Work better together by strengthening leadership, decision-making, communication, and relationships—especially during moments of tension or change.
Stress rises when people avoid hard topics, speak in ways that feel unclear, or hold back what matters. These patterns strain both the family and the family enterprise. When communication breaks down, trust weakens and relationships feel strained.
Leadership challenges often add pressure. Rising generation members may lack key skills or feel unheard. Senior leaders may struggle to shift roles, share authority, or trust new approaches. These pressures deepen strain unless people have steady ways to talk openly and work through the challenges.
Conflict itself is not the problem. The problem is how people think, speak, and act when tensions rise — especially when roles, authority, or expectations feel unclear.
Healthy communication helps people feel heard and respected, even when they disagree. It creates space for clearer decisions and stronger relationships.
I help families improve how they communicate, relate, and lead. This often starts with developing key skills. With those skills in place, I facilitate the conversations that matter — the tense ones, the overdue ones, and the important ones.
I support leaders at every level. Rising generation members grow the competence and confidence they need to lead well. Senior leaders get support as roles shift and as they learn to trust others with more responsibility and decision-making.
Families learn how to communicate with clarity, stay grounded when tensions rise, and work through conflict with more ease. They learn how to listen, make decisions together, and lead with skill. Families gain everyday skills — how to talk through hard topics, stay steady under pressure, and relate with more respect and ease. This equips them to work through conflict as it arises and strengthens trust.
I help families in business strengthen the way they relate, lead, and decide together. I support families and their advisors in improving communication, clarifying authority, and building leadership capacity across generations. The aim is to help families manage power with responsibility, make decisions with clarity, and sustain trust through periods of change.
This work focuses on how people communicate, behave, and make decisions when pressure is high.
My services center on four core areas.
Communication & Relationships
Leadership Development
Decision-Making & Governance
Managing Differences & Conflict
Areas of Focus
Support for clear communication and stronger relationships. People learn how to listen with care, speak with clarity, and relate with more respect and ease. They build the ability to stay grounded in hard moments and maintain healthy boundaries — at home and in the business.
Support for leaders at every level. Rising generation members build the skills and presence they need to lead with confidence. Senior leaders get support as roles change and as they learn to share authority and trust new approaches. Leadership strength grows across generations so both the business and relationships stay strong.
Support for leadership transitions and succession. Prepare for shifts in leadership and succession by defining roles, clarifying responsibilities, and setting expectations that support both the business and the relationships. Learn how decisions are made, clarify who has voice and who has vote, and align ownership, leadership, and management roles across the family enterprise in ways that sustain trust during periods of change.
Address real tensions without damaging trust or connection. People learn how to think, speak, and act with clarity and respect when tensions rise, and take responsibility for how they use power, voice, and influence. Conflict is handled in ways that reduce strain, prevent lingering wounds, and keep relationships intact while real issues are addressed.
Engagements are designed to meet the needs of the family enterprise and the people within it, across ownership, leadership, and advisory roles. Work may involve individuals, leadership teams, family groups, or advisors, depending on the challenges at hand and the outcomes desired.
Most engagements include a mix of skill development, facilitated conversations, and leadership support. Skill development helps people think more clearly, communicate effectively, and act with intention when pressure is high -- strengthening both relationships and enterprise outcomes. Facilitated conversations offer structure and accountability for addressing issues that feel tense, avoided, or difficult to work through without neutral guidance.
Some engagements are short-term and focused. Others evolve over time to deepen communication, strengthen leadership capacity, clarify authority and decision-making, and improve how people work through differences across the family enterprise. All work is confidential and supports both effective decisions and resilient relationships.
This work supports families in business and the advisors who serve them during periods of transition or pressure — including succession planning, leadership changes, ownership shifts, strategic decisions, or unresolved conflict that lingers beneath the surface. It is equally valuable when relationships, leadership, and decision-making begin to feel strained, or when families want to strengthen these areas before strain takes hold.
It is especially helpful when:
Founders and senior leaders feel increasing pressure as roles shift, authority needs to be shared, or succession comes into view. Support helps clarify responsibility, strengthen leadership effectiveness, and preserve trust while change unfolds.
Rising generation members want to grow the skills, confidence, and judgment needed to lead — even before stepping into formal roles. This work helps them develop presence, credibility, and the ability to contribute well in complex family and business dynamics.
Non-operating owners want a clear and respected voice, without being pulled into daily management or conflict. The work supports healthy participation, sound decision-making, and shared understanding of roles and authority.
Leadership teams and family groups struggle to communicate clearly under pressure, manage differences productively, or make decisions without lingering tension. The work helps people talk through hard issues, reduce strain, and keep relationships intact while the work of the enterprise moves forward.
Advisors to family enterprises see recurring relational or decision-making patterns that limit progress. This work complements technical expertise by addressing the human systems that shape outcomes.
This work begins in different ways — sometimes in moments of tension or transition, other times as intentional preparation for what comes next. In every case, the focus remains the same: strengthening how people communicate, manage differences, and make decisions when the stakes are high and the outcomes affect both the enterprise and the relationships behind it.
This work complements, rather than replaces, technical expertise. Legal, financial, and governance structures matter — but they only work as well as the people using them.
Many family enterprise challenges are not just technical problems or knowledge gaps. They show up as uncertainty about roles, difficulty communicating clearly, and confusion about how decisions should be made — especially when pressure, emotion, or change is present.
The focus, therefore, is on people. Skills are developed alongside real conversations, where decisions are made and tensions surface. Clients don’t just talk about communication, leadership, or conflict — they practice them in real time. Capacity is built through practice, so people are better able to handle conflict, authority, and responsibility.
The result is stronger judgment, steadier behavior under pressure, and relationships that support the work of the enterprise
No. This work is not therapy. The focus is on how families in business communicate, lead, and make decisions when pressure is high. My background includes clinical training, which allows me to work calmly and skillfully with conflict and emotion. The work is practical and forward-looking, centered on real conversations and shared responsibility within the family enterprise.
Yes. Some families engage this work before problems escalate, often to strengthen communication, leadership, or decision-making ahead of transitions such as succession or role changes. Others want to address patterns early, while there is still trust and goodwill to build on.
This is common in families in business. Differences in goals, values, and priorities are normal, especially across generations or ownership roles. What matters is how those differences are discussed and how decisions are made. This work helps people communicate clearly, clarify authority, and make decisions in ways that respect differences while protecting both the enterprise and the relationships.
This happens. Not every family member needs to participate at the same time for the work to be useful. Engagements often begin with the people who are ready, while respecting existing roles and authority. Participation is not forced, and care is taken to respect those who are not ready to engage. The work moves forward with those who are willing, and others are welcome to join at any time. As clarity builds and progress becomes visible, additional family members often choose to engage later.
Both. When you work with family, business is personal. This work strengthens how families communicate and relate, while also supporting clearer authority, sound decisions, and effective leadership. The goal is not to choose one over the other, but to support both the enterprise and the relationships behind it.
Mediation is often designed to resolve a particular conflict. This work focuses on building the capacity to handle conflict, authority, and decision-making more effectively. While it may include facilitated conversations to address real issues, the emphasis is on strengthening how the family enterprise functions beyond a single situation.
This work is designed to complement existing advisors, not replace them. Legal, financial, and governance expertise remain essential. My role focuses on the human side of the work—how people communicate, use authority, and make decisions—so the structures advisors design can be used well and hold up under pressure. With the client’s permission, I can collaborate with other advisors to help integrate their work, not duplicate it, and support clearer decisions and follow-through.
Every situation is different. A brief conversation can help clarify what’s happening, where strain or opportunity exists, and whether my approach would be helpful.
The conversation is confidential and focuses on understanding what matters most right now. If it seems like a good fit, we can discuss what working together could look like and next steps.
I am based in Charleston, South Carolina, and work with family enterprises across North America and internationally.
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