This article originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of the South Carolina CPA Report
From scuba diving under the sea to skiing at the top of a mountain, CPAs can be found anywhere when they aren’t working. These passions—or “Ands”—remind us that a CPA’s identity doesn’t stop at the office door. Ands fuel joy, creativity, and resilience. They help CPAs return to their work energized, grounded, and more connected to the people they serve. In many cases, these interests spark unexpected relationships—with clients, colleagues, and communities—proving that what we love outside of work strengthens how we show up inside it.
Moving the Chains, Making the Gains
John Price is a managing member of Scott and Company, LLC, with more than 33 years of experience in individual and corporate income taxation. This veteran CPA oversees the strategic direction and day‑to‑day management of the firm—but outside the office, he oversees the football field. On Friday nights in the fall, John trades his suit for stripes as a high school football official.
“I’ve been doing this now for 24 years, and I am thrilled to do it,” Price said. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of new friends, made some great relationships through football, and just love working with the kids.”
His “And” has even become a conversation starter with clients. One client enjoyed his officiating stories so much that they once surprised him at a game with a sign that read, “My CPA is on the chain gang.”
Beyond football, Price also serves as a deacon at his church and volunteers on the production team—roles that reflect his commitment to community, connection, and giving back. These Ands, he says, are essential to a healthy career.
“It’s important for work-life balance,” Price said. “That is one thing that our firm stresses. We’ve always said it can’t be all about work. You’ve got to find things to do outside of work to get a release, just to have fun and enjoy yourself.”
Fresh Powder, Fresh Perspective
Brad Ledford, Managing Director at Forvis Mazars, said work‑life balance is all about integration. Fortunately, Ledford said, the firm provides the flexibility to do both, including sabbaticals that he has used to spend more time enjoying his Ands.
“It’s great having a profession that can support those ‘Ands,’” Ledford said.
Every year, he plans adventures that include scuba diving, snow skiing, travel, and basketball—activities that keep him energized and ready to bring his best back to the office. He’s intentional about balancing his schedule, placing family activities, sports, and trips directly on his work calendar so they’re built into his routine.
These shared passions have also helped him connect with clients.
“It’s pretty fun when you can do that because we build relationships with our clients,” Ledford said. “We build those connections with our clients and become friends with them at times.”
His advice to future CPAs: be passionate about both.
“Really enjoy—be passionate about—what you do and enjoy the work,” Ledford said. “But also know that one fuels the other. If you do great work and that fuels the ‘And’ in your life, then that’s awesome. If you take that opportunity to really enjoy those activities, it fuels the work as well.”
Where Passions Take Root
For Erica Pickering, a controller in the digital advertising and marketplace space, her And began with a love of birding.
As a way to attract more birds to her small downtown yard, she and her husband began planting native species—and the hobby quickly grew. Their yard now holds hundreds of native plants and attracts more than fifty bird species throughout the year.
“I love it because it gives me something to throw myself into, Pickering said. “As a CPA, I love to research, I love to look up things, I love to learn new things. And there are always more plants to learn about, more ways to attract things to your yard. So it’s really become quite a passion of ours.”
That passion has been a source of connection in her industry career.
“It’s something to talk about,” Pickering said. “I go to different events and through birding and through the Native Plant Society, I find people who share that passion—getting tips and tricks and hints. And that inevitably spills over to things you just talked to your coworkers about during the day when there’s some downtime. I don’t work a whole lot with clients—I’m in industry—but it’s helped me make connections within different companies I’ve worked with that have helped me get involved in different ways in the company.”
When asked what advice she has for future CPAs about balancing personal interests with a demanding profession, Pickering recommended scheduling passions.
“It’s easy to get wrapped up in life, especially as you get older and you get married and you have kids and you have family obligations,” Pickering said. “It’s just really easy to get lost in that. So it’s really about taking that time to think about what is important in my life, ‘Who am I as a person?’ ‘Who was I before all of this?’ And just making a point to schedule that time out to find it and to make sure it’s a part of your schedule.”
