Tennille Jenkins: Content Creator and Co-Founder of The Tennille Life
Apr 14, 2025
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Tennille Jenkins, a former interior designer and corporate flight attendant turned content creator, shares her inspiring journey. She discusses her transition to becoming a full-time influencer with The Tennille Life, where she explores aging, beauty, and confidence. Tennille highlights the importance of creativity and authenticity in building an engaged community. She also reflects on the challenges of balancing motherhood and career ambitions and the valuable lessons learned from early career mistakes. Her story is a testament to embracing change and personal growth.
Tennille Jenkins highlights her journey from interior designer to corporate flight attendant, emphasizing the importance of evolving interests in career decisions.
Launching her blog, The Tennille Life, allowed Jenkins to creatively share her experiences in beauty and aging, showcasing the power of authenticity on social media.
Jenkins encourages embracing fear and curiosity as catalysts for personal growth, advocating for intentional career transitions aligned with one's passions.
Deep dives
Navigating Career Transitions
Tenille Jenkins shares her journey from interior designer to becoming a corporate flight attendant and ultimately a content creator. After studying interior design, she initially found success in that field but later decided to become a stay-at-home mom, realizing the importance of being present for her daughters. When she sought to re-enter the workforce, she discovered her passion no longer lay in design, leading her to work in private aviation for notable clients such as Magic Johnson. This pivotal decision not only allowed her to balance family life but also opened new doors for her career, emphasizing the importance of following one's evolving interests.
Content Creation Evolution
While juggling her responsibilities as a flight attendant and a mother, Jenkins launched her blog and Instagram page, The Tenille Life, inspired by her friend’s encouragement to share her experiences. She learned to harness her skills in design and aesthetics, applying them to create engaging content on beauty, aging, and motherhood. Her dedication to consistent posting helped her grow a loyal following, and the authenticity of her voice resonated strongly with her audience. This foundation allowed her to transition seamlessly into a full-time content creator, showcasing the transformative power of social media.
Challenges and Triumphs
Jenkins faced numerous challenges, from balancing her various roles to overcoming moments of self-doubt and burnout. After realizing that flight attending was no longer fulfilling, she made the bold decision to leave that career and focus entirely on content creation, a move that initially felt daunting but ultimately led her to a thriving business. As she began to embrace brand partnerships, including with Sephora, Jenkins learned the importance of valuing her time and being selective with opportunities that aligned with her vision. This strategic approach has significantly contributed to her success, demonstrating that thoughtful choices can pave the way for growth.
Empowerment Through Authenticity
Throughout her career, Jenkins has emphasized the importance of embracing her identity and experiences, particularly as a mature Black woman in the content creation space. She proudly shares her journey, including her decision to showcase her natural hair and celebrate aging, as a means to empower others. By being unapologetically herself, she challenges societal norms and inspires her audience to accept their own unique beauty. Jenkins' commitment to authenticity and vulnerability has not only resonated with her followers but also positioned her as a role model for women navigating their own journeys.
Lessons on Resiliency and Growth
Reflecting on her career, Jenkins provides invaluable advice for those looking to make significant life transitions: if something sparks anxiety or curiosity, it’s worth pursuing. She encourages individuals to take intentional steps toward their passions and underscores the significance of recognizing the evolving nature of one’s career path. Her insight into embracing fear as a catalyst for growth highlights a fundamental truth: real transformation often comes from stepping outside of comfort zones. Jenkins' experiences serve as a testament to the power of resilience and the endless possibilities that await when one remains open to change.
Tennille Jenkins is a content creator and co-founder of the popular and long-running blog The Tennille Life. She studied interior architecture and design in college and started her career as an interior designer before spending several years as a stay-at-home mom with her two daughters. At age 30, she began to consider returning to the workforce and unexpectedly landed a job as a corporate flight attendant with the prestigious private flight company Clay Lacy Aviation. She eventually met Magic Johnson and became his private flight attendant for over eight years. In 2016, craving a creative outlet, she started a blog and Instagram account called The Tennille Life. It was there where she documented her style, travel adventures, and thoughts on aging, confidence, beauty over age 40, and more. By 2020, she’d built a significant following and realized that the time was right for her to make another career leap. So, she left her flight attendant position and became a full-time content creator. Over the last five years, she’s grown her audience to over 317,000 followers and has worked with brands like Nordstrom, Shiseido, La Mer, Estée Lauder, Summer Fridays, RoC, Tata Harper, and many more.
