Simone Clarke – an instrument for change

We have all struggled at some point in our lives, some more so than others. Few of us, however, are willing to transcend these struggles and then transform them into instruments that generate change – the kind that not only offers hope, but also healing. While we acknowledge our pain and the many pitfalls of life that befall us, most of us generally wish to distance ourselves from them as fast as we can. Hence, we do not seek to turn our pain into pillars onto which we can stand and pull others up, one step or one story at a time.

For Simone Clarke, one of the beloved faces of morning time television, becoming a vessel through which everyday people can re-shape their thoughts, perspectives and eventually their lives, has been a heartfelt blessing. So much so that every day she wakes up renewed and re-energised to put in the work, so that Jamaicans get the breakthrough they need to have the desired positivity and peace of mind they crave. With her new show ‘Sim Soul Sessions’, people are tuned in and turned on to the notion that they are not alone in this journey called life and that others out there share the same myriad of emotions. Those

shared experiences resonate so profoundly, that the show has mass followers – from the housewife
to the college student, to the burdened businessman or woman, all of whom need to hear that it is okay… not to be okay sometimes.

BUZZZ magazine met up with the petite media personality recently to learn more about her plans for her show, early life and career, her disappointments, and her journey to self-discovery and her new found purpose in life. “‘Sim Soul Sessions’ was borne out of my need to regain control over my life. In 2016-2017, I was going through a very rough patch in my own life as I was about to go through a divorce. In the years prior to that, I had suffered three miscarriages and I felt that there was nothing happening to me that I could control. At one point, for three days, I could not sleep, eat or work. This was not supposed to be my life. I remembered resolving that if I got to a place where I could get out of this, to not only share my story, but let people know that everyone is going through something, but your breakthrough normally comes just as you are about to give up. Cry if you have to, but you will eventually get to a place where you can be a better version of yourself.”

According to Sim, the show was a means for her to remove the shame of the pitfalls that happen to all of us. “We are connected by the fact that we all have struggles, even those of us seen as celebrities. We all struggle and that’s ok. I remember when I was selling the idea of the show to potential sponsors, and I spoke about my ideas, about discussing divorce and other hard topics that people shy away from. I was asked, point blank, if I thought Jamaica was ready for a show like this, and I said, I wanted to help create a space where Jamaicans felt that it was ok to be open about our stories, without shame and stigma, in a bid to help others. As a matter of fact, I felt so strongly about it, that I told the sponsors that I wasn’t going to ask my guests to go where I wasn’t willing, and so for the season one finale, I put myself in the “big chair”, talking about the miscarriages, the divorce and other difficulties I had faced, but had made it through, in my life.”

Though divorced some three years, Simone shared that she still uses her married name, as it is has come to be the name by which the wider public know and address her. Added to this is the fact that it makes her feel closer to her daughter, Aaryn. However, time has also given her the headspace to realise that going back to her core, as simply ‘Clarke’ is something she is ready to do. Going through divorce, she , was brutal, a reality made more difficult within the context of Simone’s upbringing, in a happy home with two parents who were married for over forty plus years. “At the time I pretty much kept my marital issues to myself because of the whole shame and

stigma attached to divorce. Having my parents as the ultimate standard for having a successful union, I did initially feel as if I had failed. Now, upon reflection she is able to share that the biggest lesson she learnt at the end of the day, is that we are a lot stronger than we even know. “But we will never know until our feet are held over the fire. We get so accustomed to the “known”, even when we know it’s not right for us, because we are afraid of the unknown. But we have to get to the point where we know that God has equipped us with such phenomenal resilience, that we can step out into that unknown, with far greater things in store for us when we do.”

Fear, she added is what keeps people stuck for days, months and even years in situations that are no longer meant for them. “Don’t ignore the fear. Lean into it and jump anyway. Fear is analysis paralysis, that will keep you stuck. You are here to be the best version of yourself – to live a happy, fulfilled life, not to impress anyone else. Even – and especially when you are afraid, jump, because your strength will take you through. If you are hurt, nurse the wound for a while, and then allow yourself the time for it to heal. Sometimes, afterwards, we look back and wonder why we didn’t make the decision to jump sooner.”

Looking back, Simone’s whole life has been a series of leaps of faith. Born to parents who came from rural Jamaica and made life in the capital city, Simone Nichola Clarke was “born under the clock” and grew up in Barbican with her older sister and two younger brothers. With a father who was a pastor and a mother who was a missionary, her upbringing was grounded in faith. As she tells it, she could not participate in many of the typical social activities her friends took for granted. “I did not put on a pair of pants or pierce my ears until I was 18.”