Entrepreneurship can start in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it starts with a tiny idea that just grows alongside a community. Other times, it comes from a personal need—something you realize just isn’t out there yet, and you decide to build it yourself. That’s exactly what happened with Abbey Lovett. She’s a mom of two who saw something missing in the Baton Rouge business scene: a flexible, supportive workspace built with women in mind. So, she created Pathos Collective—a space that gives members 24/7 access to: a coworking area, a fitness center, professional development events, and is even working on bringing in in-house childcare. Since launching in November 2024, Pathos has hosted multiple sold-out events and has already grown to over 30 members. Some entrepreneurs start by spotting a gap in the market and figuring out how to fill it. Others follow a passion that ends up turning into something much bigger. Jenni Peters is definitely in that second group. She fell in love with running back in grad school, and that passion eventually led her to open Varsity Sports, a specialty running store in Baton Rouge. What started as a shop for serious runners has grown into a welcoming hub for the whole fitness community—offering everything from shoes and gait analysis to group runs for people at all levels. Now with locations in Baton Rouge, Mandeville, and New Orleans, Jenni hasn’t just built a business—she’s built a community. At the core of any great business is the ability to really connect with people. Whether it’s through a product, a service, or just creating a space where folks feel seen and supported—those connections are what make businesses thrive. And that’s definitely true for both Abbey and Jenni's businesses: they've both built something that goes way beyond business. Whether it’s a coworking space or a running store, when you create a sense of belonging, you’re building something that lasts. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baton Rouge is a city known for its strong sense of community. But it’s also a city that’s becoming more aware of the need to protect and enhance its natural environment. In a region where development has often meant the loss of green spaces, there’s a growing movement to restore and care for what’s left—especially its trees. Sage Roberts Foley is Executive Director of Baton Rouge Green, an organization she’s been involved with since 2010. Baton Rouge Green is a nonprofit dedicated to planting trees, maintaining green spaces, and improving the urban landscape. Sage is passionate about making a tangible impact, and under her leadership Baton Rouge Green has taken on some ambitious projects that are already transforming the region. Trees are great to plant, but they’re not something that gives you an immediate return on your investment. Trees are, more than anything, an investment in our future. But a beautiful tree-canopy future for Baton Rouge isn’t going to be worth much if the future citizens of the city don’t have roots here. And that’s where the Baton Roots Community Farm comes in. Baton Roots is an urban farm. And a collection of agricultural projects that provide an opportunity for community members to learn best practices in sustainable agriculture. It’s an initiative that falls under the umbrella of a Baton Rouge organization we’ve talked about before on this show, The Walls Project. The Associate Director of Baton Roots Community Farm is S.K. Groll. Every year when June 1st rolls around we start talking about hurricanes. If this does anything - besides inducing a community-wide sense of anxiety - it makes us confront the fact that we’re living in a precarious place. Whether you believe climate change is man-made or simply the result of a natural cycle, we have to do whatever we can to make Baton Rouge resilient enough to withstand whatever nature and the future throws at us. While most of us do what we can by thinking positive thoughts and staying upbeat about life here, folks like Sage and SK are getting up every day and actually doing something to help ensure city life is not just sustainable, but better for future generations. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love to divide things into categories of two. Tall or short. Hot or cold. Liberal or conservative. And then there’s creative, or not. That one’s simply not true. Everyone has something they want to see come to life. Everyone has a vision of something they’d love to create that doesn’t exist… yet. 18 years ago, Chris Dykes started tracking his habits on an Excel spreadsheet. In the course of the next 18 years, Chris quit his job and co-founded an app-building business, Clear Blue Design. With this new company at his disposal, Chris looked at his spreadsheet - which he was still using every day - and came to the conclusion there had to be a better way. That’s when Chris and his team created the app, Ever Better. Subscribers choose what they want to improve - fitness, finances, or whatever they want - and the app gives them a way to measure their personal growth. When it comes to being creative, not everyone gets their foot in the door right away. Claudine Diamond, owner of Blue Lotus Visions, didn’t find her passion until a little later in life. In 2010, she started teaching herself how to paint with acrylics, then oils, then watercolor and now, 15 years later, she’s landed on mixed media. Claudine works with botanical materials, some found in her own garden, that she transfers onto paper using a gel plate and acrylic paint. Through her company, Claudine is building a community of artists. Together they host call-to-artist parties where they collaborate on singular pieces of art with upwards of six artists creating one piece. In a world where art can provoke several emotions, Claudine prides herself on making art that makes people happy. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Animals. For most people animals are a part of their everyday life. Maybe it's your dog that loves it so much when you come home from work. Maybe there's a duck in the park you go to that remembers you because you feed him every time you see him. Regardless of where you run into them or what your relationship is with them, animals affect all of us. But some deal with animals you don’t see every day. One of those people is T-Mike Kliebert, Head Tour Guide at Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours. T-Mike grew up working on an alligator farm with his grandfather. There, he helped with the alligator and turtle business. As he grew older, though, and regulations started to change for things like distribution of turtle eggs, the business switched to more of a sanctuary for the animals. After T-Mike’s grandfather passed in 2018, and after taking over the company, T-Mike moved Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours to a temporary two-acre property in Ponchatoula. He’s currently working on expanding and making the gator’s “forever homes”. Not all of us have alligators, but a lot of us do have tame everyday pets. Whether it's a dog, cat, rabbit or bird, 66% of American households have some sort of pet. And those pets need vaccines, check-ups and doctor's visits just like we do. What we might not think about when we bring our pets to the vet is how much work goes into a business like that. Just like any doctor’s office, the vet needs meticulous record keeping and a place for online bookings to be kept. Most vets use a variety of tools for these tasks. Elliott Greenwood is looking to change that through his new application, Chckvet, not to be confused his company name Chckup. Chckvet aims to be a home for all of the services a vet needs: an automated online booking system, a client portal for pet records, newsletter templates and more. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you draw up a business contract, lawyers try and predict the myriad things that could go wrong and plan strategies and remedies so if they do there are no surprises and you know what to do. Well, outside of business, real life is different. You can’t even imagine the number of things that can go – well, if not totally wrong, not as right as you’d like. When things go off the rails, or before they do, to try and head off the worst outcome, there are places and people to turn to. Like Stephanie's two guests on Out to Lunch. Rachael Hebert is Executive Director of The Red Shoes, a non-profit center for personal and spiritual growth with a mission of supporting women on their life’s journey. Located in Mid City here in Baton Rouge, The Red Shoes was founded in 1999 to celebrate, empower and nurture women and offers a space to explore and develop their inner life. Rachael is a licensed clinical social worker and who took over as Executive Director in 2024, but she has a long history of working with the organization dating back to 2007 when she worked as an administrative coordinator at the center. The experience inspired her to become a social worker and to establish STAR – the Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, which has proven in the decade since to be a vital community resource. Rachael is also involved in other community nonprofits including community radio station WHYR. Greg Tiritilli is an addiction counselor here in Baton Rouge with years of experience helping individuals navigate the challenges of recovery. Greg is the Program Director for residential and long-term programs at St. Christopher's Addiction Wellness Center, where he plays a key role in shaping treatment strategies and supporting both clients and staff. Greg joined St. Christopher’s after previously working as an addiction counselor at The Recovery Center of Baton Rouge. Greg is a native of Dallas and a graduate of LSU who is now deeply rooted in the Baton Rouge community, balancing his professional dedication with a love for the outdoors, live music, and spending time with family and friends. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.