Next Up Columbus 2025: Nellie Smith

Name: Nellie Smith
Age: 38
Profession: Storyteller and Messaging Consultant (Human Experience Marketing) + Literary Teaching Artist (IPWW; private workshops)
Neighborhood: Dublin
Education: MFA, Creative Writing from Ohio State; BA, English from Ohio State
Community Involvement: Indiana Prison Writer’s Workshop
Motto: The key to success requires minimal skill, but great effort: be present, actively listen, and do what you say you are going to do. Supplement this with education and training and you will go far.
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Nellie Smith’s story begins in rural northwestern Ohio, but it’s one shaped by a curiosity that’s taken her around the world and back home again. After earning degrees from Ohio State (following in her father’s footsteps), Nellie ventured out, living abroad and across the U.S. before an unexpected return to Ohio led her to rediscover Columbus as the place she truly belongs.

Straddling many worlds; literary and tech, academic and entrepreneurial, Nellie is a writer, teacher, and creative strategist who has always been drawn to big questions about what it means to be human. She’s worked in marketing, brand storytelling, product design, and trauma-informed education, eventually co-founding Human Experience Marketing to help organizations communicate more thoughtfully and intentionally.

Lately, she’s shifting her energy toward what fulfills her most: teaching, especially in community settings and incarcerated spaces. It’s work that aligns with her deep desire to pay attention, live well, and stay rooted in what matters most.

What gets you up in the morning? And what gets you through the workweek?
Curiosity. I’m intensely interested in the world and I’m always wondering what will happen next. Also: connection. At the end of the day, we’re here for each other.

What advice or mentors have helped guide you along the way?
I cast a pretty wide net when it comes to wisdom! Lots of the folks I’d count as top advice-givers have never met me or would be shocked at their presence on my “mention list.” (Some are long dead.)

A few (only a few!) that are top of mind:

• I think of my parents, who gave me the childhood I needed to be the person I am today. My dad, in particular, is an out-of-the box thinker—I got my entrepreneurial spirit from him and we approach problem-solving in the same way.
• I also think of René Girard, whom I found as an undergrad (thanks to Gil Bailie) and whose philosophy completely changed the way I think about human interactions. (Luke Burgis has an approachable book on Girard, for any who are interested. It is wildly applicable to business contexts.)
• Georgia O’Keeffe lived the kind of life I aspire to; I admire her simple house, her single-minded devotion to her work, her steady gaze at the world.
• Professionally, I don’t know anyone more brilliant at marketing than my friend and HXM colleague, Amanda Johnson. (She’s also brilliant at life.)
• My partner, Stan, teaches me something every day about kindness and endurance.

Finally, some of the wisest people I know live behind bars. I hope for many years of learning from them.

What do you do or where do you go to unwind?
When I need to truly unhook my brain so I can see clearly, I take really long walks in the greenest place I can find. I’ve also been known to disappear on multi-week road trips into the interior of the country (and once circled the U.S. using only public transportation—revealing, to say the least!).

What are a few of your favorite local spots in Columbus?
I’m a huge fan of our Metro Parks—many of my best ideas can be pinpointed to some GPS coordinate in Highbanks. Our libraries are incredible and deserve all the love they get (and more). I’m also very fond of the view of Columbus from the #1 COTA bus. (And both the new and old Crew stadiums hold so many great memories!)

When you were a kid, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up?
When asked? I’d probably have said “ballet dancer” or “chef.” But I was always (a) writing stories and (b) planning businesses, so it’s safe to say the handwriting was on the wall.

What books or podcasts are you reading/listening to right now?
Professionally: The Design of Everyday Objects (Don Norman) and Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff. Personally: Newjack—a book about what it’s like to be a prison guard—and Awe by Dacher Keltner. Podcast: Ear Hustle, a brilliantly produced look at life inside American prisons; everyone should listen.

What does it mean to you to be chosen for the Next Up Columbus award?
I love this city, and being part of its Next Up story feels both thrilling and humbling—especially because a fellow Columbus professional nominated me. (Me! Out of all the incredible people who live here!) That peer vote of respect means just as much as the award—I’m so honored by both. (A heartfelt thanks to those who made it possible!)

If someone were to ask you what the “pulse” of Columbus is, what would you tell them?
I would say that Columbus feels like a city in transition, which is exactly what we are. We’re changing fast and in the active process of deciding what kind of city we want to be.

That’s really not one decision, of course; it’s thousands of micro-decisions made by leaders and citizens alike. No one is exempt from responsibility. The success of our decisions will depend on our collective ability to pay attention, to care for each other, and to accept reality.

The reality part is important: We’re due to reach well over 3 million residents by 2050. Pragmatically, that means that everyone will have less room and that we’ll all have to get better at productive compromise. If we accept that reality—that changes are coming whether we accept them or not—we can also make best use of the possibilities inherent in the situation. We can put our collective nose to the grindstone and try to ensure that as many of those changes are as good as they can possibly be.

Will we meet the moment? I don’t know. I’m hopeful! But we honestly can’t predict what will happen, and that in itself has a spark of energy. It’s an exciting time to live here.

The Next Up Columbus Awards, presented annually by the Columbus Young Professionals Club, recognize emerging leaders who are making a meaningful impact across Central Ohio. These honorees are innovators, connectors, and community champions helping to shape a brighter future for Columbus. Meet the entire Class of 2025 »