We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dan Simon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dan , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I happened to stumble on an approach to mediation that requires me to trust my clients, above all else. It’s easy to feel good about my own efforts when I get to watch my clients act with courage and compassion in the toughest circumstances. So my own confidence really comes from seeing my clients do impressive things – just knowing that I didn’t interfere with their efforts and even was part of enhancing their efforts provides me with constant reinforcement for the idea that I’m doing a good job.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The most exciting new development in my business is my new office in Santa Barbara, opening November 2022 downtown. I’ve been working in Minnesota since 1998 and Los Angeles since 2015. This will be the first time that transformative mediation has been available in Santa Barbara. Transformative mediation differs from other approaches to handling conflicts in that it provides an opportunity for a meaningful conversation – that is, clients get to address their conflict at whatever level matters most to them. If they want to focus purely on moving forward toward an agreement we can do that, or if they want to process traumatic past events, we can do that. This method works with all kinds of disputes, including those between siblings, business partners, co-workers, co-parents, and anyone who is involved in suing anyone else or is tempted to do so.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Humility, nonjudgmentality, presence. All the work I’ve done on my own personal growth, through meditation, yoga, and therapy have helped me get to a place where I can focus well on my clients’ moment-to-moment experience of their conflict. I’m not in a position to advise others on their journey (but I’d be happy to hear about it).
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Therapists, lawyers, and judges who are interested in helping people transform their conflicts should reach out through my website, http://transformativemediation.com We can discuss whether one of my trainings is right for them, Or we can explore whether I can help their clients directly.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://transformativemediation.com
Image Credits
I own the rights to all of these photos.
