13 min read ⭑

Caroline Fausel is passionate about health, wellness and healing. She created “Olive You Whole,” a successful clean-eating and lifestyle blog to help encourage others in their wellness journeys. Caroline is passionate about helping women live healthier, more intentional lives. As a health coach, she has developed a loyal community of followers who love her recipes and guidance on living a toxic-free lifestyle. She, her husband and their two children live in Denver, Colorado.

In this interview, Caroline shares how she believes that “healing is stitched into every fabric” of her being. She describes how she was drawn to the wellness world after experiencing frequent illness as a child and shares her heart to see others experience lives of “vitality and longevity.” Continue reading to hear more about her family practices that foster health as well as the resources that have influenced her faith journey.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I grew up south of Nashville, Tennessee and now live in Denver, Colorado. So while I thoroughly appreciate Southern food, that’s not what I seek out in Colorado. My favorite cuisine of all time is Mexican food. I speak Spanish and have a dream to live in Mexico one day! More than the food, I love the people! I could legitimately eat Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner the rest of my life and be completely happy. In fact, we went to Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon in 2012, and, for some reason, it didn’t occur to me that we could eat Mexican food whenever we wanted there. The breakfast buffet was literal heaven. They had an enchilada of the day, a tamale of the day and an entire table of homemade Mexican breakfast pastries. One guy’s entire job was to man the grill to freshly make chilaquiles. Another lady would make fresh juice using whichever fruits and vegetables you chose.

Back home in Denver, since cooking is my passion, we typically don’t go out to eat very much anymore. (My former self is flabbergasted by this!)  But when we do, it is typically Mexican food. Since my kids and I are gluten free, most Mexican food is also very easily and naturally gluten-free! You might find our family one Saturday night at La Doña, a Mezcal Eatery. It’s a Oaxacan-style Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar with incredible dishes like queso fundido, enchiladas de Oaxaca, pozole verde, mole and various molcajetes.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I am near-obsessed with the concept of regenerative agriculture. If you’re not familiar, it is a way of tending to the Earth through agriculture — instead of completely depleting the soil and its resources, it restores it to its former glory. I went to a regenerative agriculture conference two years in a row in Texas Hill Country, and I came home wanting to sell everything and move to a farm to homestead. So I gave my husband two options: we could either move to a homestead or he could help me build garden boxes in our tiny postage stamp of a yard in urban Denver. He very quickly jumped on option number two. I’m a few years into growing some of our own food, and it truly is one of my very favorite things. I love every single step of the process. Okay, actually, I’m really terrible at killing things on purpose, so I’ve had to learn the importance of pulling some baby sprouts. If I don’t, too many plants grow, and in the end they fight each other for nutrients and space. 

While living in a city, vegetable gardening brings me a connection to our food source. It teaches my children to be grateful for the food we have because it takes a lot of hard work to get to our plates! There is a reason gardens are used as a metaphor for life. Gardening is very meditative for me. There is discipline in watering the garden every morning. There is pure joy in seeing the first sprouts come to life! Pesky weeds always spring up, and there is even death in pulling the weeds so my vegetables can flourish. Inside my home is filled with plants, too. It's like my own little jungle. I feel so deeply that we were made for nature, so I bring the outside in as much as possible — my own little Eden.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So, what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

This sounds like an answer I would give at a job interview where they ask me my weakness, and I instead give a strength. I promise it’s not! One of my greatest weaknesses is extreme empathy. Of course it can be a strength, but I’m very acutely aware of when it is a weakness. Let me explain. I feel so deeply, and I’m so aware of others’ feelings — even strangers. And it’s not just an awareness. I truly feel other people’s feelings. In college, I was at a Bible study. I couldn’t call it a “small group” because there were probably about twenty or more college-aged girls there. Someone had invited a friend, a new girl I had never met before. She started sharing about how her boyfriend had broken up with her, and she was bawling her eyes out. Of course, I was crying, too. My problem is that I don’t just match someone’s emotion, I also match someone’s level of emotion. So I didn’t have just one cute empathetic tear in my eyelashes. Nope. I was full-on sobbing. My friend next to me asked me, “Do you know her?” No, in fact, I do not. Having this much empathy can make it hard to move through the world. How can I continue on when there is so much death and destruction? What about Gaza, Darfur, Sudan, Myanmar and things happening in our own country? It’s often way too much to bear, and I have thoughts that I’m supposed to single-handedly solve all of it. I know this is preposterous, but I’ve never met anxiety that was sensical! I’m sure most people want to completely get rid of their kryptonite. I don’t necessarily. I do see the benefits. But my wish would be to maybe tone it down a bit? There is no hiding this kryptonite.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

The world of health and wellness was very attractive to me from the moment I realized it existed. I struggled my entire childhood with digestive issues and overall being sick a lot. At an embarrassingly young age, I quit the bubblegum syrup and started asking for Z-Paks by name. So when my husband and I tried the Paleo diet in 2014 and felt the best we had ever felt in our entire lives, everything changed for us. That’s when I started my blog, “Olive You Whole,” and realized it was my mission to help others live their lives with vitality and longevity. 

Healing is stitched in every fabric of my being. Still for myself and now also for others. I’ve been on a journey for the last 12 years to figure out how to live my life in the healthiest, most intentional way possible. I have loosened the reins on the Paleo diet, but I am still so passionate about helping others eat nutritionally-dense, whole foods that can truly work as nature’s medicine. I find that typically in our busy lives, we neglect all of the foundational things that will help us feel our best. So we end up chronically stressed and exhausted, using coffee as a crutch to get us through the day. But I fully believe that God has made us for so much more than that. My upcoming book, “A Simply Healthy Life: Your Guide to Cultivating a Happy, Connected, and Intentional Life,” helps you take simple steps to your best life. I use many of the skills I learned, becoming a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, to walk you through 12 foundational aspects of health that may be missing in your life. I think, deep down, we all want to feel connection: to God, ourselves and others. We want to be living a meaningful life on purpose. Join me as I show you how I’ve walked this out in my life, and it might just help you do the same.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?

I was born in 1989, so I think I was part of the first generation that grew up without much boredom. I was chatting on the home computer on AIM in 6th grade and had a flip phone in 7th grade, so it has only been in my adult life that I have realized the power of stillness and silence. As a very outgoing Enneagram 7, these are not my natural tendencies. In my natural state, I could make friends with a brick wall, and I’m always talking (I’m working on it). I appreciate the silence and solitude that accompanies writing. It forces me into spaces of quiet. 

I think in our busy, “go-go-go” lives, it’s very hard to hear the voice of God. If our earbuds are always blasting music or the latest podcast episode of Smartless (guilty), we don’t have the space or attention to hear God. In my work, this space is mission critical. I hear God gently nudging in these spaces. In the moments where my thinking and typing have stopped, and I feel I’m at a dead end, these are often the times when the divine inspiration hits. I am confident it’s him when it has a certain magical, sparkly feel to it. The same is true when I’m working with a client. I think God has wired my brain for healing. Often when it feels like someone is down and out, has no idea what’s going on with them, and is desperate for answers, he allows me to make connections. I see the one thing that connects all the pieces. It’s like he gives me the missing puzzle piece. You might not be a writer or a health professional, but I know God speaks when we give him the space to.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin’ best for you right now?

For the past few years, our family has been practicing the Sabbath. Growing up in the church, Sabbath wasn’t on the short list of spiritual practices menu, which consisted of just reading your Bible and praying. I had only heard of it as an ancient Jewish ritual, kin to sacrifice. It’s truly bizarre to think about the fact that it’s the only one of the Ten Commandments that modern Christians don’t abide by anymore. I digress. While there’s debate about if we “have to” follow the Sabbath, I find that to be an unnecessary argument to engage in. Instead, I invite you to just try it. You might find, like we did, that it’s truly a gift and not a dreaded requirement.

Practicing the Sabbath takes some preparation. I clearly love cooking, so I actually enjoy this part. I make Friday night dinner, which usually includes a gluten-free challah bread that we dip in honey butter. (Gluten free or not, I can’t recommend the “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” cookbooks enough. Especially for gluten-free, it has graced us with delicious, “gluten-tasting” treats like challah bread, monkey bread and to-die-for cinnamon rolls.) I will usually make a soup the night before that can stay in the Instant Pot all day that we can enjoy Saturday. After our Sabbath feast, on Saturday we’re phone-free and carefree. We stop work, and then we rest and delight. What this looks like can be different for every person or family. It’s not about legalism; it’s about experiencing God. These days feel like four days, but in the best way. At first, it’s hard. We struggled with our identities apart from “producing.” But that’s the true beauty of it. I love this practice so much that it has an entire chapter dedicated to it in my upcoming book, “A Simply Healthy Life,” if you’d like to hear more of our story or learn more about how to practice this ancient ritual.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

Three life-changing resources feels like a lot, but this list was actually hard to narrow down! I’ll go in chronological order here.

First, in college I did a Bible study with our pastor’s wife, and we read the book “The Attributes of God” by A.W. Tozer. It was both the book itself and the conversation around it that changed me. What I realized is that if you have an inaccurate view of God, it can negatively impact everything about your spiritual life. It’s not difficult to misconstrue a situation and then unknowingly create a false theology that you live by. This is such a great foundational book for any Christian, new or old in the faith. 

Next up is “Love Does” by Bob Goff. This book came out the year I graduated college, got married and got pregnant (yes, all in one year). First of all, I just love Bob Goff. He is an Enneagram 7 like me. I’ve met him in person (we both spoke at the MOMCON conference the same year), and he’s exactly as exuberant and joyful in person as he is online. His embrace and living out of who he is helps me feel free to be all of me, exactly as God made me. This book is all about how love is an action word and how we should be focusing our lives on becoming like Jesus and loving others like he loved them. This book impacted me so much that I even took his idea of a “Ten-Year-Old Adventure” to heart. Eleven years after reading the book, I took my ten-year-old Ella Rae on an art-themed “Ten-Year-Old Adventure” to Paris. It was the trip of a lifetime that we will never forget!

Lastly, and most recently, is John Mark Comer’s “Practicing the Way” study. These days, “Practicing the Way” is a book and a free online study. When we were going through the sermons and accompanying study guides in 2020, it was mainly sermons from his days as the lead pastor at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon. Now, it is much more concise and bite-sized! Before going through this study, my ideas of spiritual formation were limited to prayer, worship and reading my Bible. John Mark Comer rocked our world with his ideas of slowing down, simplicity, Sabbath, fasting and more. I cannot recommend the online study highly enough, and do it with a group if you can. We love this study so much that we started leading it at our church. What I love is that if you go to church on Sunday, you hear a sermon and there’s likely an action item: something to do, change or contemplate. But by the time you think about it again on Wednesday, you say you’ll do it in a few days. Then you don’t, and it’s Sunday again! (Just me?) With “The Practicing the Way Course Companion Guide,” you spend weeks on a certain topic, so you’re able to watch the videos and practice that spiritual formation over and over. It’s really able to permeate who you are as a person and change you. If I had to pick just one resource to recommend, it’s this one.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

Spending time with God can obviously happen at any time of the day, but I like to spend time with Jesus first thing in the morning. For me, spending time with Jesus is like putting on “Kingdom of God” glasses, and it completely reframes how I see the world and show up in it. But sometimes I feel stuck in how to spend that time. I can get in ruts where I’m reading my Bible and enjoying that, but I’m not actually relationally connecting with God. One thing has really changed that for me. I use the Lectio 365 app. It’s based on the concept of lectio divina, a Latin phrase which translates to “divine reading.” Lectio divina is a traditional Christian practice of reading and meditation on Scripture. The Lectio 365 app takes you through four different sections of “P.R.A.Y.”: pause, reflect, ask and yield. You can scroll through the day’s content, but I like to close my eyes and listen to it. It’s about twelve minutes long. It’s a great way to combine meditation, prayer and Scripture all in one. There are morning and evening sessions available each day. The Lectio 365 team does an amazing job producing this content that is always fresh, and it’s often timely because it’s not evergreen content — it’s for that specific day.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I honestly feel like in this moment I’ve never been more aligned with why God put me on this planet, and that is a great feeling! For so long, my focus has been on creating recipes and resources to help people live their healthiest lives. And while that has been amazing, I feel such an urge to help people on an individual level, face to face and not from behind my iPhone to the masses.

For that reason, in September I started school to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Being an NTP will give me the ability to help patients get to the root cause of their symptoms. I will be able to use a nutritionally-dense diet plus necessary supplements to help my clients feel their best. I feel so passionate about how God created our bodies to heal themselves, and sometimes we just need a few tweaks here and there to help fulfill that mission. I can’t wait for the day in September of 2025 that I’m an official NTP and can expand my practice to help more people. My little five-year-old self who struggled with constant stomachaches feels so proud knowing that now I’m helping other people take control of their health and feel their best. I hope to have group coaching programs to make this type of natural, holistic healthcare available to more people because of its affordability. It shouldn’t cost a fortune to feel your best!

In her interview, Caroline observes that she’s part of the first generation to grow up without the experience of boredom. Screens and fast-paced culture have all but eradicated pockets of boredom from our lives. As a result, it’s a struggle for many to embrace silence and stillness. But Caroline believes that these quiet moments are crucial to hearing the voice of God. She says, “In the moments where…I feel I’m at a dead end, these are often the times when the divine inspiration hits.” Take a moment to assess the noise level in your life. Do you have moments of quiet and stillness so you’re able to listen for the still small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12,13)?  How can you cultivate pockets of quiet dedicated to listening for his whisper?

Caroline Fausel is the owner and blogger behind Olive You Whole, a successful clean eating and lifestyle blog. She is passionate about helping women live healthier, more intentional lives. As a health coach, she has developed a loyal community of followers who love her recipes and guidance on living a toxic-free lifestyle. Caroline is married to her college sweetheart Chaz and they have two precious kiddos, Ella Rae and Owen. They call Denver, Colorado home and love hiking and skiing in the great Rocky Mountains when they’re not traveling around the world.

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