SPEAKER • COACH • AUTHOR
The Journey from Broken to Restored.
They almost lost everything, including each other.
As founders of the Relationship Help Center, Jim and Shannon Pourteau don't just teach relationship principles—they've lived every painful, redemptive word of them. Their story, told in their book Hope Is Where the Heart Is, is a raw, unfiltered account of a marriage that stood on the edge of collapse.
After more than two decades in full-time ministry, betrayal and personal failure shattered everything they'd built—ending a career and pushing their marriage to the brink of divorce. Most people would have walked away. Jim and Shannon didn't. Instead, they chose the harder path: radical honesty, full accountability, and the slow, unglamorous work of healing.
What they found on the other side wasn't just a saved marriage—it was a new one, built on real hope instead of quiet survival. Today, they're known as "Dealers of Hope"—creating a space where couples can be fully seen, fully heard, and never judged, no matter how far gone their story feels.
38+ years of marriage
Non-judgmental approach
Thousands of coaching hours
No relationship beyond repair
Jim's Approach
How Jim and Shannon Work with Couples
Every coach has a philosophy. Here's what guides Jim and Shannon's work with couples in crisis and growth.
FOUNDATION
30 Years in Leadership Development
Served as a pastor for over two decades, providing spiritual guidance, counseling, and community leadership before transitioning to full-time relationship coaching.
EXPERTISE
18,000+ Coaching Hours
Over a decade of intensive work with couples facing infidelity, disconnection, divorce threats, and communication breakdowns. Proven track record of transformation.
LEADERSHIP
Corporate & Educational Impact
Delivered training and coaching for Chick-fil-A, Columbia University, NCAA, Fuddruckers/Luby's, and served as mentor in the John Maxwell leadership program.
FROM THE HEART
Hope Is Where the Heart Is:
A Story of a Marriage Broken and Restored
In this deeply personal and vulnerable account, Jim and Shannon share their real-life journey through betrayal, devastating pain, genuine forgiveness, and miraculous restoration.
This isn't a clinical textbook or a sanitized success story. It's an honest chronicle of what it takes to rebuild trust, reconnect emotionally, and rediscover the marriage you thought was lost forever.
What readers discover:
The anatomy of an affair and the aftermath
How to navigate the darkest moments without giving up
Practical steps toward rebuilding trust
The spiritual and emotional work required for true restoration
Hope when everyone else says it's impossible
The Promise:
"If our marriage could be saved, yours can too. No matter how broken it feels right now."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Raw, real, and full of hope. This book saved our marriage."
Sarah M., verified reader
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Not another 'tips and tricks' book. This is the real journey."
- David K., verified reader
BEYOND RELATIONSHIPS
Leadership & Organizational Development
Jim's expertise extends beyond marriage coaching into corporate leadership training, behavioral psychology, and organizational development.
Corporate Training
Jim's expertise extends beyond marriage coaching into corporate leadership training, behavioral psychology, and organizational development.
Organizations served:
- Chick-fil-A Corporate
- Columbia University
- NCAA Programs
- Fuddruckers/Luby's
- Regional healthcare systems
Behavioral Expertise
Specializes in understanding human behavior, attachment patterns, communication dynamics, and the psychology of change
Core competencies:
- Behavioral assessment
- Conflict resolution
- Team dynamics
- Communication strategies
- Change management
Leadership Mentoring
Jim has over 2 decades of leadership training and development under some of the top leaders in the world. Jim has helped emerging and experienced leaders with Vision, Strategic planning, development and impact.
Leadership focus:
- Personal growth
- Emotional intelligence
- Team building
- Vision casting
- Legacy development
Our Story
Why We Do This Work
“We do this work because we know what it's like to stand on the edge of losing everything. Our mission wasn't born out of a textbook—it was born out of the ashes of our own lives. Because we have walked through betrayal, separation, and deep healing, we can look a couple in the eye and say, ‘There is a way back.’”
— Jim & Shannon Pourteau
Part I — The Shadows of Childhood
For Jim, childhood was a landscape of shifting shadows. After his parents' divorce, the place that should have been a sanctuary became a source of pain. He grew up learning to read the air for danger, in a world where trust felt foreign. Shannon's world had fractured in its own way, leaving the quiet ache of a house divided and the feeling of always searching for solid ground.
Part II — Finding Each Other
They found each other in the hallways of high school—two old souls who recognized a familiar reflection. Jim didn't have to explain the guardedness in his eyes, and Shannon didn't have to explain her longing for permanence. At twenty, they married, determined to build a place where the cycle of the past would finally stop.
Part III — The Breaking and the Rebuilding
For years they leaned on that bond, but even the strongest foundations crack when built over unhealed soil. Eventually the weight reached a breaking point, and the divorce they had both feared became their reality. But that ending was not the end of their story. In their separation, both sought the help they needed and discovered the old marriage couldn't be fixed—it needed to be replaced.
Part IV — The New Marriage
When they came back together, it wasn't to repair a ruin—it was to build something new on the same ground: radical honesty, intentional grace, and chosen connection. They proved that while you cannot change the beginning of your story, you have every right to rewrite the ending.
Built for Results
30+
years in Leadership Development
2,000+
COUPLES COACHED
7+
EXPERT COACHES
94%
SUCCESS RATE
What People Say About Working with Jim
Jim didn't sugarcoat our situation. He told us the truth we needed to hear, not what we wanted to hear. But he did it with such compassion and hope that we felt safe to be real. Our marriage is stronger now than it was even before the affair.
Sarah & Michael T. / Naperville, IL
My husband refused to come to counseling. Jim taught me how to stop pushing him away and start creating space for healing. Within weeks, my husband noticed the change. Within months, he asked about attending the intensive. We just renewed our vows.
Jennifer K. / Solo Spouse, Schaumburg, IL
Jim's book gave us hope. His coaching gave us tools. His weekend intensive gave us our marriage back. We thought we were beyond repair. Jim showed us we were just beginning.
David & Lisa R. / Oak Brook, IL
JIM'S APPROACH
How Jim Works with Couples
Every coach has a philosophy. Here's what guides Jim's work with couples in crisis and growth.
FOUNDATION
No Judgment. Just Truth.
You won't find shame or condemnation here. Jim creates a safe space where you can be honest about your struggles, your failures, and your fears - without fear of being judged.
PRACTICAL
Tools That Work Fast.
Theory is helpful. Action is better. Jim provides practical, proven strategies you can implement immediately not vague concepts you struggle to apply.
HOPE-CENTERED
There Is Always Hope.
Even when it feels impossible. Even when others have given up. Jim has seen too many "hopeless" marriages restored to believe yours can't be saved.
EVIDENCE-BASED
Research Meets Reality.
Jim combines 25 years of pastoral wisdom with modern behavioral science, attachment theory, and proven relationship frameworks. The best of both worlds.
BEYOND THE COACHING ROOM
Speaking, Teaching & Media Appearances
Jim Pourteau is not your average relationship expert. He doesn't speak from clinical detachment, but from the raw reality of a life transformed. He and Shannon married young, hoping to outrun their pasts—and couldn't.
Where most stories end, theirs truly began. Through a grueling process of restoration, they discovered the blueprint for a new marriage. Today, as an author, behavioral specialist, and international speaker, Jim shares what he learned—not as a man who never failed, but as a man who was restored.
Keynote Speaking
Jim delivers powerful, hope-filled messages for:
- Marriage conferences
- Church events
- Leadership summits
- Corporate retreats
- University programs
Topics include:
- Restoring broken relationships
- Leadership through crisis
- The anatomy of affairs
- Building unbreakable trust
- Purpose after pain
Workshop Facilitation
Interactive training for organizations:
- Communication mastery
- Conflict resolution
- Team dynamics
- Emotional intelligence
- Change leadership
Past clients:
- Chick-fil-A
- Columbia University
- NCAA programs
Media & Podcast Interviews
Jim is available for:
- Podcast interviews
- Radio shows
- Conference panels
- Documentary participation
- Written features
Ready to Begin Your Journey?
Whether you're in crisis or seeking growth, Jim and his team are ready to walk alongside you.
REACH OUT US AT
Address:
Relationship Help Center
9400 Bormet Dr, Ste 9, Mokena, IL 60448
Email:
Phone:
+1 409-257-3737
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