Creating harmony: Jessica Huie
MBE and visibility strategist, Jessica Huie, launched TEDxRichmond in January, with the theme of ‘Harmony’. She chatted to Pippa Duncan about why, in such a time of discord in our world, visibility, values and building community is the way forward
When Jessica Huie launched the first TEDxRichmond at Petersham Nurseries in January, the room was full and the mood excited and expectant for this new local venture, but somehow relaxed. The theme she chose for this inaugural event was ‘Harmony’. A title, which, for Huie, means connection between people, sectors, generations and ideas.
Huie moved locally only two years ago. Starting a TEDx might seem an ambitious way to introduce yourself to a community, but for her it was a natural extension of a career spent amplifying voices. ‘Community is really important now, more than ever,’ she says.
If you’ve not heard of it, TED is a world-renowned non-profit sharing of ‘ideas worth spreading’ with short, expert presentations, called TED Talks. Speakers come from every walk of life to talk about their experiences and share knowledge – industry leaders, psychologists, survivors, academics, innovators, activists among them – chosen not for their status but their ideas.
TEDx are independently organised events under the TED name. The application process for a TEDx licence is rigorous; organisers must articulate their motivation and commit to TED’s parameters. Huie’s was simple: to contribute something meaningful and not-for-profit, to bring people together for thoughtful conversation. Once accepted, she built a team, secured partners and selected a theme she felt the moment demanded.
Harmony, she explains, is urgently needed. In a climate where public discourse is more often abrasive and divisive, she wanted the event to look towards love, support and acceptance. ‘Anything we can do to connect, we must,’ she says, without drama.
The final line-up of nine speakers reflected a deliberate diversity of sector and perspective: technology, parenting, the arts and psychology among them. Leadership coach Dr Deborah Egerton spoke powerfully about race and resilience; artist Simon Kenny explored the vulnerability of creative expression and New York Times best-selling author Robert Holden talked about happiness and where it comes from.
I didn’t know what to expect from the evening when I arrived, but as I sat there, watching one speaker after another, I really hadn’t expected to be moved by their words. But I was. In a world where there seems to be more madness than ever, here were leaders in their industries, showing that a calm, measured approach and thinking of others can lead to success, too.
The theme throughout Huie’s career has been, in one way or another, about visibility. At 26 she founded Colourblind Cards, a multicultural greeting card company born from a personal frustration: she could not find a greeting card with a brown-skinned princess for her daughter, who hated her hair at the time. ‘I was looking for an image that would be reflective of her appearance and I realised there was nothing in the high street.’
In 2006, long before diversity became corporate shorthand, she recognised the power of representation. The business flourished and, in 2014, she was awarded an MBE for services to entrepreneurship and diversity. ‘Receiving the honour from Charles III – then Prince of Wales – was surreal,’ she says. ‘Not least because he remarked that he could not believe no one had addressed the gap sooner.’
‘I think the conversation, the recognition, the representation matters, not just for the people being represented, but for us all. I think for the most part [diversity]is more widely accepted. I trust we’re moving in the right direction.’
As a communications and media adviser, she says her focus has shifted away from shaping her clients’ narratives to fit external demands. Now she works with individuals and organisations to help them express themselves from the inside out – to show their true authenticity and values. She works with stars, entrepreneurs and leaders such as Samuel L Jackson and Simon Cowell to help them articulate who they are beneath the job title.
That philosophy also underpins her book, Purpose, written while caring for her father at the end of his life. She also co-created the Diverse Wisdom initiative to help attract more authors of colour and diversity into publishing about personal development.
As we chat during our meeting at Bingham Riverhouse, Huie is strikingly calm. She speaks softly and really thinks before she gives her answers. Yet there is steel beneath the stillness. Starting a business at 26, navigating media at the highest level, moving countries, raising children, building a consultancy and launching a TEDx – takes energy. The balance, she says, comes from clarity about values. At this stage in her career, alignment is non-negotiable. If a project does not fit, she declines it.
TEDxRichmond will be an annual event, with plans to involve young people in future editions. A larger venue may follow. But scale is not the primary ambition. Harmony, as Huie defines it, is cultivated locally – in the relationship with a neighbour, in the willingness to listen, in the courage to stand up and speak.
In an era that makes fear and outrage acceptable from the top, Huie’s calm approach is both hopeful and invigorating. She is not naïve about the scale of the challenges facing society. She simply believes that the small things are not small – being non-judgemental, accepting differences, doing small acts of kindness help to create harmony – which, over time, can be transformative.
Find out more about TEDxRichmond here.
Find out about other local people here.