Jade Zaroff Journalism and Media Honoree

Jade Zaroff is building a community of impact artists

No business like show business

Jade Zarroff’s life has been anything but conventional. The now 25-year-old was born at home in New York City, has never tried meat in her life, and watched her mom make an impact on her family and the planet through unconventional nutrition and health methods. “When I was 10, I began chanting the Buddhist sentiment ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ meaning “glory to the dharma” — with dharma being one’s purpose, giving me the subconscious determination to seek purpose in everything I did,” she said 

In her school theatre program in Boca Raton, Florida, Jade truly found her voice. She felt a profound connection to the arts and wanted to use her passion to impact other people. “At the age of 13, dancing at 10 am on a Sunday to “There’s No Business Like Show Business” or singing to Eric Whitacre’s “The Seal Lullaby” with some of my closest friends gave me a sense of appreciation for why I performed,” she recalled. 

"I believe that true happiness comes from making choices from within that serve others."

Jade believes that making a difference involves moving someone to feel a connection, shift, and drive towards a personal, professional, or spiritual change with an intentional positive outcome. “Art always did that for me growing up,” she said. “Making a positive impact makes me feel good, confident, and valuable. I believe that true happiness comes from making choices from within that serve others, and as my mom always taught me — serving others is serving yourself.”

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Leading with love, doing good for others

Jade is the founder of Entertainment for Change, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing impact artists. She is also a singer, voiceover, and on-camera actress, producer, entrepreneur, and young change-maker whose passion and purpose is to leverage entertainment as a vehicle for activism and impact. “My passions in life include art, activism, and kids and teens — so to have merged everything that I love into pursuing what I've discovered to be my purpose, creating Entertainment for Change, is the greatest blessing,” she said. “I feel deeply connected to my WHY, recognizing that anything is possible as long as my work stays aligned to leading with love, doing good for others, and following my gut.”

“My passions in life include art, activism, and kids and teens — so to have merged everything that I love into pursuing what I've discovered to be my purpose, creating Entertainment for Change, is the greatest blessing,”

As an exceptional Gen Z’er making an impact, Jade was honored for her Media and Journalism work through the ConversationaLIST. “I use my voice for good by sharing safe and healthy spaces to listen to youth and support them in internalizing feelings and subsequently externalizing impact,” she said. “I am personally dedicated to harnessing my energy towards changing the narrative of our collective future via the arts, entertainment, and media — and being there for others to do the same.”

For those seeking to find their voice, Jade suggests thinking outside and the box and sharing your passion with the world. “Hold space to be creative, and don’t limit what that means based on notions of what it means to be a successful creator or changemaker,” she said. 

Jade’s greatest desire is to change the way the world perceives artists. “I want ‘Impact Artist’ to be a recognizable identification for young people on a mainstream level via an institute that is dedicated to empowering artistic activists and making arts education accessible to all,” she said. 

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Engaging with change

Jade resonates with The Conversationalist’s mission because she believes unifying the world and amplifying Gen Z voices is crucial. “I love having open-ended and vulnerable conversations that may feel uncomfortable but are ultimately providing us the opportunity to engage with change,” she said about the platform. “If we feel safe to discuss what needs to be discussed, we can collectively shift reality and co-create a ‘new normal.’”

For Jade, a unified world means people are kind to one another and live out their desires while serving others and making a positive impact. She believes Gen Z can achieve this by actively listening to one another's needs and seeing one another as fully human beings.

“Uncomfortable conversations are inevitable since no human being is exactly the same.”

To break open her echo chamber, Jade tries to trust and follow her heart and her gut. “Uncomfortable conversations are inevitable since no human being is exactly the same,” she said about tackling tough conversations. “However, all human beings just want to be loved and to feel seen,” she said about tackling difficult conversations. As long as that is at the forefront of one's mind, a conversation is an incredible opportunity to explore new ideas, thoughts, and feelings.”

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We’ll be rooting for Jade Zaroff as she helps amplify the power of art. Keep up with her on Instagram and follow Entertainment for Change to learn more about her work.

Come hang out with Jade and all of our LIST honorees! Join us in Geneva and follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay up to date with all of our future events.