Exploring Life & Business with Neelley Hicks of Harper Hill Global

Today we’d like to introduce you to Neelley Hicks.

Hi Neelley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before going into ministry, I was a communications professional and thought I had left that part of my life behind. But after graduating from Vanderbilt Divinity School, I worked in international communications through the United Methodist Church. I learned how people lack the knowledge they need to live healthy and hopeful lives. I began innovating with my colleagues overseas so they could lead wellness programs in their communities. During the West Africa Ebola outbreak, I worked with leaders in Sierra Leone who were leading an inter-religious Ebola task force. Afterward, a Muslim man said that they found their common enemy together, and that was Ebola. The religious differences all of a sudden didn’t matter so much.

This insight led me to found Harper Hill Global (HHG), named after my mother and grandmother. It’s rooted in the belief that faith traditions can come together to work on health AND hope – the two things humans need to survive. Communication strategies and technologies help us create this ever-expanding network that communicates for social good.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a non-profit has been an uphill climb, but worth every struggle. People understand what it means to dig boreholes for water, clothe the naked, and provide shelter for homeless persons. HHG builds people up from the inside out, knowing that the inward change ultimately transforms the individual and generations to come. Both responses are needed for lasting change – immediate help and long-term self-care and understanding.

There have been many times when I thought of giving up, but there have been new people to join me on the path along the way. These people have encouraged me to keep going, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Since I’ve already written about founding HHG, I’ll go to the work I’m most proud of! HHG currently works with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors to mainstream trauma recovery through faith-based networks. Together, we produced TriumphOverTrauma.info, which provides free resources and training for congregations who care about recovery from the pain people face in their everyday lives.

We have trained dozens of leaders this year in the USA and 30 leaders in Africa to facilitate groups where people learn about the lasting effects of trauma and how to self-soothe to aid in recovery. The work has been embraced by Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and indigenous religious leaders to provide trauma-informed community care amidst the mental health crisis America and other countries face.

In alliance with Colleagues in Care, we have produced HeartsUnited.info to distribute disease prevention education through faith communities. Together, we work with colleagues (Africa, and Latin America) to train and equip faith leaders to work together in disease prevention.

By adding the communications layer to the work of clinics in DRCongo, the number of women seeking knowledge and preventive care during pregnancy grew by 90%. Media (animation & songs) is distributed through mass and social media and used in local gatherings (with our virtual classroom toolkit) where blood pressure monitoring is introduced and healthcare connections made.

Each of these programs is grounded in the belief that interfaith networks can align on health and hope to build a better world.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is defined by being true to one’s purpose in life and overcoming obstacles along the way to embody that purpose – either professionally, personally, or both. The greatest gift we can give ourselves is to know our true purpose, which requires delving deep into our gifts and passions. Sometimes just the right job is waiting for living one’s purpose, but sometimes we have to forge our own paths! It’s not easy, but this is how I can be successful in my own life!

My deepest purpose is to embody light and love. The way I express this is by training and equipping helpers to help their communities.

HHG is successful because of the lives positively impacted by our work. That’s our true measurement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://harperhill.global
• Instagram: @HarperHillGlobal
• Facebook: @HarperHillGlobal
• Twitter: @HarperHillGlobl
• Youtube: @HarperHillGlobal