Karen Arrington is a true inspiration with decades of seasoned wisdom, industry connections and a sharp eye for talent. If you’re ready to take your life and career to the next level, she’s it.

We laughed, we cried and we danced with life. There is an African proverb that says you can trust a leader who dances — this not only applies to Karen. It embodies her.

Warrior woman. That’s what Karen Arrington is. Her simple presence makes us all stronger. To have the pleasure of connecting with her kind of energy and warmth is not only smart–it’s necessary. And we’ll all be better off for it.

As a historian, I appreciate all of Karen’s efforts in leaving a legacy that will not be forgotten, and leading young women of color to a place where they can soon make their own. That, right there, is what’s called impact. And Karen Arrington? She not only has it. She knows how to make it. She IS it.

Karen’s best attributes is that she’s a walking paradox in the best way. Sweet, but tough. Soft, but firm. And a leader who leads, but simultaneously makes you step into your own light.

Her words of encouragement have been one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received, and I am so thrilled that so many other women will now have a chance to experience the love that is Karen Arrington–and all the beauty that will result from it. To have the pleasure of connecting with her kind of energy and warmth is not only smart–it’s necessary. And we’ll all be better off for it.

Karen Arrington is an opportunity catalyst. She didn’t just hand-carve a path for me–she’s bulldozing a whole super highway for hundreds, if not thousands of young women whose lives will be forever changed. I know mine is.

From the moment I met you, I instantly felt a huge, billowy sense of relief come over me: Here was the person I had been looking for. (This sounds like a romance novel, doesn’t it?) But really – how much you cared for my success and my well-being was immediately evident.

And since that day, your influence on my life–and those around you–is a true testament of faith as you give an astounding representation of support. I have no doubt that you, Karen Arrington, are going to continue to lead our nation’s young women to places greater than they ever thought possible.