“Before I started working with Preston, I was in a state of deep uncertainty. In our family business, everyone operated in silos, and even though I had responsibility and freedom, I didn’t have clarity. I was expected to make smart deals and help build something new, but what I wanted for myself wasn’t aligned with the rest of the company. My personality was also very different from everyone around me, which made collaboration and communication incredibly challenging. I had the freedom to do almost anything, but no real sense of what that should be or how to find it. It was overwhelming, and I felt the lack of guidance, confidence, mentorship, and partnership every day.

Bear & Fox showed me the way.

What made the biggest difference was Preston’s empathy. His experience allowed him to truly understand the dynamics I was navigating and what it feels like to try to carve out your own lane inside a family business. He helped me break down the issues I was facing, understand how to approach them, and make sense of what I was feeling. He took the time to understand my past, my present, and the future I was trying to move toward. For the first time, I felt like someone actually saw what I was carrying.

As I gained clarity, things started to shift. He helped me see that what I was feeling was normal. He told me he was proud of the steps I had already taken, something no one had ever said to me before. That changed my confidence. I stopped second guessing myself and began trusting the decisions I was making.

I have built self-confidence. I am proud of who I am and not self-conscious that I am not more like the other people in my company. I embrace my differences and look at them as an advantage rather than a weakness.”