Podcasts about Acadiana

Our Lenten Pilgrimage with the Saints continues this week on the Sacred Shores with Blessed Stanley Rother. Follow along with us in your devotional and enjoy the beautiful words and reflections from Fr. Sam Fontana and art and reflections from Thomas Loustalot. Join us on the sacred shore of Jesus' heart, to allow Him to create in you an internal spiritual river where His love will flow, not only through you, but out to the hearts of your loved ones and your community!......

A Bunch of Bread and SugarThe Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) plays a pivotal role in supporting the state's vibrant hospitality industry through advocacy, education, and community engagement. Britney Ford, serving as Chapter Member Service Coordinator for regions including Acadiana, Cenla, Baton Rouge, and Southwest Louisiana, is instrumental in fostering member engagement and organizing key events such as board installations and regional fundraisers . Her efforts are central to the LRA's mission of uniting and empowering Louisiana's foodservice professionals. Listen. Subscribe. Share.The Eat the Boot Podcast is sponsored by Cheba Hut Toasted Subs in Baton Rouge and features music from Louisiana based singer/songwriter, Adam Dale, from the album “Shadowtown”.  www.eattheboot.com

Running a nonprofit might sound like a mission of the heart. But it’s also very much a business. These organizations have to pay staff, keep the lights on, and provide services. Yes, they rely on philanthropy. But they also need to generate revenue, build partnerships, and constantly make the case for their value—not just to donors, but to the community at large. Acadiana has hundreds of nonprofits big and small. And to some extent they compete just like for-profit enterprises. There’s only so much money and attention in the world, even for a good cause. And what better cause is there than kids? Lore Linton is the Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Acadiana, a nonprofit that blends play and learning for kids and their families. Lore has a long history with the museum, starting as a volunteer and working her way through nearly every role. She became Executive Director in 2023 and has since expanded programming, grown attendance, and taken on the everyday challenges of operating a museum inside a 100-year-old building. While half of CMA’s revenue comes from admissions and events like birthday parties, the other half comes from donations, grants, and sponsorships—the nonprofit hustle. Annie Spell has seen nonprofits from the other side of the ledger. A psychologist by training , Annie is also a longtime donor and board member of organizations like the American Cancer Society, Hearts of Hope, Miles Perret Cancer Services, and the Children’s Museum of Acadiana itself. Annie says she grew up in a family that modeled community involvement—her grandfathers included both a longtime judge and entrepreneur. Annie ran a small, focused clinical practice working with adolescents, and did pro bono work for children in the court system. In 2025, she was elected unopposed to the Louisiana Legislature. A major vehicle for Annie's philanthropy is the Tides Medical Foundation, a fund associated with the biomedical firm founded by her husband. Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Alisha Zachery Lazard at itsacadiana.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gumbo Live! welcomed in Rob from www.theboardboyspodcast.com and Logan from the Acadiana Board Gamers Discord to chat about everything SoBo2025! (But only after we got in a BEAUX-NESS episode with Beau from the Board Boys).  That's right, the krewe is back from another successful Southern Board Game Fest in beautiful downtown Lafayette, Louisiana.  We chatted about the top games checked out of the Library, Hot Games, and Play-to-Win sections, then moved on to our spicy hot games:  Sardegna Endeavour: Deep Sea Shackleton Base Automania The Gest of Robin Hood And many other games!  Laissez les bon temps rouler! 

Our Lenten Pilgrimage with the Saints continues this week on the Sacred Shores with St. Thomas More. Follow along with us in your devotional and enjoy the beautiful words, reflections, and art from Thomas Hooks and Thomas Loustalot. Join us on the sacred shore of Jesus' heart, to allow Him to create in you an internal spiritual river where His love will flow, not only through you, but out to the hearts of your loved ones and your community!......

On this episode of The Tea Podcast, we're talking with Kayla Gaudet at Trust Acadiana & Veronika Henry of Procept Marketing about Lafayette, their businesses, and all that jazz.Trust Acadiana

It's the last Monday of the month, so we're checking in with our neighbors in Lafayette to get an update on the latest news in Acadiana. Christiaan Mader, founder and editor of The Current, tells us why a federal broadband program meant to expand internet access in the Lafayette area is now on hold. We also hear about an upcoming conference of mid-size cities coming to the region this spring.  If you're a parent, you likely understand these words: It. Goes. So. Fast. That's the title of a new book, by NPR reporter and co-host of All Things Considered, Mary Louise Kelly. Kelly joins us to talk about her new memoir, which is about balancing her  career with parenting and the mixed emotions one feels when kids flee the nest. Coastal Desk reporter  Halle Parker said goodbye to WWNO and WRKF last week. During her time at the stations, Halle reported on environmental issues across the Gulf South and co-created and co-hosted the climate podcast, Sea Change. Now, she's heading to Verite News to work as a health reporter. Halle joins us to reflect on her career and biggest reporting moments. —Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

619. Part 1 of our interview with Rien Fertel. “I'm a Louisiana-born and based writer and teacher. My most recent book, out September 2022, is Brown Pelican, a human history of the very best bird. I've penned three earlier books. The Drive-By Truckers' Southern Rock Opera, #133 in Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series, about a road trip based on a recent classic album about a road trip. The One True Barbecue: Fire, Smoke, and the Pitmasters Who Cook the Whole Hog, a personal/historical reflection on race, labor, and foodways in the Deep South, came out in 2016 from Simon & Schuster's Touchstone imprint. My first book, Imagining the Creole City, an intellectual and literary study of a circle of writers in nineteenth-century New Orleans, arrived in 2014.” Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 221 years. Order your copy today! This week in Louisiana history. March 29, 1962. N.O. Parochial schools ordered to desegregate by Archbishop. This week in New Orleans history. Theodore "Parson" Clapp was born March 29, 1792. He pastored the First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans 1821-1856. This week in Louisiana. 9th Annual Books Along The Teche Literary Festival April 4-6, 2025 317 E. Main St. New Iberia LA 70560 (337) 369-6446 techefest@gmail.com Website Events Various venues will celebrate literature and its impact on the area's culture with storytelling, workshops, readers theatre, music, bourée lessons and tournament, bus and boat tours, a 5K run and food, food, food. Anyone who is familiar with James Lee Burke and his fictional character, detective Dave Robicheaux, knows of New Iberia and our fascinating blend of heritage, hospitality and history. Storytelling Traditions in Acadiana, Parts 1 & 2 — Exploring Fictional Genres & personal stories Divine Dirt: Inspirations, Spiritual Teachings & Gardening Tips! Destination Publication: Turning Travels into Books and Articles I've Got an Idea for a Picture Book! Now What? Dave's Haunts and Jaunts Mystery Bus Tour Postcards from Louisiana. Roz's band plays at Bamboula Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

In this episode of Discover Lafayette, we welcome Chris Cook, General Manager of KLFY-TV 10. With years of experience in the broadcasting industry both locally and nationally, Chris is at the forefront of delivering the news, weather, and community stories that matter most to Acadiana. Under his leadership, KLFY continues to evolve in the digital age while maintaining its deep roots in local journalism. The station signed on the air June 3, 1955 and has remained a CBS affiliate since day one. Chris shares his journey in television news, beginning right out of high school in his hometown of Alexandria, where he worked as a photographer. He later moved to Lafayette, a place that felt like a natural home due to family ties and frequent visits for Mardi Gras and Festival Acadiens. His early experiences exposed him to various aspects of the newsroom, from audio production to graphics, sales and marketing. Throughout our conversation, Chris provides insights into the evolving landscape of television news, the impact of local journalism on our community, and how KLFY stays connected with its audience in a fast-changing digital world. He emphasizes the importance of community engagement, civil discourse, and the responsibility of news organizations to serve their audiences with accurate and fair reporting. Key Takeaways: The Role of Local News: Chris believes that local journalism plays a crucial role in keeping people informed about what's happening in their city and state. Unlike national news, which can sometimes push an agenda, local news provides facts that allow viewers to form their own opinions. The Digital Transformation of News: KLFY has embraced digital platforms to reach audiences where they consume content, whether through its website, social media, mobile app, or upcoming streaming service, KLFY Plus, launching in April on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV, which will focus solely on local news, podcasts. and interviews relating to the Acadiana. Behind the Scenes at KLFY: Chris discusses how news assignments are made, the collaborative effort required to produce a broadcast, and how breaking news can change the course of a reporter's day at a moment's notice. Journalism as a Craft: Whether through formal education or hands-on experience, Chris believes that journalism is a skill honed through practice, curiosity, and a commitment to storytelling with integrity. Navigating the Age of Misinformation: With more people consuming news from social media, Chris advises viewers to critically evaluate their news sources, asking who posted the content and why. First of all, this job is fun. We're working in television. So if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. And, there are few things in this world that are more collaborative than a newscast on a broadcast television station. There's so many different hands, so many different eyes, so many different brains that have to come together in order to put that newscast together. The journalists, the producer, the meteorologist, sportscaster, graphic artists, director, cameramen, and sales force." Connect with KLFY: Website: KLFY.com Facebook: KLFY News 10 Instagram: @KLFY Download the KLFY News App: Available on iOS and Android for real-time updates and push alerts. Chris Cook's passion for journalism and serving the community is evident throughout this discussion. His commitment to upholding the integrity of local news in an ever-changing media landscape is inspiring. Tune in to this episode to learn more about how KLFY continues to innovate while staying true to its mission of informing and engaging Acadiana. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform!

Hear a performance from a fixture in the Louisiana blues and zydeco scene.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Our Lenten Pilgrimage with the Saints continues this week on the Sacred Shores with St. Ignatius of Loyola. Follow along with us in your devotional and enjoy the beautiful words and reflections from Fr. David Furka and art and reflections from Thomas Loustalot. Join us on the sacred shore of Jesus' heart, to allow Him to create in you an internal spiritual river where His love will flow, not only through you, but out to the hearts of your loved ones and your community!......

Welcome to the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast. I'm Jerry Hoepner. I'm a professor at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and co-facilitator of the Chippewa Valley Aphasia Camp, Blugold Brain Injury Group, Mayo Brain Injury Group, Young Person's Brain Injury Group, and Thursday Night Poets.  I'm also a member of the Aphasia Access Podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their aphasia care through a variety of educational materials and resources. I'm today's host for an episode that will feature my friend and colleague, Dr. Warren Brown. I've been fortunate to work with Dr. Brown for the past two years and I'm excited to share the work he's been doing in service of the LPAA. Warren C. Brown, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders at Jackson State University. His research explores the intersections of traumatic brain injury (TBI), aphasia, and healthcare disparities, with a focus on cultural and linguistic diversity in clinical care. He serves as a facilitator for the Black Aphasia Group at the Aphasia Center of Acadiana and has published on topics related to brain injury, intersectionality, and patient-provider communication. Dr. Brown is an active member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), National Black Association for speech Language Pathology (NBASLH), the Academy of Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS), and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Take Aways: Learn about health disparities faced by Black Americans. Learn about the perceptions of Black Americans towards their healthcare providers. Dr. Brown will continue to facilitate the Black Aphasia Group affiliated with the Aphasia Center of Acadiana. Dr. Brown and his team to are hoping to publish an anthology project featuring entries from Black Americans with aphasia by fall of next year. Dr. Brown plans to organize a symposium on aphasia at Jackson State University with a focus on diversity. Dr. Brown plans to present a poster on the anthology project at the upcoming Aphasia Access Conference.   Interview Transcript:   Jerry Hoepner: Alright. Well, Warren, it's good to see you today. I'm fortunate to see you on a regular basis. So, I think this is the second time we've connected today. For different reasons. But I'm glad to have you here as a part of the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast. I'm hoping you can share a little bit about yourself. I know that some aphasia access affiliates will know you and know a little bit about your work. But I'd like others to get to know you and your work as well, so can you share a little bit about yourself?   Warren Brown: Yes, sir. Well, thanks for having me. For sure, this is an honor. I'm a recent graduate from the University of Louisiana and Lafayette. With my PhD. I studied under multiple folks. There. I studied under Anthony Salvatore, Dr. Judith Oxley, and Dr. Jamie Azios. My main areas of interest are traumatic brain injury, aphasia, and all neurogenic disorders related to marginalized populations. Prior to my doc program, I was a practicing clinician for 11 years or so I practiced in mainly acute care hospitals long term, acute care, hospitals, home health, and predominantly in Southern Louisiana. So, and I did a little bit of private practice. I did everything but child language disorders. So I prided myself when I started my doc program as being a clinician first, and thinking about clinical issues, first, because I was gracious enough to get a lot of great experience in my timeframe, so I kind of had a better idea about, you know the areas that I was most mostly interested in prior to going into my doc program. So, I'm married. I have 3 kids Wes, Evie, and Wells, which is my newborn and a lovely wife, Tatiana. I'm a new faculty member at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, and I love my job, and I love my students, and I love my research endeavors that I've done thus far. So, you know I'm fortunate enough to work with you, Dr. Hepner, Dr. Louise Keegan, Dr. Jamie Azios Dr. Judith Oxley. Still Dr. Anthony Salvatory. Still Theresa Gray, a few other folks. I'm just happy that Dr. Brandy Newkirk-Turner as well at Jackson State. I'm happy that I have a great group of mentors to ask questions to and bother from time to time. So, I'm just grateful. So yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Well, yeah, it's been really fun working with you and getting to know you. And certainly, that really strong, diverse group of mentors is something to build upon for sure. That's a great group of people. So privileged to be a part of that a couple of things that we were going to talk about today. I want to get to your work with the black Americans with aphasia group, and I want to get to some of the new work that you've been doing on an anthology. I'll kind of leave it at that, for now you were gracious enough to share a manuscript. That you and Dr. Azios have under review right now. I know it's not quite published, but I'm wondering if you're willing to give us just a little bit of a preview of that work, and I have a few things that I just think were really powerful from reading that manuscript, and I'm interested in your thoughts on it. So, do you want to tell us a little bit about, like the general context of that manuscript?   Warren Brown: Yes, sir, so this was. This was actually a part of my dissertation. My dissertation was a mixed methods. Research project on healthcare encounters of African Americans with aphasia and without aphasia. But I was lucky enough to capture 8 interviews from a qualitative standpoint for that dissertation from African Americans with aphasia from across the United States. Different age ranges different levels of severity and obviously different etiologies from which caused them to acquire aphasia. The paper really came about, because, again, clinically, you know, I always realized that individuals who had aphasia who were black, had a lot of different experiences when it came to healthcare providers and practitioners. And oftentimes, when I would go into a home or see them in a hospital, they would be surprised that I was the individual to see them right. They would think I was a dietary staff member. They would think I was DNA. They would think I was a nurse, everything but a speech pathologist. So, when I had the opportunity to lead or facilitate a group which was the California the conversational group with Dr. Teresa Gray. You know I love to hear the different experiences that those individuals were having, as well coinciding with what I knew what was going on in the field. So that's what spawned this idea about understanding the dynamics of what you know. These encounters were from a deeper perspective. So originally it was going to be just a regular project with Dr. Azios and I, but we felt it'd be better if we made it a larger scale project and added to a portion of my dissertation. So, we did so. We really look to understand those lived experiences of those individuals, how those healthcare encounters went for them before and after they acquired aphasia, and trying to understand, like different strategies and challenges, that you know they may have had to use to overcome some of those issues, and how, you know we could take what they were saying, and make that accessible to practicing clinicians to understand how to work with diverse populations a bit more you know. Yes, sir, so.   Jerry Hoepner: Yeah, I mean, I found a couple of points that well, actually, several within the background. And literature review that really struck me. There's several of these statistics, but a couple that really stood out to me were the percent of deaths among black Americans during the Covid pandemic. And just you know the marked difference between the amount of actual African Americans in those communities and the numbers that died. Which were that was just really striking to me. And then the other one. The other context that you wrote about was the study of 85 black Americans. That were a part of a VA. Study, a veterans affairs study and really just talked about their, you know, their feelings of being stereotyped by the professionals that we're dealing with them, treated and labeled as if they were uneducated, and addicts and angry and poor, and those really set the context for the study. Wondering if you can just kind of weigh in on those and other kinds of striking background pieces of information.   Warren Brown: Yes, sir, so you know, it's known that you know there is racial bias when it comes to African Americans in general, just because of how society is. But you know oftentimes in neurogenic disorders it's unstudied, right? You don't look at race and ethnicity as factors as being contributing factors to some of the issues that the populations that we service are dealing with, you know, looking at Covid alone. You know, we added, that I added that statistic because you know it just kind of highlighted how much racial disparities really are prevalent right and not just individuals with aphasia, but individuals who have a multitude of you call it metabolic issues, right or just issues in general when it comes to healthcare, and how sometimes these issues go unserviced or underserviced, or these individuals are not educated about what they need to do or what they need to accomplish, from a healthcare practitioner which ultimately leads to poorer outcomes across that population. You know. One of the things that we listed in that paper was also about just black women in general, right? Black women are twice as likely to have low birth weights of infants when compared to white women, and they also face lower rates of prenatal care right? Although that doesn't have much to do with aphasia. I think that that speaks to a larger picture than that.   Jerry Hoepner: Yeah.   Warren Brown: You know. Sometimes African Americans are looked down upon the most across our society. And why? That is, you know, it's a multitude of reasons, right? There is no one pinpointed answer for that, and it just kind of paints to the goes to the bigger picture of racial bias, and how patient and provider communication is just poor across the board, and you know, and it could be because of communication styles are different, right? It could be because of the practitioners. You know the old mindset was that the practitioner is always right, so they should. You know the patient should listen to what they're saying, and it's not. It wasn't necessarily a patient center or person-centered approach like it is nowadays. And some practitioners, especially in the South. They still are under that mind, right? Not necessarily in the South, probably across the board in the United States. Right? So, I think that you know those biases, and some of that lack of communication or poor communication it just contributes to the poor perceptions and stereotypes that are out there in African Americans and black people you know, because regardless. When a black person gets sick, you know, they may be scared to go and talk to a practitioner because of where they live. That might be the only practitioner or specialist that they can see, and they are a family member, or a friend might have had a bad experience. Therefore, they're hesitant to go to that person, and they'll just deal with the issue themselves. And that's where you know. I think a lot of the differences are when it comes to African Americans and healthcare providers. And I've seen that as well with individuals who have acquired language disorders. Right? I've had patients particularly. Tell me when I was practicing that. You know, Warren, we want you to come back, but we don't want the other girl to come back, right? Because you're listening to what I'm saying. You actually are educating us about what's going on more so than just what the language issue is right. And I think that points to the picture of just them feeling comfortable with me, because I'm most of the time with the same ethnicity, right? Same race. And I'm genuine, right? I do the same with any patient that I encounter. But obviously, sometimes, when it's African Americans, and I know what the assumption is, and I understand some of those experiences are, you know I try to go a little bit more. I try to. I try to go the extra mile for them. So, this.   Jerry Hoepner: And I think there's it's interesting. And throughout the paper there's parallels to some of the work that you and I and Dr. Keegan have done on healthcare perceptions in traumatic brain injury. That you know you mentioned that idea of providers still following it, falling into that provider centered care rather than person centered care. And I think that's a problem across the board for some providers, because that's evident in our research. But we don't have you know, we're not even representing the black Americans within that group. And I know that the problem is more pervasive when it comes to services for black Americans and other colored people as well. You know the one number that really struck me from the study in Chicago, 70% of.   Warren Brown: 70%.   Jerry Hoepner: From Covid.   Warren Brown: Yeah.   Jerry Hoepner: Were black Americans in Chicago, and only 30% of their populations or population was black Americans. That's just. You can't help but be startled by those kind of disparities, because clearly there's something.   Warren Brown: Up in there.   Jerry Hoepner: Something that.   Warren Brown: And these are these are fairly new studies. Right? I mean, the stat for Louisiana was 70 70.5% of this, and they only represent 33% of the State's population. Right? We're African American people. So that. That's you know. My personally, my dad didn't leave his house for a year and a half during Covid he would not go to church. He didn't leave right, and he was terrified. Terrified. You know. I know he had at least 4 or 5 people that died that he knew. You know. So, I mean, it's daunting right especially if you're not educated, or you're not understanding. I had a great relationship with a practitioner that could educate you on, you know the do's and the don'ts of what you should or shouldn't be doing so. Yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Yeah, absolutely. I kind of broke down the article into 3, like major areas of interest and topics. And I'll just kind of lay out the 1st one being those challenges with healthcare providers. I couldn't help but put down. This one quote was like being put in a damn box, and we had a little conversation about that earlier, but We also talked about this like this lack of knowledge about stroke and that healthcare literacy creating this fear like. And you even mentioned that with your dad, right? This fear that I don't even want to go into that healthcare context. But then this like laundry list of things that we hear in a lot of studies about healthcare perceptions, healthcare providers are dismissive, dismissive, and you feel vulnerable in that context, you don't have control or agency. Those kinds of things that we don't hear in in those other studies about healthcare perceptions are things like. There was a clear. There was a clear prejudice against me. Right? There was this neglect by providers. One lady I had to write this down, wrote. I don't talk to my dog like that, you know, like.   Warren Brown: That's right.   Jerry Hoepner: So.   Warren Brown: That's right.   Jerry Hoepner: And then, you know, just a lack of inclusion in decisions in in the whole entire process. And just feeling that sense of people looking down on you, and that you know that this is kind of the expectation. So I'm really interested to get your thoughts about. You know that that issue of those challenges in terms of working with healthcare providers. How many of those are communication based? And what's kind of bias and kind of sorting some of that out, because we know some happens a little bit to everyone in that context. But certainly, this is different.   Warren Brown: Yeah, I think that you know we all have personal biases that, you know are inherently that we are. You know that we're introduced to that from an environmental standpoint. But you know, one would assume that when you become a healthcare practitioner provider, you know you have to be open-minded because, you understand, you're going to be dealing with so many different types of people from all walks of life. And unfortunately you know, these disparities still are there, and this particular study showed that they're still there, right one of the examples you just gave about the young lady that said, you know I wouldn't let my dog talk to me like that right? I remember in in her Transcript she also stated that you know, in multiple visits that she went to her physician would talk through her or over her, where she just totally felt dismissed, or one interaction she had. She had a friend who was white that brought her to the doctor, and they felt as if the friend was the patient, and she was the patient caregiver right? And I think that really broke her down. She literally stayed out of therapy or avoided therapy for a long time because of that. And obviously that affected her outcomes right. But I think the bigger picture is that it's a little bit of both, Dr. Hoepner. I think it's a lot of bias, and it's also poor communication. You know, I think, and some of that's not on the physicians themselves. Some of them, I'm sure, are compassionate. I think some of that is on the larger system systemic issues that are out there. Right? You know you have. They have insurance deadlines; they have time frames. They have. Probably some of them are overwhelmed with patient care in general. But I still think that you know to be truly compassionate, you know you need to understand what you're getting into as a practitioner, and still with individuals that you know may not understand some of the dynamics of some of the diseases or illnesses that they have. You have to find a way to provide them services that they need. Right? I think the communication is key, because it always goes back to communication. Right individuals who are educated, which a lot of these folks are. Some of these folks in the study. I had PhD. Some of them were medical doctors, right? Some of them have master's degrees. A lot of them still stated that their health literacy was poor when it came to symptomology, of strokes, symptomology of not just strokes, but them acquiring aphasia what that truly meant, and how that might affect their daily lives. Right. One of the individuals she stated that she didn't realize that you know aphasia was a thing until she had it. She didn't realize that she was having multiple strokes right until it happened, and she just felt like she would bounce back and go back to her daily life and be fine and go about her normal business. But you know it's hard to pinpoint exactly how to fix it. But this study is, I guess, one step towards trying to understand the different dynamics from multiple perspectives. And I think what makes it super unique is this qualitative study is really, really, it's very in depth. That's why it's so long right? It's a long paper. But we felt it necessary to put these quotes in, because these individuals, these interviews long and you can't help but be compassionate and understand each individual's perspective on what their experiences were right. You know, because this dynamic, this really changed their lives. And I know aphasia changed the lives of a lot of different people and caregivers right. Anytime you have a failure or even a brain injury. Right? It changes we know that. But I think compounded with the racial and ethnic tension or societal views that these individuals suffered with prior to having those injuries. This acquiring aphasia only makes whatever was going on a bit worse, because the inability to communicate or even comprehend what's going on around you, right being overstimulated, not necessarily being able to do on your own, or do for yourself, especially with a practitioner on something that's unknown to you is again. That's a daunting thing like you really don't know what to do, and if you feel dismissed, or if you feel as if a practitioner is talking down to you, what would make you, as an individual, want to go back? You know the a good example, I can say, is customer service right? If you go to a restaurant and you receive poor customer service from a from a waitress, will you give them a tip probably, maybe, or you might give them a less amount of tip that you would have gave given to a person who gave you better customer service right? This is a good example of what a physician interaction and communication is with a patient right. Sometimes these individuals just won't go back right or might not go back to any practitioner one of the individuals in the interviews. He literally said that you know he had a few poor encounters, so he switches doctors regularly because a lot of them don't understand him and won't try to understand him. So, you know, it's problematic. It's definitely problematic.   Jerry Hoepner: And you hit the customer service thing right on the head, because one of the things that I was struck by, and I've done work kind of parallel to this. And brain injury is that relationship and the importance of starting to build an authentic relationship in terms of mitigating some of the other communication problems, right? Like, if you invest a little bit in like getting to know that human being. You start to humanize them, and you start to, you know, want to have good outcomes for them, and that results in in better care. And it comes right down to that. That patient centered versus provider centered communication. Right? If you open up the door on the front end to investing a little bit in a relationship building, it seems like the goodness follows right like you're saying earlier, like, these physicians aren't bad people right? It's just, you know, they're in a system that says, Go, go. And then they have these biases that they might not even be aware of. And the next thing you know, they're out, you know, on the way out the door, and care hasn't happened in the way that it should. But I'm just struck by the fact that that was like a mitigating factor for people like just a little investment get to know that person. And then everything changes so.   Warren Brown: That's right. I think I think that's what you know. Someone asked me a while back. Why, like our Black aphasia group. Why is it so successful? Right? It's because it's not if I don't. The way that I approached it. I didn't approach it as me, Warren brown as an SLP. Right? I approached it, me, Warren Brown is trying to understand these people's stories and get to know them, and fully. How can I, as an SLP, help you right? And I think that's why our group is so successful, right? And why people keep coming back. Because if they didn't feel like it was a genuine interaction, I can assure you they wouldn't come back. Because I genuinely look forward to the group like the group members do, because I love talking to these folks. These are folks of my family, right? And that's the type of community that you know. Practitioners can make it like that right?   Jerry Hoepner: Okay.   Warren Brown: You know, in certain rehabs. That's what it is. It's a familiar environment. At certain places. I know some of the ones that I used to work at. So, you know, but I definitely understand the dynamics of health care have changed right as time has progressed, and that's due to a multitude of reasons. But care doesn't have to change. Right practitioners can change for the better. If you fully try to understand and invest time and energy and being genuine into the folks that you're seeing right. I truly believe that so.   Jerry Hoepner: Agreed, you know, and when I kind of listed a bunch of priorities, or what black people with aphasia want this? Isn't it an outlandish list by any means like, I've got this big, long list of things that are problems. And then they say they just want to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. They want.   Warren Brown: Right.   Jerry Hoepner: Heard, and they want to be treated like human beings. That's not unreasonable. So, it's not like they've got this big, long list of you got to do this. This I just think that's pretty interesting in light of all of the struggles that they're facing like. If you could give us these 4 or 5 things we could. We could work with.   Warren Brown: Yes, sir, and I. And I think even with that the you know, interpretation of respect is different from everyone. But I think ultimately, no matter what race, no matter what ethnicity, what creed you are. Respect is respect, you know, treating people the way you want to be treated right. I mean, that's what it is. And you know, talking to people the way that you want to be spoken to. Right? That's what it is. And I think, like you said, it's so simplistic it should be natural. But obviously it's not for some people right?   Jerry Hoepner: Okay.   Warren Brown: And that's and that's problematic. But hopefully, it's hopefully, we're trying to change that. So you know.   Jerry Hoepner: Yep. yeah. Finding a way to make those priorities on the front end. I think that really makes sense. The other thing I wanted to talk to you about kind of get your take on. This is along with the challenges and along with kind of these desires. What people with aphasia want? I just noticed a lot of strengths that I'm not seeing in some of the other research that's out there from the perspective of survivors of brain injury and so forth. Things that I just saw flowing through like this idea of self-reliance like I learned, I gotta rely on myself, I rely on my faith and my religious beliefs. And then this really struck me, this, this cultural community, where one of the one of the participants said something to the extent of, We always stay in each in each other's business, kind of like, whether we want it or not, whether they want it or not, and that allows them to help each other. I'd just like to get your thoughts on that, because that seems like such a strength of this community.   Warren Brown: Yes, sir, that's a that's a loaded question, but I can definitely break it down. So, I love that question, though I think that you know, from perspective of self-reliance. That's definitely a cultural thing, right? Because, you know, personally, I'm 38. So, I was raised to not be dependent on someone else, because you really can't depend on what someone else can do for you outside of what you can do for yourself. That is something that is instilled at a young age and I went to Southern for my master's right Southern university in Baton Rouge, which is a historically black college or whatnot. And you know, at Southern they taught us the same thing, because, you know, as you know, our field is predominantly white women, right? Less than 5% African Americans, even less percent African American men. And at Southern they always said, You have to work twice as hard in order to be in this field and be successful. And they instilled that in us so much right. Because you really have to understand that you know society has painted this picture that things are against you and these individuals, with aphasia in their own careers, have had this same type of battle and everything that they've gone through. So, they've always had to prevail. And some of these individuals in this group. They went through the Jim Crow South right they went through struggles of individuals, fully talking down to them, having separate everything, having to deal with parents and grandparents that, you know, had to bow down to certain people because of the societal norms at the time, so that self-reliance, you know, always was there, because they always had to work harder in order to achieve what even was fair or normal for other people right? And that paints it to a bigger picture, even goes back to the level of respect. Right? If you work twice if you feel like you working harder than someone else for a job. And you know you're more qualified. Right? That's something that that you feel you're owed. But to some black people you understand that I'm not old. Anything right? That's just how society paints it. It is what it is, and I think that goes back to that point. And I'm sorry. What was the other question? I was trying to.   Jerry Hoepner: So, I think just that that cultural community.   Warren Brown: The cultural. Yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Others, business and.   Warren Brown: So that kind of touched on it, like I think from a cultural standpoint, you know I am my brother's keeper. Right. You may or may not know this, but I'm in a I'm in a predominantly African American fraternity. Right? We're the oldest fraternity, and that's something that we learned right. You. You never go anyplace by yourself. You always have your brother with you. I always have you know I am my brother's keeper, and that goes from, you know, not just African American males, but African American females, and vice versa, because that sense of community, you know. Again, we talked about it earlier with the Speech acts is unspoken, things that we understand inherently, that as an African American or a black person, you're going to endure in life, and you have to just suck it up and swallow your pride and deal with it. But we all are going through that struggle right, and I think some demographic groups can relate to that. But obviously some groups can't as much right. It's harder to you can empathize. But you may not fully understand, just because the dynamics are different, right? And I'm not saying that all black people have that experience. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that a lot of black people feel like that. And that was inherent in the interviews as well. Because this group, you know, they, we talk about community. We talk about personal experiences and regardless. If some of them had a PhD., a MD a Ms., a BA right behind their names. All of them had the same experiences. Right? I have to highlight one of the folks in the group. He went to Harvard. He was the second African American person to graduate with a PhD. From the State of Mississippi. Right, you could. I could only imagine. And he did this in the seventies. I could only imagine the struggle that he had to go through right to attain a degree like that from a school like that coming from where he came from. So you know something that you know other people's family members may have done, you know, is probably much more meaningful to him because of the struggle he had to go through, and I think that is where the community comes in because African Americans acknowledge that right? I was always told. Like, you know, school is important. Education is important, you know, education to get you a lot further in life than sports and all these other things, because, you know, it was always instilled that in education, you know, knowledge is power and you know these older folks. I call them older folks. No offense, right? No ageism here. But you know the 70 plus right. Those individuals who have doctorates and really are fully educated. Their battle and struggle was much harder than mine coming through school right? And I. And that's a level of respect, a level of community that we all know how to respect. And I think you know, when it comes to community, that's something that we all can recognize as a culture. And with this particular group, that's something that's respected across the board because, regardless of the level of severity of aphasia, they have every individual in that group respects one another. They check on one another. They listen to stories about one another. They know about each other's family right? Milestones. It's phenomenal, right. When I got my doctorate. They were the 1st people to congratulate me right. When someone had another struggle in the group. We were the 1st to say a prayer for them and why? That is cultural. It's a traditional thing. I mean, it probably ties back to slavery before the great migration, right? And folks moved up and all around from the south to different parts of the North. Right? That's something that is always probably going to be there. And that's a cultural thing that you know, is really unspoken a lot of times. So.   Jerry Hoepner: Yeah. You know, you talked about the people in the study, the people with PhDs and master's degrees and physicians. One of the stories I kind of connected with was Ann Story. She was a physician prior to her stroke, and had acknowledged that she had colleagues that she would refer black Americans to, and colleagues she wouldn't and then she had the stroke, and she had this very personal, insider experience. I don't know if you want to just say a couple of things about that.   Warren Brown: Yes, sir, she actually, I'm glad you said that she actually definitely said that she referred people to certain practitioners because she knew certain physicians with had more empathy than others. Right now, her experience was a little bit different, right? She didn't really have any negative experiences with practitioners, but also all of them knew she was a medical doctor, right? And I think that you know that level of information is different, because had they not known who knows what her story would have been right as opposed to the individual with the PhD. They didn't know he had a PhD. Because at the time of his stroke he couldn't talk, so it wasn't until his wife came and alerted them as to who he was and where he worked, that some of that stuff shifted, and obviously it shifted when he went to different facilities as well. But Ann's experience was very, very different than some of the other individuals, but I think that even with that she was much more conscious about her experiences as well, because she kind of had a better anticipation about what she was supposed to receive and how services were supposed to go for her right. And that goes back to the bigger picture of healthcare literacy right? Obviously, her literacy and understanding of how healthcare works was a bit better because she was a medical doctor, and I think even just. Her journey with aphasia was a bit better in a lot of different ways as well. Yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Yeah, that's really important to have that that perspective and that kind of juxtaposition. Well, I do want to make sure we have some time to talk a little bit about your role in running the Black aphasia group, and how that's changed your clinical perspective, your research perspectives kind of what you've learned in that. In that context.   Warren Brown: Absolutely so. Originally, I was gung ho! About brain injury. Only, right? I didn't really necessarily want to go into aphasia as much as I am, because my premise for going to get the PhD. Or really one of the main reasons why was I wanted to study sports, related concussions mostly. But once I got into the program and I learned about some of the different, the different profs, some of their interests, you know. I couldn't help myself, but dip into it some, and I got an opportunity at the last Aphasia conference to meet Teresa Gray and she allowed me to facilitate her group out in California, and then we started our own group through the aphasia center of Acadiana with Dr. Azios and Miss Rose Shelf. So, you know, I still run that group. It's still affiliated with the aphasia center of Acadiana. Although I'm in Jackson State. I asked Dr. Azios if we could continue to do that because I think that that connection to an aphasia center is integral. Because I think that you know with the group, that's what we're known for. And that's what we're going to stay as long as they'll have me. So. You know, with that group I've learned so much more than what I knew before, as far as compassion, as far as empathy. As far as, although you might be the expert or the practitioner, you still need to understand the dynamics of the individuals that you're seeing just hearing some of their stories, and even personally, as a practitioner, some of the things that I used to do right, which were probably wrong, because that's how I was trained originally in the beginning, you know, and I shifted throughout my career as well, because I understood a lot more, but I think even more so now, I really fully understand. And that's kind of what I teach a lot of the students that I have right how to understand the dynamics of people that you're working with and the students at Jackson State. They have an opportunity now where they actually come on with the group, and I allow them to have somewhat of a conversational type of discourse with the members, so they can understand those dynamics, for whenever they get out in the field to understand how to work with diverse people with aphasia. So, one of the things that you know, we were able to start with the group members. And this was all the group members. They wanted to create an anthology, right? Because they stated that they wanted to document right their journeys and journeys for other people who are African Americans or of color to understand. You know what you may or may not go through right that you are not alone, that you aren't in a damn box by yourself. Right? They wanted to understand that also for caregivers what to do, because all of these individuals literally stated, they all were oblivious to aphasia prior to this, prior to acquiring it. So this anthology is serving, as you know, just a guide or tool to use for individuals and for other individuals with aphasia who may or may not be of color to relate with right and for individuals to understand like, Hey, you know, this is what I went through. You know I am black with aphasia. This is also to get other people who are black with aphasia in their caregivers to understand that. Hey? We have a group for us out there that you may or may not want to be a part of and last week we actually added a new member. So that was wonderful. But so far, we have multiple different entries. The group participants have entered essays. They've entered poetry. Some have done checklists, some have done prayers some have even one. We have one from a caregiver. Her husband has aphasia. She comes to the group as well. We love her. She's actually a compound pharmacist. She wrote about her perspective as a caregiver in the anthology as well. So.   Jerry Hoepner: Cool.   Warren Brown: Me. Being in Jackson state. I got lucky enough to talk with Dr. Brandon Newkirk Turner, and Dr. Morris is that the University of Saint Augustine. They connected me with Dr. Mcdaniels, who's over the Humanity Society in Mississippi, and she's gonna help us to get it out there. So.   Jerry Hoepner: Awesome.   Warren Brown: And recently we started a collaboration with one of the art, the Black art History professors at Jackson State, Dr. Brittany, Meinberg. We're actually going to make it aphasia friendly. So, whereas we're gonna have mirrored pictures of the entries and the pictures of those entries from an abstract standpoint for individuals who have aphasia so they can read it and be aphasia friendly as well. So yes, sir, that's the idea, and hopefully we'll have something by the fall of next year. So.   Jerry Hoepner: Because.   Warren Brown: At JSU, we're going to be doing a symposium on aphasia. And obviously, since it's an HBCU we're gonna have some focus on diversity with that as well. So yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Well, I'm excited to see that anthology come to fruition and look forward to kind of keeping an eye out for that and everyone out there who's listening. Keep an eye out for that as well. Just a handful. 2 or 3 more questions I want to ask. Just find out a little bit more about your experience. I know that you've had opportunities to work alongside of some great researchers and clinicians. I want to get your perspectives on that. And yeah, share a little bit about that, and how that's prepared you to be like a brand new professor this year. So.   Warren Brown: Yes, yes, sir, absolutely you know. I can honestly say it's truly been a blessing since I started at UL, and I'm done now to be able to encounter all the folks that I have. You know, from Dr. Salvatore to Dr. Michael Canito to you. Right, Dr. Hoepner to Dr. Louise Keegan, Dr. Azios, Oxley Ryan, Nelson. You know the list goes on right. Everybody that I've worked with and spoken to all have different perspectives of our research, you know, and I and I take pieces from everyone that I've worked with to understand how I want to approach things right, because my love is always going to be diversity right in whatever area that I'm in. And you know, I think that's what makes me a little bit unique, right? Because my perspective is always looking at the population that I mainly care the most about right. And you know understanding the different dynamics about how you all have what you all have done. And from reading, all of you guys work, I call it borderline stalking. You guys work right? I remember the 1st time I met you, Dr. Hoepner, I was terrified to talk to you, man I really was, and then, when you introduce yourself to me, I was quiet, and I was like, he's normal. He's not like, I thought he was. So, I was like, Okay, this, this is cool. So, and Dr. Jamie said, just go talk to him. He's cool. Go talk to him. I was like Okay, but I use it as an example, because, you know we're all human, and I think that you know sometimes, you know, as a new researcher, as a novice researcher, as a student, you know, you get overwhelmed with the people that you're reading about, the books that you're using or books that you're reading. These are the folks that are writing it. And hopefully, one day you can get to that level to impact students like myself, like I was, or students that are out there, up and coming students. So, you know, I think, that all the work that everyone is that I've learned under and still learning under, you know, it's important, because this is all. This is all, how we all are contributing to the field and how we're making the field better. Right? I think that's the ultimate goal ultimately is to serve the population of individuals that we're treating. It's never about me, right? It's never about you. It's never about any of this is about the work that we're doing to improve outcomes, to improve the populations that we serve. And you know, clinically, I've worked with some phenomenal clinicians. When I was a clinic, when I was a clinician when I was a full-time clinician and you know I've had great clinicians that I've worked under and with, and horrible at the same time. I think we all have, and you know, when I was in administration I would fire and hire people left and right. I would let people know if they were horrible, and I would just go on and keep moving. But I think you know now that I've shifted to research and understanding how clinicians think to a certain degree. You know, I can understand why some clinicians practice the way they do or did, because they were ignorant to what's out there, you know. Earlier on in my career I was oblivious to aphasia. I heard nothing about it. I work in acute care hospitals, major acute hospitals because they weren't that popular in the South, right? It wasn't really until I got to Southern, and I taught undergrad for a while. And you know in some of the text that I was reading. I read about it, and I was like, Oh, I never knew that was a thing right, because they weren't offered. We had Parkinson's groups. But we never had aphasia group, right? And I think that you know, and TBI groups that we have that as well. But I think these groups are much more impactful because they do serve as a sense of community for a multitude of people. And these groups are places where individuals can go when they plateau out of therapy. And I want to say something on that, too. That's actually one of the topics we wrote about in the anthology. What does it feel like to be plateaued or told you plateaued in therapy? Right? And it's just amazing how you know as a clinician, you say that to someone right? Or you meet, you met Max level of potential. You say that to someone, but you don't fully understand the mental or the impact that you have on an individual when you say that right? And that was something we talked about. And now they're writing about it. And I'm like man. I never thought about that as a clinician. So I say that to say even I'm still learning right. That's something we should know. But you don't think about it from a clinical standpoint, because that's a standardized thing. But to an individual who's suffering from or had to endure what you're saying to them, it's a totally different perspective. Right? So, you know, I'm learning that. And I'm learning how to be more compassionate, too. So yes, sir, I'm learning a lot. I love it. I love it so.   Jerry Hoepner: We are well on your way, and you will make that impact on a lot of students. I'm sure you already have. Well, just to kind of bring things to a close. I want to end with a lighter note hopefully, a lighter note. What brings you peace in the midst of this sometimes crazy world that we're living in.   Warren Brown: Oh, man, I love! I love my kids and my wife. I love my kids and my wife. They bring me peace. I'm a I'm a classic car collector. I love my classics, too. I have them. Can I share about that?   Jerry Hoepner: Absolutely.   Warren Brown: So, I have a 1969, a 396 Chevelle that I bought years ago. And we're restoring that we're almost done with that. I just have to get it painted. And recently I bought a 1985 K. 5 Chevy Blazer that we started to restore as well. It's a smaller engine. It's a 305, but that's something that brings me peace as well. You know my dad was a jack of all trades. So, I learned at a young age how to construct houses, how to do plumbing electrical fix cars. That's why I went to college, so I didn't want to do that full time. So, but one thing about it is that you know, I learned how to do all those things, so I can teach that to my kids. And hopefully, that's our family time. You know that we do these things together. That's what truly brings me peace, my family, and a lot of my friends. So, for sure. Yes, sir.   Jerry Hoepner: Well, that's fantastic. And obviously you and I could talk all day. We need to wrap things up. Hopefully. We'll get to see you at the Aphasia Access Leadership Summit and connect there.   Warren Brown: I'll be there. Yes, sir.   01:05:02.260 --> 01:05:11.929 Jerry Hoepner: Connect with a whole bunch of new people. That you haven't met yet, too. So, thank you so much. Warren and I look forward to talking to you again soon.   Warren Brown: Thanks, Dr. Hoepner. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.   Jerry Hoepner: You're so welcome. On behalf of Aphasia Access, thank you for listening to this episode of the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast. For more information on Aphasia Access and to access our growing library of materials go to www.aphasiaaccess.org. If you have an idea for a future podcast series or topic, email us at info@aphasiaaccess.org. Thanks again for your ongoing support of Aphasia Access.

Whether it's through television, books, or blogs – Louisiana's food culture is reaching audiences far beyond our borders. On this week's show, we meet three unofficial ambassadors who represent our state and cuisine on the world stage. We begin with Chef Isaac Toups of Toups' Meatery in New Orleans' Mid City neighborhood. In 2016, we discovered just how much the camera loved Isaac when he was voted fan favorite on Bravo Network's "Top Chef." In the years since, Isaac has successfully promoted Cajun cuisine and culture thanks to his popular cookbook, "Chasing the Gator." George Graham has called Acadiana home his entire life and has made it his mission to preserve and promote Cajun and Creole culture through stories and recipes. George shares his obsession through his nationally recognized blog and book, "Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana." Finally, Chef Kevin Belton tells of his journey from a child growing up in New Orleans to PBS cooking show host – a job that has him introducing the cuisine of the Bayou State to countless foodies. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Whether it's through television, books, or blogs – Louisiana's food culture is reaching audiences far beyond our borders. On this week's show, we meet three unofficial ambassadors who represent our state and cuisine on the world stage. We begin with Chef Isaac Toups of Toups' Meatery in New Orleans' Mid City neighborhood. In 2016, we discovered just how much the camera loved Isaac when he was voted fan favorite on Bravo Network's "Top Chef." In the years since, Isaac has successfully promoted Cajun cuisine and culture thanks to his popular cookbook, "Chasing the Gator." George Graham has called Acadiana home his entire life and has made it his mission to preserve and promote Cajun and Creole culture through stories and recipes. George shares his obsession through his nationally recognized blog and book, "Acadiana Table: Cajun and Creole Home Cooking from the Heart of Louisiana." Finally, Chef Kevin Belton tells of his journey from a child growing up in New Orleans to PBS cooking show host – a job that has him introducing the cuisine of the Bayou State to countless foodies. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

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...

We are chatting with Lindsey Tripp, Director of Akidiana Project, and Chalasie Kibodeaux, Board Member, about the non-profit that helps celebrate milestones for homeless children throughout the Acadiana area.Website: www.theakidianaproject.com— Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support and on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@theteapodcast?si=x8Er9tXxXsAakgKf— The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Optimize Generator People, Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana

Our Lenten Pilgrimage with the Saints begins this week on the Sacred Shores with St. Peter. Follow along with us in your devotional and enjoy the beautiful words, reflections, and art from Deacon Jules Breaux and Thomas Loustalot. Join us on the sacred shore of Jesus' heart, to allow Him to create in you an internal spiritual river where His love will flow, not only through you, but out to the hearts of your loved ones and your community!......

It's the last Monday of the month, so we're getting an update on the latest news in Acadiana. Editor and founder of The Current, Christiaan Mader tells us about an upcoming special election, a new mental health hospital, and Mardi Gras in Lafayette. It's been about a month and a half since Sid Edwards took office as East Baton Rouge Mayor-President. The election result came as a big surprise when he upset Democratic incumbent, Sharon Weston-Broome, becoming the first Republican to lead the city in over two decades. Edwards spoke with Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington about his first month in office, current projects, long-term goals and tension over library funding.Sports competitions are not just for the young. The Southwest Louisiana Senior Games is a competition for those 50 and older with a variety of athletic, recreational, and social activities. It kicks off in April at the McNeese State University Recreational Complex in Lake Charles.Rosalind Berry, administrative director of the Calcasieu Council on Aging and Vera Minix, one of the athletes, tell us more about the upcoming competitions and how to participate. —Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Architecture is more than just buildings—it’s about creating spaces that inspire, connect, and serve communities. That’s something Wes Thiele understands well. Originally from Atlanta, Wes moved to Lafayette in 2009, drawn by the steady opportunities in construction. Career prospects took Wes to Dallas, but Lafayette left an impression on him. When he got the chance to move back to Lafayette, he pounced on it. Today, Wes is a partner at Diverse Studio, a firm he co-founded in 2023 with a vision to make spaces that have real impact. It has offices in Dallas and Lafayette and six full-time employees. The firm specializes in commercial projects — schools, churches, civic centers and more. With every project, they try to create inspirational places. Wes is also a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional, meaning he specializes in green building practices. From designing spaces to preserving them—our next guest takes a different approach to shaping landscapes. Allen McClain is a lifelong farmer, managing thousands of acres of rice and crawfish. He studied agriculture at McNeese and is on the board of directors for the Louisiana Farm Bureau. But he’s also the founder of L’Terre, a unique retreat that invites guests to experience Louisiana’s natural beauty firsthand. In a nutshell, it’s a cross between agritourism and ecotourism. You can go birdwatching, catch your own crawfish, gator hunts, guided hikes and more. Allen’s farm is all about reconnecting people with the land — and there’s a lot of it: Six thousand acres. L’Terre attracts guests from across the globe. And they come for all kinds of reasons. The farm has hosted corporate retreats and films. Locals even pop by to take in the farm’s beauty. Whether you’re designing and constructing buildings, or enjoying the parts of Louisiana where there are no buildings in sight, it’s all about balance. Even the most ardent environmental ecologist has to go home to a building at night. And we wouldn’t be a citizen of Acadiana if we didn’t love and appreciate the peace and beauty of the natural world. Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are chatting Dillon Van Way, a local entrepreneur who is doing some really cool things in the Acadiana area.Website: https://unclebobsroundup.com/— Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support— The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Optimize Generator People, Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana

We are humbled to welcome our beautiful new friend, Kate Migues to Holy Spirit Studios this week! Kate is a devoted wife, mother, and the founder of Placed Adoption Education Foundation. We are so grateful she came, not only to educate us on adoption, but to share her heart and story with us.To learn more about the work Kate is doing across Acadiana visit https://www.placedadoptioned.com/ourworkJesus, we thank you for sharing your incredible daughter with us!......

The singer-songwriter has been a force of Southwest Louisiana music for more than two decades now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We are live with Urgent Care On The Go's Lennie Boulet, Operations Consultant & Jill Daigle, Medical Infusion Specialist. We are chatting about the concept and how this could significantly improve lives for patients around Acadiana.https://urgentcareonthego.com— Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support— The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana

Billi Lacombe, Executive Director of Faith House since 2002, joins Discover Lafayette to talk about her life mission to help survivors of domestic violence become safe. Leaving an abusive situation is never easy due to various barriers such as financial insecurity, lack of support systems, fear of losing children, and concerns over personal safety. Faith House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Lafayette, serving seven parishes in Acadiana, which provides free services to women and children who need help in getting out of a domestic violence situation. Its main source of funding (75%) is through federal grants ( Office on Violence Against Women, the Department of Health and HUD), .and the organization relies upon volunteer services to keep its mission going. Faith House's mission is to provide safety, shelter, empowerment and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence. It offers confidential and safe resources to those most in need. As a young women, Billi studied to be a paralegal and was contacted in 1998 by a former classmate who asked her to work at Faith House. She had always had an interest in women's rights after seeing women in her life experiencing extreme hardships and the opportunity seemed appropriate for her. Billi went to work at Faith House as a legal advocate helping survivors, getting protective orders for them, and she says, “That was it for me. I saw nothing else that I would want to do with my life other than continue to help survivors of domestic violence become safe. That became my life's mission.” And for the record, during our interview, we saw the calming energy Billi brings to the table that is a gift from God. Faith House addresses the challenges women face wherever they are, taking care of their family and trying to earn a livable income for themselves and their family. Many people don't see the barriers that still exist for women. Billi says, "It is about justice for me. I just want to see justice, equality, and equity happening more for women so that they can exist in this world. Not having to stay with an abusive partner and to be able to live and support your children. You should not have to be abused just to be able to pay your bills. I mean that that's what these survivors are facing." Many domestic violence victims and their families need emergency shelter. Faith House offers a safe refuge for those in the highest levels of danger who have experienced severe cases of domestic violence with a high potential for lethality. Billi says, "It is very typical for a family to walk in, a mom with a couple of kids, with absolutely nothing. Sometimes they don't have shoes on their feet, they're in their nightclothes and haven't eaten for 2 or 3 days, and are starving when they walk in the door. The shelter offers anything you could imagine that you would need if you left your home with nothing. Toothpaste. Shampoo. A sandwich, some water. Clothing. Everything that you could imagine." Glenn Armentor has been generous in supporting Faith House through underwriting television ads which highlight Faith House and its mission to help domestic violence victims. Since this advertising campaign started six years ago, Faith House has had thousands of people call their hotline and say they heard the commercial and reached out for help. They would not have otherwise known there was a place to go for assistance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdgKE3-D6dU Many survivors worry about their children when considering leaving. Losing custody due to financial instability is a significant concern. Abusers often use threats of taking children as a means of control. The fear of homelessness and the inability to provide a stable environment keeps many in dangerous situations. Faith House offers emergency shelter to those in the highest danger levels, providing a safe space where families can focus on rebuilding their lives. Physical safety is another major issue.

Molly Rowe, newly appointed Executive director of the Hilliard Art Museum, joins Discover Lafayette to discuss her love of the arts and working with artists. Molly has worked with arts and culture organizations such as the New York City Ballet and Savannah College of Art and Design, and Fortune 500 companies such as Google and The New York Times. Born and raised in Lafayette, Molly's mother was an antique dealer; from an very early age, Molly was exposed to art, antiques, antiques, provenance, and the research that goes into collecting and telling stories about objects. She grew up appreciating art and objects, learning about other cultures and people. At the age of 18, after graduating from the Episcopal School of Acadiana and ready to see the world, she left Lafayette at 18 to attend Cornell University where she earned Bachelor's degrees in History and French literature. Molly then earned an MBA in Strategic Management from Tulane, and completed graduate work in Art History at Sorbonne University and Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. Molly's first job was writing for the President and Co-Founder of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Paula Wallace. "It's an institution that started with a dream of one woman who was an educator and now it is globally recognized. It is one of, if not the, largest private art institution in the world. It is a mission driven arts organization, and I learned so much about how it was run, how to build organizations of that nature, how to inspire people through that." The experiences Molly gained help define her career. "Whenever I started working with Paula Wallace, I envisioned myself to be a writer who was going to go on and do doctorate work in literature. I was very always interested in languages and storytelling. But through my work with her at SCAD, I realized that art has it own language and communicates things that words can't. Through studying art and learning about art and exhibiting art, working with artists, you're able to transcend time, cultures, and geography.” Molly shared, "We so often think that being able to create an art object or a painting defines creativity. But some of the most creative people I know are creative in business. I've built my career on working with artists and supporting artists and building businesses with them." After her work at SCAD, she moved to New York and was employed by consultants who worked with arts organizations, museums, institutions, and galleries based all over the world. She eventually opened her own consulting firm with that same focus, at the intersection of arts, education and business,. Molly worked with over 50 institutions internationally, from the United States to Europe, South America, and Asia. Molly says, "It's that work that allowed me to consult with incredible organizations such as Google, New York City Ballet, and The New York Times. My work with them was always focused around art and culture. I think so many businesses recognize the power of art and culture; in order to get a product into the hands of people, they have to tap into how their desired audience communicates, what they like, what they read, what they listen to." Molly explained, "Being able to tap into an audience's culture means you're going to be working with artists. It means you're going to be working with the people that are creating and building that culture. That's where I came in, as this sort of middle person, who would help organizations figure out how they were going to bring their product to people. It was always around working with artists. The other side of that was not only making sure it was good for business, but also that it was good for rhe artists. If we look at Louisiana, one of our biggest economies is cultural tourism. We don't think enough about who is benefiting from that. My job was always making sure that artists were represented appropriately and that were being compensated and rewarded in the right way.

It's the end of the month and that means it's time to catch up on the latest news from Acadiana. Christiaan Mader, founder and editor of The Current tells us how the Lafayette area fared with last week's snow, and about an upcoming special election.A once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm hit the South last week, breaking snowfall records dating back to 1895. Flights were canceled, schools were closed and many Louisianans engaged in their first-ever snowball fights or made their first snowmen!But what does this rare blizzard say about our climate? State climatologist Jay Grimes explains how the historic snowfall affected agriculture and wildlife. This Saturday, ballet will meet flamenco for a reimagination of the classic opera Carmen. The New Orleans Ballet Association is presenting the work in conjunction with Ballet Hispanico, and the performance will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opera. Ballet Hispanico's artistic director Eduardo Vilaro joins us for more.___Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Becca Begnaud, actor, musician, creative, and traiteur joined Discover Lafayette alongside John Paul (JP) Summers, Abbeville-based director and cinematographer, to discuss their collaboration on the 2025 Doritos Crash Commercial, which ranked in the top 25 out of 2000 entries. Together, they share their stories of creativity, healing, and cultural preservation. It is a story about synchronicity in life, healing, and maintaining a sense of humor. Becca Begnaud has dedicated her life to preserving and practicing Cajun healing traditions. Growing up in Scott, LA, Becca had an idyllic life, close with her extended family. Her grandparents had a farm and every weekend, her family would go to the country, ride horses, and her grandma would cook dinner. “My house faced the side of the church and the back of the house faced the school. You could walk to the grocery store and post office, you could walk everywhere. When you talk about maintaining a culture, you have to look at what community historically looked like.” She grew up speaking English and French.   She learned the value of healing from her grandfather who was a traiteur.” “We didn't even think of it as healing. Because if you had warts, or a headache or a sprained ankle, you went to see a particular traiteur. You could be rich, you could be poor, black, white or native. None of that mattered. If someone had given you the prayer, you did that.”' Becca Begnaud pictured with her grandfather, Maurice Pellessier. Picture from Facebook. Becca says, "Every culture has within it a community of people who do healing work. So when we got together here in Acadiana with the Native Americans and the African Americans, and then us, the French Europeans, this method of healing developed in our region. It is basically prayer." As a backdrop, Becca was diagnosed in 1989 with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. One of the nuns at the hospital, Sister Hilda Mallet, told her she should look into healing work. "I thought, are you serious? Well, my grandpa was a traiteur. Maybe I should look into this. I studied Rieki, healing work, awakenings, and something called Trauma First Aid. There are lots of methods of healing out there. I did hospice work for 30 years, and worked with Lourdes at Camp Bluebird, a camp for adults with cancer. I have the perspective of a person who was ill. I have the perspective of a person who worked with a medical team, all as a volunteer." Today, Becca continues her healing practice at her office at 600 St. Landry Street in Lafayette, Louisiana. Becca embraced her role as a healer, never doing it as a way to earn a living, just as a volunteer. "When you have a catastrophic illness, you don't have extra money to drop on treatments of any kind. You hope to pay the deductible of 20%. So, when I studied with nurses, we were talking about Source. If you are teaching in a professional educational setting, you can't talk about what you call God. There may be Jewish or Native American people, Christian or Hindu. So, we talked about Source. We were all saying the same thing but in a different way." After many synchronistic experiences, Becca had a professor at the university, Frans Amelinckx, give her the prayer of a traiteur, Mr. Nestor Guidry. It said, ""Je suis parent and je suis parenté, " which means we are related, we are related. You repeat it three times. And it is beautiful. Native Americans always speak of all our relations. We're all one. We are. So that was a light bulb moment for me." When asked if you had to believe for a traiteur's prayer to work, Becca said, "Traiteurs treat cows, pigs, horses and other animals that need healing. What does a cow or a pig know about beliefs or church? Then I thought if my grandfather could do this healing work, why not me?" A musician to this day, Becca came up in a family of drummers and she played the drums. "When you play rhythm and you don't really think, then who you are comes out.

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,

Bruisey Peets is the musical alter ego of Ben Usie, who makes what has been deemed "queer swamp pop."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Deacon Coby and Kessie Thomas join us this week in Holy Spirit Studios!......

There’s always something to do in Acadiana. That’s great if you’re a consumer. Options for lifestyle and entertainment are a big part of your quality of life. But if you’re on the business side of the equation, an endless supply of activities makes for a crowded and competitive market. Throw in Lafayette’s notorious seasonality, and running an entertainment business can be challenging — but rewarding. Lafayette is a small market. That means we’re often off the radar for national tours in the performing arts space. But for years, we’ve had a steady stream of acclaimed productions and performers coming to town. Jackie Lyle has had a big hand in making that happen. Jackie has worked in performing arts promotion and advocacy for decades now. She currently serves as executive director of Performing Arts Serving Acadiana, a nonprofit she founded to advance performing arts in Acadiana. Most locals know it as PASA. If that sounds like a wide lens, it is. PASA supports all kinds of programs and shows. Jackie has staged performances by leading dance companies like Ailey II or the Kyiv City Ballet. They host jazz quartets, cabarets, off Broadway productions and more. Access is a key goal here. PASA brings these performers and performances to local schools and makes space for people with disabilities to get involved through the PASAble initiatives. PASA also set up a musical instrument recycling program called Play it Again. Jackie has spent most of her life in Lafayette. Before her career in arts advocacy she worked in advertising and marketing. Being a small market means Lafayette can struggle to attract big city amenities. Point in case: Ask anyone when we’re getting a Trader Joe’s. But when the national brands arrive, it can pay off big time. Case in point: Lafayette is a small fish in the stable of Topgolf, but it’s a location that’s punching well above its weight. Bryan Roger is Operations Manager for the Lafayette location. If you’re not familiar with Topgolf, it’s an international brand of hyped up driving ranges. The facilities are huge. Like parking decks that serve food, beer and golf balls by the thousand. Bryan says TopGolfers will hit 20,000 golf balls on a slow day. Bryan got to TopGolf by way of the restaurant industry. He grew up in a restaurant family and was previously an operations manager for Mexican food chain Chuy’s. Bryan was born in Lafayette but grew up in Mandeville. He returned to Acadiana about 20 years ago. Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show at itsacadiana.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the second to last Monday of the month, and we're checking in with our neighbors in Lafayette and get an update on the latest news in Acadiana. Christiaan Mader, founder of the Current, tells us about an upcoming special election in Lafayette, and a new Buccee's coming to the area.The Louisiana Department of Health's new policy stops staff from advertising or otherwise promoting the COVID, influenza or monkeypox vaccines. Promoting vaccines is a long established practice at the health department, as well as other state health entities, and Louisiana isn't the only state where vaccine science is under threat. WWNO and WRKF's Rosemary Westwood broke the story. She tells us why this new policy is concerning health officials and could spread vaccine skepticism. After the Civil War, many former slaves  left the South in search of better opportunities – otherwise known as the Great Migration. But there were those who stayed behind. And in West Feliciana Parish, formerly enslaved people achieved great successes in the post-war era, rising to a new level of prosperity not seen in many of Louisiana's Black communities. Louisiana Public Broadcasting senior producer Dorothy Kendrick's new documentary film, “How We Got Over.” tells the story of this parish and how its Black residents rose to acclaim. She joins us with the details.—Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Matt Oldenburg, Director of Zoosiana, is our guest today. The zoo has been a family passion for years, as it was originally purchased by Matt's father, George Oldenburg, in 2002, after a successful banking career. George transitioned into zoo ownership to pursue his love for animals. Over the years, Matt took on a leadership role, managing the zoo's operations and its expansive collection of over 1,000 animals spanning 150 species.​ Never dreaming he would run the zoo, Matt majored in wildlife biology, as well as marketing and management. While his schooling came in handy, running a zoo is a field of study that you learn on the job. Matt Oldenburg at Zoosiana. Zoosiana, one of the few privately owned and accredited zoos in the U.S., is known for its education and memory-making opportunities, community engagement, and family-friendly attractions. It features animal shows, a petting zoo, a Louisiana swamp exhibit, and unique animals like golden-striped Bengal tigers, giraffes, exotic birds, and much, much more. Incredibly, the zoo welcmes over 150,000 visitors annually.​ Zoosiana is open 9 to 5 daily, seven days a week, weather permitting, except for major holidays and hurricanes. The zoo will be 33 years old in 2025, and getting to that stage where it can become a legacy for our local families and visitors alike. Matt says, "The children who have visited Zoosiana through the years bring their own children and maybe their grandchildren, and make lasting memories. Perhaps taking a family photo by the same live oak tree that they took a photo in front of 20 or 30 years earlier. I think that's a very special attribute. It adds to our efforts to connect the community with the zoo. Ownership has never been front of mind for us. We believe that we are the stewards of the zoo and of the animals on behalf of Acadiana's children. Everything we do there is for the children, to be an education-based program and make an opportunity to create a lifelong memory of connecting you with an animal on some level." Zoosiana is located at 5601 Hwy 90 E Broussard, LA 70518, on a 45-acre piece of property in Broussard at the corner of Ambassador Caffery and Highway 90. It is privately owned and self-sustaining and with no outside funding coming into the zoo.  "There was no life plan to land at the zoo. We never had unusual pets growing up, just a dog and a cat. But, I was excited about the zoo from day one with dad. Not every day has been fun or easy. But I think very quickly I realized that if I could pick one thing in life, I would probably pick what I am doing at the zoo." The zoo is busiest in the springtime and in the comfortable October season. "With a thousand animals to care for each day, no two days are alike," says Matt. "We go through quite a bit of food and, and we order our produce, fruits and veggies from the same vendors that restaurants and cafeterias here in Lafayette order from. Its not second choice. So it's fresh produce and fresh vegetables of of a quality that you would be happy to have on your own dinner plate." Matt further stated, "We've got an animal care team who do a phenomenal job of providing the daily care and maintenance, which include feeding, cleaning, health checks, and monitoring. Enrichment is a very big part of what we do. We want to make sure our animals have a stimulating environment that they're able to utilize and practice their natural behaviors. It could be leaping from one perch to the next or figuring out a puzzle feeder of some kind. We do enrichment with smells, olfactory sound, and visual." Zoosiana has particular meal plans for their various animals, and a recipe book for the different meals that lists everything that the animals can have and cannot have. With so many different omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores, you can imagine the varying diets from species to species. Matt says, "It's thousands of pounds of food a week. We've got dry grain.

Hear a live performance from this indie rock quintet hailing from Lafayette, La.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We are delighted to journey with you this Advent season! Join us on a Quiet Adventure with Mother Mary. This week we are learning to give birth to God's love in others. Follow along in your devotional or visit https://www.wearethelightproject.org/blog for more reflections and access to the incredibly beautiful artwork from Mr. Jerry Leleux. We pray your Advent season will be a blessed one. Thank you for joining us on this journey!......

Episode 297 - Rescue Acadiana by Cajun Catholics

Adam Daigle, Business Editor of the Acadiana Advocate, discusses the biggest business news of 2024 in this episode of Discover Lafayette. We want to thank the Advocate for highlighting our latest podcast each week in their online Business Section. You can subscribe online at theadvocate.com/newsletters to keep up with our community's latest business headlines. The # 1 story in 2024, without a doubt, is the announcement that Buc'ees will be opening at the northeast corner of Louisiana Avenue and Interstate 10. Rumored for years, this will be a major draw for motorists traveling along I-10, and most of the sales taxes paid will be collected from out-of-towners. When people travel, Buc-ees is a destination as well as a place to fill up the tank. The new site is projected to be a 74,000-square-foot building, complete with gas pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces, and the store is estimated to be a 13-month build, opening during the 2025 holiday season. The closest Buc-ees to Lafayette is either Alabama or Baytown, TX, so Lafayette can anticipate a heavily-trafficked spot for people looking for that golden Buc-ees' experience. I talked to a convenience store analyst, and he said, "Buc'ees takes everything you hate about traveling and removes it and replaces what you love about traveling. You want to stop there because you'll never wait in line for a gas pump. You want to go there because you know the bathroom is clean. You want to go there because they've got unique snacks and not Cheetos that every other place has. You get a brisket sandwich or a hot dog with the gas station. They've just flipped the whole concept on its head." There's a Tax-Increment Financing ("TIF") district already in place that dates back to when Stirling Properties originally built the Target Shopping Center across I-10 from where Buc-ees will be located. At the time, there was no water or sewer lines and the project was only feasible with this type of government assistance to cover the massive infrastructure needs. The TIF was paid off quicker than anticipated and is still in play today. To accommodate the Buc-ee's deal, a subdistrict was created, which will tax 2% of all sales, including gasoline purchases. While some question the need for TIF districts, this is a trend that has been taking place all across the U. S., and it is a negotiating tool that jurisdictions utilize to attract big business such as Buc-ees, Bass Pro, and other large retailers. As Adam says, "That is what you do to land the big boys. You got to pay for it." The # 2 story is the passing of Richard Zuschlag, Chairman and CEO of Acadian Companies. When he started his business in the early 70s with Roland Dugas and Richard Sturlese, funeral homes were dispatched to pick up people who were ill, and they were transported in a hearse. This was the era prior to ambulances and the trio identified a huge gap in the healthcare market. Zuschlag was the driving force in the company's growth, and he was also literally a driver of an ambulance in the early days. He attended all of the police jury and city council meetings to meet with people and get agreements signed. Acadian Ambulance would hold membership drives that ran on television, where people paid a fee to ensure that an ambulance would pick them up. Over the years, Zuschlag became the principal behind Acadian and the company experience extraordinary growth, opening up it National EMS Academy, Acadian Total Security, Air Med, Safety Management Systems, Executive Aircraft Charter Service, and Acadian Health (home healthcare services.) The late Richard Zuschlag, who founded Acadian Ambulance and served as Chairman and CEO of Acadian Companies. Today, Acadian Companies is an employee-owned company with 5200 employees in four states. Zuschlag's memory lives on through his family, and his son, Blaise, serves as Executive V. P. and Chief Administrative Officer. The # 3 story of the year is the opening of Supe...

We are delighted to journey with you this Advent season! Join us on a Quiet Adventure with Mother Mary. This week we are surrendering to God's love. Follow along in your devotional or visit https://www.wearethelightproject.org/blog for more reflections and access to the incredibly beautiful artwork from Mr. Jerry Leleux. We pray your Advent season will be a blessed one. Thank you for joining us on this journey!......

In this episode of Discover Lafayette, we feature Mel Haynes, owner and proprietor of Sweet Envie, a delightful bakery and deli located at 4302 Moss Street in North Lafayette. Mel brings a beautiful sense of joy and humor into our world and shares her inspirational story of becoming a successful business owner who follows her instincts. Since opening in 2021, Sweet Envie has become beloved for its heavenly pastries, confections, and a menu that caters to both sweet and savory cravings. Mel's journey is one of passion, resilience, and community, as she found and followed her calling after a career in corporate management. A graduate of the Accelerate Northside Program, Mel transitioned from her management role at Acadian Companies to entrepreneurship, fulfilling a dream that began as a conversation with her late husband as to what her future would hold. Inspired by her mother's talent for baking and informed by her mom's recipes, Mel honed her craft, from decorating wedding cakes to mastering the art of petit fours. "Eventually I want to get to the point where I'm not working in my business as much. If my seven year old Samuel has an event at school. I don't have to ask anybody if I can go. I don't have to say, mother, may I? I'm going. so that's freedom. That feels so good that I can just say, you know what? The kids have something going on. I'm one of those moms that's involved. If the teacher calls me, I'll be there in a second. I'm going to make sure that it's wonderful. Whatever I need to do for my kids. They are my first priority because if it weren't for them, I don't know where I'd be. I'd probably still be working another job, but being able to wake up and go to work and show my daughter, my 12 year old daughter. You know what? If you decide one day you want to run your business, you can run your own business." Today, Sweet Envie offers not only baked goods but also a retail baking supply store and catering services, bringing smiles to clients throughout Acadiana. Sweet Envie won accolades in 2024 for Gold Best Deli, Bronze Best Bakery, and Silver Best Dessert in the Acadiana Advocate's Acadiana's Choice Awards. Highlights from the Conversation: The Spark: Mel shares how her passion for baking was ignited while creating her "huge castle" wedding cake with her mother and later through baking for coworkers. Leap of Faith: Following the loss of her husband and with a newborn on the way, Mel took a chance on herself, joining the Accelerator Northside program to gain the tools needed to launch Sweet Envie. Challenges & Joys of Entrepreneurship: Mel discusses the highs and lows of running a business—from the freedom to attend her children's events to the challenges of wearing all hats, including maintenance and accounting. Community Impact: Sweet Envie provides a welcoming space where families and children can explore their own creativity. Whether decorating cakes or learning how to fry beignets, Mel inspires future generations. Catering Services: Sweet Envie offers both savory and sweet catering options for groups ranging from 5 to 300 people, with onsite food truck services provided by Mel's fiancé, "Big Nick." Sweet Envie Favorites: Signature cinnamon rolls Chicken salad Petit fours Fried-to-order beignets Mel credits her faith, compassion, and authenticity as the foundation of her success. She encourages listeners to embrace their dreams and let go of imposter syndrome, reminding us all that we are capable of achieving greatness. As Mel says, "You have to get out of your own way. That is a big thing that a lot of people suffer from. That imposter syndrome where you don't think that you're good enough to run your own business. You know, I saw X, Y, and Z do it. How can I do it? I'm not half as good, half as smart, half as talented. When in fact, you are just as good, just as smart, just as talented.

The Acadiana Center for the Arts' Sam Oliver, Executive director, and Taylor Davis, Board President, join Discover Lafayette to discuss the AcA's 50th anniversary approaching, the superb programming they offer our community, and discuss upcoming events. The Acadiana Arts Council, the organization that later evolved into the Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA), was established in 1975. It began as a regional arts organization focused on promoting and supporting the arts throughout Acadiana. Over the years, the Council expanded its vision and programming, eventually leading to the creation of the AcA as its permanent home on November 1, 2010. The AcA, at its core, is the Arts Council for the region, that offers Lafayette and the Acadiana region something you would expect in a larger metropolitan area: incredible performances from all over the world, high production quality shows, and the promotion of local and regional artists. It is a space for visual arts, performing arts, music, dance, and theatre. It is also a gathering place for social events, debates and forums for political occasions, and civic presentations that benefit the entire community. Sam has served as Executive Director for six years. You can hear our original interview with Sam here where we discussed his educational background and what led him to serve the AcA. Taylor has served on the board the past ten years and was first exposed to the AcA at its first show ever which brought Lyle Lovett to Lafayette. Taylor says his service is "a labor of love," and he and his wife, Yvette regularly go out to see and enjoy live music. The James Devin Moncus Theater offers a superb sound system that was upgraded this year, with a seating capacity of 304 seats, "and there is really not a bad seat in the house!"  It's a great time to join or renew your AcA membership as you receive early bird access to tickets for 2025's in-demand performances before they open for sale to the general public. Yearly memberships begin at $35 a year with higher levels for those who want to support the organization at a higher level. The AcA's 2025's Louisiana Crossroads series will showcase performers such as Steve Khan, Louis Michot, and C.J. Chenier celebrating the 100th birthday of Clifton Chenier. Scott Mulvahill, a Nashville based singer, songwriter and bass player, will be leading a full album length playthrough of Paul Simon's Graceland album, which featured Acadiana artists with Zydeco and accordion music. George Porter Jr. will round out the year. January 2025 will be kicked off with a two-night concert “The Roots of Fire Live,” bringing local Cajun and Creole together live on stage to perform, Other big name acts will include Lucinda Williams, Andrew Duhon, Ruthie Foster, and Kat Higgins, Several perks are being offered to enhance your AcA experience. Parking is always a challenge downtown, so the AcA is introducing free parking with a ticket at the parking lot across from Chase Tower on Jefferson Street. If you're planning dinner and drinks after a show, the AcA has partnered with downtown restaurants such as Vestal and Pop's Poboys who are doing pre-show discounts on meals. The Aca has also partnered with restaurants such as Pamplona and Ton's Downtown who will stay open later on show nights to offer post-show cocktails, In order to ensure a lineup of performances which pleases its patrons, the AcA put out a survey asking for the types of acts desired by the community.  Putting together a 50th anniversary season “had to be not just good, but something that our audience and our supporters really resonate with. We actually put out a survey where we said to members of ACA, tell us what you want to see”, Sam Oliver said. In honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of AcA, on December 7, 2024, the Pelican Ball will honor five people who have made an impact over the course of its existence. One of the founders of the Acadiana Center for the Arts,

On this Feast Day of St. John Berchmans, we are thrilled to have Caroline Richard and Aimee Cotter in Holy Spirit studios to share the miracles of St. John Berchmans that occurred right here in Acadiana in Grand Coteau. These ladies share their love for the Lord, their love for the Academy of Sacred Heart and  Berchmans Academy, and you will certainly be delighted by their incredibly holy friendship! St. John Berchmans, pray for us!Learn more about the school or schedule your tour of the shrine  at https://www.ash1821.org/ and join us at Christmas at Coteau , December 5th, 6th, and 7th! You can get your tickets at https://www.ash1821.org/events/christmas-at-coteau/tickets-and-reservations......

It's the last Monday of the month, and that means it's time for an update on the news in Acadiana. Christiaan Mader, founder and editor of the Current, gives us the latest on changes to the region's education system and results of the recent elections. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a decrease in sexually transmitted infections across the country, in Louisiana, STI rates are soaring. Some infections, like syphilis and chlamydia, are higher than they've been in decades, with some calling this problem an epidemic. Patty Kissinger, infectious disease epidemiologist at Tulane, tells us more about this problem and how to combat it.A team of researchers in Louisiana has received a federal grant to study the use of wastewater as a form of fertilizer. The team, which is composed of faculty from the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Sea Grant and Southern University, are aiming to see if the organic matter in bodies of water can be put to a beneficial use. M.P. Hayes, AgCenter and Sea Grant water quality specialist, tells us more about this grant and what researchers are hoping to discover. ___Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Hear a live performance from the Louisiana Music Hall of Famer with a gritty southern rock and blues sound.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We are humbled to have Brian Baumgardner and Reecie Gilmore in Holy Spirit Studios this week. Grab your tissues. Join us for a beautiful and heart felt episode with our new friends as they share their unconditional love for their babies in Heaven, the power of community and service to others in times of unimaginable suffering, and the holy work being done through The RescYou Group.Join them for the 3rd Annual RescYou Fest on November 16th at Blackham Coliseum for The Greatest Show in Heaven. You can find more information and purchase your tickets at https://www.therescyougroup.org/eventsJesus, you are THE GREAT REDEEMER. Through You, With You, and In You, ALL things are made good. Thank you for sharing these beautiful souls with us.Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.......

We are chatting with Grayson Stepanek, Director of Marketing & Communications at Goodwill Acadiana, about Goodwill of Acadiana, their mission, services, and community involvement. We will also get to know who Grayson is as well and what his role and goals are at Goodwill.   / goodwillacadiana  https://www.goodwillacadiana.org/ Grayson's LinkedIn:   / gstepanek   — Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh... — The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana The Tea Podcast Studio is sponsored in-part by Mire.Group CPAs: https://facebook.com/miregroupcpa?mib...

Wanderlust Rentals, operating through wanderlustrentalsla.com, is a pioneering self-service kayak rental company in Acadiana and Louisiana. Founded by Lafayette natives Kristopher Guidry and Reed Rudasil, the company started to address the lack of local kayak rental options. They offer self-service rentals, organized events called "Paddle Therapy," and cater to private and corporate group events. The company is poised for expansion, starting with their local community. Check them out at https://www.wanderlustrentalsla.com — Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh... — The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana The Tea Podcast Studio is sponsored in-part by Mire.Group CPAs: https://facebook.com/miregroupcpa?mib...

The Lord ALWAYS knows exactly what we need and when we need it! The love and laughter Fr. Michael DeBlanc brings to Holy Spirit Studios is truly a gift. Join us for a fun and fruitful episode where we learn more about purgatory, Fathers travels to Japan, the beauty of different cultures and the universal church and so much more! Thank you, Jesus, for sharing your holy son with us!......

Holy Spirit Studios is filled with some incredibly creative and gifted humans this week y'all! We've got Grammy Nominated, Laura Huval and her beautiful sister, Maegan Rankin on the couch. Joining them is 6 time Grammy winner and music producer, Mr. Tony Daigle; and the most delightful surprise guest, Mrs. Courtney Pourciau here. They journey with us through the inspiration and creation of Sing the Rosary...a prayer you will not want to stop praying and singing once you hear it! Get your free download at https://laurahuval.com/album/3040066/sing-the-rosaryAnd a surprise announcement of the release of Fiat 40 Journal: A Woman's 40 Day Journey to Renewal, Restoration, and Redemption written by Courtney Pourciau and her spiritual sisters! Get your copy at https://www.pioussolutions.com/fiat-40-journalJesus, we thank you for sharing your incredibly gifted children with us and for your sacred love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary through the prayers of the Rosary......

Hear a live performance from the young Cajun group Amis Du Teche as they perform songs from their latest self-titled album.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We've got THE most Holy Spirit filled man in Holy Spirit Studios this week. Kent Zerangue shares beautiful stories with us from his Food with Love Ministry. Many of his stories are shared in his book, Holy Moments on the Journey Home: Food with Love Stories. But a truly powerful story, you won't find in the book, is the one of his beautiful goddaughter, Adalyn. You won't want to miss this inspiring and powerful episode.Jesus, we thank you for sharing this faithful and humble servant with us! Holy Moments on the Journey Home: Food with Love Stories will be available to purchase from Hospice of Acadiana at the end of the month. Stay connected for the release date! The book can also be purchased on Amazon. All proceeds from sales will go to Hospice of Acadiana for the Food with Love Ministry.......