There’s something deeply moving about witnessing a room full of accomplished women fall into a hush—not because someone told them to, but because the moment demands reverence.

That’s exactly what happened in Los Angeles this past June when 130 honorees gathered for Nexstar Media Group’s Remarkable Women 2025 celebration. It wasn’t just the scale of the event or the glittering lights on stage that struck me—it was the stillness that descended when Karen Levine’s words were read aloud.

“You are a survivor. You are a remarkable woman. And yes – one day, you’ll even be grateful for the crazy ride.”

That line, lifted from Karen’s “Letter to My Younger Self,” lingered in the air like a benediction. It was personal, raw, and profoundly relatable. In that moment, it became clear why Karen wasn’t just being celebrated—she had become the emotional heart of this year’s event.

I’ve admired Karen Levine from afar for years. As a woman navigating my own career twists and turns, her story always resonated—because it was never about perfection. It was about persistence. About reinventing yourself at a time when society quietly suggests you’ve aged out of innovation.

Karen launched PeachSkinSheets at 48, just after being laid off and becoming a newly single mother of two. She didn’t have a background in textiles—her earliest forays into entrepreneurship began on eBay in the 1990s, selling everything from closeout merchandise to liquidation finds. But necessity has a way of awakening creativity. Night after night, plagued by menopausal night sweats and increasingly frustrated by scratchy sheets that left her dry skin irritated, she began searching for a better solution.

She couldn’t find one. So, she made one.

That’s the origin of PeachSkinSheets—not in a flashy lab or corporate boardroom, but in a garage in Atlanta, with Karen experimenting and learning as she went. She dove into fabric sourcing, obsessing over finishes and performance blends until she landed on a high-performance athletic-grade SMART fabric. It felt as soft as 1500-thread-count cotton—but without the shrinkage, wrinkles, or pilling. It wicked moisture, kept sleepers cool, and solved her own bedtime dilemma.

The irony was too sweet to ignore: the industry term for her ultra-soft brushed finish was “peach skin.” She lived in Georgia. A brand was born.

But PeachSkinSheets wasn’t built overnight. Karen knocked on doors—figuratively and literally. She hand-packed orders with her children. She took customer calls while driving carpool. She wrote handwritten thank-you notes, slipped surprise gifts into packages, and built a fiercely loyal community one sheet set at a time. “The fortune is in the follow-up,” she often says. And she means it. To this day, she personally replies to customer emails—something almost unheard of for a CEO in 2025.

That authenticity—that hands-on devotion—is exactly why Karen was chosen not only to attend Remarkable Women 2025 but to help shape it. Her deeply human journey helped inspire Nexstar to create an entirely new segment: Letters to My Younger Self. It was Karen’s idea—her story, her resilience—that breathed life into the tradition. All 130 honorees were invited to write their own letters, each a window into the soul of a woman who refused to give up.

Karen also gifted each honoree a custom PeachSkinSheets travel case and mirror—items meant to be practical, yes, but also deeply symbolic. When host Leeza Gibbons held up the mirror during the event and invited each woman to reflect on her own journey, there were few dry eyes in the room. The gift of seeing yourself clearly—scars and all, still standing—is powerful.

During our interview, which blossomed into a wonderful professional connection, Karen told me something I keep replaying: “Success is rarely linear. The hardest parts? They’re what make you strong enough for the rest.” And her story proves it.

Today, PeachSkinSheets boasts over 50,000 five-star reviews and offers 34 vibrant colors—from calming neutrals to bold hues like Retro Rose and Emerald Green. The company is family-run, and many employees are single mothers themselves—a nod to Karen’s own journey and her commitment to lifting others as she climbs. Whether it’s donating to disaster relief efforts or sponsoring holiday drives for families in need, PeachSkinSheets continues to give back in meaningful ways.

But perhaps what’s most remarkable is what Karen has built beyond the business. She’s built belief—for women over 40 who think it’s too late, for mothers wondering if they still have room to dream, for anyone who’s ever felt like life knocked the wind out of them.

Karen Levine is a testament to the power of reinvention. Of turning a personal problem into a national brand. Of choosing kindness and quality over shortcuts and scale. And of owning your story—even the messy chapters—because they’re often where the magic begins.

Where does she go from here? Karen hints at new products and collaborations on the horizon, but mostly, she’s focused on staying connected to the people who made it all possible: her customers. “Comfort,” she told me, “isn’t just about fabric. It’s about being seen. Being heard. Feeling safe enough to rest.”

In a world that often equates success with speed, Karen Levine reminds us that there’s power in building slowly. In choosing heart over hype. And in holding up a mirror not just to ourselves, but to the women beside us, and saying: Look how far you’ve come.

And maybe—just maybe—being grateful for the crazy ride after all.

ALL IMAGE CREDITS: Karen Levine