Nourish Your Health at every age

Overview: In this episode of Discover Lafayette, we welcome Stacy Romero, Executive Director of Louisiana Economic Alliance for Development ("LEAD"), the leading organization for economic development professionals in Louisiana. Stacy is dedicated to equipping professionals with the knowledge, connections, and resources needed to drive meaningful community impact through high-impact education, strategic advocacy, and collaborative networking. Background and Experience: Stacy holds a degree from UL Lafayette and has completed multiple leadership programs, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Institute for Organization Management, the Business Leaders Fellowship Program, and the Council for a Better Louisiana's Leadership Louisiana program. In 2024, she was honored with the Junior Achievement of Acadiana Richard E. Beaudoin Friend of Business Award. Journey into Economic Development: Stacy began her career as an elementary school teacher and later worked at the Department of Education, mentoring new teachers. She transitioned into running education programs at United Way of Acadiana before serving as Executive Director of the Broussard Chamber of Commerce. Her diverse experience in education and business leadership helped her recognize the workforce development gaps in Louisiana. Key Topics Discussed: Workforce Development Challenges: Stacy's personal experience as a mother witnessing her son's initial plans to leave Louisiana highlighted the need for workforce retention efforts. The importance of preparing students and professionals for career opportunities within the state. The Role of LEAD: LEAD was formerly LIDEA and underwent a major restructuring to better serve economic development professionals. LEAD provides networking opportunities, professional development, and advocacy for economic development professionals. Supporting Economic Development Professionals: LEAD's focus on emerging professionals and bridging the knowledge gap as seasoned professionals retire. Collaborating with universities to create a pipeline for students into economic development careers. Economic Development and Small Businesses: Economic development includes attracting new businesses and supporting small, long-established local businesses. Quality of life, supported by small businesses, is a key factor in attracting major corporations to Louisiana. Available Resources for Businesses: Many business owners are unaware of available support, such as LEDA's traffic count data to help businesses choose locations. Economic development professionals play a crucial role in connecting businesses with resources. Upcoming LEAD Events & Initiatives: Spring Legislative Event (May 5-6, 2024): Opportunity for economic development professionals to engage with legislators in Baton Rouge. Professional Development Courses: A four-day Basic Economic Developers Training Course is held annually, with additional specialized courses such as Real Estate Development & Reuse. Annual Conference (October 2024): Featuring guest speakers, panels, and professional development opportunities. Membership in LEAD: Affordable membership tiers, including a $25 student membership and higher levels up to $350. Open to professionals working in economic development at least 50% of their time, including those in municipal roles, power companies, and regional organizations. Public Engagement & Outreach: LEAD is enhancing its social media presence on Facebook and LinkedIn to engage members and share resources. Stacy actively travels across the state to build relationships and raise awareness about LEAD's mission. Get Involved with LEAD: Visit LouisianaLEAD.org for more information. Follow LEAD on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay updated on events and resources. Conclusion: Stacy Romero's passion for workforce development and economic strategy shines through in he...

Pat Mire, who founded Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in 2006, joins Discover Lafayette, along with his wife, Rebecca Hudsmith, to discuss his career as a filmmaker celebrated for his authentic portrayals of Cajun culture. Since his early days as a filmmaker, Pat has been able to make a living solely by directing and producing films which resonate with audiences of all backgrounds and of various cultures. Cinema on the Bayou Festival was created in 2006 by chance, after the devastating damage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina upon New Orleans. "The National Film Board of Canada called me saying there was a US premiere of the documentary "Maroon," by famed Quebecois filmmaker Andre Gladu that was supposed to be playing at the New Orleans Film Festival. I was living in uptown New Orleans and we all had to leave. There was nobody living in New Orleans at that time in 2006.. And so I came here to Lafayette. There was no New Orleans. It was an opportunity. I decided we were going to pay for his hotel, fly him here, and pay a stipend. I said, I'm starting a film festival. That's how it started. I've worked with all the scholars here, including Barry Ancelet and Carl Brasseaux, to preserve our local culture." Since 2006, Cinema on the Bayou has presented hundreds of internationally acclaimed documentary, narrative fiction, animated and experimental films, with filmmakers in attendance from across the United States and around the world. The Festival is now unique among film festivals in the U.S. in that it also regularly screens a large number of French-language independent films and presents filmmakers from throughout the Francophone world.  Pointe Noire, a film the couple co-wrote and produced together, will premier on January 22, 2025, at the St. Landry Cinema in Opelousas as a feature film of the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival. Local talent, Andrew Morgan Smith, a veteran composer from Youngsville, was the composer for the movie's score. Cinema On the Bayou runs from Jan. 22 - 29, 2025. For Pointe Noire's premiere on Jan. 22, doors will open at 6 p.m. at St. Landry Cinema, 1234 Heather Dr., Opelousas, with a Red Carpet wine reception. The film will screen at 7 p.m. Following the film screening and Q&A, the after-screening reception for all attendees will be held at Cite des Arts, 109 Vine St., Lafayette. There will be a cash bar along with complimentary boudin and king cake. Tickets for the opening night film screening and reception are $20 per person and cna be purchased in advance at www.cinemaonthebayou.com. All-Access passes for the festival can be purchased at:  https://cinemaonthebayou2025.eventive.org/passes/buy Pointe Noire, shot throughout the Acadiana area, stars Canadian film stars Roy Dupuis and Myriam Cyr, and features Michael Bienvenu and Zachary Richard.  It tells the story of filmmaker and crawfisherman Louis Leger (Roy Dupuis) and criminal defense attorney Dolores Arceneaux (Myriam Cyr), who join forces in the Cajun prairie community of Pointe Noire in an effort to save the life of Joel Richard (Michael Bienvenu), a falsely accused man on Louisiana's Death Row. What follows is a search to find out what really happened 30 years ago when two people were killed on the night of the traditional courir de Mardi Gras. Along the way, Louis and Dolores uncover a hauntingly beautiful, isolated community suffering from secrecy and deceit, yet ultimately striving to achieve its own form of folk justice.   Pat's documentaries have been broadcast nationally on PBS, the Discovery Channel, and many more platforms, and have earned prestigious awards including the American Anthropological Film Festival's Award of Excellence. "A film is told three ways. There are three films in one film. It's what you write, what you shoot and what you edit... post production That's, to me, the lace and embellishment. The negligee you put on the film at the end is so important." His first film, Dirty Rice,

Dr Jason Cormier, a Lafayette neurosurgeon, joins us for his second interview, this time to focus on traumatic brain injuries, in athletes of all ages who are engaged in high-impact sports. Dr. Cormier actively assists the NCAA and the NFL in working to prevent brain injuries. We reached out to him after Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed suddenly during a Monday Night football game after rising from a hit. And sadly, just two weeks after Hamlin's injury, Russell Gage was injured late in the 4th quarter in the Tampa Bay/Dallas Cowboys game after a rough hit to the head rendered him unable to get up. After being transported off the field on a cart, Gage was diagnosed with a concussion and possible neck injuries. With high-profile NFL injuries making the news, some wonder if football will always be a part of our lives. While NFL Football seems to be one of the roughest and toughest of all sports, Dr. Cormier provides insight into the dangers of all sports' activities. Basketball players routinely suffer from concussive head injuries. Death rates in the NFL are 6 per million; in equestrian activities, the death rate is 20 per million, and in girls' soccer, the death rate is 15 per million. In the U. S., 1.6 to 3.8 million concussive injuries occur each and every year, and these are only the ones that are reported so the figure may be much higher. 300,000 of these injuries are from football and Dr. Cormier reports that 62,000 of these take place in high school-age players. All in all, there is a 19% likelihood that you will sustain a concussion or head injury if you participate in any high contact sports. And if you have had a concussion, it is likely that you also sustained some type of neck injury. Gladiator sports have been appealing to spectators going back to the Roman Empire time period. It is unlikely that we will see a diminished interest in today's exciting, but dangerous sporting activity. So, Dr. Cormier recommends that parents get as much information as they can for their children as to how to protect them with current technology and best practices. And above, emphasize a reliable and time-tested way to survive in the world: an education! The Q-Collar is a device Dr. Cormier recommends for any athlete in high-impact situations. It is the only FDA-cleared sports equipment that helps protect athletes' brains during head impacts. The technology is based upon the physiology of the woodpecker and the battle ram, two animals who live by striking their heads. (The woodpecker strikes its head 25,000 times per day or 85 million times in its lifetime, resulting in no brain injury; battle rams create a force of 780 pounds each time they hit each other, which is like being hit with a baseball bat at 80 miles per hour!) The Q Collar by Q30 provides 1.5 pounds of light pressure over the jugular veins at the neck which increases blood amount in the brain to prevent the slosh effect or movement of the brain upon impact. Dr. Cormier calls it an “airbag inside the skull” and says it decreases concussions up to 90% of the time. The collar costs about $200.00. Dr. Cormier is an engaging guest and full of information on the latest protective technologies to protect our most precious commodity: our brain. We thank Jason Cormier for his contributions to the medical community here in Lafayette and across the U. S.!

Pamela Ryan, licensed Massage Therapist since 1997, joined Jan Swift of Nourish Your Health to discuss the health benefits of Iyengar Yoga. A Lafayette native, she returned to Louisiana after living many years in Dallas, and since 2017, has been a Yoga Instructor at the Jill Listi Dance Studio and also currently offers massage services […] The post Pamela Ryan – Yoga Instructor and Massage Therapist Shares the Many Benefits of Iyengar Yoga appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Holistic nurse, Kimberly Thibeaux, owner and founder of Kurma Holistics, A Nursing Approach, joins Jan Swift of Nourish Your Health to discuss the phenomenon of ACEs, which stands for adverse childhood experiences. ACEs are more common than society recognizes or acknowledges and strikingly, may have a powerful correlation to an individual’s health a half-century later. […] The post Kimberly Thibeaux of Kurma Holistics on How Adult Health is Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Cosmos Vickery has embraced his love of yoga since he was a teen. Through the years he’s grown in his understanding that the beauty of life is all about being present in the moment, knowing that we are all loved. In this episode of Nourish Your Health at Every Age, he shares his deep understanding […] The post Cosmos Vickery – The Yoga of Living appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Nanette Simon Cook is a Physical Education teacher at Cathedral-Carmel School in Lafayette LA and has taught at all levels from elementary school to university, in both public and private schools. Known as “Coach Cookie” to her students, she is also a fitness, nutrition, and wellness instructor at the Lourdes Fitness Center and a two-term Lafayette […] The post Nanette Cook: Lifelong Physical Fitness Educator appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Kimberly Thibeaux of Kurma Holistics, A Nursing Approach, met with Jan Swift, Host of Nourish Your Health at Every Age podcast, to discuss holistic nursing and how she helps people achieve optimal wellness through holistic coaching, acupressure, guided imagery, therapeutic yoga, mindfulness, relaxation, and meditation. Thibeaux graduated from UL-Lafayette in nursing in December 2012. She […] The post Kimberly Thibeaux, Holistic Nurse Practitioner Helping You Live Your Best Life appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Nourish Your Health welcomes Dr. Larry Simon, Medical Director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, to discuss the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. An active Rotarian, an animal rescuer, and a native of Lafayette, LA, Dr. Simon is an alum of LSU, Baylor College of Medicine, and Rady Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship in San […] The post Dr. Larry Simon Discusses the Coronavirus and What Health Officials Know appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Marie Collins, Executive Director of The Family Tree, is our guest. Marie is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Addictions Counselor. Her ten years of work with former Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom taught her how to treat all people with respect and to listen to their stories to more effectively help them learn […] The post Marie Collins of The Family Tree – Using Active Listening to Help Others Find the Answer Within appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Tyler Lafleur of HPHI is a passionate health and wellness coach who wants you to understand that the choices you make every day affect your body, mind, and spirit. In this episode of Nourish Your Health at every age, Tyler discusses with Jan Swift how inflammatory foods and drinks, inadequate rest, and chronic stress can […] The post Tyler Lafleur: Leaky Gut Syndrome Can Be Reversed By Removing Inflammatory Foods and Drinks appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

When Bradley Cruice worked as Director of Health and Wellness with the Lafayette Parish Public School System from 2012 to 2015, he was shocked to learn that one-half of middle school students in the parish tested as overweight or obese. Bradley’s insight became the genesis of what is now known as “Healthy Acadiana,” a movement […] The post Bradley Cruice Setting the Stage for a Healthy Acadiana appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Through his company, HPHI, Tyler LaFleur offers health coaching and Executive performance coaching. The purpose of his coaching is to transform individuals and organizations by facilitating the learning of the discipline and self-mastery required to reach their goals and achieve outstanding levels of health and performance. Even with his advanced educational background (Degree in Nursing […] The post Tyler Lafleur of HPHI: Performance Coach and Functional Medicine Practioner appeared first on Nourish Your Health.

Our guest on this inaugural episode of Nourish Your Health at every age is Dr. Kelly Cobb, a board-certified internal medicine physician and owner of Nouriche Med Spa in Lafayette LA. Board eligible in geriatrics, Dr. Cobb is certified in age management medicine and has extensive experience in treating women’s health issues. Her career in […] The post Dr. Kelly Cobb – Functional Medicine Doc Who Meets Her Patients Where They Are in Quest to Achieve Optimal Health appeared first on Nourish Your Health.