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Legacy Builders: Strategies for Building Successful Family Enterprises

Legacy Builders: Strategies for Building Successful Family Enterprises

By: Cory Gagnon
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Cory Gagnon doesn’t just love supporting multi-generational families every day. He loves digging into topics and sharing information that matters to family enterprises! In Legacy Builders: Strategies for Building Successful Family Enterprises, Cory, Senior Wealth Advisor with Beacon Family Office at Assante Financial Management Ltd, dives deep to share ways for business owners, family stewards, and the rising generation in family enterprises to take control of their wealth and build a lasting legacy. Through interviews with industry experts, each episode provides understandable and actionable strategies and insights on complete wealth management. From navigating family dynamics to developing a successful wealth transition plan and everything in between, this is the podcast to bring your legacy into the future. Subscribe today!2026 Assante Financial Management Ltd. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Parenting & Families Personal Development Personal Success Relationships
Episodes
  • The Next Chair: Governing Tomorrow, Next Generation Leadership in Family Enterprises

    The Next Chair: Governing Tomorrow, Next Generation Leadership in Family Enterprises
    Jun 19 2026
    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/ | westviewsearch.ca LinkedIn: 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 | valuedriver.ca LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamesnsgrieve Email: james@catalyst-strategies.com Phone: 17782146010 Resources discussed in this episode: Succession Ready360-degree feedback Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd.: Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.comLinkedIn: Cory GagnonLinkedIn Page: Beacon Family OfficeEmail: 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 to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    56 mins
  • Designing for the Life Ahead: How Homes Can Support Every Stage of Family Life

    Designing for the Life Ahead: How Homes Can Support Every Stage of Family Life
    Jun 5 2026

    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-being.

    Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd.

    • Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com
    • LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon
    • LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office
    • Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com

    Contact Sarah Walker | Nuance Interior Design:

    • Website: nuanceinteriors.com
    • Instagram: @nuanceinteriors
    • YouTube: @nuanceinteriors
    • LinkedIn: Sarah Walker
    • Email: 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 to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    48 mins
  • Where Wealth Meets Identity: Finding Voice Inside the Family Legacy

    Where Wealth Meets Identity: Finding Voice Inside the Family Legacy
    May 22 2026
    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 TherapyBowenian ConceptMurray BowenStrangers in ParadiseBlair Tripp - Progenitor's Dilemma Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd. Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.comLinkedIn: Cory GagnonLinkedIn: Beacon Family OfficeEmail: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com Contact Shay Harris-Pierre | Continuity Family Business Consulting: Website: harrispierreconsulting.comLinkedIn: Dr. Shay Harris-PierreEmail: 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 to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
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