Embracing Intersectionality: Deepening Relationships in Families of Wealth

A Reflection on Dr. Paul Hokemeyer’s Conversation

In families of wealth and family office systems, conversations often center on financial strategy: portfolio design, estate planning, governance structures, and succession planning.

But beneath every strategy lies something more complex: identity.

Each family member carries multiple identities at once: founder, successor, steward, parent, advisor, beneficiary. These identities intersect with culture, generation, gender, achievement, and privilege. When they go unexamined, they quietly shape how wealth is experienced and how relationships evolve across generations.

In a recent Family Office Podcast episode, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer explores how the concept of intersectionality can help ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families deepen relationships and strengthen long-term stewardship.

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What Intersectionality Means in Families of Wealth

Intersectionality is the understanding that no single identity defines a person. Instead, multiple identities overlap and interact to shape lived experience.

In families of wealth, these intersections may include:

• Generational role (founder vs. next generation)

• Professional identity versus family identity

• Cultural or gender-based expectations

• Financial privilege alongside personal pressure

• Public success and private vulnerability

For ultra-high-net-worth families, these intersecting identities often carry heightened expectations around legacy, performance, and responsibility.

When families do not acknowledge these layered dynamics, wealth and mental health challenges can surface through conflict, disengagement, or fractured communication. When they are addressed directly, empathy increases and relationships strengthen.

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Key takeaways from the conversation

1. Wealth Does Not Eliminate Complexity, It Amplifies It

Financial success can intensify identity pressures rather than simplify them. Generational wealth adds visibility, responsibility, and expectation that must be navigated thoughtfully.

2. Unspoken Identity Tensions Create Relational Friction

In family office environments, silence around privilege, power, or belonging can undermine trust. Structured conversations allow family members to express how wealth intersects with their lived experience.

3. Wealth and Mental Health Are Interconnected

Mental and relational wellbeing should not sit outside financial planning. Sustainable wealth stewardship depends on emotional clarity and relational stability.

4. Advisors Must Broaden Their Lens

Family office advisors and wealth managers must recognize that financial decisions operate inside complex emotional systems. Technical excellence must be paired with relational awareness.

5. Empathy Strengthens Generational Stewardship

Understanding the intersecting identities within a family system fosters compassion, improves communication, and supports healthier generational wealth transitions.

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Listen to the Full Episode

Dr. Paul Hokemeyer’s episode, Embracing Intersectionality to Deepen Relationships with Family Members, offers practical insights for wealth owners, family office leaders, and advisors seeking to better integrate identity, wealth, and mental health.

For families stewarding significant resources, this conversation provides a valuable framework for strengthening generational relationships and long-term legacy.

Listen to the episode here >>

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