MUMBAI: Girlilla Marketing Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jennie Smythe will release her memoir—Becoming Girlilla: My Journey to Unleashing Good – in Real Life, Online, and in Others—on April 15, 2025 via Resolve Editions, an imprint of Forefront Books (Simon & Schuster).
A digital marketing trailblazer, Jennie’s memoir—Becoming Girlilla—is the unfiltered, inspiring story of her rise from unlikely beginnings to digital marketing powerhouse. Her experiences at Elektra, Disney’s Hollywood Records, YAHOO! Music, Warner Bros. Records, Clear Channel and more led her to launch her own Nashville-based firm, Girlilla Marketing, following a deathbed conversation with her estranged father.
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Becoming Girlilla highlights how resilience, authenticity, and passion can make a meaningful impact both online and in real life as Jennie candidly shares her path to success, full of sometimes surprising and oftentimes laugh-out-loud moments. Along the way, she’s navigated an industry that often underestimated her, fought through personal and professional hurdles, and rose to the top of her field.
Jennie’s inspiring journey, full of raw grit and humor, unfolds through—
1 Her battles with career uncertainty
2 The loss of her estranged father
3 Her courageous fight against breast cancer
4 The challenges of entrepreneurship, including the lean, early days of Girlilla Marketing and the path from acquisition to regaining control of her company
5 Learnings for young professionals, including how who you know can often be more important than what you know
6 Practical insights for creating a digital presence with purpose and authenticity
7 Discovering new ways to use social media for good
Becoming Girlilla isn’t just about one woman’s resilience—it’s a call to embrace change, unleash potential, and make a positive impact in the world.
Jennie shares, “I’ve been embraced, ignored, yelled at, fired and rehired. I’ve been told I am worthless, I’ve won awards, I’ve been blamed for shit I wasn’t responsible for and given credit for things I didn’t deserve. I’ve had disgruntled employees, I’ve had slim years and I’ve had fat years. I have heart. I care. I will outwork you and I try not to repeat mistakes. I bleed passion for what I do, who I represent and who I stand next to. And here’s the secret: there’s no secret. To be successful, you must go to work every day like it’s your first day on the job. When you don’t get out of bed with your ass on fire, you need a change. I hope with my own story that I can save you some hassle. I hope that I can make you think, laugh and see your own story in mine… because we are all connected, online and offline.”
Jennie Smythe is a groundbreaker in the digital marketing field and Founder and CEO of Girlilla Marketing, an award-winning firm renowned for its work with world-famous entertainers, including Willie Nelson, Dead & Company, Darius Rucker, Blondie, Brooke Shields, Iliza Shlesinger, Terry Crews, Kristin Chenoweth, Vince Gill and more. A Nashville-based industry leader, Jennie also serves as President Elect of the Country Music Association and is on the boards of the CMA Foundation and Music Health Alliance.
With more than two decades of experience, she’s been recognized by Billboard, Fast Company, The Tennessean, and People for her inspiring personal story and innovative approach to digital strategy. Jennie is a multi-year recipient of Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City Awards and a MusicRow magazine Rising Women on the Row honoree. Her upcoming memoir, Becoming Girlilla, shares her unique journey through career highs and lows, personal challenges, and her recent breast cancer battle, inspiring readers to create meaningful connections online and in real life.
Jennie lives in Nashville with her husband, fellow entrepreneur Shannon Houchins, and their two children.
Pre-order Becoming Girlilla: My Journey to Unleashing Good – in Real Life, Online, and in Others HERE
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Resolve Editions publishes leadership, lifestyle and entertainment books to inspire readers to find meaning and enjoy life. Forefront Books is a unique publishing company that caters to the most successful men and women in their respective fields – the thought leaders, the visionaries, the pioneers, the business owners, and the entrepreneurs who have a compelling story to tell – and delivers a world-class end result from a team which has helped create more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including thirteen number one bestsellers.
