Living Fit The Civil Way – How A Healthy Lifestyle Powers Karen Civil’s Success
Black Fitness Today
Photo credit: Noel Daganta
By
It’s another beautiful November day in Los Angeles, and it’s shoot day. Karen Civil is en route, and the team is preparing for her arrival. You can feel how the atmosphere changes when she walks into the studio. She brings an aura of confidence, yet calmness. Even while she’s ironing out details of her schedule for the rest of the week, she’s in lock step during shoot prep. Karen is like a chameleon who can rock many different looks and shine bright while doing it.
Everyone has their own method of preparation for photo shoots. We can imagine that in being a cover girl for a fitness mag, she wanted to be ready. But, her lifestyle, work ethic, and commitment to maintaining good health and a solid physique proved to be a perfect return on investment on shoot day.
The Elizabeth, New Jersey native now residing in Los Angeles is one of the best digital strategists in the game. Even if you still don’t know who she is by now, you probably know her work and have seen her footprint. Check some of her most notable receipts:
Remember when Weezy went to prison? Karen was responsible for the creation of his fan site weezythanxyou.com, that kept his fans connected and brand intact during his incarceration. This was crucial because it was before social media gave us all direct access to our favorite celebs and entertainers.
You know all those Beats by Dre ads with notable athletes and entertainers wearing the headphones while getting a glimpse into their journeys? She spearheaded that campaign.
The booming success of mainstream artists like YG, Nipsey Hussle and Dave East and more, link back to her, as she has elevated these artists into formidable brands.
One of Karen’s platforms, karencivil.com, which kicked off in 2008, has been unique in the hip-hop industry because it is credited with introducing now global superstars to the world before anyone else including Drake, J. Cole, and Nicki Minaj.
Karen and her team launched the LiveCivil playground in Haiti, the place of her roots, to create a safe place for children to be able to play and express themselves.
Karen Civil is not only holding her own in a male-dominated industry, but is setting the path that women — and men — want to follow.
What enables Karen Civil to be the powerhouse that she is goes beyond her knowledge, experience, and connections. It is often said that our health is our greatest wealth. How can we live out our fullest potential if we aren’t healthy enough to do it? This is an idea that Karen takes very seriously; it gives her balance and a solid foundation.
Self-care has enabled her to successfully fight her battle with anemia, and maintain not only a solid body, but a solid mental state – something so crucial in the industry she dominates each and every day.
What was your motivating force for deciding to take your health to another level? What were your original goals and how they really evolved since then?
Fitness is a large portion of my day and my overall lifestyle. For a very long time I didn’t really incorporate it. But for me to stay sane and stay healthy, especially dealing with low iron and anemia, I just have to make sure that I’m getting the proper nutrition for my body. I’m taking my meds I’m drinking plenty of water. So yeah, it’s a large portion of my day.
A few years ago, I decided I just didn’t like the way I felt and looked. I decided I wanted to go vegan and I did it for close to two years. It was something I was proud of myself for doing. I did it for my own spiritual reasons because I wanted to fast from certain things. And anybody who knows me knows that I love French fries and they know that I love chicken. So, I wanted to fast from anything fried and anything that comes from an animal.
I didn’t think I could do it. At first it was one week, then two, then went to a month and from there it went on to two years. So I was very proud of myself for the transition and change because of the things that I removed from my body. And it helped me move forward with understanding portion-controlled meals and what I should be eating, and not celebrating success with junk, or like, getting a new opportunity and saying, let me go have some ice cream, let me go have some french fries. I just I just wanted to abstain from that type of lifestyle.
Did you feel any pressure to stick to veganism once you felt that maybe it wasn’t the right fit for you anymore?
It definitely got to a place where people were like oh, you’re not really vegan because I’d have a leather coat on. I hadn’t yet made the whole [transition] but I wasn’t getting rid of every shoe and every purse I had that’s leather. Some people wanted me to take the next step, asking — what type of products are you using? Are those animal tested? I’m like ok, this is a lot. I was trying my best, but I didn’t feel like it was so much negative backlash. I felt like PETA was very supportive. My friend Steph Floss who became vegan, was very supportive. My friend Jason Davis who’s a former football player, he’s also vegan and he was supportive. So I just feel like my friends and PETA were supportive about my change in my lifestyle. I used to be in different cities and I’d be [on Twitter] like hey where’s a restaurant and PETA would be the first one to respond on Twitter without me @ them.
How did your partnerships with brands like Ethika and Aquahydrate develop? Do you also see your brand further diversifying with more wellness-related brands?
With Ethika it was something that was organic and it just made sense. I’m a fan of their products and when I originally spoke to Malcolm who was the owner at the time, and then they had some transitions, it just made sense. It was just a fit. I love their clothes. I love their outfits – it’s something that I wear around the house and run my errands in.
So it just made sense and especially going through my workout/health journey, and things that I was doing, they were very supportive of making sure that I had the proper garments and proper things. When you’re working out you’re like oh, I need to get new gym clothes and we start making all these excuses. They made sure that there were no excuses for me.
My biggest relationship more than anything are with Ethika and APL shoes. Both brothers [CEOs Adam and Ryan Goldston] have been supportive. When I run my marathons I run in their shoes. Everything I do, like my workouts, are in their shoes. They make sure that I’m equipped. They understand certain challenges I may face and they make sure that I have the proper shoe for it. So it’s really Ethika and APL who have been supportive throughout this whole transition.
What are your favorite healthy eating spots around L.A that fit your on-the-go lifestyle?
Crossroads is my go-to. The Waffle has the best vegan burritos. So if I don’t have a shake or some fruit or whatever, I go to The Waffle for the breakfast burrito. I eat at Taco Window too; they have homemade vegan tacos which are really good.
When have the opportunity to indulge…what is that go-to food?
Oh my go to item – I definitely love french fries! That’s not going to change. I’m like God please don’t remove this from my life [laughs]. Let me just continue to sin and we’ll talk about it when I get to the pearly gates.
I also have a habit of eating ice. It’s because of the anemia it’s getting better, but it’s really those two things – oh and green grapes.
How has anemia affected you?
It’s something that I continue to deal with. And it got worse when I became vegan. It was to the point where my equilibrium was off because I wasn’t taking in all the protein [and iron] that I needed.
There were days I couldn’t get out of bed. I remember one day I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, and like two minutes later, I was just laying on the floor. I hit my head really hard and it’s because I passed out. I knew I was falling but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to check into the hospital and it had to be explained to me that I might need a blood transfusion and all these things, and I have to get my iron up.
I’ve been working on that the last year and a half. They said normal levels are between I think 11 and 13 and at the time I was at a 5 or 6. I’m at like a 9 or 10 now, so I just continue to take my meds. I have this iron drink that I take and I eat beets like apples. I’ve been feeling much better.
How do you continue to make time to work on your own personal brands and endeavors in the midst of everything you have going on?
I’m always going to find time for myself. That’s a given. With anything in life, you always find time for yourself and your brand and just who you are as an individual. I’m very meticulous. I’m great at multitasking but just really figuring out where my time and energy goes. I just try to schedule a lot of things out and I’m really big on time management.
How do you stay focused and centered with everything that you have going on?
I definitely meditate. I pray five times a day. You guys saw at the shoot I needed a minute to pray. I’m just big on talking to God.
With some of your artists such as Y.G., and Dave East, are they into fitness and wellness?
Oh yeah! I mean Dave is like the park gym workout king. You’ll see him on the bars out there. I’m not doing all of that. I’m going to Equinox [laughs]! YG is another one; he’s been working out heavy too. And even Nipsey [Hussle], and D.J. Mustard; they’re all in the gym working out trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle. I’m really proud of them.
Do you work with a trainer? What are some of your favorite exercises?
Yes, my trainer’s name is Jason Davis. My favorite exercises definitely involve doing cardio and stuff to help around my abs. I’m still working on my arms because they are very thin. But the biggest thing for me right now is definitely cardio, but we also do yoga and he helps me with my breathing.
What advice do you have for someone looking to build a successful brand in the fitness industry?
It’s about understanding who you want your audience to be, who you’re trying to engage with and who you’re trying to help; understanding where they are in their workout regimens and just really making it be as organic as possible. I’ll watch a lot of training videos of people doing all these high-end things which is great, but your audience may be people who haven’t worked out in years. So, it’s about making sure that you’re having those conversations and you’re including them; sharing that type of blueprint and set-up where people just really feel like okay, I can do these workouts. This doesn’t look too hard. This is something that I can do on an everyday basis. Also, making it feel like you’re growing with them.
Where can audience go to find out more about all of your work and projects?
You can find me on everything @karencivil and @livecivil on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and karencivil.com and livecivil.com.
I hope people look at my journey and my story and see that I’m a girl trying to figure it out who just didn’t like the way she looked. And she’s gone through the process and progress of changing that. And you know, I’m doing it for myself!
Black Fitness Today
Photo credit: Noel Daganta
By
It’s another beautiful November day in Los Angeles, and it’s shoot day. Karen Civil is en route, and the team is preparing for her arrival. You can feel how the atmosphere changes when she walks into the studio. She brings an aura of confidence, yet calmness. Even while she’s ironing out details of her schedule for the rest of the week, she’s in lock step during shoot prep. Karen is like a chameleon who can rock many different looks and shine bright while doing it.
Everyone has their own method of preparation for photo shoots. We can imagine that in being a cover girl for a fitness mag, she wanted to be ready. But, her lifestyle, work ethic, and commitment to maintaining good health and a solid physique proved to be a perfect return on investment on shoot day.
The Elizabeth, New Jersey native now residing in Los Angeles is one of the best digital strategists in the game. Even if you still don’t know who she is by now, you probably know her work and have seen her footprint. Check some of her most notable receipts:
Remember when Weezy went to prison? Karen was responsible for the creation of his fan site weezythanxyou.com, that kept his fans connected and brand intact during his incarceration. This was crucial because it was before social media gave us all direct access to our favorite celebs and entertainers.
You know all those Beats by Dre ads with notable athletes and entertainers wearing the headphones while getting a glimpse into their journeys? She spearheaded that campaign.
The booming success of mainstream artists like YG, Nipsey Hussle and Dave East and more, link back to her, as she has elevated these artists into formidable brands.
One of Karen’s platforms, karencivil.com, which kicked off in 2008, has been unique in the hip-hop industry because it is credited with introducing now global superstars to the world before anyone else including Drake, J. Cole, and Nicki Minaj.
Karen and her team launched the LiveCivil playground in Haiti, the place of her roots, to create a safe place for children to be able to play and express themselves.
Karen Civil is not only holding her own in a male-dominated industry, but is setting the path that women — and men — want to follow.
What enables Karen Civil to be the powerhouse that she is goes beyond her knowledge, experience, and connections. It is often said that our health is our greatest wealth. How can we live out our fullest potential if we aren’t healthy enough to do it? This is an idea that Karen takes very seriously; it gives her balance and a solid foundation.
Self-care has enabled her to successfully fight her battle with anemia, and maintain not only a solid body, but a solid mental state – something so crucial in the industry she dominates each and every day.
What was your motivating force for deciding to take your health to another level? What were your original goals and how they really evolved since then?
Fitness is a large portion of my day and my overall lifestyle. For a very long time I didn’t really incorporate it. But for me to stay sane and stay healthy, especially dealing with low iron and anemia, I just have to make sure that I’m getting the proper nutrition for my body. I’m taking my meds I’m drinking plenty of water. So yeah, it’s a large portion of my day.
A few years ago, I decided I just didn’t like the way I felt and looked. I decided I wanted to go vegan and I did it for close to two years. It was something I was proud of myself for doing. I did it for my own spiritual reasons because I wanted to fast from certain things. And anybody who knows me knows that I love French fries and they know that I love chicken. So, I wanted to fast from anything fried and anything that comes from an animal.
I didn’t think I could do it. At first it was one week, then two, then went to a month and from there it went on to two years. So I was very proud of myself for the transition and change because of the things that I removed from my body. And it helped me move forward with understanding portion-controlled meals and what I should be eating, and not celebrating success with junk, or like, getting a new opportunity and saying, let me go have some ice cream, let me go have some french fries. I just I just wanted to abstain from that type of lifestyle.
Did you feel any pressure to stick to veganism once you felt that maybe it wasn’t the right fit for you anymore?
It definitely got to a place where people were like oh, you’re not really vegan because I’d have a leather coat on. I hadn’t yet made the whole [transition] but I wasn’t getting rid of every shoe and every purse I had that’s leather. Some people wanted me to take the next step, asking — what type of products are you using? Are those animal tested? I’m like ok, this is a lot. I was trying my best, but I didn’t feel like it was so much negative backlash. I felt like PETA was very supportive. My friend Steph Floss who became vegan, was very supportive. My friend Jason Davis who’s a former football player, he’s also vegan and he was supportive. So I just feel like my friends and PETA were supportive about my change in my lifestyle. I used to be in different cities and I’d be [on Twitter] like hey where’s a restaurant and PETA would be the first one to respond on Twitter without me @ them.
How did your partnerships with brands like Ethika and Aquahydrate develop? Do you also see your brand further diversifying with more wellness-related brands?
With Ethika it was something that was organic and it just made sense. I’m a fan of their products and when I originally spoke to Malcolm who was the owner at the time, and then they had some transitions, it just made sense. It was just a fit. I love their clothes. I love their outfits – it’s something that I wear around the house and run my errands in.
So it just made sense and especially going through my workout/health journey, and things that I was doing, they were very supportive of making sure that I had the proper garments and proper things. When you’re working out you’re like oh, I need to get new gym clothes and we start making all these excuses. They made sure that there were no excuses for me.
My biggest relationship more than anything are with Ethika and APL shoes. Both brothers [CEOs Adam and Ryan Goldston] have been supportive. When I run my marathons I run in their shoes. Everything I do, like my workouts, are in their shoes. They make sure that I’m equipped. They understand certain challenges I may face and they make sure that I have the proper shoe for it. So it’s really Ethika and APL who have been supportive throughout this whole transition.
What are your favorite healthy eating spots around L.A that fit your on-the-go lifestyle?
Crossroads is my go-to. The Waffle has the best vegan burritos. So if I don’t have a shake or some fruit or whatever, I go to The Waffle for the breakfast burrito. I eat at Taco Window too; they have homemade vegan tacos which are really good.
When have the opportunity to indulge…what is that go-to food?
Oh my go to item – I definitely love french fries! That’s not going to change. I’m like God please don’t remove this from my life [laughs]. Let me just continue to sin and we’ll talk about it when I get to the pearly gates.
I also have a habit of eating ice. It’s because of the anemia it’s getting better, but it’s really those two things – oh and green grapes.
How has anemia affected you?
It’s something that I continue to deal with. And it got worse when I became vegan. It was to the point where my equilibrium was off because I wasn’t taking in all the protein [and iron] that I needed.
There were days I couldn’t get out of bed. I remember one day I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, and like two minutes later, I was just laying on the floor. I hit my head really hard and it’s because I passed out. I knew I was falling but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to check into the hospital and it had to be explained to me that I might need a blood transfusion and all these things, and I have to get my iron up.
I’ve been working on that the last year and a half. They said normal levels are between I think 11 and 13 and at the time I was at a 5 or 6. I’m at like a 9 or 10 now, so I just continue to take my meds. I have this iron drink that I take and I eat beets like apples. I’ve been feeling much better.
How do you continue to make time to work on your own personal brands and endeavors in the midst of everything you have going on?
I’m always going to find time for myself. That’s a given. With anything in life, you always find time for yourself and your brand and just who you are as an individual. I’m very meticulous. I’m great at multitasking but just really figuring out where my time and energy goes. I just try to schedule a lot of things out and I’m really big on time management.
How do you stay focused and centered with everything that you have going on?
I definitely meditate. I pray five times a day. You guys saw at the shoot I needed a minute to pray. I’m just big on talking to God.
With some of your artists such as Y.G., and Dave East, are they into fitness and wellness?
Oh yeah! I mean Dave is like the park gym workout king. You’ll see him on the bars out there. I’m not doing all of that. I’m going to Equinox [laughs]! YG is another one; he’s been working out heavy too. And even Nipsey [Hussle], and D.J. Mustard; they’re all in the gym working out trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle. I’m really proud of them.
Do you work with a trainer? What are some of your favorite exercises?
Yes, my trainer’s name is Jason Davis. My favorite exercises definitely involve doing cardio and stuff to help around my abs. I’m still working on my arms because they are very thin. But the biggest thing for me right now is definitely cardio, but we also do yoga and he helps me with my breathing.
What advice do you have for someone looking to build a successful brand in the fitness industry?
It’s about understanding who you want your audience to be, who you’re trying to engage with and who you’re trying to help; understanding where they are in their workout regimens and just really making it be as organic as possible. I’ll watch a lot of training videos of people doing all these high-end things which is great, but your audience may be people who haven’t worked out in years. So, it’s about making sure that you’re having those conversations and you’re including them; sharing that type of blueprint and set-up where people just really feel like okay, I can do these workouts. This doesn’t look too hard. This is something that I can do on an everyday basis. Also, making it feel like you’re growing with them.
Where can audience go to find out more about all of your work and projects?
You can find me on everything @karencivil and @livecivil on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and karencivil.com and livecivil.com.
I hope people look at my journey and my story and see that I’m a girl trying to figure it out who just didn’t like the way she looked. And she’s gone through the process and progress of changing that. And you know, I’m doing it for myself!
