Entrepreneur and former model Kathy Ireland says she grew up “with really no faith” before a crucial late-night encounter with the Bible that her mother had tucked in her suitcase. Ireland, whose latest endeavor is joining forces with Zoom Casa Powered by Kathy Ireland Worldwide, told Fox News Digital, “It was during a really lonely time in Paris, jet lag, and loneliness, middle of the night that I opened up that Bible.
Ireland continued, “I didn’t know how to read it. And I was a rebellious teenager questioning who really knows the truth, who really knows what’s right or wrong. And as I read, I just knew that what I was holding in my hands was the truth, and my life forever changed.” The chance to discover her relationship with God on her own was a powerful experience.
She explained, “Jesus was nothing like I thought. I was listening to other people’s soundbites about who He was and what the Bible said. I was alone in that room, so nobody was telling me, be this denomination or that denomination. It was just, I wanted to follow Him. And that changed everything for me because, at that moment, Jesus became my Lord and Savior. And I knew if He’s with me, who could be against me?”
Understanding her relationship with God took “a very long time,” and she admits to having been “arrogant” in her initial reading of the Bible. She said, “I was picking and choosing, and I was trying to mold God into what I wanted Him to be rather than surrendering and allowing Him to mold me into the person He made me to be.” Ireland added, “I love the scripture that says the one who is forgiven much, loves much. So, I love a whole bunch, and I’m so grateful. I’m a slow learner, and I’m just so grateful He’s so patient.”
Ireland’s faith also plays a crucial role in her 35-year marriage to Greg Olsen, an ER doctor and entrepreneur as well, with whom she has three children and fondly calls “a great guy.” She said, “Marriage is not a contract. It’s not a piece of paper. It’s not a contract with the government. It’s a covenant with God. So, on those days when we might not feel like loving each other very well, we also made a promise to God. So2, that really helps us.”
Ireland says her faith helped her as a model, too, saying, “It gave me the courage to walk off jobs. I didn’t care what people thought about me.” The California-born Ireland began modeling at 16 and was soon gracing magazine covers like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as the 1989 Sports Illustrated swimsuit 50th anniversary event cover.
She spun her modeling fame into one of the most successful business empires in the world when she founded Kathy Ireland Worldwide in 1993. Ireland recalls starting her business “with a single pair of socks” and being “an aging pregnant model at my kitchen table.” Thirty years later, Kathy Ireland Worldwide is valued at over $500 million.