december2022january2023 - 9

FEATURE
thought leaders, both in and out of the accounting
profession, who are in alignment with the mission,
including CPA Practice Advisor editor-in-chief,
Gail Perry, CPA.
" I was honored to be included in
the inaugural Lyceum for the
Accounting Alchemy Network, and
I'm excited to see where this goes.
The world is ripe for change right
now, and accountants are being
tasked with understanding,
measuring, and accounting for
various sustainability initiatives in
today's business environment. As
with any change, this is only going
to go forward. Hats off to the AAN
team for creating an environment
for the sharing of ideas and
creating the opportunity to team
with others who are like-minded. "
- GAIL PERRY, CPA
AAN mobilizes and engages its members
in multiple ways, focusing on a combination of
virtual events and asynchronous conversations
through various social media platforms. One of
the cornerstones to the AAN programming is
monthly educational " Lyceums, " named for the
venue where Socrates and Plato would gather with
their compatriots to philosophize and debate as a
form of education. In AAN Lyceums, participants
share insights and offer guidance on what it looks
like to create positive transformation in the world
through their practices as industry professionals.
For example, AAN's October 2022 Lyceum with
Harvee Pene, founder of the firm Life Changing
Accountants, 2x TEDx speaker, and author of
several books, inspired the AAN members to tithe
1% of their time, income, or profits to help end
world poverty. Other Lyceum discussions have
been around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),
environmental, social, corporate governance (ESG),
the " Infinite Mindset, " and other topics relevant to
accounting practitioners.
In addition, AAN has proudly partnered with a
nonprofit organization, the Pachamama Alliance,
to bring eye-opening education to its members
through the Awakener and Game Changer Intensive
(GCI) programs. This powerful education
shines light on the reality of the current state of
affairs, framing our ecological and social crises,
and offers insight into what each of us can do to
help change the course of our trajectory.
" My experience of GCI was life
changing. It connected all the dots
between environmental
sustainability and social justice as
well as the inescapable conclusion
that everyone of us has a role to
play in the solutions no matter
what our skill set. "
- JOAN RALL, RETIRED PARTNER AT EY AND
CPA, AND ONE OF THE LATEST GCI
PARTICIPANTS.
In addition to the monthly Lyceums, webinars,
and educational programs, AAN hosts social
forums for peer-to-peer connection and group
discussion, and supplements all of this by keeping
the conversation alive in their social channels.
The AAN has also begun to facilitate these
conversations beyond the AAN network. For
example, Intuit's QuickBooks Connect Conference
in December 2022 will host a panel discussion titled,
" Transform Tomorrow: Sustainability for Accountants, "
moderated by Mathew Heggem and featuring
several leaders within the AAN community.
What's most exciting about all this? AAN has
only just begun, and as the movement continues
to grow, even more accounting professionals are
stepping forward to take the stand for positive
change. AAN members are leading conversations
in the network and participating on panels as advocates
for some of the key issues being addressed
within the AAN.
This is just the beginning of what is needed to
see the kind of change that is greatly needed in the
accounting industry and in our world.
For those interested in getting involved, it's free to
become a member of AAN. The AAN is particularly
seeking individuals who wish to learn and expand
their current awareness around our world's most
pressing issues by participating in the upcoming
offerings of the Awakener and Game Changer Intensive
courses, which are offered through the AAN by
the Pachamama Alliance on a donation basis.
To join, visit accountingalchemy.net and sign up
for the newsletter. Upon signing up, you'll receive
instructions on how to join the AAN's Facebook and
LinkedIn groups. This will give you access to all of
the past events and resources, as well as information
about upcoming initiatives.
If, in your heart of hearts, you know that something
needs to change in this industry, and you want
to be a part of that change, you don't have to figure
out " the how " alone. You can join the Accounting
Alchemy Network's like-minded, open, and judgmentfree
community to become empowered with the
support and tools you need to make that happen. ■
Alina Nikishina is an inactive CPA, entrepreneur support
Ccach, mentor, and hypnotist. www.AlinaNikishina.com
" One of my favorite parts of the
Awakener and Game Changer
Intensive education provided to
our AAN community by the
Pachamama Alliance is that it
poses the questions to each of us,
'What did you do once you became
aware of these issues?' and 'What
is yours to do?' Sitting back and
continuing as things are is no
longer an option. It is time for
change. We are creating a space
where it is safe for each of us to
explore what that change looks
like in our lives and to choose the
actions that are in best alignment
with our personal values and
goals. "
- INGRID EDSTROM
DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
9
http://www.accountingalchemy.net http://www.AlinaNikishina.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
december2022january2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2022january2023
