XcelLabs

Builder of Navi | Real-Time Insight + Coaching System for Modern CPA Firms
 2024–Present | XcelLabs
I helped create Navi to solve the problem every CPA firm quietly knows:
 advisory is broken.
Navi turns transcripts, emails, and meeting notes into real-time coaching for your team. It listens to client conversations, flags missed opportunities, and helps advisors grow in the flow of work. Think of it as an intelligent mirror—surfacing pricing signals, emotional cues, and strategic gaps your team might miss.
Navi doesn’t replace your team. It makes them better.
 It’s the missing layer of firm intelligence that finally lets your leadership scale.

Co-Founder

Radical Pricing: How to Optimize Profits, Delight Customers, and Build a Top Value Firm (2024)

“In Radical Pricing, Jody Padar unveils the strategies that pave the way for a profound metamorphosis — from the antiquated “We sell time” ethos to the dynamic realm of a “We sell outcomes” business model. It will propel your firm into a paradigm where pricing is anchored in the value generated, liberating it from the shackles of archaic notions like the billable hour and the tyrannical timesheet. The proven strategies will confer remarkable experiences for both customers and team members alike while plunging another nail in the coffin of the profession’s outdated practices.

Ronald J. Baker, founder, VeraSage Institute

Author

Trullion

By using AI and automation, Trullion creates a single source of truth for financial leaders. As a member of the Trullion advisory board, I also serve as a truth ambassador for the company. 

For those looking for new levels of transparency to save time and augment how accountants can access vast amounts of data, I share how Trullion is revolutionizing the use of AI in accounting software. From automating ASC 842 to IFRS 16 or GASB 87, workflows generate 100% auditable journal entries and disclosures. Let us help you turn unstructured data like PDFs and contracts and translate them into real-time financial images. Digitizing manual process will help accounting firms drive additional profit!

Truth Advisor

From Success to Significance: The Radical CPA Guide

“Forget everything you have heard about the future of accounting and read this book. I wish I had this book three years ago instead of having to work all this out myself. Jody Padar is bold in telling us what needs to change, but she has done it, so we should listen. This is a must read, very seriously.”

– David Boyar, Chief Executive Officer, Sequel CFO

The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm

Oakton Community College

Love teaching Taxation and Quickbooks for Consultants

Adjunct Professor and advisor

april

Senior Tax Advisor

What’s April? It’s a new way to think about taxes in a human-centric way. Think customer first, tax technical jargon erased and an opportunity for everyday people to file their taxes simply. Check out www.getapril.com.

VP of Tax Strategy & Evangelism

Botkeeper

Advisor and Ambassador

Botkeeper automates bookkeeping and pre-accounting for CPA firms and helps them solve capacity problems, spend more time with clients, and better capitalize on the potential for advisory services. It's revolutionary and radical, which is why I continue to be a Botkeeper ambassador.

Vice President of Partner Development & Strategy

Taxjoy

Advisory Board Member

New Vision CPA Group

Chief Executive Officer

The Radical CPA

Most firms say they do advisory. But under the hood? It’s still too slow, too shallow, and too dependent on the partner.

That’s the problem Navi solves.

After 25+ years in accounting—from running my own firm to helping scale multiple tech startups—I’ve seen how hard it is to turn client conversations into real-time insight and strategic action.
Advisory often becomes a static report, a missed opportunity, or a bottleneck in someone’s inbox.

That’s why I’m leading the AI-X movement, and why I helped build Navi—an AI-powered advisory engine that gives firms live coaching, feedback, and insight based on how their team actually shows up.

It’s advisory as it should be: fast, scalable, and emotionally intelligent.
Before AI-X, I was known as the Radical CPA—a movement I sparked to pull the profession into the digital age.

I’m a feeling leader at heart—driven by passion, bold ideas, and a refusal to settle for outdated models.

I built and ran my own firm (New Vision CPA Group) for 14 years. I pioneered cloud accounting. I’ve written three books. And I’ve spent the last decade helping firms modernize their tech, pricing, and advisory work.

My goal? Help accountants go home on time, serve clients better, and fall in love with their work again.

Now, I’m at the intersection of AI and advisory—helping firms evolve from static check-ins to dynamic, data-driven client relationships. The next generation firm isn’t just a firm—it’s a tech company that happens to do accounting and tax.

Let’s build it.

Career Highlights
 ✔ Senior Tax Advisor, april (2024)
 ✔ Advisor, BlueJ (2024–present)
 ✔ Truth Advisor, Trullion (2021–present)
 ✔ VP of Tax Strategy & Evangelism, april (2022–2024)
 ✔ VP of Strategy, Botkeeper (2020–2021)
 ✔ CEO, New Vision CPA Group (2006–2020)
 ✔ Author of The Radical CPA (2015), From Success to Significance (2018), and Radical Pricing (2024)
 ✔ Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (2011–present)

Jody Padar

Who are worse your children or your clients?! LOL


Let me know in the comments if you have received this exact same message? 

#happytaxseason
#accountingandaccountants
#radicalcpa

The Radical CPA, Advisory is broken. I’m fixing it—with Navi: real-time coaching, insight, and leadership flow for modern CPA firms.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

I’m married to a die-hard Bears fan.
Season tickets.
Autographed Dick Butkus over the fireplace.

Me?
I’m… adjacent. 😅

The Bears win last night was huge — but what surprised me most was how much more I enjoyed the game because of the analytics.

The announcers kept explaining why decisions were being made in real time.  
Go for it. Punt. Clock management.
It wasn’t just happening — it made sense.  
Since it was on Prime it was like an AWS commercial and they would say ANALYTICS. 

They said like 100 Times!!!!

My husband has analytics in his head. Years of watching football.
So when he’d say, “Statistically, they should go for it here,”
I’d smile and say:

“Analytics!”

And honestly? That made the game more fun for me.
I understood it better. I was more engaged. I could follow the logic, not just the emotion.

That’s what AI-X is about.

Not replacing experience — amplifying it.
Making insight visible, sharable, and useful in the moment.

Because when more people can see the field clearly,
the game gets better — whether it’s football or your firm. 🐻📊

#GoBears   and you all know I live 45mins from Greenbay! 

#aix
#analytics
#accountingandaccountants
#radicalcpa

No alternative text description for this image

Seven times the recipe.
I made these cookies this weekend.

Flour everywhere.
Counters full.
Trays stacked wherever they fit.

Halfway through, one leg on the pizzelle maker broke.

Not stopped working.
Broke.

So I held it.
Adjusted the angle.
Kept going.

Batch after batch after batch.

And that’s when it clicked.

👉 This is the messy middle.

Not the exciting start.
Not the pretty finish.

The part where:
   •   You’ve already scaled it
   •   Something breaks
   •   You’re too far in to quit
   •   And you just… figure it out

From the outside, people see the stack and think, “Nice result.”
They don’t see the hacks, the wobble, the frustration, the improvising.

Most things worth building look like this in the middle:
Unstable. Inefficient. Held together by sheer will.

If your work feels like that right now—
Good.

You’re not failing.
You’re in it.

Broken leg and all. 🍪🔥
#buildinpublic

New York drops an apple. 🍎
Sister Bay, Wisconsin drops a cherry. 🍒

We chose the cherry.

The kind of clarity that shapes how I’m building Navi and the AI-X movement—human first, always! 

Wishing you a thoughtful, steady, hopeful New Year. ✨
Happy New Year.

#AIX #Navi #HappyNewYear

One more day until the ADP Accountant Connect Summit!

January 14 | 12-4pm ET | 4 Free CPE Credits

Dan Hood, Kelly Phillips-Erb, Amy Miller and I will be covering the One Bill Beautiful Bill and the impact on this year’s tax season.

Meet us there!! Register: https://bit.ly/3KTipPG  

#CPE #Tax #TaxProfessionals #AccountingandAccountants
Sponsored

New Year's resolution: stop guessing what the One Big Beautiful Bill means for your clients.

I'm joining the ADP Accountant Connect Summit on January 14 alongside Kelly Phillips-Erb, Dan Hood and Amy Miller to break down what's actually changing for tax season. 

Plus, economist insights, AI strategy sessions and Shaq talking about thinking big. Free CPE. Virtual.

Register here ➡️ https://bit.ly/44vo0SJ  

#RadicalCPA #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #OBBB #Tax
Sponsored

NO Tax on Tips. Overtime. Advisory season is officially here.
 And yesterday, we SHOUTED it from the rooftops on stage.

Was very cool to share the stage yesterday with Kelly Phillips Erb and Amy Miller, CPA and Daniel Hood talking everything about Tax on Tips and Overtime as we get ready for the perfect Tax Advisory Season!  

Thank you ADP for an AMAZING online event!

Learn more about Tip Credit in a Box, in the comments below!

Here's my 2025 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor.studio:

I launched a company. Filed a patent. Watched my son graduate. And somehow ended up on the same summit lineup as Shaq. 🏀

2025? It wasn't just a year. It was a complete rebuild.

June 6, I announced my role as Co-Founder at XcelLabs. https://lnkd.in/eGdeeafm

The next day? Duck U! landed at ENGAGE25. 50+ humans showed up to a pool cabana. Not for a pitch. For a moment that was weird, wild, and very real. https://lnkd.in/eszrjqm7

In March, I initiated the AI-X Movement — and ChatGPT named what it saw in me: "The Radical CPA Effect."

In December, Navi V1 went live. Real-time coaching for advisory calls. Emotionally intelligent AI. Patent-pending. Not perfect. Not polished. But ALIVE. https://lnkd.in/eTQXw_Sn

And Katie Tolin and I made Accounting Today's 2025 Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting — together. https://lnkd.in/e4DutWFC

The phrase that defined this year?

"Not just AI in accounting — but the human in AI."

Because here's what I know: AI isn't replacing us. It's asking us to be MORE human than ever before.

The personal moments mattered just as much.

My son graduated in May. My daughter marched at Pride. My 85-year-old dad discovered ChatGPT and now uses it for taxes AND cheesecake recipes. 😂

Leadership doesn't live in boardrooms. It lives in LIFE.

What I learned:
→ Trust is earned by presence, not effort.
→ Sometimes the most powerful move is NOT responding.
→ The future doesn't wait. Neither should you.

What's next? Navi is live. The AI-X Movement is just getting started. And I'm still building in public.

Want in? Take the XcelLabs AIQ Self-Assessment.

Gratitude first. 💜

To Katie Tolin, Jennifer Cryder, PICPA, and every odd duck who showed up this year — thank you.

2026? Even more radical.

#RadicalCPA #AIX #XcelLabs #buildinpublic #accountingandaccountants #LinkedInRewind #Coauthor #2025wrapped

--

The rule was N!  For the holiday grab bag.

I’m bringing GNOMES.

Why?
Because the G is silent—and Radical leadership is about intent over technicalities.

The goal wasn’t alphabet compliance.
It was fun, joy, and a little chaos.

Mission accomplished.

Silent G.
Loud impact.

Will see how many years this is talked about?

What’s your holiday (G)Nome?

 #RadicalCPA #BeTheGnome

For years I've said this profession is about relationships. But I couldn't measure empathy. Couldn't explain why some conversations landed and others didn't.

This year, leaning into AI revealed what I'd been missing — the invisible parts of leadership I'd been navigating on instinct alone.

And it made something undeniable: the standards are shifting.

Experience doesn't equal impact. Long conversations aren't always better ones. Soft skills aren't intangible...they're just untrained.

These aren't predictions. They're the new standards shaping advisory in 2026: 
https://bit.ly/44Wctw7  

#RadicalNewVision #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #Advisory #Navi #AIAccounting

I didn’t think adding color would hit me like this…

Who, me? Emotional MOTHERBEAR?!
But here we are. 🎨

Navi has colors now.
And real UX/UI.

And suddenly, he doesn’t look like an MVP anymore 
he looks like himself.

Navi started as an MVP because I needed proof that accountants deserve better tools.

Tools that don’t just track compliance
but help us understand how we show up, how we communicate, and how our presence lands in the room.

V1 feels different.

He’s not just scoring conversations.

He’s surfacing clarity, emotional tone, engagement, action, and impact —
the stuff we were never taught to measure but always felt mattered.

This evolution mirrors something bigger happening in the profession:

We’re not just technicians anymore.
We’re advisors. Leaders. Humans in high-stakes conversations.

Watching Navi evolve from MVP → V1 feels like watching the profession claim more of itself ...more color, more nuance, more humanity.

Honestly?
This is just the beginning of where his features and our expectations of what the AI in HUMAN are headed.

Proud. Energized.
 A little emotional.
Okay fine. A LOT emotional.

Can’t wait for what’s next. 🚀

#RadicalCPA #AccountingEvolution #FounderFeels #AdvisoryEra #BuildInPublic #AIX

If your team is still manually retyping K-1 data, that's your leadership opportunity right there. XcelLabs partnered with K1X, Inc. on a free course that shows you how to turn tax tech into your career accelerator.

You'll work hands-on with K1 Aggregator (firms using it eliminate 90%+ of manual entry), learn how to pilot new tools, communicate ROI in partner language and build the case for change.

One hour. Completely free. https://bit.ly/49u20uC  

#RadicalCPA #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #CPAFirm #XCelLabs

The FICA Tip Credit is entering a new era. Is your firm ready?

With H.R.1 and new IRS regulations redefining qualified tips and tipped occupations, tax professionals now have both a technical challenge and a major advisory opportunity.

The question is: Can you build clear, consistent, data-driven workflows that position your firm to guide clients, reduce risk and create recurring advisory revenue?

Join me & CPA Trendlines to get practical workflows and advisory insight you can implement immediately.

Friday, January 16 | 11 AM - 12 PM CST | IRS CE credit eligible | $49.50

Register 👉 https://bit.ly/4pnwrHh  

XcelLabs #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #CPAFirm #FICA #Advisory

How many hours did your team spend last tax season retyping K-1 data?

What could they have done with that time instead? Advisory work? Strategy? Actually talking to clients instead of chasing box 13?

Here's what most firms don't realize: time isn't just inefficient. It's gone. And you're about to spend it the same way this year unless someone does something different.

Firms using AI to automate K-1 processing are eliminating 90% of manual entry. Not streamlining it. Eliminating it. That's hours back. That's capacity you didn't have to hire for.

K1X, Inc.  and I built a course that shows you exactly how this works in practice. Real numbers. Real workflows. Real proof.

➡️ Turning Tax Tech into Leadership Opportunity

One hour. Free. For accountants done sacrificing growth for manual work.
👉 https://bit.ly/49u20uC  

#XcelLabs #AIFirst #DigitalChampion #TaxTech #K1X #AccountingLeadership

Most CAS firms think they're ready for AI and automation. But if you don't know who touched what in your client files or can't restore a backdated invoice that disappeared last Tuesday, you're not ready for anything.

Data governance isn't an IT checkbox anymore. It's the difference between confidently doubling your client load and quietly hemorrhaging trust.

Before you layer on AI tools or promise CFO-level advisory, ask yourself: Do you have full, restorable backups? Can you track every change? Would you get alerted if something critical shifted in a client's books?

If you can't answer yes to all of that, your foundation is cracked.

Why you can't scale broken books (and what to do about it): https://bit.ly/4pEtAuw  

SysCloud #RadicalNewVision #AccountingandAccountants #CAS #AIAccounting
Sponsored

How do you know if your advisory conversation actually moved the needle?

Most CPAs can't tell the difference between a productive session and an expensive chat that should've been an email.

Here's what I look for: Did the client actively participate instead of zoning out? Could they explain their situation back to me? Did we both leave with real action steps?

That third one is everything. Because advisory without action is just... talking.

Three signs your meeting worked (and why it matters): https://bit.ly/4aogiO1  

#RadicalNewVisions #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #CPAFirm #Advisory

AP/AR is the back-office work nobody wants to touch. Manual, tedious, margin-killing.

But you can't ignore it. Your clients need it handled, and if you're not doing it strategically, you're leaving money on the table.

What if instead of treating AP/AR like a chore, you packaged it as two distinct service models? Oversight Light for clients who want to press the button themselves with your guardrails. Full-Service for clients who want you handling everything end-to-end.

Both are revenue opportunities. And when you layer in credit card advisory, payment timing strategy, and cash flow coaching? You've turned operations into advisory.

How to stop losing money on AP/AR (and start making it): 

Melio #RadicalNewVision #AccountingandAccountants #CPA #CPAFirm

Sponsored

Your restaurant clients are sitting on thousands in unclaimed FICA Tip Credits. But most CPAs don't have the tools to confidently lead those conversations.

Tip Credit in a Box changes that. Quick calc to spot opportunities, AI coaching to practice your pitch, client templates, implementation roadmap — everything you need to launch advisory in this space.

Want to see how it works? DM me for a FREE demo.
Learn more at https://bit.ly/4p0h07C 
 
XcelLabs #AccountingandAccountants #TipCredit #FICA #Advisory

Your clients don't care about your tech stack.

They care that you caught the duplicate vendor payment before it cleared. That you spotted the revenue recognition issue in real-time. That when they ask, "what changed?" you have an actual answer.

That's not magic. That's having your data house in order.

Most CAS firms are drowning in tools but can't tell you who modified last month's close. You can't be a trusted advisor when you can't trust your own books.

The automation piece? That comes after you fix this: https://bit.ly/4pEtAuw 

SysCloud #RadicalNewVision #CAS #AccountingAdvisory #AccountingandAccountants

Sponsored

CEO @ Cubish

My passion for technology started at 8, when my grandmother gave me a Compaq 286, my first computer. I took it apart to understand how it worked, and I haven’t stopped since.

Augmented Reality is my greatest passion, not just a technology, but a true revolution. It’s a way to amplify the world as we know it and imagine new possibilities.

Today as CEO of Cubish S.r.l.

Cubish is a geolocated social network built on Spatial Web technology that divides the Earth's surface into over 5.1 trillion cubes, each covering 100 square meters. Each cube acts as a geolocated container where anyone can create one or more Cube Domains, digital spaces for videos, audio, images, documents, interactive content and much more. Thousands of Cube Domains can coexist in a single cube, creating a unique layering of digital experiences and allowing users to leave content anywhere on Earth.

In the future, Cube Domains will be organized by quality through a merit-based system that highlights relevance, usefulness and impact, ensuring the most valuable content is prioritized. Cubish is an open, general-purpose system, just like the web once was.

Cube Domains are anchored to real-world coordinates and can expand into other cubes across streets, squares, shops, buildings and public or private spaces, even locations far apart. Each expansion can host different content depending on the location, creating a rich, distributed, geolocated digital network.

"It is like taking a web domain or a social network and spreading it across the real world."

Today it starts with data. Tomorrow, immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Extended Reality (XR) and more will be fully integrated. The team envisions Cubish as a geolocated social platform where people, communities, businesses and content coexist within the same spatially organized, interactive digital layer.

It is the first true Spatial Web, designed to bring the web fully into the real world and create an intelligent, living digital layer seamlessly integrated into the physical space around us.

Cubish S.r.l., an innovative startup officially registered in the Business Register (VAT: IT10724711212), has 26 cofounders, including two corporate entities. Cubish is protected by PATENT PENDING No. 102025000004906, filed March 10, 2025.

Dorian Lazzari

Il 27 gennaio 2026 sarò alla Camera dei Deputati per parlare di tecnologia e persone.

Interverrò come CEO di Cubish al convegno
“Il superamento della passività nella relazione con la tecnologia”, che si terrà presso la Camera dei Deputati, nella prestigiosa Sala Matteotti, a Palazzo Theodoli-Bianchelli (Roma).

Un appuntamento istituzionale dedicato a un tema centrale del nostro tempo: superare un uso passivo della tecnologia e riportare la persona al cuore dell’innovazione.

Nel mio intervento porterò la visione di Cubish sul Web Spaziale, un modello in cui l’algoritmo è uno strumento al servizio dell’individuo, e non il contrario.

Avrò il piacere di condividere questo momento di confronto con relatori di grande valore, tra cui:

• On. Luciano Ciocchetti Vice Presidente XII Commissione Affari Sociali della Camera dei Deputati

• Andrea Bellandi Saladini, Accademia Civica Digitale

• Massimiliano Farace, Yes Us Interaction (Organizzatore Evento)

• antonio centomani, Regista e Autore

• Simone Massetti, Giornalista e PR strategist

• Marco Accordi Rickards, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Fondatore di Vigamus

• Andrea Concas, Arte, NFT e Intelligenza Artificiale

• Marco Marchese Borrelli Produttore Artistico e Media Artist

Grazie all’Onorevole Luciano Ciocchetti, agli organizzatori Massimiliano Farace e Francesco Cariati di Yes US Interaction, e a Gabriella Carlucci per la moderazione.

~

On January 27th, 2026, I will be at the Italian Chamber of Deputies to speak about technology and people.

I will take part as CEO of Cubish in the conference “Overcoming passivity in the relationship with technology”, held at the Chamber of Deputies, in the prestigious Matteotti Hall, at Palazzo Theodoli-Bianchelli (Rome).

This institutional event focuses on a key challenge of our time: moving beyond a passive use of technology and bringing people back to the heart of innovation.

In my talk, I will present Cubish’s vision of the Spatial Web, where algorithms are tools designed to serve individuals, not the other way around.

I will be honored to share this moment of dialogue with outstanding speakers, including:

• Hon. Luciano Ciocchetti, Vice President of the XII Social Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies

• Andrea Bellandi Saladini, Accademia Civica Digitale

• Massimiliano Farace, Yes Us Interaction (Event organizer)

• antonio centomani, Director and Author

• Simone Massetti, Journalist and PR strategist

• Marco Accordi Rickards, University of Rome Tor Vergata, founder of Vigamus

• Andrea Concas, Art, NFTs and Artificial Intelligence

• Marco Marchese Borrelli, Artistic and Media Producer

Thank you to the Hon. Luciano Ciocchetti, the organizers Massimiliano Farace and Francesco Cariati of Yes US Interaction, and Gabriella Carlucci for the moderation.

#Innovazione #StartupItalia #Digitale #Politica #Digitalizzazione #Tecnologia #Istituzioni #AgendaDigitale #Italia #PubblicaAmministrazione #PAInnovazione #CameraDeiDeputati

Cubish 

There’s a moment when you realize this isn’t a trend.
It’s a planetary alignment. 🌏🌎🌍

Technologies that evolved separately for years are now aligning at the same time.

And when complex systems reach a planetary alignment, the result isn’t incremental. It’s a phase shift.

XR, VR, AR
Finally mature enough to disappear.
Because the best technology is the one you don’t notice.

IoT
Not connected objects.
A distributed nervous system.

Digital twins
Not static simulations.
Living models, synchronized with the real world.

AI
Not an assistant.
A cognitive engine that interprets, anticipates, decides.

And then there’s the point where everything converges.

✨ The Spatial Web.

The flat web is over.
Scrolls, feeds, windows… useful, but limited.

The next web is spatial.
Persistent. Contextual. Navigable.

A digital layer anchored to the real world,
making it programmable.

Here, algorithms don’t compete for your attention.
They work for you!

Here, interaction is no longer driven by clicks, but by position, presence, intent.

Here, technology steps out of the spotlight
and becomes invisible infrastructure.

This isn’t an upgrade.
It’s a change in architecture.

When XR, IoT, digital twins and AI align within the Spatial Web, a new product doesn’t emerge.

A new way of being human with technology does.

The future isn’t coming.
It’s aligning.

And once the planetary alignment is complete, the effect is inevitable.

🔷The real question isn’t if it will happen.
It’s who will be ready when it does.


#SpatialWeb #XR #AR #VR #MR #DigitalTwins #IoT #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #IA  #HumanCentric #FutureOfTechnology #TechInnovation #EmergingTech #SmartCities

taplio

The Battle

Jody Padar

Dorian Lazzari

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJody Padar's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDorian Lazzari's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Jody Padar

Dorian Lazzari

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jody Padar's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDorian Lazzari's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJody Padar's LinkedIn Performance