Wolf & Heron founders look to spread the skills of inspirational influence
After graduating together from the Erb Institute in 2013, Kara Davidson and Stephanie Judd quickly formed a relationship not only as friends, but as professional partners. They bonded over similar goals for themselves and the impact that they hoped to have. Both Kara and Stephanie are driven by the importance of creating meaningful change within the community around them by helping others become more effective leaders. Learning to drive change was part of the reason they chose to study at SEAS, as they saw the SEAS community as one that was interested in making a sustainable difference.
Stephanie and Kara founded Wolf & Heron in 2016 to help leaders more effectively create change with the tools and skills of inspirational influence. Making the leap into entrepreneurship was scary, but looking back, both say that moment in their careers is one of their proudest. When reflecting on starting their business they shared, “It’s really hard, but also extremely meaningful because we are one hundred percent responsible for our successes and failures.”
In the beginning of their 4th year of business, the Covid-19 pandemic began to impact the United States. Since a majority of their work focused on in-person workshops, Stephanie and Kara had to quickly pivot, adjusting major aspects of their strategy. They relied on their network (“Go Blue!”), expanded smaller aspects of their business, and adapted their most popular program, Influential Storytelling, into a “highly interactive, virtual experience.” Despite the early setbacks of 2020, Wolf & Heron was able to transform and thrive throughout the year, specifically in its one-on-one coaching offerings, and its international reach.
Stephanie and Kara are glad they can continue to help driven professionals increase their impact. Going forward, they hope to remain true to both the humility and the innovation they acquired during the pandemic to better serve their clients. In the end, they remain committed to empowering leaders who believe in a better world with the skills to drive sustainable change.