John O’Leary welcomes Colleen Costigan to the Live Inspired Podcast to share how one yes sparked the courage to form BEAM Kenya, an organization helping children heal, learn, and lead.
Colleen Costigan is the co-founder and executive director of BEAM Kenya, an organization built on the belief that every child deserves the chance to heal, learn, and lead. While living a successful corporate life and doing everything “right,” a one-month volunteer trip to Kenya redirected her future and became a lifelong commitment now serving thousands of children through education and mental health support.
Today, Colleen shares how that one short trip became a lifelong calling, why education alone is not enough to break cycles of poverty, and how trauma-informed mental health care can change the trajectory of a child’s life. She opens up about meeting a teenage girl named Faith, whose story reshaped Beam’s mission, and how heartbreak, perseverance, and hope all coexist when you choose to serve others in hard places.
My friends, if you’ve ever felt a tug on your heart you couldn’t explain… this conversation is for you. You’ll leave reminded that small, brave steps can lead to extraordinary impact, that your privilege can become a powerful gift, and that hope is never wasted when it’s placed in the hands of love.
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SHOW NOTES:
- Searching for deeper meaning, Colleen took a one-month volunteer trip to Kenya, expecting it to quiet her restlessness. Instead, it cracked her heart wide open as she witnessed children living in extreme poverty, cycling in and out of school while navigating trauma, abuse, and neglect with little support or safety.
- She was struck not only by what the children lacked, but by the enormous privilege that had quietly paved her own path to education and opportunity, a realization that would change everything.
- Colleen shares why change must move at the speed of trust, patience, and partnership, especially when serving communities different from your own.
- The grain alcohol fueling addiction in the slums is known as chaga, a Swahili term that translates to “kill me quick.”
- In meeting a bright and determined girl named Faith, who dreamt of returning to school after being “chased away” when her family couldn’t afford the fees, Colleen paid the $800 to enroll Faith in boarding school. Believing education could rewrite her future, only to learn how deeply trauma and addiction complicate even the best opportunities.
- Although Faith’s story did not unfold as Colleen hoped, it became the catalyst for a much bigger mission and led Colleen to form Beam Kenya, an organization committed to helping children heal, learn, and lead through education and trauma-informed care.
- She reflects on the humility of learning Swahili, relinquishing control, and allowing local leadership to guide the work.
- ”The power that can come and the change that can happen when you recognize one child.” Beam Kenya currently supports 106 active scholars, has helped 138 children over the past eight years, and provides counseling services to thousands of children and families each year.
- “Small scary steps lead to fearless leaps of faith.”
- BEAM Kenya carries a double meaning, representing both a beam of light in communities weighed down by darkness and a commitment to Boost, Educate, Advocate, and Mend. Learn more about BEAM Kenya here.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?
You’ll love my conversation with Scott Harrison. Scott is founder of charity: water, and he’s on a mission to bring clean, safe drinking water to everyone. And yet, his journey is also one of redemption and purpose, and it’ll remind you that big change is possible… and the best really might be yet to come. Listen to Scott Harrison on ep. 104 now.
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COLLEEN COSTIGAN'S LIVE INSPIRED 7
- Q. What is the best book you’ve ever read?
A. Barking To the Choir by Father Greg Boyle. - Q. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today?
A. Being unabashedly myself. - Q. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the opportunity to run in and grab one item. What would it be?
A. Passports and my phone which has all my pictures on it, especially from my early days in Kenya. - Q. You are sitting on a bench overlooking a gorgeous beach. You have the opportunity to have a long conversation with anyone living or dead. Who would it be?
A. Father Greg Boyle, Mother Teresa, and my grandmother to soak in their wisdom and the peace with which they seem to live their life despite hard things that have happened. - Q. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A. Acceptance is the answer to all of my problems today. - Q. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
A. That all things are gonna be used for a reason. The hard things, the good things, the privilege, the painful things... God's going work them all together for a purpose. - Q. It’s been said that all great people can have their lives summed up in one sentence. How do you want yours to read?
A. Our small scary steps led to fearless leaps of faith.
