Life & Work with Jill Smith of Brentwood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Smith

Hi Jill, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a young child, I developed a love of nature while camping with my family in Michigan. My curiosity about the natural world led me to earn a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Taylor University and an M.S. in Natural Resources from Ball State University. I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to become a forester for one of the largest city parks in the United States along with my husband Gary. At Warner Parks, I managed fields and forests, wrote articles for Wildland Weeds and the Tennessee Conservationist, and developed educational programs for children and adults.
In 2003, I left my forestry position to become a full-time mother to two sons. My career shifted but my passion to learn and share did not. On adventures in the woods and time spent alone with God, I began journaling about the beautiful connections between scripture and creation. I returned to forestry as the executive director of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and helped spread tree education throughout Tennessee by developing community arboreta. Today, I am the author of Nature Unveiled: 40 Reflections on Experiencing God’s Creation. I write a weekly kid’s science curriculum to enhance a podcast called Nat Theo. I enjoy speaking and teaching others about nature and post the beautiful things I encounter on FB and IG. Follow me @Jill Smith Author.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life’s road always seems filled with potholes, detours, and accidents. I think my road has been filled with an understanding who I am in Christ and who I am not. I have found that comparison is the thief of joy so I cannot compare my journey to others, for when I do, it is as if my joy balloon gets deflated. I am learning that success isn’t defined by how many books I sell. Rather, success is defined by my developed character. Am I a good friend? Am I present with the people that I love? Am I brave to step into uncomfortable areas of growth? Am I challenging lies that speak against me and try to undermine my worth or my mission? Living with intention, instead of just allowing life to happen, is how I now determine if I am successful! Book sales and kudos from readers are a secondary reward for taking risks and loving people along the way.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Nature Unveiled: 40 Reflections on Experiencing God’s Creation is my first published book. Dexterity Books, a Nashville-based publisher (https://dexteritybooks.com/), chose to print my first book in the Fall of 2023. This twenty-year venture was a long but beautiful journey that became an award-winning book. Nature Unveiled won the gold award for Religion in April 2024 from the Independent Book Publishers Association (https://www.ibpabookaward.org/winners).

In the summer of 2024, my book was picked up by an author and podcaster in Colorado. She loved my book and asked me to edit her next book. That developed a relationship, an opportunity to be a guest speaker, and a door to become her science curriculum writer.

I am unique in that I bring my creativity, my childlike curiosity, and my knowledge of nature to others in a way that simplifies complicated science. For nature lovers who desire to know God, I connect the visual to the spiritual. Most people can see a beautiful bird, tree, or sunset but few see the deeper meaning. I help you see how much more beautiful life is.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am always looking for opportunities to speak to church, homeschool, or scout groups or to be a podcast guest. You can follow my nature posts on fb and ig @Jill Smith Author and learn a little bit about the world around you. You can support me by reading or sharing my book with others. You can purchase my book on amazon or other online vendors listed on my website: https://jillsmith.my.canva.site/life-long-learner.

Pricing:

• 15-20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jillsmith.my.canva.site/life-long-learner
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillsmithauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillsmithauthor