Ascendants

Today, Kate and Parker welcome their friend Taylor Adams to Ascendants. Taylor is a fifth-generation family member and has a passion for combining investment entrepreneurship with philanthropic strategies. Discover why he decided to start his own venture fund and non-profit incubator, what the “third track” is for Next-Gens, and how Taylor’s family values impacted his journey – including, “If you want to make a million dollars, help a million people.”

Former Junior Olympic downhill ski racer. Entrepreneur. Gen-7 of a 100+-year family. These are just some of the descriptors one could use to describe Ella Chase, the guest on Ascendants this week. As she puts it, her family spent 400 years not discussing the past, and she’s here to remedy that. Discover the two sides of Ella’s childhood – a rich kid in the country surrounded by goats and chickens, bussed into the city for etiquette lessons; her journey to co-creating Wellth Works, a company that helps women navigate leadership in large family enterprises, and the benefit and joy of knowing your second, third, fourth, and fifth cousins in one beautiful, purposeful place.

Vivian Long is the executive director of the Long Family Foundation – as well as Kate and Parker’s guest on the podcast this week! Discover how her upbringing revolved around her parents’ focus on “faith, family, and culture” and helped her through isolating, difficult times; how her parents prepared her and her Gen-2 sisters for the responsibility of wealth, and how she brought her background of non-profit work to her role at her family’s foundation.

In their first interview, Kate and Parker speak with JC Richardson – co-founder of Angel Armor and steward of his family’s legacy. JC takes us on the journey of his life so far. Discover the story behind OtterBox (and how JC thought it was normal for your dad to have a business in the garage), the complexities and his initial confusion over estate planning, and the dynamics of navigating Wednesday night family dinners as an employee of the family business.

Welcome to Ascendants: a podcast featuring descendants of successful families ascending into their own identities and impact! Kate Gardner and Parker Samelson introduce themselves, share a glimpse of their family backgrounds and values, and explain why they’ve decided to embark on this podcasting journey.