The Growth-Minded CFO

Here's the version for Spotify and Apple Podcasts:An S-1 is written for investors. But for CFOs at any stage, it can be one of the best playbooks available for learning what good looks like.In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, Alex Louisy and Lauren Pearl sit down with CJ Gustafson, former tech CFO and the writer behind Mostly Metrics, to unpack what finance leaders can learn from companies going public, long before an IPO is on the table.CJ shares how writing about new SaaS metrics grew into a newsletter with 75,000 subscribers and led to his first CFO role, and why he reads IPO filings as an operator, looking for the metrics and narrative that define what good looks like at scale.Because according to CJ, the earlier stage CFOs he talks to have better stories, while the later stage CFOs are better storytellers.The conversation also gets into why this is the most capital intensive IPO era on record, why so many companies are staying private longer, why selling a company is far harder than raising money, and why a CFO at scale should be able to tell the whole company's story.They also discuss how AI is becoming the loudest new line item on the P&L, how CFOs should budget for token costs by department and role, and why every finance leader benefits from having a point of view.If you are a CFO, finance leader, or founder who wants to think beyond your current stage, this episode is a great place to start.Also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qvxz3K4hR38For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://www.growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/cj-gustafsonRead CJ's newsletter, Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com/Listen to CJ's podcast, Run the Numbers: https://www.mostlymetrics.com/run-the-numbers-podcastSubscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders shaping the future of the CFO role.The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.📮 Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected] in joining us on the show? Or know someone we should interview? Apply here: https://growthmindedcfo.com/contact

For three seasons, Alex Louisy has sat on one side of the mic, asking CFOs about the decisions that shaped their careers. In this episode, he switches seats.Lauren Pearl interviews her own co-host about the company behind The Growth-Minded CFO, and why Upflow spent nearly a decade walking away from the category it set out to build.In this episode, Alex shares the origin story that started with a failed financing thesis, and led him to a much bigger problem: getting paid is still slow, manual, and completely disconnected from everything else a company does well for its customers.Because according to Alex, the moment a business sends an invoice is often the worst part of the customer relationship, even when every other touch point has been carefully designed.The conversation also gets into why "AR Automation" was never the right name for what Upflow built, how a customer's offhand comment reframed the whole category into Financial Relationship Management, and why bringing B2C-grade payment experiences into B2B was never optional.They also discuss what AI actually changes in collections, why trust matters more than automation, and what it will take for FRM to become as obvious a category as CRM or expense management.If you are a CFO, finance leader, or founder trying to understand why getting paid deserves the same rigor as getting the sale, this episode is a great place to start.Subscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders.📮 Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected] in joining us on the show? Or know someone we should interview? Apply here: https://growthmindedcfo.com/contact

Most CFOs can see the final sales numbers. Far fewer have a clear view of what is happening inside the pipeline before those numbers land.As CFO of Sigma Computing, Christina Liu works closely with sales to create greater visibility, accountability and confidence around commercial decisions. By bringing CRM data, customer conversations, product usage and other signals together, her team has moved away from repetitive quarter-end deal calls toward a real-time view of the pipeline.In this episode, Christina joins Alex and Lauren to explain how curiosity helped her move from accounting into her first CFO role - and brought her closer to customers, contracts and the sales process.She shares why transparency creates a common language between finance and sales, why finance should focus less on saying no and more on helping the business find a responsible yes, and how real-time data allows teams to act before a deal becomes a quarter-end emergency.We also explore how AI can help finance teams understand fragmented and unstructured sales data. Christina explains where AI is useful for answering what happened, while understanding why it happened (and deciding what to do next) still requires human judgment.Plus, she discusses balancing speed with structure in a high-growth company, hiring for curiosity and ownership, developing people alongside the business and the role mentors played in her own career.Chapters:03:05 Taking a risk on yourself04:00 Letting curiosity lead your career05:18 How contract reviews brought Christina closer to sales06:48 Creating a common language between finance and sales07:46 Replacing quarter-end deal calls with real-time data09:00 Bringing fragmented sales data into one place10:00 Using AI to understand customer sentiment and deal progression11:10 Why finance should not default to “no”12:50 What AI can - and cannot - answer14:08 Why “now what?” remains a human decision16:50 Balancing speed and structure during rapid growth19:32 How AI is empowering finance leaders to build their own tools22:12 Hiring for curiosity and ownership23:02 Growing people alongside the company24:54 The role model who made leadership feel possible26:10 Why you should reach out to people you admire27:08 Building a network as an introvertSubscribe to The Growth-Minded CFO for more candid conversations with the finance leaders shaping the next generation of high-growth companies.The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl - Fractional CFO, three-time founder and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU - and Alex Louisy - FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate - speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/christina-liu📬 Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected] in joining us on the show? Or know someone we should interview? Apply here: https://growthmindedcfo.com/contact

Martino Cadoni has had a front-row seat to some extraordinary moments throughout his career so far.At GE Capital, he was selected to help transform a business with more than $100 billion in assets, working across M&A, strategic sales and IPOs. At Klarna, he was involved in fundraising, IPO readiness and major transactions. Today, he is CFO of DeepL.So, what has that journey taught him about building companies that actually last?In this episode, Martino joins Alex and Lauren to unpack why starting a company is becoming easier, while sustaining success is getting harder. He shares what GE taught him about leadership, what Klarna taught him about disruption and scaling, and how those lessons influence the way he thinks about growth at DeepL.We explore how companies make the shift from hypergrowth to discipline without losing their builder DNA, the questions that reveal whether a business is truly ready to IPO, and how CFOs should think differently about public markets, private equity and strategic buyers.Martino also explains why predictability is essential in any major transaction, why CFOs need to help craft the company story from day one, and why the CFO of the future needs to think more like a CEO.Plus, we discuss lifelong learning, Martino's experiences at Oxford, London Business School and MIT, and his simple approach to networking: give before you take.Chapters:04:47 Why staying successful is harder than starting08:46 The people great companies hire12:26 Bringing discipline into a scale-up15:08 Working backwards from success at Klarna18:04 Inside GE Capital's $100B+ transformation21:46 IPO, acquisition or staying private?25:33 Is your company really ready to IPO?27:01 Simplifying Klarna's equity story30:32 The importance of financial predictability32:28 Why CFOs need to become storytellers38:18 Investing in lifelong learning40:02 Why we underuse our networks44:44 Learning AI to become a better business partnerSubscribe to The Growth-Minded CFO for more candid conversations with the finance leaders shaping the next generation of high-growth companies.The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/martino-cadoni 📬 Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected] in joining us on the show? Or know someone who we should interview? Apply here: https://growthmindedcfo.com/contact

What does it take to be a truly great CFO today?It’s not just about balancing the books—it’s about driving strategy, managing risks, and telling the financial story in a way that inspires confidence.In this re-released episode, first published in March 2025, Carla Cooper, CFO of Contentful, shares her journey from Wall Street equity analyst to CFO, discussing her role in scaling Contentful, navigating IPOs and acquisitions, and offering valuable tips on transitioning into a CFO position.She emphasizes the importance of networking, continual learning, and telling a compelling financial story.Carla also provides practical advice for finance professionals contemplating job changes and reflects on the evolving responsibilities of a CFO.Connect with Carla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-newmeyer-cooper-843a591/Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlouisy/Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenepearl/The Growth-Minded CFO podcast aims to challenge the status-quo and explore how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders who’ll share what great CFOs are doing to support high-performing organizations.Find all our episodes, in both video and audio format with written summaries, on our news website: https://growthmindedcfo.com/

AI is no longer just an experiment. For many companies, it is quickly becoming an expectation.But rolling it out across a business is a very different challenge from giving a few people access to a few tools.So what does AI adoption actually look like when it is done at scale?In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, Alex Louisy and Lauren Pearl sit down with Ryan Roccon, CFO at Zapier, to unpack how one of the world’s leading automation companies is approaching AI across the organisation.Ryan shares why Zapier has taken a broad-access approach to AI tools, how they balance speed with control, and why CFOs need to avoid getting stuck in a purely cost-focused mindset.Because according to Ryan, the risk of getting left behind is far greater than the risk of a few expensive experiments.The conversation also gets into how Zapier measures AI usage, why telemetry matters, how to build guardrails without killing momentum, and why finance can be one of the best places to prove what AI can really do inside a company.They also discuss Ryan’s own journey from controller to CFO, the importance of curiosity in finance leadership, and why the modern CFO has to play a much more active role in shaping company culture.If you are a CFO, finance leader, founder, or operator thinking about how to move from AI experimentation to real adoption, this episode is a great place to start.Check out this episode on YouTube.Connect with Ryan Roccon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanroccon/Learn more about Zapier: https://zapier.com/Subscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders shaping the future of the CFO role.The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl, Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU, and Alex Louisy, FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate, speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organisations.For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/ryan-rocconGot a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected]

In this episode, hosts Lauren and Alex sit down with Chris Ortega, the CEO and founder of Fresh FP&A.Chris shares his inspiring career journey, from his early passion for finance to roles at Ernst & Young and leadership positions in fast growing software and pharmaceutical companies.He discusses the foundation and philosophy behind Fresh FP&A, highlighting its focus on being Financial Partners and Advisors - and why all internal finance teams should position themselves the same way!The conversation delves into the necessity of thinking like a business person for success in finance leadership, and why a collaborative approach that builds strong business partnerships with other departments is key.Chris also emphasizes the role of emotional intelligence, authenticity, and learning from failure as key components of effective leadership.This episode is rich with personal anecdotes and professional insights, illustrating how CFOs can inspire and empower their organizations beyond traditional financial metrics.We hope you enjoy the episode!00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction00:22 Chris Ortega's Background and Career Journey02:12 The Role of CFOs and CEOs06:56 Transitioning to CEO and Fresh FP&A14:43 Building Collaborative Finance Teams18:41 The Consultative Approach in Finance19:38 The Power of Empathy in Finance20:55 The Concept of First Team22:11 Balancing IQ and EQ25:39 Embracing Failure as a CFO30:24 Inspiring Leadership and Authenticity33:45 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsConnect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freshcfo/Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlouisy/Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenepearl/Want to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at [email protected] to recommend a guest? Apply via our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast

Most CFOs don’t think about personal brand until they need something: a new role, a board seat, a stronger network, or a way to stand out.But by then, it might already be too late.In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, we speak with Wassia Kamon, CFO of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs and host of The Diary of a CFO podcast, about why finance leaders can no longer afford to stay invisible.Wassia shares how she went from having “nothing much” show up when she Googled herself to building a LinkedIn presence with more than 20,000 followers, launching her own podcast, becoming a speaker, teaching in Wharton Online’s FP&A Certificate Program, and landing her first CFO role.We discuss why personal brand is not about becoming an influencer. It is about making your thinking visible, building trust before you need it, and creating opportunities your resume alone cannot unlock.Chapters:01:50 Why Wassia started The Diary of a CFO03:39 The moment personal brand clicked04:47 How LinkedIn led to Wassia’s first VP role05:21 Speaking, Wharton Online, and unexpected opportunities06:51 Why personal brand helps inside your company too09:13 Building systems to make LinkedIn sustainable09:35 Writing LinkedIn posts at swimming lessons10:22 Creating an idea bank and scheduling content12:17 Why being memorable matters more than another resume14:21 What writing, speaking, and podcasting give Wassia17:33 How the podcast makes content easier18:10 Finding finance lessons in everyday life20:12 How visibility can influence your finance team21:00 How CFOs can post without breaking confidentiality23:34 Practical advice for aspiring CFOs24:20 Wassia’s three-part Venn diagram for personal brand27:10 Using AI to understand what future employers want37:12 Why CFOs need to learn from each otherFor CFOs and finance leaders thinking about their next stage of growth, this episode is a reminder that personal brand isn’t about posting for the sake of posting. It’s about making sure the market can see the leader you already are.Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dGFQHSJuoOoCheck out Wassia's Diary of a CFO podcast here: https://thediaryofacfo.com/Subscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders shaping the future of the CFO role.The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.This podcast is powered by Upflow — a Financial Relationship Management platform enabling faster payments, stronger customer relationships, and efficient growth for your business.Join thousands of next-level finance leaders and go from chasing invoices to engaging customers. Find out more at upflow.io.Want to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at [email protected] to recommend a guest? Apply via our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast

If your role as CFO stops at the numbers, you’re already behind.Ilana Esterrich, CFO at Planned Parenthood, breaks down what it actually means to lead in today’s environment—from building resilient teams to operating in constant uncertainty.With a background in the military, Ilana brings a unique perspective on leadership, discipline, and adaptability—showing how finance leaders can step into a far more strategic role inside their organisations.In this episode, we cover:What a “growth-minded” CFO really looks like in practiceHow to lead finance teams through uncertainty and changeLessons from the military that translate to modern leadershipMoving from tactical execution to strategic impactWhy curiosity and continuous learning matter more than everAbout our guest:Ilana Esterrich is the CFO at Planned Parenthood, where she leads financial strategy in a complex, high-stakes environment. With a background in the military, she brings a unique perspective on leadership, resilience, and team development.The Growth-Minded CFO is the podcast for finance leaders who want to go beyond the numbers and play a bigger role in driving growth.Hosted by Alex Louisy (CEO at Upflow) and Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO and Founder), the show explores how modern CFOs are building, leading, and scaling high-performing organisations.This podcast is powered by Upflow - helping businesses get paid faster, strengthen customer relationships, and grow more efficiently. Learn more at upflow.ioWant to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at [email protected] to recommend a guest? Apply via our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast

In this special re-release of The Growth-Minded CFO, Alex and Lauren revisit the very first episode of the podcast - featuring Rita Kale, now CFO at Valo Health.At the time, we didn’t know what this show would become. Since then, we’ve spoken to some of the best finance operators in the world. But looking back, this conversation set the tone for everything that followed.Rita brings a rare combination of global corporate experience - from companies like Roche Pharmaceuticals - and hands-on leadership in high-growth biotech startups. That mix makes this episode just as relevant today as it was when we first recorded it.In this conversation, we explore what it really means to operate as a modern CFO:Why the best CFOs act as owners, not observersHow moving from large corporates to startups forces a shift in mindset, speed, and accountabilityWhat it takes to navigate global complexity, from ERP implementations to scaling finance operations across marketsWhy investing early in systems and processes pays off long-termAnd how adaptability separates good finance leaders from great onesWe also get into something a bit unexpected, but now very familiar for this show.Rita shares how running became a tool for reflection and decision-making. Creating mental space. Finding your own rhythm instead of copying others. It’s a reminder that performance isn’t just about output - it’s about sustainability, both professionally and personally.Looking back, this episode captures what The Growth-Minded CFO is all about: going deep into the technical side of finance, while also exploring the mindset behind great leadership.It’s a gem - and the perfect place to start if you’re new to the show.Chapters:03:25 Rita Global Career Path05:56 From Global To Local CFO08:28 No Copy Paste Solutions09:57 First 60 Days Playbook12:06 Stakeholders And Priorities13:46 ERP Planning Mindset18:54 Beyond Back Office CFO21:00 Financial Peace Foundation22:18 From Reporting to Impact22:46 Escaping Spreadsheet Chaos23:28 Right Tools Not ERP24:00 Why She Joined a Startup27:35 Founder Lessons in Finance29:06 Biggest Shift Leaving Corporate31:26 Work Life Balance as a CFO32:01 Running as a Reset Button34:42 Thinking Time Beats Hustle38:25 Culture Time Off and ClaritySubscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders shaping the future of the CFO role. The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.This podcast is powered by Upflow - a Financial Relationship Management platform enabling faster payments, stronger customer relationships, and efficient growth for your business.Join thousands of next-level finance leaders and go from chasing invoices to engaging customers. Find out more at upflow.io.Want to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at [email protected] to recommend a guest? Apply via our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast