Episode #73: Harnessing Your Creative Magic and Creating a Life with Purpose with Jade Simmons

What do the most superlative brands , the world’s most renowned stages , and the most prestigious conferences have in common? They’ re bringing in the one and only Jade Simmons! Jade spent the first few years of her career performing as a classical concert pianist. Following an artistic epiphany, she pivoted from playing the piano to impress audiences , to using the piano as the vehicle by which to provide the inspiration, information and entertainment that profoundly moves them instead. The result s have been, well...darn impressive!

No stranger to pushing boundaries to see bold results , this concert pianist turned world changer is brought in by the likes of corporations like Mass Mutual, Royal Bank of Canada, DOW, Raytheon, the Hershey Company, Genentech, Valic , Pfizer and Nationwide to redefine purpose, inspire seismic shifts in mindset and activate audiences to go out and instantly start living more consequential lives of impact.

The one-of-a-kind artist has built a one-of-a-kind career garnering diverse recognition from unlikely places. She’s played renowned halls , including the hallowed ones of the White House and the US Supreme Court and her genre-bending concert adventures that span Rachmaninoff to Rap attract diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds . For her work on and away from the stage, Essence magazine featured Jade alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama as a part of their Style & Substance List. As one of the rare classical artists invited to perform at the taste-making South by Southwest Festival, her show was ultimately branded one of the "Best of SXSW 2014". She’s star red in a Broadway-style musical called Lillette’ s Rhythm Club and she can be heard portraying Nina Simone’s classical years in the Oscar -nominated documentary What Happened Miss Simone?

In her inimitable career as a concert pianist and as a media host, Jade has remained committed to expanding the boundaries of Classical music and is the new host of shows for both American Public Media and NYC’ s top rated station WQXR, airing in 2019.

Things we talk about on todays episode:

Her journey from classical pianist to successful entrepreneur and keynote speaker

Why she feels as if she grew up with black privilege

What it means to be an artist

How to figure out WTF your purpose is

Creating a deep impact in the world with the work you do and who you are

Our differing perspectives on the mess, imperfections and beyond

Becoming the maverick of your own life