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STEPH GRANT: Can you believe it's been 10 years since our first photoshoot together?! I am fortunate to have CAPTURED COUNTLESS memories with you over the years. SAFE TO SAY, I CANNOT IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT THE DAVIDSONS.

WENDY DAVIDSON: How has it been 10 years since that first photo session? (and yet, I cannot remember a time when you have not been a part of our lives - truly chosen family and we're beyond lucky!) When I look back on the pictures from that day and all of the events you've captured since that time, I know that partnering with you has enabled a kind of shorthand to capture the best moments, expressions, and authentic behind-the-scenes that brings out the personality of individuals, the team and the company. When we decided to do our first family photos in over 12 years, there was simply no one else I would trust to capture it.

If you had to explain to a kid what you've done in your career over the past decade…what would you say?

I've always described myself as a builder: of people, networks, businesses, connections and communities. In the past 10 years I've continued on that journey within 3 different organizations across a variety of brands within a broad set of categories and, importantly, growing teams and organizations as well. I've added board work with both public and private companies and invested in founder-led brands in categories I believe are at the intersection of potential and purpose.

What was your first job? If you could spend time with 17 year old Wendy... what would you tell her about who you are today?

My first job was at 13 walking soybean fields and detasseling corn in Iowa farmland. I'd tell my younger self that the hard work and challenges I learned then would form a foundation that gave me resilience and an appreciation for the distance you can go with determination and grit. I've had the opportunity to lead brands, teams, businesses and boards across the globe. By far, I am most proud of the opportunity to see people I've worked with or mentored grow, achieve their dreams and make a tremendous impact on their companies, the industry and their communities. We are what we build and I'm most proud of building up the capabilities and capacity in others.

What do you spend your time & energy on outside of work?

Physical fitness has become a regular habit with strength training and Pilates; and golf and hiking with Thor. I find this gives me energy for everything else. We are "travel curious" and try to take time out each year to see someplace new and experience another culture. Professionally I stay engaged beyond the boardroom through advising business leaders navigating growth and transformation, speaking at business schools and industry forums, and writing. And service is important for our family - Thor is deeply involved with Rotary International and I am honored to serve on the Ronald McDonald House Global board of trustees. We invest family time in volunteering as often as possible.

You & Thor have been on dreamy adventures over the past year! Tell me about something you've seen recently that inspired you:

We traveled to the Canadian Rockies last summer and then Africa in the fall from the coastal areas in Cape Town to the wine country and into the bush for safari. But my favorite was a surprise last-minute trip in January to a remote arctic village in Finland to see the northern lights. Both the extremes of 22-hour nights and 50-below temperatures combined with the warmth of the people and the vibrant lights dancing across the sky - it was magical. The best part is sharing it with my best friend and journey partner who continues to find ways to make dreams a reality.

TELL ME ABOUT a project you're excited about:

I'm excited (and nervous) to take a step towards writing a book on the false tradeoffs we are told we have to make to succeed in leadership. I want to write the book I wish had existed when I was starting in my career that would show me a different kind of leadership than the examples I saw when I looked at the top of organizations: choosing performance over people, results over culture, short term over long term, dollars over impact.

Do you have advice for young entrepreneurs toying around w/ building a brand around their name & identity?

The best advice I received early in my career was to remember that everything counts because everything communicates. As leaders of teams and organizations this is even more so, especially if your name is the company brand. Keeping in mind that everything tells a story is critical: how we show up, speak up, and sync up what we do (policies, positions, platforms) with what we say about the company. While tempting to leverage your platform to advance your personal positions, if it doesn't align to the purpose of the business, this becomes a business risk and should be carefully considered. Just as a company may or may not hire an influencer for their positions due to halo impact to the affiliation, as an entrepreneur, you have to weigh the benefits and the costs along with potential impact to your business, clients, team members and partners. As a general rule, if the issue isn't directly tied to your core business, you should not engage publicly.

as roles change and social media evolves. How do you approach safety & privacy for you & your family while still being authentic?

This is critical for anyone in a public-facing role knowing that while professional exposure is important for your company or brand, personal exposure creates risk. I was featured in an article when our kids were young so we photographed them from behind to prevent the risks of online visibility. It was the first moment when I realized that what I do professionally has implications for my family and I've set firm boundaries ever since.

How would you like to see the world differently in your lifetime?

I'd like to see kindness be the most important leadership trait that we recognize, reward and expect in leaders at all levels.

You recently lent me a book about transition periods. What has gotten you through some of the hardest transitions in your life?

I've learned to reframe change as opportunity rather than loss and to lean on others to help me reflect on lessons learned, rethink how that shapes my path forward and then lean into the unknown. Transitions are just the path that gets me from what "was" to what "will be".

one of my favorite things has been listening to you go from talking with your kids about jr high/high school happenings to overhearing you give them career advice. What qualities are you proud of in your kids?

I'm most proud of their empathy, confidence, sense of adventure, and quick wit. That combination has enabled them to care genuinely for others, adapt to new environments, and fueled a love of travel and ability to find the humor in challenging situations.

What’s one song that defines you at this point in your life?

"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts - life is a journey and even when you take three steps forward, then fall back two...you've made progress. My wish for myself, my family, and those I advise and mentor is to make it count. " I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow And each road leads you where you want to go And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose I hope you choose the one that means the most to you And if one door opens to another door closed I hope you keep on walkin' 'till you find the window If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile But more than anything, more than anything My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small You never need to carry more than you can hold And while you're out there getting where you're getting to I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too Yeah, this, is my wish I hope you never look back, but ya never forget All the ones who love you, in the place you left I hope you always forgive, and you never regret And you help somebody every chance you get"

A DECADE WITH WENDY DAVIDSON