The Secret to Building Trust with Brenna Kelleher

Jul 29, 2025

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How do you build trust? The ability to build trust is an important skill for anyone who wants to build and maintain relationships. It is also essential tool for a coach, instructor and guide to have if they want to help the people they are leading to achieve adventure.

When people do not trust their leader, they are more likely to challenge decisions, question intentions and second guess direction. People are also far less likely to believe in themselves if they do not believe in their leader.

In this episode of Delivering Adventure, Brenna Kelleher returns to share some of the secrets to building trust. Brenna has developed a successful career as an outdoor athlete, instructor, guide and realtor. She has been an NCAA ski racer for Montana State University and claimed the 2001 Junior World Championship as a freestyle kayaker.

She has guided horseback trips in Yellowstone Park and has coached freestyle kayaking. She has also traveled to Africa leading a group of high school girls, as an educator in a semester abroad program; teaching math, travel journalism, and physical education in the distant outdoors.

Brenna is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s National Alpine Team. In addition to being a PSIA Ski Instructor Examiner, Brenna is a ski instructor and guide at Big Sky Resort where she leads advanced women’s and youth-specific clinics.

Brenna joined us back in Season 2 to explore how we can build more resilient teams. In this episode she shares what it really takes to build trust as a leader.

Key Takeaways

Building trust requires us to:

Develop rapport early: This can include finding points of connectivity by finding things everyone can relate to or has in common.

Identify the Best Communication Style: Trust building involves determining how people are likely to respond to different communication styles. This also includes identifying their needs and aligning expectations.

Be Right Early to Build Credibility: Being right early by delivering value can also help to build trust at the start of a relationship. One strategy that works well is to see if you can solve a problem that someone has early in your relationship.

Maintaining trust requires us to: Deliver on promises, this can include showing up on time, meeting timelines and objectives.

Be Flexible: Keep adjusting as situations often change. Keep checking in with the people you are leading to see where expectations, needs and your relationship with them stands.

To avoid losing trust: Under promise where possible, be on time, own mistakes and respect people’s egos.

About Them: If you can make people feel good about what they have accomplished and how they have accomplished it, they will feel better about you.

Guest Bio

Brenna Kelleher has developed a highly successful career as an outdoor athlete, instructor, guide and realtor. She has been an NCAA ski racer for Montana State University and claimed the 2001 Junior World Championship as a freestyle kayaker.

She has guided horseback trips in Yellowstone Park and has coached freestyle kayaking. Brenna has traveled to Africa leading a group of high school girls, as an educator in a semester abroad program. She is currently a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s (PSIA) National Alpine Team.

In addition to being a PSIA Examiner, Brenna is a ski instructor and guide at Big Sky Resort where she leads advanced women’s and youth-specific clinics.