From Boardroom to Bookshelf: CMA Board Chair Jennie Smythe on Becoming Girlilla, Storytelling, and the Power of Real Connection
For Jennie Smythe, storytelling isn’t just a belief, it’s the foundation of her life, her career, and the community she’s built along the way. In her new book, “Becoming Girlilla: My Journey to Unleashing Good In Real Life, Online and In Others,” Smythe, founder and CEO of Girlilla Marketing and current CMA Board Chairperson, opens up with an authenticity that is both bold and deeply personal. Part memoir, part manual for leading with resilience, passion, and purpose, the book underscores how storytelling can create lasting connections and meaningful impact.
“At some point, you realize you’re the keeper of these stories,” Smythe said in a recent conversation with CMA. “And if you don’t tell them, who will?”
That calling to share, not only her own experiences, but those of the people who helped shape her journey, is what brought “Becoming Girlilla” to life. Through the lens of personal struggles, including her battle with breast cancer and the loss of her father, professional pivots, and moments of profound uncertainty, Smythe weaves a compelling narrative about finding strength in honesty and power in community.
Smythe also shares the gritty realities of entrepreneurship, from the lean, early days to the complicated road of acquisition and ultimately reclaiming control. The initial spark for Girlilla Marketing was ignited during a powerful conversation with her father in his final days, a moment that forever shifted how she viewed risk, purpose, and the direction of her life. “What would you do if your life was half over?” he asked. Fueled by that clarity, Smythe took the leap and founded what would become one of the most trusted voices in digital marketing, thriving at the intersection of creativity and technology.
“I didn’t set out to revolutionize anything,” she said. “It was a decision based in need—to have someone who could be the bridge between creatives and corporate, and it just so happened that I could speak to both. That was really the skill, being able to take these two worlds and explain to each of them why they were both equally important.”
That instinct to translate, to connect and to elevate, is what has made Girlilla Marketing stand out in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Though Smythe works with clients across a wide range of industries and demographics, she considers Country Music especially unique—largely because of the community that defines the genre.
“I don’t think other genres are connected the way we are,” she says. “In Country, you don’t just have the song, you have the story behind the song, and then the story behind that story. That’s what binds us.”
That deep sense of connection is something Smythe has carried into every part of her career. However, she is honest about the tension between online connection and real-world accountability.
“We’re all connected online and offline,” she says. “I think any way that we can connect with human beings and make a difference is a gift, but it has a double-edged sword. We have to take responsibility for our own behavior online just like we do in any other aspect of life. I am truly hopeful for the future, and I believe digital is going to be the center of human connection, but it just can’t take the place of real connection.”
It’s a perspective that runs through both her work and her worldview, that the most meaningful connections, whether forged online or in person, are grounded in authenticity and community. This, among many other attributes, is what has made Smythe an invaluable presence on both the CMA and the CMA Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Smythe’s board service has mirrored her broader approach to leadership – collaborative, strategic, and deeply human. “It’s the only organization I know of that grows with you,” she said of CMA. “From the moment you join as a member, there’s room for you to evolve. The idea that somebody like me can start out as a member, network and meet the people that I’ve met through CMA; it’s been the greatest networking experience of my professional career.”
In addition to networking and professional development, Smythe calls CMA’s recent investment in mental health resources “game changing.”
“Even outside of CMA, I haven’t seen anyone make a bigger contribution to changing the culture around mental health,” she said. “I wish that I could have benefited from it [years ago], but I am grateful that other people coming up now won’t have the same hurdles that I had.”
It’s this same balance between ambition and authenticity, and technology and humanity that was the catalyst for Girlilla Marketing and now also pulses through “Becoming Girlilla.” That mindset has shaped every chapter of Smythe’s journey, helping her push the envelope, build lasting impact, and redefine success on her own terms.
Because as Smythe knows better than most, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is tell your story —and invite others to do the same.
