Leadership Path, Public Speaking, Advocacy, and Personal Empowerment

Janis Cannon shares a leadership journey shaped early by travel, cultural exposure, and the values her parents modeled. Moving frequently as a military family taught her to appreciate similarities across people and places, while her mother instilled a love for detail, design, hospitality, and service. An internship with the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism introduced her to economic development, where she learned how hotels create jobs and support communities. That exposure led her to hotel developers who encouraged her to enter the hospitality industry, beginning a long and meaningful career.

Janis describes public speaking as both an honor and a responsibility, emphasizing preparation, understanding the audience, and rehearsing. She believes nerves are natural and even helpful in creating energy and authentic connection. She encourages women to advocate for themselves by clearly defining what they want, communicating it, and overcoming the tendency to self-exclude. She reflects on leadership as helping others reach their potential and recalls realizing her own influence when colleagues sought her guidance. Janis also highlights mentors, allies, coaches, and champions as essential to growth and explains how delegation, communication, and self-awareness shaped her development.

Notable Quotes/Highlights

• “Know what you want.”
• “The day you lose the butterflies… is the day you need to quit speaking.”
• “There’s a first time for everybody.”
• “You can’t be 100 percent of everything every single day.”
• “We have to own it first and recognize our own personal power.”

Closing Reflection

Janis’s reflections emphasize clarity, preparation, and self-belief as core components of leadership. She shows how advocacy, curiosity, and intentional communication support long-term growth. Her insights reveal the value of surrounding oneself with mentors and allies who challenge and encourage. She stresses the importance of giving yourself grace when balancing multiple roles. Ultimately, her journey highlights that leadership evolves through experience, authenticity, and embracing opportunities even before feeling fully ready.