Book Nook - Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose

Karen Olson is the Founder and CEO Emeritus of Family Promise. In Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose, she shares her journey from a marketing executive to answering a call to serve the less privileged, ultimately founding the grassroots initiative that evolved into Family Promise—a national movement that reaches nearly 250,000 people yearly.

Her story is one of hope, motivation, and drive—and a call for those who are also looking for a greater purpose to look at volunteering in their local communities.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.

Why did you write this book? I wrote this book because I wanted to bring awareness of the importance of and impact that volunteering can have. Over the years, I have heard so many stories on how lives were changed. Not only lives of families experiencing homelessness, but volunteers as well. I wrote this book to speak to the profound personal healing that happens when we act on our innate kindness. 

How can people use a small event in their lives to launch themselves towards a greater purpose? I started with a small event by giving a sandwich to a homeless woman in NYC. It led to so much more. You start by small acts of kindness- hold the door for someone, pay someone a compliment, make a meal for an elderly neighbor who is sick or reach out to someone who is having a tough time.

Why is it important to find purpose in life? It's important to find purpose in life because it drives you forward, makes you feel good, keeps you connected and in the process helps others.

In 1981, marketing executive Karen Olson hurried to a business meeting in New York City. An elderly, homeless woman outside Grand Central Station caught her eye. Impulsively, Karen darted across the street and bought the woman a sandwich and an orange juice. She listened to the woman’s story and learned her name: Millie.

This small act of kindness changed the trajectory of Karen’s life. With her leadership, determination, and ability to bring people together, Karen launched a grassroots, local outreach to the homeless, primarily families, that today has turned into a national movement known as Family Promise, with 200 affiliates across the country serving nearly a quarter of a million people each year. For her work, Karen received the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award from President George H.W. Bush.

In her new book, Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose (Diamond Press, September 10, 2024), Karen shares her journey, the stories of volunteers and lives changed, and why we must choose to make a difference.