How Lafayette Builds A Safer, Kinder Mardi Gras

Think you know Mardi Gras because you’ve seen New Orleans? Let us take you to Lafayette, where volunteers, logistics, and tradition come together to create one of the safest, most family-friendly celebrations anywhere. We welcome trial attorney and Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association president Chris Velmorette to pull back the curtain on how a year of planning becomes a seamless parade week—right down to the barricades, float safety checks, police coordination, and the festival at Cajun Field.

Chris shares how his legal training translates into leading complex operations with clear communication and calm under pressure. We dig into the recent route debate—why Jefferson Street’s business case didn’t outweigh decades of tradition—and how a packed city council meeting reminded leaders that community trust is the parade’s true engine. We compare Lafayette’s approach to New Orleans, Houma, and Mobile, talk through why a volunteer board matters, and tally the ripple effect on small businesses, from bead buys to tux rentals. You’ll also hear this year’s entertainment highlights and why Lafayette’s “season, not a day” cadence makes room for families to enjoy multiple parades with ease.

Then the conversation turns to a gripping legal and medical saga: the early fight to license chiropractic care in Louisiana, and a courtroom moment where a wheelchair-bound client—restored to walking after sustained chiropractic treatment—changes an entire malpractice case in a single step. It’s a reminder that good advocacy, like good community work, asks tough questions, follows the evidence, and keeps people at the center.

If you’ve never experienced Lafayette’s Mardi Gras, consider this your invitation. Bring your family, make friends on the route, try the boiled crawfish, and feel what happens when a city rallies behind safety, culture, and joy. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Cajun Lightning Round

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Okay, Etufe or Frikasse?

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Frikasse.

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Frikasse or Buddha?

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Fricase.

SPEAKER_03 0:06

Frikasse or chicken and sausage gumbo.

Welcome And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:14

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_03 0:27

Hello and welcome to today's episode of Posture and Purpose. Today, as my guest, I have Mr. Chris Velmorette, who's a trial attorney here in Lafayette, Louisiana. But he's also um the president of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Montigros Association, because I guess you just needed another full-time job.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

I sure did.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

It sounds like it. So he's here to share a little bit about both of those roles here in Louisiana and more importantly, Lafayette. So welcome.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Well, thank you for for having us.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

Thank you for being here. I have a couple of questions for you, and I'm just gonna shoot them right at you. You gotta tell me what your answer is real quick.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

It's scary, but I'll I'll do my best.

Food, Festivals, And Local Favorites

SPEAKER_03 1:06

You can do it. Okay, etuffee or fricasse?

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Fricasse.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

Fricassé or boudin?

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Fricassé.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

Fricassé or chicken and sausage gumbo.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Uh gumbo.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

Gumbo or boiled crawfish?

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Boiled crawfish.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

Boiled crawfish or fried alligator?

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Oh, boiled crawfish.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

Boiled crawfish or king cake.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

If it's Kellers, king cake.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

That was my next question. What is your favorite flavor?

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Uh the Amaretta walnut king cake from Kellers, right up there with Poupart's traditional king cake with the cream in the middle. Okay. Excellent.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

Well you passed that test. So see, you did a great job. Thank you, thank you. What is your favorite festival here in Louise in Lafayette? Is it international or are festivals like Cadiana Creole?

SPEAKER_02 1:59

I like the Festival International. Because of it's set in set up downtown. Uh you can meander uh around, listen to the various stages, the various uh um different music. We have, you know, it's very eclectic music. You got all the vendors coming from all over the the world. Um I like it. I like festival uh Acadia and Creole, but um I I really, really like the Festival International.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

Well, generally, if you're from Louisiana and Lafayette, you like any festival basically.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

So, country Mardi Gras or City Mardi Gras?

SPEAKER_02 2:39

The Curieux de Mardi Gras is fun. Uh, I took my daughter and a couple of her little friends from Ole Miss a few years ago, and when the the young men, when they were chasing the chicken, you know, the capitan sets up and he threw the chicken in the air, and the boys come across in their costume, they come across the field chasing the chicken. These little girls started screaming, and my daughter said, You know, Dad, this was like on Braveheart when when Mel Gibson and the Scots were coming across the field to engage the British.

Becoming A Lawyer And Moving To Lafayette

SPEAKER_03 3:13

The Cajun version of Braveheart. I like that. I think about that every time now. So tell us a little bit about your background, uh, how you became an attorney, how you eventually became involved with the Montigras Association here in uh Louisiana.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Well, uh, I grew up in Marksville, Louisiana. Um, actually not in town. I grew up in between uh the little village of Hesmer and uh and the town of Marksville. I went to Marksville High School, and then from there I went to Louisiana College in Pineville, and then went to law school in Mississippi, at Mississippi College, and um uh I always wanted to be a lawyer because I saw uh growing up people that were taken advantage of by people with education means, um, you know, and um I did not I didn't like that. And uh this gave me an opportunity to fight for the little guy. Um and so I've been doing that for 31 years now.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

31 years, so you must be pretty good at it, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Well, I I I I I do okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

And what brought you to Lafayette? What was your first Lafayette experience like with Maud Gras?

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Oh well, okay. What brought Brita what brought me to Lafayette? Um I met a man uh named uh Jay Minus Simon. He was um he was the lawyer in Louisiana. My grandfather, who lived in Marksville, who didn't speak English, didn't read and write, got his news from the French radio. Okay, so 75 miles from here. He knew who J. Minus Simon was, if that tells you what the man's reputation was.

SPEAKER_04 4:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

So I had uh the great opportunity to go to work for Minus, and he taught me everything I know. So I moved down here in 1995 and worked for him, and Minus' wife, Jeannie, was involved in the Crew of Victoria.

unknown 5:17

Woo-hoo!

First Mardi Gras Experiences

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Yes, and so she got my wife into the crew of Victoria, which uh drugged me in there too, and uh, you know, they used and abused me. You're a good sport. Yeah, I've had to wear red tights, I've had to dress as uh a magi, I've had to uh do all kinds of things that Jeannie Simaw and uh Teresa Mesa uh wanted me to do.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Well, you must have been good at it as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Uh yeah, we had fun.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

That's what counts.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Yes, yes. So that was our first experience, was was my wife's really my wife's involvement in the crew of Victoria, and then we got our kids into the Crew de Jeannie. So the kids participated in Mardi Gras and they loved it. And we'd, of course, we'd go to all the parades. Um, I guess our our my wife's first real introduction to Mardi Gras was when we were in law school in Mississippi. My two best friends, Ryan Seal and Bob Wheat, lived in New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

Oh my.

What The Association Actually Does

SPEAKER_02 6:24

And so we would we would have a good time in uh in New Orleans, and so my my I convinced my my girlfriend then to bring her sister, and we I took the two girls down in New Orleans from Mordi Gros, and my wife was she thought, well, you know, this is silly, you know, you know, fighting for these little plastic beads.

SPEAKER_03 6:49

Where was she from?

SPEAKER_02 6:50

Baytown, Texas. Oh, okay. And she was a little sorority girl at Baylor, and my sister-in-law was a little sorority girl at Texan. So I have these two blondes with me, and you know, they were you know, this is gonna be boring. And the first parade that comes by, I think it was Toth, they lose their mind and they're jumping in uh and they were hooked immediately.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

Yeah, there's a spirit about it. If you've never been to Mardi Gras, of course we invite you to come here and to Lafayette to visit, but it is an experience.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

And we have the best one.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Look, New Orleans is is huge. It goes on for two weeks or more. Lafayette is so much more family friendly, it's more convenient, you can see all of the catch all the beads you want to catch. Our food is better. It is on yeah, you know, I hate to say, but our food is better than New Orleans, you know, per restaurant. If you want to compare, they have more numbers, but I think we have better quality.

SPEAKER_03 7:53

Absolutely. That's what counts.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

And so what brought you on to leadership with the association here in Lafayette?

SPEAKER_02 8:00

Well, I got involved in greater Greater Southwest to help uh with the parades. Because Greater Southwest Mardi Gras, we're all of we're a completely volunteer organization, and we facilitate the parades. That's really our focus. We also facilitate the festival that goes on at Cajun Field, and that helps us raise money to put and to pay for next year's Mardi Gras. So uh I got involved um 15, 18 years ago, something like that. And um, you know, helping at at uh at Pontiac Point where they stage the floats, making sure um the floats have uh uh fire extinguishers and that kind of thing, and making sure that everything is safe, uh the floats are hooked up properly to the trucks and whatever.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Things that we do not think about.

SPEAKER_02 8:55

Yeah, and it and sometimes you gotta get them unhooked, and it's sometimes it's harder than others.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

And so I'm sure.

Parade Logistics And Public Safety

SPEAKER_02 9:02

So I started doing that, and then I got appointed to the executive board, and I really didn't understand at the time what that meant. But uh you move up in in position. So we have it broken down where you know we have a president. I'm the president this year, it's not really that stressful, but you have some person who's in charge of the parade, the parade chairman. That's a bear. Oh this year it's William Kaufman, he's doing a fantastic job, but that is the m the the hardest position uh in the board because the parade is a big deal.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

That's what I was gonna ask.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

What makes it such a burden or well you gotta deal with all these people when you're dealing with people, you're dealing with personalities, you're dealing with problems. Right. So you have to coordinate with the city, so you have public works, make sure the trees are trimmed, make sure um everything is ready to go, you know, the barricades are ready, um the portalets are ready, that kind of thing. Yeah, sure. Then you have to deal with the police department, and we have uh Sergeant Matt Benoit, who's our who's our contact. He's an old hat at doing this. He knows what to do, he's does a fantastic job, but you still have to run everything through him because they they really provide the security for Mardi Gras. And that's another thing that this year is going to be really, really safe. The police department is going to have patrol units staged so that what happened in New Orleans won't happen here. And what happened, it wasn't for Mardi Gras, it was during on New Year's Eve what happened in New Orleans. Right. Um so you go, we gotta deal with and we gotta deal with the sheriff's department. Then we gotta deal with and coordinate with all of the the 24 crews that we have.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

I'm tired just listening to you.

Entertainment, Festival, And Vendors

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Yes. That's a lot of work. When do they when do they set up? Where do they set up? Well, this one wants to set up here. This one doesn't want to set up here. All of those things we have to navigate. Oh, that's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. But then we have uh uh one of our guys, one of our volunteers is gonna be in charge of um uh our our advertising. You've seen our our Facebook page and our we have a um we also have a uh an internet uh website. We have one man that maintains that. We have two guys that deal with the festival itself, getting all the entertainment, and we're gonna have some jam-up entertainment this year.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

Okay, who's gonna be entertaining us this year?

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Yeah, we got uh we got Wayne Toops is coming.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

And uh what's the boy's name? Foster. Landon Foster, he won American Idol. We got some good people. So the entertainment's gonna be really good, but we have it takes two people to put on that festival. You gotta do it parking. We we we have a contract with UL. UL is very helpful. Um, but we we set up you know RV spots on the limited area we have in front of Cajun Field, and we put on the festival. We have to coordinate all that, all of the the vendors there and the um the carnival, people that put on the carnival itself. Then we have someone who's gonna be in charge of the ball. The city ball is at Hyman Center where they all the crews, uh, the royalty from all the crews can be presented if they if they wish. Um it's a lot.

SPEAKER_03 12:47

Yeah, that is definitely another full-time job.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

So the executive board is a is twelve, twelve different people, and some other people assist them.

SPEAKER_03 12:59

I'm sure.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

And look, we start working Ash Wednesday for next year.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

Well, that was one of my questions. Um, how soon uh do you have to get started to plan for the the following year?

The City Ball And Year-Round Work

SPEAKER_02 13:09

So we'll have a debriefing meeting shortly after uh Ash Wednesday to go over and discuss what issues, if any, we had that year. We've worked most of everything out. We've been doing this for 90 years now, so we've kind of worked out everything. But you know, um we've uh I guess the worst thing we've ever had was uh uh you know the uh the this last year of the this year, the the issue with the the route change and all of the political stuff fallout that came from that. So the the route is gonna be the same as it's been for the last 30 years.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Okay, that was my question. Um what was the main concern there?

Parade Route Debate And Tradition

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Well I'm gonna be polite and and say that the concern was that the changing of the route was going to um leave people it was gonna change things and and people who traditionally for the last 30 years had set up and and would always this was our spot and they would set up a tent and traditional, yeah. And it was gonna move, and so some people who had planned on being at the same spot that they've been the last 30 years were no longer gonna be on the parade route. And so that upset some people. Um as Greater Southwest Mardi Gras as a board, we didn't it didn't matter to us. We would we would have been able to run it on Jefferson Street. We tested that that route by using the two largest floats that would ever be pulled in Lafayette. I mean it we s we pulled them down Jefferson Street with the barricades, and there was plenty of room.

SPEAKER_04 15:04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

But uh ultimately they didn't want to they didn't want to go down that route, want to maintain the existing route that passes in front of the federal courthouse and then turns onto Vermilion and then comes uh where Vermilion and it turns on Vermilion and Jeffre uh and Johnston. So we're gonna maintain that same route.

SPEAKER_03 15:27

It will stay the same. Yes, that's that's definitely decided. And so being that all this goes into um planning and organizing, it sounds like for a good better part of a year. Yes, how is Lafayette's Mardi Gras different than uh, you know, everyone's familiar with New Orleans? But how is it different from maybe Homa or Mobile or even Galveston? Do you know? Have you visited those cities?

SPEAKER_02 15:53

Uh Homa. I have visited all three. Homa, I can tell you, um lacks any organization. We had a committee from Homa to come visit us, I don't know, it's been a few years because they want to create a board like we have. They want to create a greater Southwest type board uh for Homa so that there's less confusion and more organization. Uh the routes are not all the same. Uh which which crew goes in order, uh, who goes first, who goes second. Um there's a lot of grinding and mashing of teeth. Uh I understand. I mean, they have a great Mardi Gras, but um I take it that there's a lot of um uh hurt feelings and discontent with how behind the scenes. Yes, yeah, yeah.

Comparing Mardi Gras In Other Cities

SPEAKER_03 16:53

What about mobile? They they claim that their Mardi Gras older um the first one. It is so that I wanted to clear that up. What year do you know the year that they started theirs?

SPEAKER_02 17:04

Uh I okay I won't hold you too. When did they sell so I I think it's a it's a um uh it's how what you say. Did did did they celebrate Mardi Gras before New Orleans? Yes. Who had the first Mardi Gras parade? I doubt that Mobile was an older uh older settlement than New Orleans.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

Right, so that's up for debate. It depends who celebrated first. Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

If I think Mobile celebrated, but really the Mardi Gras that we know with the balls and the parades was started in New Orleans. Uh uh Governor um Vaudrill, he was, you know, it was Spanish, then French, and then Span, and then and then Napoleon, right? So he was he was the one of the French governors, and he's the one that brought the whole Mardi Gras ball and uh and the ball gowns and the the the formality to it and the and the Mardi Gras parades and the things that we know now. Yes, that's what that's who did it.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Well he was probably a good businessman as well. Yes, because he probably saw what could be and the possibilities, which here we are today.

Economic Impact Of Lafayette Mardi Gras

SPEAKER_02 18:15

Oh, it's yes. I mean my gosh, it's so it's so important to this economy, just in in Louisiana in Lafayette. Yeah, you know, you gotta understand you you're you're talking about an economic impact that according to the Daily Advertiser back in 2020, they did a study. The economic impact was a positive$150 million. So I don't know where that would be now, it would be more, certainly. You know, you've got at least 3,000 riders for Mardi Gras. About I mean Bonaparte is a thousand. Just Bonaparte's a thousand. So three thousand riders. So you think about it. So three thousand riders, that means they got three thousand, you know, costumes and beads. I mean, they're spending, you know, eight, nine hundred dollars or more for their beads. Per person. Per person. Um in the pre-parade parties and uh all of the all of the stuff that goes on.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

All those people have to buy snacks, all those people have to get gas, all those people have to move about and run errands. That brings so much to our economy.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Right. Go go to Mary Ellen's Tux uh place today. I went there yesterday at 4 30 and the line was out the door. He's loving it.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

Yeah, that's great to hear, though. That's great for these businesses.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

Yes. I mean, and and you know, that I think that's what um the mayor considered when she talked about changing the route was to run it down Jefferson because of the presence of all the restaurants and the bars along that route. Uh it didn't work out, but uh, I think that was the the the idea was to bring the parade to the those establishments.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

I see. Okay. But they decided to stick with tradition. Yes, that's fine. And how has the association, since you've been involved, how have you seen it grow or change throughout recent years?

SPEAKER_02 20:18

Well, we grow because uh, you know, you you you serve until uh you're president, and so next next year I have no role. I'm still gonna be involved, I'm still gonna help out. So we have we have a constant flow of new blood. And we've got a lot of young men behind me, younger than me, thank God, who who are energetic and who love Mardi Gras and who are dedicated and who work hard.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

You have to be, sure.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Yes, because they they love it and they want to preserve this for their children and their families. Right.

Leadership Pipeline And Culture

SPEAKER_03 20:51

That's what it's about, our culture and the history of our culture. And it's good to hear that there are people behind us that love it as much as as we do. So how about I know you are on the board, now you're current president. How does your role as an attorney, how has that affected your role? I'm sure it has been a blessing that you have that experience. Um, but how does that translate into leading this association?

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Well, as you might have figured out, I'm not scared to talk. So when you're dealing with a lot of people, a lot of personalities, um that's not the time to be bashful. And so it that part of my training as an as an as a lawyer has helped me out um navigating some of these issues and dealing with some of these characters that you run in run into. Mediating. Mediating. I'm not good at mediating, but I've learned how to mediate. Okay. You know, um so yeah, no, it's it's very helpful. Um but because you you can't be scared to go ask the question. Question. You can't be scared to go and ask this person, hey, I'm asking you to do something that might not be what you want to do, want to see done. You just gotta ask. So that that has benefited me.

SPEAKER_03 22:16

And gently guide, or sometimes not gently.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Yes, yeah. I'm not good at the gentle part.

SPEAKER_03 22:21

Oh, okay. Well, good. But I'm learning.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

I'm learning.

Lawyering Skills Applied To Mardi Gras

SPEAKER_03 22:23

What has been your proudest moment so far leading the association?

SPEAKER_02 22:29

I tell you what. Um with all of the drama that came from the route change and um it put again, it put Greater Southwest Mardi Gras in a in a precarious position uh with the city council. It was an awesome feeling when we went to the city council meeting and we had that place packed to the ceiling.

SPEAKER_03 23:01

People were very involved and interested.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

People were very involved and they were supportive of us. Of us. They were supportive of Mardi Gras.

SPEAKER_04 23:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

They did not, and they do not want the product that we have, the Mardi Gras parade that we have, the festival that we have, to change. They don't want it to get ruined. It's working, it's worked well for a long time without incident. Leave it alone.

unknown 23:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

And they were passionate about it.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

And they were passionate about it.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

So do you mind sharing a story about a certain Mardi Gras event that either captured your heart or captured the heart of a Cadiana and you saw it really, you know, make a change or made an imprint?

Community Support At City Council

SPEAKER_02 23:48

An event. Well, I'll tell you what. Uh it's been six, seven years ago. We had the worst cold rainy day on Mardi Gras.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:05

I mean, we must there must have been four inches of water on Johnson Street where it turns onto South College.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Okay.

Rainy-Day Parade And Dedication

SPEAKER_02 24:16

Okay. I don't know if you remember that. It was horrible. I'm there whether it is or not, but and what was impressive to me was those guys on that float were out there in the weather, had their some had their rain gear on, some didn't, but they were throwing beads to whoever was out there. There weren't a few. But these guys, this was the crew of Gabriel, these guys were dedicated. I mean, they're gonna they've you know they've committed to this and they're gonna see it through. Right. And they they rolled that that parade the whole length of the parade, and it was something.

SPEAKER_03 24:57

I mean And they look forward to that all year. It's not just two weeks. We you know, we play in.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Mardi Gras is not a holiday. Mardi Gras is a season.

SPEAKER_03 25:06

Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

But those guys that year weren't upset that it was raining on their parade, literally. And I thought, wow, you know, these guys have the right attitude.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

And the right spirit. Yeah. That's uh that's a great story. And how does celebrating Lafayette's culture and traditions generally enrich people's lives here in Lafayette or in Louisiana, especially for those who may have not visited Lafayette before and we want them to come and join the fun?

SPEAKER_02 25:34

Well, I mean, look, Louisiana and this part of Louisiana especially is so unique, right? Where else, in nowhere else in the United States, will you see people uh gathered for a parade to catch these, to catch beads, and to make believe that these people on the floats are royalty.

unknown 25:58

Right.

Family-Friendly Mardi Gras Culture

SPEAKER_03 25:58

Now maybe some of them that are on the floats really believe that they're royalty, but depends how much uh drinking maybe has taken place.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

And that too. You know, we really take it, uh take the whole Mardi Gras of the concept of Fat Tuesday to heart, and we we do. Yes. And it just gives us a reason to throw another party. So it it's it's a very unique thing, you know. You where else can you go watch the parade, okay? Ready to go eat some ball crawfish, and then you go uh get some ball crawfish and come back for the next parade.

SPEAKER_03 26:29

And such a family fun event as well. Yes, you don't have to worry about uh things that you may have to worry about in New Orleans. It is very um family-oriented here in Lafayette.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

And we have barricades. New Orleans doesn't have barricades or barricades or safety for moat most of the route. They don't have barricades. We have barricades. Uh, and that's important, I think. Uh changes changes it. Certainly. Um Yeah, and it's it's family friendly. You'll see, especially, you know, you go along the different parts of the route. But you'll see mom and dad and the kids and the little red wagon all up and down.

Delegation And Board Leadership

SPEAKER_03 27:04

Um and making friends with the people they've never met before in their lives on the side on either side of them. Absolutely. You might make, you know, again, great friends, and then you're on your way. Oh, what do y'all have over there to eat? Oh, we have some Buddha and y'all come get some of the, you know, it's just so, so family uh oriented, which I love. I love to see that. So and have you learned any leadership lessons? I mean, how can you learn a lesson at this point in life, right? You're a trial attorney, you've seen it all, you've done it all. Have you learned anything from this process?

SPEAKER_02 27:36

Yes, you learn to delegate. You have to have some good people to delegate to.

SPEAKER_03 27:41

Do you mean your bossy? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Yes, my therapist tells me to admit things. No. Yes, but I've I've got some really good guys that that uh serve on the board with me. Uh, and I have learned to let them do their job because they'll do it and they'll do it well. I don't have to micromanage them.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

All right, you can lean on them.

SPEAKER_02 28:05

Yes. Makes all the difference.

Chiropractic Licensing History

SPEAKER_03 28:07

Makes all the difference in the world. Well, I've been wanting to speak to you about your uh role. I I I don't know if that's the right word, or your history with chiropractic.

Case Story: From Wheelchair To Walking

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Well, I have a um uh what would I call it? Um uh uh a connection to chiropractic by uh association. So I said earlier that I moved to Lafayette to go to work for a man named J. Minus Seymour. And Minus was he was something, um, an exceptional human being, best lawyer I've ever seen, talked to, heard of. The guy was something. Well, one of the things that he's he was known for was getting the chiropractors license, licensed in Louisiana. So it was back in the early 60s, I believe, late 50s, early 60s. You could not be a you could not practice chiropractic in Louisiana because you had to be licensed by the Louisiana Medical Board, and they just wouldn't license chiropractors. So Minus uh represented a chiropractor, and I'm I'm trying to remember his name. He was from this area. Anyway, they sued the Louisiana Medical Board in federal court and asked for an injunction. An injunction is a legal request to stop someone or some entity from doing something. So the injunction sought to stop the medical board from denying chiropractors a license to practice chiropractic in Louisiana. Well, the the the injunction was granted, but it was never they never went to court and ultimately resolved the issue. And it so it stayed in force for 10 years or so, and by the time they went back to resolve the issue to determine if the medical board could license chiropractors, well, the chiropractors had already moved into Louisiana, developed a political base, and boop, now they're licensed, and now we have chiropractors. So that was my experience with chiropractors. And as a lawyer, I have you sent my clients to many different chiropractors here in Lafayette and elsewhere to treat them for the injuries in a car accident or other kinds of issues, and I've grown to understand and appreciate what they do. See, when I first started 30 years ago, chiropractors and physical therapy, two different things. Now, not so much. Now physical therapists are doing adjustments much like chiropractors do.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

Right. The things that I won't say any specific names, but things that they were saying we were kooks for.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

Correct.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

What what what changed there? All of a sudden they want to do manipulations.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

Right. So, and and look, uh, I learned a lot from Minus. The man was a uh genius, and then when it came to physiology, he really knew his stuff. And um he was he was a big fan of chiropractic because it actually, in s in a lot of instances, would fix the patient, fix the client. You know, you can give them in certain conditions, you can give them medicine that just masks the symptom, but oftentimes the chiropractic actually treats the cause of the symptom. Right, right. Why is this muscle in spasm? Well, the muscle's in spasm because you know it's been stretched and there's uh m very small scar tissue that's built up when the muscle was stretched and uh it bled and now it's not as pliable. Listen to you. Oh, I can talk about and so you get in there with uh and and work on the muscle and press down on the muscle and break up that scar tissue so now they're more flexible and they have more range of motion. Yes. Sound right? A plus.

SPEAKER_03 32:25

Right. So tell did you have a story you wanted to share with me? I think there was a specific case um where um a chiropractor was either in court or there was uh a patient who was seen by a chiropractor. Would you share mind sharing that story?

Advocacy For Chiropractic Care

Invitation To Experience Lafayette

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Sure. Um That was that was Minus. Um Minus had a um he loved the theatrics. Okay. So this was this was a case where the the patient, the client, had fallen from an excavator and he fell in a seated position. And it didn't take too long before the man would lost all function below the waist. He was basically paralyzed. So he was first examined by Dr. John Jackson, who was the first recognized neurosurgeon in the state of Louisiana. He practiced in New Orleans, was on the taught school at LSU Medical Center, taught school at Tulane Medical Center. He was the guy. Knew his stuff. Well, this man comes in, um, can't, nothing below the waist, and Jackson, for whatever reason, didn't examine him, didn't have any X-rays, no MRIs, didn't have MRIs back then, but just looked at him and said that he had Charco Marie's tooth disease. Now, Charco Marie's tooth disease ain't got nothing to do with your teeth. Charco Marie's tooth disease is a wasting disease where the muscles waste away. Uh and it's very common in this part of the in this part of Louisiana. How he diagnosed this man with that disease by just looking at him, we don't know. So sends him home. Can't walk. Well, he comes to see Minus about the accident. And Minus is curious. Well, you know, he didn't examine you. No? Well, Minus had a relationship with the people that operated, I think it's Parker School in Dallas. Dallas, yeah. And so they s Minus arranged for this man to be sent to Parker, and he lived on campus of the school. And every day the chiropractic students would manipulate this man, put him in traction, oh you know, and in several months, it took several months, the guy was able to walk.

SPEAKER_03 34:53

How wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Yep. And what what happened when he fell? The disc was just emacerated. I mean, it just blew up. And a million little floater pieces in that so the space looked good if you looked at it on an X-ray. His spine looked fine, but you couldn't see unless you cut him open.

SPEAKER_03 35:15

The disc material.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

The disc material is floating around and interfering with the nerves and everything else. So the chiropractic treatment he got released that and the guy was able to walk. So Minus sues Dr. Jackson for not treating a guy in malpractice. And um nobody knew that this man could walk. The staff at the office knew, Minus knew, but the the man, not his mama, nobody. Nobody knew he could walk. Kept it quiet. So Minus, being Minus. He walks into the courtroom. He's got Gray's General Anatomy book.

SPEAKER_03 35:57

Everyone, anyone in the medical field should know what that book is.

Personal Traditions And Unwinding

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Right. And he doesn't have a pencil, he don't have a piece of paper, just Gray's General Anatomy. So he calls Dr. Jackson as his first witness. And the patient, the client, the client sitting there in a wheelchair with a blanket over his legs, right? So he puts Jackson on the stand, and we're going to talk about Charcoal Marie's tooth disease, and we're going to have a lengthy discussion about that disease. It can't get any better, right, Doctor? No, it can't get any better. It only gets worse. It's a progressive disease. Yeah. So it goes on, it's monotonous, right? So they're about to break for lunch, and Minus said, No, no, no, no, no. Look, I just have one more question to ask the man. All right. Well, Jackson knew something was coming because he kept Did you sweat? Scooching down in his seat. So Minus directs the patient, he says, now so so Dr. Jackson, if you palpate it, if you touch this man's legs, you could tell this jury if the disease process has remained the same or has progressed, right? And Jackson hesitantly says, uh yeah.

unknown 37:02

Oh gosh.

Posture And Purpose Closing

SPEAKER_02 37:04

So the man, the client reaches for the wheels on the wheelchair as though he's going to roll up to Dr. Jackson.

SPEAKER_03 37:11

Inter theatrics.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

And he stood up. Well, when he stood up, Jackson passed out and fell out of the witness chair down onto the floor.

unknown 37:24

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 37:25

Minus turns and says, now that's a cross-examination.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

Yes, sir, it is. Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_02 37:30

I was into that.

SPEAKER_03 37:32

Wow. I don't I hope uh some of my chiropractic friends are listening and that they can hear that story. And thank you so much for sharing that with me. Because things have changed a lot. You know, we've kind of had to fight for our place and um not necessarily recognition, but our patients are the ones that really count. The people, the people we can help. And uh those guys pave the way for me to be able to do what I love to do. So but it works.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

I practice I'd go to one. I used to go to one. My my friend Bob Lejeune.

SPEAKER_03 38:02

Oh, that was a good friend of mine as well.

SPEAKER_02 38:04

Well, he was the only one big enough to put my hip back in place.

SPEAKER_03 38:06

Hey, dynamite comes in small packages.

SPEAKER_02 38:10

Well, he was 330 pounds, and uh that's great. And uh of course he'd give me uh he'd insult me all up until the time he would uh adjust me and tell me how what a sissy I was for complaining. And but uh yeah, he was a good friend, and so I I believe in it. Yes, you know, he would he would uh adjust my neck and it would drain my sinuses.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

So many people aren't aware of how we can help them. And it really makes a difference when someone from the outside, as yourself, you know, uh gives us a little testimony, and you know, of course, with your experience in the courtroom as well, you know both sides of it. So that's golden. So if you could share one message with our listeners today about either practicing law in Louisiana or Lafayette or about the Mardi Gras Association, our culture, like we talked about a little bit before, our history. Is there a message you'd like to get out to people?

SPEAKER_02 39:07

Well, to the people that don't participate in Mardi Gras. It's it's awesome. It's an awesome experience. I grew up in a Voils parish. We didn't celebrate Mardi Gras. And I've come to enjoy it immensely. My family has, and my wife's from Texas. She has come to enjoy it immensely. My kids enjoy it. Uh my daughter's coming down uh for Mardi Gras this year, and she and I are going to walk across the stage. She can't wait. Oh it's a wonderful, and you don't have to go to the balls and stuff. Going to the parade and and seeing all of that is an awesome experience. Don't miss it.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

It is. And it gives you a great example of classic Louisiana, most importantly, Lafayette, the happiest place on earth. Come and visit.

SPEAKER_02 39:59

And if you get an opportunity to go to Church Point and do the Curio de Mardi Gras, go see it.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

Yes, such an experience. It's the only place in the United States that that's that that you'll see that. Yes. So unique to our area. Is there a Mardi Gras tradition that you and your family do every year? Is there a certain parade or I guess you're working the whole time?

SPEAKER_02 40:21

I'm working a lot. Um uh we do uh after Mardi after Mardi Gras. I hate to say Mardi Gras Day, but after Mardi Gras, um we'll go to La Fonda's and just and relax because I'm I'm usually bone-tired.

SPEAKER_03 40:41

You're done.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

And we'll have a a few half and halves and then go home.

SPEAKER_03 40:46

Right. Well, that's a good way to uh end Mardi Gras Day, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 40:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 40:51

So that was my next question. How do you unwind? But it sounds like it is definitely um at La Fonda's with a half and half. Do you um have you visited a chiropractor after Mr. Bob, Dr. Bob has passed away? No. Okay, well, you're looking at your next one. Yes, ma'am. There you go. Yeah, I can be bossy too.

SPEAKER_02 41:09

Okay. I'm married, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_03 41:12

My last question is usually how do you maintain your posture while pursuing your purpose in life?

SPEAKER_02 41:19

I've I have been fighting all my life. And um, whether it's in court or you know, uh uh or or what, I I don't give up. Um I try to remain and maintain the tenacity. Um because I I just don't want I don't like to give in. I don't like to give up. And so I guess that's how I maintained a very driven. Um yes, I I want to think I am.

SPEAKER_03 41:53

Yes, don't take no for an answer, right?

SPEAKER_02 41:55

No.

SPEAKER_03 41:55

Well, I can't thank you enough for being here sharing it with us uh, you know, your Mardi Gras experience, but also your experience with chiropractic. It was very heartwarming, and I really appreciate you being here.

SPEAKER_02 42:06

Oh, thank you, Dr. Carr. We appreciate being here.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

Yes, sir. So les ailes bon roulette, sit up straight, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay adjusted.

SPEAKER_00 42:15

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.