When you work with your family, business is personal.
I help family businesses—and everyone in them—communicate more clearly, preserve their relationships, set healthy boundaries, and ensure they leave a powerful legacy.
In the business world, we hear these platitudes constantly: It’s not personal, it’s just business. There’s no room for emotion in business. Don’t blend the personal with the professional. Leave your personal life at home, where it belongs.
These are cliches in any context, especially as companies become more human-centric and people-centered—but they’re especially out-of-place when talking about family businesses.
Family-owned businesses are the heartbeat of our local and national economies. They make up over 35% of Fortune 500 companies and a large majority of the privately-owned small businesses in the United States. And yet, only 40% of U.S. family-owned businesses successfully transition to the second generation. Only 13% are passed down to a third generation. 3% survive to a fourth or beyond.
There are plenty of reasons for these statistics, but by far, the biggest reason is family dynamics. When there’s conflict in a family business, it means succession plans get pushed aside. Differences arise on how to operate the business, or how it should grow. Disagreements go unsolved, which leads to an erosion of trust that’s sometimes impossible to get back.
This is where I can help. Working with a coach can help all people within a family business—leadership, other family members who work in the business, and the non-family members brought in to play a part in the organization—manage family dynamics and maintain a healthy business where everyone can thrive and plan for what’s next.
There are plenty of coaches out there—but not many understand family dynamics.
I’m a coach second, and a psychologist first. My decades of experience in the field—specifically in child and family psychology—along with my expertise in the brain science of leadership, are a big part of why I’m able to relate to and guide family business owners and their leadership teams.
Leadership development and learning to navigate team dynamics is an essential part of any business—but in a family-business, these things are mission-critical. It’s simply not possible to separate the professional from the personal when you’re working alongside parents, siblings, and other family members—so my work focuses on helping you improve communication, creating a work culture where everyone in the organization thrives, and strengthening the emotional intelligence of your leadership team.
Think of me as a guide who’s there to be your thought partner in the day-to-day aspects of your business as well as the larger conversations, like succession planning—helping you to maintain your relationships as well as the business your family has worked hard to build.
Here’s more about me and the coaching I offer:
Writing & Thought Leadership
