Michael Peres welcomes Steve Simons, founder of Restyn and a lifelong programmer who wrote his first line of code on an Apple II back in 1983 – in kindergarten. Having worked in more than 20 programming languages across every major era of modern computing, Steve now blends deep technical expertise with his Christian faith to help businesses build technology that truly serves people. Through Restyn and the BLESS mission (Bless, Love, Empower, Serve, Safeguard), he’s on a mission to reshape how organizations think about service, stewardship, and software.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• What it was like writing code in kindergarten on an Apple II and “chasing the computer” through school clubs and early programming communities
• Steve’s journey through BASIC, Pascal, Turbo Pascal, early networking (from token ring to switched networks), and every major wave of modern computing
• The story of building his own digital computer in college from an 8088 processor, coding in assembly, and using an oscilloscope as a display
• How decades inside the full enterprise tech stack shaped his people-first, service-driven philosophy toward software and consulting
• Why Steve founded Restyn and how the BLESS framework guides the way he leads, hires, and partners with clients
• How his Christian faith informs his approach to technology, responsibility, and safeguarding the people behind the systems
• The rare but crucial skill of being “good with people” in a world where many developers only learn to “talk to robots”
• Practical advice for engineers and founders who want their work to be more purposeful, ethical, and sustainable over the long haul
