Over twenty-five years ago, Kim Costa stood in the middle of what should have been her dream home, a beautiful property she'd built from scratch on remote acreage, and realized she'd made a terrible mistake. It wasn't the house that was wrong. The craftsmanship was impeccable; the views were stunning. But the house didn't fit her life.
"I had focused so much on creating something beautiful that I forgot to ask if it would support the life I actually wanted to live," Kim recalls. The property was isolating, far from the people she loved and the career opportunities she needed. Around the same time, after winning an essay contest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she declined their invitation to film at her home. "My house didn't reflect who I really was," she says simply.
That moment of clarity changed everything. It led Kim from a successful career as a residential construction controller into real estate and eventually to creating The Wheel House Method, a framework that's now helping people across the country align their homes with their authentic lives.
Kim grew up just over the Chattahoochee River off Roberts Drive, and some of her fondest childhood memories are of visiting Roswell with her mom. "There was something magical about this place even then," she says.
After her housing wake-up call, Kim was drawn back to Roswell and the neighboring areas of Crabapple, Milton, and Alpharetta, not just to work, but to build her life and career. Today, she and her husband, Rocky, make their home in the Crabapple area of Roswell, coming full circle to the community that captured her heart as a child.
Over the years, Kim developed The Wheel House Method by integrating insights from environmental psychology, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and Carl Jung's theories about authentic living. The method examines eight crucial life areas, or "spokes", that a home should support: Health, Career, Fun and Leisure, Family and Friends, Spirituality, Romance, Environmental, and Finance. When all eight spokes are balanced, you're living in your "wheel house", that sweet spot where your home amplifies your life rather than complicating it.
After more than three decades serving this area, Kim has become one of the region's most trusted voices in real estate. As a Top 5% Realtor, she brings 30-plus years of combined experience in real estate, construction, design, and human development, plus intimate local knowledge that only comes from a lifetime of connection to a place.
"This area doesn't just look beautiful, it works beautifully for the people who live here," Kim says. "And I know it intimately because it's been part of my life story since I was a little girl crossing the Chattahoochee with my mom."
What started as a real estate practice evolved into something much bigger. Kim realized the conversation about intentional living needed to reach beyond one-on-one client meetings. That realization led her to American Dream TV, where she hosts segments helping viewers think differently about their home decisions, and sparked the creation of her "Live in Your Wheel House" podcast and YouTube channel.
And now, it's led to her book.
This month, Kim will launch "Live in Your Wheel House" at Poe & Company Bookstore, right here in the community where her journey began.
"It feels perfectly full-circle," she says. "To share this book in the place that shaped my understanding of what home really means, that's everything."
The book distills three decades of experience into a practical guide for anyone facing a housing decision. Inside, readers will discover the complete Wheel House Assessment, real client stories, and practical strategies for making decisions that honor both heart and head. From the Wheel House Assessment, the reader can decide whether to “Stay, Go, or Reno(vate)”.
Kim invites the community to join her on the evening of March 24th. "Bring your questions, your housing dilemmas, and your dreams," she says. "Let's talk about what it really means to live in your wheel house, and why there's no better place to do it than right here."
Kim's journey has taught her one essential truth: a home isn't just four walls and a roof. It's the foundation for everything else in life.
"When you get it right, when you choose a home that truly supports who you are and who you're becoming, everything else gets easier," she says.
From the little girl who crossed the Chattahoochee to visit Roswell with her mom, to the woman who learned the hard way what happens when a beautiful house doesn't match a beautiful life, to the trusted local expert helping others find their perfect alignment, Kim's entire journey has led to this book and this moment.
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Kim Costa is a local expert and a Top 5% Realtor® with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty. As creator of The Wheel House Method, American Dream TV host, and host of “Live in Your Wheel House” podcast, Kim will launch her book "Live in Your Wheel House" March 24th, with an evening celebration at Poe & Company Bookstore in Crabapple Market. For more information about the book, upcoming workshops, or to connect with Kim, visit her website at LifestyleFoundations.com.