From Baghdad Roots to British Leadership: Yael Simon’s Courageous Journey of Faith and Fundraising

In the latest episode of the Courageous Podcast hosted by Jeff Johnson, guest Yael Simon shares her inspiring story, highlighting themes of courage and personal transformation. Born to a Jewish family in Chicago with roots tracing back to Baghdad, Yael recounts her journey from a strict upbringing to becoming a religious leader and community outreach advocate in the UK. She discusses her unexpected career shift into fundraising without prior experience, her resilience in the face of crises, and her pursuit of higher education later in life, culminating in the founding of a financial intelligence startup. Yael emphasizes personal courage through her life choices, including leaving home despite her father’s disapproval, and she encourages listeners to connect with their own ancestral narratives of bravery. The episode concludes with action items for Yael to document her courageous actions and for listeners to reflect on their own moments of bravery, underscoring the podcast’s mission to inspire everyday courage.

Yael S. Simon LLM is an experienced global philanthropic strategist, specializing in funding development, strategic leadership, and advisory services across the UK, Europe, Israel, and other regions. Her work focuses on private family offices, high-net-worth individuals, governmental bodies, and non-profits. She excels in complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and creating effective solutions in philanthropy, with a strong track record in international collaborations, network building, and philanthropic field analysis.

Yael is renowned for her strong strategic planning, project due diligence, and analytical 
reporting, tailored to each client’s needs. Her approach emphasizes transparency, accountability, and ownership in philanthropic ventures, enhanced by her expertise in data analysis, project management, and impact metrics.

As a respected international leader, Yael is known for her excellent communication skills, integrity, and loyalty. She has contributed significantly to economic expansion research in Europe and the Middle East, particularly in healthcare. An accomplished writer and public speaker, she has been recognized for her efforts in promoting women’s leadership and has been honored by London’s Mayor for her contributions to the city.

Yael holds a certification from the London School of Economics, an LLM in International Business Law, and is completing a Masters in Organisational Leadership at Oxford University, focusing on AI in Philanthropy. Based in London, she is married with seven children and is a passionate advocate for workforce development, sustainability, ESG, net-zero initiatives, and social justice.

Thank you for listening! We hope you feel inspired and encouraged by our conversation today. If you did, be sure to share this episode with others.

Let’s stay in touch:

• Follow us on Instagram @crossroadsapologetics
• Email us at info@crossroadsapologetics.org
• Visit our website www.crossroadsapologetics.org

See you in the next episode! Be blessed!

Full Transcript

Intro:
Welcome to Courageous by Crossroads Apologetics, a look into what motivates us to step out in courage and the everyday bravery of men and women like you. In each episode, we hear a personal story of bravery centered around this. What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? And now your host, founder of Crossroads Apologetics, Jeff Johnson. 

Jeff Johnson:
Hey, everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Courageous podcast. You know, one of the reasons why I started to do this podcast in the beginning was because I was just surrounded by people that had amazing everyday stories of courage that really inspired me and lifted me up and helped me get through difficult times, situations where I had the opportunity to be courageous and thought maybe I wasn’t. But I was inspired by them. And I just had the opportunity to hear so many of those stories, I decided to start recording them and putting them into this podcast. And, you know, when I do the podcast, not only, obviously am I there for the interview itself, but afterwards, I listen to them again, you know, to listen to the audio and make sure that there aren’t any mistakes or things that shouldn’t make it to air. 

Jeff Johnson:
But oftentimes, most of the time, I get caught up again in the stories as I listen to them a second and sometimes a third and a fourth time, and I’m just inspired all over again. And to me, that’s a testament of a really good story, is when you really want to hear it over and over again, you know, you kind of put it on a loop. And my next guest, Yale, is an amazing woman. Originally a Chicago native, she’s in the UK now currently, and I had the opportunity to meet her going through a Oxford class recently. And I’m so grateful that I got a chance to meet Yale. And hers is a story that I can’t hear often enough. 

Jeff Johnson:
And I’ve just gone back to listen to it a couple more times, and it’s going to be on a repeat when I go back to listen to this particular podcast over and over again. And I know you’re going to enjoy it, too, and just be inspired by what she has to say. So, without further ado, let’s jump in and hear my dear friend Yale as she tells us a little bit more about who she is and where she’s from. 

Yael Simon:
First of all, thank you so much for having me. And context is important, right? It’s really important to know who you’re listening to. And always when I. Whenever I meet anybody, my first question is, tell me about yourself, because I can’t have a conversation unless I Know who I’m talking to, the context, where they’re from, even how big their family is and how they grew up. And as soon as they tell me who they are, and usually willingly, then I can process the right answer and the right discussion for that person. So thank you for giving me that opportunity. I grew up in Chicago, and actually, my story does not start there. It starts with my father and seven generations before him who are from Baghdad and India. And my maiden name is Dalal, which is actually an Indian name, which means broker. 

Yael Simon:
So, you know, everybody who hears that is like, yeah, that’s who you are. And my father can trace back seven generations and, you know, from Baghdad. We’re. We’re Jews. And my father has a very rich history, and the adversity that he experienced in his own personal life. And then coming to Israel, to land of Israel in 1951, when the Jews were threatened in Baghdad and had to leave, was enormous. And, like, I can’t even imagine. And now what we’re seeing today played out on the world stage. It’s like my father actually went through this, being a refugee, leaving his homeland as a small child. You know, the middle of nine children. They had one suitcase. 

Yael Simon:
I really understand when I see photos of what’s happening, no matter which side, I understand, like, this is exactly what my father was talking about, you know, regardless of religion or race or, you know, this is a story of people who had to leave their homeland. And it’s really hard. And my father really, unfortunately carried this throughout his whole life. But at the same time, that’s the kind of upbringing I had, was appreciating every step of your life, appreciating everything. It was a tough childhood. It was very patriarchal. Very much like I do. I say you do. And, you know, until I was, like, 32, I didn’t even know. I had my own opinion. Let’s put that. Let’s put that aside, because I’ve made up for it since. And, you know, I had a very strict upbringing, but it was. It was. 

Yael Simon:
It was something that was really kind of. There was a tremendous amount of fortitude in. In the toughness, and also quite a lot of damage, too, you know, which has had to be sorted out in therapy, let’s just say that. But the lessons, if you kind of look back and you kind of wade through everything, there were tremendous messages of strength and courage, but that are inherent and not that are obvious. Right Fast forward. Got married at a very young age. I actually became religious just despite my father, because the Way. You’re. 

Jeff Johnson:
You’re sorry. Yeah. You’re born and raised in Chicago. 

Yael Simon:
I was born and raised in Chicago. 

Jeff Johnson:
Okay, so all of this is Chicago. 

Yael Simon:
Yes, that’s right. Yes. We have to switch countries now. And at about age 18 or 19, I gave up university because I told my father, nope, I want to become religious. And it was despite him, by the way. It was despite him. It was like his worst nightmare was me becoming a religious Jew. Like, he would have had anything but that, you know, Harvard, please. But not becoming a religious Jew. So I did it. And. And that found me very quickly. Married and then moving to England at age 20, 21. Immediately, I had a baby. We had six babies after that. We lived in Leeds and Bristol and just led a very busy life in outreach. And my husband’s a rabbi, and so it was very hectic. And then somewhere around 30, we moved to London and I had to go to work. Yeah. 

Yael Simon:
Because it doesn’t just fall from the sky. Supporting a family. I quickly was headhunted as a fundraiser. Fast forward 10 years, and I created a brand of investing in the next generation and understanding the power of young people and activism in charity. And I understood that. I think. Yep. 

Jeff Johnson:
Timeout. Okay. So you don’t. Have. You. You said no to university. 

Yael Simon:
Yeah. 

Jeff Johnson:
So you. 

Yael Simon:
Wait. It comes later. 

Jeff Johnson:
Okay, it comes later. Because when you were. When you were picked as a fundraiser then. So you’re. You’re active in the community and you’ve got skills that people are acknowledging and that sort of. Is that right? 

Yael Simon:
That’s absolutely right. Because I remember the interview, and, you know, I was 30, and they said, well, what experience do you have in fundraising? I was like, none. So they’re like, well, why did you apply for the job? And I was like, may I remind you headhunted me. And they’re like, well, what can you tell us about fundraising? I’m like, fundraising is not about fundraising. It is about communication. It is about sitting in the other person’s shoes, understanding where they’re coming from, and then relating to that. Exactly what I said in the beginning. Tell me about yourself. And then I know what it is we’re talking about, because fundraising is a story we tell. That was very natural to me. And I considered myself, like you say at that point, a street kid. 

Yael Simon:
I just learned everything as I watched it happening, and I learned what not to do and what to do. And I knew, like, you know, there’s a main road of that most fundraisers follow. So I took the slip road going in the Same direction, but faster and smarter and going for a crowd that no one was looking at. 

Jeff Johnson:
Wow. 

Yael Simon:
Right. And built like, really a movement out of the charity. And I kind of, you know, sharpened my teeth there. And. And then somewhere around 2010, 2011, I’d been in the game for a while, and I was headhunted by a charity, I won’t say which. And it imploded in financial misappropriation within two weeks of walking in. Suddenly I had to wind down the whole charity. Dealing with the banks and dealing with the charity commission, dealing with the FBI and these. Wind it down and. And. 

Jeff Johnson:
But you had just been working there for two weeks. 

Yael Simon:
Yeah. 

Jeff Johnson:
And right away, this is your job is to wind it down. Wow. 

Yael Simon:
That’s exactly right. So I had to, like, jump into the fire. And I’m good in a crisis. That’s how you know how you’re good in a crisis. Very calm and very operational. Very like, this is what we need to do, and this is what we need to do. And within two or three months, it closed. And I thought that was the end of my career. And it’s like a share price in the stock market. You see it drop and like, that’s the time to buy. And I realized, wait a minute, everything just burned down. And I know where all the bodies are buried. And I became the due diligence queen of philanthropy. So I quickly switched sides of the table and I offered my services to ultra high net worth individuals who were wanted assurance that their money was going to the right place. 

Yael Simon:
So you have a scandal. Don’t let a good crisis go to waste. And so now I realized all the rich people are like, oh, wait, she can tell us what to do. And super quick. Again, no formal education past high school here. I was like, okay, I learned very quickly, so I have to do this. And I learned how to write grants, and I learned how to pitch, and I learned how to speak, and so on and so forth. And this went on from client to client. Every time I learned how to do something, I put it on my website. So I always had, like, you know, today I can do, you know, and then I spoke to people, networking and networking constantly, constant networking for 20 years. 

Yael Simon:
And cut a long story short, at in 2016, I thank God was making enough money that I was like, you know what? I’m gonna get a degree. But I actually had terrible imposter syndrome because I had government ministers at that point, saying, ask your L. She knows. She’s an expert. And I’m like, no, I’m not An expert. I just figured it out. So it really freaked me out. And I was like, I have to. 

Jeff Johnson:
The true essence of entrepreneurial ship. And I, you know, being a fourth generation in a family business, I’ve got so much respect for people that are entrepreneurs that start things brand new. And you’re talking about, with street smarts, you’re talking about truly, truly just inventing yourself in real time while you’re, that’s important. 

Yael Simon:
I’m like the Madonna of philanthropy. I just keep reinventing myself and then I said, okay, I need an education, I need to get a degree because I’ve got world leaders and diplomats and politicians saying scourge. She’s the expert of it. So I went off and I applied get this for a liberal arts degree. I thought I know nothing and I’m just going to do the easiest degree possible, at least so I could put it on my thing. And I applied in America and they were like, yeah, you’re a little overqualified, so we’re going to offer you a few master’s degrees. And they, I got a full scholarship to go to University of Liverpool to do a master’s international business law. And that at that point was like what? So I went, I did that and I specialized. 

Yael Simon:
Now we’re going to like hop, skip and jump to the specialty in anti money laundering and counterterror financing. I was fascinated by that. Yeah, it was very James Bond, but like so left field from what I was doing, but yet not. And my dissertation and thesis was on anti money laundering and counterterrorif financing in the Middle east with a focus on Islamic banking. Thank God I got a very good mark and graduated in 2019. And then I was like, well, what am I going to do with this? Oh, okay. I know. I went back to all the people I interviewed in my dissertation and I realized I could found a startup in financial intelligence. So that’s what I did. I had a whole tech team in Tel Aviv who were from the intelligence corps, from the Israeli army. 

Yael Simon:
And I had some analysts, geopolitical analysts who I knew and we all got together, we created a system, a SaaS solution to like almost like a plug and play. And we had an mvp, we had a demo ready. We were already raising money. There was a Mossad VC that was offering us half a million euro to buy our idea. We were like, we’re not selling. And, and it was very exciting. It was all based on open intelligence, open source intelligence on the web. And then also the Dark web and the deep web. But I was excited because, like, I, you know, wow, you know, this was like, this is what I wanted to do. And unfortunately, the pandemic hit and I wasn’t quite out of the gate yet to sustain it and put it on hold. 

Yael Simon:
So my investors said, you know, go do something else. So then that led me to really going back to solving big world problems. And the summary of that is I’ve tackled so far abandoned orphans in the Ukraine, workforce development in the Middle east, and rare blood diseases like follicular lymphoma. I’ve worked for amazing people. I’ve worked with governments, intergovernmental organizations. And then I just kept adding to my certification. So I was like, oh, London School of Economics is doing the political economy. I’ll take that. Oxford University State of Business School is doing a fintech course. I’ll take that. And I just kept learning and learning and it became addictive. And. And that’s how we met. Because the organizational leadership degree was just like, that’s what I need to do. 

Yael Simon:
And little did I know, it wasn’t as much the material as it was the cohort, as I’m sure you might agree that I thought this is where I need to be. I need to be connected to all these people, to learn completely. So that’s where I am right now. I’m a private consultant for private family offices. I take on clients around the world, tackling small issues, big issues, sometimes they are leadership issues. I do a lot of public speaking, publishing. Yeah. So. So you’re not my. 

Jeff Johnson:
You’re not just a financial consultant with these family offices, then you’re a coach as well? 

Yael Simon:
I mean, it sounds like so without the word yes. And I just want to clarify, I’m not a financial consultant. I’m a philanthropy consultant. And I want to be very careful about that because, you know, being a financial consultant requires credentials and, you know, being regulated. So, you know, philanthropy and the way I see it, philanthropy is very much the axis of absolutely everything. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yeah. 

Yael Simon:
So the three areas I’m going into using my street smart skills now are AI climate finance and cybersecurity. Two out of three of those I know something about and one I know nothing about. But what I do is, and I’m revealing myself here on this podcast is I just go on saying, yeah, this is what I talk about. And people are like, oh, that’s amazing. I want to talk to you. And then I do all my homework and quickly learn, like, what’s the update and what’s the political state and what the legal state and what’s happening. I just completely fill myself with the information like I did in the beginning. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yes. 

Yael Simon:
And then I go out and then I start opening my mouth and people are like, oh, yes, she’s the expert. It’s like, really? Okay. But there you go. 

Jeff Johnson:
This is a podcast about the topic of courage, which I’m going to ask you now. What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? But I. You’re giving a business primer and entrepreneurial primer too, because of what you’ve been through. This is very impressive stuff, Yale. I don’t think anything could stop you. And that’s encouraging to all of our listeners, I’m sure. 

Yael Simon:
Wow. I think it’s a lot of self belief. You know, I don’t want to fool anybody and certainly not myself. I do have great deep moments of lack of self confidence and like, what’s the point? I like everybody, you know, But I think it’s that reflex that I have that, you know, like, I’ve. I’ve heard once the antidote to everything is practice. So reflexes don’t just happen. You have to practice them and then they be. Do become part of you. They’re like a habit. A habit takes what, 16 to 90 days to kind of become right. Part of your subconscious. And so, you know, practicing resilience, and I don’t want to use that word lightly, and I’ll talk about that in a minute. But like, practicing the reflex of like, right, Crying time is over. Self pity. I had my pity party. 

Yael Simon:
Now pick your head up, dust yourself off, move forward, and you have to practice. It doesn’t come by itself. It doesn’t just happen. So I really think, like, you know, I’d love everybody to go, oh, yeah, she’s amazing. Yeah. Okay. Amazing or not, I still have a lot of things to do. And I’m only on my second act right now. And, you know, there is a ton I’m gonna do. God willing, and they are literally God willing, gonna have to yank me out of the office behind my computer to take me to my own funeral. Like, literally. I’m not planning on stopping because I want to make every second count. I want my life to matter. And it’s only going to matter if I’m doing things that make the world a better place. 

Yael Simon:
And I don’t want to sound frou about that, but it’s true. 

Jeff Johnson:
You’re inspirational, Yale. You’re very inspirational to me. Wow. This is just a big bunch of encouragement for me. Okay, Yale, what is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? 

Yael Simon:
Now, I. I have prepared for this answer the way. Because I’m a perfectionist like this, and the way I prepared for it is by asking a lot of other people. I asked my family, I asked my mother, I asked my siblings when I was in Chicago, I asked my kids, I asked my friends, and the answers are all so varied, but I knew my own answer already. And so it’s. It’s two things, and of course, they’re probably connected, and I’m sure you’ll tell me how. So the first courageous thing that I would say I’ve ever done is. Is define my father and. And leave my home. Now, it’s scary for me to say that, because I’m sure when my kids hear this podcast, they’ll say, yep, that’s exactly what we did. Right? Okay, it is, and it is courageous. 

Yael Simon:
But since you’re a religious man, I’m going to use the first story of Abraham when he leaves his father’s home, and God says to him, go on your way and come to a land, right? And so there’s that go and come thing where you are leaving, and that is sort of breaking through everything you were and coming into who you will be. And when I look back on that period in my life, and it was quite fraught. It wasn’t an easy childhood, and it wasn’t. You know, there’s, like, a lot of forgiveness that’s had to happen. And unfortunately, my father’s no longer alive. And if I could, you know, you always think to yourself, if I could only have that one conversation again, what would it be? I don’t know. 

Yael Simon:
But the courageous part was certainly believing that there is a future that belongs to me, not that’s connected to him, and that’s dictated by him. And one of the things I talk about often is, you know, there’s this topic, no intergenerational trauma. Now, I’m not making fun of it. I just don’t like everybody using the word trauma. It’s like when people say, oh, this is a crisis. And like, wait, you know, the great global financial crisis, that was a crisis. This is just a challenge, right? Or, like, this is a disaster. Wait, Haiti was a disaster. This is just something you need to get over or something you need to learn through and work through. So I’m choosing my words carefully. And I would say the reason it was so courageous for me is because it was about intergenerational messaging. 

Yael Simon:
I must be honest and Tell you that it took me many years to get it right, and I don’t even know if I have it right with my own kids. I’m working on it. I’m. I am a mother in rehab. Am I work in progress? Okay. Yes. This podcast will be heard by many people, not least of which will ultimately be my children and hopefully one day, my grandchildren. And, you know, my message and the courage of stepping away from who your parents said you might be to who you will become, it is so courageous. It does mirror Abraham’s journey. I believe in leaving his father and all the idolatry, going into a land and, you know, coming into the promised land and so forth. 

Yael Simon:
But the part about that’s important is that your ancestors in your history tell you where you came from, give you the tools and the information to let you know how to make a decision. And then it’s not that you have to be a fulfillment of who I am or who your ancestors were, but rather, you now have all the information to decide who you want to be. Go forth. Right. So I prefer the term intergenerational messaging. So that’s the first courageous thing I would say. 

Jeff Johnson:
Can I ask one little question about that? 

Yael Simon:
Go ahead. 

Jeff Johnson:
So am I right to assume that you would say you’re trusting God with who he says you are and where he’s leading you, as opposed to just trusting another human being, even if it’s your father? You know what I mean? And I totally understand that tension, but I believe that God made me who I am, and that’s the first person that I need to be paying attention to. Lord, what is it that you want me to do? Is that kind of what you felt when you stepped out on your own, or was it this just internal boldness? 

Yael Simon:
You know, I was 18. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yeah. 

Yael Simon:
So it’s hard to say that the thinking behind it was sophisticated. But I’ll answer your question again with the biblical reference, because I just feel like you’re very. You’ll understand it. You know, when the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai and they accepted the Ten Commandments, they said to God, we will do and we will listen. And that phrase has been translated, essentially, and explained that, you know, sometimes we just act first because the instinct and the impulse is to go and do. And then we reconsider, we consider and we think about the context and the analysis of that reason. Right. And what came to it. And so I would say that’s how I made the decision, is that, you know, instinctively I knew I had to go. And I’m sure if you ask my children, they might say the same thing. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yeah. 

Yael Simon:
You know, you. You know, this is not who I am and who I want to be, and I need to leave. Then it takes maybe a lifetime sometimes to find out who you are and why you made that decision. And the. The answer matures over time, so it doesn’t become like, well, I left because they were abusive, or I left because this. But, like, it’s nuanced. And so the understanding of that then becomes the real belief that, you know, actually, I did trust God, but that’s not. I think, the ins. You don’t leave thinking like, oh, I trust God, wherever I’m gonna go. It’s like, you. You intuitively, like, this is not right. And then you look back and you’re like, really? It was part of a plan. It was part of God’s plan. And I believe that. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yeah, that’s. Well put, Yale. That. That completely answers my question. 

Yael Simon:
Yay. Tick. Okay, next one. The second one is a little bit more thoughtful, and this is the part where the listeners might say, well, she’s not really perfect. No, no. I’m far from it. And that is there. It is a struggle for me to accept what I have in my life and the things that I might have wanted and won’t get specific about these things, but, like, they could be everything from personal circumstances to professional circumstances, the job I wanted, the life I wanted before I started this journey. So these two courageous things are connected. Having left, and as I said, it takes time and understanding and experience and wisdom to, like, look back and understand how you made that choice. 

Yael Simon:
But then it also takes courage to wake up every day and accept the choice that you made and to also accept the fact that it is a struggle and not to run away from it. And the way I see it’s like God hands you a set of cards. The cards you’re dealt. Now, you could say at any point in your life, well, I don’t want these cards. I want a different set of cards. I want the one where I went to Harvard and lived in the city and, you know, was a fast. Blah, blah, you know, and actually, you know, maybe having a big family wasn’t. You know what? I love my kids, and I want every. Every single one is a blessing, and every single one is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I envy their friends. Yeah, right. 

Yael Simon:
And you look back at your life, and you’re like, oh, this all happened for a reason. But at the same Time. There’s that, like, niggling feeling of like, maybe I was meant to be somewhere. Maybe I made a mistake, maybe. And that’s a really honest expression of a struggle. And so the courageous part for me is literally waking up every day and kind of meditating on the fact it’s like, these are the cards I’ve been dealt. And instead of resigning myself to them and be like, all right, fine, I’ll have this job. I’ll have this life. Okay, whatever. Instead of that, I actually challenge God back. I’m like, oh, yeah, you’re giving me adversity. I’ll show you what I’ll do with these cards. Right? And so it’s kind of like, become the courage turns into a challenge back, right? 

Yael Simon:
And saying like, well, actually, this is the life I have. I am going to make the most of it. I’m going to make it so spectacular. I am going to smash this one, and I’m going to make sure, you know, I am. I’m doing something meaningful. I am improving, and I’m learning, and I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, I can’t even begin. It takes two podcasts to get through that. Right. But, like, I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, so much hurt that I’ve caused people so much damage, unfortunately. But it’s because I, you know, a bit of a whirling dervish and work in progress and kind of. But I’m learning. I’m learning. I’m not there yet. We’re getting there slowly, person by person, as my family grows and expands. 

Yael Simon:
You know, like, that message that I have is, we’re just not done. We just have to continuously work. But if you stop, you’re putting the cards down. So I want to hold that set of cards, and I just want to say, you know what? I’m going to win with this hand. Whatever hand you gave me, I’m going to win. Because if you put those set of cards down and you’re like, well, I want another hand of cards. So now you’ve got two sets of cards. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yeah. 

Yael Simon:
You don’t lose the first one. It’s. Then it becomes like, uno, and you don’t know how to get rid of all the cards, it’s like, so that’s my point. So I hope that answers the question. But I feel there is literally courage every day to just think, this is what I have. This is what there is, and I’m going to make it work. 

Jeff Johnson:
That’s so fantastic, Yale. And I don’t Wish, you know, anything negative on any of our listeners here that are paying attention to me. But aren’t you jealous that I got to sit in the psy ed college with Yael four different times this last year for like three or four days at a jaunt and listen to this kind of resilience and this kind of boldness, this kind of, I don’t know, effervescence that you have. Yale. I mean, it was. People are attracted to this, and it encourages me and it encourages everybody else in our class and everybody that’s hearing us, I’m sure, with what it is that you just said, because I think that’s it. I think there is courage in your everyday walk. And you put it so well. Gosh, that was great. Who inspires you with courage? 

Jeff Johnson:
Give me a picture of somebody that you look up to that really either a historical figure or somebody that’s contemporary. 

Yael Simon:
So, not surprisingly, most of them are women. And I say that because a lot of my mentors are men. I’m a very big fan of mentors. I’ve had mentors my whole life, and they encourage me. But do they inspire me? And I think it’s very different. And I just want to say one word about resilience, because you mentioned it. I mentioned it. People talk and use the word a lot. But I was recently in a zoom call with a trauma specialist who works with army families. And as you know, I’m an Army mom, and it’s really important to kind of get together with people who are talking about these things. And he’s. He’s an expert in. In, you know, Expert. Right. You know, we laugh about the word expert now. Every time you hear the word expert, you’re going to think, like, are. 

Jeff Johnson:
Are they really? Yes. 

Yael Simon:
What does an expert mean? So, no, but, you know, he is qualified. And he said resilience is not about bouncing back. Resilience is accepting what there is and moving forward. And I was like, yep, that’s exactly where I am. And, you know, on my Instagram, I put that right away and I put that up there. Like, resilience is not about bouncing back to where were, because the world will never be the same every day. The world will never be the same. Every day is a new creation and a new start. And so you have to think like, what is resilience? Accepting the way things are right now and going right, move forward. So back to who inspires me. It’s people who embody that. And I’ve got two people in mind. I’m thinking Of. 

Yael Simon:
And one I shared with the rest of the cohort is Justice Rachel Fryer, who is the very first Hasidic Jewish justice of the Supreme Court in the state of New York. We have a friendship now. She invited me to her induction in New York. I went and I just thought, wow, what an incredible feet this is. And, you know, glass ceiling to break through. And the thing about Justice Fryer is that he’s fearless. And so it’s people who are fearless, regardless of what anybody says. It’s like you get to an age also where you just don’t care what people think, because you’re focused and focused. And at the same time, in being focused, you also be mindful. 

Yael Simon:
So if you can balance the focused on what you want to do and what you’re doing and then also being mindful of people around you, that is a sweet spot. The other person is Nicola Mendelsohn, who’s the VP of Business of Meta, and she was a client of mine. I worked with her. She’s a colleague, and I just love her. She unfortunately is suffering from follicular lymphoma, which is a rare blood disease that’s incurable. But I helped them build their foundation, her and her husband. And what came as a result of it was this friendship where we just said, we’re going to do this. We’re going to find a cure, we’re going to raise the money, we’re going to find the right people, and we’re going to do this. And she continues to work in her position. She continues. 

Yael Simon:
She has a family, and God bless her, I Hope she lives 120 years and sees grandchildren and great grandchildren. Right. And lives a long, healthy life, because the way she lives every day is courageous and is inspirational. And so, you know, she’s for somebody. For me, she’s a role model and a friend. 

Jeff Johnson:
Do you believe, Yale, do you believe that courage is inherent in everybody? Is it a learned quality? Is it something that we all have inside of us that just needs to be tapped into? Speak to that a little bit. I’m curious what your thoughts are on that. 

Yael Simon:
I do think that it is. I mean, those people who are lucky enough to have it taught and repeated every single day in their lives, it’s helpful. But I do think that inherently we have even just a spark of that. And the way to tap into that spark is to kind of go back in time, who are your parents, who are your grandparents, and I guarantee you, every single one of your listeners, there is a story there. There’s a story, maybe from Eastern Europe, maybe from the beginning of the country of America. Somewhere, somewhere in your life story, there is someone who overcame something great. Tap into that is going to come down through the bloodline, whether it was referenced or not, that you could be at the beginning of that story, right? You could revive that story. So I think it’s there. 

Yael Simon:
I also think it is nurture. I don’t think just think it’s nature. I think it’s nurture. I think, you know, especially with today’s day and age. And I said I have six, but I actually have seven because we had a nine hour. We had a seventh child, you know, 10 years after the last six, the first six. And that taught me a lot. I mean, she saved my life. And she was the biggest blessing in my life, really just tremendous. But what I learned there is like, I’m really understanding now how children are struggling, how people are struggling. There’s a very big mental health crisis. And so where does that courage and strength come from? And what I’m finding that’s something that’s helpful is besides the validation and us acknowledging that there is pain, that people and children are in pain, and it’s hard. 

Yael Simon:
I think also the messages of, you can do this. We have done hard things. You know, Glennon Doyle talks about we have. We can do hard things. And so repeating that to yourself, whether it’s a mantra or meditation or every day being thoughtful and mindful about the way you live and recognizing the moments that are really difficult, stopping yourself and saying to yourself, I can do this, I can do hard things, right? And moving forward with that builds resilience, which is courageous, and facing it, then you can move forward. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yale, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been absolutely fantastic. And if I could be so bold, would you please catch a journal and write down every courageous thing that you do from here on forward, because I’d love to have you back again, because we’ve just scratched the surface of what you’ve got to give for our listeners. So. 

Yael Simon:
Okay, thank you so much, Jeff. It’s a pleasure for me, I do enjoy talking about these things. I focused on leadership and women’s leadership especially. And if I can just say on that particular point, I think that women are, besides being very underrated in this aspect, I think women have a tremendous amount to offer the idea of leadership and resilience and courage in ways that many other people do not. But I feel that there’s so much, and I’m not being specific about that I’m just being general. I look at all the women in history and myself and my daughters and how much they have to face. And I think that there’s just so much to learn. So I would love to come back and certainly. And share with that and talk. 

Yael Simon:
And now I’ve got to, like, write down all the Courageous things, but everybody should write them down. And gratitude for sure. 

Jeff Johnson:
Yale, thank you so much. 

Yael Simon:
Jeff, thank you. 

Outro:
Thank you for joining us today on courageous. If you’d like to hear more about the work and ministry being done at Crossroads Apologetics, please visit our home on the web at crossroadsapologetics.org Would you or someone you know like to be featured on Courageous? Send us an email at info@crossroadsapologetics.com or info@crossroadsapologist.org telling us about the most courageous thing you’ve ever done.