The Conversations Leaders Avoid: René Sonneveld on Family, Business, Trust & Legacy

What happens when the biggest threat to a business, family, or leadership team isn’t strategy, money, or intelligence, but the things nobody is willing to say?
On this episode of I Am Refocused Radio, Shemaiah Reed sits down with René Sonneveld, a former Fortune 500 executive turned ICF Master Certified Coach, author, and trusted advisor to executives, enterprise families, boards, and high performers around the world. René’s career has taken him from international tax law and global banking to senior leadership roles with organizations including UBS, Deutsche Bank, and Citibank, where he worked at the intersection of family business, governance, wealth, and generational legacy.
René shares what years inside boardrooms and family enterprises taught him about the human side of leadership: unspoken tension, trust, succession, identity, emotional dynamics, difficult conversations, and the decisions that determine whether a legacy grows or fractures.
We also explore ideas from his book The Elephant in the Family Room, which examines the emotional forces operating beneath the surface of family businesses, along with his forthcoming book Invisible Capital: Building the Family Enterprise of Tomorrow, scheduled for October 2026.
This conversation goes beyond business strategy. It’s about developing the courage to address what everyone sees but no one wants to discuss, becoming a stronger leader, and building something that can outlive you.
Because sometimes the most important conversation in the room is the one nobody is having.
https://www.renesonneveld.com/


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