Orbiting Juliette Powell

Last year I reconnected with someone I hadn’t spoken to in decades.

To be fair, we were probably closer to acquaintances than true friends. 
But we had spent many years in the same orbit – part of that strange, electric constellation of people trying to break into the music business in the early 90s.

Her name was Juliette Powell.

If you were around back then (especially in Canada) the name will ring a bell. 
Juliette was everywhere. 
She had been crowned Miss Canada. 
She was a VJ on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus (back when being a VJ really meant something). 
She had this rare mix of poise, insight and cool… someone who could light up a room but also ask a question that made everyone pause.
We were probably not closer because I remember being intimidated by her presence and prowess.
Like me, she wasn’t just there for the spotlight. 
She was obsessed with music… she wanted to help bands… she wanted to tell stories that mattered.
With time, I drifted away from the music world and into media, marketing and technology.

But then something interesting happened.

We reconnected in the early 2000s… both of us surprised to learn that we had somehow taken very similar paths. 
She had evolved from on-air talent to something far more complex and fascinating: a researcher, speaker, student, teacher and deep thinker about ethics, economics, technology, artificial intelligence and the systems shaping our future. 
She co-authored The AI Dilemma (with Art Kleiner), and her work with the World Economic Forum and Columbia University made it clear: this wasn’t just someone who had changed careers… she had changed lenses.

She saw the world differently.

Last year, we finally decided to record a conversation together… a long-overdue conversation about technology, media, culture… and AI (you can listen to it here: Juliette Powell On The AI Dilemma – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast). 
About the tension between speed and wisdom.
About the ethical weight of innovation.
While we never managed to meet up in person, we both said we had to make it happen… we both meant it… but that will never happen.

When I heard that Juliette had passed away, it took the wind out of me.

It’s hard to describe that kind of grief. 
It’s not loud. 
It’s not headline-grabbing. 
It’s quiet. 
A kind of soul-crack. 
The recognition that someone you admired (with a shared understanding of shared topics of interest) is gone.

Juliette was deeply curious. 

She didn’t just want to know what was happening… she wanted to understand why it mattered. 
She wasn’t afraid to push against the grain, but she always did it with grace.
She surrounded herself with thinkers, builders, questioners.

And now, the industry (and the culture at large) loses one of its important voices. 

Not just because she was smart or articulate. 
But because she was generous… she listened… she wrestled with complexity instead of simplifying it for clicks or applause.
In a world that often rewards hot takes and instant opinions, Juliette was doing the slower, harder work of building wisdom.
If her work ever nudged your thinking… or made you pause… or helped you see the world a little differently… I hope you’ll take a moment to remember her.
I hope you’ll tell a story… or share a thought… or reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with and reconnect while you’re both still here.
Because that’s what I’m left with right now: the sadness of not having one more conversation… and the immense gratitude that we had that last one.

RIP Juliette… may your memory be a blessing.