At conferences, dinners, podcast interviews, airports, we’re often asked — “So, how did it start? How did you two meet?”
The short answer: An adventure around the world. We were in a smoky Bolivian cafe and sat down to discover that we both grew up in the same town. After connecting over our love for travel and passion for diverse cultures, we shared our backgrounds with one another, and knew professional collaboration was in our future.
We recognized that though we had similar personal stories, our professional experiences were vastly different. Michelle had spent 15 years working with rising world leaders, economic policy, and conflict resolution. Ella had spent 12 years in a high tech sales role and had over one billion dollars in sales under her belt.
The thread neither of us typically led with (or shared at all) unraveled next, and we were delighted to learn that we both knew what it was like to be a wealth inheritor fighting for a voice and seat at the table within our own families.
Michelle, a G2 member of a family business, had experience working in the business and watching it grow before being sold, which gave her a unique perspective on the challenges of next gen leaders. Ella, a G7 member in a family with a legacy and governance structure established over 100 years ago, knew how challenging it was for her generation of inheritors to be taken seriously and bring new ideas to the table for continued success.
It had been a rare thing to find caring, career focused women who had achieved similar heights professionally, while also having similar familial upbringings.
We’d both experienced overwhelm related to the burdens and blessings of being a beneficiary for something we didn’t create, but were born into. At times, being in this position feels isolating and shameful.
We both recognized that we didn’t want special treatment, but knew it was hard to expect empathy from people who hadn’t had a similar lived experience. Ultimately, we created Wellth Works because we knew how alienating the experience of wealth inheritance could be. We wanted to offer support, accountability, and resilience to rising family leaders around the world.
We’ve come a long way since our first meeting in that smoky cafe, as has Wellth Works. We now work with multi generational wealth recipients globally, offering a year-long leadership development experience to help them discover what truly drives them as leaders, develop boundaries that meet their unique needs, and determine the impact and contribution they want to leave as their legacy.
By focusing on purpose, individual agency, and contribution in these inheritors’ lives, we’re supporting a new wave of rising family leaders who exude confidence, intention, and connection.
So, what does this mean for you, the advisor working hard to help clients find more purpose, fulfillment, and value in relation to their wealth? It means through Wellth Works, you can uncover the tools and resources needed to help your clients define their sense of leadership, values, and way of existing in the world.
We’re your companions, confidants, and champions while helping your clients uncover more clarity and purpose in life.
Thanks to a global adventure, a chance conversation, and life’s many serendipities, we’re enhancing the lives of the rising generation globally. Thanks to the support of you (yes you) reading this, we’re leading a community of engaged and passionate family leaders driven to define their path and take the lead.
Hop in, get comfortable — the Wellth Works journey is just beginning, and we’re thrilled to have you on board.
Until next time,
— Ella + Michelle
P.S. Interested in diving deeper into the early days of Wellth Works? We were featured on the Women & Wealth podcast where we discussed our founding story alongside tips for making financial decisions during times of transition. Listen here!