Meet Brianna Bergantim

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brianna Bergantim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brianna, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My journey to finding my purpose began during the years I worked in long-term care. While I loved helping people, I was constantly witnessing the heartbreaking consequences of a lack of planning. I saw firsthand how the absence of proper estate and healthcare documents tore families apart and left vulnerable individuals without the protection they needed.

Families of patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s often came into the facility, sometimes with estranged relatives trying to take advantage of a loved one’s memory loss. This would escalate into painful disputes with other family members, often resulting in anger and distrust. I watched families struggle to navigate basic decisions because they lacked clarity in their loved one’s wishes. We couldn’t share medical records or provide updates to certain family members because they weren’t named as HIPAA Recipients or Healthcare Agents. There were also times when family members disagreed over critical healthcare decisions, creating unnecessary stress during an already difficult time.

It wasn’t just the legal and emotional challenges; I also saw how financial hardships amplified these situations. Families would skip vital medical appointments because they couldn’t afford transportation, like a wheelchair-accessible van. It was devastating to see these barriers prevent people from getting the care they needed.

When I started college and began taking legal courses, I was drawn to estate planning law. I realized that proper planning could prevent so many of the issues I had witnessed in long-term care. Estate planning has the power to protect families, reduce conflict, and provide clarity during times of uncertainty.

As a mother and a cat mom, I also saw estate planning in a broader light. It’s not just about protecting assets or assigning healthcare agents—it’s about ensuring that the people (and pets!) you love are cared for when you can’t be there, whether mentally or physically. It’s about creating a safety net for the people and animals that rely on you.

Today, I feel that I’ve found my purpose in estate planning. I am still helping families like the ones I worked with in long-term care, but now, I’m able to help them avoid those painful situations through proactive planning. I get to empower parents, pet parents, and individuals to protect their loved ones, create clarity, and leave behind a legacy of care. For me, estate planning isn’t just a profession—it’s my way of making a difference.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I provide holistic estate planning services to individuals and families across the United States. What’s unique about my approach is that I aim to make estate planning accessible, personalized, and stress-free. I’ve partnered with a nationwide firm to facilitate the process and ensure that all documents are prepared according to state-specific regulations. Attorneys in all 50 states have collaborated on these documents to guarantee they meet legal requirements, providing my clients with high-quality, accurate, and reliable plans.

What makes my service particularly exciting is the balance between technology and human professionals. Unlike fully DIY online estate planning services, where clients rely solely on computer-generated forms, my partnership offers an entire team of estate planning professionals who help produce, modify, and review documents. This means my clients enjoy a level of customization and attention to detail that is often unavailable with generic, one-size-fits-all online tools.

Currently, in Texas and California, I can offer my clients the option to have an attorney review their plan and meet with them via Zoom for additional services. This is part of my partner’s ongoing effort to expand attorney review services to all 50 states in the future.

Because I am not a lawyer and cannot provide legal advice, I focus on legal education. I help my clients understand their options, explain the importance of estate planning for their unique family dynamics, and guide them through the available documents. This empowers them to make informed decisions and feel confident about the choices they make. My goal is to ensure that they leave the process not just with signed documents but with a clear understanding of their plan and how it protects their loved ones.

In addition, I have built a collaborative network of professionals—including tax professionals and insurance agents—who are ready to assist my clients as needed. Estate planning often involves more than just legal documents, and I want to ensure my clients have the resources they need to feel fully supported.

Right now, I’m focused on expanding awareness of the importance of estate planning for families with children and pets. I’m also introducing some helpful tools for my clients, such as Child Safety Cards and Animal Care Cards, which ensure emergency personnel know who to contact in case of an emergency.

One of the most exciting parts of my work is helping people protect what matters most—whether that’s their children, pets, home, or legacy. Estate planning isn’t just about preparing documents; it’s about creating peace of mind and security for the people (and animals) you care about. And I’m honored to play a part in that process.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three Qualities, Skills, or Areas of Knowledge That Were Most Impactful

Perseverance and Dedication
When you own and operate a business, perseverance is essential. You will face challenges, setbacks, and tough days where imposter syndrome creeps in, making you question if running your own business was the right choice. (Spoiler: it is!) Success doesn’t come from avoiding challenges—it comes from working through them. If you give up at the first sign of difficulty, failure becomes inevitable. Dedication, even during the toughest times, was one of the most impactful qualities that kept me going and moving forward.

Flexibility and the Willingness to Learn
Being open to learning and adapting has been crucial in my journey. As a self-startup, I didn’t have the luxury of hiring specialists for every aspect of my business. That meant I had to wear many hats: business owner, marketer, accountant, and more. I couldn’t afford to delegate those tasks, so I had to teach myself how to manage them effectively. This willingness to dive into new roles and acquire new skills allowed me to build a solid foundation for my business. The world is constantly evolving—especially in terms of technology—and staying flexible and curious is key to keeping up.

Passion and Purpose
Loving what I do has been the driving force behind my business. When you truly believe in the value of your work and the difference you’re making, it fuels you to keep going even when things get hard. Passion gives you the energy to invest your time, money, and effort, even when the financial rewards aren’t immediate. If you’re only in it for the money, it’s easy to lose the heart and soul that makes your business unique. For me, the belief that my work helps families and pet owners protect what matters most keeps me inspired and motivated every day.

Advice for Those Early in Their Journey

Stay Dedicated and Persevere
Challenges will come, but don’t let them stop you. The key is to keep moving forward, even when the road gets bumpy. Remember, the struggle is part of the journey, and if you stay committed, the rewards will follow.

Never Stop Learning
Keep researching, exploring, and staying updated. Whether it’s learning new technology, understanding industry trends, or improving your skills, knowledge is power. Take time to educate yourself about areas you’re unfamiliar with—it will save you money, make you more independent, and help you grow as a business owner.

Pursue What You Love
Find a purpose or passion that drives you. Running a business requires an enormous amount of time and effort, and if you don’t love what you’re doing, it will feel overwhelming. When you’re passionate about your work, it won’t feel like “just a job”—it will feel like your calling, and that will keep you going.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

As a pet parent, I am deeply passionate about protecting our pets through proper planning. In many jurisdictions, pets are legally classified as tangible personal property during the probate process, but we all know our pets are so much more than that. No one views their beloved dog, bird, or reptile on the same level as a coffee table or a couch.

My mission is to make a significant impact in the world of pet planning, especially for pets that may outlive their owners, such as birds, turtles, and other long-living species. What many people don’t realize is that if there’s no plan in place for their pets, the animals may end up in shelters that use euthanization. In those cases, their lives could be at risk. With proper pet planning as part of an estate plan, we can ensure pets never end up in a kill shelter as a worst-case scenario.

Estate planning also gives pet parents the ability to allocate funds for their pets’ ongoing care. This is particularly important for animals requiring specialized care, such as reptiles with specific habitat needs or aquatic pets with unique equipment requirements. Funds can also be designated for pet insurance, ensuring that a pet’s caretaker has financial support for medical emergencies or routine veterinary care.

I would love to collaborate with more animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and pet-focused organizations to spread awareness about the importance of estate planning for pets. Together, we can educate more pet parents and ensure their furry, feathered, or scaly family members are cared for, no matter what.

If you’re a shelter, veterinarian, or organization passionate about the welfare of pets and want to help spread the word about pet planning, I’d love to connect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.familyandpetestateplanning.com
• Instagram: familyandpetplanning
• Twitter: fampetplanning
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/family-and-pet-estate-planning-wareham

Image Credits

These images were downloaded from Pexels and were free to download with approval from the artist(s).