In the latest episode of Work Ethic, Ethic CEO Doug Scott sits down with Tripp Friedler, co-founder and managing partner of Free Gulliver, a multifamily office based in New Orleans. Friedler is also the author of two books, including The Tunnel, which reflects on losing his son Henry to mental illness.

Their conversation moves across the different chapters of Friedler’s life and career, from law and life insurance to building Free Gulliver over more than two decades. Along the way, he explains why optimism matters so much in entrepreneurship, why the biggest investment is often in yourself, and why some of the best business builders are simply the ones willing to keep going through uncertainty.

What makes the episode especially compelling is the way Friedler connects wealth management to something much more human. He talks about how studying counseling changed the way he listens to clients and how slowing the game down can lead to better decisions. He also speaks candidly about grief, resilience, and the long process of finding meaning after profound personal loss.

Key insights from the conversation include:

• Investing in yourself: Why his grandfather's advice—that you make money in your own business and lose it in someone else's—remains his core rule for personal capital .
• Slowing the game down: How a background in counseling helps Tripp teach clients to pause, read the field, and make better long-term decisions.
• The location framework: Why people easily define their future vision but often struggle to be honest about where they are starting from today.
• Embracing uncertainty: Why feeling fear and anxiety is a natural, healthy sign that your next business leap is big enough.
• The true meaning of resilience: What losing two children taught Tripp about waking up every day, doing his absolute best, and viewing the ability to pick yourself back up as a privilege .

For advisors thinking about leadership, client relationships, or how to navigate adversity with more perspective, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the human side of building in wealth management.