Carol W Gardner

About Carol W Gardner

At the age of 52, Carol Gardner was facing a divorce that left her with a huge debt, no job, and no income. A friend gave Carol some advice: “Get a therapist, or a dog.” Gardner chose the latter and bought a four-month-old English bulldog she named Zelda. Both were underdogs who needed a big dose of unconditional love.Another friend who knew of Gardner’s financial plight told her about an annual Christmas card contest at a local pet store. Carol used her background as a creative director in advertising to combine the visual humor of Zelda along with Carol’s verbal wit and wisdom. Carol borrowed a Santa hat from a neighbor, filled the bathtub with bubble bath and lowered Zelda into the tub. With the hat on her head and a beard made from the bubbles, Zelda was the perfect Santa imposter. Carol snapped the photo and sent it to the pet store with the one-liner: “For Christmas I got a dog for my husband. good trade, huh?” Zelda and Carol won the contest. Carol sent the prize-winning image out as holiday cards. The overwhelming response sparked the creation of Zelda Wisdom.Zelda Wisdom, Inc. is now an international business with licensees around the world. The list of licensees has included: Hallmark, Russ Berrie, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Macmillan Publishing, American Greetings, Westland Giftware, American Products Inc, Rasta Imposta, etc. Twelve popular Zelda books have been published.Zelda and Carol have appeared on The Today Show, GMA, Oprah, the Martha Stewart Show, CNN Live, CNBC’s Power Lunch, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Nightly News and the FOX Good Morning Show, etc. Carol has also been featured in Parade Magazine, Forbes, Newsweek Magazine, the Huffington Post, the Nat\'l Enquirer, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, etc.In addition, Carol has become a popular motivational speaker:\"How To Go From Underdog To Top Dog.\"(without barking up the wrong tree) Entrepreneurship is the core topic.

Experience

1. Co-founder & President

   Maxdaddy

   Jan 2018 — Present · Portland, OR, US

   MaxDaddy is an often obstinate, always lovable, rescued English bulldog who found his forever family at the extra wrinkly age of five. MaxDaddy came with a heap of challenges including joint pain due to arthritis, inflammation, anxiety and mobility issues that together, prevented him from enjoying life to the fullest.MaxDaddy’s pet partner, Carol Gardner, consulted veterinarians, canine health experts and friends to find solutions for MaxDaddy’s health issues. In the process, she was introduced to CBD, a natural product derived from agriculturally grown hemp plants.Carol started digging and researched all pet products on the market that contained CBD, and discovered they simply weren’t good enough. So she partnered with two Ph. D scientists who created the perfect CBD products in their lab for MaxDaddy.With samples in hand, she tested them on MaxDaddy with remarkable results. MaxDaddy began moving more freely and became more active.

Education

• US Grant High School, Portland, OR

  Foreign Languages/Design

  1960 — 1964

• University of Oregon

  Spanish/Journalism

  1963 — 1967

Skills

• Marketing Communications
• Marketing
• Online Advertising
• Copywriting
• Web Design
• Strategic Planning
• Publishing
• Graphic Design
• Entrepreneurship
• Creative Direction
• Social Media Marketing
• Public Speaking
• Public Relations
• Social Networking
• Brand Development
• Online Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Social Media
• Advertising
• Marketing Strategy
• Event Management