Podcast Guest Booking
Brandi Marek
Talent & Culture Specialist | Second-Generation Family Business Leader
Ferguson Alliance
Quick Facts:
Guest Speaker: Brandi Marek
Role: Talent & Culture Specialist
Background: Second-generation family business leader (Magnolia Gardens Nursery)
Audience fit: Family business owners, next-gen leaders, managers, HR leaders
Testimonials
If you'd like to invite Brandi Marek on the show:
About Brandi Marek
is a second-generation leader from Magnolia Gardens Nursery, a 150-employee family-owned business, where she spent most of her career developing people, leading departments, and solving complex operational challenges. Today, as a Talent & Culture Specialist at Ferguson Alliance, she supports family business leaders who feel overwhelmed, misunderstood, or stretched thin by the demands of working with the people they love most.
Having lived the family-business dynamic 110%, Brandi brings deep empathy, a practical mindset, and a gift for helping others gain clarity. She has firsthand experience with the pressures of being “next generation,” the emotional weight of leadership, and the loneliness that can come from holding responsibility at the top.
Her passion?
Empowering people.
Brandi believes organizations thrive when their people thrive — and she loves guiding leaders from self-doubt to confidence through simple, digestible teaching and real-world perspective.
A Unique Perspective: Lived Experience + Business Expertise
Brandi is one of the rare advisors who combines:
- Direct experience as a next-gen leader in a family-owned company
- Technical knowledge (strategic planning, capital management, financials, org structure)
- Deep compassion for people navigating difficult family relationships
- A natural talent for breaking down complex ideas into simple, powerful lessons
She understands the confusion, pressure, burnout, and emotional weight that comes with working with family — because she has lived it.
Sample Interview Questions
- What does a “culture of excellence” look like in a family business?
- Why do middle managers often feel stuck, and how can they thrive?
- What’s the first step for a leader who struggles to delegate?
- Can you share a story of conflict inside a family business and how it was resolved?
- What’s one practical change families can make today to improve teamwork?
Why Podcast Hosts Love Interviewing Brandi
- Clear, story-driven communicator who connects with business owners and family leaders.
- Merges technical know-how (strategy, financials, systems) with people-first coaching.
- Provides actionable takeaways your audience can use immediately.
- Authentic, warm, and interview-ready (no fluff).
- Engaging, clear, and story-driven communicator
- Brings a rare blend of empathy + business technical expertise
- Makes complex topics (like financials or systems) easy to understand
- Offers real examples from decades inside a large family business
- Appeals strongly to leaders, business owners, and next-generation family members
- Warm, candid, relatable — never “corporate” or scripted
Host-Ready Intro
Brandi Marek is a Talent & Culture Specialist and second-generation leader who spent most of her career at Magnolia Gardens Nursery.
She helps family business leaders build strong teams, better systems, and healthier relationships.
Today she’ll share practical strategies for creating a culture of excellence and surviving the challenges of working with family.
