We recently connected with Olga Wilhelmine Munding and have shared our conversation below.

Olga, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?

A few times in my life, I have had certain divine interventions, and here is a story about one of mine that is connected to a wedding.

I was hired to play a small family wedding and play violin (“When a Man Loves a Woman”, in case you wonder) for them at their home in the countryside of north Memphis. The day was overcast despite being the end of June, but it was comfortable temperature-wise. The ceremony itself was simple, sweet, and filled with personal touches, and was followed by a family supper.

When I drove home, the weather instantaneously turned dark, and the winds picked up. Mere seconds later, the rain came pouring down, overtaking my windshield wipers. Tree branches began to fall around the road, followed by actual trees in the moments thereafter. It appeared as if hurricane-force wind and rain had blown in with a vengeance, and it was frankly terrifying. I had never seen entire trees fall over like that, so many of them and all around me. At that instant, I prayed loudly, “God, I need help; please help me.” Mere seconds later, a branch fell on my windshield and bounced off to the side of my car, causing me to come to a quick stop. And then, about 10 feet in front of me, a large tree fell across the road. The branch had stopped me from being crushed.

The awe of it all notwithstanding, I turned the car around, thinking maybe I could find my way back to the house, and while trying to see through the pounding rain and traverse the now many branches and trees around the road, slid in the mud, which pulled me down into a ditch. The car tilted to one side in the ravine, and the alarm bells sounded in the car, causing me to hastily climb out as the car was unstable. I scampered in shock, pulling with me my violin as that was all I could reach.

As rapidly as the storm appeared, it dissipated, leaving only the downed trees, power lines, muddy roads, and storm damage behind. My car, perched on two wheels, was in a ditch, and I had no cell service as power was down. I ran down the dirt road to a neighbor who let me use their phone, and I called the Groom of the couple I had just married an hour before. The Groom came with his son and some neighbors, who then pulled my car out of the ditch, muddy but virtually unscathed. Not even a crack on my windshield was visible, although there was a small scratch on my front bumper.

Needless to say, I was in a serious state of disbelief and wonder as people pondered how the car could not flip over, how astonishing, and that I was very lucky. The experience made me reaffirm my belief in angels. Yes, angles plural, and not just God alone. That was nothing short of a miracle that saved my life and all connected to a wedding, with a couple who helped me as I had helped them not long before. I do believe in the divine and timing and that things happen for a reason. This reaffirmed my faith and purpose in life, and that is the key reason I do what I do.

Olga, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

One could say where I started is not how I ended up here, but then again, I have learned that while plans are nice, expect them to change. Embracing change was a challenge for me in the beginning, something I resisted, often unsure even as to why. Yet, evolving seems to happen much in life, and now I embrace it.

I am a singer-songwriter/ musician/stunt actor/author/notary/skydiver, and Reverend, the latter few coming to me later in life and as an executed twist of fate. The forward slashes seem a bit funny, except they are all true. My trademarked brand is “Olga,” primarily in music and the spiritual journey, and you can find me on social media @olgabluesbabe or visit this link to direct to everything http://www.about.me/laolga

When people ask why I became a Reverend after all the twists and turns (and being ordained was not one I planned for but came as a skydiving-related dream), I say that I really, really love what I do. It has been quite an evolution, but the current journey I am on is by far the best one thus far. There is a purpose in life; I feel like I have found mine, and it continues to evolve naturally. There is a soul in music; there is a soul in being present and taking vows of marriage; there is a soul in saying goodbye to a loved one. It is an honor and pleasure to be able to share those moments and experiences with others, as these reflect who we are on the inside and our true selves.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Most of my work comes from word-of-mouth and a little Google and Thumbtack. Having done weddings since 2014, word has spread that I bring a lot of soul and love to every wedding I perform, as it never gets old. I love what I do, and I feel each and every one of them, whether it was my first wedding or number 1,067. Lately, I have been asked to play violin and officiate at the same time instead of one or the other, and that, too, has provided new challenges for me. But I think it’s an honor to be asked and to be able to share a wonderful experience with the couple and even their guests.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson (and continual practice) was becoming aware that my thoughts very much affect my life. I had not been awakened to that connection before, and once I was attuned, I changed the way I spoke to myself, the way I looked at things, and the perception of the world around me. I didn’t realize how negatively I spoke to myself or that thoughts immediately went to problems instead of resolutions. Thought patterns and retraining your brain is an ongoing discipline, but I am seeing the result of persistent efforts with how my life has come to reflect a more positive worldview and peaceful surroundings. Spiritual development and mental fitness are as important, if not more so, than physical fitness or anything else for that matter. From the mind flows everything else.

Books that reside on my nightstand are “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle and “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. Both are available via audiobooks so that you can listen while you drive or do chores. Another author that I truly enjoy is Paolo Coelho. His style of writing and speaking truth is so simple yet deeply profound and wise. A perennial favorite is “The Alchemist,” which I also keep on my nightstand in German (it is translated into 83 languages).

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

—Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Contact Info:

• Website: https://about.me/laolga
• Instagram: @olgabluesbabe
• Facebook: @olgabluesbabe
• Twitter: @olgabluesbabe
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/219records
• Soundcloud: @laolga
• Other: Check out my new book and EP, “Blues & Musings,” available online or can be ordered at your local bookstore via Covenant Books. Here is the Amazon link:

  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Olga+blues+and+musings&crid=28MYGMM9FV3PJ&sprefix=olga+blues+and+musing%2Caps%2C236&ref=nb_sb_noss

Image Credits

Olga’s iPhone 12 Pro took all images except for the skydiving photo, taken by Jamie Minyard via Gopro.