CV NEWS FEED // Bree Solstad expected nothing, if not mockery, when she announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, her “life-altering conversion” to Catholicism and subsequent decision to quit sex work.
“Honestly, it was never my intention for the world to know my story,” Solstad revealed in an exclusive interview with CatholicVote. “I still feel it’s hard to believe that I could be a Christian inspiration to someone,” she said, adding that she could have simply retired and deleted her social media accounts.
“But I had been consumed by Jesus’ love and felt that I needed to share it,” she recalled.
Solstad, known as “Miss B” on social media, was formerly numbered among the top adult content creators across multiple websites during her decade-long career as an actress and producer of pornographic films.
She delivered her shocking conversion news to her followers on Jan. 1 with the intention of merely owning up to past mistakes.
“I felt like I needed to publicly own up to my sins, to repent and to humble myself,” said Solstad, noting that the post was “really just intended for my followers.”
However, Solstad’s post has since garnered hundreds of thousands of impressions across demographics and social media platforms, and her story has become widely regarded as one of the most inspiring and high-profile conversion stories this past Easter.
Solstad now runs a successful Rosary-making business.
The following is her exclusive interview with CatholicVote, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.
CatholicVote: Can you describe a bit about your family life and background?
Bree Solstad: I was born and raised in Alaska by a hard-working, loving single mother. I was an only child and I never knew my father. I was a latchkey kid. I was baptized as a Lutheran at 8 years old and was active in the church and the youth groups during my childhood.
After leaving for college, I completely fell away from the faith into a lifestyle of drunkenness, recklessness and promiscuity. Despite all this, I guess I still considered myself nominally Christian because of my childhood, but didn’t practice and had no faith life. I dropped out of college, thanks largely to my heavy drinking and self-destructive behavior, and I moved across the country.
I started a blog about my hedonistic behavior. The blog caught the attention of a femdom sex worker, who reached out to me and essentially recruited me. It honestly seemed like fun to me at the time; I had no moral compass and was all about myself anyway.
As it turned out, I became one of the top-selling creators of this content almost immediately. This is not me bragging at all. It is definitely not heroic to be the greatest narcissist. For the next decade, I created different types of pornography.
CV: Can you describe the events leading up to your conversion?
Solstad: I suffered a horrible tragedy a few years ago. At the time, I prayed harder than I ever had in my life. I felt like God had turned his back on me and so I did the same to Him.
About a year ago, I had an opportunity to go to Italy and spent months preparing. The majority of the places I wanted to visit were churches, because in Italy that is where all the great art is located. But once inside these beautiful old basilicas, cathedrals, and churches, something changed in me and I began to appreciate the art and the churches themselves for the theology they expressed. My heart was being pierced by beauty and I began to notice more than just the beauty of the art.
Unlike any Protestant church I had ever gone to as a child, the crucifix was always right there. His gift to us was always plain to see as soon as I entered a church. For reasons I still can’t explain, I found myself getting down on one knee to cross myself when I entered and exited the churches. In Sorrento and Rome, I remember seeing the Virgin Mary on street corners all over the place. I noticed her in side chapels of churches and even on my barista’s bracelet.
It was a surreal experience, but I really felt like Mary was calling me. Each time I entered a church, I felt compelled to seek her out. I wanted to greet her and ask her to help me with the effects of the tragedy that had previously occurred in my life.
In Assisi, I was impressed with Saint Francis but moved to tears by Saint Clare. I knelt by her tomb and again asked for assistance. I am not a mystic and I have never experienced anything like this before but, in an instant, Saint Clare was actually present with me. She was telling me that she was going to take all the pain and anxiety from me and somehow give it to God.
When I came home, I quickly realized that I didn’t like what my life was like. I felt disgusting and guilty for the work I had been doing for a decade. I couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that I had done and all the lives I negatively affected through pornography. I felt grotesque.
At the same time, I started going to a beautiful old Catholic Church near me, trying to reconnect with those feelings I had in Italy. A little while later I spoke to a priest at length.
That’s when everything really changed for me. Among many other things, he told me that God loved me and wants me to be happy. When he said this, it was as if I was being embraced by a warm light, like the sun had come out for the first time in years. It felt like an other-worldly embrace, and that someone was telling me “Everything is going to be OK now.” I started to cry, and I really haven’t stopped since.
I am now so grateful and my heart is constantly full.
CV: Why the Catholic Church, and not another Christian denomination?
Solstad: As far as why the Catholic Church…First off, my conversion happened inside the Catholic Church and was aided by our Blessed Mother and a Catholic saint. Secondly, after what I discussed earlier about going to a local Catholic Church to reconnect with those feelings in Italy and speaking with a priest, it just felt like God was calling me home to the church on earth that His Son founded.
I honestly have fallen in love with the Catholic Church. There’s such a richness. The Holy Trinity, Mary the Mother of God, all the heroic Saints, the Sacraments, the history, the tradition, the beauty, the aesthetics, everything! But what has affected me the most is the Eucharist. Jesus is physically present in every Catholic church all over the world. That is amazing to me.
I could go to a Protestant church in any town and then visit another Protestant church in that same town, and the two churches could be doing and teaching things completely differently than one another.
CV: Are there any saints you have a particular devotion to? Did you choose a confirmation saint as a patron?
Solstad: My Confirmation Saint is Saint Clare of Assisi. As I stated in the previous question, she will always be the closest saint to my heart. Saint Clare is my girl. Did you know that she cried every single time she received the Eucharist? I pray regularly to have that same love and devotion. She is a hero to me. The more I read about her, the more amazed I am by her. She is so important to me. She was a huge part of me going from “I can’t even step foot into a church.” to “OK, maybe my life can go on.”
Saint Cecilia, because of her martyrdom and all the people that her story has influenced over the centuries, even Lutherans like Handel. Not only did she hold fast to her Catholic faith in the face of persecution and death, but she also held on to her celibacy and promises to Jesus.
Saint Francis of Assisi, as well. I like to call him the gateway saint because even most non-Catholics have heard of him or even have a statue of him because they are animal lovers. I used to be the same way – he was my gateway saint. Now that I’ve learned more about him, his saintliness has little to do with animals or nature. His complete confidence in his decision to live a life of poverty is so impressive to me. But it’s even more impressive that he stuck to it his entire life. He said yes to Christ and never turned back.
Other saints who have really moved me are Saint Bernadette of Lourdes because of her strength and trust when she was being persecuted and scorned by so many during the apparitions and then for her humility, patience, and charity in the face of immense devotion and admiration of her. The children of Fatima for many of the same reasons as Bernadette, Joan of Arc for her complete and total trust and confidence in God, and Maximillian Kolbe – a great example of a modern-day saint.
A lot of times people have the idea that Catholic saints lived so long ago and experienced miracles that modern people don’t believe occur anymore. But Kolbe was a great example of sainthood within our modern era.
CV: Your fellow convert, Tammy Peterson has spoken quite a bit about her devotion to the Rosary. Can you share a bit about your relationship with Mary and the Rosary?
Solstad: Mary is grace and mercy personified. She’s helped me come to see the benefits of tragedy, suffering, and loss. She has shown me how to go through this life when you’re faced with struggles and pain, and to get through them with dignity and with a faith that is even stronger than before. I love her so much. I tell her that every day. I often pray the Rosary while I’m stringing the beads for my new business. I also pray on each Rosary before I send it out. I talk to Mary a lot about my desires, about my past life, about the tragedy I experienced.
In Italy, I felt like I wasn’t ready to talk to God but I could talk to Mary because, sure, she was sinless, but she was a human and also suffered through so much pain and loss. But she did it with grace and dignity and steadfastness. She’s the mother of my God. I admire her. I look up to her. I ask for her guidance and help quite often. I feel like in some situations, she is more approachable and is always interceding for me. I like meditating about the imagery and symbolism of her being at the right hand of Jesus interceding for us and asking Jesus to give us a little more mercy and grace.
I want to be like her in many ways.
The Rosary itself has been such a blessing to me and my spiritual growth. My favorite part is honestly the intentions, and thinking about someone or something that needs my prayers. That’s a lot of prayer to devote to one person or one thing. Just that act of contemplating an intention from someone other than myself gets me out of my head, helps me to stop focusing on myself, and reminds me of others who need prayer.
It’s odd because later in the day the Rosary prayers from earlier often come up in my head again. The Rosary has really helped me with humility and charity for others.
When I pray the Rosary every day, I can tell there is a huge difference in my mood. I’m less irritable, I have more love in my heart and I am much more patient. It’s like a soothing therapy session, prayer and meditation, all rolled into one. I cannot recommend daily devotion to the Rosary enough.
CV: Tell me about your Rosary business!
Solstad: When I first thought about giving up the lavish income that came along with my work in pornography, it was a real struggle. But I knew to truly convert and give my life over to Jesus, and to truly be a witness to others in the industry and to those struggling with addiction to porn, I had to shut it all down. It was scary and came with a lot of anxiety. I knew I wanted to do something that would bring faith, hope, and beauty to people’s lives.
Before I fell into the production of pornography, I actually worked under one of the top jewelry designers on the East Coast. So, it seemed fitting to me to go back to those roots and use my God-given creativity and eye for beauty. This new job helps me to feel gratitude and keeps me connected to Jesus and Mary. I’ve designed and handcrafted several custom Rosaries that were given as baptismal, Confirmation, or anniversary gifts.
Making something beautiful and prayerful for someone’s daughter’s Confirmation is so special to me. I even got to design a special six-decade Rosary for a Dominican priest. It’s incredible that I could be a part of something like that, given my past. In my previous life, nothing I did for work bettered anyone or made me feel special about anything. All it did was bring me deeper into the sins of pride, lust, and vanity.
My heart is now so full. The fulfillment I feel from this new endeavor is God’s mercy. And the support I’ve received has been overwhelming. It’s just incredible that I can be part of something like this, especially given my past. I am so grateful to God for this new life.
CV: What advice do you have for women, especially young women, who are struggling to find their identity in Christ?
Solstad: Learn more, especially about Mary and female saints. I just finished reading a book called “Chiara: A Story of St. Clare of Assisi” by Madeline Nugent, and I highly recommend it to every woman or girl.
If you’re struggling, rely on your church community. Get involved in women’s groups or a Bible study. Don’t focus your life so much or on your online presence. Especially young women, realize that maybe 10 percent of what you see on Instagram or TikTok is real. Every image you see is an exaggeration or a filter or a green screen. Live your life comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not to other females.
Go to Mass often and stay away from your screens. Face-to-face interactions have so much more value and are more fulfilling.
I would say this to any young woman engaged in promiscuity, selling images of their body, or entering into the world of OnlyFans/Pornography: Jesus loves you. He doesn’t want this for you. Sin breaks your relationship with Him. But everyone can be forgiven. He wants to forgive you. All you have to do is ask.
CV: What was your experience in RCIA like? Were there any teachings that stood out to you or that you found difficult?
Solstad: I absolutely loved RCIA. My fellow former candidates and I plan on resuming our weekly meetings later this spring. There were a few times when my subconscious childhood Protestant prejudices bubbled up out of nowhere.
But I really was so lucky to have a great group and a great instructor to work things through with. I was always the first one to speak or ask questions after the opening prayer. After vowing to myself to try not to speak first during our classes, it got to the point where the instructor would just say, “Bree, do you have any questions or feelings about what we went over this past week?” I have heard some bad stories about other RCIA groups, but I was lucky.
Right off the bat, the Holy Trinity was really tricky to wrap my mind around until my instructor told me Saint Augustine’s story about his vision of the child at the beach trying to put the entire ocean in a hole he dug. It’s still tricky, but it made me realize that humans will never fully understand the mystery and the grandeur of the Trinity. All we really need to know is that the Trinity is all about the eternal pouring forth of love between the Father and the Son.
CV: What has been the response of your family and loved ones?
Solstad: The only person in my family who had any knowledge of what I was doing was my mother, and even she didn’t know the full extent. That’s what I meant when I said that living in this lifestyle is very isolating and includes constant lying to others and to yourself. I lied to everyone else about what I did for a living for a full decade. My mother is obviously happy that I have quit!
CV: You seem so incredibly joyful! Can you speak to this? For those who won’t experience a “conversion” in the same way, can you share what has given you joy and hope in the Catholic faith?
Solstad: It sounds cliche, but I can’t help but feel completely saved and blessed by God. After all that I was and all that I did, I’m still amazed that Jesus never turned his back on me. That translates for me into gratitude and joy in abundance. I keep waiting for it to wear off, but it fills me up again every time I receive the Eucharist and Confession. I am just so happy and joyful. There’s a childlike quality to it all, and I’m not at all ashamed of it!
And it’s such a relief that I don’t have to do what I now realize made me so miserable in the past. Even that realization is such a joyful relief. It was like I was going through my life day in and day out thinking everything was fine enough, but now I’ve discovered that it wasn’t fine and there is this other way to live that is so much better than fine. Who wouldn’t be overjoyed to have discovered this?
It’s impossible not to be super joyful, especially given all the great Catholics who have been encouraging, supporting, and loving me.
