"Like many, I've tackled impossible mountains and often learned to climb on my way up.
I've wanted to quit more times than I care to count, and with good reason, but quitting just isn't in my DNA!
One investor told me that the sole reason he backed me was that I "wasn't a quitter".
My passion is equipping American women with real-world, faith-based tools to handle any challenge that can possibly come their way with graceful strength."
- Diane Canada
CAREER JOURNEY
consulting, Music & Television
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APPRENTICESHIP: Without a college degree, and thanks to a female VP who saw something in me and took me under her wing, I benefited from an apprenticeship. I became a Management Consultant in the mid-'90s consulting Surgeons, Doctors, Dentists, Specialists.
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MY 1ST FIRM: I opened my own medical/dental consulting & staffing firm in Tennessee and served the greater Nashville areas of Green Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Berry Hill, Belle Meade, and Bellevue.
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MY 2ND FIRM: Built a new consulting firm in 2017 to intentionally focus on women business owners. I've helped my clientele launch or scale numerous businesses in a variety of industries since that time.
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THE EVOLUTION TO SPEAKING: I could see a great need to scale my 2nd firm so I could help more women. I evolved to creating a teaching community, which I called Lady Like Leaders, and began holding my own all-day women's leadership symposiums.
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MY 1st BOOK: I finished my book, "Lady Up & Don't Quit", available now on Amazon.
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MY 1st TV Show: As a parallel career, I became an integral part of the songwriting community in the early 2000's. Between building my 1st Firm and my 2nd Firm, I built an upscale touring production that evolved into an international TV Show that featured Nashville's pro-level songwriters; the show was picked up by multiple networks and syndicated for 2 years in U.S., U.K., & New Zealand to over 100 million households.
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MY L.A. PUBLISHING DEAL: Additionally, I hold a co-publishing contract with an agency in Los Angeles where my Christmas music can be heard on Network Television (Hallmark, Young & The Restless, etc.) around the holidays.
FAITH
&
FAMILY
people, places, & values
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MY FAITH: I'm very open about my faith, as it is central to my business and my life. As a Christian, I believe that God is not looking for perfect people, but for people who love Him and have perfect hearts towards Him.
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MY HOME: I am happily married to Brian, I have an adult son, a 5-year-old Havanese named Cooper, and a 5 year old Bischon-mix named Pumpkin.
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MY INTERESTS: I enjoy hiking near natural waterfalls, giggling with girlfriends poolside or beachside, and lazy days curled up on the couch watching chick flicks.
service
SERVING MY COMMUNITY
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POLITICS: I recently ran for TN State House of Representatives in the highly challenging, covid19-inflicted, 2020 Election. Ran a strong race, as a first-time candidate, garnering 46% of the vote.
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POLITICAL CLUBS: Chairman of Public Relations for the Nashville Republican Women's Club
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FAITH: Founding Board Member of the American Bible Project: Through this effort, we are putting the Aitken Bible, which is America's 1st Bible, back in schools.
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SMALL BUSINESSES: As the Co-Founder of the Tennessee Entrepreneur Initiative, it is my honor to help reduce the failure rate of Tennessee's small business owners.
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NAWBO: It was an honor to serve as the Nashville Political Advocate for the National Association of Women Business Owners
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MAYOR'S COUNCIL: Serving on the Nashville Mayor's Minority Business Advisory Council, helping to pass legislation to level the playing field for Nashville women in business
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PRISON FOR WOMEN: As part of the BEST Program, I teach at the maximum-security Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (formerly the Tennessee Prison for Women), giving incarcerated women entrepreneurial skills to help them not end up back in there.
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BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL: Served as Treasurer for the West End Chapter of BNI from 2018-2019