BusinessReport.com

Linda Lightfoot (1997)

Former executive editor (retired), The Advocate

What she does to relax: “Stress really isn’t an issue with me. I guess I go to the gym. I had to get past stress, or I couldn’t do my job at the newspaper. I’m pretty good at rolling with the punches. Stress was more of an issue for me when I was working fulltime and raising six children.”

Holly B. Clegg (1999)

Cookbook author

What she does to relax: “I truly could be relaxed if I stayed home and played in my kitchen all day. I think it’s because I like to eat as much as I do. When I can, I also like to meet a friend at the YMCA to work out—nothing too hard, though. I have a rule that if it hurts, I stop. I don’t want to look good that badly.”

Jackie Bartkiewicz (2000)

Communications coordinator, Office of the Chancellor, LSU

What she does to relax: “When I’m stressed, I sew. I’ve been sewing since I was 14 years old. I just enjoy looking at the patterns and going through sewing stores. I stopped for a while, but after I had grandkids I started again. I have been making their Halloween costumes for years now. I do have to start early, though. With five grandkids, I have to get started during the summer, or I’ll never have them done on time.”

Nancy Roberts (2001)

Executive director/founder, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators

What she does to relax:

“I started doing yoga about six years ago when a friend of mine told me that I had anxiety issues. Since then, I have become a five-day-a-week yoga person. Over the years though, I have developed a strong spiritual inner life, and I have realized that getting anxiety about things is not productive. You have to look at setbacks as opportunities.”

Donna Ryan (2002)

Associate executive director of clinical research, Pennington Medical Center

What she does to relax: “I lead a granular life. From Monday at 6 a.m. to Friday at 6 p.m., it’s all about work. But after 6 p.m. Friday, it’s all about my husband and myself. I never work on weekends. The absolute highlight of my weekend is Sunday at 8 p.m., when I watch The Sopranos.”

Renee Furr (2003)

Corporate controller, Lamar Advertising

What she does to relax: “I like to get outside as much as I can. In the accounting world, it’s all paper, computers and document generation. I love to get away from that. It’s such a relief. I destress by getting out in my garden and doing things with my hands. I raise roses and all kinds of flowers. Just being outdoors is a destresser for me.”

Ginger Sawyer (2004)

Vice president of political action, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

What she does to relax: “I destress by getting in a deer blind or a fishing boat. I love to go deer and turkey hunting, but I do it a little differently than most people. I take my Blackberry and cell phone with me when I go hunting. I know it sounds unusual, but if I didn’t have them with me, the stress would build until I got back. It’s the fear of the unknown. I don’t take them with me in the boat, though.”

Charlotte Placide (2005)

Superintendent, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools

What she does to relax: “I like to go to the pool and exercise, usually aerobic kinds of exercise. But I really like to read fun stuff. I enjoy inspirational stories that show how to improve one’s self. I enjoy these kinds of stories because I believe we should never give up on trying to improve ourselves or to become better human beings.”

Angele Davis (2006)

Louisiana secretary, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism

What she does to relax: “My all-time favorite is spending time in Louisiana, the Sportsman’s Paradise, where I like to go fishing with my husband. The ultimate playground for me is Mardi Gras and Zulu. And our wonderful Louisiana state parks, museums, authentic architecture and culture are great places to relax—that and the novels in my bubble bath. Most importantly, I enjoy relaxing with family, friends and my stepdaughter and nephew’s lawnmower races in Bluff Creek.”