Meet Our Contributors

Amanda grew up in East Texas with the last name of “Thibodeaux”. As a child, she found her last name was very odd and even more peculiar to pronounce! She and her husband are recent transplants to Youngsville where they are raising their two energetic boys. Amanda is a girly girl who loves all things feminine: the sparkle of new earrings; the glamour of a perfectly red lipstick. She has proclaimed to be many things: an old soul born in the wrong era, a land-locked mermaid, and a bull in a china shop. A book lover since she can remember, Amanda indulges herself in the smell of freshly printed pages and can’t stand the stench of an old book… she wonders “who else has touched that book and what images did they conjure up as they read the very same tale?” This thing is for certain however, Amanda is a mother who believes in the power of Faith, dreams, and imagination. One of Amanda’s most favorite quotes by Erin Hanson gives wings to her dreams: “What if I fall? Oh, but darling, what if you fly?”

Christina was born and raised on the northside of Lafayette.  After graduating from THE Northside High, she completed pharmacy school at Xavier University of Louisiana.  After pharmacy school, Christina completed two pharmacy residencies and is a licensed pediatric pharmacist.  After moving to several different states, meeting her husband on a blind date (in Lafayette), she returned home to get married and start a family.  For her sanity, she runs, plays tennis, watches every Serena Williams match, sews, volunteers, and actively seeks to learn, educate, and foster an anti-racist environment around her.  She loves learning, reading, book clubs, glitter/sparkles, Beyonce & Serena’s work ethic, athleisure, stationery, bright colors, and all things East Coast.  When she is not training for a race or completing some random goal, you can find her swimming (or on the beach), visiting with family and/or friends, and spending time with her husband and rainbow baby Evie.

Emily Beatmann is a Louisiana native born in Shreveport, Louisiana. She went to UL Lafayette and earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations in 2012. It was here that she fell in love with her husband, Jude, and the city of Lafayette. On the weekends, you will find Emily at a festival, the farmer’s market, enjoying a Mardi Gras parade, or eating at one of the many delicious restaurants in Acadiana. Emily and Jude have two children named Mia (6) and Patrick (2.) She is a Marketing Director by day and mom by night! Emily has a passion for reading, Harry Potter, theatre, coffee, wine, spreading financial literacy, her friends, and family.

Emily is a dual citizen, residing in Lafayette, Louisiana, yet a temporary visitor in her other residency of Germany. She is a wife of four years and full time working mother to two kids: a 2.5 year old girl (C) and 5 month old boy (H). Having graduated from LSU with her bachelors, she continued her education by getting her Masters in Business Administration from UL. Working in management in retail, her schedule frequently varies and consists of unusual hours, but she embraces that as extra time with her children. While off the clock, Emily pours herself a cup of decaf coffee, plays in a room filled with toddler toys, teaches her children German, and attempts to be a scrunchy Montessori inspired mama with goals of raising independent children.

Jessica is a marketing manager who loves bopping around Lafayette for the best burgers or bands in town. She is a full-time marketing strategist with a passion for storytelling. She and her husband Chris have two littles at home (Jane and Clark) where there is lots of giggling and always a cup of coffee brewing. Jessica is passionate about community-building and empowering working mothers. She is a board member for Downtown Lafayette Unlimited and the Lafayette Re-Entry Coalition, a graduate of Leadership Lafayette, and a survivor of being a mother of 2 under 2.

A kid at heart, Katie loves all things writing, Harry Potter and musicals. At any moment, she is down for either a cup of coffee or margarita. Her passions are building and improving her community of Lafayette, where she was born and raised, and teaching her one daughter to have a British accent. (Not so successful at that last part yet).  She spends her day as a credit union storyteller, believing that building strong personal finance habits can be the secret to a fulfilled life. She also contributes to the local finance and community-centric blog, the Meri-tea Community.

Libby was born and raised in Baton Rouge. She is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she studied theatre and film performance in their dual campus program in both New York and Los Angeles. She then spent many years traveling the world as a character performer with Disney Cruise Lines, and later as a lounge musician along with her husband, Garrett, for Celebrity Cruises. After returning home to plant roots and have their son, Crosby, Libby and Garrett decided to make the move to Lafayette to be closer to family, and they couldn’t be happier with their decision. Libby now satisfies her wanderlust by exploring all that her new beloved hometown has to offer, and still loves to occasionally play music with her husband as Sugar and Honey, their acoustic pop duo.  

Marissa is a Las Vegas native who transplanted to Acadiana 6 years ago. Her blended family consists of Brandt (10), Jackson (2), her husband Justin and an ever expanding herd of animals. They live on the outskirts of Lafayette and love gardening and raising chickens. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts. She worked in several restaurants before realizing that her real passion was for teaching. She is now in elementary education and is hoping to gather enough interest to have an after school cooking club like she did at the last school she was at. She spends her time volunteering with Lafayette Education Foundation, writing for Lafayette Mom and is in the middle stages of writing her first children's book! Motherhood of full of ups and downs but hope is always consistent.

Patrice is a Baton Rouge native that moved to the area to attend UL Lafayette in 2002 and never looked back. Since graduating with a degree in Public Relations she has worked in the insurance business on both personal and commercial sides. Her love of her Cajun heritage made it an easy decision to marry her New Iberia born and raised husband, Matt. They now resides in Youngsville and have two daughters Jolie (9) and Amelie (5) and her bonus son, Eli (14).  On most weekdays you will find her running the roads to the dance studio, soccer field or her favorite place, 220 Fitness. The weekends are her favorite family time and are usually spent cooking with her family, watching her daughter show off her goalie skills, checking out any festival around the area, and catching all Saints and Cajuns game. She and her husband are craft beer drinkers, but she also won’t turn down a good Pinot Noir or fancy cocktail.  She loves a good philanthropic event, to-do lists, singing in front of people whenever she gets the chance, her gym family and live music. Lafayette has been the perfect place to raise her children and immerse them in the culture she loves.

Sarah is a 30-something mom of four children under six and wife to her high-school sweetheart. She returned to Acadiana two years ago following her husband’s completion of medical school and residency in Shreveport. After the move, Sarah switched gears from full-time pediatric speech-language pathologist and working mom to full-time stay-at-home mom to her brood. Her current hobbies include “speech-therapizing” her children, re-reading the Outlander series, catching up on her Netflix queue after the kids go to bed, completing XHIT videos at naptime, and taking her medication every morning. She loves and respects the sacredness of motherhood, but sometimes you just have to let go and laugh it out. Motherhood has been the most humbling and empowering journey she has experienced.

A native from Midwest City, Oklahoma; Stephanye Batiste attended Grambling State University majoring in Journalism. She began her career as an education  reporter and later transitioned fully into the academic realm by becoming an elementary teacher and gaining her master's degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University-Portland. As an entrepreneur, wife, mother of 3 young children and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., finding free time is rare but most enjoyed when she is writing, traveling, exploring new recipes and bookstores as well as laughing with family and shopping for clothes, makeup and decor.

Tiffany is a University of Louisiana at Lafayette design graduate. She resides in the heart of Lafayette with her husband and their two children. She loves her family, living in the Deep South, and spending beautiful days outside. Tiffany spins a lot of plates as a busy, freelance graphic designer, a triple-certified placenta encapsulation specialist and a holistic birth doula, and also making organic, home wellness products with her husband like elderberry syrup and colloidal silver. She believes in your inner strength and that you can accomplish anything including but not limited to the birth your desire. She loves encouraging lady bosses working their hustles, through the hard knocks, while becoming strong, smart and successful.

Torilyn Williams is a Louisiana native, born and raised in New Orleans. She moved to Lafayette to attend UL Lafayette, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Applied Life Sciences.  Tori is blessed to be the wife of her ambitious and hardworking husband, Damian. The devoted mom of Tatum Marie (6) and Aubrey Malia (5) and bonus mom to Damian Jr. (20). Tori has been working in the banking industry for over fifteen years. She is a member of Junior League Lafayette. Tori has a heart for volunteerism, she loves to give back to the community and mentor the youth. Tori is a die-hard New Orleans Saints fan. She is also a self-proclaimed foodie that loves to chronicle her food adventures on Instagram (@Dashofwilliams). Outside of work you can find Tori spending time with family and friends, traveling, trying new recipes, and working out. Tori is always down for a good meal with family or a shopping trip!