Five local women will soon receive awards from the Women's Economic Development Council Foundation at the "Women Honoring Women" event.

WAAY 31 sat down with one of the honorees, Brenda Martin, who is using her journey to self-confidence to inspire future generations.

Brenda Martin is a television personality who is well-connected in Huntsville. She is the host of "Inside Huntsville" on E-TV. Martin interviews state and local leaders, presses authorities on community issues and sifts through information to get to the root of a problem.

She started her television career on WAAY 31 in the 1980's. Martin anchored two talk shows called "Morning WAAY" and "Dialogue." The ambitious journalist would then go on to become the first news anchor for another local t-v station.

But, Martin wasn't always an assertive, take-charge woman. She lacked self-confidence. She was determined to turn things around, so she enrolled in charm school. "I was accepted, because I knew, based on what they taught, it would help me," she said.

The program taught her about social graces and how to enhance her social skills. The classes gave her the confidence to pursue modeling .

"I was blessed to work in the [United] States and eventually model for Amelia Pucci in Venice, Italy doing runway work."

It wasn't just Martin's physical beauty that had people talking, she was a quick-learner and very resourceful. She decided to pursue other career options.

Martin stopped modeling and got a job in corporate America, where she quickly moved up the ranks. "I started in customer service, sales, management and was eventually promoted to administrative employment manager in Xerox."

Her husband, Frank, was by her side the entire time. The high school sweethearts' hit a roadblock right at the peak of Martin's career.
"He was working for GT (sp?) at the time and told me, they only want me to go to this place called Huntsville, Alabama. We will only be there for 2 years." 

Those two years, turned into several decades. 

"I eventually realized that I was going to be here. I needed to decide what I was going to do," Martin said. She opened a school called "Tiffany's Academy." It's named after her daughter.

"Wherever I go, I run into one of my kids [from the program]. Some of them are judges and lawyers," said Martin. 

Sadly, her husband of 43 years passed away. "When things would come to me as obstacles, challenges, I would just stand firm. I would stand firm, I would think about it and determine it was not going to break me."

She now lives by the motto, "There's no such thing as coincidences. To me, they are God-incidences. He gives you tests, these obstacles, to make you stronger."

Martin knows, her husband is watching over her family.

She encourages other woman to not let fear, or a lack of confidence stop them from pursuing their goals. "If you think you can, you can!"

Waay 31 is a proud sponsor of the WEDC Foundation's "Women Honoring Women" event. It is Thursday, September 20th at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Money raised from the event will go towards scholarships and educational workshops for college women.

To learn more about the organization, click HERE.