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;

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>.

Social Scout

Hi, it's Christiaan Mader, host of Out to Lunch Acadiana. I love a dive bar.  And I know I’m not alone. They attract a certain cult-like following among people looking for an unpretentious place to share a reasonably priced drink with an old friend or a new one. The appeal is fundamentally American.  The drinks are cold, the music is loud, the bathrooms might be suspect — but you can be you and everyone's welcome. 

In Acadiana, a great dive bar can be a cultural center of gravity. Especially if it’s got a stage and a spunky PA. 

However adored, dive bars carry a janky reputation. And the people who love them, love them because of that jank. It’s hard to precisely define a great dive bar. But my guest Justin Bennet saw one in the making when he moved to Lafayette and bought Artmosphere, the Downtown Lafayette bar and music venue. 

Justin Bennett grew up in New York and was literally raised in dive bars, sitting on a barstool drinking cherry cokes from the age of five while his musician father played gigs. He went on to earn a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Washington, spent five years with New York City's Department of Management rising from Press Assistant to Public Information Officer, and later served as Press Secretary for the Louisiana Workforce Commission. But it was Lafayette, Louisiana — a city he and his wife Marcela kept passing through on the way to Lake Charles — that eventually called them back.

In February of 2025, Justin purchased Artmosphere, a bar and music venue on Johnston Street that's been a Lafayette landmark for years.

He didn't just buy a bar. He bought a vibe, a history, and a whole lot of deferred maintenance. Now he's fixing the bathrooms, booking the bands, and making his grandmother's meatballs.

Barbecue

There’s maybe no better example of something great out of something humble than American BBQ.

We’re not necessarily known for BBQ here in Acadiana, but Shane Wiggins is doing his part to change that. 

Shane was born and raised in Flynn, Texas. He came up through electronics repair school, then spent years in the oilfield — onshore, offshore, and eventually running a business with his father in Pennsylvania. When that chapter closed, he ended up back in the Lafayette area.

Shane had been making brisket for years. His Texas Twister BBQ sauce became so popular with friends and family that by 2020 he was bottling it commercially. He and his wife Allyson had long talked about a food truck. He told her: if that spot on East Main in Broussard ever comes available, that's the sign.

It did. He had to keep his word.

In early 2022, Deuces Taste of the South opened as a part-time venture — a Texas-style BBQ joint with Cajun influences, built around a forty-two-foot custom trailer that Shane built himself. It didn't stay part-time for long.

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.

Hi, it's Christiaan Mader, host of Out to Lunch Acadiana. I love a dive bar.&nbsp; And I know I&rsquo;m not alone. They attract a certain cult-like following among people looking for an unpretentious place to share a reasonably priced drink with an old friend or a new one. The appeal is fundamentally American.&nbsp; The drinks are cold, the music is loud, the bathrooms might be suspect &mdash; but you can be you and everyone's welcome.&nbsp;
In Acadiana, a great dive bar can be a cultural center of gravity. Especially if it&rsquo;s got a stage and a spunky PA.&nbsp;
However adored, dive bars carry a janky reputation. And the people who love them, love them because of that jank. It&rsquo;s hard to precisely define a great dive bar. But my guest Justin Bennet saw one in the making when he moved to Lafayette and bought <a href="https://www.artmospherelafayette.com/">Artmosphere, the Downtown Lafayette bar and music venue.&nbsp;</a>
Justin Bennett grew up in New York and was literally raised in dive bars, sitting on a barstool drinking cherry cokes from the age of five while his musician father played gigs. He went on to earn a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Washington, spent five years with New York City's Department of Management rising from Press Assistant to Public Information Officer, and later served as Press Secretary for the Louisiana Workforce Commission. But it was Lafayette, Louisiana &mdash; a city he and his wife Marcela kept passing through on the way to Lake Charles &mdash; that eventually called them back.
In February of 2025, Justin purchased Artmosphere, a bar and music venue on Johnston Street that's been a Lafayette landmark for years.
He didn't just buy a bar. He bought a vibe, a history, and a whole lot of deferred maintenance. Now he's fixing the bathrooms, booking the bands, and making his grandmother's meatballs.
Barbecue
There&rsquo;s maybe no better example of something great out of something humble than American BBQ.
We&rsquo;re not necessarily known for BBQ here in Acadiana, but Shane Wiggins is doing his part to change that.&nbsp;
Shane was born and raised in Flynn, Texas. He came up through electronics repair school, then spent years in the oilfield &mdash; onshore, offshore, and eventually running a business with his father in Pennsylvania. When that chapter closed, he ended up back in the Lafayette area.
Shane had been making brisket for years. His Texas Twister BBQ sauce became so popular with friends and family that by 2020 he was bottling it commercially. He and his wife Allyson had long talked about a food truck. He told her: if that spot on East Main in Broussard ever comes available, that's the sign.
It did. He had to keep his word.
In early 2022, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deucestasteofthesouth/">Deuces Taste of the South</a> opened as a part-time venture &mdash; a Texas-style BBQ joint with Cajun influences, built around a forty-two-foot custom trailer that Shane built himself. It didn't stay part-time for long. 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/2026/03/07/dive-bars-barbecue/"> itsacadiana.com</a>.

Dive Bars & Barbecue

Some businesses don’t just sell a product — they sell a feeling. They create an experience you can’t fully describe on a website, because the magic is sensory. It’s atmosphere. It’s memory. It’s the thing that makes you walk into a space and instantly feel like you belong there — or like you’ve been there before.

From a business standpoint, that’s a tricky thing to build. You can’t ship “vibe” in a box. But you can design it — intentionally — through the details: the ingredients, the storytelling, the setting, the community you build around it.

Johanna Divine sits in for Christiaan Mader on this edition of Out to Lunch and hosts two guests who make their living creating experiences that are hard to explain, but easy to feel.

Rochelle Campbell is the founder of Pure Intentions Candle Company, a small candle business based in Youngsville specializing in clean-burning candles — and candle-making experiences that are part product, part party, part community event.

Yvette Landry is a musician, educator, author and interpreter, who – between playing shows, teaching and writing books – has also built a successful business hosting Cajun music and history tours in the Atchafalaya Basin.

Candles and music are two very different products, but both Rochelle and Yvette are  in the business of creating a feeling people want to come back to. Rochelle is building a product line around clean ingredients, seasonal storytelling, and in-person experiences that connect people to her brand. Yvetteis proving that culture can be both art and enterprise — through live performance, books, teaching, and tours that translate Acadiana to the world.

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette.You can find photos from this show by Alisha Zachery Lazard at itsacadiana.com.

Some businesses don&rsquo;t just sell a product &mdash; they sell a feeling. They create an experience you can&rsquo;t fully describe on a website, because the magic is sensory. It&rsquo;s atmosphere. It&rsquo;s memory. It&rsquo;s the thing that makes you walk into a space and instantly feel like you belong there &mdash; or like you&rsquo;ve been there before.
From a business standpoint, that&rsquo;s a tricky thing to build. You can&rsquo;t ship &ldquo;vibe&rdquo; in a box. But you can design it &mdash; intentionally &mdash; through the details: the ingredients, the storytelling, the setting, the community you build around it.
Johanna Divine sits in for Christiaan Mader on this edition of Out to Lunch and hosts two guests who make their living creating experiences that are hard to explain, but easy to feel.
Rochelle Campbell is the founder of <a href="https://pureintentionscandlecompany.com/">Pure Intentions Candle Company</a>, a small candle business based in Youngsville specializing in clean-burning candles &mdash; and candle-making experiences that are part product, part party, part community event.
<a href="https://yvettelandry.com/">Yvette Landry</a> is a musician, educator, author and interpreter, who &ndash; between playing shows, teaching and writing books &ndash; has also built a successful business hosting Cajun music and history tours in the Atchafalaya Basin.
Candles and music are two very different products, but both Rochelle and Yvette are&nbsp; in the business of creating a feeling people want to come back to. Rochelle is building a product line around clean ingredients, seasonal storytelling, and in-person experiences that connect people to her brand. Yvette is proving that culture can be both art and enterprise &mdash; through live performance, books, teaching, and tours that translate Acadiana to the world.
Out to Lunch is 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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/alisha.zachery">Alisha Zachery Lazard</a> at<a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/02/21/sound-scents/"> itsacadiana.com</a>.

Sound Scents

There’s an old saying you’ve probably heard before: Those who can’t do, teach. Well, that’s total BS. If you’ve ever tried to teach someone anything — how to play a guitar chord, how to dance a two-step, how to do just about anything — you know that saying has it exactly backwards.

Teaching is hard. Being good at something and being able to teach it are two completely different skills. When it comes to traditional crafts, teaching is maybe the more vital skillset. If we’re going to preserve what we do for generations to come, we need folks skilled at passing it on. 

Sometimes, when there’s no one around to turn to, you need to be an autodidact, like Garret Rosen, owner of Rosen Guitars.

Garret is a Lafayette native whose path to guitar building and teaching took a few interesting turns — including degrees in English literature, music theory, and a master’s from Oxford University in philosophy, politics and economics. 

After years teaching history, Garret opened Rosen Guitars in 2025 — a shop where every instrument is handmade by him. The business combines custom guitar building, original inventory, and lessons for players from beginners to professionals. His goal isn’t to be a big-box music store. It’s something much more personal — the person who builds the instrument is the one who teaches you how to play it.

Harold Bernard is the owner of Glide Dance Studios in downtown Lafayette. Harold has been teaching dance since 1985, but his relationship with dance goes back even further: his mother was dancing the jitterbug while pregnant with him. He grew up in the golden era of Cajun dance halls, later touring across the U.S. and Canada teaching dance alongside bands like Balfa Toujours and Steve Riley.

Today, at Glide Studios, Harold teaches Cajun, Zydeco, jitterbug, waltz — and even wedding choreography. He teaches almost every night of the week, often working with couples or small groups, and relies almost entirely on word of mouth.

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette.You can find photos from this show by Alisha Zachery Lazard at itsacadiana.com.

There&rsquo;s an old saying you&rsquo;ve probably heard before: Those who can&rsquo;t do, teach. Well, that&rsquo;s total BS. If you&rsquo;ve ever tried to teach someone anything &mdash; how to play a guitar chord, how to dance a two-step, how to do just about anything &mdash; you know that saying has it exactly backwards.
Teaching is hard. Being good at something and being able to teach it are two completely different skills. When it comes to traditional crafts, teaching is maybe the more vital skillset. If we&rsquo;re going to preserve what we do for generations to come, we need folks skilled at passing it on.&nbsp;
Sometimes, when there&rsquo;s no one around to turn to, you need to be an autodidact, like Garret Rosen, owner of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063713014207"> Rosen Guitars</a>.
Garret is a Lafayette native whose path to guitar building and teaching took a few interesting turns &mdash; including degrees in English literature, music theory, and a master&rsquo;s from Oxford University in philosophy, politics and economics.&nbsp;
After years teaching history, Garret opened Rosen Guitars in 2025 &mdash; a shop where every instrument is handmade by him. The business combines custom guitar building, original inventory, and lessons for players from beginners to professionals. His goal isn&rsquo;t to be a big-box music store. It&rsquo;s something much more personal &mdash; the person who builds the instrument is the one who teaches you how to play it.
Harold Bernard is the owner of <a href="https://glidestudioslafayette.com/">Glide Dance Studios in downtown Lafayette</a>. Harold has been teaching dance since 1985, but his relationship with dance goes back even further: his mother was dancing the jitterbug while pregnant with him. He grew up in the golden era of Cajun dance halls, later touring across the U.S. and Canada teaching dance alongside bands like Balfa Toujours and Steve Riley.
Today, at Glide Studios, Harold teaches Cajun, Zydeco, jitterbug, waltz &mdash; and even wedding choreography. He teaches almost every night of the week, often working with couples or small groups, and relies almost entirely on word of mouth.
Out to Lunch is 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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/alisha.zachery">Alisha Zachery Lazard</a> at<a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/02/14/guitar-two-step/"> itsacadiana.com.</a>

Guitar Two-Step

Hi, Christiaan here, host of Out to Lunch Acadiana. Everyone’s got a story. It’s why I got into journalism. People are just interesting. But having a story doesn’t mean you’re any good at telling it. That part takes skill. And a lot of discipline — Even if you’re using a large language model to help. 

Everyone needs an editor. It’s our motto at The Current. And it’s generally true in the world of business. Having someone to bounce ideas off of is vital for a composition of any size. Writing a book, however, takes a special kind of dedication. You might need something more supportive than an editor. How about a coach? 

LaToya Guillory is the founder of The Intentional Author and the creator of the Acadiana Black Author Expo. 

LaToya grew up in an Air Force family, bounced around the country, and eventually landed in Lafayette to attend UL, where she earned a degree in Child and Family Studies. She went on to get a master’s in Human Service Counseling with a specialization in Marriage and Family, and spent more than twenty years as a social worker.

Along the way, LaToya has always been “the helper”: starting a kids’ club in her apartment complex, babysitting for children with Down syndrome, leading worship bands, guiding couples. On track to become a licensed counselor, she hit a major detour when her graduate program lost its accreditation, forcing a rethink at the exact moment she was also raising a young son. 

As The Intentional Author, LaToya now coaches writers through self-publishing — from the “I’ve got an idea” phase all the way to publication. She offers group masterclasses, year-long coaching plans, and one-on-one support, and she’s published several books of her own on purpose, marriage and faith.

LaToya also saw a gap in Lafayette’s literary scene and launched the Acadiana Black Author Expo in 2023 to give local Black writers a place to be seen.

A cancer diagnosis is a scary and all-too-common story. And it helps a lot to have someone to walk you through one of life’s most difficult chapters. 

Phyllis Weaver is the Executive Director of Miles Perret Cancer Services. Phyllis grew up in north Louisiana and moved to Lafayette for college. She thought she might be a teacher or an artist, but what really stuck was her love of community work. She joined the Lafayette YMCA as an assistant program director while she was still in school, and stayed there for fourteen years — eventually becoming Senior Program Director. After that, she led LA Soar, a nonprofit focused on youth, before joining Miles Perret Cancer Services as an event coordinator in 2024.In 2025, she stepped into the role of Executive Director.

Miles Perret is a cancer resource center serving ten parishes across Acadiana. They provide everything from care kits and wigs to transportation help, school supplies for kids, counseling groups, fitness and nutrition classes, art therapy, and more — all free to clients.

On the fundraising side, the organization is probably best known for big events like the Camellia Crossing “gleaux” run and Games of Acadiana. 

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette.You can find photos from this show by Alisha Zachery Lazard at itsacadiana.com.

Hi, Christiaan here, host of Out to Lunch Acadiana. Everyone&rsquo;s got a story. It&rsquo;s why I got into journalism. People are just interesting. But having a story doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;re any good at telling it. That part takes skill. And a lot of discipline &mdash; Even if you&rsquo;re using a large language model to help.&nbsp;
Everyone needs an editor. It&rsquo;s our motto at <a href="https://thecurrentla.com/">The Current</a>. And it&rsquo;s generally true in the world of business. Having someone to bounce ideas off of is vital for a composition of any size. Writing a book, however, takes a special kind of dedication. You might need something more supportive than an editor. How about a coach?&nbsp;
LaToya Guillory is the founder of <a href="https://www.theintentionalauthor.com/">The Intentional Author </a>and the creator of the Acadiana Black Author Expo.&nbsp;
LaToya grew up in an Air Force family, bounced around the country, and eventually landed in Lafayette to attend UL, where she earned a degree in Child and Family Studies. She went on to get a master&rsquo;s in Human Service Counseling with a specialization in Marriage and Family, and spent more than twenty years as a social worker.
Along the way, LaToya has always been &ldquo;the helper&rdquo;: starting a kids&rsquo; club in her apartment complex, babysitting for children with Down syndrome, leading worship bands, guiding couples. On track to become a licensed counselor, she hit a major detour when her graduate program lost its accreditation, forcing a rethink at the exact moment she was also raising a young son.&nbsp;
As The Intentional Author, LaToya now coaches writers through self-publishing &mdash; from the &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got an idea&rdquo; phase all the way to publication. She offers group masterclasses, year-long coaching plans, and one-on-one support, and she&rsquo;s published several books of her own on purpose, marriage and faith.
LaToya also saw a gap in Lafayette&rsquo;s literary scene and launched the Acadiana Black Author Expo in 2023 to give local Black writers a place to be seen.
A cancer diagnosis is a scary and all-too-common story. And it helps a lot to have someone to walk you through one of life&rsquo;s most difficult chapters.&nbsp;
Phyllis Weaver is the Executive Director of<a href="https://milesperret.org/"> Miles Perret Cancer Services</a>. Phyllis grew up in north Louisiana and moved to Lafayette for college. She thought she might be a teacher or an artist, but what really stuck was her love of community work. She joined the Lafayette YMCA as an assistant program director while she was still in school, and stayed there for fourteen years &mdash; eventually becoming Senior Program Director. After that, she led LA Soar, a nonprofit focused on youth, before joining Miles Perret Cancer Services as an event coordinator in 2024.In 2025, she stepped into the role of Executive Director.
Miles Perret is a cancer resource center serving ten parishes across Acadiana. They provide everything from care kits and wigs to transportation help, school supplies for kids, counseling groups, fitness and nutrition classes, art therapy, and more &mdash; all free to clients.
On the fundraising side, the organization is probably best known for big events like the Camellia Crossing &ldquo;gleaux&rdquo; run and Games of Acadiana.&nbsp;
Out to Lunch is 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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/alisha.zachery">Alisha Zachery Lazard</a> at<a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/02/08/whats-your-story/"> itsacadiana.com</a>.

What's Your Story?

When we talk about running a business, we usually talk about revenue models, staffing, square footage, and growth plans. We talk about work. What we don’t always talk about is emotional work. The phone calls you don’t charge for. The time spent listening instead of billing. The moments when you’re not really running a business so much as helping someone through a rough chapter.

Running a business can be really hard. But — hey — life is hard. If you need something to help you cope: Why not a furry friend. You might meet your next pet at Meow Woof Animal Collective. 

Alex Pitre is the executive director and co-founder of Meow Woof. It’s a café and adoption center designed specifically for animals who have lost their people due to hospice care, medical emergencies, death, or relocation. These are animals who often struggle in traditional shelter environments and need time, calm, and consistency to reconnect.

Alex is originally from Opelousas and spent a decade living in New York City, where she built a career working remotely in tech. In 2019, she came back to Louisiana to help her parents relocate — and discovered that returning home didn’t feel temporary.

Alex has always done animal rescue work, but after coming back to Acadiana, she began feeling disconnected from her local community. Brainstorming with friends led her to an idea that combined two long-standing passions: animals and hospitality.

Self-care is health care. And that’s true for dogs too. If your pup needs a glam-up, Traci Pecot can help. She’s the owner and founder of Paws and PawPaws, a pet daycare and grooming center here in Lafayette. 

Traci moved to Lafayette in 2005 after graduating from the University of Holy Cross with a degree in marketing. Her early career was spent in healthcare and hospice-adjacent work, followed by corporate sales. The idea for Paws and PawPaws had been in Traci’s mind for years, but it wasn’t until a restructuring at her company that she decided to act on it. Traci traveled the country visiting dog daycare and boarding facilities, earned industry certifications, and opened Paws and PawPaws in 2017.

Today, the business employs more than twenty people and serves thousands of clients through boarding, grooming, and daycare. But one of its quieter roles has become something else entirely: a place where seniors who can no longer own pets can still spend time with animals. You can hear the background to those early years in this 2019 conversation with Traci.

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette.You can find photos from this show by Alisha Zachery Lazard at itsacadiana.com.

When we talk about running a business, we usually talk about revenue models, staffing, square footage, and growth plans. We talk about work. What we don&rsquo;t always talk about is emotional work. The phone calls you don&rsquo;t charge for. The time spent listening instead of billing. The moments when you&rsquo;re not really running a business so much as helping someone through a rough chapter.
Running a business can be really hard. But &mdash; hey &mdash;&nbsp;life is hard. If you need something to help you cope: Why not a furry friend. You might meet your next pet at <a href="https://meowwoofcafe.org/">Meow Woof Animal Collective</a>.&nbsp;
Alex Pitre is the executive director and co-founder of Meow Woof. It&rsquo;s a caf&eacute; and adoption center designed specifically for animals who have lost their people due to hospice care, medical emergencies, death, or relocation. These are animals who often struggle in traditional shelter environments and need time, calm, and consistency to reconnect.
Alex is originally from Opelousas and spent a decade living in New York City, where she built a career working remotely in tech. In 2019, she came back to Louisiana to help her parents relocate &mdash; and discovered that returning home didn&rsquo;t feel temporary.
Alex has always done animal rescue work, but after coming back to Acadiana, she began feeling disconnected from her local community. Brainstorming with friends led her to an idea that combined two long-standing passions: animals and hospitality.
Self-care is health care. And that&rsquo;s true for dogs too. If your pup needs a glam-up, Traci Pecot can help. She&rsquo;s the owner and founder of <a href="https://www.pawsandpawpaws.com/">Paws and PawPaws</a>, a pet daycare and grooming center here in Lafayette.&nbsp;
Traci moved to Lafayette in 2005 after graduating from the University of Holy Cross with a degree in marketing. Her early career was spent in healthcare and hospice-adjacent work, followed by corporate sales. The idea for Paws and PawPaws had been in Traci&rsquo;s mind for years, but it wasn&rsquo;t until a restructuring at her company that she decided to act on it. Traci traveled the country visiting dog daycare and boarding facilities, earned industry certifications, and opened Paws and PawPaws in 2017.
Today, the business employs more than twenty people and serves thousands of clients through boarding, grooming, and daycare. But one of its quieter roles has become something else entirely: a place where seniors who can no longer own pets can still spend time with animals. You can hear the background to those early years in<a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2019/02/27/laundry-dogs-of-lafayette-out-to-lunch-its-acadiana/"> this 2019 conversation with Traci</a>.
Out to Lunch is 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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/alisha.zachery">Alisha Zachery Lazard</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/02/01/pet-projects/">itsacadiana.com</a>.

Pet Projects

Some things you don’t think about until they stop working. Then you get a trickle from your shower head. Suddenly, all you can think about is what’s happening with the pipes underground. 

There’s money to be made in invisible industries. That’s true if you’re pumping water from a well — a technology as old as civilization itself — or driving engineered fluids underground to drill for oil. 

Christiaan's guests on this edition of Out to Lunch both work in industries that sit mostly out of sight — below ground, behind fences, or buried in technical jargon — but when they’re needed, they’re really needed. 

Scott Russo is co-owner and water specialist at Waterboys LLC, a water well services company serving residential, commercial, and agricultural clients in Acadiana.

Most people get their water from large public or private utility systems. But more than 23 million U.S. households rely on private groundwater wells for their drinking water. That’s about 15 percent of the U.S. population who aren’t connected to municipal water systems and must maintain their own sources.

Waterboys, founded in 2020, offers well drilling, pump installation, maintenance, and emergency repair — often with Scott himself answering the phone at all hours. 

Water is a round-the-clock need, so Scott is always on call. 

Scott grew up in Kaplan, studied geology, lived overseas and in Las Vegas, and eventually found his way back home and into the water well industry. 

Zach West is president of Downhole Chemical Solutions, a Lafayette-based company operating in the hydraulic fracturing industry. Downhole plays a big role in the hydraulic part of fracking, providing the tech and engineering needed to get oil and gas out of the ground. 

The fracking boom revived the domestic oil industry over the last decade. The hydraulic fracturing services industry alone is estimated at more than $40 billion in size in 2025.

Downhole is an employee owned company with over 200 people on staff and serves a mix of major and mid-sized energy operators. 

Zach grew up in central Louisiana in a family of engineers, earned degrees in chemical engineering and business, and returned to Lafayette to build his company. 

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

Some things you don&rsquo;t think about until they stop working. Then you get a trickle from your shower head. Suddenly, all you can think about is what&rsquo;s happening with the pipes underground.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s money to be made in invisible industries. That&rsquo;s true if you&rsquo;re pumping water from a well &mdash; a technology as old as civilization itself &mdash; or driving engineered fluids underground to drill for oil.&nbsp;
Christiaan's guests on this edition of Out to Lunch both work in industries that sit mostly out of sight &mdash; below ground, behind fences, or buried in technical jargon &mdash; but when they&rsquo;re needed, they&rsquo;re really needed.&nbsp;
Scott Russo is co-owner and water specialist at<a href="https://waterboysllc.com/"> Waterboys LLC</a>, a water well services company serving residential, commercial, and agricultural clients in Acadiana.
Most people get their water from large public or private utility systems. But more than 23 million U.S. households rely on private groundwater wells for their drinking water. That&rsquo;s about 15 percent of the U.S. population who aren&rsquo;t connected to municipal water systems and must maintain their own sources.
Waterboys, founded in 2020, offers well drilling, pump installation, maintenance, and emergency repair &mdash; often with Scott himself answering the phone at all hours.&nbsp;
Water is a round-the-clock need, so Scott is always on call.&nbsp;
Scott grew up in Kaplan, studied geology, lived overseas and in Las Vegas, and eventually found his way back home and into the water well industry.&nbsp;
Zach West is president of <a href="https://www.downholechem.com/">Downhole Chemical Solutions</a>, a Lafayette-based company operating in the hydraulic fracturing industry. Downhole plays a big role in the hydraulic part of fracking, providing the tech and engineering needed to get oil and gas out of the ground.&nbsp;
The fracking boom revived the domestic oil industry over the last decade. The hydraulic fracturing services industry alone is estimated at more than $40 billion in size in 2025.
Downhole is an employee owned company with over 200 people on staff and serves a mix of major and mid-sized energy operators.&nbsp;
Zach grew up in central Louisiana in a family of engineers, earned degrees in chemical engineering and business, and returned to Lafayette to build his company.&nbsp;
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at <a href="https://lafayette.servingsushi.com/">Tsunami Sushi</a> in downtown Lafayette. You can&nbsp;find photos from this show by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.astormorgan.com">Astor Morgan</a> at <a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/01/18/dig-it/">itsacadiana.com</a><a href="https://itsacadiana.com/2026/01/11/steel-towers-new-neighbors/"></a>

Dig It

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.

It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

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