What do you do when you’re grateful for your last name… but you don’t want it to be the first thing people see?

In this episode, Andrea talks with Brecken Glenn, a next-gen leader at Affinity Partners in Northern Colorado, about the messy middle of stepping into a family business while trying to build your own credibility, confidence, and identity. Brecken shares the defining moment she chose alignment over another credential, how she navigated the fear that people only saw her last name, and the surprisingly practical boundaries she and her dad put in place to protect both the business relationship and the personal one—like calling him “Ryan” in the office, and a rule that still makes her laugh: no questions on Sundays.

If you’re a successor trying to lead well and stay whole, this conversation will feel like permission.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Brecken thought she’d never join the family business—and what changed
• How to make an honest ask for a role (without entitlement)
• What to do with the “am I only here because of my name?” spiral
• Boundary practices that actually work when you work with a parent
• Why succession isn’t an event—it’s a roadmap you adapt as you go
• What it means to be the first woman in your family to step into the role

Connect with Brecken Glenn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brecken-schaefer/

Company: https://affinityrepartners.com/

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/

Your Next Gen Friend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/

Your Next Gen Friend on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend

Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to "Your Next Gen Friend" on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify

Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

Chapters in This Episode

00:00 – Welcome + how Andrea and Brecken met (Bailey Program)

03:12 – Brecken’s origin story: “I thought I’d never do real estate”

04:20 – COVID pivot + starting on the brokerage side

06:02 – The honest ask: “Will you make space for me?”

07:52 – The defining moment: choosing herself (and walking away from the

master’s)

11:22 – The last-name fear + trying to be “just Brecken” in the room

16:44 – Working with dad: what it’s really like

17:15 – Boundary #1: “Call me Ryan in the office”

18:40 – Boundary #2: “No questions on Sundays”

19:50 – Boundary #3: naming the lens (daughter vs. employee)

22:22 – Holidays + not letting work dominate family space

24:46 – Five years in: confidence, brand, and being seen for contribution

27:25 – Leadership outside the business: ULI + community identity

29:52 – Long runway +

What really happens when the business you’re buying belongs to your parents — and everyone has an opinion about what’s “fair”?

Today’s episode dives into the emotional, operational, and relational reality of third-generation succession with Mitch Gambert, the new owner of Gambert Shirts, a legacy American shirtmaker in Newark, NJ.

If you’re in the thick of a transition — managing expectations, navigating sibling fairness, or trying to separate family identity from business decisions — this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Mitch shares candidly about the years-long process of structuring his buyout, the emotional push-pull with his parents, and why succession feels like starting over… even after 20+ years in the business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Mitch found his way back into the business after 9/11
• The moment he realized he wanted to buy the company
• Why sibling fairness became the hardest emotional layer
• The importance of facilitated conversations and strong legal teams
• What Mitch wishes more successors understood about “starting over”
• What he’s building now as the third-generation owner

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Connect with Mitch Gambert:

Website: https://gambertshirts.com

Email: mitchg@gambertshirts.com

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend

Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to “Your Next Gen Friend” on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify

Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

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Chapters in This Episode

00:00 – Episode open + host intro

01:00 – Mitch joins the conversation

02:15 – Growing up in the factory & the multigenerational origin story

05:20 – The journey back after 9/11: choosing the family business

08:35 – When the idea of buying the company actually began

10:15 – Navigating sibling equity, fairness, and future upside

12:30 – The emotional push-pull with parents during negotiations

15:40 – Why facilitated conversations mattered

18:45 – “Starting over” at 52 and the realities of third-generation transition

22:48 – The hardest part: separating emotion from business

25:50 – What went well and what Mitch would recommend to others

28:10 – What’s next for Gambert Shirts

31:00 – Reflection Round: Andrea’s three signature questions

33:40 – Close + outro

Ever felt like you’re wearing someone else’s leadership suit? In family business, it’s easy to inherit roles, patterns, and assumptions that don’t fit. In this solo episode, Andrea breaks down the IMAP assessment—a practical framework to name your natural wiring so you can lead with clarity (not copycat energy).

You’ll learn how motivated roles map to a project’s lifecycle (Idea → Prototype → Develop → Refine → Maximize), why operating outside your role drains energy, and how temperament and impact style shape the way you show up.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The 5 motivated roles and how to find yours across a project’s lifecycle
• Why “not my role” ≠ weakness—and how role-misalignment mimics burnout
• Andrea’s wiring (Refiner/Maximizer, Internal Futurist, Feeler-Planner, Analyst) and how it shows up in client work
• Practical scripts for teammates with different temperaments (planner vs. adapter, internal vs. social)
• How successors can design roles that fit them—not just the previous leader
• Invite: Fall IMAP cohort for successors who want to apply this in community

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

• Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/
• Your Next Gen Friend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/
• Your Next Gen Friend on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend
• Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to "Your Next Gen Friend" on your favorite podcast player:

• Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify
• Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.