Led by Grace, with Bhaj Townsend

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Bhaj Townsend, a woman who has grace by her side and as her compass. Bhaj has done it all! She nearly became a professional tennis player. She next became a successful restaurant entrepreneur. During a break, she became a longshorewoman. Bhaj then got into commercial real estate and was next offered the opportunity to tour the world as a jazz guitarist. She later moved into financial planning and helping families with money. This might all sound exciting and perfect, but as you’ll hear Bhaj faced many challenges — some were quite dark. She attributes grace leading her through all aspects of her journey, the good times and the bad.

With families and their businesses, there can be great conflict, conflict that when unresolved, can lead to bitter breakups and permanent loss of trust. This does not have to be although, without proper tools, it is difficult to know what to do.

With her 20 years helping families shift from tension to cohesion, Bhaj has brought her wealth of experience and abilities to families across the U.S., resolving conflicts and building new platforms of family systems to keep these families strong across generations.

Bhaj studied with the renowned family wealth transition consultant Roy Williams. She received the elite Fellowship Certification from the Heritage Institute. She has authored two books, Build a Lasting Legacy, and Transferring Wisdom with Wealth. She is a presenter on 5 compelling topics from family dynamics to financial behavior insights to family stories and games and more, all focused on successful family cohesion. She is a certified mediator, using a facilitative approach to mediation. She is President of the Northwest Family Business Advisors a non-profit organization dedicated to serving family businesses with the challenges and issues they face. She is President of Focus and Sustain, a company which consults with family businesses throughout the country. These attributes and concentrations, along with her mindfulness and respect for her clients’ well-being, provide a rare perspective to families looking for guidance as they transition leadership from one generation to another. She likes to say that she “… helps prepare family members for the receipt of wealth so it unites families rather than divides them.”

Bhaj is a member of a family who experienced the effects of a third-generation breakdown to the family business. Due to the tensions and consequences that resulted from the turmoil of the tense differences of opinions, Bhaj dedicated her professional life to understanding and guiding families how to stay connected when money, a family business and family, are at risk of being torn apart.

Bhaj lives in Kirkland, Washington and has a passion for playing acoustic guitar and tennis.

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