Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystell Caycedo.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Mexico but grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Our family didn’t have much, but my grandma always worked hard and set an example that I am proud to follow.
Before I gave my life to Christ, I was living in the pleasures of the world and a video vixen and a model. Though the music industry was a horrible place for me as a young woman, I needed to make an income and I was looking for a way out.
On January 27 of 2014, the Lord radically gripped my life and took me to spiritual deliverance. I am blessed to say I married the love of my life, Sebastian, and together we own a house flipping company. I am in college now studying Human Behavior and Theology. I will graduate soon, and my plan is to continue to empower women to step out of shame into freedom because that’s what Jesus has done for me.
God has now transformed my old modeling life from a mess into a message. I am now a model for Christian clothing lines. My heart is to not only empower and encourage women and young girls to live in freedom, but to be a positive role model through modesty. It has truly been a humbling privilege to be named “Millennial Woman That Soars” for the month of July by Women That Soar.
I am now a speaker and writer uplifting and educating people on abusive relationships, sex trafficking, and the power of sharing their testimonies and having a voice. I use my platform in the hopes that every ear that listens can experience the life changing power of Jesus Christ as I did.
God has placed a calling on my heart to share my testimony in hopes that women all over the world experience the same freedom the Lord has given me. From that seed, God has placed women in my path who have amazing testimonies of what the Lord has done in their life, and there is a need for a platform where their authentic and incredible testimonies can be shared.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have faced many obstacles and struggles along the way to becoming the woman God has made me to be today. Growing up without my parents created many struggles that I faced as a child, through my teen years, and also as a young adult. I finished high-school and in my head that was it; in my family there hasn’t been many who graduated. Only one member of our family has a degree.
To be able to speak life and be knowledgeable you do need an education. God made it clear to me that I needed this knowledge for the purpose He had for me. Coming out of the modeling industry was hard; I was in a very unhealthy place. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. My choice to be obedient in getting healthier and starting school for Human Behavior was the best decision I could have made. Having an education has opened doors to achieve things others get overlooked for.
As a Christian, coming from the entertainment world has been hard. There are many who have judged me and hurt me along the way of my walk, but I have learned that hurt people hurt people. It’s a process, and at times it can be hard to be seen as who God created me to be now and not the old atheist me. But I continue to cling to the promises of the Lord and trust in Him.
Personally, I have made mistakes and as an older woman now, I recognize many of those mistakes. Now I strive live a life filled with transparency and honesty.
Consistency and perseverance is key in achieving my calling; God will shine as I decrease so He can increase. In this way the ministry and organization can grow with a Founder who is authentic. I know that nothing that is worth it will come easy, but I choose to push past insecurities and my past to my real identity in Christ and the purpose He has laid before me so that I can make the impact He created me to make.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am the Founder of Authentic You Testimonies, a Dallas based organization/ministry. We empower women from all ages and different places of the world who aren’t given an opportunity to share their stories and what the Lord has done in their life. Our goal is for all women to live a life filled with empowerment and encouragement in their daily walk.
Women of all backgrounds, ages, nationalities, and cultures can speak about the same freedom God has given us all, and our testimonies give all women a voice, and an opportunity to spread truth. My prayer for this ministry is to shine a light to women in darkness. Their voices, filled with the Spirit, can speak for and to those women who have no voice. God will deliver women from strongholds they are suffering in silence and loneliness.
Together we have empowered one another and created a safe place to grow and discuss real and raw experiences in life. What I loves the most and am most proud of is that I get to meet women from all over the world and different walks in life.
What sets Authentic You Testimonies apart is that the community is not just influencers, famous people, or known individuals, but women who didn’t think their story and testimony mattered. The majority of these women and young girls have never shared their testimony so this is a God-given platform and community to help one another grow, empower each other, and reach one another in all walks of life.
The special and unique love I get to witness through this community of women is helping those women who believed they couldn’t step out and create something beautiful from what has happened to them. There is no competition, there is no negativity, there is no tearing each other down. In fact, it is the complete opposite; we all help each other. When I see this, I realize there are very few other outlets where we can do this for each other.
What were you like growing up?
As a young girl, I learned to be determined and strong, as well as hard-working. My grandmother raised me and she is the strongest, most independent, hardworking, and determined woman I have ever known. My family was humbled and we didn’t have much but my grandmother is the example of what a strong Mexican woman is and that is what I aspire to be most like in life.
My aunt and uncle owned a Tae-Kwon-do school, from the age of 3 years old I was introduced to the sport. I was very good at the sport and this helped me develop work ethic, endurance, strength, determination and the ability to be fearless. In addition I was introduced to beauty pageants and, surprisingly, I would often win. That helped my confidence to know that if I set my mind to things I could achieve them. From a very young age I started to work and it was helpful because that trait has always been within me. Not having my parents or their love growing up, I would be the best at everything I would do to prove to myself and others that I was worthy of love and attention.
l believe all of these factors and the healing Jesus has done in my heart have brought me to a place of empowering and encouraging others. Now I get to empower and encourage others as a speaker and writer.
Contact Info:
- Website: Krystellcaycedo.com
- Phone: 631-948-0261
- Email: authenticyoutestimonies@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/you_worldwide_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authenticyoutestimoniesworldwide/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/you_worldwide?lang=en
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/krystellacaycedo/
Image Credit:
Graphics, Ej Designs. (Personal Graphic designer)
Hollywood unlocked. Videographer/Photographer: Adam Kostylo.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
