- BOLD & BEAUTIFUL -
Entrepreneurs
Karen Davis King
I was a full-time mom for twelve years when my 17-year marriage
crumbled. I wasn’t receiving child support and suddenly pondering how
I was going to support myself and my daughters.
Prior to becoming a stay-home mom, I tolerated the corporate world and
I learned a great deal during that time. But that environment was never
in alignment with my passions and gifts. It was sucking the life out of
me and I began to entertain the possibility that, perhaps an authentic
life was worth more to me than corporate world benefits.
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t wasn’t long after that realization that I was given an opportunity that, by most standards,
would not have looked like an opportunity at all. I saw an ad for a job in a nursing home. I
knew the pay would be ridiculous and the benefits even more laughable, but I sent my re-
sume anyway, just for kicks. Before I knew it, I was saying yes to a huge paycut that I couldn’t
afford to take. It was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done. It seemed so irrespon-
sible and desperate, yet liberating!
Within the first two months, I received a sizable raise and my ex’s business began to grow by leaps
and bounds. We never felt the financial sting we had both feared. This new job was more than just a
job. It showed me what some of my hidden gifts were, it connected me to other humans on a deep,
meaningful level and reminded me how much I need that in my life. That experience taught me to
trust in that inner voice when it says “you HAVE to do this” and inspired me to NEVER again choose
a job or career solely for the money or security.
By the time my daughters were born, I was able to become a full-time mom…another job that I was
deeply passionate about. Around the time they entered school, I read an article about sex trafficking
in America and it left me shattered at the thought of what is happening to our young girls (and boys)
in every state. It ignited something inside of me that I could not ignore and I began looking for every
way possible to get involved and educate myself on the issue. I did everything from lobbying for
stronger legislation at our nation’s capitol, to public speaking to fund raising and, eventually began
mentoring survivors.
And when I became a flat broke single mom with a powerful calling on my life, I took some parttime
jobs to help me pay the bills and began working on a business plan to offer mind/body/ spiritual
self-care services to women and girls, including survivors. I knew nothing about starting a business
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