Dan Simon is a seasoned educator, leader, coach, and speaker with over three decades of experience guiding students and professionals toward meaningful growth. Dan and his wife of more than 30 years are proud parents of six college graduates, including three with advanced degrees and one a West Point graduate. Having both a son and a son-in-law serving in the Army gives him a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of the student journey, especially for military families. Under Dan’s tenure as Principal of High Technology High School, the school rose to the number one rank of US high schools (according to U.S. News & World Report). His journey from school leadership to independent advising reflects a deep calling: to meet each student where they are and help them uncover their God-given strengths. Unlike one-size-fits-all programs, Dan’s approach is personal, faith-centered, and rooted in relationships. He combines strategic insight with genuine care, helping students build clarity, confidence, and purpose as they navigate vocation, college, and career decisions.

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Welcome to 12 Minute Converse with Jesus Believers.

God chose first to have a conversation with us, his creation.

His truth, spoken in one moment, became an evergreen seed for our generation today.

The power of a conversation is eternal.

Our prayer is that this listening speech brings growth and transforms your life forever.

Good morning, Daniel, Simon.

How are you doing today?

I'm blessed, brother.

It's so good to be with you this morning.

Wow, you have some interesting names there.

You were born to be Christian, weren't you?

Yeah, Daniel and David, right?

Absolutely.

And Simon, even the last name.

So your middle name is David, is it?

It is, it is.

Wow, so three times around.

Wow.

And then, well, people, of course, call you Dan, I would imagine, as a show.

Yeah, Danny is a reference to my middle school, high school days.

Everybody else, it's either Dan or Daniel, so.

Well, tell us what part of the world are you in right now?

Yeah, I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina area.

Most of my life in New Jersey, but the last four here, so it's love the South.

I hear the New Jersey accent, man.

I try to hide it, sorry.

The thing that caught my attention is the 30 year plus, yeah, being married.

I'm on 17, just about 17, just about 18, yeah.

Tell me, what's that been like?

Oh, man, I wish she was here to, right by my side to tell you her opinion, and she could either agree or refute what I say.

But man, I'll tell you that, you know, our journey to being together in the first place was, you know, not a traditional route.

My wife was married once before, had a daughter when we met.

But the Lord had always put it on my heart, being six of seven children, my parents married for almost 60 years.

You know, it had always been something to me, I wanted to find the right, the right woman, and start a family.

And God brought her to me through her route.

And we have, we've had, I think, a very consistent marriage, where we've always been on the same page about raising our kids, how we're going to raise our kids.

For a long period of time, she was home, raised our six children at home, while I worked four, five, six jobs to, you know, kind of hold the household financially.

But in the later stages, it's been, I think, even more of a test of our relationship, because when the kids are out of the house, I remember my wife saying to me for many years, we have to really work on making sure that after the kids are gone, that we still like each other.

Right.

And so we're at this phase now of empty nesters, eight grandchildren, right, multiple states, still young enough to go out and travel, enjoy the outdoors.

But I tell you, you know, with the Lord at the center, and just this, this desire to always be better, to identify where we might be falling short in our relationship with each other, and to try to improve upon that, that selfless kind of, I want to do, I want to be a good husband for you.

And so if I'm not doing something, well, I want to make sure that you that you're comfortable telling me so I can work on it, and I can be better.

And so I think, you know, we come up on this summer will be 33.

Lord willing, you know, we'll, we'll, we'll make it until we don't know who we are, in each other's eyes anymore.

When did you meet at the crossroads of realizing that coaching is something you wanted to do full time?

I think people were telling me that my entire career.

I'm a relationship first guy.

So even in leadership and in educational leadership, which was my career for 30 plus years, it was always about forget about the job.

How are you?

You know, what's going on with you?

And people just said, they've always felt comfortable with me.

They always felt they get open up very quickly.

I just reconnected with a guy from 30 something years ago.

And he's like, it's like it was yesterday.

Like, I feel like I can just open up and talk about, you know, my struggles.

And I asked a lot of questions.

I think it was just the Lord just the right time opened up the door for me to be able to say, the next phase of what you're going to do is going to be still with people.

And it's going to still be focusing on helping them find purpose and helping them find direction.

But it's going to be in a unique context, different than what it's been before.

And so I love still that I focus greatly on adolescent children, because that's always been my jam.

And so I'm just trying to be obedient.

And coaching and relationship and culture and communication has always been my strengths and my gifts.

Am I hearing that even after all these years, you're still being tossed to and fro in what is the thing you're going to do next in life?

Is that all this Christianity walk?

Yeah, you nailed it, brother.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I was always told when you find your own business, open your own business, you know, you have to niche down.

I'm like, I can't I can't reach down.

I got there's too many people I feel drawn to.

But the Lord's given me some clarity.

I mean, I've definitely niched down more than I used to, in understanding that I work with people I work with need to know where my foundation is, that I am biblically grounded, spiritually grounded, you don't have to be a believer, but I need you to know that I am right and that that everything that we talk about is going to be kind of grounded there.

And then the work in the military space as well.

I am not former military, but my son is a first lieutenant, my son in law is a first lieutenant, I work very closely with gold star families.

And those kids are really at my heart right now.

And so I'm working very hard to help those kids stay grounded, have some consistency in their life, while everything else in their life is being kind of turned upside down.

So I do believe that there is a specialization and a honing in coming.

But for right now, I just I stepped through the doors that the Lord opens.

And I wait for him either to open the door all the way or to close it and send me in another direction.

Could you explain gold star families, please?

Yeah, gold star families are those who have lost a parent in the line of duty.

So I work with one particular organization now, where they support the family with all kinds of different services.

But because of the work that I do in college and career advising, typically, if there is a an adolescent who is kind of lost for direction, and trying to find their way, they provide the finances to help them go to college to help them get those resources.

But when they need someone to kind of help the child figure that out and what that is, they invite me in to work with them.

And I've worked with a number of organizations already.

And that list is growing.

Over time, thank the Lord that that outreach is connecting with a space that really needs it.

How do you refill your cup feels as though you're giving a lot to others.

And of course, being committed to relationships means that you're again giving.

So how do you keep your cup filled?

What an amazing question.

Thank you for that.

I think my whole life I've really tried to focus on on giving and I've been told a number of times asked that question.

I think the Lord just provides that strength, that peace beyond understanding, I think, because I'm trying to do his work.

And so that provision comes financially, that provision comes in terms of health in terms of so many other pieces.

But again, you know, I have an amazing partner.

God's blessed me almost 35 years together, came from a family with six siblings.

My parents are both now deceased, but they raised us to put the Lord first.

And, and then all these other things will be added on to you, right, as the scripture says.

And so I don't really worry about where the provision comes from, or what fills my cup, it just tends to always be filled.

So I'm just grateful for that.

We talked at the beginning of the conversation about encouragement, somehow, ending up being or beginning with the your day, right?

Have you seen reoccurring themes in your life that you can possibly pick on?

As I'm asking this question, like one reoccurring theme?

It's all about connection and relationship, everything, you know, there's a saying in education that kids don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care, right?

So I'm in a space now where a lot of people believe that delivering the gospel message is about being, you know, out there and telling the truth, regardless of you know, what the person on the other side, they can receive it or not receive it.

And I'm a big believer in, I need to live it out first, I need you to trust me, I need you to see something in me, where you recognize there's something different about you, you know, and so that faith then that I can proclaim, become something that was visible to say, you're consistent with what you say and what you do.

And so for my whole life, my career, personal, professional, it's always been about trying to ensure that there is nothing in my witness, in my walk, that contradicts my words.

And so I think that is the one thing that has been, you know, outside of some, you know, maybe questionable things in my teenage years, right, like everyone else, I've really, I believe, committed myself as an adult to that priority.

What's on the horizon for you, Dan?

Well, I think the Lord knows that better than I do.

But I would say that I really want to continue to hone in on my work with adolescent military children, and to encourage and build them up.

And really, to just continue to say, you know, people have called me an adolescent whisperer, I believe that's a gift that God's given me.

And so I want to continue to use that.

And I want to continue to build the ministry I'm working in where faith in the workplace is recognized as where the next revival is going to take place.

And so I do work in that space as well, wanting to ensure that believers are living out the gospel every day.

And as the saying goes, preaching the gospel and when necessary, using words.

If you had to leave one message for future you listening to this conversation years from today, what would you say to that version of Daniel?

I would say, hold me accountable.

Because if I'm saying that I want to live it out, then I better live it out and be the same person in private as I am in public.

And make sure that everything I do gives God the glory.

Amazing audience.

12 minutes is never enough.

Definitely check the show notes.

There's a ton more to learn about Daniel Simon.

There's a ton more to learn about Daniel Simon.

Daniel, in closing, is there anything else you'd like to share?

Just thank you.

I love your format.

I love the opportunity.

And thank you for holding me accountable to 12 minutes.

Yeah, there we go.

I love that.

When you said accountable, I smiled.

Yes, sir.

Again, thank you for being on What Is Inspired by 12 Minute Conference.