Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Maine.
Hi Olivia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a small town in West Texas with a big dream of becoming an actress. After high school, I moved to Los Angeles and spent years pursuing modeling and acting. But underneath all that ambition, I was searching for something deeper; identity, purpose, and a sense that my life was about more than what I could accomplish.
In 2015, I hit a personal rock bottom that became a turning point in my life. I encountered Jesus in a way that completely changed my trajectory, and interestingly, a film played a meaningful role in that journey. It planted a seed in me that I wouldn’t fully understand until years later: a story could actually change someone’s life.
Eventually, I moved to the Vail Valley, met my husband Kyle and we built our family and the most wonderful community. I spent about eight years in ministry leadership. I had the privilege of walking closely with people through their own stories; mentoring, praying with people, leading ministries and teams, and witnessing firsthand what God can do in a person’s life.
For a long time, my worlds of entertainment and ministry felt separate. Eventually, I realized they didn’t have to be. My experience in front of the camera taught me how to tell stories, while ministry taught me how to listen for the story underneath the story. That convergence became Come Hungry: an unscripted television series combining my love of food, travel, people, and faith. What started as an idea has grown into a real production, and we’re now preparing to film our pilot here in the Vail Valley.
Looking back, I can see how acting, ministry, my own story of redemption, and my love of gathering people around a table have all led me here. At its heart, Come Hungry is built on a simple belief: people are hungry for more than what they can consume. We’re hungry for hope, meaning, connection, and stories that remind us that God is still at work.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all! This idea actually started as a very conceptual, practical idea born out of my time working at the church. I never imagined it would grow into something of this scale or that I would eventually be producing a television show.
I’ve had to fight through a lot of insecurity along the way. I’m raising young children, I had very little producing experience when I started, and I have felt way in over my head more times than I can count. Developing something from the ground up is a constant search, discovery, and re-discovery. As soon as you solve one thing, there’s another challenge waiting for you.
But strangely, that has also made this one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. I’ve had to learn quickly, ask for help, surround myself with people who know things I don’t, and keep moving forward even when I don’t have the whole roadmap.
What fuels me is the potential impact. I know firsthand how powerfully a story can affect someone’s life. My love for God, and how deeply I believe He loves people keeps me pushing forward. When I remember that even one person could encounter hope, faith, or Jesus through a story we tell, the challenges feel worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work has lived at the intersection of entertainment, storytelling, and ministry. I’ve spent 18 years working in modeling and acting, and fortunate enough to find success there. I feel so alive creating visual stories. It’s defintely apart of who I am, and it has been ever since I was a young child. Entertainment has taught me how to communicate stories in new and creative ways, while ministry taught me how to see the real people who are behind that story. Both have shaped how I approach people and storytelling today.
When I think about what sets me apart, strangely, I think it’s that I have nothing to prove. I’m no longer pursuing this industry to earn accolades, prove myself, or reach some level of success. My ambition is much simpler now: I have one life, and I want to use it to make the love of God known. That’s my mission. Entertainment and storytelling are simply the tools I’ve been given to do it. What I’m most proud of with Come Hungry is that as the project has grown, that mission has remained the same.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something people may not know is that I have a stutter and severe scoliosis; both have cost me several modeling and acting opportunities over the years. There were moments when I felt humiliated—especially in an industry so focused on speaking and appearance. But I kept showing up.
I think that says something pretty fundamental about who I am: I don’t back down easily from limitations. If someone tells me something will be difficult, or even unlikely, I tend to think, “Okay, but is it impossible?” The things I once thought might disqualify me have actually shaped me. They’ve taught me perseverance, given me compassion for other people’s insecurities, and reminded me that our limitations don’t have to define the boundaries of our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oliviamaine.com
- Instagram: oliviamaine_
