When a Business Evolves: Listening to the Soul of What You're Building
- racketgroup
- Sep 9
- 6 min read
Over the past month, I’ve had the absolute gift of being in person with folks in so many different places, spaces, and contexts. And there’s just something so profoundly special about being face-to-face – sharing presence, connection, and conversation in real time. I came away from those experiences feeling filled up, energized, and deeply reflective.
One topic kept coming up again and again in those conversations, and I want to give it some space today. In the family business coaching and consulting world, we talk a lot about generational transitions – as we should. That handoff from one generation to the next is one of the most significant processes a family business can experience.
But what about the transitions within the business itself?
What about the moments when the business – independent of any generational change – is evolving, shifting, growing, or becoming something new? That’s what I want to explore today: how the business, as its own energetic entity, can go through transitions too – and why it’s so important for us, as leaders, to recognize and respond to that.
The Business Is Not You (Even If It Feels Like It)
I say this a lot, but it bears repeating: you are not your business, and your business is not you.
And I know, especially in family businesses, that can feel like a complicated idea. When you’ve grown up inside the business, or poured your heart into building it, or inherited a legacy that spans generations – it’s hard to untangle your identity from the business itself.
But our businesses have their own energy, their own trajectory, and – this might sound wild to say out loud – their own soul. We are not owners of that soul. We are its stewards.
We help it grow. We shepherd it through changes. We guide it toward its highest expression in the world.
And sometimes, it asks us to change alongside it.
A Framework for Transition (That Applies to Businesses, Too)
If you’ve been following the Legacy: Navigating Family Business podcast for a while, you might remember our conversations from Season One about Bruce Feiler’s work on transitions. (If you haven’t listened yet, I really recommend starting with Episodes 1–3 at www.thelegacyevolution.com/podcast )
Feiler outlines three phases of transition:
The Long Goodbye – Letting go of what was.
The Messy Middle – Living in the uncertainty of what’s next.
The New Beginning – Embracing what’s emerging.
These phases are not linear. We cycle through them – sometimes over years, sometimes all at once. And they apply not only to personal transformation but also to the life cycle of a business.
I want to show you what that’s looked like in my own life – through the story of my family’s company, Racket, and its incredible journey over six generations.
Six Generations of Change: A Family Business Story
Racket Merchandise Company was incorporated in 1891. (Though we suspect it operated even earlier.) It started as a supply outpost on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails here in Kansas City – stocking covered wagons with pots, pans, rice, and tools as settlers moved west. Back then, the term “racket man” referred to those supply wagons – and that’s how the company got its name.
From there, Racket evolved through multiple iterations:
G2: Became a general store in the Kansas City market. My great-grandmother Lillie (who I named my daughter after) quietly ran the show behind the scenes, while my great-great-grandfather Daniel was deeply involved in community and spiritual life, including helping found the Unity Church.
G3: Expanded into multiple retail locations, supplying local restaurants and selling everything from hardware to housewares.
G4: My grandfather increased the restaurant supply business – and had our unexpected entry into the airline industry via fly swatters for TWA. (Yes, really.)
G5: My dad leaned all the way into airline supply, closing down retail to focus on passenger service products. Under his leadership, the company grew globally.
Then, G6 – me.
Inheriting a Business, Creating a Path
When I took over 12 years ago, Racket was thriving. I hadn’t ever planned on becoming President – but life, timing, and opportunity all aligned. My siblings and I split our family’s three companies: Dirck took over our cattle ranch, Emma was slated for the citrus business, and I stepped into the airline supply business.
At first, I tried to do everything exactly as my dad had. If I had a mantra back then, it would’ve been: “Please don’t let me be the one to mess this up.” I wore a metaphorical “dad suit” every day – trying to replicate what had worked, trying not to rock the boat.
And it worked – on the outside.
But inside, I was exhausted. Burned out. Unfulfilled. And I had this quiet, insistent feeling that something new wanted to come through.
Not a replacement for the airline business – but an addition. An evolution. A transition within the business itself.
Listening to the Business Soul
It wasn’t until I started creating intentional space – through coaching, healing, reading (Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic was a huge turning point), and breathwork – that I could finally hear the voice of the business saying: There’s more. Something new is ready to emerge.
And then the pandemic hit.
The airline industry ground to a halt. I was sitting in the sunroom of our house, staring out the window, asking: What are we going to do?
That’s when my dad called and said something I’ll never forget:
“If there’s one thing we know from the history of Racket, it’s that we don’t have to do the same thing forever.”
It was exactly what I needed to hear.
That moment gave me permission to let something new grow. And from that came Legacy – the work I’m doing now with family businesses, entrepreneurs, women founders, and couples in business together. The podcast you’re listening to now. The retreats. The coaching. The energy work. The real conversations.
And the airline business? It’s still here. Still thriving. And evolving again.
Holding All Three Phases at Once
Right now, I feel like I’m holding all three phases of transition – simultaneously:
The long goodbye to certain patterns and processes in the airline industry.
The messy middle of a new, emerging direction inside Racket that I can feel, even if I can’t quite name yet.
The new beginning of Legacy, which continues to grow and expand.
This is what it means to lead a business through its transition – not just our own. It asks for presence. For space. For deep listening. For curiosity.
And logistically? It asks for structure.
We’ve made hires. We’ve delegated. Brandon (my husband and business partner) has taken on more operational oversight. We’ve invested in both companies so they can thrive, even as I move into this creative, visionary, receptive space.
What’s Next?
Truthfully? I don’t know exactly.
I can feel that there’s something else coming through Racket. I don’t have a full picture yet. But I trust the process, because I’ve seen it play out – over six generations. I know that when we create space, the next iteration reveals itself.
Right now, I’m:
Meditating with the energy of both businesses.
Practicing breathwork regularly.
Journaling and listening deeply.
Letting go of needing to “figure it all out.”
Because the truth is – growth in a family business isn’t just
generational.
It’s spiritual. Emotional. Structural. And often, beautifully messy.
Final Thought
So wherever you are in your business journey – whether you’re inheriting, evolving, or starting something completely new – I invite you to pause and ask:
What phase of transition am I (or is my business) in right now?
And maybe more importantly:
What’s asking to emerge?
Thanks for being here, and for holding space with me for this conversation. I can’t wait to see what unfolds next – both for my businesses, and for yours.
If you would like to hear more about transitions in family business - tune into the latest episode of the Legacy: Navigating Family Business Season 2 - Episode 12 here :
If you're feeling that potential for a time of transition in your own business, consider joining us at the Legacy Women's Retreat - 2.5 days of doing the very things I've been talking about here. Let us support you. Join us. Learn more about our retreat here:
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