About Mark Odland, Founder of Lion Counseling
Built for Men Under Sustained Pressure
My name is Mark Odland, and I founded Lion Counseling to serve men who carry real responsibility – and feel the weight of it. These are men who are capable, driven, and dependable on the outside, yet often feel boxed in by pressure, expectation, and roles that don’t allow much room to breathe. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist, with over 15 years of experience working with high-functioning men under sustained strain.
Over the course of my career, I’ve conducted more than 15,000 therapy sessions, trained over 1,000 therapists, and worked with men in leadership, business ownership, and other high-stakes roles. I’ve also built and led multiple businesses myself – learning firsthand what it means to carry payroll, make hard decisions, manage people, and absorb risk that doesn’t shut off. When responsibility becomes constant, even success can start to feel confining.
Many of the men who come to us aren’t falling apart—they’re contained. They’ve learned to operate within narrow margins, suppressing stress, emotion, or doubt in order to keep moving forward. Over time, that internal pressure builds, and what once felt like discipline begins to feel like a cage.
If you’re skeptical of therapy, that’s understandable. Many of the men we work with are. Lion Counseling wasn’t built to feel like therapy as usual. It was built for men who carry responsibility, want real change, and are no longer willing to live confined by patterns, pressures, or internal limits that don’t reflect who they are or what they’re capable of.
Mark’s Credentials
Clinical & Academic Training
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M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy — Minnesota School of Professional Psychology
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Master of Divinity — Luther Seminary
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B.A. in Art and Religion — Augustana University
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MN, IN, FL, SD, NV, TX)
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LMFT & LPCC Board-Approved Supervisor
Trauma & EMDR Expertise
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Certified EMDR Therapist, Approved EMDR Consultant, and Continuing Education Provider (EMDRIA)
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Approved EMDR Consultant & Basic Training Facilitator (EMDR Institute, EMDR-HAP)
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Creator of three EMDRIA-approved online continuing education courses
Marriage, Leadership & Systems Work
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Certified Prepare-Enrich Facilitator (marriage preparation and enrichment)
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Recipient of extensive business coaching from Scott Hallman (Tony Robbins’ coach)
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Ongoing participant in leadership development programs including Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership Summit and Jocko Willink’s Muster
Teaching, Writing & Public Voice
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Founder and host of the Lion Counseling Podcast, featuring guests such as Jonathan Pageau and Stephen Mansfield
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Frequent guest on national shows including The Healing Trauma Podcast and The Anxiety Slayer Podcast
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Author of over a dozen books on psychology, trauma, faith, and personal growth
Grounded Life Experience
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Former college football player; state record-setting athlete
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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt
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Award-winning visual artist and published poet
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Husband and father of four
Meet the Specialists Supporting the Work
Lion Counseling is a team-based practice built to support men who carry real responsibility – and feel the weight of it.
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all therapy. Instead, we thoughtfully match each man with the counselor best suited to where pressure is showing up right now. Whether you’re seeking deep healing, practical solutions, greater performance, or stronger relationships, we’ll help you find the right fit for your unique situation.
Mark Odland – MA, LMFT, MDIV / EMDR Certified / Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Mark Odland founded Lion Counseling to serve men who carry real responsibility and feel the weight of it. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified EMDR Therapist, and experienced Christian counselor. Over the past 15 years, Mark has conducted more than 15,000 therapy sessions, trained over 1,000 therapists, and supported more than 1,000 clients. His work focuses on business owners, executives, legacy holders, faith-based leaders, and other high-functioning men navigating burnout, relational strain, and long-term pressure through deep healing.
Zack Carter – MS / Counselor / Life Coach for Men / Addiction Coach / Relationship Coach
Zack Carter holds a Master of Science in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. His work centers on helping men regain clarity, consistency, and self-command when stress begins to erode habits, motivation, communication, and follow-through. Zack has a particular focus on supporting men who want to step out of patterns around pornography use and other behaviors that undermine leadership, relationships, and personal integrity—helping them build steadier habits and lasting change under sustained pressure.
Our Mission at Lion Counseling
Over the years, I’ve seen that many of the men who build, lead, sacrifice, and invest to make the world better carry a weight that few people truly see. These are capable, faithful men – often admired for what they’ve accomplished—yet expected to absorb pressure quietly and keep moving without complaint.
There is nothing weak about a lion who adapts to confinement. Even strong, proven men can find themselves constrained by roles, expectations, and responsibilities that leave little room to breathe, reflect, or be fully known. Over time, that kind of pressure can dull clarity, joy, and a sense of purpose – not because the man has failed, but because the space around him has narrowed.
My work is not about fixing broken men. It’s about helping strong men remember who they are. Men who are already lions—in their work, their families, and in the eyes of God – but who may have lost touch with that truth under sustained responsibility.
At Lion Counseling, the goal is not to tame strength, but to restore it. To help men step out of confinement and lead again with clarity, courage, and conviction – able to provide, protect, create, love, and leave a legacy from a place of grounded strength rather than quiet strain.
Mark with Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
I recently spent time in conversation with Dr. Jordan B. Peterson around themes that matter deeply to the men I serve – vicarious trauma, responsibility, healthy boundaries, faith, and the subtle ways compassion, pride, and resentment shape a man’s inner life over time.
What stood out most was the clarity around patterns I’ve seen repeatedly in my work: how sustained responsibility reshapes the nervous system, how unaddressed resentment erodes leadership from the inside, and how pressure carried alone for too long can quietly distort judgment and joy.
That conversation reinforced the importance of work that goes beneath surface insight and productivity strategies. The goal is not motivation or ideology, but helping capable men remain grounded, clear, and rightly oriented – so strength doesn’t harden into isolation, and responsibility doesn’t quietly become a cage.
Who we Work /With
Most of the men who come to Lion Counseling don’t lack discipline, intelligence, or ambition.
They lack margin – internally and relationally.
We tend to work with two kinds of men.
Some are what we call “Rogue Lions.”
They’ve already broken free professionally. Executives, elite performers, and high-visibility leaders who carry real influence – but often feel isolated, emotionally numb, or disconnected at home. The pressure never turns off. Relationships suffer. Coping habits creep in. We help these men slow down, recalibrate, and do the deeper emotional work required to stay grounded, connected, and steady—without losing their edge.
Others are “Caged Lions.”
They’re builders and providers – business owners, physicians, engineers, pilots, tradesmen. From the outside, they’re doing well. On the inside, they feel stretched thin, over-responsible, and stuck in patterns they can’t quite break. They value faith, family, and freedom, yet feel trapped by obligation, pressure, or unresolved emotional weight. We help these men identify what’s keeping them caged and take concrete steps toward clarity, strength, and forward movement.
Many men find Lion Counseling because we bridge clinical precision and faith-grounded depth.
Our work is structured and evidence-based, but never cold or mechanical. We use proven approaches like EMDR and CBT to help men target what’s actually holding them back, challenge negative beliefs, and restore the brain’s natural capacity to adapt and heal. And we do that work with humility, conviction, and respect for a man’s faith, values, and responsibility to those who depend on him.
What Men Gain from Working with Lion Counseling
➣ Greater clarity and steadiness under pressure – in work, relationships, and leadership
➣ Recalibrated priorities that align daily decisions with faith, family, and long-term goals
➣ Resolution of emotional patterns at their source, not just symptom management
➣ Increased internal capacity for resilience, focus, and meaningful growth
➣ Stronger relational skills – communication, boundaries, and emotional presence
➣ Assertiveness rooted in conviction rather than reactivity or avoidance
➣ Relief from chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, addiction patterns, and emotional numbness
➣ Deeper integration of faith, meaning, and personal responsibility
➣ A clearer sense of legacy—how you live now and what you leave behind
Mark Odland and Dr. John Delony
Testimonials
Mark Odland is a fabulous leader who believes in running a purpose driven, values based organization that is focused on the well-being and greater good of their clients.
An expert who actually cares. I definitely recommend.
Mark’s dedication to excellence and empathy is immediately apparent in his interactions. You’ll be in great hands with Mark and his team!
Mark is one of the most talented humans I know… After four hours of sharing my life stories with Mark, he was able to see how everything connected and helped me craft my life’s mission statement: “Freeing others to fiercely pursue their purpose”.
Mark has taught me so much about EMDR and he is definitely an EMDR expert. His approach is very compassionate and straightforward so I was able to process my anxiety around using EMDR and be confident with my clinical skills. I’d recommend him as a therapist and supervisor to anyone!
Mark is an extremely talented, enjoyable person and a gifted therapist, and I would not hesitate to refer my closest family and friends to him.
Mark is a wonderful therapist leading a great team of dedicated therapists.
Their clients’ faith and spirituality is fully explored and considered as an integral piece of their mental health and functioning. I recommend Mark…without reservation.
