Built to Bend: Creating Family Cultures That Can Change and Stay Connected
In this episode, we’re joined by Katherine Bright, Family Enterprise Consultant at Trella Advisory Group. For nearly two decades, Kathy has helped family businesses navigate the decisions, relationships, and responsibilities that shape continuity across generations. Her work spans consulting, education, and board service, giving her a grounded understanding of the challenges families, boards, and advisors face when certainty gives way to change. Alongside her client work, she teaches and develops training for family enterprise professionals, focusing on leadership, succession, governance, strategy, risk, and productive family relationships. Our conversation explores the role curiosity can play when answers are not yet clear, including the fine line between anxiety and excitement, how families and boards respond to uncertainty, and what can emerge when failure is treated as part of growth. Kathy invites us to consider what becomes possible when families loosen their grip on certainty, ask better questions, and keep choosing one another even when the path forward is still taking shape. About Kathy Bright Katherine Bright is a Family Enterprise Consultant at Trella Advisory Group and has worked in the family enterprise world for nearly twenty years. As a consultant, educator, and board director, she works with family businesses to help them thrive across generations. In addition to supporting family enterprise clients, Kathy also guides advisory professionals, helping them better understand the complex needs of family business clients. From university teaching to tailored training programs for family enterprise advisors and family enterprises, Kathy’s expertise as an educator combines both technical guidance and strong interpersonal connections. She also brings extensive hands-on experience with strategy and governance through her service on multiple family business, government, and not-for-profit boards. Kathy is passionate about leadership, succession and continuity planning, strategy, risk management, governance structures, fiduciary responsibility, and helping families maintain positive and productive relationships within their enterprises. Resources discussed in this episode: Walt Whitman Built to Last by Jim Collins From Good to Great by Jim Collins Family Enterprise Canada Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd. Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office Email: beaconfamilyoffice@assante.com Contact Kathy Bright | Trella Advisory Group Website: www.trella.ca LinkedIn: Kathy Bright Email: kathy.bright@trella.ca Phone: 604-617-0918 We're bringing together leading experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing family businesses today—from succession planning and governance structures to preparing the next generation for leadership roles. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives on building resilient family enterprises.Haven't caught one of our webcasts yet? No problem. All previous sessions are archived and ready to stream whenever you're ready to dive in. Simply head over to legacybuilderswebcast.com to register for our upcoming session or explore our growing library of past conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.






