Grit Happens: What It Really Takes to Stay in the Game

ARC hosts get real about failure, resilience, and the true meaning of grit.

If you’ve ever questioned your career, this one’s for you.

In the latest episode of Accounting ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, strip away the polish and dive headfirst into the messy middle—where grit meets growth. They share stories of failure, frustration, and sheer determination that shaped not just their careers, but their character.

Patrick, CEO of VERIFYiQ and co-founder of TB Academy, kicks off with a whirlwind origin story—college graduation, new job, newborn baby, all within eight weeks. “It felt like being shot out of a cannon,” he says. That chaotic start set the tone for a career full of unexpected tests of resilience.

Mason, CEO of High Rock Accounting, redefines “grit” before dropping jaws with her own saga: finishing college in three years while pulling 30-credit semesters, interning full-time, and still graduating summa cum laude. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” she laughs, “but I proved something to myself.”

For Shimamoto, founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC and founder and inspiration architect for the Center for Accounting Transformation, the turning point came when he didn’t land an internship at his dream firm. That moment of rejection led to questioning his worth—and ultimately finding his true fit elsewhere. “Sometimes the best gifts are unanswered prayers,” he reflects.

The trio tackle tough topics like imposter syndrome, burnout, tech disasters, and the heartbreak of near-misses. Patrick recalls a server failure that left him nearly in tears. “I left a steady job for this?!” he remembers thinking. But the lesson? “Grit means going deep even when doubt is screaming louder than reason.”

The conversation also digs into industry-wide issues, from toxic productivity to outdated definitions of success. Mason recounts her quarter-life crisis at 25, when she realized the career vision handed to her didn’t align with the life she wanted. “There’s a gap between what we’re told success looks like and what actually fulfills us,” she says.

Shimamoto rounds out the episode by sharing how he uses the five stages of grief to work through failure. “That’s how I make meaning out of the mess,” he says. And Mason reminds us, “Crying isn’t weakness—it’s part of processing.”

This episode is more than personal stories—it’s a mirror for anyone navigating the profession’s pressures. It challenges accountants to rethink grit not as grinding through burnout, but as the strength to reflect, recalibrate, and keep showing up for yourself.

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