Heart of Southwest Florida

09/11/2026

Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. We pause to remember the lives lost, the families who still carry that day with them and the first responders who ran toward danger without hesitation. Some things are too important to let time soften. We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

07/03/2026

Yesterday at the UHACC SWFL breakfast, I expected questions about efficiency. What I got instead were harder, better questions about data privacy, about how to properly cite AI-assisted work, and about copyright, sparked by a conversation on whether AI art infringes on the artists it learns from.

I love that room for asking. Those aren’t small questions, and they don’t have easy answers. What I shared is how I think through it with my own clients: transparency first, always disclose when AI played a role, and treat these tools with the same scrutiny you’d want applied to anything that touches your business or your data.

Grateful for a room willing to ask the hard stuff instead of just the easy stuff.

07/03/2026

Celebrate Independence Day SWFL style

🎆 Your Southwest Florida 4th of July Weekend Guide 🎆
This one's a big one, neighbors. Here's where to be:
Fort Myers Beach Florida— Parade kicks off 10am at Bay Oaks Rec Center down Estero Blvd to Times Square. Freedom by the Bay ceremony at 4:15pm, live music 5-8pm, fireworks over Times Square around 9pm.
Cape Coral — Red White and BOOM SWFL's largest single-day event. Saturday 5-10pm at the foot of the Cape Coral Bridge. Chris Lane performs at 8pm, fireworks at 9:30pm. (Early risers: Freedom 5K starts 7am near the bridge.)
Bonita Springs, Florida— "Small Town Big Spirit" parade at 9am on Old 41. Riverside Park festivities start 6pm with live music from The Ben Allen Band, then a 50-minute drone, laser, and fireworks show after dark.
Downtown Fort Myers Kicking things off early with a Friday night concert (July 3) at Caloosa Sound Amphitheater — Eagles and Tom Petty tribute bands.
Naples, Florida Marco Island, Florida— Fireworks cruises depart from Tin City. Marco Island's show lights up over the Gulf from South Marco Beach, around 9pm.
Wherever you post up this weekend, tag us in your photos — we love seeing SWFL celebrate. 🇺🇸
Drop your weekend pick in the comments 👇

07/01/2026

I used to think I needed to explain AI to people before they’d trust it.

I was wrong.

What people actually need is to see it work on something they care about. Their follow-up emails. Their social media. Their meeting notes. Their proposals.

Not a demo. Not a pitch. A solution to a problem they woke up thinking about this morning.

That is the shift that changes everything, from “AI is interesting” to “AI is mine.”

If you have been curious but have not found your entry point yet, that is exactly what a complimentary AI Business Assessment is for. Not theory. Your actual business. Your actual time.

Yes, this illustration is AI generated. That is kind of the point.

calendly.com/marie-altavisegroup/30min

06/29/2026

✨ Monday Business Spotlight ✨
This week we're shining the light on Simply Golden Boutique in Cape Coral!
This women's fashion boutique carries sizes Small to 3X, so there's truly something for everyone. Beyond clothing, you'll find shoes, jewelry, kids' items, home decor, and gifts, basically a one-stop shop for treating yourself or finding the perfect present.
📍 1345 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral

🕙 Open Monday through Saturday, 10am-5pm
If you haven't stopped in yet, this is your sign! Tag a friend who needs a new outfit. 👇
Simply Golden Boutique with Hannah

06/24/2026

Okay confession: I used to think “using AI” just meant having ChatGPT open. Turns out that’s like saying a gym membership counts as working out 😂 I just posted something about what actually changes things go check it out. ANDif you’re free tonight at 7, come learn how to build this for your own business. Link in the first comment.

Here’s what my mornings used to look like. Open email. Get pulled into six things before I’ve had coffee. Lose an hour to stuff that didn’t move anything forward.
Here’s what they look like now.
Aria already went through my inbox and flagged what actually needs me. Sterling already has the priorities for the day lined up. Nothing falls through, and I didn’t have to be the one holding all of it in my head.
That’s not a tool. That’s a system, and it’s one I built piece by piece, the same way I’m teaching tonight.
Tonight at 7 PM ET is Part 2 of AI Basics, where I show you how to start building this for your own business, whatever business that is. Free, live, on Zoom. Link in comments. Come as you are.

06/23/2026

06/22/2026

Most people do not know this place exists, and that is honestly a shame.
Sill Farms in Punta Gorda is a small family farm tucked right here in Charlotte County. They are home to a herd of alpacas, horses, chickens, and Koi, and they do animal therapy and party programs for the local community.
If you have never spent time with an alpaca, you are missing something. There is a reason animal therapy works. These animals have a way of slowing everything down, and that is exactly the kind of thing Southwest Florida needs more of.
This is the kind of place you drive past your whole life and never stop. Stop.
Sill Farms 44670 Bermont Road, Punta Gorda, FL
(814) 873-4444
Tag someone who needs a farm day.Sill Farms

06/22/2026

You downloaded the app. You played with it for a week. Then it sat there.

Here’s the truth nobody tells you when you sign up for ChatGPT or any AI tool: a tool by itself doesn’t change your business. It just gives you something new to forget to use.

A tool is software. A system is software plus a workflow plus a habit that actually runs without you thinking about it.

This week on The AI Connector, we’re talking about the difference, because I see this gap constantly with the business owners, agents, and healthcare professionals I work with. They’re not behind on AI. They just bought a tool and called it a system.

More on this all week. 👇🏽