*Nerd Nite St. Pete is hosted at Coastal Creative *
Doors open at 6pm. Presentations begin promptly at 7pm.
Tickets are $6.91. All tickets will be sold online.
No need to print tickets: Give us your name and we will check you in.
Food Trucks:
Carupano Kitchen: https://www.carupanokitchen.com/
Event date: August 25, 2026. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets at Humanitix.
Julie Rocco presents Who Holds the Mic?
What if the most powerful expertise isn’t found in institutions, but in lived experience? This talk explores narrative psychology, the role stories play in shaping identity and behavior, and how control over narrative is deeply tied to power. We’ll look at how shifting who gets to tell the story—centering voices often overlooked—can transform communities, influence systems, and create new pathways for connection and belonging. Through the lens of What I Would Have Missed, a storytelling platform for suicide ideation, attempt, and loss survivors, I’ll share how redistributing narrative authority can move us from observation to participation, reminding us that the stories we carry—and choose to share—have the power to change not just how we see ourselves, but how we build community together.
Mike Munger presents Your Property Taxes and How They Are Spent
With property taxes suddenly becoming interesting, I feel some duty as a local public servant to pull back the curtain and explain how local governments spend our property tax dollars. Most people have a general idea, but if you only knew “how the sausage gets made” behind the scenes, you would likely have a greater appreciation for how much gets done with limited resources. If there is an opportunity now to get residents engaged with their local government, I have some responsibility to share what I know.
Meredith Moran presents Paws with a Purpose: The science and soul of animal assisted therapy
Think therapy dogs are just a fluffy bonus? Think again. This talk breaks down the neuroscience of why animals make us measurably calmer, smarter about our emotions, and more willing to open up — and explains the surprisingly rigorous world of clinical animal assisted therapy, from ESAs and service dogs all the way to law enforcement investigative therapy dogs. You’ll meet Gilbert Oliver Moran, a certified MDT-K9 who co-therapists alongside a licensed trauma clinician working with first responders, military personnel, and incarcerated individuals — and learn why a badge-carrying cop who won’t talk to a therapist will absolutely talk to a dog. It’s part neuroscience, part dog content, and 100% evidence-based.