Gulf Coast Life

Every year hundreds of thousands of students in dozens of countries act as delegates in a simulation of the United Nations. The 33rd annual Southwest Florida Model UN was held on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University last week. This year’s keynote speaker was Andrea Bedoya. She’s a 2020 graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, and since leaving FGCU with her Political Science degree her career has already spanned four continents and a wide range of global service experiences. She stopped by the studio while she was back on campus to chat.

Florida Repertory Theatre in downtown Fort Myers recently announced the line up of shows for their 2026-2027 performance season, including both adult and family-friendly comedies, a psychological thriller, a documentary, and plenty of music. We’ll get a preview of the upcoming 20th season and explore their production of “Little Shop of Horrors” that opens later this month in a conversation with the company’s producing artistic director Greg Longenhagen.

Collier County contains innovation, growth and plenty of wealth. A lot of the community’s innerworkings go unseen by most residents, but there is a podcast looking to change that. We sit down with Amanda Pearson, founder and host of Community Matters, to learn how the podcast came to be and explore the show’s growing impact.

When confronted with a difficult conversation – or person – it's often hard to contain our emotions and respond to the moment, rather than have a kneejerk reaction to it. But our guest today, legendary sports agent and negotiator Ron Shapiro, says it’s possible to learn. He was on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus last week to give a talk so stopped by our studio for a chat about his civil approach to difficult conversations.

The Cape Arts Network (CAN) officially launched on Feb. 13, 2026, as an independent community-based organization with a mission to uplift, support, and foster long-term growth of the arts and culture sector in Cape Coral. We hear from founding President Amy Ginsburg and founding Treasurer David Acevedo.

Dr. Karen Tang is the author of the new book It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told). It’s a comprehensive guide to treatment options and common conditions, many of which are under-discussed and misunderstood.

Stephen Cavitt’s bio begins by saying he’s always chasing the next great story. He’s been an instructor at Florida Gulf Coast University since 2018, teaching English, Creative Writing, and Interdisciplinary courses as well as advising the university’s Creative Writing Club and is a Faculty Mentor with the WiSER Research Assistant Program. His sci-fi novella, The Distance Between Stars, came out in April, 2025 and was also released as a podcast audiobook. It's the first entry in what he calls the Und Wars series. It tells a story of survival after Earth is devastated by Aliens called the Und. It’s told through short monologues by everyday people who escaped and are headed into space to try to start over.

Naples resident Tony Hall served in Congress for 23 years and was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He testified before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Feb. 10 about child labor and exploitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where about 70% of the mineral cobalt comes from. It's a crucial ingredient of the rechargeable batteries in our devices and vehicles. He gives us an update on the Blood Battery Campaign that he chairs.

Players Circle Theater is adding additional performances of “Over the Taven” due to overwhelming demand. At the same time, the theater company is preparing for the next production of its seventh season: Amy Herzog’s contemporary family drama “4,000 Miles.” We’ll explore both shows, plus more on the horizon from Players Circle Theater.

On this episode, we hear from Amy Silverberg, a stand-up comedian in addition to being a novelist. Her first novel, First Time, Long Time, is out now.