Big Hair, Big Heart, and Big Purpose
You know when you have a conversation with someone that you are only just getting to know, and you think, I just really like this person and I hope we can be friends? And that if we lived around the corner from one another we’d be buddies?
That was my conversation this week with the brilliant, hilarious, and deeply wise Olga Thompson - otherwise known as Big Fat Greek Mother.
If you know her from Instagram, you might recognise the wigs, the big characters, and the lovingly chaotic glimpses into her life with three teenage boys. But behind the laughter is a woman who’s lived through bullying, breakdown, rejection, and reinvention, and somehow turned it all into something profoundly hopeful.
I’d been looking forward to our conversation for weeks, because there’s something about Olga that feels instantly familiar. Maybe it’s the hairdresser mums we both grew up with. Maybe it’s our shared faith. Maybe it’s that we’re both navigating raising teenage sons while trying to keep our own sense of purpose, too. Whatever it is, I knew it wouldn’t be just a fun episode, it would be real.
And it was.
We talked about what it means to really own your story. About writing through the raw stuff and letting the mess stay visible. Her memoir, Split Ends, is packed with laugh-out-loud lines, but it also carries deep, unflinching honesty. She talks about the experience of writing her life story, describing the process as like ‘unboxing emotional Tupperware from the attic.’
I loved so much of the book, but there was one particular line in her book that stopped me in my tracks:
How often do we hide our former selves out of embarrassment or regret? Olga talked so honestly about that journey, about learning to stop editing herself to make others comfortable, and instead starting to rewrite the narrative with grace. Not erasing the past, but honouring it. And the fact she’s showing up unedited, genuinely free from comparison and no longer caring what others think, makes it just that little bit easier for us to do the same, too.
We talked about late blooming, too, about the lie that tells us we’ve somehow “missed it.” Olga’s journey shows that purpose doesn’t arrive on schedule, and sometimes the best things come after a long season of nothing making sense. She reminded me that your story isn’t less valuable because it took a while. If anything, it’s richer.
We shared stories about parenting chaos, what it’s like to be surrounded by teenage boys who eat everything in sight, how boys can be underestimated, and how play isn’t just for children. “Adults forget how to have fun,” she said. “They forget what they enjoy.” Listen in for her advice on how to find that sense of fun again.
She also opened up about the downsides of social media - the trolling, the pressure, the noise - and how she’s learned to stay grounded. There’s a strength in her that’s been hard-won, and a faith that quietly threads through everything she does.
I asked her what she’d say to someone struggling to believe their story matters. Her answer was simple:
“Don’t wait for someone else to validate it. Start. Begin where you are. Your mess might be the thing someone else needs to see.”
I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. It’s a reminder that purpose doesn’t always look polished, that healing and humour are allowed to share a stage, and that we can all learn to celebrate who we’ve been - not just who we’re becoming.
🎧 You can listen to the full episode on The Purpose Pursuit wherever you get your podcasts. I really hope you do.
Love,
Hannah x
P.S. Olga’s book Split Ends is out now, and it’s honestly one of the most heartfelt, funny, and empowering memoirs I’ve read in a long time. There’s a section in there about identity, regret, and resilience that I think every woman I know should read. You can order your copy here! And if you're curious to see more from Olga, give her a follow on her Instagram too!