Episodes

In this episode of the FFI Practitioner Podcast, host Jordan Rich speaks with Charles Avery Fisher about the often-overlooked personal challenges that accompany inherited wealth. Drawing on both his professional work with inheritors ages 19 to 50 and his own experience inheriting money at age 21, Fisher discusses what happens when financial freedom arrives before there is a clear sense of identity, purpose, or direction. When he inherited wealth, Fisher says there was no one to talk with about ...

In this episode of The Practitioner podcast, Martha Frick Symington Sanger, great-granddaughter of Henry Clay Frick, discusses the 10-year process of researching her family history and the discoveries that changed how she understood Frick’s legacy. At the center of the story is the death of Frick’s young daughter Martha, a loss from which Sanger believes he never recovered—and one she sees reflected in his art collecting. She also shares the resistance she encountered from family members who wa...

Split-brain research and subliminal perception The evolution of emotion research The role and limits of the amygdala Calming automatic responses and renarrating experience The connection between neuroscience and music LeDoux’s upcoming FFI conference appearance Joseph LeDoux is a pioneering neuroscientist, author, and musician whose work has advanced scientific understanding of survival circuits, emotion, memory, anxiety, and consciousness. His early research examined consciousness and beh...

Three former Family Business Review editors—Pramodita Sharma, G. Tyge Payne, and Donald Neubaum—join the FFI Practitioner podcast to discuss the evolution of the journal and the growing maturity of the family business field during their tenure. They reflect on increasing submissions, rising impact, and the ongoing effort to maintain the journal’s high standards of rigor and excellence. The conversation also tackles the emerging challenge of AI-generated submissions and what it means for preservi...

In this episode, we explore the origins and evolution of Family Business Review—the leading academic journal in the family enterprise field. Join early editors Ivan Lansberg, Kelin Gersick, and Joe Astrachan as they reflect on how the journal grew from an idea into a globally respected publication. The conversation highlights the challenges of establishing legitimacy for a new field, building an interdisciplinary community, and bridging the gap between academic research and real-world practice...

In this episode of the FFI Practitioner Podcast, we speak with Christopher Gibson, FFI’s 2086 Scholar in Residence, about the evolving world of mediation, arbitration, and legal education. Christopher discusses the growing role of AI in dispute resolution, and how lawyers can help family enterprise clients in an increasingly uncertain world. We also explore how legal education is shifting from traditional Socratic teaching toward skills-based learning, including contract drafting, simulations,...

Today’s FFI Practitioner features a podcast on “Technology, Family Offices, and Investing for the Future” with Aaron Vaccaro, president of Singularity. In his conversation with interviewer Jordan Rich, Aaron discusses exponential technologies and their importance to the success of multi-generational family enterprises. His colleague, Rob Nail, entrepreneur, coach, and former CEO of Singularity, will open the FFI conference on October 29 with a keynote presentation on “Exponential Thinking and th...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with guests Jamie Yuenger from StoryKeep and Lisabeth “Betsy” Sugahara from Fairfield-Maxwell Ltd. They discuss the power of story and how it can have positive impacts on family businesses, including improved family dynamics and wider support of business decisions. Jamie Yuenger is founder of Storykeep, which creates private films and podcasts with individuals and families to connect their current and future generations through the p...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Mary Duke, Aik-Ping Ng, and Peter Vogel, about the future of family offices worldwide. They discuss the necessity of integrating financial, human, and social capital, and the importance of long-term relationships and generational bridging in family office advising. Mary Duke, FFI Fellow, is an internationally recognized advisor to families navigating the complexities of substantial wealth. She focuses on empowering rising genera...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Dr. Kris Verburgh, who presented the keynote at the 2019 Global Conference. In today’s interview, Dr. Verburgh discusses the advancements in longevity research since his 2019 keynote, highlighting significant investments to address aging-related diseases. He also explores the ways in which a shift towards an ageless society would affect family businesses, investment strategies, and societal organization. Dr. Verburgh’s colleague ...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Sir Andrew Likierman, 2025 recipient of the 2086 Society’s FFI Scholar-in-Residence grant. In today’s podcast, Sir Andrew Likierman discusses the complexities of performance management in family enterprises. He emphasizes the importance of having a common framework for success that aligns with the family’s objectives, the significance of integrating individual performance with the enterprise’s overall strategy, and the necessity ...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Sasha Lund, Jessica McGawley, and Larisa Miller, discussing a recently published Special Report from Globe Law and Business publisher: “The Rising Role of Women in Family Offices and Family Businesses.” Sasha, the report’s consulting editor, and Jessica and Larisa, two contributors to the report, discuss the report’s findings and how they are illustrated through their own careers. Podcast listeners can receive a 20% discount on ...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with H.R.H Princess Nandi Zulu, a distinguished member of the Zulu Royal Family, who is part of the 2086 Society’s grant to the Nomadic School of Business. In this podcast, Princess Nandi discusses her rich cultural heritage that is deeply rooted in the Zulu traditions, her view of wealth and legacy, and her philanthropic work as head of the Princess Nandi Zulu Foundation. This podcast is presented by this year’s 2086 Society grant re...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to share a conversation with science writer Dava Sobel, who is delivering the opening keynote at the 2024 FFI Global Conference, entitled “What Time Tells Us: A Lecture on the Theme of Time, from John Harrison’s Sea Clocks to the Half-Lives of Marie Curie’s Radioelements.” In conversation with podcast host Jordan Rich, Sobel discusses her new book,The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science, her prior books on Galileo and John H...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to share a conversation with Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor of Management Practice at the London Business School, who is delivering the closing keynote at the 2024 FFI Global Conference, entitled “So What Do I Do Now? Better Judgments in the Family Firm.” In conversation with podcast host Jordan Rich, Likierman discusses the crucial role of developing good judgment for both family enterprises and their advisors.

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Basma Al Zamil and Bob Kohli for a conversation on family enterprises and family enterprise consulting in Saudi Arabia. In this podcast, Bob and Basma discuss the evolution of family enterprises in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region since the 1960s, the current focus on the implementation of governance, and suggestions for advisors new to the region.

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with “warrior monk” Krishna Thapa, continuing our quarterly series on the 2024 conference theme “Mean Time: Time, Timing, and Timelessness in Family Enterprise.” Krishna, born in Nepal, was one of the first members of the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) to become a member of the British Special Air Service (SAS). A mountaineer and mental health advocate, Krishna has led summit teams up Mount Everest and K2. In this podcast, Krishna discusse...

In this FFI Practitioner podcast Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, and Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, licensed family therapist and founding principal of Drayson Mews, discuss current perspectives on addiction and mental health treatment. Their conversation addresses the concerns of enterprising and ultra-high-net-worth families seeking treatment and how their advisors can best guide their clients.

In this FFI Practitioner podcast, three marathon runners explore how time, discipline, generational pulls, and much more play out when running a race. Today’s conversation also observes on how these characteristics exhibit themselves in the timing of activities, decisions, and emotional dynamics in a multi-generational family enterprise. Thanks to FFI Fellows Henry Krasnow and Carlo Salvato, and to Allison Krasnow, a next gen who started her father’s running career, for participating in this pod...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Emmanuel Mankura, Maasai tribe elder and cultural ambassador. This podcast is the first in a series of four interviews presented by this year’s 2086 Society grant recipient, the Nomadic School of Business. In this podcast, Emmanuel shares insights into the ancient wisdom of the Maasai people as it relates to some of the classic FFI topics such as succession, transition, cross-cultural understanding, transcending borders, and more...

Show notes: FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Christina Wing, founder of Wingspan Legacy Partners, a family business and family office advisory firm. In this podcast, Christina discusses governance for family philanthropy, social impact investing as a strategy for rising-generation leaders, and the importance of treating foundations as family businesses that require governance.

We conclude our January series on Time with a podcast conversation with Anthony Willoughby, founder of the Nomadic School of Business, and Doutzen Groothof, a Dutch sociologist and coach who lives in Rwanda. She is the founder of StandTall, a boutique coaching and consulting enterprise. We hope this podcast is, well, timely, and will inspire you to think a bit more about “timelessness” as it applies to family enterprise consulting and research. The Nomadic School of Business is the 2024 recipie...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Jason Jay, 2023 FFI Scholar-in-Residence, Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of the Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan, and John Davis, chairman and founder of the Cambridge Family Enterprise Group, Senior Lecturer in Family Enterprise at MIT Sloan, and a founding member of the FFI 2086 Society. In this podcast, Jason and John discuss Jason’s year of researching and discussing systemic investin...

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast discussion with Neus Feliu, the recipient of the 2023 Richard Beckhard Practice Award. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of multi-generational family enterprise practice.