Here's something most of us won't admit: we have too much stuff. 

It’s human nature in the consumer age. You can’t throw a rock in Lafayette without hitting a storage unit. And that’s the stuff that doesn’t fit in our homes. Clutter is the order of the day. In the business world, that translates into noise. We pile on messaging, saying too much when getting straight to the point is the best way to make your case in the market.

Less is more, in other words. And my guests today are both in the business of less. 

Heather Borges is a Lafayette native and registered nurse who spent sixteen years in healthcare.  The pandemic brought burnout. Burnout brought reflection. And reflection eventually led her somewhere she didn't expect — professional organizing. In March of 2025, she purchased the Lafayette franchise of Bee Organized, a national company with 40 locations across the US. 

Heather now helps families and businesses declutter their spaces, navigate major life transitions, and find out what their home actually looks like when you can see it. 

And her concierge services extend beyond organizing into errand running, seasonal home management, photo organization, and decorating. Every client starts with a consultation, during which Heather's team conducts a personality assessment to understand how the client thinks about their space and what needs to go. 

Jaci Russo of Brand Russo wants you to cut out the BS and get the message sharp. She’s so serious about it, she trademarked her proprietary approach to marketing: Razor Branding. 

Jaci grew up in Lafayette and nearly went to law school. She ended up in Los Angeles working with major ad agencies and building brands for clients like Ticketmaster and the Home Shopping Network. Family brought her home, and in 2001 she and her husband Michael co-founded Brand Russo, a strategic branding agency serving clients with multi-million dollar budgets. Ninety percent of those clients are outside Louisiana.

Jaci is a Certified Professional Marketer, a co-author, and the host of two podcasts.

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.

 

Here's something most of us won't admit: we have too much stuff.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s human nature in the consumer age. You can&rsquo;t throw a rock in Lafayette without hitting a storage unit. And that&rsquo;s the stuff that doesn&rsquo;t fit in our homes. Clutter is the order of the day. In the business world, that translates into noise. We pile on messaging, saying too much when getting straight to the point is the best way to make your case in the market.
Less is more, in other words. And my guests today are both in the business of less.&nbsp;
Heather Borges is a Lafayette native and registered nurse who spent sixteen years in healthcare.&nbsp; The pandemic brought burnout. Burnout brought reflection. And reflection eventually led her somewhere she didn't expect &mdash; professional organizing. In March of 2025, she purchased <a href="https://beeorganized.com/pages/lafayette">the Lafayette franchise of Bee Organized</a>, a national company with 40 locations across the US.&nbsp;
Heather now helps families and businesses declutter their spaces, navigate major life transitions, and find out what their home actually looks like when you can see it.&nbsp;
And her concierge services extend beyond organizing into errand running, seasonal home management, photo organization, and decorating. Every client starts with a consultation, during which Heather's team conducts a personality assessment to understand how the client thinks about their space and what needs to go.&nbsp;
<a href="https://jacirusso.com/">Jaci Russo</a> of <a href="https://brandrusso.com/">Brand Russo</a> wants you to cut out the BS and get the message sharp. She&rsquo;s so serious about it, she trademarked her proprietary approach to marketing: <a href="https://brandrusso.com/razor-branding/">Razor Branding</a>.&nbsp;
Jaci grew up in Lafayette and nearly went to law school. She ended up in Los Angeles working with major ad agencies and building brands for clients like Ticketmaster and the Home Shopping Network. Family brought her home, and in 2001 she and her husband Michael co-founded Brand Russo, a strategic branding agency serving clients with multi-million dollar budgets. Ninety percent of those clients are outside Louisiana.
Jaci is a Certified Professional Marketer, a co-author, and the host of two podcasts.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at&nbsp;<a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/04/11/keep-it-simple-stupid/">itsacadiana.com</a>.
&nbsp;

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him for sushi at Tsunami in downtown Lafayette. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him for sushi at Tsunami in downtown Lafayette. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH finds The Current Publisher and Editor Christiaan Mader conducting business Acadiana style: over lunch. Each week Aileen invites guests from Acadiana's  business community to join her. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan Mader invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him for sushi at Tsunami in downtown Lafayette. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

OUT TO LUNCH Business over lunch. Each week Christiaan Mader invites guests from Acadiana's business community to join him for sushi at Tsunami in downtown Lafayette. Beyond the foundations of the Acadiana economy - oil, cuisine, music - there is a vast network of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even some of the country's largest companies who call Acadiana home. Out to Lunch is the cafeteria of the wider Acadiana business community. You can also hear the show on KRVS 88.7FM.

Keep It Simple Stupid

Maybe when you're in trouble, you have someone to call. A family member. A friend. Someone who knows the system, or knows someone who does.

But a lot of people don't have that. They're navigating institutions — legal, civic, governmental — that weren't really built with them in mind. And when no one's paying attention, things get lost. They need an advocate. Someone to speak for them. 

Corrie Gallien grew up in Opelousas. She studied criminal justice at UL, then went to law school at LSU — not because she always dreamed of being a lawyer, but because she wanted to help people, and the law turned out to be the sharpest tool for that.

She spent over thirteen years in the legal field. In 2024 she launched Gallien Law, a firm focused on personal injury and appellate work — including juvenile public defense and appeals for children in state care. Kids, in other words, who have no one else in their corner.

Corrie is also deaf, and a survivor of domestic abuse. Those experiences don't sit in the background — they're the engine. In 2025 she founded the Corrie Gallien Collective, a platform for advocacy, public speaking, writing, and consulting. She's a published author, a Top Twenty Under Forty honoree, and a member of Leadership Lafayette.

Advocacy can amplify voices or it can provide a voice to the voice-less. Like a building or neighborhood or sense of place. 

Lafayette has been building itself for decades — new subdivisions, new roads, new commercial strips. And in the rush to build new, it's easy to lose what was already there. Once a building is gone, the story it carried goes with it.

Denise Lanclos has spent years making sure that doesn't happen without a fight. Denise is a Lafayette native who spent her career in banking and finance, eventually serving as Director of Finance at the Cathedral of St. John. She became president of the Preservation Alliance of Lafayette in 2021 — a volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 1990 to advocate for the history and culture of this city.

The Alliance was born out of a fight. In 1986, residents organized to stop the demolition of the historic St. Mary's Orphanage. They won — and that victory led the city to adopt its first historic preservation ordinance. 

Today, Lafayette has 140 properties on the historic registry, and the Preservation Alliance is the organization making sure they're not quietly erased.

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.

Maybe when you're in trouble, you have someone to call. A family member. A friend. Someone who knows the system, or knows someone who does.
But a lot of people don't have that. They're navigating institutions &mdash; legal, civic, governmental &mdash; that weren't really built with them in mind. And when no one's paying attention, things get lost. They need an advocate. Someone to speak for them.&nbsp;
Corrie Gallien grew up in Opelousas. She studied criminal justice at UL, then went to law school at LSU &mdash; not because she always dreamed of being a lawyer, but because she wanted to help people, and the law turned out to be the sharpest tool for that.
She spent over thirteen years in the legal field. In 2024 she launched <a href="https://corriegallien.com/">Gallien Law, a firm focused on personal injury and appellate work</a> &mdash; including juvenile public defense and appeals for children in state care. Kids, in other words, who have no one else in their corner.
Corrie is also deaf, and a survivor of domestic abuse. Those experiences don't sit in the background &mdash; they're the engine. In 2025 she founded the <a href="https://corriegallien.com/about-the-collective/">Corrie Gallien Collective</a>, a platform for advocacy, public speaking, writing, and consulting. She's a published author, a Top Twenty Under Forty honoree, and a member of Leadership Lafayette.
Advocacy can amplify voices or it can provide a voice to the voice-less. Like a building or neighborhood or sense of place.&nbsp;
Lafayette has been building itself for decades &mdash; new subdivisions, new roads, new commercial strips. And in the rush to build new, it's easy to lose what was already there. Once a building is gone, the story it carried goes with it.
Denise Lanclos has spent years making sure that doesn't happen without a fight. Denise is a Lafayette native who spent her career in banking and finance, eventually serving as Director of Finance at the Cathedral of St. John. She became president of the <a href="https://preservinglafayette.org/">Preservation Alliance of Lafayette</a> in 2021 &mdash; a volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 1990 to advocate for the history and culture of this city.
The Alliance was born out of a fight. In 1986, residents organized to stop the demolition of the historic St. Mary's Orphanage. They won &mdash; and that victory led the city to adopt its first historic preservation ordinance.&nbsp;
Today, Lafayette has 140 properties on the historic registry, and the Preservation Alliance is the organization making sure they're not quietly erased.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at&nbsp;<a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/04/05/tell-it-like-it-is/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

Tell It Like It Is 

There's a kind of person you've probably met before. Someone who, no matter what their job title says, is really just taking care of people.  That's what they do. That's what they've always done. That’s who they are. The title just took a while to catch up.

Susan Titus is a Lafayette-area entertainer, nonprofit founder, and — by her own description — a woman whose life has had more than a few unexpected turns. She grew up in Franklin, Louisiana, earned a theater degree and at one point had designs on medical school. Instead, she spent fifteen years in retail management and corporate America before walking away in 2015 to become a full-time face painter and balloon artist.

Under the name Susie Q, Susan performs at roughly a hundred events a year — from birthday parties to corporate fairs to weddings — across Louisiana and as far east as Florida.

But Susan's second act may be her most important one. Growing up in Franklin, she watched too many girls become mothers at too young an age. Her family even took in a pregnant teenager who had been kicked out of her house. That never left her. So in 2022 she founded The Confidence Campaign, a nonprofit that delivers hands-on hygiene education and self-advocacy workshops to young women. In 2025 alone, more than fifteen hundred girls attended a Confidence Campaign workshop.

Frankie Dabney's career started in health and led her to a different kind of care. Frankie is originally from Georgia, and she trained as a nurse. But once she got into the work, she found the clinical side wasn't the right fit. A friend told her she had a gift for marketing. She listened.

That pivot eventually led her to a niche: marketing for senior living communities. It turned out to be a perfect match. Frankie had watched her own mother suffer a stroke and saw firsthand how hard it is for families to navigate care. 

Frankie spent years traveling the country and internationally for a marketing firm based in England that served senior living communities. Then a project brought her to the Vincent Senior Living in Lafayette — just for a month, to create a brochure. She fell in love with the city and the Vincent.

So when the Vincent’s executive director offered her a job, she didn't hesitate. Today, as Community Relations Director, Frankie oversees all marketing and advertising for the Vincent — a resort-style senior living campus on twenty acres right here in Lafayette.

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.

There's a kind of person you've probably met before. Someone who, no matter what their job title says, is really just taking care of people.&nbsp; That's what they do. That's what they've always done. That&rsquo;s who they are. The title just took a while to catch up.
Susan Titus is a Lafayette-area entertainer, nonprofit founder, and &mdash; by her own description &mdash; a woman whose life has had more than a few unexpected turns. She grew up in Franklin, Louisiana, earned a theater degree and at one point had designs on medical school. Instead, she spent fifteen years in retail management and corporate America before walking away in 2015 to become a full-time face painter and balloon artist.
Under the name <a href="https://mlrmagic.com/susie-q-face-painting-1">Susie Q, Susan performs at roughly a hundred events a year </a>&mdash; from birthday parties to corporate fairs to weddings &mdash; across Louisiana and as far east as Florida.
But Susan's second act may be her most important one. Growing up in Franklin, she watched too many girls become mothers at too young an age. Her family even took in a pregnant teenager who had been kicked out of her house. That never left her. So in 2022 she founded <a href="https://theconfidencecampaign.org/">The Confidence Campaign, a nonprofit that delivers hands-on hygiene education and self-advocacy workshops to young women</a>. In 2025 alone, more than fifteen hundred girls attended a Confidence Campaign workshop.
Frankie Dabney's career started in health and led her to a different kind of care. Frankie is originally from Georgia, and she trained as a nurse. But once she got into the work, she found the clinical side wasn't the right fit. A friend told her she had a gift for marketing. She listened.
That pivot eventually led her to a niche: marketing for senior living communities. It turned out to be a perfect match. Frankie had watched her own mother suffer a stroke and saw firsthand how hard it is for families to navigate care.&nbsp;
Frankie spent years traveling the country and internationally for a marketing firm based in England that served senior living communities. Then a project brought her to the <a href="https://vincentseniorliving.com/">Vincent Senior Living in Lafayette</a> &mdash; just for a month, to create a brochure. She fell in love with the city and the Vincent.
So when the Vincent&rsquo;s executive director offered her a job, she didn't hesitate. Today, as Community Relations Director, Frankie oversees all marketing and advertising for the Vincent &mdash; a resort-style senior living campus on twenty acres right here in Lafayette.
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/03/21/selfless-help/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

Selfless Help

Here's a question every small business owner loses sleep over: how do people find out you exist? Word of mouth still works. Always will. But today you need more than that. The challenge is that most small business owners are already doing three jobs at once. Marketing is the thing that slides. The thing you mean to get to. 

You need a presence — online, in print, somewhere people are actually looking. Figuring out where to start is daunting. What’s worth the investment? How do I know it’ll work? What’s the best media to buy for my business? Two decades into the social media era, getting noticed on platforms can still be a mystery. 

Ashlynn Gary has built a business around solving exactly that problem.

Ashlynn grew up in Lake Charles and came to Lafayette for college, graduating from UL in 2020 with a degree in arts and humanities. She's always been creative — painting, choir, theatre — and she still acts with the local theatre community today.

In 2020 she started a t-shirt company called Leading Color, mostly to scratch an entrepreneurial itch. What she discovered was that she loved the marketing and branding side of it more than the shirts themselves. So she pivoted.

In 2021 Ashlynn founded Ash Creative Collective, a social media management company that handles content planning, content creation, scheduling, and customer engagement — so her clients don't have to.  She also serves as media manager for Leadership Lafayette. 

Don’t listen to haters. Print isn’t dead. With apologies to Mark Twain, rumors of its demise have been, well, somewhat exaggerated. In Lafayette, hundreds of businesses still rely on good old fashioned print products to sell their brands. 

And they're not limited to flyers and newspapers. As Jennifer Brewer found out on a visit to Baton Rouge. 

Jennifer was born in Lafayette, raised in Baton Rouge, and returned to Acadiana about ten years ago after marrying a local. She’s a real estate broker by day. But a few years ago, she and her friend and business partner, Krysten Ledet, spotted something on a visit to Baton Rouge — a beautifully produced print publication called The Scout Guide, displayed in a local shop. 

Krysten and Jennifer were immediately drawn to it. When they looked into it and found the Lafayette market was still open, they bought in.

The Scout Guide is a 100% woman-founded franchise now operating in over a hundred cities across the country. It launched in 2010 in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has grown to support more than three thousand small businesses nationwide. Each edition is a premium print guide — and a community in its own right.

Jennifer and Krysten launched the Lafayette Scout Guide in 2023. This year, they printed 20,000. 

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.

Here's a question every small business owner loses sleep over: how do people find out you exist? Word of mouth still works. Always will. But today you need more than that. The challenge is that most small business owners are already doing three jobs at once. Marketing is the thing that slides. The thing you mean to get to.&nbsp;
You need a presence &mdash; online, in print, somewhere people are actually looking. Figuring out where to start is daunting. What&rsquo;s worth the investment? How do I know it&rsquo;ll work? What&rsquo;s the best media to buy for my business? Two decades into the social media era, getting noticed on platforms can still be a mystery.&nbsp;
Ashlynn Gary has built a business around solving exactly that problem.
Ashlynn grew up in Lake Charles and came to Lafayette for college, graduating from UL in 2020 with a degree in arts and humanities. She's always been creative &mdash; painting, choir, theatre &mdash; and she still acts with the local theatre community today.
In 2020 she started a t-shirt company called Leading Color, mostly to scratch an entrepreneurial itch. What she discovered was that she loved the marketing and branding side of it more than the shirts themselves. So she pivoted.
In 2021 Ashlynn founded <a href="https://www.ashlynnthecreative.com/">Ash Creative Collective</a>, a social media management company that handles content planning, content creation, scheduling, and customer engagement &mdash; so her clients don't have to.&nbsp; She also serves as media manager for <a href="https://leadershiplafayette.org/">Leadership Lafayette</a>.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t listen to haters. Print isn&rsquo;t dead. With apologies to Mark Twain, rumors of its demise have been, well, somewhat exaggerated. In Lafayette, hundreds of businesses still rely on good old fashioned print products to sell their brands.&nbsp;
And they're not limited to flyers and newspapers. As Jennifer Brewer found out on a visit to Baton Rouge.&nbsp;
Jennifer was born in Lafayette, raised in Baton Rouge, and returned to Acadiana about ten years ago after marrying a local. She&rsquo;s a real estate broker by day. But a few years ago, she and her friend and business partner, Krysten Ledet, spotted something on a visit to Baton Rouge &mdash; a beautifully produced print publication called<a href="https://thescoutguide.com/"> The Scout Guide</a>, displayed in a local shop.&nbsp;
Krysten and Jennifer were immediately drawn to it. When they looked into it and found the Lafayette market was still open, they bought in.
The Scout Guide is a 100% woman-founded franchise now operating in over a hundred cities across the country. It launched in 2010 in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has grown to support more than three thousand small businesses nationwide. Each edition is a premium print guide &mdash; and a community in its own right.
Jennifer and Krysten launched the <a href="https://thescoutguide.com/lafayette/">Lafayette Scout Guide</a> in 2023. This year, they printed 20,000.&nbsp;
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at&nbsp;<a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by <a href="https://www.astormorgan.com">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/03/14/social-scout/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

Keep It Simple Stupid

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