We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cathleen Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cathleen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Olive Grove Life produces Bible-based reminders for Christian women who want to remember the character and promises of God as well as the new identity we have in Him. We want to remember so we can shine, thrive, and be fruitful as God intended. The story behind my mission is my 15+ year departure from God in which I was lost, unhappy, and unfruitful. I made poor decisions that follow me to this day. I do not feel that anyone else needs to do that; I want people to learn from my mistakes. My road back to God was eye-opening into His grace and mercy and how He has always been there. I learned a few things that I believe would have kept me from walking away from God. First is how great our God is and why just knowing about Him is not enough; we must have a relationship with Him. Second is how we see ourselves has impacted our day to day, but as children of God, we are granted a new identity. When we walk and work from that identity, we live and love differently. Third is that we must train to become better Christians. It is not an instant thing. We must have grace with ourselves and others. Fourth is the Bible; use it and read it, not just to say I have read it, but because it has the power to transform each of us if we allow it to. It has the ability to let us know and love God and ourselves. That is why all of my products are made based on the Bible, not cute sayings or colloquialisms. Because knowing the Bible, which my father had me and my siblings learn at the breakfast table growing up, is what brought me back to God.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Cathleen Thomas, daughter of the King, a wife of 28 years, mother to 3 children, 1 of whom I still homeschool, daughter, sister, and friend. I had a father who had a heart for entrepreneurship and that rubbed off on me. I did not go for it until later in life. I am a self-taught mixed media artist who designs Bible-based products. I know how hard it is to remember the promises or comfort or truths of the Bible when life is happening, but I knew I needed to remember it and live according to it. So, I started making signs and hanging them around my house. I wanted something better-looking than what I could do with crayons and markers though, so I taught myself and Olive Grove Life was born.

I create sweatshirts, shirts, mugs, hats, and beanies. I love my art prints, that come in a variety of sizes, and I recently started doing family coloring workbooks. I am passionate about helping others train up their children.

I know moms are busy but still want to have quality time with their children and instill a love of God in them. I pray my workbooks can help with that. I think my art prints are a great way to stay reminded of truths and promises in the midst of all the day-to-day life there is. I believe what sets me apart is the variety and the heart behind my store.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I got into this hoping to create a side income as I am a stay-at-home mother and raising three children can be expensive. I hoped that if I could just create a quality product, it would be found and I would have customers. I learned, however, that that is not the way it works. I have had my doors open for over five years and feel like I am just beginning to get traction in my business. I had to learn to keep expenses low, try to figure out what to spend on, and what to do myself while continuing to design because I believed in me and in the goal/dream, even though I was not making money. Resilience is finding a way to keep the doors open on a goal until the dream can be realized.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://olivegrovelife.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivegrovelife/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-thomas-11932318
• Other: https://www.lydiacollective.com/