Making Good

31 - Joaquin Rodas is the Founding Chef, Managing Partner of Bacchanal Wine

Joaquin Rodas is the Founding Chef and a Managing  Partner @bacchanalwine @elysianbarnola @bacchanalcatering. 

I first met Joaquin at one of Church Alley Cafe's first popups in 2012. Our families became fast friends. I always loved hearing Joaquin's story of how he became a chef. He started the restaurant Upstairs at Mimi's (the space now called Anna's in the Marigny neighborhood) before Hurricane Katrina and then went to culinary school. 

In this episode, we meander around discussing delicious food, his family, business, and pairing flavors in our kitchen. He gives us some tips on how to make delicious family meals at home. 

30- Vera Lester, Meaningful Work Coach

Vera Lester does a lot of things. As a Meaningful Work Coach, she supports clients One-on-One, offers business coaching for owners and small groups, facilitates team retreats, and speaks at conferences and meetings. All of this activity is dedicated to making work matter -- creating careers and companies that improve lives and make meaningful impact on the world. 

Vera Lester knows work is such a big part of our lives that being in the wrong role can turn us into zombies or burn us out. She believes every person has a unique calling and is obsessed with helping passionate professionals find and pursue it. 

In this episode, we discussed the nuts and bolts of strategic planning for small businesses. While we did discuss tactics like when is the right time to put something on the calendar and how to evaluate if that project is really worth your time and money, we also discussed how to connect with your purpose, why celebrating small milestones is important (listen for my groan in being reminded of why this important), and much more. We explored why annual strategic planning is not too corporate or too capitalist for even the smallest of businesses. 

We promised to list several things in the show notes during our discussion. Here they are: 

- After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield - https://a.co/d/6QHlDuo

 

- Gallup Strength Finder -- and the accompanying book Strengths 2.0 - https://a.co/d/ar6CrKT

 

- The Four Tendencies, which I remembered as "The four personalities" : https://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-four-tendencies/

https://gretchenrubin.com/four-tendencies/

 

- Becca Rich, holistic time coach -- https://www.theholistictimecoach.com/

 

- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - https://a.co/d/ikfqr3F

 

-Vera built a quick opt-in for folks to download the visioning exercise. That link is here: https://mailchi.mp/8a95477288e3/nhykgxms5k

 

 

You can learn more about Vera at her website: https://veralester.com/

29 - Anjali Prasertong, MPH, RD

Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. She led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods and worked with food entrepreneurs in the city looking to operationalize racial equity in their businesses. Now living in Denver, Colorado, she writes the reader-supported newsletter Antiracist Dietitian.

Our conversation included the nuts and bolts of what working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). We also discussed in depth why the lack of diversity in the nutrition field causes real problems that must be faced in our communities. Currently, it is estimated that only 2.6% of RDs are Black. The costs of becoming an RD are high and include an undergraduate degree in Dietetics, a Masters's degree, an unpaid 10-month clinical internship that usually costs roughly $10,000, and a national board exam with a high failure rate. Within this path are continual situations that many have spoken about as being inhospitable to those who are not white. 

Please follow Anjali's writing to learn more about racism in the nutrition field. She is a wealth of knowledge and activism. 

28 - Laurie Murphy, RDN, Oschner Diabetes Clinic

Laurie Murphy is a Registered Dietitian for Oschner's Diabetes Clinic. We talked about what is diabetes exactly, what is pre-diabetes, how does nutrition help prevent diabetes, and other tips on when you have a genetic disposition to diabetes. I really enjoyed learning more about this chronic disease and how to tweak our diet to get us all to a healthier place. 

 

 

27 - Alison Gaubert, Getting Curious

In today's episode, I speak with Mrs. Gaubert, a Dietetics Professor at Nicholls State University. We talk about how she engages students' curiosity, why curiosity is important in staying healthy and eating well, and how, with two small children, a Ph.D. candidacy, and a full-time job, she keeps engaging in the things she loves. 

26- Reneé Blanchard, It’s Not too Late To Make That Big Change

In today's episode, I discuss why you're not too old, and it's not too late. We discuss what it feels like to make a huge change at 40 years old. I talk about my experience of returning to get an undergraduate degree later in life while keeping my small business open. I hope this episode inspires you to do that big thing you've been wanting to do. 

When making a really big change, especially later in life, we often have to let go of who we thought we were, who we wanted to be, and who we thought we would be one day. There is a lot of processing, and it's worth taking risks scared and uncertain. It's just really hard, but not impossible. 

 

Journal Prompts: 

(1) You deserve the success that you can envision. What you are searching for, is searching for you. You can get there. The world might be throwing you all kinds of challenges, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the changes you want to make in your life.  Think through ways you can be more in flow with the habits you want to make. What do you keep resisting? What do you keep fighting against? How can you eliminate those things from your life? Hire someone, delegate it out, just stop putting that task you never do on your to do list again. What are the paths to eliminate the tasks you don’t want to do every day? Get the tasks that drain you off your plate.  Find specific ways to eliminate the tasks you don’t like doing. This will free you up to be more in flow with the things that you enjoy doing. 

(2)

Revisit our two big questions. What if your potential is double what you think it is? What if it all works out? Journal for 30 minutes on these two questions. What does your body feel when you ask yourself these questions? What excuses keep coming up for you? What words keep coming to you? 

The criticism that provokes an emotional response needs to be unpacked and dealt with appropriately. This is a good exercise to start that process. 

You are worthy of every success. You are worthy of good health.

 

(3) Write for 20 minutes to answer these questions. Why is this the right time to make these changes I want to make? What could go right if I make the changes I want to make? What am i giving up by making the changes I want to make?

 

 

25- Elizabeth Sloan, Hunger Rates in Louisiana

Today's episode is with Mrs. Sloan, Dietetics Professor at Nicholls State Univeristy. Sloan also worked at the state WIC program in Baton Rouge finding ways to keep young children and their mothers fed in Louisiana's high rates of hunger. This was a great episode about an issue facing our communities and our state. Learn what you can do help. 

24 - Jen & Nora, Wellness Project New Orleans

Jen and Nora launched the worker-led mental health non-profit Wellness Project New Orleans in 2022. They believe in their ability to empower a better system in how non-profits operate and respect the workers that make it happen. Full disclosure: I am a board member of this organization. Listen to this episode to learn more about the mental health help process in New Orleans and why the leaders in this organization believes they can make it easier and more equitable. 

Check out Wellness Project New Orleans: https://wpno.org/

 

 

23 - Caroline Bell, Cafe Grumpy co-Founder

Caroline Bell is the co-founder of Cafe Grumpy. This NYC based coffee roasting and coffee shop has been serving up some of the most delicious coffee! Church Alley Cafe has served Cafe Grumpy since 2015 as our main espresso and cold brew. Caroline and I talk about what it takes to grow a large company from one too-small shop and how to handle business when things go wrong. I loved this conversation because Caroline is always so open, trusting, and communicative about the challenges and successes of small business. 

Check out Cafe Grumpy: https://www.instagram.com/cafegrumpy/ 

 

 

23- Reneé Blanchard, Church Alley Cafe & Grocery

Today's episode is about Church Alley Cafe & Grocery. It digs into our mission for our small business and where the name Making Good came from for this podcast. Learn a little more about why Church Alley exists and what makes it so special! 

www.churchalley.store