Story & Lesson Highlights with Mici Canales of Smokies

Mici Canales shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Mici, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is one of the most daunting questions we ask children. I took it seriously—maybe too seriously. I felt an internal pressure to know, to decide early, and to commit. Thankfully, my parents supported every version of me as I tried to figure it out: a ballerina at six, a pianist at eight, a pilot at twelve, a watercolor artist at fourteen. I flirted with being a detective, then by seventeen tried to choose something that felt “practical”—maybe a dental assistant, maybe something in medical imaging.

Then came college, and the question evolved.
What will you be?
What are you becoming?
What are you?

Some people seemed to have a map. Their drive looked clearer, maybe even easier—because travel is always simpler when you know the destination. Others never seemed to wrestle with the question at all; they let circumstances or expectations decide for them. That was never an option for me. I wanted to choose. I just didn’t know how—because I didn’t yet realize I was building my own map as I went.

What I couldn’t see at the time was that every skill I picked up through “trying” was quietly shaping who I was becoming.

Like my father, I am an entrepreneur—though for a long time, I resisted that idea. When you grow up watching entrepreneurship up close, you learn quickly that ideas are worthless without action. Action means dedication. Dedication requires support. And even with all of that, timing, research, laws, and constant innovation can still make or break you. It’s a cycle of almost-brilliant ideas and hard-earned lessons.

My father was always creating—often behind the scenes—and now, more than 25 years later, I’m watching him truly succeed. That perspective changed everything for me. It showed me that building something meaningful is rarely linear, and almost never proven in the early years.

So am I taking a path or wandering?

I’m wondering—with intention.

To wonder isn’t to drift. It’s to build without fully knowing the final form. Sustainable growth comes from how you wonder—whether you’re paying attention, learning, adjusting, and aligning your curiosity with purpose. It’s possible to wonder with direction, even if the destination keeps evolving.

What I know now is this: I want everything I do to have purpose. I want my work to support, empower, and create space for others. I know I am a leader who learns through trying and failing forward. I know I am a creator—even if many of my creations are prototypes that help others build masterpieces.

That’s how I’ve shown up as a behavioral therapy technician, an art instructor, a writer, a speaker, and now a marketing director.

As a child, I couldn’t answer what I wanted to be when I grew up—because the truth is, I never plan to stop becoming.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Mici Canales, a storyteller and strategist serving as the Marketing Director for Visit Smokies, where I help shape how the Southern Smokies are experienced and understood through authentic, community-driven storytelling.

Alongside that work, I’m the co-owner of Trailhound Media, a media company designed to support small businesses with strategic, approachable creative resources—from drone and visual production to copy and branding support. Across both roles, my focus is the same: creating purposeful stories that support people, strengthen communities, and help places and businesses be seen for who they truly are.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
David Huskins, the founding Executive Director of Visit Smokies.

When I applied to work with the organization, I didn’t apply as a Director of Marketing—but I did apply knowing I could grow into that role. I trusted my work ethic and my passion for producing meaningful, high-quality work. What I needed was someone willing to see that potential before it was fully proven.

David did.

Opportunity doesn’t always come from asking for more—it comes from being ready when it appears. I listened. I took notes. I absorbed his 36 years of experience and applied it directly to how I approached strategy, storytelling, and problem-solving. Many advancements came organically within my first six to nine months, without me ever asking.

The moment I’ll never forget came when I finally went out on a limb. No one had ever moved from Membership Coordinator into a salaried leadership role. I prepared thoroughly, writing out my “why” and how I could succeed in a new position. When we sat down for the meeting, I learned David had already written my new job description.

His words still stay with me: “You messed around and got important at work.”

That happened because he saw my potential—and because he chose to enable it.

Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
When you move often—especially away from the people you grew up with—you learn to carry yourself with a certain level of protection. Not intentionally, but instinctively. When you’re career-driven, that guard can become even stronger. You can be deeply community-focused and still feel like you’re standing just outside of it.

Belonging takes time. For much of my life, the longest stretch I spent rooted in one place was about ten years, and even that was during adolescence—before distance, careers, technology, and a global pandemic reshaped how people connect. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that building roots looks different now than it once did.

What I’ve learned is that roots grow quietly. You don’t always see them forming until they surface. I may not have grown up everywhere I feel connected to, but I’ve built relationships that last across distance. When I return to places I love, I’m met by people I love—and that, in its own way, is community.

What I miss isn’t a single place. It’s the slow, unseen process of becoming rooted. And I’ve learned to trust that it’s still happening, even when it looks different than expected.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Bobby Fuqua. He isn’t a public figure and rarely seeks attention, which is precisely why his leadership resonates so strongly. When I began working for, and alongside him, it became clear quickly that his leadership was grounded not just in experience, but in intention.

Bobby came into his role as the new Executive Director of Visit Smokies (2024) with an extensive background and a clear understanding of the responsibility that leadership carries. Rather than maintaining the status quo, he was willing to thoughtfully challenge it—making changes that ultimately strengthened the organization and better served the people and communities in our region.

His leadership style is best described as empathetic, people-centered leadership paired with decisive, business-minded strategy. He leads with compassion while maintaining accountability, and he makes difficult decisions with both short-term realities and long-term impact in mind. That balance allows progress without sacrificing trust.

That combination of empathy, clarity, and integrity defines his leadership. It’s rare, effective, and deeply motivating to work for—and alongside—someone who leads with both heart and discipline.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
My hope is that no one will have the same story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Visitsmokies.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/visitsmokies
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mici-canales-7890b6167/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/visitsmokies
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/visitsmokies
• Other: https://trailhoundmedia.com/

Image Credits
From Left to Right, Sandy, Casey and Mici at WNC Cat Museum Social. Aerial Photos Taken by Trailhound Media