We talk with seventh generation Conch and Key West historian Clinton Curry about why the Key West Cemetery is the island’s most sacred ground. We trace how the 1846 hurricane reshaped burial practices, preservation priorities, and the way Key West remembers its people.

• Clinton’s family roots and why local history matters
• The Key West Cemetery as sacred space and public memory
• The October 1846 hurricane and why the burial ground moved
• How early graves were cut into coral and covered with slabs
• Preservation work and the winter cemetery strolls with historians
• William Curry’s story and bringing history to life through reenactment
• The USS Maine burial site and the monument funded by Key West citizens

If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tech. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram, or check my website at joynulisch.com. And go bring joy to the people in your world.

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I sit down with seventh-generation Conch Clinton Curry to talk about how family genealogy, museum work, and everyday memories keep Key West history real. We connect the Curry family story to shipwreck salvage, the Truman Little White House, the sacred ground of the Key West Cemetery, and the small traditions that make Conch culture last.

• The Kinfolks genealogy books and how they map Curry family connections
• Curry family migration from Delaware and South Carolina to the Bahamas and Key West
• Growing up in Mallory Square and learning Conch foods in the Old Fisherman’s Cafe building
• Key West Aquarium as a workplace and a love story, including a public proposal on a tour
• Shipwreck Museum and the wrecking era that shaped Key West wealth
• Truman Little White House programming and why presidential history matters here
• Playing the conch shell horn, teaching kids, and keeping the tradition fun
• Why the Key West Cemetery is sacred, including the 1846 hurricane and the USS Maine memorial
• Coaching legacy, chain-gang volunteering, and showing up for the next generation
• Travel as a way to improve tourism experiences and make visitors feel seen
• Where Key West is headed and how to move forward together

If you enjoyed this episode drop a review share and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tech you can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram or check my website at joynulisch.com and go bring joy to the people in your world until next time

Photos Contributed: Clinton Curry

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We sit down with Fighting Conch head coach Johnny Hughes to talk about what it takes to build a winning football identity in Key West, even with long travel, limited numbers, and constant adversity. We dig into recruiting from the “bottom of the map,” why our toughness travels, and what Conch Pride looks like when the whole community shows up on Friday night.

• Johnny’s path from Key West to Miami and back to the Conchs
• Shout outs to the coaching staff and former players who return to coach
• Key West football history and legends who put the island on the map
• Getting players recruited with academics, weight room work, and film that does not lie
Questions from the Sidelines
• Why wrestling and multi sport athletes make better football players
• What Conch Pride means athletically and community wide

If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there’s a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram, or check my website at joynulisch.com. Now go bring joy to the people in your world.

Photo Cred: Rocky Gonet Media, Ron Cooke Keys Citizen

Video Cred: Becky Guyet, Terese Perez, Laura Kasper

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We sit down with Key West leader Jimmy Weekly to trace how Fausto’s grew from a 1926 neighborhood bodega into a 100-year island landmark. Along the way, we get the real stories behind quality meat, community trust, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and the public spaces that make Key West feel like home.
• Fausto’s origin story, early locations, and the family legacy behind the name
• What it takes to survive the Depression, hurricanes, and a major store fire
• Why we pivot toward organic and natural products to compete with chain stores
• How we protect consistency in-house with measured recipes and craft butchery
• The true Jimmy Buffett burger blend story and why it stayed special
• What to expect at the 100-year celebration, tastings, music, and employee recognition
• Growing up in old Key West, shrimp docks, neighborhood games, and how the island changed
• Jimmy’s Washington, DC years, FBI ambitions, and lessons from Watergate-era government
• The civic wins we’re proud of, including the Key West Bight and Truman Waterfront Park
• What brings Jimmy joy, from customers to family to watching grandkids grow

If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram, or check my website at joynulisch.com. Now go bring joy to the people in your world.

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We sit down with Coach Lori Bosco to celebrate 30 years leading Key West High School swimming and the culture she has built on the pool deck. We talk milestones, traditions, funding realities, and the simple habits that turn student athletes into stronger swimmers and better people.

•How Lori steps into the head coach role and grows with the program
• First state qualifier memories and what they changed
• Adding the boys team and why equity matters
• The state champion moment and the details that decide races
• What a Key West swim season looks like and why travel is hard
• Building the “ideal” student athlete with sleep, nutrition, and hydration
• Fundraising through snow cones, donations, and community support
• Coach Wise influence, leadership lessons, and travel discipline
• The wild tiger story and effort as a team standard
• The team National Anthem tradition and inviting other schools in
• Senior day, where the team swims, and how to show up locally
•Multi-generation impact through lessons, lifeguarding, and coaching
• College of the Florida Keys athletics, recruiting limits, and growth plans
• Bone Island Swim Club as the pipeline for future Conchs
• Aqua Fit and why the water “resets” your brain

Photo Cred: Jen Searcy and Ron Cooke Keys Citizen

If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram, or check my website at joynulisch.com

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Joy Nulisch sits down with Rob Smith-Martin a lifelong Conch storyteller, musician, and entrepreneur to trace the version of the island many people only hear about in rumors: the 1970s and early 1980s, when storefronts were boarded up, rent was cheap, and artists, writers, and unforgettable characters filled the gaps. We talk about why that era felt like a “golden age,” how the Navy pullout and a shaky economy reshaped downtown, and what it meant to live in a place that still felt small enough for everyone to know your name.

We take the conversation across the water to Cuba, with Rob's firsthand experience visiting the island and working with Cuban artists. Rob shares what headlines miss, the warmth, generosity, music, family loyalty, and daily resilience that persist through shortages, outages, and political strain. We also revisit the Mariel boatlift and how it changed Key West schools almost overnight, pushing local kids to see a much bigger world. If you care about Cuban culture, Key West Cuban roots, and what real community looks like under pressure, this part hits hard.

Then we come back home for stories that feel like snapshots learning to swim at the Pier House pool, the nerves of swimming out to the harbor dock, and the way old Key West blurred the line between ordinary life and legend. We dig into the Key West Picture Show as a true time-capsule film, and we share a rare, personal look at Jimmy Buffett’s Key West connections, including how Sunshine, Rob's mom helped launch Margaritaville as a real mom and pop shop at the seaport before it became a global brand.

Subscribe, share this with a fellow Key West lover, and leave a review so more people can find the stories that keep this island’s heart beating.

some Pics from Our Key West Magazine

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Re-Release from the BringJoy Vault. Six years later this episode still touches the heart and makes you want to call your grandmother.

This is all about grandmothers, and the love they give. Not just mine, but yours too. I reached out to my friends via social media and asked them to share somethings about their grandmothers. A couple hours later my feed was full of the sweetest memories reaffirming that doing an episode on grandmothers would be a crowd-pleaser. It seems grandmothers are kinda like puppies, and babies everybody loves ‘em. If we set our intent on loving unconditionally, what a world it could be.

Production: Wonderdog
> http://markypierson.com/ <

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Special Segment: From the Conch Pride with Legend Richie Garcia. One call in October can follow you for years, but the part most fans never hear is what it does to the person who made it. We sit down with former MLB umpire Richie Garcia to unpack the human fallout from the Jeffrey Maier play in the 1996 Yankees vs. Orioles postseason, and why he still describes that stretch as the hardest winter of his career. If you’ve ever searched for the truth about MLB umpiring pressure, controversial calls, or what officials endure off the field, this conversation goes straight there.

Garcia shares what it was like to keep working immediately after the storm hit: traveling under security, being escorted into and out of the stadium, and trying to protect his wife and kids from the noise and anger surrounding his name. We also talk about the psychology of officiating, including how he handles conflict after an ejection and why confronting tension directly can be the only way to move forward. It’s a rare look at sports officiating that goes beyond rules and replay angles and into safety, stress, and identity.

Then the story turns. Garcia describes walking into a packed press conference for the first time and using a single joke to steady the room, plus how a decades-long reputation with players and writers can quietly matter when everything is on the line. Finally, we get the perspective shift that makes this episode stick: Orioles players offering grace at spring training, and Garcia’s later conversation with Jeffrey Maier as an adult, which reframes the moment with empathy and maturity. If this changed how you see umpires, subscribe, share the episode with a baseball fan, and leave us a review.

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