Jessica Smith

Introduction and Career Journey

Taryell Simmons: Welcome to the Rise Urban Nation where we unite, uplift, and ignite conversations that help leaders and entrepreneurs navigate real life and real change. Today's episode is for anyone who has felt the weight of uncertainty in today's economy, such as layoffs, restructuring, and economic shifts, and wondering how we lead people through this without losing ourselves. Our guest today is Jessica Smith, a globally recognized HR executive and chief people officer with a background in finance, advanced studies in AI, and a passion for building cultures that deliver results and protect humanity. She is bilingual and a published thought leader on everyday leadership, bringing a rare lens that connects performance, psychology, and purpose. Jessica, welcome to Rise Urban Nation.

Jess Smith: Thanks for having me.

Taryell Simmons: The first thing I have to ask you is about this transition from finance to people strategy. How does someone who comes from the world of numbers go into people strategy? How did that happen?

Jess Smith: The short answer is a financial crisis. My career started in finance. I graduated from Hampton University with a degree in finance and started in a finance rotational program designed to create the next CFOs. I was with Johnson & Johnson at the time and then transitioned into banking. My first day in banking was the weekend before Lehman Brothers crashed in 2008. I worked the markets for those next couple of years in wealth management, but I decided I wanted to make a different kind of impact. My job was focused on keeping clients and the bank wealthy, but I wanted to make a different impact. I took a sabbatical to Barcelona and fell into recruiting. Giving someone their first offer to work in Europe was life-changing. I realized this was the impact I wanted to make, and that is how I ended up here.

Taryell Simmons: Does your finance background change the way you approach HR and impact outcomes? I do not know many HR professionals with that type of background.

Jess Smith: Absolutely. I am thankful for that background because I see things through a different lens, specifically with strong business acumen. Businesses run on profit and loss statements and balance sheets, so understanding how money is made helps me help the business make decisions. It also gives me an analytical view that has helped expand my career.

Taryell Simmons: When did you realize people strategy is business strategy, and how do you help C-suite executives understand that?

Jess Smith: It started during my five years in tech at Amazon. My first role was to solve how we recruit executives at scale using data. From there, I stood up Amazon's first talent intelligence practice. I started to understand that the same frameworks we use to recruit external talent can be applied to moving internal talent proactively using data analytics. A company cannot function without people, no matter how much technology or robotics are behind it. That is where I connected the dots and became data-obsessed.

Taryell Simmons: I love the intersectionality of data and using it to inform decisions around people. When times get tough, using data can help identify diamonds in the rough and move people into strategic positions to stay lean and efficient.

The Human Cost of Uncertainty

Taryell Simmons: Let's transition into the human cost of uncertainty. With economic volatility, layoffs, and restructuring, what are employees experiencing, especially those who remain after a transformation?

Jess Smith: When reducing or reorganizing, everyone is impacted, including the colleagues who stay behind. It can create trauma, especially if you were close to someone who exited or if you have to share their workload. For those who stay, there is a lot of uncertainty. The most important thing is rebuilding trust and providing stability in how you lead to help people find comfort in ambiguity.

Taryell Simmons: There is a term called survivor's guilt that often goes unspoken. What is survivor's guilt in this context, and what damage does it cause?

Jess Smith: Survivor's guilt is about how people who are not asked to exit feel about being left behind. You might hear people say they wish they were taken instead of their colleague, often because they have empathy for that colleague's personal situation. But these situations are down to the economics of the organization and are not personal. To find peace, you must realize you do not have control. The best thing to do is divert that energy into helping others by sharing your network, forwarding opportunities, and supporting them emotionally, while maintaining a healthy balance because you still have to work there.

Taryell Simmons: Fear can take over our survival brain and tangle up logic. Having clear strategies to acknowledge it and maintain a healthy balance is crucial.

Leadership Lessons from a 10K Recovery

Taryell Simmons: You recently shared a reflection about recovering from a knee injury and rebuilding toward a 10K. How does that experience mirror leadership through disruption?

Jess Smith: Last January, I hurt my knee skiing. As a runner, not being able to run was painful physically and mentally, as running is how I process information and find peace. This mirrors transitions and disruptions at work. First, I had to figure out how to replace that outlet, so I substituted running with core strength and Pilates. Similarly, when work is disrupted by things like AI, we have to find new ways to work. Second, when I started running again, I was terrified. After a reorganization, we all feel scared and uncertain. The only thing we can do is take the best next step with the information we have. Finally, you have to keep taking those steps to finish the race or upskill to become the next best version of yourself. I am happy to say I have made a full recovery and will run a half marathon next Sunday in Austin.

Taryell Simmons: Congratulations on the recovery. That is a perfect analogy of moving gently but moving forward, taking incremental steps to get back to where we need to be. How do leaders recognize when fear is disguised as logic in themselves and their teams?

Jess Smith: You have to self-assess by asking yourself questions. We can let fleeting thoughts and feelings become our truth. If you are scared your whole team will leave after a reduction, ask yourself why you feel that way. Work with a thought partner to challenge your thinking. Just because we think something does not make it reality.

Taryell Simmons: That is a great check-in. Get a thought partner and ask questions to pause and think when fear sounds reasonable.

Jess Smith: Make sure it is the right thought partner. If you ask someone who always agrees with you or won't challenge you, they won't help you get out of that thought spiral. You need someone who will challenge you and ask thought-provoking questions, not someone who acts like an agreeable AI tool.

Overcoming the Fear of AI and Embracing Change

Taryell Simmons: Let's make this actionable. How should employees prioritize with leaders during times of uncertainty?

Jess Smith: Step one is personal wellness and mental health. Manage stress and ambiguity by taking care of yourself physically and mentally to find your inner peace.

Taryell Simmons: How do leaders model stability while being honest about change?

Jess Smith: Leaders model stability through consistency—saying what you will do and doing what you say. Do not make promises you cannot keep. Be honest when you do not know the answer. Being vulnerable creates psychological safety where teams feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.

Taryell Simmons: What does rebuilding look like after disruption?

Jess Smith: It involves two things. First, help your team understand how their work is impactful and connects to the business strategy. Second, focus on engagement and community by bringing people together for wellness events or organized downtime to reconnect with the company.

Taryell Simmons: Some employees fear AI will take their jobs, while others see it as an enhancement. How can AI help people work smarter without increasing pressure?

Jess Smith: You have to change how you think about AI. Unless you own the company, you do not have ultimate control over whether you work there, so your job was never completely safe. Shift your focus to showing up, doing your best work, and finding ways to do your job better. AI can enhance how you work by rephrasing communications, analyzing data to show your impact, and helping you network more effectively.

The Power of Rest and Recovery

Taryell Simmons: Our listeners are Black and Pan-African entrepreneurs and leaders. What lessons matter most right now?

Jess Smith: We are in a massive societal transformation, similar to the introduction of the automobile or the internet. These transformations take years. We must take care of ourselves and realize the movement will happen with or without us. We can either be part of framing how it looks or do nothing and let it happen to us. Reinvest in your education. I signed up for an MIT course on AI leadership because we must make time to learn and be part of the conversation.

Taryell Simmons: How should leaders plan for a season of rest and growth?

Jess Smith: Rest is critical. I recently took time off in Spain and rested for three days without running. When I ran again on day four, it was easier and I was much faster. The key to speeding up is to slow down, rest, and recover. When you go again, you will achieve speeds you did not think were possible.

Taryell Simmons: Rest is restorative and revolutionary. Life happens in seasons, and treating your body and work with that same natural cycle is how you get the best version of yourself. Where can listeners connect with you?

Jess Smith: You can find me on LinkedIn under Jessica Smith, where I write a blog called Leadership Lessons from Normal Life. I am also on Instagram at Leadership Lessons from Underscore Life, where I share lessons from my travels.

Taryell Simmons: Go follow Jessica, subscribe and review Rise Urban Nation. See you next episode. Peace.