Step into your power online

Turbocharge your digital presence with The Digital Campfire Academy, a 12-week live online learning experience jam-packed with information and insights designed to transform your digital identity into rocket fuel to grow your business.

Fall 2023 cohort now OPEN

What Is the Digital Campfire Academy?

The Digital Campfire Academy is a transformational live online course for female entrepreneurs and senior in-house business leaders designed to deliver the foundational strategies, tactical frameworks, and confidence to build an explosive digital presence for yourself and your business, along with an community of insanely talented women to support you along the way.

THE DIGITAL CAMPFIRE ACADEMY IS FOR YOU IF…

☑ You’re a woman or female-identifying entrepreneur with a product or service in-market or a senior in-house business leader interested in stepping up your personal online presence, your business’ online presence, or both

☑ You feel the urge to dissociate (or dive under a duvet) when you look at all the platforms where your brand could be showing up and start thinking about how much work it’s going to take to gain traction on any one of them

☑ You feel scarily out of your league trying to figure out how to plant your flag in a crowded digital ecosystem

☑ You want to gain the confidence and knowledge to connect with your audience in a more meaningful way

☑ You want to acquire the skills to predict the next wave of online consumption trends to help your business stay relevant, vibrant and profitable

If any of that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place.

Why Work With Me?

Hi, I’m Sara (a.k.a. your Digital Demystifier-in-Chief).

I’ve spent nearly 15 years working at the forefront of social innovation, first as a journalist and editor at publications like The Economist and HuffPost, then in senior partnership roles at Facebook and Instagram. Today, I help brands like Nike, YouTube, Microsoft and The New York Times understand digital trends and develop customized digital marketing strategies, write pieces about how to decode the digital landscape for publications like the Harvard Business Review and share digital insights in talks at Microsoft and McKinsey. 

You May Have Seen Me In

Who Is The Digital Campfire Academy For?

Entrepreneurs with products or services in-market

Senior in-house business leaders

The lessons you’ll learn in the Academy will apply whether you’re looking to elevate your personal brand as a solo entrepreneur, brand leader, senior leader within your company, or combination of all of the above. The only pre-requisites for entry are that you’re female (or female-identifying), relatively senior, and seeking to understand the digital landscape in greater depth in order to create more powerful connections for you and your business.

Over the Course of 12 Weeks You Will…

01

FIND YOUR VOICE ONLINE: Say goodbye to imposter syndrome, gain the confidence to know you have something valuable to say, and acquire the tools and tactics that will help you say it.

02

LEARN TO SPEAK INTERNET: Cut through the noise of today’s digital landscape, overcome the sense of overwhelm it can inspire, and navigate it with fluency.

03

FIND YOUR PEOPLE: Narrow your niche, attract an audience that connects deeply with your message, and tap into a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and senior business leaders on similar paths.

04

GROW YOUR COMMUNITY: Discover how to use my Digital Campfire Formula to create the unique foundational roadmap you’ll need to help you launch and grow an online community for yourself or your brand.

05

FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BRAND: Build your trend-forecasting muscle in order to accurately intuit which trends are coming next—an essential skill to develop if you want to stay ahead of the curve, and one you can build.

06

TAP THE DIGITAL KNOW-HOW OF STELLAR EXPERTS: Ask me whatever you’re wondering about the digital world, and because I don’t have all the answers, you’ll also get to quiz an all-star cast of experts during live Q&A sessions. 

Why Did I Launch The Digital Campfire Academy?

I’ve received countless inquiries over the years from small business leaders and early-stage founders who were looking to work with me. A lot of them were women. While I always wanted to help them, in many cases they lacked the budget to hire me.

During my five years running lifestyle partnerships at Facebook and Instagram, I met face-to-face with a lot of high-profile female public figures The experience taught me that women face a unique set of challenges attempting to navigate the digital world and show up authentically online.

I became determined to find another way to share my knowledge and insights with that particular cohort, and I hit upon the idea of creating an intimate live group learning experience at a more accessible price point.

Thus the Academy was born.

What People Are Saying

  • "Sara’s digital campfire class was everything that I hoped it would be! Whether a brand, founder or thought-leader, Sara gives you the confidence and skills to find your voice and build your own digital campfire through content strategy, access to platform experts, and 1 on 1 consultations. Thank you, Sara!"

    -Michelle Cutter, VP of e-Commerce, REI

  • "Sara's course felt more like a... meeting of like-minded friends than an official class... In a short time, she was able to lead us through many relevant trends, curate some fascinating speakers, and give each participant personalized advice on working through our questions and blockers so we could start optimizing our own digital communities, whether for our brands or ourselves as thought leaders. I got so much from this class and already miss it!"

    -Marina Khidekel, Founder of Hugimals

  • "When I stumbled upon Sara's session...while I was surfing around LinkedIn, I knew I had to get to know her. Little did I know that she would create a one-of-a-kind course—a digital campfire that, in my opinion, everyone needs to take. Whether you're a brand or a creator of a sole proprietorship, a budding or expert speaker, or you work for a startup or legacy company, this course is for you."

    -Suzanne Sinatra, Founder of Private Packs

  • "Sara makes navigating the over-hyped, under-explained map of social media a joy. Three parts anthropologist, coach and shaman, she helps her cohorts explore, gain confidence and leap into the unknown. This was a truly transformative experience for me."

    -Tuula Rea, Founder of COMM[UNION] consultancy

  • "If you find the idea of identifying and building digital community in public to be daunting and even exhausting even before you start- then join the club! Fortunately, Sara is a uniquely experienced and empathetic guide to help you set a basic North Star strategy and then dive in and experiment."

    -Elizabeth Gebhardt, Global Strategy, Creative, and Innovation Consultant; Founder of Apple's First Music group

  • "I highly recommend investing in Sara Wilson's Campfire Academy. The combination of Sara's brilliant insights about the digital landscape, thoughtful and impactful strategies for growth, impressive roster of guest speakers, and level of 1:1 support was invaluable. I entered the course uncertain about how my brand should show up online and left with a roadmap to take my business to the next level and the confidence to implement it."

    -Alexandra Weiss, Founder of Coaching by AW

  • "Not only did Sara help me narrow my niche and audience for my new health coaching business, but she also demystified the top social media channels and took me from a state of overwhelm to comfortable and competent by giving me a new toolkit of marketing skills! I’m off to the races, thank you!!!"

    -Katie Arnemann, Holistic Health Coach and Founder of Selfishly Healthy

  • "I learned strategic ways to create a meaningful community online from participating in Sara Wilson's Digital Campfire Academy. I also gained a valuable and actionable framework for tackling my goals across digital platforms. Sara is insightful, creates approachable ways to tackle complex material, and prioritizes the fun and joy of kindling community in any medium."

    -Nicole de Beaufort, Founder and President of EarlyWorks, LLC

Why Take a Live Course Over a Pre-Recorded One?

Most online courses today are pre-recorded, but I knew from the start that I wanted the Academy sessions to be live. I believe magic can happen when a small group of like-minded people come together in person to learn. What’s more, to ensure that everyone in the group is a good fit, I meet virtually with every prospective student before I accept their application. I also cap each cohort at 12 students to ensure the intimacy of the experience and my ability to give my full attention to all participants.

“If social media can feel like a crowded airport terminal where everyone is allowed, but no one feels particularly excited to be there, digital campfires offer a more intimate oasis where smaller groups of people are excited to gather.” 

—Sara Wilson, “The Era of Anti-Social Social Media,” Harvard Business Review

All the Details:

The Academy features a range of learning formats, each designed to educate, entertain and inspire:

☑ Live classes: Learn directly from me during six 90-minute classes held every other week over 12 weeks. I’ll address topics such as nailing your story, finding your people, building your community, and more—all of which are part of the core Academy curriculum.

☑ Office Hour sessions: Ask questions, work through roadblocks, and get immediate feedback from me during the optional 1-hour drop-in Office Hours, held on the weeks when we do not have class.

☑ Group conversations, exercises and interactive workshops: Experience aha moments in real time by learning together with classmates who are facing similar challenges and blockers.

☑ 1-1 coaching: Get customized personal support from me in a 1-hour private strategic advisory session ($1000 value) included in the price of the course. BONUS: Early Bird sign-ups get an ADDITIONAL PRIVATE SESSION with me.

☑ Direct access to best-in-class digital platform experts: Join Q&As with guests selected from my highly curated network of experts.

☑ Custom extras: Expect bonus content such as videos, relevant links and helpful documents throughout the course, all of which are designed to deepen your experience.

☑ 24/7 community: Get advice and support from other students during the 12-week course (and stay connected with them afterwards) via the Academy’s group chat space on Geneva.

When does the next cohort of The Academy begin?

The next cohort of the Academy begins October 4th and runs for 12 weeks. The final class of the Academy will take place the week of December 11th, 2023 and the final Office Hour will take place the week of December 18th (note that Office Hours are optional.)

How much does the Academy cost? $3,290

Do you offer any financial support?

Yes. I offer one scholarship per course. It covers the full cost of the course and is designated for a female business leader or entrepreneur who was hit by recent layoffs, has been out of the workforce for other reasons, or can’t afford the course fee. Want to nominate someone or self-nominate? Fill out an application here and I’ll be in touch.

More questions? Visit the FAQ below.

Want to get notified when the next cohort opens?

Got more questions? I got you.

  • The Digital Campfire Academy class sessions are live. All sessions are recorded and stored in a library where they are available for review by students who are unable to attend the live sessions.

  • The next cohort of the Academy begins October 4th, 2023.

  • Class sessions run 90 minutes each and take place every other week at the same time and on the same day of the week: 9:30 AM PST/12:30 PM EST.

  • Yes. On the weeks when we do not have a class, I’ll be holding an optional drop-in Office Hour—a 1-hour time block open to all class participants to ask questions, talk through challenges, and get immediate feedback from me. This Office Hour will take place every other week and is not mandatory. The specific weekly time will be announced prior to the course kickoff.

  • The Academy will cap out at 12 women in order to keep things intimate and ensure I can give my full attention to all participants.

  • I specifically created the Academy sessions for female and female-identifying entrepreneurs and senior business leaders who are looking to understand the digital landscape in greater depth in order to create more powerful connections for themselves and their businesses. The lessons you learn in the Academy will apply whether you’re looking to elevate your personal brand as an individual entrepreneur, brand leader, senior leader within your company, or some combination of all of the above.

  • Each class will be structured around the following topics:

    WEEK 1: Nail Your Story—Define the core value you offer and tease out how to articulate it.

    WEEK 2: Find Your People—Crystallize your audience and the platforms where they live.

    WEEK 3: Speak Their Language—Embed in your audience’s world and learn how to listen for and speak their native tongue.

    WEEK 4: Build Your Digital Campfire—Leverage the Digital Campfire Formula in order to apply it in your own unique way.

    WEEK 5: See the Future—Learn to intuitively predict the next wave of online consumption trends.

    WEEK 6: Meet the New Marketer—Thrive in times of radical uncertainty with your new playbook

  • While I plan to host future Academy sessions which will be open to everyone, the Fall sessions are only open to women (and female-identifying individuals.)

  • If three or more people from the same company wish to attend, please contact me to discuss group rates.

  • That’s my term for the smaller, more intimate online destinations to which audiences, especially younger ones, are flocking today, and which have become the new paradigm for online consumption, defining how audiences connect, communicate, experience and shape culture at large, both online and off. You can read more about digital campfires in my articles for Harvard Business Review (here and here), MIT Sloan Management Review here, and by listening to me speak about them on podcasts like this or in presentations like this.

  • Check out my website here, my LinkedIn here, and a project I published in early 2023 called The Brand Yearbook here which touches on a lot of these same themes.

Just want to chat? Reach out to Sara at sara@swprojects.co