Karen Civil

“I have my own marketing company, Always Civil, where I help artists create their online identity. I have worked with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige, Pusha T - the list goes on.”

“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.”

“I always knew I wanted to do something in entertainment. Since I could not sing, had no rhythm, and did not want to be a baby mama, I thought I would explore the Video DJ route.”

“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.”

“Do you want to be the girl that's envied, or do you want to be the girl that inspires you? Most people don't know that I am super shy and timid, but online people think I have a big personality. Make sure whatever you do has an overall message and has value.”

“We now live in an era where everybody is rich, and for some reason, everybody has a $20K bag. It is great to have those things, but I want the people who follow me to feel inspired and not jealous. Once you figure out your overall message, then you can push forward.”

“I believe that God has blessed me in immeasurable ways so that I can, in return, bless and help others.”

“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.”

“For so long, we were labeled - you're a girly girl, you're a tomboy, you're this or that - but now we can do what we want. One style doesn't define me.”

“That's the wonderful thing about picking and choosing who we want to work with, because I've been in situations where I've worked with someone, and they thought they were gonna be on the cover of 'XXL' in two months. I'm like, 'That's not how it works.'”

“I just tell myself I gotta get up at 8 A.M. I don't even use an alarm clock.”

“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.”

“What are you doing to magnify and grow your business? What are you doing for yourself? You have to self-motivate. I had to learn a million things on Google until I was able to meet people who I could partner with for help.”

“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.”

“Nobody is going to love and honor your dreams like yourself. It's really not looking for someone to be your superhero but for us to save ourselves and to really understand that. I've been at the lowest of lowest of my life, and it took that for me to realize that I want to do better and to be better.”

“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.”

“All I cared about was 'TRL.' I was studying communications at school, and one day before class, I heard about the 'Search For An Apprentice' program.”

“I'd worked in music for years and built all these relationships, so I bought a camera, built a website, and decided to go for it.”

“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.”

“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.”