The Audit Podcast

Ep 266: Eric Wilson Interviews Trent Russell (Part 1)
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Eric Wilson
Guest: Trent Russell

Episode Overview

This special episode of The Audit Podcast flips the script as Eric Wilson takes the host seat to interview Trent Russell, the usual host. The focus is on Trent's unique journey in audit, entrepreneurship, and technology, with insights into integrating AI and analytics into internal audit, running a consulting business, work-life balance, and organizing impactful conferences. Listeners get a rare behind-the-scenes look at Trent’s personal motivations, business strategies, and thoughts on the future of audit technology.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Switching Roles: The Reverse Interview Concept

• Eric explains the episode’s format: Instead of Trent interviewing a guest, Eric interviews Trent to shed light on Trent’s own experience and perspective, which is usually absent from the podcast.
  • “You do a great job of getting the audience to know your guest...but you don't necessarily talk a lot about yourself.” (01:01, Eric)

2. Lightning Round Q&A: Personal Insights with Trent Russell

(02:11-06:23)

• Favorite Quote for Email Signature:
  • "Greatness comes from habits." inspired by Aristotle (02:50, Trent)
• Favorite Workspace Item:
  • A signed football from Nick Saban, who Trent calls the "unarguably greatest head football coach in college football history" (03:22, Trent)
• Dream Work Location:
  • Florence, Italy (03:42, Trent)
• iOS vs. Android:
  • iOS (03:53, Trent)
• Is a hot dog a sandwich?
  • "By definition...hot dog, sandwich, meat bun, done." (04:13, Trent)
• Stranded on a Desert Island Skill:
  • “I’m tall. I can reach things. I could maybe climb a coconut tree…” (04:34, Trent)
• Theme Party for Clients:
  • Mixing genres, e.g., “Lord of the Rings meets Napoleon Dynamite.” (05:07, Trent)
• Last Use of AI/ChatGPT:
  • Used ChatGPT to operate new digital sauna controls at the gym (05:42, Trent)

3. Trent’s Career Journey: From Biology Major to Audit Tech Entrepreneur

(06:56-12:43)

• Early Career Decisions:
  • Switched from biology to business after realizing business was a better fit.
  • Joined Ernst & Young due to its reputation and job security.
• First Tech Revelation:
  • “Somebody showed me how to do a vlookup and I went, this is amazing.” (07:45, Trent)
• Origin of “Analytics Bug”:
  • Early exposure to analytic tools and an emerging interest in automation.
• Entrepreneurial Spark:
  • Inspired by Tim Ferriss’ podcast to pursue entrepreneurial dreams, focusing on flexibility and outsourcing.
• Founding Green Skies Analytics:
  • Initial partnership, tragic loss of co-founder, and eventual revival of the business with lessons learned about the importance of sales and business processes.
• Evolution of Services:
  • Shift from hands-on analytics/automation delivery to strategy consulting around AI and analytics.

4. Work-Life Balance and Personal Values

(13:57-16:39)

• Perspective after Loss:
  • Trent reflects on losing his business partner and how such life events impact work priorities.
• Parental Influence & Flexibility:
  • “There’s very, very, very few things that if my kid’s involved that I’m not going to be there.” (15:27, Trent)
• Career vs. Parenting:
  • Memorable story: a partner once said, “I’m an A+ partner and a C+ parent.” (16:04, Trent), which stuck with Trent as a warning about life balance.

5. Green Skies Analytics: Services, Evolution & Footprint

(16:39-20:42)

• Business Focus:
  • Specializes in helping audit teams get true value from analytics and AI—not just doing it because it “should” be done.
• Impact of AI/LLMs:
  • Initial anxiety about ChatGPT taking over the analytics space, followed by adapting and realizing new opportunities:
    “You can either stick your head in the sand…or you can...double down and go, yeah, I think this is real.” (18:23, Trent)
• Client Reach:
  • Nationwide US coverage with some international clients, but prioritizing work-life balance over global expansion.

6. Practical Uses of Copilot & AI in Internal Audit

(20:42-23:54)

• Real-World Example:
  • Using Microsoft Copilot (with LLMs) to bridge the skills gap in audit analytics, even when resources are tight.
• Shifting Success Rates with AI:
  • Training internal audit teams in analytics historically yielded about 10% “data champions.” With AI, now 40–50% of teams can excel, and among the most curious, up to 100%.
  • “You can have it [AI] write the Python script for you…then there's a little bit of work to do to really make it work, but by and large, that's it.” (23:14, Trent)

7. Managing Competing Priorities for Audit Teams

(23:54-25:25)

• Resource Limitations:
  • Traditional audit commitments often squeeze out time for innovation, so using AI-driven tools can help backfill expertise and free up resources.
• Optimism for Scalable Change:
  • “I really like about what we talked about...is using Copilot...to basically backfill that resource constraint.” (24:21, Eric)

8. The Future for Green Skies Analytics

(25:25-26:14)

• Next Step: Copilot Platform:
  • Building plug-and-play agentic AI tools for audit clients on Copilot, keeping an eye on the evolving corporate AI “battle.”

9. Organizing Audit Analytics and AI Conferences

(26:14-36:41)

• Why Start a Conference?
  • Frustration at existing conferences focused on theory rather than practical how-to’s:
    “I would always just go to, okay, there's...this one's about AI, that's the one I'm going to...and inevitably it was a lot of, 'this is why you should do this' but...not 'show me how to do it.'” (27:00, Trent)
• Evolution of the Conference:
  • Initial partnership with ISACA for logistics/CPE, then moving everything in-house.
• Conference Challenges:
  • Most difficult part is administrative: collecting speaker materials, managing last-minute dropouts, and learning new event platforms (Zoom to On24).
• Conference Management Techniques:
  • Multitasking during events, timestamping interesting insights to revisit later (32:08, Trent).
• Format and Frequency:
  • Two annual events:
    • Spring (1-day, 6 hours mini-conference)
    • Fall (2-day, 12 hours main event)
• New Developments:
  • Series on AI and analytics strategies (via email list), plus collaboration with partners for webinars and free CPE (33:17, Trent).
• International Experience:
  • Recently emceed the Chartered IIA (UK/Ireland) conference in London, praising their organization and venue (34:09, Trent).
• Upcoming Conference Info:
  • Next full-day event: May 20 (online, with flexible viewing options and free CPE via website) (35:50–36:41, Trent).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Practical Conferences:
  “Show me how to do the thing that you just did...pull the curtain back and show me how you did it.” (27:19, Trent)

• On Career vs. Family:
  “There’s very, very, very few things that if my kid’s involved that I’m not going to be there.” (15:27, Trent)

• On Analytics Transformation:
  “We can be the greatest technologists in the world...but we didn’t know what the hell we were doing.” (10:37, Trent)

• On Technology's Impact:
  "You can either stick your head in the sand...or you can...double down and go, yeah, I think this is real." (18:23, Trent)

• On Rapid Advances in Skills:
  "You get into your career and you see Vlookups, it's like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe this. And then...our kids, that's archaic to them." (13:26, Eric)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reverse interview premise and goals: 00:43 – 01:29
• Lightning round (personal questions): 02:11 – 06:23
• Trent’s career story: 06:56 – 12:43
• Work-life balance & parental priorities: 13:57 – 16:39
• Green Skies Analytics journey & services: 16:39 – 20:42
• Copilot & practical use of AI in audit: 20:42 – 23:54
• Scaling audit analytics with AI tools: 23:54 – 25:25
• Future projects (Copilot platforms): 25:25 – 26:14
• Why and how Trent runs conferences: 26:14 – 36:41

Summary for New Listeners

This episode offers a candid, personable exploration of Trent Russell’s journey through audit and technology, his motivations, practical approaches to integrating AI and analytics, the necessity for smarter work-life balance, and the realities of building meaningful conferences and communities for auditors. If you’re interested in audit transformation, want real-world AI examples, or are curious about running a consulting business or conference, this episode is packed with firsthand lessons and honest stories.