, which requires athletes to apply lifesaving principles in pools and open waters while racing against the clock and competitors.

Lifesaving Sport takes immense dedication and training—something Scott maintained throughout university and during the CPA Professional Education Program. At the peak of his training, it was common for Scott to spend 30–40 hours a week training and prepping for competition on top of studying and keeping up with other commitments. Throughout his journey, Scott represented Canada in competitions on six of the seven continents.

Now, Scott still competes at a high level and continues to advocate for Lifesaving Sport athletes as the Alberta and Northwest Territories Athlete Representative. He’s also a manager at Kenway Mack Slusarchuk Stewart LLP, where he uses skills learned in the water. “Being an athlete requires a lot of determination and drive, and I think that shows in the quality of my work. I continue to be focused on setting goals and exceeding expectations, which translated from being in the pool and trying to achieve really high results,” says Scott.

As long as he can remember, Scott always wanted to be a CPA. Little did elementary-aged Scott know that he would end up having more than one enjoyable pursuit: one that would take him all around the world and another that he could always come home to—his first love, accounting.