Olsen was born and raised in a middle-class family in Victoria, British Columbia.
[1] In 1972, Olsen married Carl, who is Coast Salish, and moved to Tsartlip First Nation, where she lived for 35 years.
[1] These questions and life experiences have greatly shaped her art and academic endeavours.
Later, Olsen's family adopted another son from Brazil, and her children have bore her eight grandchildren, most of whom live in Tsarlip.
[3] She also "helped develop the curriculum for and teaches the First Nations Housing Management Certificate Program at Vancouver Island University.