I grew up in the power-hungry, materialistic, MTV-driven 80’s - not knowing Christ. I remember thinking I had to project a certain image to be liked or loved. I remember believing I wanted to succeed by the world’s standards because that would bring me happiness.
By the age of 17, my mom had died, my family had fallen apart and I was working in a bar. Happiness seemed far off. My image had crumbled and taken my confidence and hope down with it.
Then I encountered Christ in the classroom of a state university. I turned my heart over to Him and found The Life I was created to live. I still wrestle with doubt occasionally, and self-centeredness more than occasionally, but I’m on the path to true success.
This path is paved with stones of grace. It’s a narrow trail, blazed by Christ, walked with repeated leaps of faith. I’m here looking for women who want to walk it with me.
Twenty days after graduating college, Rachel married her public speaking Professor (let’s keep that little fact on the down-low, shall we?). She and Rick have now been happily married for over 20 years.
They have a bubbly, extroverted and often intense high school daughter named Alaina. She teaches Rachel to grant grace.
They also have a laid-back and creative middle school son named Caleb. He teaches Rachel that patience is a virtue.
The Olsens enjoy lively discussions and lots of laughs over family dinners on the screened-in porch, watching Shark Tank and Wipeout, and making trips to their local beach or bookstore together.
What really jazzes Rachel is helping people find their God-intended focus, connecting with the power of His Holy Spirit, and generating forward momentum in their personal and spiritual lives. This is the crux of what she does as a speaker, writer and biblical life coach.
Her newest speaking material springs from her new book My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word. She co-wrote this with her pastor Mike Ashcraft. This one-word concept, done for years at her church with a congregation of thousands, has been featured on K-LOVE and become a national movement.
At its core, it’s a process for enacting personal change in your life – a plan for spiritual growth. Do you have a long list of things you’d like to change about yourself? Multiple ways you know you need to become more like Christ? Do you find each day keeps blurring into the next with no real growth occurring? She can help. Let her help your group do something about one thing this year.
For the last few years she’s been speaking on two featured topics from her book It’s No Secret: Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know:
Women need one another. But friendships can be hard to start and tricky to navigate. The solution is not isolation, but interdependence. With Bible in hand, and experience as a biblically trained life coach, Rachel can help your group develop and deepen healthy friendships.
Perfectionistic much? Rachel too – she gets it. Some of us are only perfectionists in certain areas of our lives; others of us don’t even realize we harbor this tendency. But we all struggle with it to a degree. With Bible in hand, and experience as a biblically trained life coach, Rachel will help your group align their personal standards with God’s.
Discussion questions and PowerPoint presentations available with all three sessions.
