We live in a society that has a long history of not valuing people of color or women.

We have to continue to do the work, because we can't see people lose their lives over senseless gun violence.

Celebrities have a platform, and people listen to them. And there's a lot of people that we are able to touch, who aren't watching activists and aren't watching the news, that are watching what celebrities say.

I will kick my best friend out of the way if RuPaul wants to stand next to me as my best man.

We're trying to get the world to see it's not always about the outside, it's about the inside.

My first job ever was, I got hired by Oprah Winfrey.

I think that's one of the greatest gifts that I have: that I can get someone to open up, and all you have to do is ask a question and not feel like you need a response.

I like walking into a home where each room has a slight scent that doesn't overpower the room and doesn't spread through the whole house.

I hate chapped lips.

When people hear my story, my hope is always that they start to believe that the life they want is possible for them, because I am living the life I've always dreamed.

I came out at 16 years old as a proud, gay man. My last girlfriend in high school - when I was 15 - became pregnant with my child but did not tell me.

Most people don't remember the guy from 'The Real World.' They know the guy who is a professional, a father, and a friend that gives great advice.

No matter if someone has personal feelings about my sexuality or how they view me, it's all of our job to continue to show up in spaces where we can say, 'You know what? I can figure out how to try to work with you.'

My background is in social work and psychotherapy.

I would like to encourage hip hop artists to invite those of us who are in the queer spaces in, so we can have those conversations. I love hip hop. If you bring me in the studio, I know how to act. And we can talk about what's not cool because, clearly, there's still homophobia that penetrates in all these areas.

When you break finances down in a way that kids can understand, it creates financial literacy that grows with them as they become adults.

I always had an ability to listen and give people the space to open up and express themselves, and I was hoping it would translate on TV.

People always look at reality shows and think, 'How do they fall in love so quickly?' When you are quarantined with the same people, the emotions you normally feel after a year come within a week.

My household runs the same way it was with my parents, who were a mother and father with their kids.

Its rare to see a proud and out LGBT person win an Oscar in a lead or supporting actor role.

I would say for our straight allies, your job is to listen and not judge. Then, listen and not act.

Most people have never been listened to, and they've never been asked questions that they want to be asked.

My photo has nothing to do with the person I am, the dreams I have, the family I want to build, the family I'm from.

Being an openly gay black man, unfortunately I've had experiences working with individuals who've tried to exploit my blackness or my gayness in a way that doesn't make me feel comfortable, or they try to manipulate me into being a caricature of myself.

It's important to learn how to have conversations with other people where it's not debating but discussing.

Facebook Algorithms have got us all screwed up, where we only listen and talk to people with the same views as us, and I think it's not helping us as a culture to grow.

Don't let the insecurities of others dull your sparkle. Shine like the star you are born to be.

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!

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

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.

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.

Society sets us up to be everything but ourselves, but I want to take a moment and say to people, love yourself. Find your purpose. You are unique, and that makes you great. I pursued my dreams. You can do it, too.

Never stray from life's purpose. Refrain from counting someone else's blessings instead of your own.

I wanted to focus on creating a solid foundation, creating my blueprint, and understanding who I was. You can get distracted easily, and people take you off course with just a compliment. I wanted the focus to be on Karen Civil the businessperson, not what I wore, not what I looked like.

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.

I am big on not pushing anything that I wouldn't do or use. I understand my brand, vision, and the story I want to tell. I am not into taking short-cuts like tummy teas or waist trainers. I want my brand to be a lifestyle and very premium but, at the same time, relatable.

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.

Anywhere I go, if I go out, I have to keep my phone out. I don't try to be rude. If I turn it around, I have to check it every 5 minutes.

Now, metaphorically, I sit at any table that I want. I can sit with the jocks, I can sit with the gang members, I can sit with the politicians, I can sit with the CEOs. My brand can fit anywhere.

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

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.'

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.

I didn't have a resume when Lil Wayne hired me. I didn't have a resume when Beats by Dre flew me across the country to be their 12th employee. I still don't have a resume!

Nothing is ever quick. You have to grow an audience, keep them engaged, give them a reason to keep coming back so it will never be an overnight success. Have patience!

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.

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.'

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.

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.

When I was young, I originally wanted to be a radio on-air personality. Once I realized I may not be fit for that - I was 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.

For blogs today, it's really about content creation and partnering with a brand. You can get the news in so many forms and so many places. A tweet now is enough to tell you about a story. People don't have to click to go to your site.