The greatest risk to your business exit is relational.
When you exit your business, it’s not just a transaction. It is an emotional shift that can ripple through your marriage, your family, and your identity. In this episode, Jerome Myers speaks with Ruschelle Khanna, psychotherapist and author of Inherited Trauma and Family Wealth, about the emotional complexity of exiting a business and why unspoken dynamics can quietly sabotage even the best-laid plans.
Listen now to discover how to protect both your legacy and your relationships.
[00:00 – 13:00] Exit as Emotional Death
Why a business exit mirrors grief and identity loss
Common signs of resistance: sabotage, denial, and clinging to control
The emotional weight on both the exiting founder and the heir
[13:01 – 26:00] Marriage, Misalignment, and Mutual Resentment
How exits reveal cracks in communication and shared meaning
What Gottman’s 7 Principles reveal about post-exit stress
Why many spouses feel excluded, even when they say they’re fine
[26:01 – 36:00] Emotional Needs and Adult Tantrums
HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired): decoding emotional outbursts
Reparenting your partner: how trauma shows up in conflict
Why emotional regulation is critical in post-exit life
[36:01 – 50:00] Family Tension and Generational Distance
How adult children emotionally react to legacy decisions
Spotting the signs of withdrawal, resentment, or performative agreement
Avoidance, silence, and the cost of not asking hard questions
[50:01 – End] Trauma, Transition, and Transcendence
The 5 trauma liabilities: chaos, procrastination, fawning, and more
Inheriting more than money, modeling emotional clarity
Choosing joy, presence, and intentionality in your next chapter
Key Quotes:
“A business exit is a tiny death.” – Ruschelle Khanna
“The definition of a healthy mind is to be able to hold onto two ideas at the same time.” – Ruschelle Khanna
Connect with Ruschelle!
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ruschelle-khanna-lifestyle-for-legacy
Website: https://www.lifestyleforlegacy.com/
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