Lauren Merrell

I have been in the relationship business in a variety of roles for more than 20 years.  I was a Mental Health and Oncology Social Worker (for one of our clients!) for 6 years; then I was a professional fundraiser for 16 years – many of those years for a College of Nursing and a children’s healthcare system.  Life happened for so many people, COVID-19 really rocked my world and my husband and I re-evaluated what is important personally and professionally.  I wanted to continue working in a relationship business, but I also wanted to be more present to my family – the transition to the travel healthcare industry meets all of those needs for me.  I made a change in March of 2022 and haven’t looked back.

I love to have a strategy for how I can help travelers achieve their goals.  My favorite relationships are the ones where I understand the motivations individuals have for traveling, where they want to go, and the experiences – professionally and personally – that they hope to have and we use that information to develop a multi-step plan for how to approach their travel journey.

Integrity is the most important quality to me in relationships with travelers – some of the hardest and BEST conversations I have had are with travelers who really want to be at a facility we don’t staff, so I refer them to a different agency.  It is more important to me that the travelers accomplish their dreams than keeping them with Axis for a position they aren’t thrilled about . . . and inevitably they end up working with us again because they know I will always be transparent.

People seem to like the Pacific Northwest.  They also like Florida – but as someone who lives in Florida, that one is a hard sell for me!  After 10 years here I’m still not used to the humidity, snakes, and flying cockroaches.  I do see the appeal of the ocean though.

Be nice.

The Wire on HBO is hands-down the smartest television show ever created.

That’s a good question.  I live a pretty indulgent lifestyle and have been fortunate to have a lot of amazing experiences, so I don’t know that I really have a bucket list.

I really want to remodel our straight-out-of-1989 bathroom complete with an orange garden tub – does that count as bucket list?

Milwaukee, WI is the most underrated city in the country.  It does help that I lived there for almost 20 years and saw the transformation of the city first-hand – but there really is no better place to enjoy food, outdoors, music, sports, history and architecture.

My sister and I take a trip abroad every year, and each of them is memorable in its own way.  The uninterrupted time with my sister is invaluable.  And the time away from my family helps us appreciate each other more – I really miss my husband and kids while I’m gone, and they have a renewed appreciation for everything I do for our family when I get home.

I really enjoy the people I work with and appreciate that Axis Medical allows me to focus on travelers as human beings with lives, families and responsibilities – instead of just being concerned about adding numbers to our roster.  This attitude really allows me to do my best and always to do right by our travelers.