Episode #589 - Last Branch Standing: a conversation with Sarah Isgur

Ron and Ed welcom Sarah Isgur to discuss her book "Last Branch Standing," which explores the Supreme Court's role in American government, its counter-majoritarian function and its independence from partisan politics. Contray to popular belief, very few cases are decided along ideological lines and Sarah will emphasize the need to protect the court's independence and criticized Congress for failing to act on key issues. We will ask her about billing by the hour and red her thoughts on political strategy and the importance of aspirational goals in politics.

Sarah Isgur is lawyer, political analyst, and professional constitutional sparring partner, who has the ability to make Supreme Court procedure sound like a cross between stand-up comedy and a bar fight involving the Federalist Society. She’s a senior editor at The Dispatch and SCOTUSblog, co-host of one of Ed's favorite podcasts, Advisory Opinions with David French, and a survivor of many polical campaigns and the Department of Justice.

Her new and first book, Last Branch Standing: A potentially surprising, occasionally witty journey inside today’s Supreme Court is New York Times bestseller and currently #1 on Amazon in the Courts & Law category.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

• Today’s guest is Sarah Isgur! She is a senior editor at The Dispatch and has a great new book out https://thedispatch.com/author/sarah-isgur/ 

• “Last Branch Standing” by Sarah Isgur is a book that demystifies the Supreme Court https://www.amazon.com/Last-Branch-Standing-Potentially-Occasionally/dp/0593800923 

• The "snails of justice" is a famous legal anecdote used by retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to explain the interpretative work appellate judges do https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-04-15/breyer 

• The Stat Pack from SCOTUSblog https://www.scotusblog.com/stat-pack/ 

• The "3 3 3 Supreme Court" refers to the core thesis of Sarah’s, Last Branch Standing. She argues that the Supreme Court operates as three distinct factions of three justices rather than the traditional 6-3 conservative vs. liberal split. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Branch-Standing-Potentially-Occasionally/dp/0593800923 

Segment two

• "I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress!" from the 1969 Broadway musical 1776 (not actually said by John Adams)

• “Almost all of the cases that we fight about, that we’re mad at the Supreme Court about, we should be mad at Congress.” —Sarah Isgur on Supreme Court rulings and the abdication of responsibility by Congress

• “Wickard v. Filburn: The Supreme Court Case That Gave the Federal Government Nearly Unlimited Power” via FEE https://fee.org/articles/wickard-v-filburn-the-supreme-court-case-that-gave-the-federal-government-nearly-unlimited-power/ 

• Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919, was a United States Supreme Court case holding that the one-house legislative veto violated the constitutional separation of powers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Service_v._Chadha 

Segment three

• Fun bingo fact about The Soul of Enterprise: “I ran against Ken Paxton for Texas State Senate in 2012 as a Libertarian, and Angela Paxton in 2022.” —Ed Kless

• The Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing by Ron Baker https://www.amazon.com/Professionals-Guide-Value-Pricing-Ronald/dp/0156072246

• On the billable hour: “It’s why I decided I couldn’t work at a law firm.” —Sarah Isgur

• “If you really think about it, the billable hour is based on the labor theory of value….which is actually Marxism.” —Ed Kless

Segment four

• Number one on Amazon in the courts and law category! Last Branch Standing by Sarah Isgur https://www.amazon.com/Last-Branch-Standing-Potentially-Occasionally/dp/0593800923 

• Old Glory Insurance….for when the robots come for you (and they will) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Gh_IcK8UM 

• A big THANK YOU to Sarah Isgur for joining us on the show this week. Her book, Last Branch Standing, is available everywhere. Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Branch-Standing-Potentially-Occasionally/dp/0593800923 

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits. 

Episode #588 - Pricing Update: AI, Discounting, and the Future of Value

This week, Ron and Ed deliver a wide-ranging pricing update, exploring the latest thinking shaping both accounting firms and the broader business world. Drawing from recent articles, posts, and commentary, they examine how AI companies like GPT, Claude, and Perplexity are positioning and pricing their offerings, including the growing role of token-based pricing models and what they signal about the future of value measurement.

The conversation also dives into the dangers and unintended consequences of discounting, inspired by recent insights from pricing experts in the PPS community. Along the way, Ron and Ed connect these ideas back to accounting firms, professional services, and the practical challenges businesses face when trying to price for value in rapidly changing markets.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

• News from the Accounting Today Firm Growth Forum that Ed recently attended https://www.accountingtoday.com/firm-growth-forum-2025 

• AI driving firms, clients to revisit pricing models https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ai-driving-firms-clients-to-revisit-pricing-models 

• Time’s Up, Babycakes by Blair Enns (guest and friend of the show) https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/insights/times-up-babycakes 

• Shawn Yeager: “Clients expect AI to cut your costs. But 100% would pay more for advisory that generates more value. The question is which side of that equation you’re on.” https://upshiftco.com/blog/outcome-pricing-captures-the-upside 

• Regarding McKinsey: “Projects are now far more focused on outcomes and the performance of deliverables.” https://medium.com/predict/industry-shakeup-why-mckinsey-is-moving-to-performance-based-fees-ee24abcc6ff8 

• “The Billable Hour Is Dead. AI Just Signed the Death Certificate” by Armando Hernandez https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/billable-hour-dead-ai-just-signed-death-certificate-armando-hernandez-gzozf/ 

Segment two

• Value Protection is Not Optional by Jon Hubbard https://www.boomer.com/post/value-protection-is-not-optional 

• “Time is not a resource because you can replenish a resource.” —Ron Baker

• On the billable hour: “Ron, have you ever sat at your desk and was just thinking about something? And didn’t have your hands on the keyboard actually doing something? Don’t we want our professionals to think?!!?!?” —Ed Kless

Segment three

• Byron Johnson, a CPA in Canada, sent in a great note to the show about three-tier pricing. Ron and Ed talked about this during the start of the third segment.

• Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Real-Not-Play/dp/1591842263 

• Quote from the show today: “How you sell is indicative of how you solve” (attributed to Mahan Khalso)

• On offering three tier pricing to customers: “When you’ve got to sit down and come up with your three choices, you are effectively thinking through competing with yourself. And that’s important.” —Ed Kless

Segment four

• If this intrigues you, LISTEN to segment four of the show today: “How do you change a service into an experience? You customize a service, and then that turns it into an experience. And we think the best way to do that is with subscriptions.” —Ron Baker 

• Shameless plug: Threshold has a transformation class for those wondering about turning a service into an experience. https://thresholdnow.com/ 

• On confident pricing: “You are 2-3 times any of your competitors” “Huh, that’s odd, because usually it’s like 5-6 times.”

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits. 

Episode #587 - Ron's Rummage: Clearing Ron's Stack of Stuff

In another installment of our fan-favorite miscellany series, Ron digs into the ever-growing stack of articles, ideas, trends, and observations he’s been collecting—and finally clears the deck. From developments in technology and AI to economics, business strategy, professional skepticism, and the occasional offbeat tangent, this episode is a rapid-fire tour through the topics that caught Ron’s attention but didn’t yet have a home of their own.

Along the way, Ron and Ed connect seemingly unrelated dots, challenge conventional wisdom, and share practical insights for entrepreneurs, accountants, and knowledge workers navigating a world changing faster than ever. Expect sharp commentary, unexpected connections, and plenty of classic TSOE banter in this wide-ranging conversation.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

• The shocking case of LA’s ‘zombie’ fire – and the young man at the center of it https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/la-zombie-fire-jonathan-rinderknecht 

• One neat trick to end extreme poverty https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/04/09/one-neat-trick-to-end-extreme-poverty 

• Free Exchange from The Economist https://www.economist.com/topics/free-exchange 

• Hatred of Data Centers Is Irrational and Self-Defeating https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/04/hatred-of-data-centers-is-irrational-and-self-defeating/ 

Segment two

• A big WELCOME to Summit for joining us as a sponsor. If you are in the Quickbooks or Sage ecosystem, you probably know them. https://summithq.com/ 

• Elite Activists Are Waging a Reckless War on Rat Poison https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/05/elite-activists-are-waging-a-reckless-war-on-rat-poison/ 

• US Congress has paid $17 million in sexual misconduct and discrimination settlements https://www.axios.com/2017/12/15/congress-has-paid-17-million-in-sexual-misconduct-and-discrimination-settlements-1513307017 

• San Francisco, AI capital of the world, is an economic laggard https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/04/26/san-francisco-ai-capital-of-the-world-is-an-economic-laggard 

Segment three

• Sir Demis Hassabis, co-founder and current CEO of Google DeepMind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demis_Hassabis 

• Don’t Block Progress on Pancreatic Cancer https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/04/dont-block-progress-on-pancreatic-cancer/ 

• The ABA Is a Joke. So Why Is It Still Accrediting Law Schools? https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/04/the-aba-is-a-joke-so-why-is-it-still-accrediting-law-schools/ 

• Lessons from the happiest countries in the world https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/03/20/lessons-from-the-happiest-countries-in-the-world 

• The Anglosphere is increasingly miserable https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/03/19/the-anglosphere-is-increasingly-miserable 

Segment four

• Apple’s new boss needs to restore its magic for the AI era https://www.economist.com/business/2026/04/23/apples-new-boss-needs-to-restore-its-magic-for-the-ai-era 

• Boom XB-1 Goes Mach 1! https://boomsupersonic.com/xb-1 

• US House passes bill to clear way for overland supersonic flights https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/house-passes-bill-overland-supersonic-flights 

• Delta Paid Passengers $10,000 to Give Up Their Flight Seats. How One Economist Made It Possible https://fee.org/articles/delta-paid-passengers-10-000-to-give-up-their-flight-seats-how-one-economist-made-it-possible/ 

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits. 

Episode #586 - Convergence Is Here: What AI Means for Your Future with Greg Tirico

In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome back Greg Tirico to explore the accelerating convergence of technology, especially AI, and its profound implications for professionals. Drawing on insights from the “Convergence 2026” report, Greg unpacks how traditional firm boundaries are dissolving as tech, talent, and capital increasingly intersect.

The conversation dives into what this shift means for knowledge workers, from evolving skill expectations to the redefinition of value in professional services. As AI reshapes workflows and client expectations, firms must rethink not only how they operate, but what they offer.

If you’re trying to understand where the profession is headed and how to stay relevant in an AI-driven world—this episode provides a clear, informed perspective on the forces shaping the future.

SHOW NOTES

There are 10 total convergences identified by the FTSG methodology. We don’t have time for all of them :) 

ONE: Human augmentation

In the past this was eyeglasses and vaccines

Today:

• Mo/Go powered pants like an e-bike for hiking 

• Hypershell exoskeleton. It’s a leisure exoskeleton, not a war device

• Project Amplify shoe (Nike)

• 8 sleep AI powered bed

• Meta glasses: real time translation; a version of the world with a layer of intelligence on top

These devices are not for the mobility challenged. They are meant for the able bodied.

What if your company requires augmentation for extremely physical roles?

TWO: Unlimited Labor

In the past:

• Gutenberg printing press

• Ford assembly line

• VisiCalc 

Today:

• AlphaEvolve from DeepMind: Algorithms automatically derived from basic inputs

• Quite obviously, AI Agents

“The next internet isn’t being made for you. It’s being made for Agents. Pretty soon we won’t be the interface between decisions and execution anymore.”

So what happens when agents collide with robotics?

• Robot assisted cars

• Chinese, humanoid robo-traffic cop

• Autonomous robot in a box from Percepto

• Used outside of oil, gas, and power sites, they launch, inspect equipment, detect methane leaks, and return to recharge

• Humanoid robots in use by BMW and DHL (unloading trucks at 700 boxes per hour)

• Robo-bees from MIT to help with pollination

THREE: Automated factories or “lights-out industrialism”

This isn’t retrofitting factories with robots. These are first principle designs. Think, Adam Smith’s pin factory. 

Unlimited labor inverts the idea that labor is the engine for growth

• Scale without population

• Output without wages

• Production without people

Most datacenters employ fewer than 35 people. 

Will we see an economy with an increasing GDP AND a high level of unemployment? In other words, what do we call an economy that is thriving and has no use for you?

FOUR: Emotional outsourcing

In the past:

• Therapists

• Meditation

• Family and friends

Today:

What about the shift of comfort and companionship from people to machines?

• In 2014, Microsoft launched a chatbot called Xiaoice (wikipedia link)

• Character.ai

• In the Convergent Report presentation, Amy Webb used an AI generated video to manipulate feelings and didn’t tell the audience until the end.

FIVE: The Corporate Panopticon

In the past:

• showing a passport at a border

• swiping a credit card at a checkout

• entering a password at login

Today:

• Wi-Fi Sensing: Commodity Wi-Fi hardware can now be used as a room-scale physiological sensor. Systems like Pulse-Fi can estimate heart rates, respiration, and gait by analyzing how signals reflect off a body

• Ambient Audio Context: Microphones in smart devices do more than listen for voice commands; they analyze background "acoustic signatures" like HVAC rhythms, traffic patterns, and room echoes to infer your exact location

• Payment Metadata Analysis: Even without seeing itemized receipts, payment networks analyze transaction timing and vendor codes to infer highly personal details, such as pregnancies, chronic illnesses, or addictions

• Biometric Signatures: Identity is verified through markers you cannot "leave at home," such as the way you hold your phone, your gait, or your thermal signature

• You can reset your password. You cannot reset your biometric signature

“We traded China’s iron fist for Silicon Valley’s velvet glove—same surveillance, better branding.”

SIX: Living Intelligence

In the past:

• Most systems have operated in three distinct phases: collect data, analyze what they’ve gathered, wait for humans

Today:

• Sensors track biological signals, environmental conditions, and behavioral patterns in real time. 

• Adaptive AI models interpret what’s happening. 

• Then the system acts, adjusting insulin doses, rerouting shipments, tweaking production lines, without pausing for human approval.

MIT engineers have designed capsules containing biodegradable radio frequency antennas that can confirm when a pill has been swallowed. These biosensors address a

major health care challenge: patients failing to take medication as prescribed.

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits. 

Episode #585 - Conversations from the Chaminade Leadership Summit

In this special episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome a panel of speakers from the Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS), an event focused on developing principled leadership and purposeful organizations.

Joined by Bro. Thomas J. Cleary and fellow summit speakers, the conversation explores the intersection of leadership, values, and organizational culture. Drawing from their diverse experiences, the panel discusses how leaders can foster trust, inspire accountability, and navigate complexity in today’s rapidly changing environment.

From practical leadership frameworks to personal reflections on mission-driven work, this episode offers insights for anyone looking to lead with clarity and purpose—whether inside a firm, a team, or a broader community.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

• One of the best-known Marianist schools in the United States is Chaminade High School on Long Island. The school was founded in 1930 in Mineola, New York, at a time when the surrounding area was still largely farmland and undeveloped suburban land. The Marianist brothers opened it as an all-boys Catholic college preparatory school focused on academics, faith formation, discipline, and community.

• The original Chaminade High School class was 130 students. Today, there are 62 classrooms and 1,700 students. 

• Louis V. Gerstner Jr. is one of Chaminade High School’s most notable alumni, graduating with the Class of 1959. Gerstner is best known for becoming the CEO of IBM in 1993 during one of the company’s most difficult periods. At the time, many analysts believed IBM would need to be broken apart, but Gerstner led a major turnaround that is often considered one of the most successful corporate recoveries in business history. He shifted IBM toward integrated services and enterprise computing rather than just hardware manufacturing.

• “What drives any institution is the culture within that institution.” —Brother Thomas Cleary, S.M. ’81

Segment two

• The Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS) is a relatively new leadership and professional development conference created by Chaminade High School on Long Island. The inaugural summit launched in 2025 as part of the school’s broader vision leading up to its 100th anniversary. https://cls.chaminade-hs.org/ 

• The 2026 Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS) theme is “Connected Leadership,” emphasizing authentic relationships, collaboration, and values-driven leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.

• It’s hard to overstate the impact of the Chaminade Leadership Summit. CLS in the future MIGHT include small regional events and virtual options. You heard it here first :) 

Segment three

• We are joined by the Chief Academic Officer of Chaminade High School. A Chief Academic Officer (CAO) is the senior leader responsible for the overall academic vision, quality, and performance of a school, college, university, or education organization.

• If you have a kid or know anything about high school AP classes, this stat is amazing. At Chaminade High School last year 27 kids took AP Advanced Calculus. 26 out of 27 received a 5 on their AP test!

• School AI is an example of an AI tool in use at Chaminade High School. And it really gets to how they are integrating AI where appropriate and using it to help guide the overall education of students. https://schoolai.com/ 

Segment four

• Mr. Robert Paul '92 is the current principal of Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, named as the 12th principal in the school's history. He took over the role after Bro. Joseph Bellizzi, S.M. stepped down in June 2024 following 25 years of service.

• HSD = High Satisfaction Day. Ron and Ed touched on this during episode 173 https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/173 

• The motto at Chaminade High School is “Fortes in Unitate” (Strength in Unity) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaminade_High_School 

• A big THANK YOU to Chaminade High School and the Chaminade Leadership Summit for hosting Ed Kless and Ron Baker today. The podcast will be available in just a few hours, the show notes will be at TheSoulOfEnterprise.com on Monday, and a series of short videos will go out on YouTube next week.

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits.