Family Office Success

Host Christi Van Rite interviews Rick Waggoner, founder of the Family Office Forum of Texas, a confidential peer-to-peer community that has grown from three families to 125 families in nine groups plus a virtual group, designed to reduce isolation and share practical solutions (including an anonymous “queries” program).

They discuss why distribution policies sit at the intersection of wealth management, governance, and family dynamics, and why relying solely on trust language or HEMS standards can lead to “dependents, not beneficiaries,” urging flexibility, context, guardrails, and a baseline-plus-exceptions approach that avoids exceptions becoming the rule and reduces power imbalances. Rick shares that members estimated family financial literacy is in the single digits, arguing basic financial understanding is essential for trust and engagement. He contrasts technical expertise with true advisory skill, shares contact details for the Forum, and previews an upcoming topic on next-generation alignment and trust.

Connect with Rick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-waggoner-ba08a11/

Email address: [email protected]

Phone: 972.571.1299

Christi welcomes listeners to the Family Office Success Podcast and interviews professional coach Michèle Soregaroli about how practitioners can show value and avoid disconnects between the value they believe they deliver and what clients actually perceive. Michèle explains that mismatches come from limited communication about what each party wants and the “filter” clients use to judge value beyond technical expertise.

She recommends asking better questions about what a successful relationship would look and feel like, what clients have liked or found frustrating before, and why the service matters, emphasizing that clients are buying an experience as much as an outcome. Using restaurant and “steak” analogies, they discuss differentiation, aligning offers to client values, and the business costs of taking mismatched clients, as well as the integrity and referral benefits of identifying fit early.

Connect with Michèle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msoregaroli/

Website: https://www.transformationcatalyst.ca

Email address: [email protected]

Christi Van Rite interviews Amanda Koplin about how trustees can better interact with beneficiaries, drawing on Koplin’s background as a licensed professional counselor, certified hostage negotiator, and fiduciary consultant. They discuss the “arranged marriage” dynamic between trustees and beneficiaries, reframing conflict from “what’s wrong with this person?” to “what happened to this person?” and using practical language to de-escalate and build trust through consistent “small moments.” Koplin explains how trauma, mental health, and money histories shape behavior on both sides, and emphasizes empowerment, voice, choice, and financial literacy.

She shares tools like pausing escalation, clarifying foundational assumptions with a “same page chart,” and setting structured touchpoints to reduce burnout. Koplin’s book, "The Trauma-Informed Trustee," is expected mid-to-late July, and she offers consulting and training via koplinconsulting.com.

Connect with Amanda:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-koplin-lpc-3a67a13a/

Website: https://koplinconsulting.com

Email address: [email protected]

In this episode of the Family Office Success podcast, host Christi Van Rite talks with Sonya Weisshappel about helping families inventory what they own—across multiple homes and storage, so tangible assets become visible, valued, and properly managed alongside financial assets. They discuss how incomplete balance sheets, missing documentation, and reactive decision-making create insurance, tax, estate, and family-conflict risks, especially during crises or at end of life. Sonya outlines her process for organizing, room-by-room inventorying, photographing, measuring, and coordinating appraisals, then delivering results to trusted advisors for insurance and planning updates, with ongoing maintenance. They also emphasize capturing the stories behind meaningful items - often via simple phone videos -so the next generation understands context, preserves legacy, and avoids disputes over objects large and small.

Connect with Sonya:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyaweisshappel/

Website: https://www.seriatim.net

Email address: [email protected]

In this episode, host Christi Van Rite sits down with Dr. Tracy Gapin, founder of Peak Launch, to explore why health is the most overlooked asset in high-performance leadership. Dr. Gapin, a board-certified urologist turned precision performance medicine specialist, shares how traditional medicine falls short for leaders experiencing subtle decline. The conversation covers advanced testing, hormonal balance, cortisol management, gut health, and early disease prevention. A compelling reminder that your energy, focus, and decision-making capacity directly impact your family office's success - and that proactive health management is non-negotiable for sustainable leadership.

In this episode of the Family Office Success podcast, host Christi Van Rite speaks with entrepreneur and podcaster Chris Reynolds, who has interviewed hundreds of founders, including over 40 billion-dollar entrepreneurs. They explore the mindset shifts required at each stage of business growth, the importance of focusing on one core business, and hiring top-tier talent. Chris shares stories of persistence and success, including those of Abercrombie & Kent's founder. The conversation draws parallels between scaling businesses and managing family offices, emphasizing intentional growth, strong communities, and evolving networks as essential tools for long-term success.

Listen in for a truly insightful conversation with someone whose network is unparallelled.

Chris’ Websites: www.thebusinessmethod.com and www.M3.club

Chris’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisreynoldslive/

In this episode of the Family Office Success podcast, host Christi Van Rite and Michelle, Lead Family Relationship Manager at White River Consultants, pull back the curtain on bill pay within family office services. They explore when to add bill pay, common pitfalls like duplicate invoices and uncashed checks, and the value of strong vendor relationships. The conversation highlights the critical role of structured processes, proactive follow-up, and clear communication. They also share practical insights on using Bill.com, including onboarding challenges and platform limitations, offering actionable guidance for family offices looking to deliver seamless, trustworthy bill pay services.

www.whiteriverconsultants.com

In this episode of the Family Office Success podcast, host Christi Van Rite speaks with Terry Pham of Superpowers about when entrepreneurs and families should seek help and delegate tasks.

Terry introduces the "fire extinguisher" analogy, explaining how entrepreneurs become bottlenecks by handling everything themselves. He outlines five common delegation roadblocks, including time concerns and the belief that "nobody else can do this." Terry also describes how Superpowers pairs entrepreneurs with proactive, anticipatory executive assistants through a rigorous vetting and onboarding process, helping clients reclaim time, reduce stress, and focus on their unique strengths.

This episode is insightful in a way that may make you see how you operate in a different light.

Website: superpowershq.com

Terry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-pham-31b73321/

Visit WhiteRiverConsultants.com for more resources on integrative and administrative family office services.

In this episode of the Family Office Success podcast, Christi Van Rite continues the philanthropy series with Joshua Chadajo of JEC Philanthropy to discuss helping families get to the “why” behind their giving and align gifts with clear priorities. Josh shares his background running nonprofits and explains why many donors lack organization and strategy, often giving defensively amid constant requests. He describes his approach, including a philanthropic audit of recent gifts, creating a living giving plan, and serving as a “fractional executive director” for a family’s philanthropy by tracking, budgeting, coordinating with advisors, and partnering with nonprofits on outcomes.

They discuss practical examples such as avoiding misdirected gifts, using challenge grants, and a story where $950 prevented a student’s career plans from derailing. Josh emphasizes year-round planning, avoiding autopilot giving, documenting intent, and seeking expert support.

CONNECT WITH JOSHUA:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachadajo/

Website: www.jecphilanthropy.com

Email address: [email protected]

Listen in as host Christi Van Rite speaks with Kerrie Mitchell, Managing Partner of FSO Partners as they talk about integrating philanthropy intentionally into family wealth strategies. Kerrie emphasizes starting with a family's "why" before selecting giving vehicles like donor advised funds (DAFs) or foundations. She highlights a common pitfall: over $326 billion sits idle in DAFs, with families treating them as "set it and forget it" tools. The conversation covers the differences between DAFs and foundations, the importance of revisiting philanthropic goals as families evolve, and viewing generosity as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time decision.

Learning more about the “how” to give will certainly help as you put your “why” into practice.

Website: https://www.fsopartners.com/

Kerrie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrie-mitchell/