For Nashville-based wife, mother and marketing entrepreneur Jennie Smythe, life has always been about forging connections and building something meaningful. As the Founder and CEO of a well-known marketing agency, Jennie has dedicated over fifteen years to helping entertainers and brands amplify their voices and thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Her client roster is a who’s who of household names — Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Darius Rucker, Brooke Shields and Kristin Chenoweth (to name a few). As a leader of creative and strategic thinkers, Jennie’s professional life has been defined by passion, innovation and resilience.
In November of 2018, Jennie’s world shifted when she received her breast cancer diagnosis, which was a deeply personal and emotional experience that reshaped how she saw herself, her circle and her future.
“I Knew What to Expect and I Wasn’t Worried at All”
“I was on the phone with one of my girlfriends who had just gotten a call with her mammogram results,” Jennie shared, reflecting on the month leading up to her diagnosis. “I got off the phone with her and thought, ‘you know what, I’m due for mine, I’m just going to call right now’. I feel like this never happens, but they said, ‘we just had a cancellation, can you come in tomorrow?’”
After her routine imaging revealed an irregularity, Jennie underwent further testing.
“They called me back for an ultrasound and I had just spoken to my friend who had the same thing happen, so I thought nothing of it. I knew what to expect and I wasn’t worried at all. If anything, I was annoyed that I had to go back again. I was 41, I didn’t have a family history or anything, so I wasn’t worried,” Jennie said.
From there, they did a breast biopsy and Jennie waited for the results. “I picked up the phone and it was my primary care doctor. Right then and there she told me, ‘You have cancer. We have a lot of testing to do, and we’ll get you right into oncology.’ She was very calm and all I remember saying was, ‘am I going to die?’” Jennie shared. “My doctor just answered with ‘not today and not from this.’”
The pathology results confirmed Jennie had HER–2-positive breast cancer. “You hear the words ‘breast cancer’ and you don’t hear anything else after that,” Jennie recalled.
Leaning on Her Support System
As a mother and business leader, Jennie’s first thoughts were about her family and her team. “My son was very young, only 2 at the time I was diagnosed, and my employees weren’t used to me ever asking for help, so I just didn’t know how to share the news or where to start,” she said. “When it came to telling people about my diagnosis, it was both in equal parts and nothing in the middle. It would vary from moment to moment. I would either be on the phone with someone and just say it because I felt comfortable enough to, or I would say it to someone intentionally and their response would make me regret that I said anything at all.”
Jennie leaned heavily on her team, finding strength in the community she had built at her company. “I’ve always prided myself on surrounding myself with good people — people who are capable, compassionate and kind,” she explained. “I never imagined how much I’d need that support until I was in that position.”
Jennie also created a network for herself within her oncology team. “They made me immediately feel comfortable. Even when I was a disaster of emotions, they still laid everything out and made me feel like I understood what was going to happen,” she said. “They were careful not to outline what my treatment was going to be until we identified it together. I very much bonded with my surgical oncologist as well, who I didn’t know was dealing with his own cancer diagnosis while treating me,” Jennie shared.
Processing the News
The emotional journey of processing her diagnosis unfolded in layers. “It’s not like you wake up one day and everything makes sense,” she said. “Reading other survivor stories really helped me in those early days,” she shared.
Jennie found herself feeling different from moment to moment and learning that she needed to give herself grace for that. “Breast cancer isn’t just something that happens to your body. It’s something that touches every part of your life,” she said.
One thing Jennie knew for sure was that she needed to stay true to herself once she shared her experience with others. “I didn’t want to hide what I was going through, but I also didn’t want it to define me,” she said. “When you announce you have cancer, people can dub you their source of answers for anything cancer related and that is tough. It’s okay for you to not answers every text, call, or question.”
Trying Treatments
From the start, Jennie made it a priority to take an active role in her care. She worked closely with her medical team to create a treatment plan that made sense for her diagnosis and her life.
“My initial choice of treatment was a lumpectomy, and I went in twice, but both times we didn’t clear the margins. From there, I opted for a double mastectomy even though it was only in one breast.”
“Advocating for myself was key,” Jennie explained. “Having a supportive team made all the difference, too.” Following her mastectomy, she had 12 rounds of chemotherapy and just hit her fifth year of her hormone therapy, tamoxifen, this year.
“I take one (tamoxifen) every single night and honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, I use that as my moment to just sort of thank the universe every day for my day,” Jennie shared.
Showing Up for Yourself
“I’ve always been someone who shows up for other people,” Jennie said. “This experience taught me how to show up for myself.”
That meant giving herself permission to rest, to ask for help and to feel every emotion that came with her experience. “It’s depressing. It’s physically exhausting. It’s sad. It’s hard. It is all of those things and then some.
I remember laying in the bed being tired and hearing life outside my door and just being so mad I was laying in my bed while everybody else was having hot dogs and mac and cheese, or whatever they were doing, but I had to remind myself it’s all a process,” she said.
Finding Purpose Through Sharing
As someone who has spent her career amplifying other people’s stories, Jennie felt a natural pull to share her own. “Reading other people’s stories helped me so much in my diagnosis, that I want to do the same for others,” she said.
Jennie hopes that by being transparent about her breast cancer experience, she can encourage others to trust their instincts, prioritize their health and give themselves grace no matter what they are dealing with or feeling. “You don’t have to have an opinion,” Jennie shared. “If you can’t articulate how you are feeling, if you don’t have an answer about your treatment or your state of being, you don’t have to give one. You can change your opinion day-to-day depending on how you feel, because some days are just good, and some days are not as good and that’s okay.”
Looking Ahead
Today, Jennie continues to lead her company with the same energy and passion that has defined her career. She’s also embracing a renewed perspective on life, one that prioritizes connection, authenticity and gratitude.
“My advice is to not rush the process and let yourself feel all the things,” she said. “I didn’t tackle the mental aspect of my diagnosis until after I got through the taxing, physical part of treatment, but now, five years later, I am forty-seven and training for my first marathon ever.”
Jennie’s story is a reminder to give yourself grace and permission to meet yourself where you are. “You will be okay. It’s just a long road and you have to be kind to yourself, but you will be okay.”
Statements and opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
