Story & Lesson Highlights with Karin Wright

Karin Wright shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Karin, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
For the first time in a long time, it’s actually my dogs, again! When you’ve been working with dogs as your main means of income and paying bills, it definitely can turn passion and joy into chore and mundane. After nearly 20 years, growing and scaling successfully and now cutting back and shifting into a dog adjacent career, the joy and passion are returning.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been in dogs professionally since 2008 and founded The Driven Dog, Dog Training, in Chicago. It was hugely successful and I am forever grateful to my earliest believers and supporters in my hometown, many of whom I still keep in contact with. In 2015, I moved to LA and scaled my dog training business from a one woman show to a 4,000+ sq ft brick and mortar with 40+ dog kennels, day care, boarding and full grooming service. Our dog training built a large following and stellar reputation, we trained and befriended celebrities and their dogs, and brought the Protectjon Sport Association back to the West Coast officially after 10 years. Not a small feat!

After having beautiful babies in 2019, I took further and further steps back from physically training dogs daily, to all the behind the scenes and client management work. Being the motivated and work a holic personality that I am, I started to deep dive into marketing. After 3 years of obsessive research, seminars, certifications and practice, I decided to slowly step back from dog training and started a digital marketing agency, So Fetch Consulting. You guessed it – my primary clients are other dog trainers and dog businesses.

Today, I am the Director of Marketing for a private international school, Founder of So Fetch Consulting, and still owner of The Driven Dog, taking dog training and dog lifestyle clients virtually. My main clients are those who need less teaching a dog how to sit, and more understanding of this perfectly chaotic animal they’ve welcomed into their home and life!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
This is probably cliché. But it’s definitely my two kids. They are 6 and 4, and the lessons I have taught myself, the trauma I’ve had to sift through, so that I can be sure my children will have what I lacked or avoid the hard mistakes I had to endure, personally, before learning, have changed me so much as a person.

And they teach me so much daily as well, even at this young age. They check me and keep me on my toes but always grounded to the moment. They grow so fast, they are a forever reminder to enjoy the present moment.

All in all, my kids have brought so much forced balance into my life.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When the kids came. Because I had no choice, the energy isn’t there to properly hide

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I have a hard time hiding my facial expressions and lying. I think the public version is likely very real me.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Every day, every moment, I give my best. I don’t know how to chill, I don’t know how to not give anything I do, my best. No pay or praise needed, nothing drives me other than my own competitive nature with myself. I have to do my best to win, against no one else but me.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
First picture: David Wright
Second Picture: Ed Keene
Third Picture: myself, Karin Wright

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Life, Lessons, & Legacies

Through the work we do we are incredibly fortunate to find and learn about so

Highlighter Series
What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?

Growth often means stepping into what once scared us. The things we resist can become

Highlighter Series
What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?

Over the past decade, we have been profoundly impacted by the wisdom of the community.