SI Swim Search 2020: Kathy Jacobs

If you had three wishes, what would they be?
Growing up I watched my older brother Shane suffer beyond belief in every way possible from Muscular Dystrophy and my childhood wish was wanting to invent a cure. Ending animal cruelty and child abuse are my other two wishes.

If you could personally witness any event in history, what would it be?
The creation of the universe. Boy would that answer a lot of questions.

What is something that you have never done that you want to do?
See the pyramids in Egypt.

What’s you most embarrassing moment?
Being gonged on national television singing a song I wrote with my mom about fishing. (What was I thinking?) My motto is if you are going to go down, go down in flames. But now I use that story to encourage my daughter when she fears failing.

What’s the most regrettable beauty trend you’ve ever tried?
I used to have beautiful thick eyebrows. I tweezed them really thin and then they didn't grow back as thick. Naturally now big eyebrows are back in style!

If you could hear one song performed live by any musician what would it be?
Back in the day, I was a former Dolly Parton impersonator to make ends meet so I’d like to sing a duet in bikinis with Dolly singing the "9 to 5" song parody titled "Over 55" that I wrote. Of course, we would turn my microphone way down because, well, let's just say I'm not Dolly!

What’s something people wouldn’t know about you?
I invented the snow globe cookie kit and interactive cake kits that were featured on Food Network and on ABC's American Inventor. I am always coming up with product ideas. I invented a skincare line for women over 40. I also appeared as the Dollar Store Diva on The Today Show, Rachael Ray, the local news, etc. I have made entire weddings (even the dress) out of dollar store items. I have to shut off my "hands-on" creative side to focus on things like modeling and acting because once I turn it back on it’s game Ooer. I am inventing and making stuff all day long!

In a world full or influencers, who influences you most?
I love watching dog rescue videos on the explore page of Instagram.

What motivates or inspires you?
I have found the best way to get motivated is to find something you love, get good at it, study, do the research and go for it one step at a time. Then share it with friends and family and their motivation inspires you as well. If your family is not on board, go back to step one which is motivating yourself.

Do you have a self-care ritual or a creative pursuit?
My diet and exercise routines are necessary forms of my self-care because I have to do both for my health. I actually feel quite vain with all the primping necessary to be a model if I am being honest.

What’s the worst holiday gift you ever received?
It's a toss-up between a wooden clown from my mom wrapped in a plastic bag or a ceramic buffalo given to my husband by my grandmother. He used to carry that thing around and randomly set it somewhere like on a table in a restaurant. We got a lot of laughs out of that ceramic buffalo. That same grandmother also gave my dad a pair of plastic pants for Christmas that he would put and model around the house to entertain my brother who was wheelchair-bound with Muscular Dystrophy. I am literally cracking up over those pants while typing this right now!

What’s your guilty pleasure snack?
At this moment it's hot sourdough bread and butter.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your 14-year-old self?
One thing I'm glad I didn’t tell myself was: "Your success will come but not until you are 56!" If I knew it was going to take that long I would have given up a long time ago. Perhaps that's why we can't go back in time and tell ourselves things.