BUSINESS FAMILIES

Because family dynamics shape business destiny

Psychotherapy specifically designed for business families of 3–7 members who own and/or run a business together.

67% of family businesses never make it to the second generation. High interpersonal conflict significantly increases owners' intention to exit.

Source: Surprising reasons owners exit family businesses (Hoffman et al., 2020)

Targeted therapy for family business owners at each stage of their journey

Family business challenges shift as your company evolves. From founding dynamics to succession planning, each stage brings unique tensions between family relationships and business needs. Our approach addresses the specific challenges of your current stage.

Founding

Building the business while managing family dynamics 24/7. You're choosing co-founder therapy to establish healthy communication habits early and protect relationships before pressure creates lasting resentment.

Expansion

Growing revenue and headcount while unspoken expectations about control surface. You're choosing co-founder therapy to address these expectations now, preventing growth from eroding trust and goodwill.

Enterprise

Bringing in professional management while shifting from operators to executive leaders. You're choosing co-founder therapy to navigate this identity shift together and present a united front to outside leaders.

Succession

Planning ownership and leadership transitions that stir deep family emotions. You're choosing co-founder therapy to handle these emotions constructively and design a transition that feels fair to both parties.

Exit

Preparing for sale or generational handoff where partnership unity protects both wealth and family harmony. You're choosing co-founder therapy to process pride and grief while ensuring you exit with relationships intact.

Common challenges we help business families overcome

Succession Stalemates

You keep delaying hard conversations about who takes over, when, and on what terms. Different branches or siblings have different expectations. Staff, advisors, and lenders sense the uncertainty, and the next generation feels stuck in limbo.

Tradition Vs. Change

Some family members want to preserve the founder’s way of doing things; others push for new markets or new structures. Strategy meetings become tense, and disagreements about “the plan” often mask deeper conflicts.

Family Roles vs. Professional Roles

Sibling rivalries, parent–child dynamics, and birth order quietly shape decisions. Job titles say “CEO,” “Director,” or “Chair,” but old family roles and resentments still drive who gets heard, who gets sidelined, and how conflict plays out.

Money, Equity, and Fairness

Discussions about shareholding, salary, or dividends feel emotionally loaded. Questions about who “deserves” what quickly become personal. Financial conversations become defensive, avoided, or explosive.

Alliances, Splits, and Sides

Over time, sub-groups form—siblings vs siblings, branches vs branches, or “inside” vs “outside” the daily business. Decisions are influenced by unspoken alliances while the business struggles to move forward.

Impact of the Wider Family

Spouses and in-laws, whether in or outside the business, weigh in on key issues. Conflicts at work spill into dinners, holidays, and email threads. It becomes hard to know where “family life” ends and “business life” begins.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

Trusted by founders, owners, and
senior leaders

View Full Testimonials

As a co-founder navigating both business and personal dynamics with my business partner, I came into relational psychotherapy unsure of what to expect. What I found was clarity, guidance, and a safe space to unpack the unspoken things that often sit between the lines. Tom helped us build a communication framework that has completely shifted the way we work together. I’m walking away from our sessions not only with practical tools, but with a renewed sense of connection with my business partner and direction for the business.

Simon Jarosz

Co-Founder & Creative Partner, Sydney

What I found particularly helpful was being able to talk through a few issues that had the potential to create real division between us if left unspoken. There were also some heavier experiences we’d both been carrying, including some trauma, that had started to colour how we approached things…Having the space to talk that through, unpack it, and make sense of it together made a huge difference.

Dr. Ceri Cashell

Co-Founder, Sydney

Relational psychotherapy was very enlightening for me as a co-founder and CEO. Throughout our two therapy sessions, Tom quickly helped both of us identify tension points and work through them with compassion..With his guidance, we were able to agree on behaviours that will move us closer to our company's goals - with greater understanding of each other. I left the experience feeling lighter, more aligned, and excited to continue my journey as a Co-Founder.

Anthony Gerresheim

Co-Founder & CEO, Melbourne

Working through co-founder therapy has been genuinely transformative for our partnership. From the very beginning, Tom created a safe, non-judgemental space where both of us felt comfortable speaking openly — even about the things we usually find hard to say out loud…Because of our sessions with Tom, we now have a much more honest and transparent relationship, and we’re better equipped to navigate the challenges of building a business together.

Millie Twort

Co-Owner & Managing Partner, Sydney

As a Co-Founder and COO, I found co-founder therapy very helpful. It helped me be more open about my feelings, improve my communication with my co-founder, and equipped me with values-based behaviours I can continue to use to grow both personally and professionally. It was a safe space to reflect, reset, and build healthier co-founder dynamics with my business partner.

Lathan Sutrave

Co-Founder & COO, Melbourne

everpath has been a really valuable experience for us as co-founders…We’re not particularly confrontational people, so it was reassuring to have someone help us unpack and understand the moments of tension that naturally arise…I came away feeling more confident in our ability to navigate the emotional side of leadership, and really grateful for the space to reflect and reconnect as a team.

Dr. Emma Harvey

Co-Founder, Byron Bay

There’s something incredibly potent about co-founder dynamics and Tom demonstrated a unique gift for guiding our relationship with insight, structure, and deep care. Were the sessions easy? No. But very much warranted. The space Tom created helped us strengthen our ways of working together, and that continues to influence how we show up each day.

Gisella Montello-Bruce

Co-Founder & Strategy Director, Sunshine Coast

What sets Tom apart is his ability to truly see you and identify the real issues that are affecting your wellbeing, regardless of how you present or describe them. He possesses a rare understanding of the unique challenges faced by co-founders and the tensions that can exist between them. He consistently unpacked these issues in a way that offered fresh insights and solutions.

Nicholas Oddy

Co-Founder & Executive Coach, Melbourne

After just two individual therapy sessions, Tom helped me unpack how deep-rooted past experiences were quietly shaping my thinking and decision making. His thoughtful guidance enabled me to build a clearer sense of self-awareness, allowing me to identify my self-limiting patterns, understand their origins, and begin to break their hold on me…I feel far better equipped to navigate change and grow my new venture - on my own terms.

Julie Dormand

Employee Culture Consultant, Sydney

As a Psychotherapist with deep experience in business, Tom possesses an extraordinary gift. His unique background enables him to address the underlying behaviours and mindsets that drive or inhibit executive performance, as I have personally experienced…During our sessions he regularly helps me explore and address the root causes of my challenges, and test new behaviours that bring me closer to my best self.

Ingrid M.

Head of People & Culture, Sydney

Our approach to family business partnerships

Uncover Emotional Roots of Conflict

We use targeted therapeutic dialogue to safely explore unspoken tensions, long-held resentments, and emotional blocks affecting your relationships.

Repair Relationships and Rebuild Trust

Through clinically proven experiential techniques, we help you heal emotional ruptures, restore empathy, and rebuild family trust.

Embed new behaviours and enhance family collaboration

We guide you to create new communication patterns, emotional boundaries, and collaborative habits—establishing a healthier partnership dynamic for your future.

Results you can expect

Set Healthy Boundaries

Ensure family relationships enhance, not disrupt, your business success.

Make Calmer Decisions

Clearly separate family emotions from sound business decision-making.

Clarify Roles & Succession

Create clear alignment on roles, money, and succession—without family friction.

Here's how we can help.

SERVICE

High-Stakes Partnership Therapy

Specialist psychotherapy for high-stakes duos and high-stakes teams. Resolve conflict at the root, rebuild trust, and transform the partnership.

Discover more