The Audit Podcast – Ep 267: Eric Wilson Interviews Trent Russell (Part 2)
Published: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, the tables are turned as regular host Trent Russell becomes the guest, with Eric Wilson leading the conversation. The discussion explores the origins and growth of The Audit Podcast, the challenges and rewards of producing consistent internal audit content, and forward-thinking perspectives on technology, relationships, and the evolving role of auditors. The conversation is candid and often humorous, offering both practical advice and personal anecdotes, making this a valuable listen for auditors and anyone interested in internal audit trends.

Main Discussion Themes

1. The Origin Story of The Audit Podcast

• Trent shares his motivation for starting the podcast, rooted in the lack of accessible, engaging internal audit content.
• He saw a gap—podcasts either didn’t exist or faded quickly due to the hard work required.
• Quote:

  "What I wanted wasn't out there. And so we built it. I just wanted a Q and A session where the person being interviewed is the person who did the most talking." (Trent, 02:10)

• A pivotal moment came when a friend suggested he was already informally running a podcast—just needed to hit record and publish.

  "All you have to do, which made it sound super easy, is record the conversation and publish it. And I went, perfect. I've always wanted to do that." (Trent, 03:36)

• Trent announced the podcast on LinkedIn to hold himself accountable.

2. The Grind of Podcasting & Its Industry Realities

• Many audit podcasts do not last given the workload.
• Eric shares a story about another podcast folding due to the overwhelming effort required. (06:09)
• Trent’s achievement: over 256 episodes published, with several more since.

3. Expanding Content: “IA on AI” & Format Innovation

• New series: The “IA on AI” podcast gives quick, 10-minute weekly updates on AI news relevant to internal audit.

  "Here's all the AI news, but how does that relate to internal audit? And I didn't find anything really out there." (Trent, 05:27)

• Trent describes the value of mixing “quick hits” with long-format Q&As.

  "It's just like, hey, this is everything that happened, AI related in the past week. Here's how to think about it from the audit perspective or the risk perspective." (Trent, 05:51)

4. What Makes a Great Podcast Guest

• Trent wants guests to dive into the “how” rather than stay abstract.

  "My favorite follow up question to ask is how—H-O-W—like, how do you do that?" (Trent, 07:14)

• He appreciates honesty when a guest doesn’t know the answer, referencing Hal Garon:

  "He said some brilliant answer...I said, that's awesome. How do you, like, how can we do that? And he's like, 'I don't know, man. I'm the thought leader. You guys go figure it out now.'" (Trent, 07:43)

• The importance of bringing actionable, experience-based insights.

5. Most Memorable Takeaways and Guests

• Key insight from over 250 interviews: Relationships are critical in audit.

  “Pretty much everybody talks about the importance of relationships. Like, that's been the number one takeaway.” (Trent, 09:02)

• Cites a Retired CAE series, which crystallized this lesson—acting with intent in building relationships truly matters.

  “I think when you do it with intent, it makes a significant difference.” (Trent, 09:40)

• Dream guest fulfilled: Richard Chambers—he became a mentor and friend after his highly anticipated guest appearance.

  "He reported to Colin Powell was his boss...That's where he learned...to be this global IIA icon." (Trent, 11:42–12:11) "When they brought him in [to IIA]...they had, like, three months of cash before they were about to basically go red...and then, like, just blew it out of the water." (Trent, 12:45)

6. Expanding Media: Video & Demos

• The podcast now offers full video episodes on YouTube—especially helpful for technical demos.

  "We do these full video episodes now and put those on YouTube, which is really helpful when people need to, again, show how something's working." (Trent, 13:32)

7. Looking Ahead: The Future of Audit

• Trent predicts a profound shift:

  "In 10 years, the idea of internal audit testing controls isn't going to really be a thing. AI can do that right now. It has been able to do that for 10 months." (Trent, 14:29)

• Auditors' future value will be in AI governance: understanding the risks and operational impact of intelligent agents.

  "We're going to have all these agents swarming around the organizations. How do we gain comfort around basically the work that they're doing?" (Trent, 14:47)

• Key advice:

  "Take a little bit of time and understand how the tech works...and then the risks that are coming around. Imagine you just have a million agents in your organizations' network." (Trent, 15:13)

8. Shifting Perceptions—Internal Audit as a Value Add

• Noted change: Audit teams leading with technology are now recognized by company leadership.

  "Leadership is coming to them outside of internal audit...going like, can you show us how to do that?...Internal audit can actually add value." (Trent, 15:54)

9. Personal Motivation & Fun Anecdotes

• What fuels Trent: perpetual curiosity.

  "When I interview people, it's to learn...That's basically it." (Trent, 16:42)

• The Moss Garden Project: A quirky slice of pandemic life—Trent explains his ongoing attempt to grow a moss garden after discovering a shady patch in his backyard.

  "I got into moss growing during 2020, which literally all you have to do is turn a sprinkler on for like, 10 minutes every day, and eventually you get moss." (Trent, 17:35)

10. Where to Find Trent and The Podcast

• Podcast: Search "The Audit Podcast" (audio and full video on YouTube).
• LinkedIn Contact: Trent Russell, but beware of search confusion—a humorous warning about googling his name.

  "A friend...did that...and there was a Trent Russell who, like, had some kind of plot to murder Ruth Bader Ginsburg...my face is the one that pops up." (Trent, 18:56)

• Email: trentrussell@skanalytics.com

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On launching the podcast:

  "I just wanted a Q and A session where the person being interviewed is the person who did the most talking." (Trent, 02:10)

• On advice to podcast newbies:

  "All you have to do, which made it sound super easy, is record the conversation and publish it. And I went, perfect." (Trent, 03:36)

• Dream guest story:

  "He [Richard Chambers] reported to Colin Powell was his boss." (Trent, 11:42)

• Looking ahead for internal audit:

  "The idea of internal audit testing controls isn't going to really be a thing. AI can do that right now." (Trent, 14:29)

• On relationships as the top takeaway:

  "Pretty much everybody talks about the importance of relationships." (Trent, 09:02)

• On personal motivation:

  "Learning was my number one [strength] both times." (Trent, 16:42)

• Moss garden confession:

  "I think that's the first time publicly I've admitted that." (Trent, 18:13)

• Cautionary Google tale:

  "A friend of mine did that two weeks ago...there was a Trent Russell who, like, had some kind of plot to murder Ruth Bader Ginsburg." (Trent, 18:56)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:10 – Why Trent Started the Podcast
• 05:22 – Expansion into “IA on AI”, Podcast Production Frequency
• 07:14 – What Makes a Good Guest (the “How” Question)
• 09:00 – Most Valuable Lessons from Guests: Relationships
• 10:30 – Trent’s Dream Guest Fulfilled (Richard Chambers Story)
• 13:32 – Video Podcasting and Technical Demos
• 14:29 – The Future of Audit: AI Taking Over Testing
• 16:42 – What Keeps Trent Motivated: Learning as Core Driver
• 17:30 – The Moss Garden Anecdote
• 18:56 – Where to Find Trent (and the hilarious warning)

Overall Tone & Style

The episode maintains a conversational, direct, slightly tongue-in-cheek tone. Both Eric and Trent are candid about the challenges of audit podcasting, open about professional motivations, and unafraid to sprinkle humor throughout—especially in discussing moss gardens and Google mishaps. Trent’s straightforwardness, focus on actionability, and learner’s mindset repeatedly shine through, modeling the curiosity and adaptability he suggests are vital for the future of internal audit.