In this episode of The Family Business Podcast , we explore two closely connected ideas from the Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration — or what we might now call focus. Mindfulness, when taught well, is a powerful three-part skill: notice, pause, change . It allows us to catch unhelpful thoughts or reactions before they spiral, giving us the space to shift into a wiser frame of mind. But Martin also highlights a crucial point — mindfulness isn’t just about being aware. It’s ...
Jun 27, 2025•57 min•Season 17Ep. 11
In this episode of The Family Business Podcast , we take a closer look at Right Effort — a reminder that meaningful change doesn’t happen by chance, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Drawing from the Buddhist tradition, Martin explains that the word “Right” here means skilful . Skilful effort is steady, thoughtful, and sustainable. It isn’t about perfection or pushing yourself to exhaustion — but nor is it about giving up when things get hard. Changing the way we think, respond, and behave — espe...
Jun 26, 2025•44 min•Season 17Ep. 10
In this episode of The Family Business Podcast , we explore Right Livelihood — a concept that feels strikingly modern, despite being taught by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. Today we hear terms like purpose-driven business , CSR , or ESG , but the heart of the idea is timeless: how we make our living matters. Not just in terms of profit, but in terms of integrity, impact, and alignment with our values. Martin reflects on the Buddha’s surprisingly direct teachings to rulers, employers, and work...
Jun 25, 2025•52 min•Season 17Ep. 9
In this episode of The Family Business Podcast , we turn our attention to Right Action , one of the eight elements of the Eightfold Path, and a powerful lens through which to view our choices, habits, and impact on others. But what does “Right” really mean? As Martin explains, it's not about being perfect or morally superior. It’s about being skilful . Making choices that are wise, kind, and constructive, even in the face of stress, pressure, or uncertainty. Drawing on the core lessons within th...
Jun 24, 2025•54 min•Season 17Ep. 8
Certainly. Here's a refreshed episode title and updated show notes that reflect the focus on communication while staying true to the content and tone of The Path : 🎧 New Episode Title: "The Lost Art of Listening: Mindful Communication in a Noisy World" Show Notes: In this re-released episode of The Family Business Podcast, we explore how mindfulness can radically improve the way we communicate — at home, at work, and within our families. Drawing on the teachings of the Buddha and the foundation...
Jun 23, 2025•51 min•Season 17Ep. 7
Right Intention: Skilful Thinking for a Better Life In this episode, we take a closer look at one of the eight elements of the Eightfold Path — Right Intentions, sometimes called Right Thoughts. The word “Right” here does not mean morally superior or correct in a rigid sense. It is better understood as skilful or wise. This matters because the quality of our thoughts shapes the quality of our lives. Martin and I explore how our automatic thinking often leads to poor decisions, unnecessary stress...
Jun 20, 2025•52 min•Season 17Ep. 6
In this look at the Four Noble Truths, we turn to the most practical element — the path forward. The Fourth Noble Truth teaches that if we want to reduce suffering and build a more peaceful life, we need to develop certain skills. These are not abstract ideas, but habits of mind and behaviour that can be cultivated through deliberate effort. This is what the Buddha’s Eightfold Path offers. Each part of the Eightfold Path begins with the word “Right.” Here, “Right” is best understood as skilful o...
Jun 19, 2025•53 min•Season 17Ep. 5
The Third Noble Truth: The End of Suffering In this episode, we continue our series on the Four Noble Truths by exploring the Third — the truth that suffering can end. The Buddha taught that while life involves dissatisfaction and struggle, it does not have to stay that way. When we learn to understand and reduce the “thirsts” — the cravings and aversions that drive our reactions — we begin to create space for peace of mind. This is not about denying life’s challenges, but about changing how we ...
Jun 18, 2025•42 min•Season 17Ep. 4
The Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Suffering This episode continues our exploration of the Buddha’s core teachings, looking closely at the Second Noble Truth. While the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are ancient concepts, they remain powerful tools for understanding modern life. The Second Noble Truth teaches that much of our dissatisfaction and suffering comes not just from what happens to us, but from how our minds respond. When life doesn’t go the way we hoped, or when we lose som...
Jun 17, 2025•41 min•Season 17Ep. 3
The Four Noble Truths: Understanding the First Step In this episode, Martin and I begin our exploration of one of the most enduring teachings in mindfulness and Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths. These are not abstract religious ideas, but practical insights into how we might live with greater awareness and less unnecessary suffering. We start with the First Noble Truth. This teaches that life, by its nature, includes dissatisfaction, frustration and, at times, suffering. At first glance, that mig...
Jun 16, 2025•44 min•Season 17Ep. 2
Summary In this episode of the Family Business Podcast, Russ Haworth, Martin Stepek, and Alec Broadhurst discuss the intersection of mindfulness and family business dynamics. They explore personal journeys into mindfulness, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path, emphasizing the importance of understanding emotional challenges within family businesses. The conversation highlights the value of mindfulness as a tool for improving family relationships and decision-making processes in busines...
Jun 13, 2025•52 min•Season 17Ep. 1
Summary In this episode of the Family Business Podcast, Russ Haworth speaks with Annamaria Koerling, founding partner of Delfin Private Office, about the evolving landscape of family offices. They discuss the importance of governance, the unique challenges of succession planning, and the role of philanthropy in fostering family cohesion. Annamaria emphasises the need for tailored governance structures that reflect each family's values and purpose, and the significance of deliberate practice in m...
Jan 29, 2025•39 min•Season 16Ep. 4
Given the recent changes in legislation announced in the Budget, I am re-releasing this episode to highlight the value and importance of Lifeboat Drills for your Family Business. An actual lifeboat drill is essentially a practice evacuation of a ship using the lifeboats on board. I am not advocating everyone rushing out and practising evacuations, however it is the purpose of a lifeboat drill that is important here. The reason that lifeboat drills are important for sailors is that if and when th...
Jan 27, 2025•18 min•Season 16Ep. 3
Summary In this episode of the Family Business podcast, Russ Haworth and Matt Braithwaite discuss the critical importance of succession planning for family businesses, drawing on recent research conducted by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). They explore the alarming statistics regarding the lack of succession plans and up-to-date wills among family business owners, the complexities of modern family dynamics, and the essential role of professional advisors in navigating these...
Jan 24, 2025•45 min•Season 16Ep. 2
Summary In this episode of the Family Business Podcast, Russ Haworth interviews Sandy Pollack, author of 'Don't Leave a Mess.' They discuss the importance of clarity in estate planning, the impact of money scripts on family dynamics, and the qualitative factors that influence wealth management. Sandy emphasises the need for open family conversations about money and legacy, and how these discussions can strengthen family bonds and prevent future conflicts. The conversation also addresses common m...
Jan 20, 2025•48 min•Season 16Ep. 1
Summary Cathy Carroll, author of 'Hug of War', discusses the unique challenges of leading a family business with both love and logic. She explores the concept of polarities in family businesses, where opposing forces such as candor and diplomacy, or reveal and conceal, coexist and create tension. Cathy emphasizes the importance of adopting a 'both-and' mindset to find innovative solutions that incorporate the benefits of both sides. She also addresses the issues of domain crossover, where power ...
Aug 23, 2024•39 min•Season 15Ep. 2
Summary Cathy Carroll, author of 'Hug of War', discusses the unique challenges of leading a family business with both love and logic. She explores the concept of polarities in family businesses, where opposing forces such as candor and diplomacy, or reveal and conceal, coexist and create tension. Cathy emphasizes the importance of adopting a 'both-and' mindset to find innovative solutions that incorporate the benefits of both sides. She also addresses the issues of domain crossover, where power ...
Aug 19, 2024•52 min•Season 15Ep. 1
Summary In this episode of the Family Business podcast, Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker discuss their book, The Wealth of Wisdom. They share their backgrounds and how they came to collaborate on the book. The second version of the book focuses on providing practical tools and exercises for families to enhance their communication and address important topics. One chapter highlights a family self-assessment tool that helps families evaluate their situation and identify areas for improvement. Ano...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 14Ep. 6
Summary In this episode, Dave Goetz and Melissa Parks discuss the importance of capturing and sharing family stories. They highlight the reasons why families choose to tell their stories, such as passing on values and creating a family culture. The guests emphasize the need for families to identify their purpose and why before embarking on a storytelling project. They also discuss different types of family stories, including founder stories and multi-generational stories. The guests explore the ...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 14Ep. 5
Summary In this episode, Bill Stranberg discusses the readiness of family businesses to hire non-family executives. He shares his own experience growing up in a family business and highlights the distinct challenges that families face in executive recruitment. Bill emphasizes the importance of addressing the readiness of both the family and the business before making a senior executive hire. He provides case studies to illustrate the potential risks and conflicts that can arise when these factor...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 14Ep. 4
Summary In this two part episode, the guests discuss the considerations and communication strategies involved in a family business deciding to sell their business. They emphasize the importance of open and proactive communication within the family system, as well as with external shareholders and the C-suite. The guests also highlight the significance of early planning for the post-sale phase, including identifying purpose and impact beyond the business. They stress the need to address potential...
Feb 05, 2024•37 min•Season 14Ep. 3
Summary In this two part episode, the guests discuss the considerations and communication strategies involved in a family business deciding to sell their business. They emphasize the importance of open and proactive communication within the family system, as well as with external shareholders and the C-suite. The guests also¶. They stress the need to address potential regrets and ensure a smooth transition to life after the sale. This conversation explores various aspects of transitioning from a...
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 14Ep. 2
Summary In this episode, Fiona Graham discusses the rebranding of Family Business UK and their focus on advocacy and policy. She highlights the key areas in their 2024 manifesto and the importance of long-term planning for family businesses. Fiona also shares insights from Family Business Week and previews the upcoming annual conference, which will focus on people and the challenges faced by family businesses. In this conversation, Russ and Fiona discuss the importance of family businesses and t...
Jan 26, 2024•49 min•Season 14Ep. 1
The podcast is back! In this short trailer I give you an overview of upcoming episodes. There are six new episodes in this series. 1 - Family Business UK 2 - Selling the Family Business Pt.1 3 - Selling the Family Business Pt.2 4 - Are you ready to employ Non Family Execs? 5 - The importance of Storytelling 6 - Wealth of Wisdom I'd love to hear from you as to the topics that are impacting you and that you would like me to cover in future series. As ever if I can be of assistance, please get in t...
Jan 26, 2024•3 min
Regular listeners of the show will be familiar with all of my guests on this weeks show. I am joined by Jim Grubman, Denis Jaffe and Kristin Keffeler as they discuss their new book - Wealth 3.0 - The Future of Family Wealth Advising. In this episode we cover some of the key areas of focus within the book and what it means for families of wealth and in particular those that advise them. This episode is a special collaborative episode with The Ultra High Net Worth Institute in preparation for the ...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 1
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The First Noble Truth: be aware that life brings with it many forms of dissatisfaction, frustration, irritation, and many levels of suffering. The Second Noble Truth: recognise that these different types of suffering are produced by your mind, even if the apparent cause is external. The mind reacts negatively to life experiences that we didn’t want, and does the same when we don’t get things we were hoping for. The Buddha called these wants and dislikes “thirsts”. It is thi...
Jun 19, 2023•57 min
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The First Noble Truth: be aware that life brings with it many forms of dissatisfaction, frustration, irritation, and many levels of suffering. The Second Noble Truth: recognise that these different types of suffering are produced by your mind, even if the apparent cause is external. The mind reacts negatively to life experiences that we didn’t want, and does the same when we don’t get things we were hoping for. The Buddha called these wants and dislikes “thirsts”. It is thi...
Jun 16, 2023•44 min
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The First Noble Truth: be aware that life brings with it many forms of dissatisfaction, frustration, irritation, and many levels of suffering. The Second Noble Truth: recognise that these different types of suffering are produced by your mind, even if the apparent cause is external. The mind reacts negatively to life experiences that we didn’t want, and does the same when we don’t get things we were hoping for. The Buddha called these wants and dislikes “thirsts”. It is thi...
Jun 12, 2023•52 min
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The First Noble Truth: be aware that life brings with it many forms of dissatisfaction, frustration, irritation, and many levels of suffering. The Second Noble Truth: recognise that these different types of suffering are produced by your mind, even if the apparent cause is external. The mind reacts negatively to life experiences that we didn’t want, and does the same when we don’t get things we were hoping for. The Buddha called these wants and dislikes “thirsts”. It is thi...
Jun 09, 2023•54 min
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The First Noble Truth: be aware that life brings with it many forms of dissatisfaction, frustration, irritation, and many levels of suffering. The Second Noble Truth: recognise that these different types of suffering are produced by your mind, even if the apparent cause is external. The mind reacts negatively to life experiences that we didn’t want, and does the same when we don’t get things we were hoping for. The Buddha called these wants and dislikes “thirsts”. It is thi...
Jun 05, 2023•51 min
