Gulf Coast Life

Dr. Ella Mae Piper was a pioneering Black businesswoman, philanthropist and education advocate who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of marginalized residents at a time of strict racial segregation in Fort Myers.A new one-woman show about her life and legacy comes to Florida Repertory Theatre. We’ll learn more in a conversation with the director, Monique Caldwell, and actor, Sonya McCarter, of Friday evening’s premiere performance recorded on location at Ella Mae’s Diner.

The results of Tuesday’s midterm elections herald substantial changes coming to the political arena both at the national level and in Florida. We’ll get a closer examination and analysis of results in a conversation with FGCU Political Science Professor Sandra Pavelka, Ph.D., and UCF Political Scientist Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D.

What exactly is the value of getting a college degree? Is it attaining a credential that will allow you to secure employment after you've passed the right courses and ticked the right boxes? Or could the value instead be seen as the culmination of the experiences a student has while attending college — the people they meet and the connections they make, and the layers of the world that open up to them that they had never noticed before, all of which can lay the groundwork for an enriching life and career that is aligned with their passions? The authors of "Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn't Matter—and What Really Does" make the case that the traditional, hyper-fixated focus on choosing the "right" major can be a trap that often results in what they term "empty college degrees."

The challenges and threats the world's oceans face are severe. They are primarily driven by overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution (including plastics) and on top of it all, climate change. It's clear to anyone paying attention that our ocean is not an inexhaustible wilderness, but a fragmenting ecosystem operating at a fraction of its historical abundance. Our guest is doing her part and encouraging others to pay attention and do whatever they can, even if it's just a tiny change in their own life, to help reverse the trendline of ocean health. Emily Cunningham is a marine biologist based in the UK whose new book is "Our Ocean to Save: How to Protect Our Greatest Climate Ally."

We’ll hear a selection of jazz classics performed live in studio ahead of the “Halloween Retro Dance Costume Party” on Oct. 30 at the Spatini Teabar on Sanibel Island. Concerts at the venue raise funds to support students studying jazz at FGCU’s Bower School of Music & the Arts through the Sanibel Jazz Society, LLC.

Starting in the late 2000s, environmental engineers and policymakers began talking about taking "nature-based" approaches to protect ourselves from storms. Concepts like 'living shorelines' were developed, where planners would work with nature. Think planting seagrasses and protecting or restoring dunes along the beach, or strategic mangrove placement as examples. But those approaches are still far from standard. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has created a new Flood Resilience Blueprint called Working with Nature that uses the City of Naples as a test-site to show just what's possible, and what approaches would work best and where. We learn more from their Climate Resilience Advisor, Dr. Carrie Schuman.

Whether or not we'll ever find irrefutable proof that humans are not alone in the universe is something that has been speculated about since the dawn of humanity. As the scientific age arose — from first crude telescopes to modern space exploration — the idea that actually finding real proof has seemingly come into closer reach. But what happens then? And will irrefutable still be refuted by some? And what would the implications be, from shaking the foundations of some faiths, to adding a new global dynamic to an already tense world? We talk with two people who are part of a new limited-run podcast called "When We Find Them" that talks to people from all backgrounds to try to approach these questions and more.

In 1989, a nonprofit was founded to help people learning English as a second language thrive here in Southwest Florida. It’s called Literacy Council Gulf Coast and it helps both adults and children strengthen their English skills. Last month, it won the Non-Profit or Charity Organization of the Year award in the Bonita Springs Community’s Choice Awards, so we sat down with their Executive Director and Operations Manager to learn about the Council's local impact.

Players Circle Theater opens its 8th season with a production of the Broadway farce “The Nerd.” Through comic chaos, physical comedy, and escalating absurdity, the play poses the surprisingly relatable question “What do you owe someone who once did you a great favor, especially when that person makes your life miserable?”We’ll explore the play in a conversation with director Bob Cacioppo and actor Ted Wioncek.

Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda became Southwest Florida's first natural burial cemetery when it opened in 2024. Now, it's also Charlotte County's first accredited Level One Arboretum. That means they've met specific professional standards for curating, maintaining, and labeling the trees and woody plants on site for public benefit, research, and education. We learn about the cemetery, what it means to be an arboretum, and how the Museum of Trees works and where it fits into the story of gaining Level I Arboretum accreditation.