Meet the Author

Jeanne Bolin

Wife to Don. Mother of eight. Grandmother of thirty-three. Her prayer, her lifelong battle cry—as Susanna Wesley prayed, “Lord, let me start a fire within my home that would someday burn around the world.”

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Her story

Who is Jeanne Bolin and why should I listen to her?

Jeanne Bolin is an author, speaker, musician, and homeschooling mother with a passion for helping children and families cultivate Christlike character. But her true claim to fame is that she is the mother of the Bolin clan!

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, she gave her heart to Christ as a child and received His forgiveness, a decision that transformed her life forever! She attended Howard Payne University, where she participated in the production of Finian’s Rainbow. There, she was paired with a handsome young man from Illinois named Don Bolin. As he confidently took her hand and they waltzed across the stage, Jeanne sensed she could follow him for the rest of her life—and she did. That dance marked the beginning of a lifelong love and partnership centered on Christ, family, music, and ministry.

Jeanne and Don sang and served together in churches, revivals, and conferences across the country, sharing the Gospel through music. Their duet grew into a trio, then a quartet, and eventually a gospel Von Trapp family choir, The Bolin Family Singers. God blessed them with eight beautiful children and a home where quiet moments were rare, yet joyful noise was abundant.

Jeanne’s life changed forever when her second child, Molly, was born with a rare chromosome disorder. It became a season of surrender—a character classroom designed especially for this young mother. As Jeanne laid down her dreams and devoted herself to her family, what had seemed like an unexpected detour became one of God’s greatest gifts—reshaping their priorities and setting them on an extraordinary journey of faith.

God called the Bolins to homeschool their children, a decision that became one of the defining choices of their lives. Jeanne came to see those years not as a sacrifice but as a privilege—an opportunity to invest in her children’s hearts, minds, and character.

As a student, Jeanne never considered writing one of her strengths. Yet God delights in using our weaknesses so His strength and His glory are unmistakable. God used decades of parenting, teaching, and studying His Word to inspire The Character Treasure Chest. Through engaging stories and timeless biblical truths, Jeanne encourages families to pursue the lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ. Her signature statement: “The prerequisite for building character in my home was allowing God to first start building that character in me.”

After Don’s passing in 2017, Jeanne began reflecting more deeply on legacy. One of Jeanne’s favorite quotes is, “Legacy is not what you leave behind but what you set in motion.” The Character Treasure Chest represents the message she and Don longed to pass on to their children, grandchildren, and future generations—a call to live lives marked by courage, wisdom, conviction, endurance, and Christlike character.

In her just-released book, The Character Treasure Chest, Jeanne tells the story of her character adventure and her heroes of faith and the scriptures that are still impacting her life. This book is not Ten Steps to Better Character. It’s not a PowerPoint summary of character training. Instead, it shares the journey her family took to build a culture of character in their home. It’s more like an itinerary, and she invites you to come along!

Jeanne’s mission is to encourage parents, grandparents, educators, and just ordinary people to become students of character and intentionally cultivate, imitate, and embrace the imprint of the Lord’s image upon their lives. Character is not a life of perfection but of transformation, little by little, one step at a time; it’s the long run, a journey that will continue until we see Jesus face to face. Jeanne’s life bears witness to God’s unfailing faithfulness. Her prayer is that The Character Treasure Chest will inspire others to trust the Lord more deeply, embrace the lifelong pursuit of character, and joyfully embrace the journey of becoming more like Christ. It’s her call to action to you, to “choose life” for you and your family.

Jeanne has included some of her favorite family pictures below and welcomes you to get to know the Bolin family!