Hi, I’m Don Olund, a Hinsdale, IL-based relationship coach and couples counselor.

I knew early on that I was meant to make a difference in the life of others.  As the fourth of five children, I knew that to get along I had to be caring, flexible and respectful.

My youngest brother, Tom, was born with disabilities that required special attention.  In order to connect with my brother, I had to adapt to his way of communicating. My siblings and I had to focus, slow down and listen and in some cases, we had to ask more questions to really get the heart of what he was trying to say.

Making an effort to listen and understand others is an essential aspect of successful relationships.

Caring for Tom created strong and meaningful relationships in our family. We took on the responsibility of care and made personal sacrifices to meet his needs.  Compassion, sacrifice, accommodation, and understanding were some of the things I learned in caring for my brother. I carried these core elements into my professional career.

For twenty-five years I served in pastoral ministry combining relational and spiritual gifts to provide solid leadership from a compassionate heart.  As a speaker, I was highly regarded for my ability to make historical biblical themes relevant to current life challenges. People enjoyed my relational style and often commented that they felt I understood what they were going through.

At age 40, I returned to school to complete a Masters Degree in Marriage & Family Counseling.  I was selected by the faculty as the student speaker for the commencement service. A few years later, I was invited to be on the faculty of Governors State University as a lecturer.

Over the past decade, I have dedicated myself to further development as a relational specialist.  In 2012, I completed an advanced program and became a board-certified executive coach. Recently, I completed a year-long program and was awarded a fellowship in advanced psychodynamic theory at the University of Chicago.

Today, I own a private practice in Hinsdale, IL and work with a team of seven licensed professional counselors and social workers who serve the community.

I know what it means to run a business and balance family life and relationships.

I am happily married to my wife Marian for fourteen years. I have three adult children from a previous marriage and four grandchildren.

In 2013, I published my first book, “Bringing Respect Back: Communicating Without the Conflict”. My second book is forthcoming: “Bringing Intimacy Back: Restoring Romance in Your Relationship.”

I am a frequent speaker in churches, retreats, and workshops while serving as a guest lecturer in the Graduate School at Governors State University.

If you want to:

• Gain insight, identify strengths and develop skills to improve the quality of your relationships
• Increase empathy, understanding, and care for others
• Experience less conflict and more connection with the people you care about
• Put things in perspective — even in hard times — with a sense of humor
• Learn a new “dance” with your partner or family by breaking old patterns of interacting and creating new ones

…sign up now for GüdLife!