
Safe Space with Francesco Lombardo
Safe Space is a podcast for Family Business Leaders and Next Gens exploring the financial, human and social capital of family businesses.
In each episode, trusted advisor Francesco Lombardo, will share a conversation with a diverse range of guests, offering you practical tools and guidance to help you navigate the unique familial relationships within family businesses.
Latest episodes

19 snips
Feb 4, 2025 • 30min
You Can’t Read The Label of the Jar You Are In
Francesco speaks with Russ Haworth, a family business advisor and co-author of The Quest for Legitimacy, known for helping families navigate complexities in business relationships. They dive into the significance of understanding family dynamics and emotional needs, particularly during succession planning. Russ highlights the emotional journeys of the rising generation as they seek identity and purpose. The conversation also touches on balancing self-worth with external validation, emphasizing the importance of connection and resilience within family businesses.

Jan 21, 2025 • 28min
Nourishing Traditions: The Link Between Food, Family, and Health with Agathe Holowatinc
In this episode of Safe Space, host Francesco Lombardo engages with Agathe Holowatinc, Founder of FUELLED, to explore the significance of nutritional traditions and their impact on health and behavior. They discuss practical steps for making healthier food choices, the rise of food allergies, and the importance of understanding food values. Agatha shares insights on how to empower oneself to make better dietary decisions and offers advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle while honoring family traditions. Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca Guest Bio: Agathe Regina Holowatinc, BA, MLIS, INHC (she/her) (pronounced Agatha) Agathe Holowatinc is Founder and Director at FUELLED Ultimate Health & Nutrition Ltd., a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach & Consultant, professional researcher, published author, former private chef, healthy cooking masterclass instructor & Ayurveda enthusiast. She is on a mission to get high performance professionals energized and optimised so that they can bring their absolute best presence, productivity and performance to the companies they work for and also bring the best of themselves to all other aspects of their lives. Agathe is obsessed with human potential and performance and specialises in high-impact, nutrient-loaded, high performance nutrition, preventative health, "Food as Medicine,” cellular health and holistic (“Whole Life”) approaches to elevating your life! Agathe truly believes that vibrant health is our BIRTHRIGHT and she has dedicated her life to helping people achieve just that. Her nutrition coaching and consulting services are ideal for high performance professionals (men and women) who want to enhance their energy and feel powered up and limitless, day in and day out. She brings bold and innovative workplace wellness sessions to companies and also works 1:1 with private clients from around the world. Website: www.fuelledlife.com Connect with Agathe on Linkedin (most active): https://www.linkedin.com/in/agathe-regina-holowatinc-3a886814 and https://www.linkedin.com/company/fuelledultimatehealthandnutrition/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/fuelledultimatenutrition/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/fuelledultimatenutrition YouTube (more coming soon!): @fuelledtv https://www.youtube.com/@fuelledtv

Jan 7, 2025 • 33min
The Journey of Marrying into Wealth
In this episode of Safe Space, host Francesco Lombardo speaks with John Michael Elder, a third-generation family business member, about the complexities of navigating family dynamics, wealth, and emotional intelligence within a family business. John Michael shares his journey of marrying into a business family, the challenges of understanding wealth, and the importance of emotional intelligence in fostering a supportive family culture. The conversation emphasizes the need for open communication, introspection, and the balance between leveraging wealth and addressing feelings of inadequacy. Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca

Dec 30, 2024 • 48min
All Relationships are BY Agreement with Renuka Baron
ORIGINALLY AIRED OCTOBER 8, 2020 We had the pleasure of hosting Renuka Baron, an internationally renowned executive coach and expert in personal and professional transformation on the Safe Space podcast back in October 2020. To this day it remains one of our top episodes. Renuka shared how she empowers individuals and organizations to embrace authentic, soul-driven leadership. Her insights on overcoming limiting beliefs and unlocking true potential were truly inspiring. Don't miss this episode! Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca

Dec 3, 2024 • 30min
The Art of Trust: Cultivating Serendipity in Life
In this episode, Christian Busch, author of The Serendipity Mindeset, explains the concept of serendipity and its importance in personal and professional contexts. He shares his journey from a troubled youth to a successful author and academic, emphasizing the role of connecting ideas and people. The conversation explores how to cultivate serendipity through trust, psychological safety, and vulnerability, particularly in family businesses. Busch provides practical advice on overcoming self-limiting beliefs and fostering meaningful connections, ultimately advocating for a mindset that embraces uncertainty as a source of joy and opportunity. Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca

20 snips
Nov 26, 2024 • 31min
The Key to Clear Communication - Manage Yourself Before Managing Others
BJ Radomski, a Veritage coach specializing in communication and emotional intelligence, shares insights on improving interpersonal communication. The discussion highlights the importance of self-awareness in understanding others, particularly within family businesses. Radomski emphasizes how personal biases affect conversations and introduces tools for fostering clear dialogue. By focusing on emotional awareness, he illustrates how constructive communication can strengthen relationships and promote shared values, ultimately preventing misunderstandings and conflicts.

20 snips
Nov 12, 2024 • 26min
Finding New Purpose After Business Ownership
In this episode of Safe Space, host Franco Lombardo speaks with Gillian Stein, former CEO of Henry's, Canada’s largest independent digital imaging retailer, about her emotional journey of selling her family business. Gillian shares her experience of identity loss, the grieving process, and the challenges of transitioning from operations to ownership. The conversation highlights the importance of self-reflection, finding new passions, and the emotional complexities involved in succession planning. Gillian emphasizes the need for flexibility and an open mind in navigating the unpredictable nature of family business dynamics. Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca

Nov 7, 2024 • 38min
Smart Wealth™ with Thane Stenner - Ensuring the Legacy of Family Business Through Relational Governance with Francesco Lombardo
Veritage CEO Franco Lombardo was recently a guest on the "Smart Wealth™ with Thane Stenner" podcast where they covered a number of pertinent topics from the emotional side of family business. Franco explains that by asking his clients the questions they’ve been avoiding asking themselves, they can begin to better understand their relationship to money, why they behave the way they do with it and how they can then choose their behavior. The discussion then covers why the human capital asset class should be the next investment focus of business families in order to prepare all generations for a smooth wealth transition. Connect with Francesco here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca

Oct 22, 2024 • 31min
What Makes A Family Business Last - With Veritage Founder and CEO Franco Lombardo
In this insightful conversation, Thomas Clark, COO of Veritage, interviews Franco Lombardo, the firm's Founder and CEO. They delve into Franco's journey of creating Veritage, emphasizing emotional security beyond financial wealth. Topics explored include the importance of emotional governance in family dynamics, effective investment in human capital, and the challenges of succession planning. Franco also shares how vulnerability can foster personal growth and the significance of compassion in easing transitions for the next generation in family businesses.

Oct 8, 2024 • 32min
The Role of the Next Generation in Driving Change
In this episode, Claudia Gomez of Trusted Family joins Francesco to discuss the challenges faced by family businesses and the importance of having difficult conversations. She highlights the tendency of families to avoid conflict and the consequences of not addressing hard topics and suggests greater vulnerability and self-awareness is needed in order to initiate these conversations and build trust within the family. She also explores the role of the next generation in driving change and finding their own path within the family business. Connect with me here: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-lombardo-fea-496a7966/ • https://www.facebook.com/VeritageFamilyOffice • https://www.youtube.com/@VeritageInternational • https://veritage.ca