Garen Staglin, Founder and Chairman of One Mind, reflected on his life's work in brain health. As he contemplated stepping down in the next few years, he weighed how to pass along this legacy to his son, Brandon Staglin, the impetus behind and next generation of the family's landmark nonprofit. Founded in response to Brandon's psychotic break in 1990, One Mind confronted the stunning deficits in basic brain health research and care in the United States through research, funding, and public awareness efforts. While Brandon had already taken on much of the responsibility for the organization in his capacity as One Mind's President, the organization's board might still choose another candidate as his successor. On a professional level, would Brandon's authenticity as someone who was personally impacted by mental illness lend the organization greater authority in its mission? On a personal level, how could the stress of such a role impact Brandon's wellbeing? Given Brandon's long-standing commitment to the organization, how can the family navigate this thorny issue weighing the needs of the family, external actors, and One Mind itself? The contents of this case contain material about mental health challenges and suicide. Some readers may find elements of this material distressing. If you are experiencing emotional crisis or distress, please contact a local mental health professional or your local suicide prevention hotline. In the U.S., you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24/7 by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org/chat.

Zak Pym Williams, mental health advocate, grappled with the question of how to create a proactive mental health family environment for his children. Having witnessed how mental health challenges such as addiction and depression had impacted the past four generations of his family, Williams sought to break the cycle for his children and future generations ahead. He himself was among the approximately 20% of American adults who had experienced a mental health condition annually, as he himself had been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and PTSD as a young adult. Although his children were still quite young, he considered how he could enact an optimal family mental health strategy to break the family's intergenerational cycle once and for all.

Alice Anane is the member of a large, wealthy family that collectively operates a multi-pronged family business in Israel. Upon discovering partway into her pregnancy that the rapidly degenerative brain disease her father succumbed to now threatens her and potentially every member of her family, she must decide how to incorporate a comprehensive plan for handling genetic disease into her family's charter. Each aspect of the document must be carefully weighed, as the differing priorities must somehow come together into a system that works. With an uncertain clock ticking in the background, can she ensure that the measure passes with enough votes among her siblings and mother? Will she be able to ensure a lasting legacy for the family and its businesses that touch so many lives?