Corie MORELL Martin

Current job title: Executive director, marketing and public relations, with Med Center Health.

Hometown: Nashville.

Family: I have two daughters – my oldest is a freshman at Bowling Green High School and my youngest is in middle school at St. Joseph School. My husband, Clinton Lewis, is the brilliant staff photographer at Western Kentucky University.

The one thing no one knows about me is … I have a weekly food blog and Instagram feed called @FancyPancakeSunday. It started as a joke – one weekend we decided to make the most off-the-wall pancakes we could think of. We took photos of them and posted them on Instagram. Before too long, people were making suggestions and asking for recipes and the movement was born! Now we post fancy pancakes every week on Instagram and Facebook. I even had the chance to guest-chef at Esters Farm Café last spring. We made hundreds of bourbon-candied-bacon brown sugar pancakes and bananas foster pancakes!

My dream job is … my gift is in understanding and connecting people through communication, and I try to fold that into everything I do. During my 11 years with WKU I was honored to have been a part of a family of professionals dedicated to the successes of thousands of young people.

Now, within my role at Med Center Health, I am part of a team of individuals who work tirelessly to elevate the health and wellness of our community. I consider it an honor to serve.

My first job was … my parents owned their own small business in Nashville in the music industry, and I started working for them when I was maybe 12 or 13. That entrepreneurial spirit is something that lives in me still today – I take immense pride in working hard and in building authentic relationships. I learned that from my parents.

My first job outside of the family business was in retail when I was 14. I think everyone should work in retail or in food service (or both) at some point early on – service-based jobs teach you how to treat people and how to handle conflict.

The best advice I ever got was … when I was young in my career with WKU a colleague in the higher education industry advised me to, “Find the person who is the absolute best at what they do, befriend them and learn all you can.” I did just that, and not only did I experience tremendous growth professionally from nurturing those relationships, but I gained some dear friends in the process. I make it a point to pass this advice along to my WKU marketing students every semester as they prepare to graduate.

My hero (and why) is … my mother survived a massive ischemic stroke three years ago. Until that time, she was my father’s caregiver – he survived a massive ischemic stroke 17 years ago, and he is now my mother’s caregiver. My mom made sure my sister finished college, she supported me through my doctoral studies, she held the family business together, cared for my dad, and became the world’s best grandmother to her four grandchildren.

Stroke and aphasia have since taken her voice and mobility, but she remains the example of strength and tenacity I strive to exemplify each day. I am a passionate advocate for stroke prevention and symptom awareness, and with good cause.

If I could do it all over again, I … every step, every choice, good or bad, has brought me to where I am today and I’m not sure I would change a thing if I had the chance. There is a phrase, “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.” We all have things we wish we could change, or things we wish we would have said or done, but I believe that is energy wasted. Focus on today. Love one another. Be kind. Look ahead.

The part of my job I could do without is … being a marketer means constant connection and high visibility, and that is exhausting sometimes, but necessary. It’s just part of what we do.

The one thing I always carry with me is … my phone is in my hand most of the time. Being connected all the time comes with the territory of being a communication professional.

I do unplug for family time – unplugging is really important, but also tough in my industry.

Best meal I ever had was … I am a total foodie, so there have been lots of these. I visited a lovely Greek restaurant in Brighton, England, once – that was pretty epic. Here in town recently, I had the best salmon of my life at White Squirrel Brewery and India Oven is a particular favorite of ours – incredible food, lovely people. Bowling Green and the surrounding areas are full of amazing local food options.

I love supporting local food, local farmers and local businesses. I think that goes back to my parents who owned a literal mom-and-pop business.

At the top of my bucket list is … travel tops my list every time. I love to visit new places, try new foods, see how things are made and how cultures are different. I will be going to Belize this fall, then to England next year, then who knows?