Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacky Costello.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins in Germany, where I grew up and later met my American husband while he served in the US military. The journey after that point earned me many titles – wife, mom, Christian believer, cancer survivor, successful entrepreneur, first-time author, and tireless volunteer. Now I’m working on two new titles I’m very excited about – speaker and motivational “rock star”! Some people might think – you beat cancer, built a successful cleaning business with almost no money to start, and wrote a book – isn’t that enough? Not for me! Life is a continuous growth process and I’m always looking for ways to keep moving forward. My theory is if you only work for the money, you’ll never be happy. To me, the secret to being happy is to help others! We can all be creative in finding ways to do that.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In my book, “How Far I Have Risen: Coming Clean About Cancer, God and My American Dream”, I talk about the physical and emotional scars left after being a cervical cancer survivor. My body bore the scar of my emergency, life-saving surgery, and my mind had to accept that we could not grow our family beyond our only son. Part of my healing at that time included giving back to others going through cancer treatment by offering free cleaning services through my business, Custom Cleanups. But healing and growth is an ever-evolving process, both internally and externally. My drive to help others through challenges – like a cancer diagnosis or being an entrepreneur-led me to explore “creative therapy”. I began painting motivational words and thoughts on rocks I call “kindness rocks”. I want to help others see that all things are possible through our faith, through our thoughts and work ethic, and through making choices that are right for who we are and want to become.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, I have been working on something that has become an extension of the work I was doing while promoting my book. I was writing articles for a variety of online publications and speaking on podcasts about facing life’s challenges and how to overcome them. I shared tips on how to talk to someone who has cancer, how moms can explain their illness to their young children, about trusting your instincts when your body is saying something is wrong and doctors don’t listen, or the anxiety of moving to America and figuring out how to make money to help your family. I’ve also volunteered to speak to students at the middle and high school levels to inspire them to work hard and find their true passion in life. I believe when we all find what we are passionate about, then we find the best version of ourselves and how we can help others.
Recently, I’ve been creating short videos that ask thoughtful questions. For example, “What do you do with your 24 hours each day? Do you plan your day wisely to be successful? We all face valleys and challenges, so think about what you could do differently to reach your goals.” Or another video, “How often are all the “warning signals” going off in the airplane cockpit of our life and we don’t know what to do? The best solution is to admit that you have a problem and ask for help – from friends, God, or a trusted person.”
You can find examples of the painted rocks with inspiring words and messages on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.
One of my kindness rocks reads, “What if everything you’re going through right now is preparing you for a dream bigger than you can imagine?” In the midst of challenges and obstacles, sometimes we can’t see what is possible. My faith has inspired me to trust and believe bigger dreams exist for me and others. My goal is to inspire them to trust and believe that too!
Contact Info:
- Email: authorjackycostello@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.howfarihaverisen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspirelikearockstar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackyspeakerandauthor
