Inspiring Conversations with Karen Palka of A Beautiful Me

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Palka.

Hi Karen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In her early 40s, Karen Palka experienced a profound personal awakening—a realization of her own self-worth that would become the seed of something much greater than herself. As she watched her daughters, son, and their peers navigate the challenges of adolescence, she became increasingly aware of the struggles young people—especially girls—faced when it came to self-esteem, confidence, and identity. Through prayer and reflection, Karen felt a clear calling placed on her heart: her community needed a program dedicated to nurturing the inner strength and self-worth of young girls.

Driven by this vision, the summer of 2008 became a season of intentional listening and planning. Karen reached out to friends, business leaders, educators, and community members, gathering insights and ideas to help shape what would become A Beautiful Me. Through this collaborative process, the concept evolved and began to take form—a grassroots initiative grounded in love, faith, and the belief that every girl deserves to understand her own value.

Since the launch of its first workshop series 17 years ago, A Beautiful Me has grown into a powerful, outcome-based program that has reached over 12,000 girls. The cornerstone of the organization is a four-part workshop, primarily offered to 5th grade girls, both during and after school. These workshops are designed to foster self-esteem, positive self-talk, and a sense of community among participants, helping them build a foundation of confidence as they enter their teenage years.

The organization’s growth continued with the opening of The Closet by A Beautiful Me in January 2019. Located in downtown Port Huron, this unique social enterprise retail store is more than just a boutique—it’s a dynamic training ground for teen girls. Here, they participate in emerge360, a hands-on, business certification program that equips them with real-world skills in customer service, entrepreneurship, project management, and philanthropy. The experience is designed to build confidence, professionalism, and leadership, empowering young women to discover their strengths and prepare for future careers.

Through both its foundational workshops and innovative programs like emerge360, A Beautiful Me continues to transform lives—nurturing confident, compassionate young women who are ready to step boldly into their futures.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is there ever a smooth road? Our journey has been filled with challenges. But what makes all the difference is surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and your mission. Their support helps you persevere, even when the road gets rough. Here are three distinct challenges we’ve faced—each different in nature, but all critical to our growth:

1. Embracing the Numbers
As a right-brained, creative thinker, numbers have always been a personal challenge. I vividly remember breaking down in tears with our bookkeeper in the early days, overwhelmed and confused by QuickBooks. But because I’ve never seen A Beautiful Me as something that belonged solely to me, I knew I had to rise to the occasion. I committed to understanding our financials—because managing this mission with integrity was non-negotiable.

2. Protecting Our Name
Just after we received our 501(c)(3) status, a celebrity announced on the cover of USA Today that she was launching an initiative called “A Beautiful Me.” With only $1,500 in the bank, the odds felt stacked against us. But thanks to a nonprofit resource supporting organizations that serve low-income youth, we were connected with a pro bono intellectual property attorney. That attorney, with the help of a private investigator, established communication with Jessica Simpson’s team. For 18 months, our attorneys corresponded via written letters. Eventually, as life changed for her and she became pregnant, the project was retracted. Our generous legal team at Dykema in Washington, D.C., then secured our trademark. Our name is now officially protected.

3. Navigating Cyber Harassment
In 2021, I faced cyber harassment—both personally and professionally. The lies and misinformation were devastating, especially because you can’t fight what’s coming from behind a screen. We were advised not to respond, but the damage was done. We lost sponsorships, as others feared becoming targets themselves. It was one of the hardest seasons we’ve endured. We eventually brought on a crisis-management publicist. Out of this painful experience, though, came purpose—we now teach the girls we serve tips and tricks when they face online attacks.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about A Beautiful Me?
The lost confidence epidemic in girls has become a crisis. The loss of confidence can be confusing and upsetting for a 4th grader, especially when facing increased social pressure, media influence, and oncoming adolescence. Everyone can think back to their middle school years and remember a plethora of choices made as a result of low confidence- from poor grades to being afraid to pursue interests, or even bullying others. The confidence issue at that age hasn’t improved since your day- it’s gotten worse.

Having a negative view of herself will stop a girl from pursuing her dreams. 48% of girls withdraw from activities like sports due to negative body image, according to Dove’s Body Confident Collective. A lack of self-confidence can also lead to declining academic performance, poor decisions in relationships, and dangerous decisions with substances. According to The Girls’ Index by ROX only 59% of girls feel proficient in math and science (down from 73% in 2017). When only 58% of girls believe they aren’t smart enough for their dream job, what do we do to help?

A Beautiful Me’s original be-YOU! Workshop Series addresses these challenges by providing a safe environment where girls can be vulnerable around topics like body image, positive self-talk, healthy friendships, and goal setting. Our be-YOU! Workshop Series focuses on confidence through connection, which has been demonstrated to lead to improved social skills and self-esteem. After our be-YOU! Workshop Series, girls are equipped with the confidence-building tools necessary to believe in their ability to contribute positively to their communities.

Our brand knows now that girls who received only 8 hours of curriculum can repeat parts of it back to us 10 years later. Our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) envisions a future where every elementary school in the United States of America offers A Beautiful Me’s be-YOU! Workshop Series every year. Our goal is to ensure every girl has the opportunity to stop her confidence decline and embrace her leadership potential. While this is a long-term goal that may take generations to achieve, every workshop brings us closer to empowering the next wave of strong, self-assured women.

Our measurable objectives focus on increasing accessibility and impact. Schools repeatedly invite us back because they witness improved classroom culture, reduced bullying, and girls who self-report increased confidence immediately after completing the series. Long-term, women continue to credit A Beautiful Me’s be-YOU! Workshop Series with helping them navigate life’s challenges, even into adulthood.

To scale nationwide, we are refining the curriculum into a purchasable, facilitator-led model so schools and organizations can implement the program independently. Our future includes online facilitator training and digital workshops to increase accessibility. Achieving this requires financial investment—both to fund in-school workshops and to develop the resources necessary for sustainable growth.

We are not just running a program; we are building a movement. By increasing the number of trained facilitators and securing the support of educators, communities, and donors, we will continue to expand our reach. Together, we are shaping a future where every girl understands her worth and steps into the world with confidence.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck? I believe it’s more about listening to the One who leads you — God.

When you surround yourself with both like-minded people and those who challenge you, you create the courage to take risks that move you forward.

Sometimes, doing the scary thing is exactly what helps you grow into who you’re meant to be.

Pricing:

• Sponsor a girl to attend a workshop $100
• Sponsor an after-school workshop series $2,000
• Join our Butterfly Effect Team at $25/mo.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ABeautifulMe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abeautifulmeinc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abeautifulmeinc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-beautiful-me-inc
• Twitter: https://x.com/ABMeDetroit
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/abeautifulme
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-closet-by-a-beautiful-me-port-huron