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>.

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.