Who We Remember Sasha Lund on her great-grandfather - The Stamp
We ask each of our guests a simple yet profound question: "Whose life story from your own family would you most want to have documented on film?" and "How does your family's story shape your own personal and professional legacy?"
Today's guest: Sasha Lund, Founder and Managing Director at Core Values Consulting
Sasha's pick: Her great-grandfather, Sven Mårtensson
Sound Bites
- "He picked up the sheriff and threw him through the bar window — all for love, at sixteen. That was the moment everything changed."
- "She waited 14 years — and when he returned, she dropped the jug of milk in her hands. They just knew each other immediately."
- "He wrote letters from countries that don’t even exist anymore. Those stamps may have made someone a millionaire, but we kept the words."
Summary
In this unforgettable episode, Sasha Lund shares the astonishing true story of her great-grandfather, Sven Mårtensson—a poor Swedish dock worker who fled his country at 16 after assaulting a corrupt sheriff. His 14-year odyssey took him from Sweden to London, Bombay, Panama, and beyond, surviving mutiny, yellow fever, and malaria, all while sending love letters to the woman he left behind—pregnant, alone, and shamed. Sasha, now writing a book and screenplay titled The Stamp, reflects on how Sven’s adventurous spirit lives on in her and influences her work with global families on legacy and connection. A story of survival, love, and legacy, this episode is as cinematic as it is heartfelt.
About Sasha
Sasha Lund is a multilingual, multicultural powerhouse whose work sits at the intersection of legacy, leadership, and storytelling. A Schulz Award-winning and Forbes-featured author, Sasha’s writing appears in publications around the world. Through her firm, Core Values Consulting, she guides high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational business families through the complexities of succession planning—always with a focus on building legacies that are both meaningful and enduring.
Sasha is also the host of Legacy Talks with Sasha Lund, a compelling podcast where she dives deep with leaders from family enterprises to explore what truly sustains—or dismantles—a legacy over time. A sought-after keynote speaker, she brings rare insight, clarity, and warmth to every conversation she leads.
Join Us
Visit us at storykeep.com/podcast to learn more about how StoryKeep is preserving family histories. Subscribe on your favorite platform to catch new episodes released bi-weekly, available in both audio and video formats.
Join me, Jamie Yuenger, as we go on a journey of remembrance and discovery, celebrating the stories of those we cherish. Don’t miss our enriching journey—subscribe today and be part of "Who We Remember."
Credits
Produced by Jamie Yuenger and Piet Hurkmans. Our show’s musical intro and outro is taken from the track “Thursday” by the independent artist Nick Takénobu Ogawa. You can listen and support his music on bandcamp here