Jane Seymour, Shane Phelps & Ed Lyon: Fitness, Fame, Tax Planning, and the Limits of AI

This wide-ranging episode brings together three fascinating guests across two compelling conversations. First, legendary actress Jane Seymour joins host Neil Haley on the Total Celebrity segment to reflect on an extraordinary career spanning opera biopics, beloved TV classics, and a new chapter in comedy. Then, tax strategist Shane Phelps of Hemlock Financial Group sits down with podcast host Ed Lyon to pull back the curtain on what really happens inside a busy accounting firm during tax season — and why the stakes are far higher than most people realize.
Jane Seymour opens the episode with a heartfelt look at her greatest acting moments, from portraying opera legend Maria Callas to the groundbreaking run of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, which continues airing in 98 countries worldwide. She also discusses her headline-making Playboy feature, framing it not as a vanity project but as a powerful statement that women remain vital, sensual, and fully alive well beyond their 40s and 50s. Her message is clear: it is never too late to reinvent yourself, pursue your dreams, and embrace life with humor and confidence.
The conversation with Jane Seymour shifts to her latest comedic role in Pop TV's Let's Get Physical, where she plays Janet Force, a woman trying to revive her late husband's 1980s aerobics empire while competing in today's data-driven fitness world. She reflects on a comedy career that has grown steadily since Wedding Crashers, encompassing Netflix films with Adam Sandler, Jane the Virgin, Franklin and Bash, and an upcoming film alongside Robert De Niro and Cheech Marin. Her advice to host Neil Haley — a former professional wrestler returning to the gym after injury — is simple and wise: listen to your body, go slowly, and never let impatience push you backward.
In the second half, Shane Phelps and Ed Lyon deliver a refreshingly candid look at the real value of professional tax and accounting work. Shane explains that a tax return is far more than a compliance document — it is the CliffsNotes of a client's financial life, and the foundation for meaningful planning around retirement, student loan repayment, Medicare costs, and business succession. Through vivid examples, including a chiropractor whose equipment purchase was transformed from a deduction into a $3,800 tax credit, Shane illustrates how asking the right questions and truly understanding a client's story can be genuinely life-changing — sometimes even funding a lifelong dream like earning a pilot's license.
The episode closes with Shane Phelps and Ed Lyon tackling the burning question of whether artificial intelligence will eventually replace accountants and tax preparers. Shane is measured but firm: while AI may handle basic data entry or a simple W-2 return, it cannot ask the nuanced questions, understand a client's full life context, or navigate the layered complexity of multi-state tax codes, treasury regulations, and evolving legislation. Real tax planning, he argues, is fundamentally a human endeavor — one built on trust, curiosity, and the ability to help clients not just record their financial history, but imagine a better financial future.