Posture & Purpose With Dr. Michelle Carr Frank

From Teen Health To Safe Sitter: How A Local Foundation Builds A Healthier Acadiana

• Chris Logan Media • Season 1 • Episode 12

Share episode

A clearer brand, a sharper mission, and programs that meet families where they are—this conversation with Amy Broussard from the Foundation for Wellness pulls back the curtain on how local public health really moves. We dig into the data behind Louisiana’s STI rates, why honest teen education matters, and how pairing kids with parents in puberty classes opens a lifetime of better conversations. Along the way, we share practical frameworks schools can adopt without losing trust with families, including collaborations across public, private, and Catholic campuses.

We also look at prevention through a wider lens: violence and substance use education that starts in kindergarten and builds into high school, chronic disease prevention that treats movement as joy rather than a chore, and small habit shifts that cascade into lower risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. You’ll hear real success stories from Kids on the Go, plus the simple insight that a single daily change can unlock confidence and results. For caregivers, Safe Sitter and Safe At Home translate medical guidance into action with CPR, choking response, and modern safety standards—now expanded with a new class for grandparents and relatives.

Healthcare pros are part of the solution too. The foundation provides CME and behavioral health CE to keep front-line teams up to date, aligning clinical care with community needs. Looking forward, we talk about expanding across Acadiana, dreaming of a more walkable Lafayette with bike paths and trails, and why prioritizing sleep might be the most underrated wellness habit of all. If you care about practical prevention, family safety, and community health that actually works, this one’s for you.

Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

SPEAKER_02:

How would you describe the mission of the Foundation for Wellness if someone listening has never heard of it and they're thinking, I don't know what they're talking about exactly. If someone had that question, how would you describe that to someone?

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Posture and Purpose, where both healing and community come together. Make sure to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Let's get into this episode with Dr. Michelle Car Frank.

SPEAKER_02:

Hello and welcome to Posture and Purpose. And today I have Miss Amy Broussard with the Foundation for Wellness in Lafayette.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Can you share a little bit about your background and what led to you becoming involved with the Foundation for Wellness?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's kind of interesting. I did an internship in college at Women's and Children's Hospital. And so through that internship, I got to know the foundation. And it was Women's Foundation at the time, but we kind of the marketing office was close by the foundation's office on the hospital campus. So I was aware of this great foundation since college. And then after college, a position came available. The foundation staff has always been pretty small, so like you have to be one of the lucky ones. You have to know something. Yeah. So right out of college, I worked for the foundation running some of the community education classes. But you know, my um career path took me on uh on to other things. I did a stint at Women's and Children's Hospital in the marketing department, which is great. Um then I spent some time at LUS Fiber at the beginning part of the project, which was wonderful and stressful. And I was gonna say, I bet you learned a lot. I'd learned so much. But then I heard that uh the executive director position at the foundation was available, and so um here I am.

SPEAKER_02:

Here you are. And that and that's wonderful. Um, and especially because you saw it just over around the corner and you knew um what a great organization it was from the beginning. So I know it's changed names a few times.

SPEAKER_01:

It ha well it has, but mostly for the life of the organization, it was known as Women's Foundation. So, you know, that really and truly was the name for many years. Then um actually it's been about seven or eight years ago, we started doing a lot of research on um how the community saw us. We were getting confused with the hospital um for many reasons, but we just really we found that we didn't have our own brand. We just were confused for a bunch of different things.

SPEAKER_02:

So And that's one of the reasons why I wanted you on today because you guys do so much for the community, and I wanted people to know about it. So, and uh what personal experiences or values have driven your passion for the wellness community here?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's just it a couple of things, like watching public health numbers, so you know, I feel so lucky to be a part of an organization that is working to move the needle for people. Um our health is so important, you know. We only have one body, we only have one body, and um if there's something that I can do personally through the foundation and be a part of an organization that is working to help people enhance their lives through their health, um I mean it that's it's just an amazing opportunity.

SPEAKER_02:

And you're right there in the middle of it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

How would you describe the mission of the Foundation for Wellness if someone listening has never heard of it?

SPEAKER_01:

And they're thinking, I don't know what they're talking about exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

If someone had that question, how would you describe that to someone?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, our mission is to promote the total well-being of women and their families. That that's the mission of the organization. Um, and we get to do that depending on the needs of the community. So, you know, we have a little bit of flexibility just depending on where the public health needs are, um, where the gaps are. Of course, we want to be good community partners because there are wonderful nonprofit organizations out there that are working in the same space. So we never want to duplicate services, um, and we make sure we're keeping an eye on all of that, that we're providing programming that's meaningful, um, that's needed and necessary, and isn't being provided by other organizations.

SPEAKER_02:

Elsewhere. Yeah. And what are some of the key programs or initiatives that the foundation is currently focusing on? What have you seen currently?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, well, on in our community education space, we are always taking uh watching sexually transmitted disease rates. Um we have some long-standing programming there um in teen pregnancy rates. So we we keep an eye on those two, and it's not good news.

SPEAKER_02:

It's not good news. It's not good news. No. Really?

SPEAKER_01:

We are in fact number one in something, Louisiana. You know. Oh. It we're we're number one in something. Go Louisiana. And it's chlamydia. Oh so Are you is everyone hearing this? That's so so we can say we we're we're number one in something. Oh my god. And it's chlamydia. Oh so how do you educate people and what age groups do you focus on? Uh so for that directly, we have something called bird spees and STDs. And it's for um high school, college-age kids, because again, uh, those are the ones that we're seeing, like those age groups have the highest rates of infection. So, you know, they need to know number one, that it's out there. So whether you're in if you're engaging in this activity, this is a real possibility.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, period.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, like that's out there, it is out there, um, and they need to know, and then they need to know what to do, how to prevent it, you know. And then we also talk about healthy relationships in that class. So consent and what does a healthy relationship look like? So all of that gets rolled up into that that one program. Then we have one that's a little younger, we don't get into sexually transmitted diseases or anything like that, but it's it's for puberty specifically, so it's medically accurate for kids and their parents. We do and parents, and parents. We do offer it in the schools, but we prefer to offer it in our classroom where the child and parent can come together so they hear the same information. Um, the parent doesn't have to be the bearer of bad news. Right.

SPEAKER_02:

They can just uh after the information is given, then hopefully it opens a line of communication between behave that way to you know have a conversation that maybe mom or dad maybe otherwise would be uncomfortable with. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

So we take care of all the awkward conversation, and mom or dad can just be there for support, answer questions. Right. All of all of that.

SPEAKER_02:

You mentioned classroom. Is are you guys allowed to go into the school system or okay? So how does that work?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, we have great relationships with a a bunch of different schools. So we work well with the public school system, we have a great relationship with many private schools and the charter schools. So it it's really um any school that has kids in this age range that needs the information and that is willing to carve out the time for us to come in, we we will work with them.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, they all need the information, if you ask me. Um because it's so important to get it out there, like you said, for several different reasons. And is there are there any events going on currently um with the foundation? Um any of the classes are being held currently?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I don't have our my the schedule in front of me, but if you follow us on social media, Foundation for Wellness, or you go to our um website, foundationforwellness.com, you can see a list of all of the classes. The classes because Body Talk runs year-round, um, and then we have, you know, I think Bird Space STDs we do once per quarter. So there's a there's a lot going on.

SPEAKER_02:

And there's a good um uh representation, numbers, people okay, that's wonderful. I'm so glad to hear that that's out there. And you mentioned collaborations with other people. Um, what are some of the community collaborations that you guys have?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh well, Lafayette Parish School System. And Love Our Schools. We we have a great relationship with Love Our Schools as well. Um let me think of we do have we have a great partnership with a Cadiana Area Human Services District. So, you know, they have they're a mental health provider, okay, and they have um some are giving us some financial support for substance use prevention. So we do have a program for um it's for substance use prevention and violence prevention. So they are helping us go into schools to provide that particular program as well. I assume high schools? Oh yeah, high high schools, okay, um, lots of high schools, but this particular curriculum, it's called Too Good for Drugs, Too Good for Violence. It's age appropriate starting at kindergarten. So it gives them life skills and it you know it's all age appropriate and it builds um the topics build on each other. So it plants the seed. It plants the seed. Well, for like kindergarten or first grade students, we talk about cleaning supplies or dangerous substances in in the house, you know, so that they are aware that there are some things out there that could harm your body if you put them if you adjust them more. So again, it it's all age uh age appropriate, but it builds up to vaping addictions, the more serious stuff, if you will.

SPEAKER_02:

And you mentioned mental health, but what about preventative like care with nutrition or those other more um I don't want to say surface level, but not as um you know um pressing as unfortunately sex sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy.

SPEAKER_01:

We do have a couple of programs that are uh focused on chronic disease prevention, which is kind of one of my passions because if if like obesity affects so many different risk factors. So if you could just if we could help people change this one thing or have the information um to change this one thing in their lives, it affects so many different other aspects like um diabetes, heart disease, stroke, uh cancer, all of that's tied to this one thing. So we do have a a couple of programs for that. We have one for kids, it's called Kids on the Go. We do that mostly in schools. It's it's a 10-week program, and it's behavior modification, nutrition education, physical activity. One thing we kind of drill home for the kids with the physical activity is that you have to find something that you like. You're you just have to move your body. You don't have to not just for kids. Adults. You don't have to run a mile. No. You know, it doesn't have to be serious. You just have to find something that you enjoy.

SPEAKER_02:

Do something, do something to get out there and um do, you know, preventive measures. And uh being that you touch on so many different topics, there has to be a success story that you've seen personally. Could you share one of those with us? Do you have one that comes to mind?

SPEAKER_01:

There's a there's a couple. Um, so for the the kids on the go program, a couple of years ago, we were at uh I think it was Lafayette Middle, it was one of the middle schools. Um we did the program there um over the course of probably two or three years. And so the first year, um, our instructor went in, she gave the curriculum, did the program. And then the second year, she showed up, and there was one girl who looked completely different. She had lost a bunch of weight, she was being active. I think she had uh started running, but um, and our instructor looked at her and just said, Oh my gosh, you look fantastic. What have you been doing? And the girl said, Well, I just stopped eating hot fries.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01:

Nobody had told her hot fries are bad for you and you need to have them in moderation. Um we take it for granted. Yeah, yeah. So that that was amazing. And there was another child. Um, she was in high school, I think a senior, went through the program, and her goal was to join a I think it was the Air Force, but it was a military, she wanted to join the service and she didn't meet the weight requirements. And over the course of the program, we saw her really, you know, maintain her weight, get healthy, and at the at the end, she was able to you know, she applied and and got in. So those those are just two small things.

SPEAKER_02:

So it might be something so basic that we all take for granted. You never know who's listening. Plant those seeds, the little ears are listening. Some will, you know, take that notice and and make changes. Um, some won't, and maybe do it later on, but they'll have that information at their fingertips, which of course we know is so important. So, what simple lifestyle habits are wellness practices out there? I mean, I preach about it all the time, but um you're in a different um I would say mindset. You're out in schools with um all ages as well, but what do you see um that needs to be changed in the wellness uh aspect? Is there one thing I know you talked about obesity? Um is there something that you wish people listening um God, that's hard.

SPEAKER_01:

It is hard.

SPEAKER_02:

So hard.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't have to do one, you can do more than one, but uh well, I guess this just for me personally, it's reminding people about the movement. You know, it doesn't have to be exercise. You know, exercise sounds so we've heard it so much daunting, right? Right, right. It really is just try to find something that you like personally.

SPEAKER_02:

It could be dancing, you know, um swimming in these hot Louisiana summers, those things as well. But just find something that you enjoy. Even yoga in an air-conditioned gym. Absolutely. You know, there are things you can do. Absolutely. Um, and I know we talked about the schools and businesses that are also getting involved, and that is so important. And starting younger and younger, it sounds like because I know we didn't have that. Uh we had PE class, um, and that was you know wonderful. Yeah. But now they're really hearing um younger and younger uh consequences, maybe that that need to be heard at a younger age, I think personally. Um, but what are some of the future goals now that we've kind of touched on what you guys are working on currently? What are some future goals?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, we'd like to get into even more schools. I mean, uh, you know, the the goal is to provide the education to as many kids and families as possible. So we're really going to be focusing on some of the surrounding parishes. That's what I wanted to know. Is it just Lafayette, Lafayette Parish? How can you reach more people? It's it's Acadiana, you know. We we will go within Acadiana, and um, it's just a targeted effort for us to to go out and shake hands and okay. We want any school that we work with, we want them to feel comfortable and confident that we won't damage the relationship they have with their parents and families. We understand that's super important. So um it's a matter of just getting out to all of those schools and building trust. Um pie in the sky. I would love for us to have even be able to offer community programs at maybe community centers and in other um parishes. We we haven't gotten there yet, but that would be amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

Slowly but surely. Something that pops into my mind. Um you know, we have a lot of Catholic schools here in this region. Have you had any pushback from Catholic schools? Are they very open to you guys talking about STDs and pregnancy in the schools? Because just from a religious aspect, do you know what I mean? Do have they pushed back at all? Or do you guys have to change your um I don't know the curriculum?

SPEAKER_01:

We do sit with the I mean and and we have a great relationship with a lot of the Catholic schools um around uh, you know, we we do body talk, which is the the puberty class in quite a few of the schools, and we have done the S T D class. It's it's had a couple of different names, but um, we've done that for some of the private high schools in town, and we always sit with them and go through the curriculum in detail. If we need to make adjustments, we will. We're happy to do that because again, we want to make sure they maintain a a good relationship with their parents and families. But it hasn't uh there hasn't really been pushback, you know. They're they are open to it, they understand that the need is out there for education and and together again, we will go through the curriculum and make sure that they're comfortable what we're presenting to the students and then their parent population will be comfortable as well.

SPEAKER_02:

That's wonderful. And how do you envision Lafayette's wellness landscape evolving in the next 10 to 15 years?

SPEAKER_01:

How do I envision it or how do I want it to be?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, the word I have is envisioned, but you can share both.

SPEAKER_01:

Gosh, I would love for us to be um a more uh commutable or you know, a walkable city with um bike paths and walking paths, walking trails. Um and that comes with community partners. That it comes with community partnerships and it it that's a pretty big heavy lift because you know you're backtracking on development. Right, that's already there, right? But you know, if if I had my way and I could flip the switch, I would make us a walkable community. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

And we have Monkus Park. I mean we do that's a great asset that we you know recently acquired and the last several years. So it's beautiful and um walkable for sure. Um if people you know want to just not go to a gym setting or they don't want to be at home and do a home workout, go to Monkus Park. It's great. And you can certainly move um out in the open there. And what role do you think collaboration between healthcare providers, either nutritionists, orthopedists, chiropractors, or even mental health practitioners, um, play in the community part of well-being, of overall well-being?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, integral. Uh you know, integral. Um they are the people caring for the community. So, I mean, they play a very important role. You know, so it's important to us that they are supported and they have good quality education as well because Absolutely, you know, they're they're the ones caring for the moms and families that are under our mission. You know, they're the first line of defense. Right. Honestly, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right. And don't you guys have some type of program for continuing education for providers? We we do.

SPEAKER_01:

We like I said, we we do a lot. You do. But we are accredited, uh, nationally accredited to issue um CME credits to physicians with stands for continuing medical education. Um, and over the last probably five years, we also help manage um some continued education credits for behavioral health providers, which include um licensed practical counselors, social workers, addiction specialists, peer support specialist, and psychiatrist. I think those are all wonderful. And and then, of course, we're credited for physicians, we can help facilitate credits for nurses as well. But um, and again, all of that is because we believe they are the first line of defense, and it's important that um those who are caring for our community have the right information, can provide quality care, and are taking care of themselves. So that's an education, yes. Education, of course.

SPEAKER_02:

And what one piece of wellness advice do you try to live by every day?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, actually it's it's shifted um over the course of my life. Okay, but where I am today, it's sleep. I love that. That is a different answer, and I love it. Yeah. Rest. Of course, all of the other things, but so far I've really put a uh high value on on my sleep.

SPEAKER_02:

So I love that answer so much because people feel like they have to say, Oh, I go to the gym four days a week, or you know, I I got um training for a marathon. You don't have to do that, you have to prioritize what you need at that specific time.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And tell us, I know there's so many programs that the Foundation for Wellness has. Could you tell us or share with us some of your favorites or some that you may think our listeners would be very interested in hearing about?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we actually have one that's really popular. It's called Safe Sitter. And um, Safe Sitter was developed by a pediatrician, um, I think in Indiana, uh Patricia Keener, Dr. Patricia Keener. She was a pediatrician who worked for a hospital um in the emergency room. And she was on duty one night when a child came in who um had some accident at home, and the the adult babysitter didn't know what to do in that emergency, um, called 911, but by the time the child arrived at the emergency room, it it was too late, and the child belonged to one of the emergency room nurses, so it affected her greatly. So she developed a program that teaches kids what to do when they're babysitting, and to understand when you accept um a babysitting job, you're accepting responsibility for a child's life. So um that's how the program is born. We love it, we believe in it. Um, because it it's a as a parent, it's a big deal to leave your child with with another child, essentially, with somebody else.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly, exactly. How long has that program been in existence in Latvia?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh we have uh gosh, probably the early 2000s or late 90s. It's it's been running a really long time. But they do talk about behavior modification, they talk about what to do in any emergency, like if a stranger comes to the door, and then of course they get into life-saving skills. So they'll learn infant and child, CPR, and um the Heimlich maneuver. Well, they don't call it that anymore.

SPEAKER_02:

Choking. Yes, whatever. We all know what you mean.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah. Um, and then they do go into like babysitting as a business, how to keep themselves safe in this um world today. You know, they talk about not posting their personal information online and you know, make sure that their parents know exactly where they're seeking babysitting jobs. So it talks about all of that. Um, we love that program, and during COVID, the Safe Sitter Company took the curriculum and stripped out the babysitting as a business piece, but still all of those, like what to do in an emergency, okay, um, all of that great information. And we also we offer it, it's called Safe at Home. So this is for kids who might be staying home alone for the first time. All of those life skills are still super important. They might not be babysitters, but they're gonna be on their own. Um, and we saw a lot of that during COVID, you know, kids confidence.

SPEAKER_02:

They need the confidence to know they can do it, and their parents need to be confident that that they know what to do as well.

SPEAKER_01:

So we still offer that program, and then there's one final one in this like family that we just started. Um, and it's it's the same thing, it's those life-saving skills for infants and children, um, but it's for grandparents, our aunts, or uncles, it's for adults.

SPEAKER_02:

So when did that one start?

SPEAKER_01:

It we had our first class on Saturday.

SPEAKER_02:

That is wonderful.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so again, if you're a grandparent or an aunt, an uncle, it you know, anybody if you're an adult um who has a child in their life that you might be caring for.

SPEAKER_02:

And it might be a while. It might have been a while since you've had to do so.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. And a lot has changed. There's different rules about um how infants should sleep, you know, um, on their backs, and there's just a a lot of information. And I know grandparents that life saving those life-saving skills are really, they really look for um forward to learning those just so that the if if there's an emergency.

SPEAKER_02:

All those just in cases, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. So that it's it's kind of like a little family of programs, but it's still all centered around keeping kids and infants safe in the care of others.

SPEAKER_02:

And they all sound wonderful. So thank y'all so much for everything you do and bringing that to laugh yet. And basically, it's about education.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

Sharing that education and teaching people those life skills. So thank you. Well, thank you. So, my last question of the day is how do you maintain your posture while pursuing your purpose in life?

SPEAKER_01:

Not as well as I should.

SPEAKER_02:

If we're talking about like physical posture. Physical posture is one thing, but something that may be important to you, something that you're passionate about. How do you stand strong when you're met with challenges? That is a great question.

SPEAKER_01:

And um unfortunately, I think you know, I'm not sure I have I do the best at standing strong, but I I do really try to do a lot of self-reflection um after those hard moments pass so that I'm stronger in the next uh in the next challenge, I guess. Because we know they're coming. So I have a hard I internalize a lot of things, and I think in the moment I do the best I can, um, but after it's a lot of self-reflection and building myself up so that I'm I'm ready for the next time.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, everyone could take that piece of advice home, that's for sure. Well, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. It's such a wealth of information for the community. So thank you for everything y'all do. Of course, thank you. And until next time, sit up straight, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay adjusted.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks for listening to the Posture and Purpose Podcast with Dr. Michelle Carr Frank. Make sure to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Until next time.