BY JOSH CORMAN

THE 2022 ISPA CONFERENCE WILL BRING THE ISPA COMMUNITY TOGETHER in person for the first time in nearly two years , but that ’ s not the only reason that this year ’ s event is shaping up to be one of the most memorable ever . An impressive lineup of Power Session speakers and the wide range of educational opportunities on tap for 2022 mean that each day will be packed with inspiration and practical takeaways sure to reinvigorate attendees as our industry continues to recover from the events of the past two years .

Leading up to Conference , Pulse will introduce our Power Session speakers and give them a chance to share more about themselves and their work in advance of the big event in May . Next up : Jade Simmons , a classically-trained concert pianist ( and avowed spa lover ) who has evolved to add “ powerhouse speaker ” and “ bestselling author ” to an already impressive resumé . Attendees can expect to be wowed by her unique blend of rousing musical performance and inspiring messages .

Pulse : The path from classical concert pianist to professional speaker must have been an interesting one ! How and why did you begin pursuing that new path ? JADE SIMMONS : You know , the simplest explanation is that I basically started speaking on stage during my concerts , kind of talking about the music in almost a lecture-recital style . This was early 2008 , maybe as early as 2007 , and there weren ’ t a lot of young , emerging artists who were also engaging with the audience , and that set me apart pretty quickly in the world of classical music at that time . But you ’ ll hear me say from stage that , quite honestly ,

I started speaking to really catch my breath in between the performances , playing these big , fast and furious pieces . At one of those encounters , there were people who said ,‘ Oh , we should have her come speak at this arts conference or speak on being self-employed as an artist .’ That ’ s where my early speaking started .

One thing I don ’ t really mention from stage is that I cut my teeth as a professional speaker when I was competing in the Miss America Pageant — I was miss Illinois and first runner-up at Miss America . I had a platform issue of youth suicide prevention , and I competed right after Columbine , when these awful school shootings started to become , unfortunately , more normal than any of us had ever imagined . I ended up speaking on that issue to audiences from grade schools to health professionals , and that ’ s when I really started honing the craft of speaking , but even at that point , I was still planning on being a classical concert pianist . Now , speaking pretty much dominates what I do and music is the aspect that makes it unique .

P : How does music allow you to connect with audiences in ways that a more traditional speaker may not be able to ?

12 PULSE ^■ FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022