Episode 133: Karen Olson

Karen Olson

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Pretty powerful podcast where powerful women are interviewed every week to share real inspiring stories. And incredible insight to help women or anyone break the barriers, be a part of innovation, shatter the glass ceiling, and dominate to the top of their sport industry, or life's mission.

Join us as we celebrate exceptional women and step into our power. And now here's your host, Angela Gennari.

Angela Gennari: Hello. Welcome to another episode of the Pretty Powerful podcast. My name is Angela Gennari, and today I'm here with Karen Olson. Hi Karen. Hi Angela. I'm so happy that you're joining me. So Karen Olson is the founder and CEO Emeritus of the Family Promise, which is de, and she has dedicated her life to transforming the present and futures of homeless and low income families.

And I totally butcher that, but you're transforming the. Futures and the present of [00:01:00] homeless and low-income families. So tell me, I mean, this is just fascinating. Um, somebody who has really, truly dedicated their life to serving others. Um, what made you want to take this step in such a huge undertaking?

Karen Olson: Um, I guess, um.

Well, the, the short answer is I, um, was a consumer promotions manager for Warner Lambert, and I would go into New York frequently for meetings. And you know how it was hard to walk a city block without seeing someone who was homeless? You know, a man lying on a subway parade or a woman pushing her shopping cart with her belongings, uh, with her belongings in it.

Um, it was easy for me to. Go pass these folks, because I never looked, I never really looked at them. I just whizzed by 'em and I wasn't alone. I think most New Yorkers did the same thing. Mm-hmm. Um, but this one day I was about to [00:02:00] pass a woman, uh, who was outside of Grand Central Station.

This one day I was about to pass a woman who was outside of Grand Central Station, she sat on a crate. She had her belongings and bags to her left and to her right, and she always looked down. She was frail. Say she was probably in her late seventies. And you know, I had seen her before in this time. I thought, well, I'm just gonna run across the street and get her a sandwich.

You know? I don't know what compelled me to do that, but that's what I did. And when I came back, she said, thank you. God bless you. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I thought, wow. And we stayed there. I stayed there and. Talk with her a bit. I learned her name. Her name was Billy and she had been married, she was a mother, uh, she lost her husband and her one [00:03:00] son died and the other was on the West coast.

And um, she had a single room occupancy. She was staying in a single room occupancy hotel, and that was converted into condominiums and she found herself on the streets. Sometimes she would stay in it, sometimes she would stay in a shelter. Um, um, but mostly she was on the streets or in Grand Central Station.

Um, so giving that sandwich to Millie. And when I gave her the sandwich, she reached out and took my, um, hand. And, um, at that point, I think I crossed an invisible line because I always been told, you know, stay away from homeless people. They're, they're dangerous. You don't do that. So here I was, you not only giving her a sandwich, but uh, she held my hand and that invisible line meant.[00:04:00]

I saw that she was a person, she wasn't simply a homeless woman, she was a person who now was experiencing homelessness. Mm-hmm. And that's, that's the difference in, you know, I had a glimpse into her life. So after that, I, um, then told my two sons, Doug and Brad, who were 10 and 12, about Millie and my experience, and Doug said, oh, let's go back into New York.

Bring more sandwiches to people like Millie. So that's what we did. We went, uh, made 25 sandwiches and distributed them all too quickly in Central Park as we roller skated around. And, uh, we thought it would take us, you know, an hour, half an hour, but you know, they were gone in 10 minutes.

Angela Gennari: Wow.

Karen Olson: Yeah. Um, so, and we did that for a couple of years.

We got to know people by name. Um, so that [00:05:00] was the invisible line I crossed. So how do I go to a million volunteers? Well, um, I also had people that I'd met in poor authority back to my house for Thanksgiving dinner because. Why should they be alone or even in a soup kitchen? So I, three weeks before Thanksgiving, I bought, um, bus tickets back to my hometown of Summit.

And, um, they, um, were so pleased to have the invitation to have Thanksgiving and, uh, but again, another invisible line now, I was inviting people from Port Authority. Back to my house. But the thing is I knew them well. You know, there was John and Arthur and Abe and um, Lucille. So these were no longer homeless people to me.

These were people, um, who had lives and [00:06:00] um, so, you know, but the thing about that is I, um. I'm not a very good cook. And here I was invited back to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only that, I've never ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner. Um,

Angela Gennari: wow.

Karen Olson: Yeah. But, but fortunately, um, um, my neighbors chipped in and, um, bill Harrison, who was a bond trader in New York, uh, made the Turkey and other neighbors, um.

Brought side dishes. And so it was really remarkable to sit around and, and, uh, talk and you'll see the smiles on their faces and, you know, and they reminisced about Thanksgiving's past. So it, it was, um, really, really quite remarkable.

Angela Gennari: That's amazing. So what a huge heart. So what was the span of time, you know, after you crossed the first, [00:07:00] you know, you said the invisible line, right?

So when you gave the first sandwich to Millie and she accepted it and you had a conversation, how long until you were inviting people to your home for Thanksgiving? Was it Fairly

Karen Olson: quick? Fairly quick.

Angela Gennari: Wow.

Karen Olson: About, um, from the time I was about three months.

Angela Gennari: Wow, that's amazing. Yeah. Wait, no,

Karen Olson: no. That's not right.

It was 10 months. 10 months? Yeah.

Angela Gennari: Wow. So what then prompted you to think, this needs to be bigger than me and my family? What then encouraged you to start the Family Promise Pro? Family Promise

Karen Olson: Uhhuh. Well, I began, um, voluntary. In Union County, New Jersey. Mm-hmm. Which is my home county, because I wanted to see, um, what homelessness was like.

Uh, there and in Elizabeth's part in particular, and what I [00:08:00] saw and, and met were families who were homeless and sleeping in their cars.

Both: Mm-hmm. Had

Karen Olson: their kids. Um, Manny told me they were working, uh, but simply they couldn't afford the rent. They got behind in their rent when some calamity came along. Maybe they lost their job or a divorce or something that caused, uh, less income and they came less with their kids.

You know, this one family I met, uh, that Jacobs, they were living in their car and, uh, you know, had a little bed for their, uh, 3-year-old and, you know, that was their. Was her home. And, um, you know, he was working and she stayed with the, you know, the 3-year-old. And that just shouldn't happen in America. It just shouldn't happen in America.

And I was shocked to see, I knew about homelessness in New [00:09:00] York City, but of course you don't, don't see, um, homeless families in the suburbs because they stay outta sight or you see them. You don't know that you see them. For instance, when you drive through the drive through at say, burger King and the woman who hands you, um, your burger and says, smiles and says, have a nice day.

Well, she actually is homeless and after her shift, she goes to sleep in her car. So you see that person. But you don't know that they're homeless.

Angela Gennari: Yeah.

Karen Olson: And that's, homeless families are pretty much invisible. So knowing that, that really motivated me to do something about it.

Angela Gennari: Yeah, absolutely. And the, the, the number of working homeless is really shocking.

There's so many people who, who have a full-time [00:10:00] job, but they're just not making quite enough to be able to afford housing. Or it could be a credit issue, uh, you know, where they just can't qualify for housing. And so uhhuh, there's a lot that needs to be done, um, in order to really combat the homeless problem that we have.

Mm-hmm. Because it's, it is, it is shocking.

Karen Olson: Yeah. Well, for every four units of affordable housing, there's only one family that qualifies Really? And, uh, yeah, Uhhuh. Wow. And the, um, the, the minimum wage for, um, or the poverty line for a family of four is, uh, $30,000, which throughout the year, which, how do you, how do you do that?

So really the issue is not homelessness. The issue is. Poverty. And then along comes, you know, um, a, a divorce and illness, um, your time is cut at work and before you [00:11:00] know it, you end up homeless. And so that's, that's a tragedy. And today there'll be more cuts coming and we're gonna see many more people who are homeless on the streets.

And it's just. It's, it's, it's shocking and it shouldn't happen. So what I did when I, when I saw that I got got to know people, I decided I had a. Bring that awareness to the religious community and the community at large, because I didn't think they knew. I certainly didn't until I was there. I live in a suburban community and the community I went to was in urban area, Elizabeth, New Jersey, and that's where I met families.

And so I planned a conference on family homelessness. I invited the community and the religious community in particular. And to my amazement, I was expecting about a hundred, maybe it was an all day conference on a Saturday. [00:12:00] 200 people came. Wow. Um, mainly from the suburbs, so, you know, and they described the situation and I said, you can make a difference.

Come to this conference. So. That meant that people really do care.

Both: Mm-hmm.

Karen Olson: And, um, so after that, I, um, was determined to, um, uh, do something to really, to really help and make a big difference. And, but, but the problem was I couldn't devote my full-time to this because I needed income. I was divorced at the time and raising my two sons, so I had to keep work.

Working, but then along came two angels. At that time, the first angel was my father who actually bought me a house.

Both: Wow. Which is

Karen Olson: lovely. And so now I didn't have to rent anymore. I had a house of my own. And the other angel was. Ky, [00:13:00] who was a technical writer for at t and he helped me with some early newsletters and he provided, uh, financial support equivalent to a salary.

So it's really amazing how that happened. Without those two angels, I don't think there would be a family promise.

Angela Gennari: Wow. Well. They say, God sends you what you need when you need it. So when the time is right, you will, you'll, the, the doors will open and you'll know what your destiny is. Right. Exactly.

Karen Olson: I

Angela Gennari: should say,

Karen Olson: let me back up a bit.

Um, my mother died when I was 12. Uh, suddenly. Oh, I'm so sorry. Tragically, uh, you, and so that changed my life as a, a young person and. I immediately became very empathetic, um, to others because I knew what it was like to cry myself to sleep at night, you know, hugging a, [00:14:00] um, a stuffed toy cat, um, and had a rubbery, smiley face.

And, um, in a few short weeks I had worn away the face, um, through my tears that, um, you know, I shed and. So I wanted to do something to help people. And what I wanted to do was I wanted to be a nurse. You know, that was the mm-hmm. Obvious path to, um, to helping people. But my stepmother said to me, you know, I was a nurse.

You don't have what it takes to be a nurse. And she persuaded my father not to send me to nursing school.

Both: Wow. And

Karen Olson: I already knew what nursing school I wanted to go to. I wanted to go to St. Luke's. Uh. Hospital school in New York City. And um, so I was devastated when that dream was taken from me. But I'm glad that door closed because look [00:15:00] how it ended up.

Another door opened, I gave a sandwich to Millie. Um. And then that got me more involved and then I met homeless families and then I planned the conference. And, uh, so sometimes it's good when one door closes, another will. Another will open. So I'm certainly glad it did close because if I had become a nurse, you know, if I, if I were lucky, you know, maybe today I'd be in charge of a, a floor or something.

Right. Um, but I'll say God had other ideas and, um. So, um, you know, with, with the other door, other door opening, I've been able to help so many people.

Angela Gennari: Absolutely. Mm-hmm. So you have a million volunteers helping you in your mission. Mm-hmm. So about homelessness and help low income families, how do you even go about [00:16:00] growing an organization and scaling it to that size?

Is it, is it operating just in New York City? Is this a nationwide organization? Can you tell me a little bit more about Yeah. Family Promise. It's

Karen Olson: nation nationwide. We have close to 200 affiliates in 43 states. Wow. And this is, this is how it works. And how we get million volunteers When after the conference, um, you know, I met with a few people and we began looking for a building because we needed a building for shelter.

And there was a lot of nimbyism, you know, not in my backyard. Nobody wanted mm-hmm. A shelter near them. So we, they sat opposition. And not one church or synagogue could become a full-time shelter. And so we were really frustrated. And so I said to them, um, Hey, what if we all take turns? Maybe we can do together that any one of us cannot do alone.

So 12 religious [00:17:00] congregations came together and they took a week at a time on rotation with each other. That meant say, central Presbyterian Church. Summit, um, would do this about once a quarter, which was very doable. So now I had engaged, um, churches and synagogues in sheltering homeless families. Um, that was sort of the secret sauce of the, of the, of the program because volunteers, you know, came and cooked meals.

They tutored children, they read stories to toddlers. They sometimes brought their own, um, family, um, their own kids to volunteer. And I remember this one, one family, um. Who came to volunteer? She, she, she came to volunteer and she brought her daughter along and she said to her daughter, you know, who was eight?

No, we were in that six, I think. Um, [00:18:00] you know, we're gonna go volunteer at church and you're gonna meet, um, some homeless families. And the daughter was Oh, okay. Okay. And so they went to church. And kids were playing there. And so her daughter joined in and played with the kids and you know, for about two hours, they just, kids who were homeless, kids who were volunteers.

And uh, you know, when kids meet kids, all they do is wanna play. They don't necessarily label them as homeless or this or that. And so when it was time to leave, they got in the car and the little girl said. To her mother, when are we gonna see the homeless? Oh, wow. She, she didn't even know that, uh, they were homeless.

And that says something about the, you know, with an open heart of a child, she just saw other children. And, uh, what about the [00:19:00] business of play? So, uh, I, I formed one program, uh, in Union County and that. That was gonna be it. But, um, um, we had a 70% success rate at the time in helping families find housing.

Today it's 81%. Wow. Um, yeah. So, um, then, but then others came to me surrounding counties and how do you develop this Family promise program? So I worked with them. They developed theirs, then others heard about it. Then a couple years later, I founded the National Interfaith, well, it was first called Interfaith Hospitality Network.

We later changed its name to Family Promise. Um, and then, you know, others joined in and, um, I hired a staff and developed, um, a way that the program could be [00:20:00] replicated. Created manuals, videos, and, um, marketed, you might say this program, but it wasn't a hard sell because what I found all across America is people really wanna make a difference.

It's not that they, they don't wanna make a difference or volunteer, they just don't know how to help the homeless. You know, they see them on the streets and they're not gonna. Necessarily run across the street and buy a sandwich. Yeah. But they will come to their own church, uh, stay overnight, pair a meal, you know, bring their own kids.

So it, it grew because I hired a staff and, um, it was, it was really, really beautiful. I retired in 2000, uh, 16. Because I thought it was time to give somebody else, uh, an opportunity to lead. And I was fortunate enough to have someone in the organization, uh, class who had been with me for about 20 years, and he helped to [00:21:00] develop many of these programs.

So I left, um. I left Family Promise. I still continued to volunteer, but I was looking forward after all this intense time of running the organization to have time to be with my family and to travel a little bit. I went to India. I had a small condo and Miami. Um, so I, um, I went there. This one day I was sitting by the pool.

It was such a nice, sunny, sunny day. And, um, uh, I was thinking about, um, the cryotherapy appointment I was gonna have at first was gonna have a massage. I had a massage, and then I went to my cryotherapy appointment. Um, cryotherapy for those who may not know what it is, it's extremely cold. Um, temperature, you go in a [00:22:00] chamber, uh, with, uh, just your underwear on, and it's very, very cold.

And I had done this about 30 times, both in my hometown in New Jersey, as well as in my Miami. But this time the tank got so terribly cold that my attendant, who was new by the way, she had only four weeks of experience. Um, wow. But I was assured that she knew what she was doing. She said, I write out I'm cold.

I'm cold. I'm so cold, I'm cold. So she went to the back of the door and opened it, but she was behind the door and I fell out 'cause I was frozen like a Popsicle.

Angela Gennari: Wow.

Karen Olson: And yeah. And I hit my head on a raised ledge and um, I had no feeling. From my neck down. And um, so I immediately called my [00:23:00] sons and they came down.

And anyhow, to make a long story short, I was in the hospital in Miami for a month and then I came up to, uh, New Jersey to Kissler Institute and stayed there, uh, as inpatient for two months. And then, um. I came home, I had to sell my house, um, because I couldn't go up and down stairs anyhow, today I can take steps with the help of a walker and um, an aid.

And, um, so I'm, you know, I'm improving. And the thing is. You know, people who know me say, Karen, you're just as busy as ever doing podcasts. Like, whereas, you know, I finished my book. Mm-hmm. I wrote Men for More.

Angela Gennari: Paul, we all hold it up. Yeah, I actually was, that was actually what I was gonna about to ask you about was your book, because, you know, through all of this, when do you find time to write a [00:24:00] book?

Because you are, you are a very busy lady, so I mean, scaling a, you know, huge nonprofit organization, you know, getting a million volunteers, having 200 affiliates, you're a pretty busy lady, so you know, even stepping away and retiring. Get the impression that you weren't just gonna relax. I love that you took a trip to India, and I'm very sorry to hear about your accident.

That sounds awful. Thank you. Thank you. Angela. Angela, so tell me about the book and, um, the inspiration for that and, uh, what readers could find.

Karen Olson: I it's meant for more following your heart and finding your purpose. And the reason I wrote the book was that. I saw so many people making a huge difference in the lives of others or with wonderful stories and wonderful stories of, um, homeless.

Families who got their lives back together through Family Promise. You know, this one woman, um, hope she was, uh, [00:25:00] became homeless when she got, uh, uh, when she all of a sudden went blind. One morning she woke up and it was like she had frost over her eyes that she could barely see. And, um. A neighbor, um, helped her, uh, try to go to work, but she couldn't.

She was a waitress, so she got behind in her rent and was evicted and, uh, came into the Family Promise Program and with her little daughter, um, uh. Angela was her name. Mm-hmm. And, um, uh, came into the program and, uh, got their lives back together. They met, um, volunteers, Lou and April, who, uh, took her under their wing and Lou and April are now, uh, godparents of, um, of Angela.

And it was just a healing which. [00:26:00] Happens with a lot of families who are in the program. They appreciate the meals, you know that they have a safe place to stay and they get their lives back together with the work of social workers and the volunteers, but what families talk about most, or the caring and um, support of complete strangers who don't know them, but, uh, offer love and support.

And that's really the secret sauce of Family Promise and the, and the healing factor that takes place. Um, uh, today. Um, she has a job at Hope, has a job at, um, a Verizon store. And she's manager, you know. Wow. And her daughter is, uh. Um, doing, doing well. So lots of things happen and family promise. Um, just as uh, families are [00:27:00] helped, um, volunteers are helped as well, like pace, who.

Um, was a volunteer. Uh, he worked for Sand National Labs, but before he volunteered he would say, I only have time for three things, church work, and my family. But then all of a sudden family Promise came to his congregation and he got involved and had families back to his house. Had a zip line there. He said, you know, um, family Promise, um, gave me a heart, enlarged my, enlarged my heart.

And uh, so he found another part of himself through volunteering at Family Promise, and he is still involved today and with, and now he's retired and he's, um, volunteers with other organizations as well. So volunteers. Often have a [00:28:00] remarkable experience. So I wanted to share those stories in my book as well as my story, which I've told you quite a bit about, uh, as a way of inspiring more people.

To get involved. You don't have to start a big national organization. You don't even have to volunteer with it. An organization, you know, um, be, be kind to your neighbor who is, um, came home from the hospital and maybe prepare the meal and, and bring it over, uh, when you're going through the toll booth, you know, pay for the person.

You and then it becomes a way alike when you do simple things. You know, I remember once when I was on. Away at, um, a, a meeting for a family promise. And I had, and when I came back there was a heavy snow storm and I thought, oh boy, my driveway's gonna be covered and everything. I came back and, [00:29:00] um, my driveway was completely shoveled and the walk was shoveled and the, um, porch was shoveled.

And I thought, wow. And then I saw a note, um, that was. In the door, and I took the note out and it said, I hope I didn't mess anything up, but I knew you were away, so I shoveled your D driveway. Chris, this was my neighbor who I really didn't know well at all.

Both: Wow.

Karen Olson: But I thought I was so touched by that more, doing more than a simple act, but shoveling the driveway that I, I couldn't bring myself to throw that note away.

In other words, they kept coming up, you know, so. Showing my driveway. That's, you know, that made a huge difference to me.

Both: Mm-hmm. Huge

Karen Olson: difference. So any, any act of kindness, leave a generous tip to, for a waiter, you know, that, that sort of thing.

Angela Gennari: Mm-hmm. Um. There's so many ways that [00:30:00] we can be kind and gentle to each other and give grace, because that's one of the things that I feel has really kind of, we lost our way with is, you know, we used to give so much grace to each other.

We used to do things for our neighbors, and now we kind of stay within our own little, you know, walls. And it has. It's been unfortunate because I think we've lost that human connection and without the human connection we lose that ability to have empathy and to really give each other grace as needed.

So I love that you've been so generous with your time and your attention and you know, your, your giving. So I think that's wonderful. I wish we could have more and more of that in this world. Yeah.

Karen Olson: Well that's, thank you. That's one of the reasons I wrote the book is to inspire others to get involved, I said.

Both: Mm-hmm.

Karen Olson: And you can, um, get my book at Barnes and Noble. Okay. Um, amazon or bookshop.com. Um, and it's been very well received and I've had a number of speaking [00:31:00] engagements as a result of that. So. That's

Both: wonderful. Yeah.

Karen Olson: Life is good and, um, you know, um, maybe in a wheelchair, but life, life goes on and mm-hmm.

I'm happy and I still volunteer and, uh, yeah,

Angela Gennari: absolutely. Well, and, you know, on, on the podcast, on pretty powerful podcast.com, we'll make sure that we have your link to your book as well, so I wanna make sure that people can pick that up. Thank you. So, um. So when you were starting, um, the Family Promise Organization, what obstacles did you have to overcome in order to start that organization?

Karen Olson: Well, turf issues. There were agencies who didn't want me to start Family Promise. What they wanted me to do was to, um, they wanted me to, uh, raise money, uh, in, in the suburbs for. Other agencies and give it to them.

Both: Mm-hmm. I

Karen Olson: had a pastor who actually, [00:32:00] um, I had bylaws that were, and a mission statement that was broad so that before we started Family Promise we could do all kinds of things.

Not just shelter, but build housing and so on. And a pastor who was on our board, um, didn't really like the idea. Of, um, doing the direct service or maybe bringing the homeless folks into his congregation. So he rewrote the bylaws and, um, you know, I was shocked and, um, and he was a big hotshot. Uh, pastor, you know, and well respected in the community, and I was shocked that he would do something like that.

But, uh, I went around him and a lawyer who helped write the bylaws was a member of his congregations, and he said, I'll fix, uh. Um, Jason, you know, and, uh, he knew him well. So, um, that was a big challenge. But I, you know, [00:33:00] and I stood up to authority. You know, sometimes we don't stand up to authority, but I wasn't gonna let that happen, so I found a way.

I find in my own life, if I'm passionate about something, I'll find a way. For instance, I never considered myself a, a leader per se. When I was in the corporate world, I did well and I was being promoted, but I wasn't really. I gave presentations, but it wasn't a, a leader. Um, but what I found in, in developing Family Promise, my experience was that I was so passionate about this, that, um, you know, even a, a pastor who rewrote the bylaws was not gonna stop me.

You know? I just found another way. Um, so yeah, I, I just, yeah.

Angela Gennari: When was that? What, what time period was that?

Karen Olson: It was 1986 when I formed the first first [00:34:00] program, so.

Angela Gennari: Well,

Karen Olson: that's amazing. It was 40 years ago. Yeah.

Angela Gennari: You know what I love about that is that's a time period where, you know, women were still struggling with some things.

Like were we even allowed to have a bank account in our name as a business owner? You know, you had to have a male co-signer to get a business loan and you know, there were still so many struggles that women were having and even though there was a perception that women were equal, there was still this, um.

This cultural idea that we were still supposed to be more submissive and you know, not be the forefront of an organization and not be taking the lead in that way. So I applaud you for your willingness to stand up to authority and to challenge, you know, a pastor, no. Yes. Was rewriting your bylaws that you had taken so much time Yes.

Thought to put into,

Karen Olson: yeah.

Angela Gennari: Yeah.

Karen Olson: Absolutely. And there were other obstacles as well. You know, people on the board who wanted to raise money for other organizations and, uh, the development of, uh, family [00:35:00] Promise cleared by only one vote. Wow. And, uh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, so I found myself definitely a leader.

Um, I. My role was inspiring, uh, congregations to get involved. So I did a lot of speaking across the country, forming the program, but then of course I hired a staff and I was really running, uh, I. Could, could be, you know, a corporation. I hired staff. We did research about the needs across the country and we trained staff, um, on how to present the program.

And we recruited volunteers and so on. So it was like running a business. Mm-hmm. Uh, and there were transferrable skills that I had from my work with, uh, Warner Lambert.

Angela Gennari: Yeah. So prior to starting Family Promise, did you have any business experience at all? Because it is it, it is very much like running a business.

Yes.

Karen Olson: Yes, I did. I worked [00:36:00] for a couple promotional agencies in New York City. I had an office. In the Empire State Building on the Wow. 64th floor. Yeah. Very exciting.

Both: Yeah.

Karen Olson: Uh, and then I, um, got a job as consumer Promotions manager for the Warner Lambert Company, which later became Pfizer, and that was located in Morris Plains, New Jersey.

And my role was to develop, um. Sweepstakes and coupon events for products like chick Razors and Listerin mouthwash.

Angela Gennari: Oh, interesting.

Karen Olson: Yeah, well it was interesting and I enjoyed it and you know, it was competitive and so on, uh, and creative certainly. But, um, it was a far cry. From, um, offering comfort to those who were disadvantaged, you know, so mm-hmm.

I still had this yearning in me, inside of me for something more. You know, I just, you know, I was like, [00:37:00] anybody who would look at me would say, well, you're divorced, but you're living in the suburbs. You have a nice house. You have two great kids. You have a great job. Uh, so why am I yearning for something, something more?

I was, and that's something more was helping people. And then that goes to giving the sandwich to Millie. So, um, yeah, I had, I had considerable, well, no, I had about seven years of business experience, but. I found the transferable skills. You know, uh, I had to do research. I had to hire a staff, train the staff, train the volunteers, um, problem solve.

And so actually those seven years working in the business field really helped me and, uh, developing a family promise. And what pushed me forward was the passion. If you're passionate about something, you're not gonna let anybody stand [00:38:00] in, stand in the way, you know, you're gonna find a way around.

Angela Gennari: Absolutely. And when you believe that you know what you're doing is bigger than yourself, it's easier to be that, that force multiplier, that, that, the one that says, you know what, I, I'm fighting for something that's bigger than me. Right. My purpose is bigger than me. So it, it makes it easier to go into battle knowing that.

Karen Olson: Yeah, that's very, very true.

Angela Gennari: So what advice would you give to your 18-year-old self? Probably the one that wanted to go to nursing school. Oh, okay.

Karen Olson: Um, you know, you're, you're shy right now, Karen, and you don't have much confidence in your, in yourself, and you don't always get, you don't always study to get the grades that you could have.

But, um, just hang in there because. Life is going to change, but hold your head up high. You know? Um, [00:39:00] look at the tragedy. You've, well, the death of my mother is always with me, but the tragedy that I overcame and, uh, you, you know, you're gonna be doing, doing good. But, uh, for now, hold your head up by and things are gonna change for you.

Angela Gennari: Yeah, absolutely. So you have spent a lot of time working very closely with families who are experiencing homelessness. Um, what would you say are the main drivers, um, of homelessness? Like where, where do you, what advice would you give to people? Um. Who are close, because I've heard we're all two, you know, most of us are two paychecks away from homelessness.

Mm-hmm. So what, what do you see as, as the number one driver that was, that was kind of putting people in that position, and what advice would you give to others to just kind of safeguard against something like that happening?

Karen Olson: Well, a victory of course, and that comes about when you can't pay your rent, you know, [00:40:00] after, mm-hmm.

After two, three months, you're evicted and then you join the ranks of the homeless. You're evicted because maybe you had an illness and you were outta work, or you lost your job, or you, um, your hours were, were cut or you got divorced. Um, you had an illness, you know, but the root cause is the lack of affordable housing and, um, wages.

In other words, pe there's a gap between one's income and what housing costs. And that's the root cause. There's not enough affordable housing for every four people who are eligible for federal housing programs. Only one qualifies because there's not enough funding. So, um, this is a huge problem there.

Close to 3 million. People who are homeless in the United States. And, um, it [00:41:00] only comes about by changing things through a commitment and a partnership between the private sector and uh, government. So as much as I love Family Promise, um, we became involved in advocacy in later years because we saw that it was much a much bigger problem.

Then, um, then we could tackle certainly. So, um, yeah, the root cause is the gap between one's income and the cost of housing. And until that gap is closed, you're still gonna find homeless people with, uh, how things are today or just, you know, and the changes we're experiencing with the big cutbacks and programs.

We're gonna see many, many more. People. Mm-hmm. Hitting the streets and living in their cars.

Angela Gennari: Well, and there's just so much that needs to be done. You know, from big corporations being allowed to artificially inflate the cost of [00:42:00] housing through, you know, corporate ownership of houses that are meant to be for, you know, first time home buyers.

These are supposed to be the affordable houses, and they're being bought up by large corporations, which should be illegal. You know, we shouldn't be allowed to have all these. Um, you know, large corporations owning our single family homes and our part, you know, our, our small, um, affordable housing, that, that makes it very challenging for people to be able to go into home ownership because the house housing has gotten so expensive.

I mean, even you can go into any part of my city, which is Atlanta, and I mean. I couldn't, I couldn't have purchased a house at this age, you know, not out of college. I purchased my first condo when I was 23. There's no way that I can do that now. That's good. Um, and, and still be able to afford it. It's, it's gotten out of control.

And then our wages have not caught up. You know, our federal minimum wage is still 7 35 an hour, which is just mind blowing to me that that has not increased. Um,

Karen Olson: [00:43:00] yeah, since 2009, I think it's seven. 7 25 an hour, and it hasn't increased since 2009,

Angela Gennari: which to me is, is, but yet our housing, you know, if you look at what our housing cost in 2009 and what our wages were, you know, there was much more, you know, in line.

And now it's, it's, there's just. It, it's so out of balance. But, um, yeah, a lot of change needs to happen. I, I totally agree. Yeah. And it's great to treat the symptom, you know, to treat the actual homelessness and to treat, you know, uh, you know, giving meals to those who are the low income families. Like I think that's all wonderful and I think that that is necessary.

Um, but you're right, we have to get to the root cause, or we're not gonna make any real change.

Karen Olson: Yeah, we've gotta go deeper. Absolutely. Mm-hmm.

Angela Gennari: Yep. Yep. And or just like with illness, you know, you can't treat a symptom without getting to the cause of what's causing the symptoms. So, so what, um, what other, [00:44:00] um.

Ways have you stepped into your power over the past? Um, you know, several decades that you've been running this organization and creating all this amazing change. Um, can you tell me about another way that you've stepped into a, into your power? Um, in terms of leadership and, and, you know, taking on big initiatives.

Karen Olson: Well, I think I, everybody sometimes says, oh, they're afraid of public speaking. Mm. Uh, and I was too, and I always am a little nervous before I give a speech. But, um, you know, I, I'm led by my passion and, um, I'm told I give inspiring talks and that helps to engage. Others. So that's one way I stepped into my power.

Um, um, what else? Um,

Angela Gennari: I would probably say the book too, because you're right, I mean public speaking. Oh, definitely in my book. Because, I mean, just, you [00:45:00] never know who's listening. You never know who's reading. And it could just be that one spark, that one trigger that, um, catches someone's attention and leads them onto a path.

So you just never know. Well,

Karen Olson: well, here's the thing. Just like I, um, had never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner, I considered, uh, and I was gonna have homeless people over. Um, I consider myself a poor writer. I never had written a book or even articles, but here I had an idea for a book. So other people chipped in and helped me.

I mean, I had the idea, but I first started with a ghost writer and then that didn't work out, so I found another one. And so different people really contributed to this book, and most of all, my assistant, uh, Jen Rustam booth. Right now, Jen, can you say hello?

Both: Hi. Hello.

Karen Olson: Um, [00:46:00] so, um, yeah, um, writing a book definitely, and it's been very well received, so I am very proud of that.

That's, so I'm gonna hold the book up again.

Angela Gennari: Beautiful. Yeah. Well, I applaud you for everything that you've done because very few people have made the impact that you've made for families across the country. So thank you for all that you've done. Because, um, that is just the most selfless, amazing story. And for somebody, and I, and I find this a lot, it's those who have gone through really tough times themselves.

Like with you losing your mother at such a young age. Mm-hmm. That I feel like that's where those are the people who are the change agents. Those are the ones that are out there saying, you know, I have something more to give and they use. Mm-hmm. You know, what has happened to them to say, I have something to contribute.

You know, I know I can make a difference. So I applaud you for everything that you've done. Thank you, [00:47:00] Angela.

Karen Olson: I find that that's very true. And then of course, I'd have to say stepping into my power is when I, um, had the fall and that that could have just sent me back. But I have lots of therapy and you know, now I'm able to walk, as I said, with help of a walker.

So I could have just said, oh my gosh, I don't have feeling in different parts of my body or my arms. I'm just gonna sit back. But no, I took my power and I said. I'm gonna get through this and I, you know, I ex exercise, I go into New York or a certain kind of therapy. I go to Kessler. I have therapists who come into my house and help me walk.

So, um, you know, I, I would love to be able to walk, but my happiness is not dependent upon that, you know, I keep going, so. Mm-hmm. I certainly stepped into my power in facing, um, this, I guess you'd call it a tragedy, but, um. I never cried over it. I just [00:48:00] kept, kept going, you know? Um, so I stepped into my power there.

Angela Gennari: I love it. Well, Karen, this has been such an amazing, insightful, and inspiring conversation. I really appreciate all of your time today.

Karen Olson: Oh, thank you for having me. My pleasure. I really appreciate being here and talking, talking to your listeners.

Angela Gennari: Well, thank you. And I just have one more question for you. Um, what do you wish more people knew?

Karen Olson: You related to my work or just in general?

Angela Gennari: In general,

Karen Olson: yeah. What, what I wish people knew, uh, I wish they knew, um, how happy they would feel if they stepped. You talk about people being in a rut in a very. Close focus way. I wish people knew how happy and good it feels, um, to reach out to others for those who are not reaching out to others, or maybe they're, um, building their, their financial [00:49:00] resources or acquiring, um, you know, luxury designer clothes or a second home and they just.

That's their focus. I wish those who are not reaching out would know the joy of service and how happy they feel when they do reach out to others. That's what I wish that people would know.

Angela Gennari: Absolutely. I a hundred percent agree with you. I. You know, we, we've been, uh, my son and I serve every year, whether it's, you know, delivering meals on our own or joining with an organization.

This, this past, um, this past Thanksgiving, I think it was Thanksgiving or Christmas, maybe Christmas Eve, we went out with another organization here in Atlanta, and, um, just went around and, and helped to feed and, and clothe. The ho the homeless that we, we saw and mm-hmm. It's, it's the best time you can spend is Yes.

Giving to somebody who cannot help you [00:50:00] back. Right. Like that's, that is true. Generosity is doing for something for somebody who cannot repay you and there's no expectation can repay you. Yeah,

Karen Olson: yeah. Yeah. And there's so many people experiencing, uh, homelessness in Atlanta. Mm-hmm. In fact, in the greater Atlanta area, we have three affiliates.

Angela Gennari: Wow. Yeah. Wow. Well, thank you for all the great work that you've done. And I, um, I know that your, your legacy will carry on for generations to come, and I would love to say that we will solve the HO housing, uh, in the homeless, um, issue. But I, I don't foresee that happening in the near future, but I, um, am so thankful for people like you in this world who have done so much to help others.

Thank

Karen Olson: you, Angela.

Angela Gennari: So where can people find you? Because we'll put all your links on, on pretty powerful podcast.com Uhhuh, but how else can they find you?

Karen Olson: Um, at Karen [00:51:00] Olson, uh, that's K-A-R-E-N olson, O-L-S-O-N author.com? Mm-hmm. Okay. That's my website. Mm-hmm.

Angela Gennari: Perfect. Well, thank you again, Karen, and um, you're welcome.

I really appreciate all your time today and I will see everyone else at the next episode of the Pretty powerful podcast. Um, and, uh, yeah, hope everyone has an amazing day. Thank you.

Intro: Thank you for joining our guests on the pretty powerful podcast. And we hope you've gained new insight and learn from exceptional women.

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