Keys Woman Summer 2026

OMAN KEYS W FOR KEYS WOMEN BY KEYS WOMEN

WASH THE DAY AWAY WHILE YOU RELAX IN THE DARK

GIRLS GETAWAY OLD SCHOOL STYLE

MEET THE COUNSELORS WHO MAKE SUMMER EXCITING

KEYS WEEKLY | VOLUME 7 | NO 13 | SUMMER 2026

A community of women, shaping every outcome.

Ally Kelley

Amanda Jordan

listings, shaping trusted connections with clients and peers alike.

Angela Valdesuso

Annie Hagen

Bettina Garber

Bonnie Ekblom Oliver

Cheri Tindall

Claudette Mell

Cynthia Hughes

Ellen Gvili

Emily Lombard

Erin Voelliger

Gloria Walters

Haley Weisberg

Jamie Daniels

Jass Tremblay

Jenna Stauffer

Jessica Roden

Jo Ann Cook

Jocelyn Marzella

Jocelyn Tiedemann

Karan Moeller

Karen Raspe

Karen Verri

Kellie Alpert

Kim Thaler

Lauren Varney

Leanys Carlson

Leslie Leopold

Lindsey Davis

Lisa Rogers

Melissa Grady

Micaela Eleicegui

Michaela Walters

Michelle Wininger

Paulette Thompson

Rachel Walters

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LET’S TAKE A DRIVE DOWN MEMORY LANE

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I’ve never been more grateful to be a child of the analog era. In a world dominated by screens, we've traded real-time mystery for constant documentation and scrolling.

For those of us who remember the "good old days," summer meant ultimate freedom. We rode our bikes miles from home, completely off the grid. Our biggest worry was the neighborhood "crazy lady"— who, it turns out, was just a solo woman enjoying her cats (a lifestyle choice many of us can relate to now more than ever).

We spent our nights doing kegstands at bonfires, cruising around the town square and documenting the chaos with disposable cameras.

Then came the sweet anticipation of the photo counter. You got one shot at a picture, and it was beautiful because it captured messy, real life — not a staged, filtered illusion of perfection.

I wouldn’t trade my latchkey childhood for anything the digital age offers. There was something beautiful about being truly unreachable.

When caller ID finally arrived, it was just a tool to see who we’d missed while out living our lives to the fullest.

So, as you settle into this summer edition of Keys Woman, I hope you are transported back to your own “tech-free” memories while enjoying our throwback playlist.

Time to pull out those old printed photos and show the kids what real summer magic looked like. Cheers to those memories that weren't measured in megabytes.

— Stephanie Mitchell

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4 | Keys Woman

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Publisher Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com Managing Partner Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com Creative Director Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com Art/Design Irene de Bruijn irene@keysweekly.com Editors Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com Copy Editor Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com Account Executives Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com Patti Childress patti@keysweekly.com Manuela Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com Production Manager Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com Art/Design Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com Jordan Baylis jordan@overseasmediagroup.com Web Master Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com Executive Administrator Char Hruska char@keysweekly.com Controller Lauren Pope lauren@keysweeky.com Contributors Raffie Baker, Nancy Klingener Breana Sowers, Jennifer Harvey Chris McNulty, Erin Stover Charlotte Twine Cover photo magnific.com Digital Support Overseas Media Group

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SUMMER ACTIVITIES BASED ON YOUR SIGN

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COMMUNITY IS BUILT ONE CONVERSATION, ONE HANDSHAKE, AND ONE ACT OF KINDNESS AT A TIME. As a lifelong Key West native, I have spent more than 30 years serving our community.

As your Mayor, I took on City Hall reform, increased transparency, and delivered results.

Under my leadership, Key West opened a homeless shelter, built a community center, and helped move 126 affordable housing units from planning into reality.

I am committed to keeping Key West affordable, accountable, and moving forward for the working families, residents, and local businesses that make our city special.

Let's continue working together to keep Key West strong, welcoming, and moving forward for future generations.

Proudly endorsed by: * Craig Cates * Dennis Wardlow * South Florida Police Benevolent Association * International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1990 * Professional Firefighters of Monroe County Local 3909 * Professional Firefighters of Monroe County, FL - Florida Keys * Key West Firefighters Local 1424

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SUMMER 2026 | 9

BY RAFFIE BAKER

VINTAGE GIRL SUMMER THE JOY OF MISSING OUT The idea of a “vintage girl vacation” involves disconnecting from the screen and reconnecting with the physical world.

It may sound simple — tuck your phone away and be present — but when your entire day revolves around the device in your hand, and the one you need for work, disconnecting becomes more difficult. But it also becomes a luxury.

A vintage girl vacation involves wholesome activities like bike rides, picnics and card games with your friends to curate quality conversations without the interruptions of social media. Luxury comes from the liberation of the digital detox and the importance of what is right in front of you.

Your offline time can be customized and designed on your own terms, despite the social-media addiction that afflicts too many of us. Treat social media as a relationship — it needs boundaries and standards lest it become toxic, if it hasn’t already. Explore the apps and tools that make you

10 | Keys Woman

aware of your screentime and offer ways to reduce it. This can be a reset for life in general to experience the benefits of how people lived with uninterrupted connections, better sleep and reduced anxiety. Then convince your girlfriends to join you on a vintage girl vacation.

On your vintage vacation, discuss phone-free guidelines before the trip. Use practical solutions and disciplines to be present in the moment. For work, set up an automated email with out-of-office details. Delete social media apps from your phone for the duration of the trip. Keep your phone on “do not disturb,” but set up a bypass for those who may truly need to reach you. If you and your friends decide to go into extreme isolation — everyone’s phone goes into a box — then alert parents, kids, partners, or whoever else may claim to need you urgently that they can reach you via the hotel phone or a shared cell phone designated for that vacation.

Now, to stay busy, without your phone, get outside and connect with your girlfriends. Seaside town? You’re going to the beach. So pack a picnic, a spikeball set, books (real books) and sunscreen. In the mountains, the plan is a hike, lunch at the local brewery and conversation with the friendly faces surrounding you. Each night, instead of settling in for a movie, break out the board games, cards, or puzzles to set up the late-night conversations. (Wine also helps.) Remember those “grandma hobbies” you picked up during the pandemic? Bring those along and craft with company. Perhaps each traveler brings supplies and shares their own favorite grandma hobby — knitting, cooking, bread-making, doodling — with the group. You’ll go home with a new interest and a deeper appreciation for your friends.

But how are you going to find a dinner spot or the best beach in the area or get directions to the coffee shop? Think of how that was done in the good old days. This nostalgic challenge helps create human connection with strangers.

Ask the people around you — the hotel concierge, the barista at the cafe or even a pedestrian on the street for recommendations and directions. Resources are found wherever you look for them. If you're staying in a rental apartment, ask the host to create a physical list of restaurants, activities and shopping nearby. Buy a paper map.

If your type-A friend is stressing about this untethered abyss, maybe they need to let it go. But they can come prepared with printed-out research of the destination to get from point A to B smoothly.

How are you ever going to remember this vacation without capturing every moment and posting them to Instagram?

Memories can be made and savored without a thousand instant pictures as proof. Remember all those family photo albums? They’re treasured time capsules of shared memories. And flipping through the clear-coated pages can be so much more satisfying than scrolling a screen. Polaroid cameras have made a comeback. Consider bringing one of those on the trip. Or try sketching the beauty you see.

Journal at the end of each day about your favorite moments instead of posting pictures.

The backdrop to your vintage girl vacation is somewhere surrounded by nature with local businesses booming.

Somewhere you can feel safe slowing down and living calmly, hopefully taking those new habits back to your everyday life. Cherish the memories when the film gets developed, when you reread journal entries, or practice your new hobby. Connect with people and nature by being in the moment. When you strip down life to its most basic sense of enjoyment, what do you imagine? Spending it with people you cherish in a beautiful setting. You don’t want your phone in that image.

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SUMMER 2026 | 13

BY NANCY KLINGENER AND BREANA SOWERS

FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVE

Marie Cap Marie Cappick - KWC 1953-10-09.

In 1957, Marie Cappick died at 81. The obituary described her as “one of Key West’s most distinguished writers and citizens of all time” and stated that “for 50 years, Marie Louise Cappick represented the cultural center of Key West.”

She was a founder of the Key West Woman’s Club and served as local representative for the Florida Historical Society, but she was no socialite. According to the obituary, “for the major portion of her active life, she was engaged in at least three different careers at one time. For many years, she was Post Office Clerk, Newspaper Woman and Official U.S. Weather Bureau Correspondent for the Gulf to Hatteras Area, and she supported one or more members of her family during most of that time, as well as all the local dogs, cats and chickens she could afford to feed.”

She lived at 415 Olivia St. and “(w)henever Ernest Hemingway was in Key West, he always spent at least a part of each morning with his witty neighbor across the street.” And she was no snob: “No matter what the shade of complexion, or a person’s would-be strata in the scheme of

14 | Keys Woman

things, she always had a liltingly Irish bit of slightly caustic wit for a greeting.” In another story, a longtime friend described her as “independent and a little arbitrary.”

She was also a publisher, bravely starting a literary magazine called Paths during the depths of the Depression in 1934. The magazine included South Florida writers like the young Marjory Stoneman Douglas. And she included her observations of island life in small bits labeled “Random Shots.” Example: “Two beautiful poinciana trees were cut within a few feet of the ground, which to those who love trees was a desecration of the handiwork of the Creator.”

And this: “Key West has frequently sacrificed its citizens on the altar of hope, always with the view to pleasing outsiders. Now it reaches out to crucify those who by stress of circumstances need work for a small wage. If Key West cannot achieve distinction and front page publicity by some other means, then it had better remain the old Key West which we have known and Paths - March 1934 - first issue. loved many years. Charity begins at Florida Keys History Center home and should be put into practice.” Marie Cappick, apparently, was not a fan of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration’s plans to enlist locals to clean up the island. Cappick’s work provides insight into how residents felt about their city, how it was changing, what was prioritized.

Her life’s work was a history of the island, and she published excerpts in Paths, as well as in a paper owned by the Key West Citizen called the Coral Tribune, 20 years later. She was a good writer and her love for her island home resonates in every word.

Yet she is notably absent from the historical memory of notable Key West women.

Part of that may be because her work largely remained unpublished or scattered through newspapers, magazines and ephemera rather than existing in widely circulated books or historical reflections. Historical memory often favors people whose work was formally published, financially supported or preserved through descendants and institutions.

ppick

Cappick also appears to have died with limited resources and without direct heirs to champion her legacy. This happens frequently with women’s intellectual work rooted in local history, correspondence, diaries and scrapbooks, rather than traditional academic authorship.

Fortunately, though, Cappick’s legacy has been quietly surviving in the archives of the Florida Keys History Center. The collection includes several editions of Paths as well as scrapbooks containing a manuscript and newspaper excerpts of her history.

That’s where Friends of the Key West Library board member Betty Darst found them, when she was asked to research Cappick for the annual tours at the Key West Cemetery. Darst was immediately entranced and dressed up to portray Cappick for the tours as well as a celebration of the Woman’s Club that Cappick helped found.

“Not only did she contribute in so many ways – she was a marvelous teller of the Key West stories,” Darst said. “I have spent hours reading the scrapbook of the syndicated stories, which I would like to see edited and published.”

Preservation and documentation of local historic events and community memory often start at the personal level – long before larger institutions recognize something as historically valuable. People like Cappick often clipped and pasted fragile newspapers because they wanted to preserve stories that mattered to them personally and culturally.

The fact that Cappick’s scrapbook may contain the only surviving copies of these articles shows how easily local history can disappear. It also demonstrates how much archives rely on individuals – often women working privately or informally – to collect materials that were not considered significant enough to save systematically at the time. (Or resources were not available.) Scrapbooks support and fill in gaps in historical records by honoring context, relationships, community landscapes and local events in ways official documents cannot.

A few weeks after Cappick died in 1957, there was a public meeting “with discussion of the need for a better public library in Key West,” according to the Conch Chowder column by Dorothy Raymer, the society editor of the Key West Citizen. “The second serious item for consideration is remembrance of Miss Marie Louise Cappick, writer and historian.”

Cappick had actually worked at the library for two years, Raymer noted, and she saw an opportunity: “When the time comes for establishment of better library facilities, I hope that Marie Cappick’s devotion to

Marie Cappick. Photo by Larry Karns. Gift Glorina Bayly. Florida Keys History Center.

Monroe County Public Library

this town will not be forgotten. Some part of such an edifice, even if it is only one section of a book room, should bear her name, perhaps on an engraved plaque with a sprig of rosemary … ‘That’s for remembrance.’”

The Monroe County Public Library opened at 700 Fleming Street in Key West two years later. It did not include, as far as we know, a remembrance for Marie Cappick. But soon after its opening, Betty Bruce began the “Conch Room” collection that evolved into the Florida Keys History Center. And several issues of Paths, as well as the scrapbooks with Cappick’s manuscript and newspaper clippings of her history, found their way into the archive.

The Florida Keys History Center is in the process of digitizing many of the unique items in its collection, with plans to include the scrapbooks with Cappick’s work. Digitizing her work actively preserves the content of fragile items – and ensures greater accessibility for patrons and researchers who may not be able to visit Key West. These particular scrapbooks could support research topics such as journalism, women’s history, literary culture, tourism, civic identity and everyday life in Key West. Much of the island’s history survives in fragmented or vernacular forms like diaries, letters, etc., which is why Cappick’s collection is so invaluable to ensure local voices – not just the official narratives – remain part of the historical record.

Marie Cappick Coral Tribune in scrapbook.

From the Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library

Nancy Klingener is the community affairs manager at the Monroe County Public Library. Breana Sowers is the senior archivist at the library’s Florida Keys History Center, the foremost collection of documents and photographs of Keys history. You can learn more at keyslibraries.org/keyshistory.

SUMMER 2026 | 15

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SUMMER 2026 | 17

BY JENNIFER HARVEY

The ocean doesn’t charge a co-pay It’s summertime, but honestly it’s felt this way since May, so I think we are long overdue for both a reset and a refresh.

You’ll catch my drift in a minute.

Most of us who live in the Florida Keys have become completely immune to the fact that we are literally surrounded by one of nature’s most powerful wellness tools. We drive over bridges. We complain about the humidity. We forget that people pay thousands of dollars to come here and do exactly what we could do any Tuesday morning before coffee.

The water. It’s right there. And it’s doing things to your brain and body no supplement on any shelf can replicate.

And yes, there is actual science behind all of this. Because knowing the why makes it so much easier to actually do the thing.

Salt water is legitimately medicinal. When you immerse yourself in it, your skin absorbs magnesium, a mineral most Americans are deficient in and one that plays a starring role in sleep quality, muscle recovery and mood regulation. Here is a bonus you probably did not see coming: Magnesium also plays a key role in how your body absorbs and activates vitamin D. So that sunshine you are soaking up while you are in the water? Your body is actually better equipped to use it.

The ocean is basically multitasking for you.

Salt water also reduces inflammation. Joints, muscles, skin — it does not discriminate. Twenty to 30 minutes a few times a week shows measurable results. You’re essentially receiving a free anti-inflammatory treatment every time you wade in.

18 | Keys Woman

Then there is the nervous system piece, and this one is my favorite. Immersion in water activates your parasympathetic nervous system — the rest and digestive side of the equation.

Cortisol levels drop. Your heart rate settles. Your brain stops running its little anxiety marathon. Twenty minutes is enough to shift your stress response. That is not a wellness blogger telling you that. That is physiology.

Now. Floating. Can we talk about floating?

Passive floating, just lying on your back and letting the salt water hold you, removes every bit of gravitational load from your spine and joints. Your brain shifts into theta wave activity — the same state as deep meditation, the dreamy space between waking and sleep, the place where genuine creative flow lives. And you can access it by just lying in the ocean doing absolutely nothing. Which, frankly, is my kind of workout. The benefits can last for hours after you get out.

But the water does not need to be the ocean to work its magic on you.

Wallace J. Nichols, marine biologist and researcher, coined the term “blue mind” to describe what water does to your brain when you are near it, in it, or simply listening to it. His research found that water shifts your brain into a softer, quieter state. Anxiety dials down. Mental chatter slows. You become, neurologically speaking, more present.

What is happening is a shift in brainwave activity. Your everyday waking state runs mostly on beta waves — fast, alert, a little wired. Water naturally nudges your brain toward alpha

“Water shifts your brain into a softer, quieter state. Anxiety dials down.

Mental chatter slows. You become, neurologically speaking, more present.”

— Wallace J. Nichols marine biologist and researcher

and theta waves. Theta is the interesting one, as it is associated with reduced anxiety, emotional processing and the kind of calm that feels almost cellular. Most people spend real money chasing that state. They pay for meditation apps and breathwork classes. If you live in the Keys, you have a shortcut at the end of your street.

If you want to deepen the effect intentionally, try this: Next time you are near the water, put on a theta wave binaural beat track through headphones. Theta frequencies fall between 4 and 8 Hz and there are plenty of free tracks on YouTube and Spotify. Pair that with 15 to 20 minutes of passive floating or simply sitting quietly at the water’s edge. You are stacking two thetainducing inputs at once. Your nervous system will not know what hit it. In the best way.

And before you tell me you do not have easy water access, your bathtub counts. Your shower counts. Blue Mind does not require saltwater or a sunset. It just requires water and a few minutes of actually being present in it.

We live in one of the most naturally therapeutic places on the planet. The healing is not on a shelf or behind a paywall. It is at the end of your street.

Go get in the water. Or sit next to it. Or just listen to it.

Your brain will thank you. Your joints will thank you. And honestly? Your sleep probably will too.

SUMMER 2026 | 19

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SUMMER 2026 | 21

BY CHRIS McNULTY

CHASING THE LIGHT SUMMER EXPRESSIONS FOR THE ZODIAC

Summer is here, and with it comes longer days, higher temperatures and more leisure time for many denizens of the Conch Republic as the tourists dwindle and the snowbirds fly north. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, these months offer the most light, and the longest days that stretch out until sunsets that arrive fashionably late.

In astrology and other esoteric wisdom traditions, light represents activity, individuality, visibility, clarity and knowledge. As the light lingers longer during the summer months, we are given more time to be active outside.

22 | Keys Woman

Summer is the time for the actual rather than the potential.

Each sign of the Zodiac is an archetypal character or personality unto itself, and each sign emerges under the light of the sun differently.

Read on to see how your sign actualizes its energy during the summer months. You can read these as recommendations for ways to better utilize the increased daylight or as mirrors for better self-understanding. In reality, every sign may participate in any activity — it is how they participate that makes them distinct. Have a wonderful summer, fair readers.

CANCER June 21-July 22 Twilight beachcombing Cancer is a water sign ruled by the moon, and while these symbols carry symbolic meaning, they are also very real, worldly phenomena. When a Cancer can touch the water under the moon, they are in their home feels. Soaking up the ambient energies of a beach at moonrise is the calming energy that sensitive Cancer craves. Collecting items to place around the house is just the cherry on top.

LEO July 23-Aug. 22 Hosting backyard bonfires Leo is the sign of the sun, and after a full day of soaking up the energy of our solar system’s central star, Leo is wont to carry that energy into the night. Like the sun, a bonfire is also a central source of heat and light, serving as the gravitational center of socializing, story telling and visual stimulation. Leo loves to bring people together with themselves as the center, and a bonfire is a perfect proxy.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Outdoor photography Cataloguing, documenting and organizing is a natural active state of Virgo. Someone has to keep track of things and Virgo is quite content being the data collector. With the long days of natural light, photographing the beauty of nature and the memories with cherished friends is the perfect outlet. The only thing better than actually collecting the materials is filing them in labeled folders.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Hosting golden hour porch parties Getting people together, coordinating social gatherings and being the hostess with the mostest comes incredibly naturally to Libra.

As an air sign ruled by Venus, creating harmonic balance in a social atmosphere is quintessential to Libra’s character. As the days run longer, outdoor gatherings provide the perfect opportunity for coordinated mingling.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Night swims and deep talks Scorpios are deep, dark water signs who do not take kindly to sitting on the surface of things. As the summer months warm the waters, late night swims with one or two close compadres accompanied by deep existential talks under the stars provide the right amount of “real” for Scorpios. Forgoing the daylight mundanity and merging with the dark and shadow is pure Scorpio.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 Floating in the ocean Pisces is the child of the universe. Pisces knows intuitively that we are all one and that division is merely an illusion. What better way to embody this spiritual reality than floating in warm salt water with your eyes closed? Pisces can carry the emotional weight of those around them, so dissolving and releasing any pent-up stresses in the ocean is a perfect soothing summer soak.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Road tripping These Jupiter-ruled fire signs are in constant pursuit of more from life. The horizon is not a limit, it is a beckoning call. Particularly in the slower work months of the Florida Keys, Sagittarians can use this prime time to get up and go. There are grand adventures to be had, and sitting around while missing the opportunity is not the Sagittarius way. Hit the road.

ARIES March 21-April 19 Any community sporting event Aries is a sign of conquest and achievement. Whether playing in a bocce league or a pickup basketball game, Aries is in its prime when there is competition, rugged striving and the possibility of championship.

While Aries could certainly be satiated as an engaged spectator, it’s in the competitive action that Aries shines. Get out there and ask, “Hey! Can I play?”

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Sailing or learning how to sail Capricorns get stereotyped as being all about business, but really Capricorns just love skill, structure and goal-setting. They can fare in the craft of sailing just as well as business. Adjusting one’s sail to the wind, commanding a vessel, mastering the seas, navigating the shallows — these are all skills that turn Capricorn on. Compromising with nature and operating within her parameters is also good practice.

TAURUS April 20-May 20 Al fresco dining and foraging As the Venus-ruled earth sign, Taurus appreciates a fine sensory experience. In the summer months, being outside and savoring delicious tastes, decadent smells, titillating textures, vibrant colors and ambient sounds is just the ticket. Whether appreciating a home-cooked meal outdoors or finding the foods in the forest, Taurus is a happy bull within the banquet.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Stargazing Late summer nights just beg an Aquarius to look up. Aquarius is a sign fascinated by the future and committed to centering the margins. In our era of considerable light pollution, Aquarius remembers that the night sky represents the past and the future, and that it does the greatest good to gaze in wonder at the beauty that surrounds us. The stars are always there, and yet they go far too unnoticed. Aquarius notices.

GEMINI May 21-June 20 Long, aimless bike rides with friends Gemini is not one to sit still. Ruled by the fleet-footed Mercury, Gemini is a nimble jet-setter who wants to gather and disperse information around the world. This activity does not require a planned path, however, as spontaneity is as close to Gemini’s heart as is gossip. Toss a Gemini on a bicycle with a crew and an open afternoon; the entire town will be informed by nightfall.

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Contributed

BY MANDY MILES

Su mmer 1992: working at Shriver’s, from left, Melissa, Mandy, Jen and Heather.

OUR ANALOG EXISTENCE MADE FOR MAGICAL SUMMERS I have more than 220 photos from a recent, two-hour work event that I have no desire to remember fondly, if at all. And yet I have almost no photos from my eight most memorable summers at the South Jersey Shore — 1991 to 1998, when I was 14 to 22 in high school and college.

Those summers were magical. And not just because hindsight tends to become a highlights reel that minimizes the negative.

Even back then, I appreciated the rarity of what I had. I still do and always will.

The recent search for photos from that era demonstrated the analog existence we lived. Lived, loved, treasured.

My mom didn’t know my location and couldn’t track me. She knew where I said I'd be. But that was accurate maybe 60% of the time. Often, we’d start one place and end up at another. Other times I lied. But my mom’s no dummy. She picked her battles.

And she knew we lived on a skinny, 6-milelong barrier island with no bars. For most of high school, we were always on bikes or foot. And we all worked full-time jobs on the boardwalk from the year we turned 14, some day shifts and some nights until 26 | Keys Woman

10 or 11 p.m. My first job was at Shriver’s, an iconic salt water taffy and fudge shop on the boardwalk, for $3.80/hour. After work, we’d head home for dinner and showers, then meet back up on the boardwalk to wander among other groups of young teens. It was the Shore’s version of Midwest teens’ habit of cruising in cars at night. We’d grab slices of pizza, visit friends working in the surf shops and always run the last few blocks to make it home by a 10 or 11 p.m. curfew that got extended by an hour each summer.

Back then, college kids could still afford to rent a collective Shore house for the summer. Those houses became our nighttime headquarters. Days off were spent at the beach, with a chair, a towel and a book.

While memories of those summers are endless, photos are few. Cameras required film that had to be developed — no zoom, filters, preview screens or editing tools. So any decent shot of sunburned friends at the beach or playing Quarters around a latenight table was a huge win.

The fortuitous timing of my 1976 birth has allowed me to live in two worlds —

Su mmer ‘91: Mandy and first best friend, Mindy Sandefur, on the porch in Ocean City, New Jersey.

analog and digital. We used pay phones, landlines and answering machines. Text messages didn’t exist.

We left handwritten phone messages on a designated notepad in a designated spot on the kitchen counter. We memorized dozens of phone numbers and celebrated call waiting’s defeat of the busy signal’s maddening blare.

No GPS voice guided us to every destination. Written directions had to be reversed to get us home and folded paper road maps lived in glove compartments.

I think back on the time we always managed to fill — without looking at a screen.

Spontaneous moments weren’t scripted, posed and curated for social media content. They were enjoyed and remembered because they meant something to those involved, not because they would impress strangers online.

The “good old days” of my youth may sound impossibly primitive to today’s teens — but at least my parents didn’t always know where I was.

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BY ERIN STOVER

THINGS TO IN THE

WHEN YOU’

30 | Keys Woman

There are plenty of activities relegated to the dark, with connotations assigned to most things carnal or cozy. What we don’t often consider is that dim light actually affects our psyche, our circadian rhythms. At the end of the day, we’re simply more sophisticated animals who still follow the sun for our best cues on when to wake, eat, *ahem* mate, and sleep. Darkness equals rest, no matter how hard we attempt to fight the fact with late night scrolling. In recent years, health studies have shifted to include greater focus on sleep, emphasizing the important physical and mental benefits of productive rest, and aiming to find mechanisms to improve our downtime. Sleep studies have tackled everything from bedding to diets and have now begun to talk about a new aspect of our wind-down time, showering.

DO DARK

’RE... TIRED

Research suggests that “dark showering” may be a way to prepare the brain and body for better sleep. The trend is simple – shower in the evening before bed, and simply dim the lights before hopping under the stream. The shower itself has inherent sleep benefits. Bathing at night removes debris from the day which not only is hygienic but has been shown to have a relaxing effect on the body. The water temperature also adds an element of rest, promoting the onset of sleep by raising the body’s core temperature, then dropping it quickly as you exit the shower. This temperature shift mimics and accentuates a natural occurrence in the body. In order for our brains to send the signal that it’s time to doze off, our internal temperature must typically drop by about one degree. A hot shower speeds up this drop.

The main factor, though, which has led sleep scientists and influencers alike to elevate the dark showering trend is the idea that melatonin, a naturally occurring circadian rhythm-regulating hormone, spikes as a result of the activity. Consistent light exposure — like screens — inhibits melatonin, signaling the brain that it is time to be awake and alert. Dim lighting, on the other hand, accelerates the release of the chemical, which prepares the brain for sleep. Rebecca Robbins, assistant professor at Harvard University and associate scientist at the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, agrees that while hard evidence is thin, there are obvious corollary effects regarding dark showering and melatonin. “Showering in low light can help prompt the release of melatonin and is also a relaxing wind-down activity. Research has found that warm showers relax the body and are therefore a recommended part of a bedtime ritual. We know that dim, warm light can facilitate the release of melatonin.”

On average, about one third of Americans report not getting enough sleep, or not getting quality sleep, most nights. So, whether you follow scientists or Tik Tokers, it’s likely you could benefit from a better night’s sleep. Thankfully with dark showering, the stakes are low for anyone wishing to give it a try. If your bathroom has a dimmer switch, simply slide it to a low setting. If not, bring a candle or battery-operated light into the bathroom. For safety’s sake, cords and blackout showering are not recommended.

If it feels different than your invigorating morning shower, and as long as you can distinguish shampoo from shaving gel, you’re doing it right. Consider it a miniature (zero cost) spa treatment in your own home. Simply dim, scrub and snooze.

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BY STEPHANIE MITCHELL

KIND OF A

BIG

DILL

Growing up in the Midwest, pickling and canning were a huge part of the late-summer landscape and likely where my love of all things pickles first began. As I got older and became more interested in martinis versus pickling, I’ve been searching for a dill pickle-based martini vibe over the classic dirty martini one.

So imagine my delight last summer when, while wandering around Charleston, a wonderful bartender named Trey (who creates magical cocktails at the Thoroughbred Club inside the Charleston Place Hotel) made my dill pickle martini dreams come true. It did not disappoint, not even a little bit.

So I thought it would be nice to share a couple of pickle-based items for my fellow dill lovers to enjoy.

Note: Do not let anyone try to fool you by using bread & butter pickles for these drinks. No. Just, no.

34 | Keys Woman

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell and contributed images

TREY’S THOROUGHBRED CLUB DILL PICKLE MARTINI Ingredients • 3 oz vodka • ½ oz dry vermouth • 1 oz pickle juice • 2 cornichons or dill pickle slices for garnish Directions • Start chilling your martini glass.

• Add all ingredients and ice to a shaker and shake liberally & strain into chilled martini glass.

• Garnish with a skewered pickle of your choosing (my personal favorites are Maille Cornichons — expensive, but oh so good.)

SPICY DILL PICKLE MARGARITA Ingredients • Tajin, for the rim • 2 oz tequila • 1 oz dill pickle brine • 1 oz Cointreau • ½ oz lime juice • 1 Tbsp hot honey or regular honey, depending on the level of spice desired mini dill pickles, to garnish Directions • First, rim your cocktail glass with Tajin seasoning by brushing the rim with honey. Then, pour 1-2 tablespoons of Tajin onto a shallow plate. Dip and roll the glass’ rim into the seasoning, shaking off excess.

• In a shaker, combine the tequila, pickle brine, Cointreau, lime juice and hot honey. Add ice and shake until cold. Pour into the rimmed glass and garnish with a sprig of dill and a few spicy Wickles dirty dill cocktail cornichons.

PICKLE DIP

Ingredients • 1 (8 oz) container sour cream • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened • 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder • 1 Tablespoon dill weed • ¼ cup dill pickle juice, or to taste

Directions • Mix sour cream, cream cheese, pickles, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and dill together in a bowl until well combined.

• Stir in dill pickle juice to taste.

• Serve with potato chips and enjoy.

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BY ERIN STOVER

ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REEF RELIEF

Growing up in the Florida Keys is a unique privilege, though many local kids won’t fully realize how lucky they are until they venture away.

A perfect example? Our incredible summer camp offerings. Here, your children can swim, snorkel, explore, and learn more in a single summer than most people do in a lifetime.

For this edition of Keys Woman, we wanted to spotlight the talented counselors who bring this magic to life and keep our kids eager to return year after year.

With so many fantastic camps across the islands, narrowing down our list was no easy task. However, we connected with a few inspiring women who were delighted to share their stories with us.

Let’s get to know these fabulous counselors over the next few pages—and here’s to another safe, exciting summer in the Florida Keys!

38 | Keys Woman

DORA DEMARIA Dora DeMaria may or may not have been a fish in a previous life. She is most certainly a fish in this one. As Assistant Executive Director of Reef Relief, DeMaria is at home in her element.

Born and raised in the Florida Keys, she always knew she wanted to work in the field of ocean ecology and carved her path to do just that, working along the way on projects with FSU Marine Turtle Research, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and on the Netflix original, Chasing Coral.

DeMaria began working at Reef Relief in 2017, and in that time has taught over 20,000 students. Teaching is where she truly soars, or more appropriately, swims. Having taught swim lessons for over 10 years, leading Coral Camp, Reef Relief’s annual summer camp which gets kids out on the reef and in the water, was a natural progression. Each June, Reef Relief starts two concurrent programs; Coral Camp which serves kids ages 6-12, and Reef Explorer Camp which focuses on keeping older kids engaged through trips such as primitive camping in the Dry Tortugas and at John Pennekamp State Park. It’s in those waters and on those shores where she imparts her passion, leading the next generation to connect with the ecosystem she holds so dear.

Contributed

If there was an Olympics for camp activities, in which sport are you guaranteed to win a gold? Fish Identification, it’s my favorite thing to teach the kids.

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? I always knew that I wanted to be involved in something involving the ocean and ecology.

What is your strangest habit or superstition? It’s not necessarily a superstition but I believe when I see a dolphin on an outing, it means good luck, you can’t have a bad day, everything is going work out.

What is your spirit animal? Trumpetfish are my favorite! They’re just fun – long, kinda awkward, love hanging out in corals.

Who is your favorite dynamic duo (real or fictional)? (no hesitation) Spongebob and Patrick.

What emoji do you use the most often?

Upside down smiley face… it’s a good one when you don’t know what to say.

What is your favorite camp snack? Nerds Clusters.

What is one normal everyday thing that gives you the “ick?” Hand dryers – I hate seeing the grime underneath them.

Which reality show would you crush it on?

Survivor.

Team Ciara or Team Amanda/West? Ciara all the way.

Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? Dr. Sylvia Earle – she was one of the pioneer women in marine science, a champion for ocean awareness and conservation.

What is your favorite summer camp memory? One that always stands out – I was on a snorkel trip and most of the group had gone back. I was out with a 7-year-old when a GIANT spotted eagle ray swam right under us. This girl, years after, would remind me of it. Another great memory was with the Reef Explorers (older kids). We were camping in the Dry Tortugas. I woke up to find turtle tracks and followed them to the mother, still on the beach. I woke the campers, at sunrise, and they all quietly watched for 45 minutes while she covered her nest and made her way back to the ocean.

Any hidden talents? How did you discover you could do it? Not so much hidden, but I enjoy underwater photography, capturing the patterns of the fish. I don’t think people realize how much I enjoy it.

What’s the best costume you’ve ever worn?

Just recently my husband and I were the kissing statue that used to be in front KWAHS. One year, my friends and I were all Disney zombie princesses.

Three words to describe why you love being a counselor. Inspiring, fun, energetic.

What do you do on the weekend to unwind?

I’m always on the water – sand bars, boating, taking underwater photos, paddleboarding.

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?

Bonaire in Caribbean – it’s a great country for diving, so many cool underwater animals, and the water is so clear and blue.

Weirdest item you’ve ever impulse bought?

I recently bought an inflatable pool on Prime Day. I fill it with ice on hot days. It was actually a great purchase, but I definitely bought during happy hour.

Dumbest way you’ve ever hurt yourself?

So many! They all involve accidentally kicking something.

If you had to abolish one food item, what would it be and why? Mushrooms.

They’re just (makes blech noise).

SUMMER 2026 | 39

BY ALEX RICKERT

SARAH HUMPHREY EDUCATION DIRECTOR PIGEON KEY

Keeping a watchful eye on dozens of children and teens is enough of a job in itself. Put them on an island two miles out in the ocean, and you’re looking at the average summer challenge for Pigeon Key Education Director Sarah Humphrey.

The Ohio native and Kent State University grad came across an internship posting at Pigeon Key after leaving a graduate program in marine science at the University of South Carolina. Realizing her passion lies in education when she had more fun as a teaching assistant for a freshman oceanography class than in her own research labs, she made her way across the Old Seven Mile Bridge for the first time in 2023. Now, the island is her home.

“Once you get here, it’s a totally different experience from what you can read on a piece 40 | Keys Woman

of paper,” she said. “We’re open to the public, but as soon as those gates close, it’s your own private island. There’s nothing stopping me from going to watch a sunset on the dock every night. I realized people are paying lots of money just to do that somewhere else.”

In the hottest months of the year, she shares many of those sunsets with the island’s overnight camp students, alternating each week between day camps and sleepover sessions. This year will mark her fourth summer, welcoming back repeat campers who’ve grown up in front of her eyes.

“In our overnight camps, when our kids show up on Monday they’re all quiet and shy, and by Friday, they’re completely different,” she told us. “Last year, a group of girls were straight-up bawling because they had to leave

each other. They sat there for an hour and a half in the parking lot talking and exchanging phone numbers. It’s sweet to see those connections happening and know I probably played a small part in it.”

Photos by Alex Rickert and contributed images

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? The first thing I can remember was a marine biologist. It bounced around a little, and I wanted to be a zookeeper for a bit.

I basically am one now – just for kids.

What is your strangest habit or superstition? Every year, our interns paint the buoys that school groups sign with fun designs. In 2024, one of the interns painted a buoy with three hurricanes on it – and we had three hurricanes that year. So now, no one is allowed to paint hurricanes.

Who is your favorite dynamic duo (real or fictional)? Frog and Toad from the children’s books. They’re best friends; they have each other’s backs and they go through the ups and downs together. There’s a lot of life lessons in those books.

What emoji do you use most often? The laughing emoji. The straight one, not crooked – it was the original.

What is your favorite camp snack? It’s a meal – Sloppy Joes. We have them every Friday, and they’re magical. Mix and bun, no toppings.

What’s the one rule you give kids at the start of the week? “Make sure I don’t see it.”

What’s one thing you look forward to about camp? Seeing how much these kids are growing up. They show up one year and they’re teeny tiny kids, and the next year they’ve grown by four or five inches. It’s so cool to see them develop as people.

Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? I lived five minutes away from LeBron (James), so I met him a few times. His alma mater was playing against our school.

His niece was playing on their team, and my sister was playing on ours. Then I met Dennis Rodman randomly at a Target, and I met Sydney Sweeney in Key West.

Weirdest impulse buy? I bought a little desk lamp that’s a duck lying down.

You hit the duck to turn the light on.

Dumbest way you’ve ever hurt yourself?

When I was little, I broke my humerus (upper arm bone). On the jungle gym bars, I jumped off a platform aiming for the fourth or fifth bar, knowing full well I couldn’t reach it. Kid confidence is so different from adult confidence.

Favorite place you’ve ever visited? It would have to be Roatan. I remember snorkeling out there, seeing the mesoamerican reef. It was gorgeous to see the locals and what it would be like to live a completely different

life – less tech, slowed down and with a wildly different infrastructure.

What one food item would you abolish forever and why? Absolutely cilantro – no more cilantro for anybody. Or blue cheese. I have the “soap gene,” so it’s really hard to describe just how awful cilantro smells and tastes for me.

Three words to describe why you love being a counselor: Rewarding, fulfilling and inspiring.

SUMMER 2026 | 41

BY CHARLOTTE TWINE

JANE GILLETTE RECREATION DIRECTOR FOUNDERS PARK

Jane Gillette is the full-time recreation coordinator and camp counselor at Founders Park in Islamorada. And she may be better suited for her occupation than anyone else.

Why? She was born and raised in a traveling carnival.

“I grew up in fun,” she says laughing. “I am a carnie, born and raised!”

A fourth-generation carnie, Gillette’s family has been running traveling carnivals in New England for 80 years. Her great-grandfather’s

42 | Keys Woman

high-diving act involved lighting himself on fire and diving into a tiny pool far below.

Don’t worry, Gillette and her generation didn’t have to light themselves on fire. They kept it tamer, with safe-but-still-fun activities, including rides, snacks, games and prizes.

“I started out helping with games and food, then I made cotton candy, slushies and fried dough. Then I ran a water-race game.”

In other words, Gillette knows how to show kids a good time. This year, for summer camp

at Founders Park, she’s planning a party with a water slide, a theater week, a 10-foot-longbanana-split-making session, and a disco dance party.

“Seeing the kids happy when they are laughing and having fun makes me feel good,” she said.

Of course, Gillette was game to fill out our Keys Woman questionnaire, which is also fun and creative by design. Here’s what she said.

If there was an Olympics for camp activities, in which sport would you win a gold?

(Laughs) I am really bad at sports. It's really arts and crafts. That's what I’m good at.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an actor. Then when I got out of that phase I wanted to be a lawyer.

In high school, I wanted to do crime scene investigation and forensics. Part of me wants to go back to that, a large part does not.

What is your spirit animal? I feel a connection with foxes. I appreciate the idea that foxes are very smart.

Contributed

What is your favorite summer camp memory? Last year I did a magic-themed week. I gave each kid a survey, then “graded” each one to find out which Hogwarts House each kid would be part of. The kids absolutely loved it. The parents even waited while they picked up the kids so they could watch.

Who is your favorite dynamic duo (real or fictional)? Dana Scully and Fox Mulder (of the sci-fi series “The X-Files”).

What emoji do you use the most often?

The salute is used the most. Second is the smiley face with the cowboy hat.

What is your favorite camp snack? I like saltand-vinegar chips and Flaming Hot Cheetos.

Basically, any chips that can hurt me.

What is one normal everyday thing that gives you the “ick”? Traffic in the Keys is a tough one.

Which reality show would you crush it on?

I’ll be honest, I don't watch TV. But I like “Game Changer,” which is part of College Humor’s Dropout platform. (CollegeHumor is a massive online comedy streaming service that launched the Dropout platform in 2018.)

Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? I have never met a famous person, but I’ll say myself and my family because we once did an episode of “Wife Swap.” Also, my cousin, Lexia Gillette, just won Miss Maryland USA.

Any hidden talents? How did you discover you could do it? I do a lot of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. My friends started a game at Florida Keys Brewing Co., and I’m a Dungeon Master. I’m a storyteller at heart.

Three words to describe why you love being a counselor.

Fun. Engaging. Rewarding.

What do you do to unwind on weekends?

I don’t get a lot of time off. It depends on the week. If I’m feeling “inside,” I’ll do roleplaying video games. If I’m feeling more extroverted, I love to go explore and do things. I’ll take a hammock to Harry Harris and sit there and read.

Weirdest impulse buy? Right after high school, I found a globe-shaped bar at a thrift store. It sat in storage before I could use it.

But I knew I wanted it to be a centerpiece in my home one day.

Dumbest way you’ve ever hurt yourself?

A lot of dumb ways, to be honest. During staff training with adults, I slammed my head on somebody else’s shoulder. I've sneezed and hit my head on corners of furniture. Lots of silly ways.

What one food item would you abolish forever? I would abolish olives. I can’t stand them! I never met an olive I like.

They’re just gross. But I like olive oil.

SUMMER 2026 | 43

ORAL SURGERY

AVAILABLE IN KEY WEST IV Anesthesia Services DR. DAVID McDONALD Maxillofacial & Oral Surgery Specialist Over 35 years of experience Board Certified Surgeon

Call to schedule your appointment 2758 North Roosevelt Boulevard (in the Overseas Market) | Key West 44 | Keys Woman

305.294.9914

GLOW HOURS COME ENJOY THE SUNSET

Join The Studios of Key West for weekly rooftop happy hours, MONDAYS & TUESDAYS, 6-8PM Plus, Mango Madness on view inside View over 100 works by Florida Keys artists

Contemporary art center, steps from Duval Street.

533 EATON STREET, KEY WEST Always free and open to the public

SUMMER 2026 | 45

BY ERIN STOVER

THE BENEFITS

DO NOT DISTURB How do we gauge our productivity in work, and in life? In recent years, we’ve begun to prioritize not only our output, but our availability. This wasn’t always the most valued metric. For decades, the norm saw employees clocking in at 9 a.m. and rushing out of the office at 5 p.m. on the nose. Entire industries and systems were designed to accommodate this movement. Our freeways widened and our trains sped up. More people moving more quickly became the goal. Our technology caught up, attaching phones to our hands, and then leaping forward again to ping us with calendar reminders, tasks and quick notes throughout the day. Naturally, the pinging bled outside our 9-to-5 norm. Whether blatantly, or tacitly, workplace environments rewarded the most available workers — she who can respond the fastest wins. Before we knew it, we were connected 24/7, always on call.

46 | Keys Woman

OF

BEING UNAVAILABLE For many women, the boundaries blur even further with domestic obligations entering the sphere. Disproportionately, women typically shoulder a bulk of household and child-rearing responsibilities. As the expectation of broader availability has become more widely adopted, the work of everyday life has also forced round-the-clock availability. More often than not, a doctor’s office or school’s first call is to mom. Mothers then find themselves scrambling to manage not only accessibility for their job, but for their families and extended life networks.

As with all things though, the pendulum swings. A few years ago, the pandemic swept through our collective culture, affecting how we live and work, and forcing us to reevaluate the balance between the two. For a while, our 24/7 culture deepened. As we were no longer “in office” or “on the clock,” the standard became one of constant availability. There was no excuse why we couldn’t take a work call at 8 p.m. After all, where else did we have to be?

Parents spent every waking hour catering to, caring for, and, for a while, overseeing a full day of education for their children. In that time, work didn’t pause. The pings continued, the tasks still needed tasking. Somehow, our days stretched, but our time shrank.

After a year of constant connectivity, burnout naturally ensued. Be honest, didn’t nearly every woman you know either drink too much, work out too hard, or simply check out after too much, for too long?

By 2021, we had sighed a collective “nope.” As we came out of our years-long fog, we realized that all the factors had aligned for a reinvention. We could design the way we worked, the way we engaged. For many women, the first step involved setting boundaries. For some, it was as clean as setting rules that disallowed work calls and emails before and after certain hours. Others batched their tasks, creating more concentrated time for family life or personal pursuits.

Overall, the shift seemed to set a precedent. In what was perhaps history’s least surprising hypothesis, people (women in particular)

found the lack of constant requests … refreshing. Taking a baby step back added hours to the day, and life to those hours. Once the shift occurred, reformed 24-hour responders took concrete actions to maintain their newly reclaimed way of life.

In the last few years, our culture has adopted (to varying degrees of success) digital boundary-setting skills. Users are silencing notifications, leaving phones on “do not disturb,” and setting automated responses for simple texts. People are also turning off “read” receipts to alleviate social pressure to respond on a certain timeline, and deleting apps that monopolize their attention. Some have gone so far as to ditch their smartphones, opting instead for the less evolved counterpart – so-called “dumb phones” which exist simply to make calls and perhaps send old-school texts that require hitting each letter three times.

But altering, or avoiding, technology is not the only way to become less accessible. Simple actions such as leaving your phone in another room while you cook dinner, or at home while you walk the dog, can offer reprieves. The secret to becoming less accessible is to stack these reprieves. Enough little breaks and delayed responses will cue people that you are not constantly available.

We’re training ourselves and we’re training others.

Beyond the little aahhhh of stepping away from work at the end of the day, what is the benefit of being unavailable? Ultimately, it could be seen as the ultimate form of privilege. We’re all actively becoming CEOs of our own little corporations. “I’m sorry, but she’s in a meeting. Can I take a message?” It all sounds undeniably lux.

From the outside, there’s a perception that inaccessibility equals power. There is charisma and mystique in projecting an aura of having something else to do, somewhere else to be. And, as far as self-care and boundaries go, it doesn’t matter if that something is catching up on your latest Netflix binge or spending time outside with your kids. Your time is your own. Turn off your phone and claim it.

SUMMER 2026 | 47

The sweet treat spot in Marathon Cupcakes, Baked Goods, Ice Cream, Award Winning Key Lime Pie, Gift Shop and so much more!

GLUTEN FREE MENU AVAILABLE

VOTED BEST DESSERT SPOT! 8919 Overseas HWY, Marathon 305.743.3131 | sweetsavannahs.com

48 | Keys Woman

Saturday, November 21, 2026

RIDE FOR A CAUSE

Century Ride – 100 Miles

CELEBRATING OVER 40 YEARS IN KEY WEST

Start in Key Largo and ride the full length of the scenic Overseas Highway to Key West.

Fierce Fifty – 50 Miles Start in Marathon and enjoy a rewarding half-distance route ending in Key West.

Registration is open for the single-day, 100-mile or 50-mile ride down the Florida Keys 100% of proceeds directly benefits MARC and our differently-abled citizens

tourdekeys.org

BOTH LOCATIONS NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

OLD TOWN 524 DUVAL ST | 305.296.1075 OCEANSIDE 3593 S ROOSEVELT BLVD | 305.295.6789

“My leadership is steady not loud – rooted in care, guided by principle. A strong woman stands up for herself; a stronger woman stands up for others” — Lynny Del Gaizo, Mayor

“Strong women work until change happens “ — Debra Struyf, Vice Mayor

MIND ALTERING LUBRICANTS FOR SOCIAL INTERCOURSE

“Serving on Marathon’s City Council, as a woman at a time when other strong and intelligent women are also serving in our local government, is a true honor. I hope my service helps show younger women and girls that they have the potential to lead – and do anything they set their minds to.”

— Robyn Still, Councilwoman and Former Mayor

DINNER COCKTAILS MUSIC

9805 Overseas Highway, Marathon 305.743.0033 | ci.marathon.fl.us

MONDAY - SATURDAY | 6P - LATE 524 DUVAL ST. | 305.296.1075

SUMMER 2026 | 49

BY STEPHANIE MITCHELL

When linen sheets won’t cut it, freeze yourself right out of that night sweat while your partner stays warm and cozy.

Linen sheets, worth every single penny to wick away all that nighttime moisture.

WOMEN TAKE ACTION TO ADDRESS AN OVERLOOKED ISSUE

STOP MANSPLAINING MENOPAUSE Baby, it’s hot outside. Oh wait, I’m inside, and the A/C is cranked to 67 degrees. Ugh, here we go. Another hot-flash-induced sweat session that makes my living room feel like a Bikram yoga studio.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Women everywhere are officially done with doctors’ dismissals, excuses, medical gaslighting and maddening mansplaining of menopause.

Their indifference to and ignorance of menopause leads to patronizing pronouncements that minimize our very real physical and mental symptoms. This is NOT “just stress,” “normal aging” or “all in your head.”

But when these inane comments prompt an appropriately angry retort from a female patient, the so-called medical professional, predictably, uses it against us — as if we’ve just proven we’re the problem.

In fact, most health care providers receive almost no education about perimenopause and menopause, leaving them ill-equipped to recognize — and treat — shifting hormonal patterns and other biological changes.

Finally, thankfully, women are taking action. We’re advocating for ourselves and for our own health, comfort and wellbeing.

We’re solving our own problems — by inventing new solutions.

This movement has sparked some amazing new gadgets specifically designed to keep you cool, calm and collected year-round — before the “female rage” burns the house down.

Don’t feel like yourself?

Start here.

50 | Keys Woman

It’s not fun to feel “this” kind of dry, your sex life will thank you.

Relief from all that doom scrolling eye strain because we all know we can’t look away.

Losing your cool is a part of the perimenopause madness but it doesn’t have to be.

Do it sooner than later; you won’t regret it.

Sometimes a gal's gotta take it into her own hands.

Anxiety is the real bitch, this helps calm your nervous system and promote rest.

Reduces eye strain, preserves melatonin production for better sleep, and fights blue light-induced skin aging.

'Cause getting back to sleep at 3 a.m. requires weight and blackout curtains for your eyes.

The damn south Florida sweat gets us all but swamp ass doesn’t have to.

Enjoy waterfront dining and our new menu!

Locals join us daily for 20% off dinner. *Must present local ID for discount.

Your Journey, Our Expertise.

Empowered by Women.

Adriana Cuomo VP Branch Manager NMLS#: 713407 O: 305.307.8898 | C: 305.393.0390 ACuomo@SouthStateBank.com

Open Daily 5pm - 9pm.

Book your table on Opentable or call 305.295.3255

Lisa Feliciano Mortgage Banker NMLS#: 378048 O: 305.307.8892 | C: 305.766.0643 LFeliciano@SouthStateBank.com

SouthStateBank.com

23

Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

YEARS OF SHOWING UP.

NEVER BOUGHT. NEVER SOLD. ALWAYS LOCAL. EST. 2003 #LOCALMEDIAMATTERS

SUMMER 2026 | 51

Life is too short

­

­

to wear boring clothes!

LIFE IS SHORT WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Online!

We’re

New live drops weekly

@kirbysclosetkw

Shop kirbyscloset.com FREE LOCAL PICK UP WITH PARKING! LOCAL SHOWROOM - FITTINGS AVAILABLE BY APPT! 52 | Keys Woman

Bett e r s kin M o re co nf id e n ce Hig h e r s ex d ri ve M u s cle g a in M o re h a ir Whit e r s m ile L e ss pa in

GOOD NEWS? YOUR LOCAL SOLUTION BEGINS TODAY!

Locally owned and operated, Rebecca Baur (PA-C, RN) has become the go-to option for personalized care in Key West and the Florida Keys, including services like medical grade facials, non laser hair reduction techniques, pain free hair restoration, prp treatments and much more. Feeling and looking better is a choice and we want to be a part of you journey and goals today.

3140 Northside Drive | Key West | 314.566.9374 | destinationwellnessspa.com

Summer SpeciAls 804 WhiteheAd St. | (305) 440-3196 rAmshEAdsOUthernmOst.com

EArly Bird

SundAy

$10 breakfast

½ price burgers, $4 drafts

MondAy Industry Night

tACO TuesdAy

8AM-10AM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

4PM - CLOSE

Extended Happy Hour Drinks

5PM-CLOSE

5PM-CLOSE

$3 Off Tacos and $5 Margaritas

SUMMER 2026 | 53

WEEKLY STAFF

The things we do

WE D CARE EOD NOT ITION

If you see a woman confidently walking through a grocery store wearing mismatched flip flops, a completely unbothered expression, and zero desire to make small talk, she isn’t having a crisis. She is likely a proud member of the “We Do Not Care Club.”

Founded by digital creator Melani Sanders, this booming community has become a viral lifeline for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause. By trading societal expectations for unapologetic comfort, the movement is transforming how we look at midlife— proving that losing your patience might just be the best way to find your freedom. If you are ready to join the revolution, it starts with abandoning the mental clutter of things we simply do not care about anymore and at Keys Weekly we are always here to help so please enjoy the things we no longer care about.

Scan to go the WDNC website.

Thong underwear / Irish exiting a party in your own home. visible panty lines.

MOVING OUT OF THE WAY FOR ANYONE ON THE SIDEWALK.

ADVICE FROM ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 40.

WHETHER OUR MAKEUP SURVIVES HUMIDITY.

Climbing the corporate ladder.

FOLDING FITTED SHEETS.

THE PHRASE “CIRCLE BACK.”

ARGUING ABOUT POLITICS, RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!

Hurricane snacks being “for emergencies only.”

SMILING TO MAKE OTHERS COMFORTABLE.

Doing someone else’s job so it gets done.

ACCOMMODATING FRAGILE EGOS.

Bras

Mansplaining literally anything, we’re smarter and you know it.

Hurrying

BEING FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE WE DON’T LIKE.

Wearing a cover-up as an actual outfit.

TREATING SOMEONE’S POOR PLANNING AS MY EMERGENCY.

Outdoor events in August.

ANYONE’S OPINION, REALLY.

SHAVING (EXCEPT MY CHIN).

Responding to emails and texts immediately.

ANYONE’S FEELINGS BEFORE COFFEE. 54 | Keys Woman

HERE'S TO BEING THE BEST DRESSED IN THE ROOM

NOW TWO LOCATIONS 804 Caroline St. & 811 Fleming St. Open daily 10am to 5pm Key West | 305.517.6641

SHOP ONLINE islandmercantilekw.com Instagram @theislandmercantilekw SUMMER 2026 | 55

CONFIDENCE SOUNDS GOOD ON YOU Hearing clearly is about more than sound. It’s about connection, independence, and feeling fully present in your own life. At Hear 4 U Audiology, Dr. Michelle helps women throughout the Keys take charge of their hearing health with personalized care, expert guidance, and support that puts their needs first. Because every woman deserves to feel confident, connected, and heard. Contact Dr. Michelle today!

Scan this on your phone to connect directly with

Two trusted names.

One easy solution.

KEY WEST 1010 Kennedy Drive, Suite 305 (In the Kennedy Center) TAVERNIER 93911 Overseas Hwy., Ste. 5 (2nd Floor)

MARATHON 11400 Overseas Highway, Suite 209 Town Square Mall HOMESTEAD Towers Professional Plaza 151 NW 11th Street, Suite. W-301

CALL TODAY TO START YOUR JOURNEY!

(305) 247-8227

hear4uaudiology.com | heardrmichelle.com