The Skittle Squad Podcast

In the season two finale of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we look back on a season filled with growth, laughter, and unforgettable conversations with inspiring guests. This week, they’re joined by a very special guest: Jim Verraros, a trailblazing contestant from the very first season of American Idol.

Jim opens up about his journey in the music industry, what it meant to be an openly gay artist in the spotlight at a time when visibili...

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we sit down with Jason Fields, 2025 Voice for Equality Award Winner, President of the Krewe of Cavaliers, triathlete, and longtime community leader. From cycling with Tampa Bay Area Cyclists to leading Kick Up Your Heels for 12 years, Jason has built a life centered on giving back, connecting, and fighting for equality.

The conversation dives into his journey in addiction medicine, the i...

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we mix laughs, life lessons, and LGBTQ+ advocacy in a conversation that moves from kitchen disputes to community change.

We are joined by Callen Jones, the first LGBTQ+ coordinator at USF and a driving force behind the Trans Network, who opens up about the unique challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face in real estate, the power of allyship, and the mental health benefits of simply holding spa...

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we dive into a vulnerable, powerful conversation about what it really means to grow into your identity and hold space for others doing the same.

We are joined by the inspiring entertainer Mr. Vyn Suazion for an unfiltered dialogue on navigating your twenties, finding your people, and showing up authentically in relationships, activism, and self-care. In this powerful episode he opens...

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, Paul and David kick things off with a chaotic boating story that quickly spirals into laughs.
 Spoiler: There’s a sneak peek at “Bad Romance” being performed mid-chaos on deck.

Then we dive deep with Scott Simon, the "Mayer" of Bradley's, go-go dancer, and proud member of the LGBTQ community, who opens up about his powerful journey through self-discovery, mental health struggles, and find...

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we’re joined by Brian Longstreth, a pioneer of LGBTQ+ visibility in St. Pete and the visionary behind GayStPete.com, Casa Del MerMan, and Visit Gay Montanita.

Brian takes us on a ride through decades of queer activism, community-building, and pride parades, sharing the story of how a city once lacking LGBTQ+ visibility grew into a thriving, inclusive hub.

From opening one of the first gay...

 Miss St. Pete Pride is in the house and she’s making history.

In this inspiring episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we’re joined by Seduction D. Dickerson, the first cisgender woman to ever win the title of Miss St. Pete Pride. Performer, mentor, educator, and fierce advocate for representation, Seduction opens up about her journey through pageantry, the power of mentorship, and her mission to create space for all in the LGBTQ+ c...

Tampa Bay’s Drag Brunch Diva is in the building and she’s spilling tea, sharing truth, and reminding us why drag is so much more than a performance.

In this episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we’re joined by the award-winning Brianna Summers—business owner, entertainer, advocate, and creator of one of Tampa Bay’s most iconic drag brunch entities. 

From surviving an abusive relationship to using drag as a lifeline for mental health...

In this episode of the Skittle Squad Podcast, we sit down with Dee Rose, founder of FAMLeague Sports & Entertainment, Tampa Bay’s go-to league for inclusive sports, events, and community connection.

We talk leadership, laughter, and what it means to build a space where everyone feels like they belong. From organizing kickball games and cruises to creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ folks and allies, Dee opens up about the power of s...

 Happy Pride, y’all—we’re back!

Season 2 of the Skittle Squad Podcast is officially here, and we’re kicking things off with celebration, connection, and some unforgettable stories (including our trip to Alcatraz ).

In this premiere episode, we’re joined by the one and only Alice Marie Gripp—educator, advocate, and fierce drag performer—who’s out here changing lives both on stage and in the classroom. We talk about everything from bat...

In the season 1 finale of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we take a look back on a wild ride through 13 powerful, hilarious, and heart-opening episodes. From finding our flow as co-hosts to navigating vulnerable conversations about mental health, business, and identity, we reflect on a successful first season.

We’re joined by beloved community leaders David Fisher and Lee Manuel, two visionaries behind St. Pete’s vibrant LGBTQ scene ...

How the president of 𝐒𝐭. 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 is transforming advocacy by uniting activists, nonprofits, and allies—and why fitness fuels the revolution.

In this powerful and uplifting episode of The Skittle Squad Podcast, we sit down with 𝐃𝐫. 𝐁𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧-𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡—educator, CrossFit coach, nonprofit founder, and president of St. Pete Pride, Florida’s largest Pride organization. Amidst a statewide assault on LG...

𝐖𝐡𝐲 "𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥" 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Can you build unshakable financial security as an LGBTQ+ person in today’s volatile world? Dean Hershkowitz, a seasoned financial advisor and advocate for queer economic empowerment, joins The Skittle Squad Podcast to tackle the hard questions—from market crashes ...

𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦—𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘱

Meet 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐮, the visionary leader transforming Tampa Bay's LGBTQ+ business landscape one connection at a time. As President and CEO of the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber, Rene brings a powerhouse of experience from six different chambers across Texas and Florida to unite our sprawli...

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 & 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐰 – How a Queer Artist Turns Heartbreak into Radiance (Nose Job Included!)

How do you paint resilience in every color of the rainbow? Meet 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐮—the Filipino singer-songwriter and LGBTQ+ beacon who turned loss into lyrics, stereotypes into sparkle, and even turning rhinoplasty int...

𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 – How Skincare, Holistic Healing, and Unshakable Resilience Can Transform Your Life

Can adversity fuel your greatest comeback? In this powerful episode of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭, meet 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐧—a holistic health coach and skincare expert who turned a lifelong battle with acne into a mission to heal others. From corporate burnout to b...

From surviving COVID’s wreckage to photographing Drag Race royalty—how a Black queer artist from Plant City turned trauma into frames that set the standard.

Meet 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞—Tampa Bay’s award-winning queer photographer, RuPaul’s Drag Race collaborator, and unapologetic voice for underrepresented performers. In this raw, riotous episode, Morgan reveals how he went from a novice with a camera to a force reshaping ...

🔥 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲—𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Meet 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧—co-host of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐌𝐍𝐅 88.5 FM, award-winning activist, and the literal reason The Skittle Squad Podcast exists. In this electrifying episode, the 24-year-old political science major proves that age is just a number when it co...

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢’𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯—𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘻𝘪𝘱-𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

🔥 What would Rockell do? 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬—𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑.

Drag legend 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐮 (18-year drag veteran, 30-year professional dancer, and T...