Leading Before the Role: How Family Enterprises Shape Future Leaders

The Next Chair: Governing Tomorrow, Next Generation Leadership in Family Enterprises

In this special panel episode of Legacy Builders, Cory Gagnon is joined by Barb Schimnowsky and James Grieve for a focused conversation on how family enterprises can prepare for next-generation leadership. Drawing from their work in executive search, governance, succession planning, strategy, and family enterprise advising, Barb and James examine what leadership readiness looks like beyond age, title, or family position. They discuss how governance can clarify roles and decision-making, why succession conversations are often delayed, and what families can do before the transition becomes urgent. The conversation also looks at the balance between promoting from within and bringing in external leadership, the value of objective assessments, and the role mentorship, advisory boards, and structured development can play in preparing future leaders. Cory, Barb, and James also consider the importance of supporting founders as they step into new roles and adapt to a changing place within the enterprise. ABOUT BARB SCHIMNOWSKY Barb Schimnowsky is a partner at Watson and the leader of the firm’s board director and executive search practice. With more than 25 years of experience in executive search and human resources, she brings deep expertise in leadership selection, governance, and succession planning. Barb holds both the Certified Management Consultant and Family Enterprise Advisor designations, and is known for her ability to understand client needs and align them with exceptional leadership talent. She has led hundreds of successful placements across sectors and has twice been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Abbotsford. CONTACT BARB SCHIMNOWSKY | WATSON BOARD ADVISORS Website: https://www.watsoninc.ca/ [https://www.watsoninc.ca/] | westviewsearch.ca [https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewestviewsearch%2Eca&urlhash=zUFR&isSdui=true] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barbschimnowsky [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbschimnowsky/] Email: barb@watsoninc.ca Phone: 604 859 8002 ABOUT JAMES GRIEVE James Grieve is founder and principal at Catalyst Strategies Consulting and co-creator of Succession Ready, a practical approach to succession planning for founder-led businesses. He holds the Certified Management Consultant, Family Enterprise Advisor, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor designations. James works with organizations to uncover blind spots, reduce risk, and build long-term value, with a particular focus on family enterprises and Indigenous-owned businesses. His approach blends strategy, systems thinking, and customer service to help families and businesses navigate transition with greater clarity and purpose. CONTACT JAMES GRIEVE | CATALYST STRATEGIES CONSULTING Website: catalyst-strategies.com [https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecatalyst-strategies%2Ecom%2F&urlhash=A-jF&isSdui=true] | valuedriver.ca [https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvaluedriver%2Eca%2F&urlhash=S4c1&isSdui=true] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamesnsgrieve [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesnsgrieve/] Email: james@catalyst-strategies.com [james@catalyst-strategies.com] Phone: 17782146010 Resources discussed in this episode: * Succession Ready [https://successionready.ca/] * 360-degree feedback [https://www.explorance.com/resources/what-is-360-degree-feedback/] Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd.:  * Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com [http://beaconfamilyoffice.com] * LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygagnon/] * LinkedIn Page: Beacon Family Office [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaconfamilyoffice/] * Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com [beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com] We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises. Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com [http://legacybuilderswebcast.com/] to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Designing for the Life Ahead: How Homes Can Support Every Stage of Family Life

In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Walker, founder and principal designer of Nuance Interior Design, where she creates deeply personalized, wellness-centred estates for families and family offices. With more than 20 years of experience and over 50 multimillion-dollar estates and compounds completed, Sarah brings a rare blend of sophisticated global taste, technical fluency, and systems thinking to her work. Her approach treats the home as a long-term operating system for health, relationships, recovery, focus, and multigenerational well-being. Our conversation explores what it means for a home to feel like a sanctuary while still supporting the full rhythm of everyday life.  We talk about how the spaces families live in can influence connection, rest, privacy, hosting, movement, and the way people feel when they walk through the door. Sarah reminds us that when a home is designed with care, it becomes a place that helps a family exhale, feel supported, and return to what matters most. About Sarah Walker Today, we’re joined by Sarah Walker, Founder and Principal Designer of Nuance Interior Design. Sarah creates deeply personalized, wellness-centred estates for families and family offices, homes designed not just to impress, but to restore, connect, and support real life. With more than 20 years of experience and over 50 multimillion-dollar estates and compounds completed, Sarah brings a rare blend of global design, sophisticated taste, technical fluency, and systems thinking. Her work treats the home as a long-term operating system for health, relationships, and multigenerational well- [https://www.instagram.com/nuanceinteriors/]being. Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd.  * Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com [https://beaconfamilyoffice.com] * LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygagnon/] * LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaconfamilyoffice/] * Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com [beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com] Contact Sarah Walker | Nuance Interior Design:  * Website: nuanceinteriors.com [https://nuanceinteriors.com/] * Instagram: @nuanceinteriors [https://www.instagram.com/nuanceinteriors/] * YouTube: @nuanceinteriors [https://www.youtube.com/@nuanceinteriors] * LinkedIn: Sarah Walker [http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahplattwalker] * Email: sarah@nuanceinteriors.com [sarah@nuanceinteriors.com] * Phone: (425) 459-4029 We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises. Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com [http://legacybuilderswebcast.com/] to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Where Wealth Meets Identity: Finding Voice Inside the Family Legacy

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre, Senior Consultant with Continuity Family Business Consulting, where she works at the intersection of family relationships, wealth, and identity. A clinically trained consultant and therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Certified Financial Therapist, Shay brings nearly fifteen years of experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate the emotional dimensions of money. Through her work in family enterprise consulting, she supports multigenerational families as they move through questions of succession, governance, identity, and the relational complexities that wealth can create across generations. Our conversation explores how families can better understand the personal stories and inherited expectations shaping the way wealth is experienced, discussed, and shared. We talk about the space between belonging to a family system and becoming more fully oneself, especially when identity, autonomy, culture, and legacy are all in motion. We also look at what can happen when inherited expectations meet individual growth, and how curiosity, honest reflection, and openness across generations can help families find shared direction while making room for each person to understand who they are, where they belong, and how they contribute. About Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre is a clinically trained consultant and therapist working at the intersection of family relationships, wealth, and identity. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Financial Therapist with nearly fifteen years of clinical experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate the emotional and relational dimensions of their financial identities.  She also holds a certificate in Family Business Leadership and training in Her work is grounded in a single observation: what looks like a financial problem is almost always also a relational and identity problem. She brings that lens into family enterprise consulting, financial planning partnerships, and wealth advisory spaces, helping multigenerational families navigate succession, governance, and the relational complexity that wealth creates across generations. Resources discussed in this episode: * Irving Allam - The Gift of Therapy [https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780749923730/the-gift-of-therapy--irvin-yalom--2003--9780749923730] * Bowenian Concept [https://www.verywellmind.com/bowenian-family-therapy-definition-and-techniques-5214558] * Murray Bowen [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Bowen] * Strangers in Paradise [https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Paradise-Families-Wealth-Generations/dp/0615894356] * Blair Tripp - Progenitor's Dilemma [https://www.first.bank/Business/Plan/Center-for-Family-Owned-Businesses/Family-Business-Resource-Center/November-2023/The-Progenitor-s-Dilemma-Avoiding-Entitlement-When] Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd.  * Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com [https://beaconfamilyoffice.com] * LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygagnon/] * LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaconfamilyoffice/] * Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com [beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com] Contact Shay Harris-Pierre | Continuity Family Business Consulting:  * Website: harrispierreconsulting.com [https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=www%2Eharrispierreconsulting%2Ecom&urlhash=yzSI&mt=gzyt-OP88QvItFTJDkhAXsmdQVreoYD4F7nj8E5j8st7Q1LwBU85Nxf7jxtxlL7Mjcf854HnxthT9o6jlvvwQc_w5A&isSdui=true] * LinkedIn: Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharris-pierre/] * Email: shaywanna.harris@yahoo.com  [shaywanna.harris@yahoo.com] We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises. Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com [http://legacybuilderswebcast.com/] to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reflection Over Reaction: How Families Improve Decision-Making in Family Enterprises

In this episode, we’re joined by Aileen Miziolek, consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she works with business-owning families to design strategies and processes that support both enterprise success and healthy relationships across generations. With more than 20 years of experience in complex financial and estate planning, along with designations in financial planning, family enterprise advising, and systems coaching, Aileen brings both professional depth and lived understanding to her work. Her roots in a farming family, experience as an entrepreneur, and work as co-author of Inspired Wealth: Financial Leadership for the 21st Century all shape the way she supports families through questions of wealth, ownership, legacy, and change. Our conversation explores what can happen when families slow down long enough to notice the patterns shaping their decisions. We talk about the space between what has been inherited and what can still be chosen, especially when legacy, ownership, and relationships are all in motion. We also look at why families sometimes need to pause before they can move forward and how honest reflection, careful listening, and openness to new ways of thinking can create more room for trust, learning, and better decisions across generations. About Aileen Miziolek  Aileen is a consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she helps business-owning families navigate the complexities of continuity, succession, estate planning, and intergenerational wealth transfer. With more than 20 years of experience in complex financial and estate planning, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her work as a Certified Financial Planner, Family Enterprise Advisor, Certified Coach, and Organization and Relationship Systems Coach. What makes Aileen’s perspective unique is that she understands family enterprise from both a professional and personal lens. Her family business roots began in farming, and as a young entrepreneur, she launched her first start-up at age 25 before selling her first business a few years later. Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at Assante Financial Management Ltd.  * Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com [https://beaconfamilyoffice.com] * LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygagnon/] * LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaconfamilyoffice/] * Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com [beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com] Contact Aileen Miziolek | The Family Business Consulting Group Inc. * Website: aileenmiziolek.com [http://aileenmiziolek.com] * Instagram: @aileenmiziolek [https://www.instagram.com/aileenmiziolek/] * LinkedIn: Aileen Miziolek [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aileenmiziolek/] * Email: miziolek@thefbcg.com [miziolek@thefbcg.com] We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises. Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com [http://legacybuilderswebcast.com/] to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leading Before the Role: How Family Enterprises Shape Future Leaders

In this episode, we’re joined by Wendy Sage-Hayward, Senior Consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she advises family enterprises, business leaders, and boards on continuity, governance, and generational transition. She is also Academic Director at Family Enterprise Canada, leading the Family Enterprise Advisor program, and co-author of Own It!, bringing both practical and research-based insight to how families prepare the next generation and work through the questions that continuity raises across generations. Our conversation explores how families navigate expectations that are often left unspoken, why learning together matters, and what helps create more honest and mature conversations across generations. We also look at where tension can quietly build over time and how greater trust and clarity can help families move forward well. About Wendy Sage-Hayward Wendy is a senior consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she advises business leaders, family enterprises, and boards around the world on how to navigate the complexities of continuity, governance, and generational transition. What makes Wendy’s perspective unique is that she doesn’t just advise family businesses. She lives it. She’s an owner of Sage Hayward Vineyards, her family’s winery on British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands, and previously served as a partner and director in her family’s five-generation U.S. business. Wendy is also the Academic Director at Family Enterprise Canada, where she leads the Family Enterprise Advisor program, and she teaches in the Family Shift program at Ivey Business School. She’s the co-founder of mGen Education and co-author of 'Human Resources in Family Business' and 'Own It!', bringing both practical and research-based insights to her work. She’s based in Vancouver and is passionate about helping families build strong businesses and even stronger relationships across generations. Resources discussed in this episode: * Jay Hughes [https://leadershipphilanthropy.com/jay-hughes/] * David York [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07JPZRWLQ] * University of Alberta [https://www.ualberta.ca/en/index.html] * Alexander Saunders [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderjsaunders/] * John Ward - Unconventional Wisdom [https://www.amazon.com/Unconventional-Wisdom-Counterintuitive-Insights-Business-Success/dp/0470021659] * Own It! How to Develop Family Enterprise Ownership Skills At Every Age [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-20419-8] Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd.  * Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com [https://beaconfamilyoffice.com] * LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygagnon/] * LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaconfamilyoffice/] * Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com [beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com] Contact Wendy Sage-Hayward | The Family Business Consulting Group:  * Website: mgeneducation.com [http://mgeneducation.com] | thefbcg.com [http://thefbcg.com] | familyenterprise.ca [http://familyenterprise.ca] | sagehaywardvineyards.com [http://sagehaywardvineyards.com] * LinkedIn: Wendy Sage Hayward [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-sage-hayward-ba44871/] * Email: wsagehayward@gmail.com [wsagehayward@gmail.com] * Phone: (604) 803 7420 We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises. Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com [http://legacybuilderswebcast.com/] to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.