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" I make sure I eat before I go anywhere just in case they don't have a vegan-friendly option. "
Karen Civil
Case
Go
Just
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" With Drake, I was a big fan of 'Degrassi.' "
Karen Civil
Drake
Fan
Big Fan
" I take yoga classes, do a mile run, and of course take part in some kind of water sport. "
Karen Civil
Water
Yoga
Take
" I am the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Marathon Agency, a new venture with my business partner Steve Carless. It's a management, branding, marketing, and business strategy. I'm in charge of marketing and branding clients like Nick Cannon, Nicki Minaj, and more. "
Karen Civil
Business
I Am
Marathon
" Be You, Live Civil was a tour that I started, and it's just always something that I've been to myself. 'Be you, live civil' is like 'live my life.' That was my short version of saying to live my life. "
Karen Civil
Live
My Life
Myself
" I admired and wanted to be a lot like Angie Martinez. As I got older, I realized that I had a soft monotone voice and that being a DJ may not be the career for me. However, I was so in love and infatuated with hip-hop that I still wanted to be a part and give back the community, so I decided to carve my own path and make my own lane. "
Karen Civil
Path
Voice
Me
" I did the 'right' thing and got a corporate job on Wall Street. That did not last long. I felt like I was throwing all my years of hard work and relationship-building down the toilet. I eventually quit, went and bought a camera, and built a website. That was the birth of KarenCivil.com. "
Karen Civil
Quit
Long
Hard Work
" At first, social media was just about networking. But now that I have to network, I make sure that every platform makes money for me. You can do something on Facebook. "
Karen Civil
Media
Now
Social Media
" I was born to Haitian parents, and the idea of giving back is really just a part of our culture. So, I don't think there was ever a moment that I questioned my call to philanthropy, but I can say that the more I've grown, the bigger that call has become. "
Karen Civil
Parents
Think
Culture
" Growing up in America, even in the rougher parts of Elizabeth, I had two nice playgrounds to choose from as a child. "
Karen Civil
Choose
Child
America
" At the end of the day, I'm still an African-American woman in a male-dominated industry, so sometimes you have to deal with people not taking your ideas seriously. But I look at it as, I'd rather have adversities in something that I love than doing something that I hate or where I am not interested. "
Karen Civil
Hate
Day
Woman
" Social media can help or hurt you. People are more into other people's lives than their own. Everyone sees everyone else's success online, and we allow it to magnify our own failure. "
Karen Civil
Success
Failure
Social Media
" I fell in love with hip-hop a little bit late; I grew up on Another Bad Creation and Kris Kross. But my mom got me a TV in my room, and I remember seeing Biggie's 'Give Me One More Chance,' and I was like, 'Oh, this is how a house party looks!' I really, really fell in love with it when Tupac created 'Dear Mama.' "
Karen Civil
Late
Remember
Mom
" People see your life on social media, and they say, 'Oh my gosh, it's perfect,' and I'm like, 'No, every day, it's not even just a struggle: it's something new, and it's a new challenge to make sure that I'm mentally stable and healthy and that I'm okay.' It was just great to finally get it out and talk about it. "
Karen Civil
Struggle
Day
Social Media
" Unfortunately, Haiti does not have many safe environments for children to play and express themselves. "
Karen Civil
Children
Does
Haiti
" Words do cut, and they do hurt. It was one thing growing up where you were bullied, but you'd just come home. Now you can't really escape it. It's to a point where you turn off that phone, you live your life, and you try not to let the words of others offend or stop you from being you and living your life. "
Karen Civil
You
Words
Live
" When I was in eighth grade, I created a Backstreet Boys fan site. I came in third place in a fan site contest and got to meet them. "
Karen Civil
Contest
Them
Place
" When I had dial-up, my mom got me a phone so I wouldn't tie up the phone. She used to really pick up the phone, push some buttons, and hang it up so the connection could mess up. Now, it's a joke with her, like, 'Look, the Internet's 24/7. I have WiFi now.' "
Karen Civil
Look
Internet
Phone
" Chances have been taken, opportunities granted, and because of such, I find myself in a position where some of my biggest dreams are in arm's reach. "
Karen Civil
Opportunities
Myself
Reach
" I give people on my team the opportunity to excel as well, and I think that's what continues to keep me ahead. I may not be able to show or do an interview; I give them the opportunity to run the show, and that has been working. "
Karen Civil
Team
Think
People
" For me, for a very long time, I was in denial because when you say you're sad or you're overwhelmed, we consider it whining or complaining. People say, 'Count your blessings,' and it's like, 'Yeah, I am, but I'm still sad. Something is wrong with me.' I had to acknowledge it. "
Karen Civil
Blessings
I Am
Me
" While working for Diplomat Records, I helped several artists with their online branding and social media. Once I left the label, I worked directly with artists and noticed many artists were overlooked and underrated if they weren't in 'XXL' or 'The Source.' "
Karen Civil
Social Media
Working
Left
" I get this thing where people are like, 'Man, you got to tell me what to do' - like I have a cheat code to being successful. It's hard work; it's trial and error. I failed, but I never let failure get to my head or to my heart. "
Karen Civil
Heart
Hard Work
Failure
" You don't know what's going to happen to you in the next hour. So you just live your life, live to the best of your potential, and just be happy. "
Karen Civil
Be Happy
Live
Best
" I love my religion, I love everything about it, but at the same time, I love my career, and I want to do it with the same love and compassion. "
Karen Civil
Time
Compassion
Love
" I'm doing activations with companies you would never think of. Not to say this in a braggadocious way, but I'm not putting myself in a box. The only thing that goes in a box is Chinese food and your sneakers - not me. "
Karen Civil
Doing
Myself
You
" When I started my career, I never looked at myself as one to be inspirational, but as I continued to grow, I've met so many different people who ask, 'How do you do it? You make it look easy.' But it's not easy. I have certain tricks and tips I use every day that have been working for me. "
Karen Civil
Me
People
Myself
" I come from a great home and fully supportive family that helped to nurture my dreams. A lot of people don't have those same things in their household. "
Karen Civil
Dreams
People
Home
" I just knew I loved music, and I wanted to do something in music, but I couldn't sing, I can't dance, I am an introvert. So I was like, 'What exactly is there for me to do? What can I do?' There's all these questions, there's all these things that are telling you 'no' instead of 'yes.' Those are the things I dealt a lot with, my insecurity. "
Karen Civil
Insecurity
Me
I Am
" One of my most memorable moments serving the community was after I built the Live Civil Playground in Haiti, and I visited an orphanage and gave away shoes to all the kids. I also sat with them and helped them design their shoes. The smiles on their faces were priceless. "
Karen Civil
Design
Live
Moments
" Everything is a learning lesson, good and bad, so I am happy with the way things are, and I learned from everything negative. I am in a great space now, so I wouldn't change a thing! "
Karen Civil
Good
Great
Learning