• Sheridan Road
  • Country Magazine
  • Hinsdale Living
  • Forest & Bluff
  • The North Shore Weekend
  • Sheridan Road
  • Country Magazine
  • Hinsdale Living
  • Forest & Bluff
  • The North Shore Weekend

Sign Up for JWC Media's Email

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Jwc Media Logo

JWC Media

a luxury lifestyle website that delivers a colorful and passionate telling of neighboring events, fashion, beauty, finance, and the pursuit of leisure.

  • Search
  • Features
  • Style
  • Home
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Society
  • Archives
Features | Jan. 2025

REDEFINING SUCESS

By Janis MVK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES GUSTIN
STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA

Dave O’Connor

72 Davidoconnor@james Gustin 8

Dave O’Connor is on a mission to help highachieving professionals find deeper fulfillment. Offering one-on-one coaching and group workshops designed to transform both the professional and personal lives of men, his unique approach, “The DAVE Method” (Discover, Accept, Vision, Experiment), helps clients uncover the deeper issues at play, embrace their current reality, and define a clear vision for how they genuinely want to achieve their goals.

After over two decades in the corporate world holding high-pressure leadership roles, he witnessed a common pattern: accomplished executives checking off milestones and achieving success, yet feeling discontent—a struggle he knew firsthand. “I wanted to offer a different approach to creating a full life; one that doesn’t just focus on productivity and performance but also on helping people rediscover what lights them up.” It’s coaching that goes beyond the usual career advice to deliver real, sustainable change.

That vision came to life with the launch of his personalized coaching practice located in the heart of downtown Lake Forest. “Coaching is about creating space for meaningful change not just in careers but in the overall quality of life.”

Holding an associate certified coach credential, he studied under Dr. David Drake, a leader in narrative coaching, and studied at the Harvard Institute for Coaching and the Coactive Training Institute. To keep his coaching approach sharp and effective, he engages in ongoing supervision with Katie Drescher, a master-certified coach.

“My experience isn’t just theoretical,” he says. “My goal is to integrate practical strategies with deep, personal insights to drive meaningful, lasting changes for my clients.” For founders, EVPs, and CEOs across diverse industries, he has coached at life-changing conferences like Camp Mograph, a premier creative industry event where professionals learn, connect, and recharge.

O’Connor reflects on the success story of a senior executive he worked with who was grappling with the existential question: Is this it? “Through our coaching sessions, he used my method to clarify his values, embrace change, and take intentional action.” The result was a career pivot that balanced fulfillment with income, deepened connections with his family, and renewed the client’s sense of purpose in both his personal and professional life.

For O’Connor, these transformations are the heart of his mission. “Real success isn’t just about hitting targets—it’s about noticing what’s important about those targets and prioritizing the right ones just for you,” he says. With the launch of The Thriving Midlife Man group coaching series in January at the Gorton Center, he is expanding his reach. “January is the perfect time for fresh starts,” he shares. “This series is for men ready to redefine what success means for them and start living it.”

O’Connor’s coaching is more than a service; it’s a call to action for men ready to grow—not just professionally, but as human beings. “The courage to dive deep and do the work is where the magic happens,” he says. And with O’Connor as their guide, his clients are proving that it’s never too late to thrive.

Dave O’Connor, Executive Coach is located at 253 Market Square in Lake Forest, 518-727-6531, heycoachdave.com, Instagram: @heycoachdave. Sign up for Coach Dave’s LinkedIn Newsletter, “The Clear Leader”: linkedin.com/in/djoconnor1.

DailyNorthShore Twitter DailyNorthShore Facebook DailyNorthShore Email More Features

the latest

Culture

THE BUZZ: JULY 2025

34 Vue
Country Vs. Town

COUNTRY VS. TOWN: ALICIA O’BRIEN

38 Obrien25
Best Dressed

WHO WORE IT WELL, WONDERFULLY, AND WHERE

42 Kim Doan Derby Day View
Fashion

TOP 10: PUT IT IN NEUTRAL

44 1031b Summer Women Portrait 300ppi 07
Beauty

SUMMER BODY BUTTER ESSENTIALS

46 1. Osea Undariaalgaebodybutter

Primary Sidebar

the latest

Culture

THE BUZZ: JULY 2025

34 Vue
Country Vs. Town

COUNTRY VS. TOWN: ALICIA O’BRIEN

38 Obrien25
Best Dressed

WHO WORE IT WELL, WONDERFULLY, AND WHERE

42 Kim Doan Derby Day View
Fashion

TOP 10: PUT IT IN NEUTRAL

44 1031b Summer Women Portrait 300ppi 07
Beauty

SUMMER BODY BUTTER ESSENTIALS

46 1. Osea Undariaalgaebodybutter
JWC Media Gray

Footer

Sign Up for the JWC Media Email

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Opt-out preferences
  • Sitemap

Copyright © 2025.
All Rights reserved.

Privacy Policy
Font Resize
Accessibility by WAH
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Newsletter Image

THE INSIDER

Stay in the know with latest local

STYLE, SOCIETY, AND LIFESTYLE NEWS

Curated for the discerning reader.

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy
PDF Image

Unlock Full Access