Women Who Inspire: Kari Olson
Walking with Brave Abundance with God
Cyndi Kay Green: Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Kari Olson: I am a Christian mindset and business strategist. I live in Minneapolis Minnesota and I have 3 teens and an awesome husband.
CKG: Can you please share your story of faith, hope and answered prayers?
KO: Yes, absolutely! I grew up in a Christian home. It was very loving and yet the relationship I had in the early years of my life was more of a religion, following the rules and not about a loving relationship with my Father. You know we did the right things, we went to church on Sundays, and I memorized everything I needed to, in order to be confirmed. I kind of knew God, yet I was also a little bit scared of Him. You know, I just didn’t want to mess up. I didn’t have that relationship with Him until honestly, my life fell apart. In 2011 my now ex-husband was diagnosed with bipolar and a year later I was diagnosed with Cancer. It just ended up being too much for him and he walked out one day. I had no idea there was anything going on. I came home from running errands and he was sitting on the front porch with his backpack on and just said “I’m out of here this is not fun anymore” and literally walked down the street. He was going to go stay with his mom. So I had absolutely no clue. I had three tiny, little kids at the time and still not in remission. So that was a really difficult time, but honestly, looking back I would not change it for the world because that’s really when my faith and my trust in the Lord grew. I started going to church again, and at 36, I really, truly gave my life to the Lord for the first time. I felt his presence in absolutely everything and just surrendered. you know I had to! I tried to stay in our house and yet working three jobs did not even get close to paying for the mortgage and my ex was not helping with child support. So unfortunately our house fell into foreclosure. But you know God showed up so powerfully. When they do a Sheriff Sale on your home, they have to actually come to your house and hand you the papers and tell you that your house is going up for auction at the county courthouse. But it was really weird, these auctions had fallen through and there wasn’t an explanation. The seventh time it “fell through” was in August of 2015; and I walked out that morning to let my dog out and the sheriff was sitting there on my patio furniture at 7 a.m. and again handed me the papers yet again. I had tried to really protect the kids from everything that was going on, but that morning was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I remember setting them down after praying all day. I just had to be honest with them. We were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I was like guys “we’re going to be moving and we also need to cut out all your activities and I’m getting a fourth job.” My oldest daughter, who was just a third grader was getting the first grader and kindergartner on the bus in the mornings, so it was just insane at all the things I was having them do, but I was trying to make ends meet and it just wasn’t coming together.
So I remember they were nodding and they were so sweet, but you could just see the fear in their eyes. I got up and ran to the bathroom so I didn’t end up bursting into tears in front of them. As I’m sobbing into the towels my youngest daughter, her name is Amelie, came and knocked at the bathroom door. I opened it up and she was standing there and she had a little pink cheetah print suitcase and she was like “Mom, I have lots of things to sell for money, we’re going to be okay!” She had put her rocks and seashells and books and Barbie’s, all of her earthly treasures in there. I couldn’t hold the tears back at that moment, and it was at that point that I knew that I absolutely needed to surrender. That night after they went to bed I was on my knees. I was saying, “Lord, I need you! What I’m doing is clearly not working.” I was trying so hard, but when I let go – He showed up so powerfully. He actually told me to “stop.” I was working three jobs, and was planning on getting a fourth, but He told me to stop with two of them and just focus on my one full-time job. I didn’t know how that was going to work but He allowed us to stay in our house for 6 years and two months without a payment, even when I had no clue how I was going to pay the mortgage. By the time we left that house, there had been 17 sheriff sales that were scheduled at the county courthouse that had fallen through. This had allowed us to stay there with His provision even while I met my new husband and built our dream home. He was able to move into my house after we were married while it was being built. What a blessing
I understand now that I had to let go of the expectations I had for my life (His are ALWAYS better!), hustle and come to the realization that I was praying for all the wrong things. I was asking for the Lord to bring me more clients and to bring me more classes, rather than asking Him to have His way. It was such a beautiful experience, because it was not only for me but my kids were able to be part of that and witness this miracle as well. I believe it will stay with them forever- to dream big and pray big and know that He’s got us.
CKG: So six years and two months without paying? Were people paying the payment or was it just not getting paid? Did they say?
KO: Yes, no payments were made whatsoever. They kept setting all of these Sheriff sale dates for the auction; and I would call the next day because I wanted to know when I needed to be out of my house. They would be looking through the paperwork, but there was never any logical explanation. It was over $229,000 that God provided for, because we were mortgage/rent free over the course of those 6 years.
CKG: Okay so can you tell us a little bit about your family life — the kiddos and husband.
KO: Yes, I have an 18 yr old daughter, Isabella, who is kind and brilliant- she has just started college as a neuroscience major. My son Jonah, is 16 and just got his driver’s license yesterday so we’re starting that whole journey, but his whole life SHINES with his love for Jesus. Finally, my youngest daughter Amelie is 14 and is the sweetest and most thoughtful girl on Earth. My husband, Teig and I met on match.com. He is an incredible man of God, my best friend, my rock and biggest supporter. It’s incredible what happens when you surrender your plan for The Lord’s…
Even through my relationship with him, God showed up so powerfully because I still had a lot of healing and trust issues with men when we first met. I broke up with him 4 times in 2 years, and yet he stood by me, he was faithful and prayerful. On the first date he told me that God told him I was the one. He knew that and he was so patient. It is such a blessing.
CKG: Tell us about a time when you witnessed God’s blessing.
KO: Another time when God showed up was during the third time when I broke up with my husband. I now recognize I was breaking up with him so often, because when he would mention rings and houses, I would just have these episodes of anxiety, which was later diagnosed with PTSD, but I thought this discomfort in my body was God’s way of letting me know that he was not the right “one” for me. But I was out one evening with a friend about two months after we had broken up, by my house, which was nowhere near where he lives. I was sitting at the bar and heard a familiar laugh. I turned around and there he was sitting directly behind me. I could have reached back and touched him, but I immediately felt like my body was on fire so I quickly left the restaurant. And as I was talking to my sister about this experience- she encouraged me to pray to God to change how my body was reacting to moving forward with Teig. So we prayed and that one prayer absolutely changed the physical feeling of fear, anxiety and flight or fight that was within my body. Within the next week I knew that I was going to marry him and we were engaged within the next 2 months and married within 5 months.
CKG: What led you to be a coach for women?
KO: I decided to go into coaching after my long and painful journey, because I truly have a heart to shortcut all that I’ve learned and to help other women get there faster, with less stress and tears, and a proven system. I started coaching in 2012 as a health coach for moms with Cancer. After three years of losing money, I knew I needed to step back and take a look at my life, and work through my own limiting mindsets. God completely transformed my way of thinking and in August of 2020 is when I started coaching other women who want to start their own coaching business.
CKG: What do you see as the most common problem or obstacle that women face in regards to their finances?
KO: I believe there are too many lies that the enemy uses to hold us back. Lies based on “who am I to do this?” Or “If I have a Christian take on this, then I shouldn’t charge.” He doesn’t want us to have an impact on others or bring glory to God so will try and stop us in any way he can. We need to know what we’re dealing with, rewire our minds with the truth of Gods promises and walk in the calling He made us for with Him.
CKG: If you could give a struggling business woman one piece of advice, what would it be?
KO: Everyone is always looking for that one strategy that is going to make them $10,000 a month. The one path that I would share with them is to deepen their faith, trust, walk and relationship with the Lord. Because He has the ways for us to have an abundant life. He paid such a great price for us and He doesn’t want us to be struggling. As kingdom women, we are able to better spread the gospel, help rescue girls from trafficking, feed the hungry and give to missions near and dear to our hearts when we have money. In fact the poorest way to help the poor is to be poor.
CKG: How do you integrate your faith into your coaching business?
KO: It’s in everything I do. The minute I start working with someone, it is the number one thing for them to know who they are as a daughter of The King and how it plays out in their business, that this will be a totally different experience because of anything they have tried because we aren’t doing it alone. We are doing it ALL with God.
CKG: How do you balance being “generous” with others and being fiscally wise?
KO: I teach a profit first system to my ladies, because we need to understand and be good stewards of what is coming in while we are also being generous to others. That motivates many of them to get excited around giving and how we can help further the Kingdom while making an impact with the clients we are called to serve.
CKG: What would you say to the overwhelmed woman who is trying to raise a family and take financial responsibility over their lives?
KO: That can be overwhelming and stressful. I always say- “what is the next right step”? You just keep focused on one step at a time and staying in communication with God for each step/day. It can seem like a big, long and overwhelming journey, but when we rely on Him and know that He is a good, good Father we can overcome that stress.
CKG: How can our readers get in touch with you?
KO: www.braveabundance.com is my website, and I would love to invite them to be a part of my community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablechristiancoach
CKG: Can you share about your experience on the set of the Chosen?
KO: Oh, absolutely! It was so unexpected. My husband and I were watching the first season and loved how it brought the Bible to life. We were on the third episode and at one point, I had to run to the bathroom, and when I came back my husband told me that he had donated a significant amount to their pay it forward campaign for funding of future episodes. We weren’t expecting anything from it, but about a month later he received an email inviting him to be an extra on the set. He was unable to be there so I flew to Texas and was able to be there when the Sermon on the Mount episodes were recorded. It was nothing like I had thought it would be. It was 26 degrees and drizzling. We were all freezing, yet it was so special. There were all of us strangers cuddling around the heaters in tents they had to quickly put together. It was an incredibly special day. It was so wonderful and I was able to meet Dallas Jenkins, and several cast members.
Thank you for sharing with us. It has been wonderful to get to know you and your story!
