Send us a textWhat do you say to a friend who is grieving a tragic loss? What do you do?Michelle Cleveland answers these questions and more in her book Steps in the Sand, How to Help a Grieving Friend.Drawing inspiration from her poem The Beach, Michelle weaves her painful, lived Read More

Send us a textEver wonder why so many Florida beach lovers choose to stay put during hurricanes? In this episode, I reflect on the experience of enduring storms, sharing personal stories from the recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. We explore why we chose to ride out the storms rather than evacuate, Read More

Send us a textIn this episode, I share my eventful month, which included a fabulous trip to Italy, an unexpected bout with the flu, and the devastating and unprecedented impact of Hurricane Helene on our Florida Gulf Coast.It all started with exploring Venice, Florence, Siena, Sorrento, Capri, and Rome, soaking Read More

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, we explore the remarkable journey of Sindia M. Rivera-Jiménez, Ph.D., a native of Puerto Rico who was born and raised near the ocean. With a deep love for the beach, Sindia built a beautiful life in Puerto Rico, earning a degree in engineering, Read More

Send us a Text Message.This audio version of my podcast newsletter starts with a heartfelt story called "The Water" by Rachel LaPresti, touching on how the beach affects us all. I also dive into Waterlust, an innovative eco-apparel company with a fun facts newsletter —did you know sharks could be Read More

Send us a Text Message.Today, we delve into the powerful concept of "Blue Mind" and the profound impact of water on our well-being. My guest, Amanda Esposito of Northern Tides Studio, shares how she met Wallace J. Nichols, the author of Blue Mind, and how the ocean has shaped her Read More

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, I speak with Mary Carroll Moore about her novel Last Bets, set on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The novel features twists of fate, paranormal elements, high-stakes gambling—and a hurricane!  I like to describe it as "Queen's Gambit" meets "White Lotus." We share some Read More

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, I speak with Mary Carroll Moore about her novel Last Bets, set on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The novel features twists of fate, paranormal elements, high-stakes gambling—and a hurricane!  I like to describe it as "Queen's Gambit" meets "White Lotus." We share some Read More

Send us a Text Message.Have you ever been at the beach on a full moon? One of my favorite things to do is sit on the beach and watch the moonrise over the ocean. It elevates my mood and stirs up a feeling of wonder and otherworldliness—watching that bright white globe Read More

Send us a Text Message.Jen Hardy is a true beach girl - so much so that after receiving a life-threatening health diagnosis, she instinctively knew that she - and her family - needed the healing power of the beach to get through it. So, Jen, her husband, and their seven Read More

Send us a Text Message.Today’s episode is a conversation I had recently with Jessie King Regunberg, author of the book SEARCHING FOR SEASHELLS: An Artist’s Guide to Treasures on the Beach It’s all about the enchanting world of seashells and how they have touched our lives and sparked our curiosity. Jessie’s book Read More

Send us a Text Message.I recently had the opportunity to visit one of the beaches on my bucket list—Venice Beach. Venice is on the Gulf Coast of Florida and is often called the “shark tooth capital of the world” because of the plethora of prehistoric shark teeth you can find Read More

In early October 2021, when the post-pandemic world was beginning to open up for travel, we had just discovered that Ernie only had a month's vacation before starting a new job; we decided to go on a 12-day adventure in Costa Rica!It was last minute, and I had no idea Read More

Capturing the essence of the beach with my phone is one thing, but in a painting - in real-time - it is a whole other thing.  I’m in awe of anyone who can paint in the moment - no photograph- just sitting in nature with a canvas, painting the scene Read More

Capturing the essence of the beach with my phone is one thing, but in a painting - in real-time - it is a whole other thing.  I’m in awe of anyone who can paint in the moment - no photograph- just sitting in nature with a canvas, painting the scene Read More

I was a guest on an Instagram live with Amanda from Northern TIdes Studio and Wallace J. Nichols, author of Blue Mind - talking about water, the Blue Mind movement, and the healing properties of the ocean. Amanda asked how living at the beach has changed me. I don’t know why Read More

When I started thinking seriously about moving from land-locked Orlando to the beach, the first three questions people would ask were, “What beach?” “Where will you live?” and “What will you do?” I would say, “I haven’t decided what beach yet, but I’m sure I’ll find one with a couple Read More

It’s February, so in the spirit of this Month of Love, I asked my soulmate, Ernie, to join me on the podcast because it’s a very special month for us.Although I’ve talked about how we met and our journey to living out our vision here at the beach on the Read More

I love quotes, especially the ones that when I hear them, I think, " Oooh, I can relate to that - or that is so inspiring! I need to write that one down before I forget it! " I’ll rush to scribble it in a journal or notebook - it’s Read More

Imagine, you’re about to do what might be the craziest thing you’ve ever done. And you’re thinking this could be crazy good or crazy stupid.Then the “what ifs” start to creep into your consciousness: “What if something goes wrong?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “What if it turns out to Read More