Private Advisory / Family Advisory
Advising for private families and family offices
Dr. Daryl advises private families, principals and the family offices that serve them on the human side of wealth and succession: who a founder becomes after the business, how the next generation steps forward, and how relationships hold through the change.
Family offices, private bankers and estate advisors can bring Dr. Daryl in when the family dynamics, not the technical plan, are what is holding things up. She works alongside a family's legal, tax and financial advisors, discreetly, on the relationship side. Her work is not financial, legal or tax advice.
Dr. Daryl Appleton, Ed.D., LMHC, is a behavioral strategist who advises executives and leadership teams. She is a licensed mental health counselor in Rhode Island.
Her advisory, podcast, and media work are educational and are not therapy.
When the founder steps back
Succession is seldom held up by the paperwork. For the founder who built the business, stepping back can feel like giving up an identity. Dr. Daryl works with founders on what they are protecting, what they are ready to hand over, and what comes next. A useful first question is whether this is a hard moment to adapt to, or a role that no longer fits.
After a sale or liquidity event, a founder can be left without the structure, purpose or identity the business provided. Advising focuses on what comes next personally, not on what to do with the proceeds.
An executive coach usually works with one leader on performance. A behavioral advisor works across the generations and relationships a family enterprise depends on.
When the next generation steps up
Successors are often asked to prove themselves before anyone is sure they can. Dr. Daryl works with the next generation on readiness, identity and the particular task of leading people who knew them as children.
When siblings and spouses share the business
Dr. Daryl helps families keep relationships intact through hard conversations about roles, fairness and decisions.
Women who lead family companies
For daughters and women successors in multigenerational businesses, and the particular pressures of leading inside a family.
Family meetings and retreats
For families who gather once or twice a year, and for the gatherings a family office or private bank hosts for the families it serves.
FOCUS | How the family decides together. Roles across generations. Readiness in the next generation.
SHAPED WITH | The family and its advisors, in advance
SEE ALSO | Immersives & Retreats · Keynotes & Engagements
Background
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Johnson & Wales University.
CAGS in Mental Health, Salve Regina University.
M.Ed. in Counseling, Providence College.
Dr. Daryl designed and delivers the Performance Wellness Curriculum for surgeons at Brown University Health.
Keynote speaker, Audrain Hat Luncheon (Oct 1, 2026).
Featured in Vogue's best mental health podcasts (2024).
Profiled in Rhode Island Monthly (2026).
FAQ
Who helps a family office with the emotional side of wealth?
A behavioral advisor works on the relationships, communication and identity questions around wealth and succession. Dr. Daryl does this alongside a family's legal, tax and financial advisors. She does not give financial, legal or tax advice.
How does a founder begin to step back from the family business?
Usually by understanding what stepping back means to them: identity, control, legacy, or uncertainty about what comes next. Dr. Daryl can work with founders and successors, together or separately, so that conversation can take place.
Can you help with sibling conflict in a family business?
Yes. Dr. Daryl can work with siblings and other family members on roles, communication and decisions, so the relationships hold through the business questions. Legal or ownership questions stay with the family's attorneys and advisors.
Can you lead our family meeting or next-generation retreat?
Yes. Each session is shaped with the family and its advisors in advance. The work stays on communication, roles and decisions. It is not financial, legal or tax advice, and it is not therapy.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Family engagements are confidential.