Safe Space with Francesco Lombardo

In this episode, Francesco Lombardo interviews Craig Kielburger, a renowned social entrepreneur and co-founder of WE Charity. They discuss Craig's journey from starting Free the Children at a young age to his collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, which significantly impacted his work in social impact. The conversation delves into the concept of legacy, exploring how families can create meaningful lega...

In this episode of Safe Space, the Fidanza siblings—Paolo, Adrian, and Carmen—share their journey of navigating the complexities of family dynamics after the sale of their family business, Salerno Dairy. They discuss the identity crisis they faced, the importance of self-discovery, and how they transformed their relationships through trust and emotional intelligence. The siblings emphasize the sig...

In this episode of Safe Space, host Francesco Lombardo speaks with personal coach, therapist, and healer, Ashley Best. Ashley shares her journey from being a CPA to embracing her true self and helping others do the same. The conversation delves into the importance of listening to one's internal compass, the courage to be vulnerable, and the significance of self-love. They discuss the shift in fami...

In this episode, Franco interviews family business advisor and co-author of The Quest for Legitimacy , Russ Haworth, who shares insights from his work with family businesses and the rising generation. They discuss the importance of understanding family dynamics, the quest for legitimacy, and the emotional aspects of succession planning. Russ emphasizes the need for individuals to explore their ide...

In this episode of Safe Space, host Francesco Lombardo engages with Agathe Holowatinc, Founder of FUELLED, to explore the significance of nutritional traditions and their impact on health and behavior. They discuss practical steps for making healthier food choices, the rise of food allergies, and the importance of understanding food values. Agatha shares insights on how to empower oneself to make...

In this episode of Safe Space, host Francesco Lombardo speaks with John Michael Elder, a third-generation family business member, about the complexities of navigating family dynamics, wealth, and emotional intelligence within a family business. John Michael shares his journey of marrying into a business family, the challenges of understanding wealth, and the importance of emotional intelligence in...

ORIGINALLY AIRED OCTOBER 8, 2020 We had the pleasure of hosting Renuka Baron, an internationally renowned executive coach and expert in personal and professional transformation on the Safe Space podcast back in October 2020. To this day it remains one of our top episodes. Renuka shared how she empowers individuals and organizations to embrace authentic, soul-driven leadership. Her insights on over...

In this episode, Christian Busch, author of The Serendipity Mindeset, explains the concept of serendipity and its importance in personal and professional contexts. He shares his journey from a troubled youth to a successful author and academic, emphasizing the role of connecting ideas and people. The conversation explores how to cultivate serendipity through trust, psychological safety, and vulner...

How do you create clear communication channels when your work and family life are intertwined?  Join me for my conversation with Veritage coach, BJ Radomski where we discuss the importance of understanding oneself in order to understand another. Together, we explore the impact of clear communication on family business decision-making and how the support of an external coach can help to prevent any...

In this episode of Safe Space, host Franco Lombardo speaks with Gillian Stein, former CEO of Henry's, Canada's largest independent digital imaging retailer, about her emotional journey of selling her family business. Gillian shares her experience of identity loss, the grieving process, and the challenges of transitioning from operations to ownership. The conversation highlights the importance of s...

Veritage CEO Franco Lombardo was recently a guest on the "Smart Wealth™ with Thane Stenner" podcast where they covered a number of pertinent topics from the emotional side of family business. Franco explains that by asking his clients the questions they've been avoiding asking themselves, they can begin to better understand their relationship to money, why they behave the way they do with it and h...

In this very special episode of Safe Space, our Founder and CEO, Franco Lombardo is in the hot seat in conversation with Veritage's Chief Operating Officer, Thomas Clark. They cover a number of different topics including why Franco created Veritage, emotional security beyond financial wealth, turning investment strategies towards Human Capital, and offers some practical tools and key insights to h...

In this episode, Claudia Gomez of Trusted Family joins Francesco to discuss the challenges faced by family businesses and the importance of having difficult conversations. She highlights the tendency of families to avoid conflict and the consequences of not addressing hard topics and suggests greater vulnerability and self-awareness is needed in order to initiate these conversations and build trus...

What you say to yourself is as important as what you say to others, because communication begins with ourselves. The way we communicate with others is often based on our own thoughts, and is why this episode of Safe Space highlights the importance of questioning and challenging our thinking. Francesco Lombardo and BJ Radomski also discuss the challenges that arise when there is a lack of clear com...

With almost 20 years of working with families as the executive director of the Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center and in his private consulting practice, there's not much that Andrew Keyt hasn't come across. But it is his personal journey of overcoming challenges as a next-generation business leader that makes his perspective so unique.  In this episode Francesco and Andrew discuss m...

Like so many of my guests, Don Phin has led an extraordinary life. Growing up in the Bronx, his journey has taken him from being a former trial lawyer to starting a HR company to now coaching CEOs. Don has gone on to use the lessons he learnt in the courtroom and specifically draws on his experience of how different versions of the 'truth' can cause a breakdown in communication. As a recently trai...

BJ (Brian) Radomski, is executive coach and facilitator, who takes a holistic approach to coaching, by combining science and psychology with personal experience and real-life scenarios.  In this episode of Safe Space, BJ shares insights he gained from his extensive career and experience in a multitude of organizations, and explains why the key to successful leadership is grounded in open and trans...

In this conversation, I speak with Armen Alajian, the owner of ARTO, Southern California's artisanal brick and tile manufacturer. Armen and his brother Vod took over the business after their father Arto died in 2014, and in this moving conversation Armen shares how he navigated the emotional and practical difficulties he faced. If you are interested in learning more about how to create a healthy f...

Despite the recent progress in gender equality, many women still face obstacles in securing senior leadership positions within their family business. In this episode, Family Business owner, Eva Fischer emphasizes the importance of belief in oneself and urges women to avoid falling into the trap of emulating their male counterparts. Eva's insights and experiences offer valuable perspectives and str...

It was 1986 and Jonathan Goldhill had just witnessed the closure of his family's company, which was also the country's largest men's suit manufacturer. Not wanting other entrepreneurs and family businesses to follow the same fate, Jonathan decided to use his experience to help families navigate a smooth transition. In this intimate conversation, Jonathan shares why our early childhood experiences...

The role that advisors play in helping family businesses to fulfill their goals cannot be underestimated and is why my guest this week is Heather Falcone. A second-generation family business member and CEO of Thermal Vac Technology, Heather has more than 20 years of experience, centered in business concepts and is passionate about helping companies and individuals be outspokenly different. Togethe...

Working with family enterprises and business owners, Chris Yonker helps them navigate the intricate and unique aspects of both being related and owning a business. Combining his own personal experience and professional work with entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, and celebrities, Chris has created a process inspired by eastern philosophy to preserve continuity.  In this episode, Chris offers his...

Kent Johnson, is the CEO of the company that his great-grandparents founded in 1946. In a little two-room office above a car dealership, Highlights magazine was born and today it remains as true to its core as ever. A magazine encouraging children to discover their creativity and imagination, Kent explains why he believes that childhood is the critical foundation for developing happy and healthy c...

There's a place in New York that has been serving up some of the city's best pasta for the past 117 years. Raffetto's has been supplying New York's restaurants and home cooks with freshly spun pasta since 1906, and remains a solely family owned business. I spoke with Sarah Raffetto, part of the 4th generation of Raffettos, who as the company's Chief Operating Officer is responsible for ensuring th...

"How do I find my purpose?" This is one of the questions I am most often asked by those I work with, and is why my conversation with Leadership Expert and Executive Coach James Laughlin is so insightful.  James' extensive experience spans working with elite performers and leading organizations, including professional athletes, influential CEOs, and multinational corporations. But James is also a m...