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Sharing the Magic Presents! Kristin Reinbold
82 Plays16 days ago
In this episode of Sharing the Magic, we welcome Kristin Reinbold, cohost of The Wisdom of Walt: The Podcast and a creative voice connected to The Wisdom of Walt, where she helps share stories about leadership, Disney history, and the enduring lessons found in Walt Disney’s life and work. Kristin is also the author of Mondays on Main Street, a weekly newsletter, and she shares about her upcoming Disney-inspired memoir, A Forced Perspective, which she describes as a raw and personal journey through love, loss, addiction, identity, and learning to see life differently when the fairytale does not unfold the way we expected. Follow Kristin and her work here: The Wisdom of Walt: https://www.TheWisdomofWalt.com The Wisdom of Walt: The Podcast: Search “The Wisdom of Walt” wherever you listen to podcasts. Mondays on Main Street Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relati... Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who loves Disney, storytelling, leadership, and conversations that help us see life from a new perspective.
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Transcript
Welcome to 'Sharing the Magic' with Disney Enthusiasts
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to Sharing the Magic, the podcast that sweeps you away into the enchanting realms of Disney.
Guest Introductions and Disney Secrets
00:00:09
Speaker
Each week, we're joined by a special guest, be it a magician casting real-life spells of wonder, or a Disney expert revealing hidden secrets in the heart of the happiest place on Earth.
Tales of Disney's Enchantment and Encouragement
00:00:22
Speaker
Together, we'll venture down glittering paths, uncovering tales of daring heroes, legendary places, and whimsical wonders that make Disney sparkle.
00:00:33
Speaker
So prepare to be enchanted, delighted, and transported to a place where dreams dance, fairy tales breathe, and the magic is real.
Meet the Guest: Kristen Reinbold
00:00:45
Speaker
Welcome to this week's episode of Sharing the Magic. We are super excited to have our guest here this week, but before we introduce our special guest, we will introduce our cast. And going in order of how they show on my screen, i will pick on Dawn. Welcome, Dawn.
00:01:04
Speaker
hi from Houston. Welcome. I'm excited to talk Disney. It's my favorite subject, and I know you like that as well, so welcome. And hello, Angela.
00:01:17
Speaker
Hey, everybody. I'm Angela. I'm here in Memphis, Tennessee, where it's a beautiful day outside. Also, I've been by the pool. So we won't keep you all night long so you can enjoy your dinner. But I can't wait to hear all about um the magic that you want to share.
00:01:32
Speaker
Awesome. Hello, Ashley. Hello, everybody. I'm coming from at you guys from behind the magic kingdom of Walt Disney World. And I'm looking forward to hearing your story tonight.
00:01:45
Speaker
And hello there, Kat. Howdy from North Carolina. It is not a beautiful day, but it's okay. I'm ready to talk about ah middle school English.
00:02:00
Speaker
That will probably be a topic that is breached tonight for sure. And I'm Lisa. I'm from right here in Central Florida, maybe 40 minutes on a good day to Magic Kingdom.
Kristen's Disney Journey and Family Influences
00:02:12
Speaker
So I am super excited to introduce our guest, Kristen Reinbold.
00:02:20
Speaker
Hello, hello. You said it right. Okay, you great so much for having me. Yes, you did great. yeah I'm so excited to talk to you. um We have a first question that we tend to ask our guests. And that is, how did you develop your love for Disney? And how are you woven into the fabric of Disney?
00:02:44
Speaker
That's actually a great question because that was the very first topic, or I should say the topic of my very first article that I started writing for Dr. Barnes under the wisdom of Walt. And that actually traces back to me being a two-year-old girl in the backpack of my, uh, of my dad's baby carrier. That was the very first time I ever stepped foot in to the magic. And while I don't necessarily remember, uh, my very first steps in, in Disneyland, um I can say that i believe that a little of that magic kind of stuck with me. um He would go on to pass, you know, years later and
00:03:22
Speaker
I just was always rooted back to this idea of never growing up because he had such a childlike spirit. um In fact, fun fun fact, he was kicked out of Disneyland because he spent the night on Tom Sawyer's Island and hid from security and then swam back with his buddies and got busted in the middle of the night. And so that just said everything that you need to know about who my dad was. He would go on to become a CEO of a company and do wonderful things at the like, administrative professional level, but I always remembered him as the guy that got kicked out of Disneyland for trying to spend the night on Tom Sawyer's Island. And so I think that, that legacy that he left with me just always brought me back to the magic of Disneyland. That if, if we choose to not grow up and to not let our, allow ourselves to grow up, we can get older, but we don't have to grow up. I think that's the secret to success. And honestly, the secret to happiness um
00:04:22
Speaker
Yeah. And that stuck with me. I totally agree. And for our listeners, right, Lisa, we do not want to encourage or suggest anybody but for and the night on Tom Sawyer Island out there.
00:04:36
Speaker
i can see legal right now sending emails. No, no longer an option in Florida. True, that's true. True, Ashley, true. They did take that away. I'd like remind you to please follow all posted signs and legal notices throughout your stay at the Magic Parks.
Diverse Disney Experiences and Family Memories
00:04:53
Speaker
Right, right. But what what a great legacy that, you know, and even that, you know childlike wonder that he likely imposed upon you um throughout your life.
00:05:06
Speaker
ah where How often did you end up going to Disneyland? Yeah. We're kind of lucky because I'm i'm right outside of Las Vegas. so I'm in Henderson, technically Vegas. So if I'm going for the miles per hour, i can get there in about three and a half hours. um So we would go for a while during my childhood. I'd say every year every other year.
00:05:28
Speaker
um and then once my kids got old enough, because I had a rule that they needed to be able to wipe their own behinds and tell me when they're tired, tell me when they're hungry Then I'll start taking them. um And no shame on people that take them earlier.
00:05:42
Speaker
um But once my kiddos started to get to be about five or six is when i started going at least once, maybe twice a year. i was an annual pass holder for one whole year. But teacher salary did not allow for that to continue. Yeah. Well, and it used to be so much cheaper it is Like I, even living in Indianapolis, I just moved to Florida six months ago. And my kids, I, and part of my history is I did have family.
00:06:15
Speaker
slew of foster children and then five are now stuck with me for their lifetime and so wow before kids would go back i would before they go back to the birth parents i would bring them to disney world if the judge and the parents agreed that they could do that and so instilling that you know in that in those kiddos you know when they were early, you know just just babies still. Some of them you know were eight, but some of them were three, four, and sending them with those pictures and giving them that that at least one time chance to go have that experience was was so so wonderful for me and my my family. So my kids have been...
00:07:01
Speaker
Numerous times, the ones I've adopted because they would get to go every time that I would take another foster kid. So um I just love that your story started out early, even earlier than you can remember. But, you know, it's it's just amazing that you shared that. appreciate And Lisa, I have to piggyback off of that because not a lot of people know this, but I was actually adopted as a baby. And so had I not been adopted the way that I was, I was actually born in Oregon and adopted out of Oregon. I was two years old or about a year and a half when they relocated us closer to Disneyland, which was in Vegas. And had that not have transpired, I would later go on to discover my biological side. And let's just say my life would have looked very, very different. And I would...
00:07:47
Speaker
I would wager that I probably never would have set foot into Disneyland as a child. And so I am like, thank you. All I can say to you is thank you. And to all of our parents out there that that take in foster kids or decide to do adoption or are on the other side that give their children up for adoption. i Just a heartfelt thank you. I know that's not the topic of tonight, but we've got to give you guys a moment of of accolades. So round of applause to you. Thank Thank you. that That was amazing. I hardly ever share that story, but wow I appreciate it. That was just meant to be, I guess. but so That was a little fault moment. that was. Love it.
00:08:30
Speaker
So anyone else that has another burning question for our guests, you can feel free or you know, I always have questions. Go go ahead, Dawn.
00:08:44
Speaker
I was just going to say, okay going back, we know your initial, first of all, I do believe that you you may not remember being two going but you remember a feeling like obviously if a child was kept in a closet when they were two they would have a different interpretation of life so i feel like being having those experiences early on like i took i was one that took my kids when they were infants all the way i just i just did and i yes they my husband at the time would argue with me and go they're not going to remember it And I would say, well, let's just put him in a closet then, jokingly, because I tried to prove a point to him that this is a positive experience. Whether or not they remember that, they're going to remember the feeling. And so I so i do think when you said you would like to believe that the magic started then, I i truly believe it does. Because I think that we shape our children and our lives from a very, very early, just because they can't.
Disney's Support for Neurodivergent Families
00:09:39
Speaker
you know, say, Hey, I remember being in the back in the backpack, which sounds weird on the back. I know what you're talking about. like Baby Bajoran things. um You may not remember, Oh, I remember walking past this or whatever, but you remember that feeling and you remember that love. And you can also feel like what your parents are feeling during that time. So I think, it important I think it's so important. I love that.
00:10:03
Speaker
Dawn, and I love that you shared that because um i have two children. My daughter just turned 21, but I have a 15-year-old son with autism, and he was nonverbal until over the age of five. And so even though we we were told by doctors that he would never be able to speak and he would never articulate, now when we work with therapists and ABA specialists, He's now recalling things or emotions that he felt years ago. He just didn't have the vernacular to express that. So that's right in the lane of what you were discussing too. Like it's never too early. And I believe it's never too late, right? Because it's that emotion and that that magic that we're planting either early in life or maybe a little bit later.
00:10:42
Speaker
But whatever works for you, I think you're right on time with that. So that's awesome. Thank you for sharing that. You're welcome. That is awesome. And I've shared many times before um about one of my children that is on the spectrum.
00:10:57
Speaker
The time that he has, he has said numerous times, the time that he feels the most normal is the time that he's at Disney parks because they all pay attention to him and he feels good and they accommodate his needs. And yes he feels the most normal when he is there. So he is very verbal about that as well, many of the time. So, you know, it like it really levels the playing field and in many ways. um And that kind of comes back from my special ed days of leveling the playing field as the teachers in the room are like, yes, yes, yes. um But, you know, it really does. Disney does a great job at making everyone, every guest, whether they are two years old or whether they're 88 years old, feeling the same way, whether they're coming from ah a stroller, whether they're walking or whether they, you know, are in a wheelchair, they have their own visual perspective of everything. So anyways, that's great.
00:11:59
Speaker
they They're seen and safe. Like Disney makes you feel seen and it makes you feel safe. So as a two year old, you can imagine like knowing that you're in a safe environment and that people are paying attention to you. And as a 88 year old in a wheelchair, which one time I did see at Spaceship Earth. So nobody say I'm making this up because I actually saw it.
00:12:18
Speaker
um I thought that's going to be me. But you're seen, right? Everyone wants to be seen. And then you're safe. Like I can't even imagine never mind the the colors and the fun and the smells and everything else. But just actually being seen is so important.
00:12:34
Speaker
That's so true. I love that. There's so many former educators in there in our group and as well as special education advocators like myself. I was the coordinator for 25 years. So speaking on that level and talking about um you being an autism advocate, what are some of the hidden gems and specific areas in the parks that you think are most empowering or helpful to families with neurodivergent children?
00:12:59
Speaker
Oh my gosh, I absolutely love that question. And I didn't realize I was going to sit in a room with so many educators and special ed people and, you know, foster and this is amazing.
00:13:10
Speaker
I hit the jackpot. Okay, squirrel. We hit the jackpot. We hit the jackpot. Yes. This is like where like everything aligns, all planets, right here. um Wow, what a wonderful question.
00:13:25
Speaker
I'm pausing only because my son is now at that stage where he hates all things Disney and Mickey Mouse because it makes him think of mom in my home office. And he's starting to become too cool for me. So I really have to like go back in time to when like he loved me and he loved Mickey Mouse. um First and foremost, I would say...
00:13:47
Speaker
i If you can get, i believe it's still, is it 60 days, maybe 30 days, correct me, someone in here knows that, where you can start to meet with kind of like your DOS advocate and meet with a cast member well in advance. um I think that the magic happens well before you even step foot on property. It's that interaction that you have. And based based on the... um um ability level of your child, you know, having them be able to sit down kind of like this via Zoom um and speak and advocate for themselves, or at least in the presence of somebody else that can do it on their behalf. I think that is a great place to start because it sets the tone for what's to come. um I know back when when we started the DOS program with David, and that was back still when you could do your advanced reservations. And so rather than feeling like we're pressed for time and we have to go, go, go, and anyone that understands life with a child with special needs, like minute by minute, you have no idea what's happening.
00:14:45
Speaker
going to be, you know, surfacing. And so you can plan and strategize as much as you want, but you just don't quite know when that meltdown is going to happen or when there's going to be a sensory, you know, overload. um And so just having some of that that scheduled in advance is great. I personally love the idea of having us ah a picture schedule,
00:15:05
Speaker
um kind of of giving a lot of choice like you know would you rather do this or this right like because we know the parks we know how to navigate it um but if we can kind of guide them by giving them choice throughout the process i think is great um Anytime we can take a break and the more that I've been able to accommodate that for my son, the more I've realized I needed it as well. a sensory break, a place where I can go that is a little bit more calm. So maybe that's the area, of the picnic area outside the front gates. Um, maybe that's kind of a, a smaller, quieter alcove that you find maybe behind some of the show buildings. That's, you know, kind of ah over by the locker area. That's not on the main drag of main street. um,
00:15:47
Speaker
I've also found like when you compare lands, adventure land is extremely tight, not a lot of, you know, areas to move around and it can feel very overwhelming very, very quickly depending upon the time of day. So just kind of knowing how to traverse maybe the back way instead of going, um Adventureland, maybe going Frontierland and kind of going ah over by the areas you get closer to Star Wars, places where they can just kind of breathe and things tend to slow down a bit. um I think those are just kind of my my go to's personally. Also, you can't forget the quiet, no name space over in Critter Country.
00:16:27
Speaker
There's a dark alcove between, i'm going to give it away now. Now it's going to be so busy. Right between ah Adventures of Winnie the Pooh And Pooh's Corner Store, forgive me if they've changed the name, but there's like a little quiet area with benches and it's a beautiful view of just the greenery and you hear all the sound effects in the background. It's heaven.
00:16:51
Speaker
Like even without children, I will go sit there alone with a churro and just take a minute. At Disneyland, liked that, um the quiet room over by the submarines, by Nemo's submarines. That's the one I recommend people go to. Yeah. is can You can either melt down in there or you can take a nap in there and nobody bothers you.
00:17:12
Speaker
I love that. Yeah. And I think like, as our society is just becoming more comfortable with talking about, you know, neurodivergent population, i think the more of us are going to find that we need it too, at the adult level, because our world is just so saturated with noise and stimuli that Whether we are diagnosed on the spectrum or not, sometimes we just need a minute.
00:17:33
Speaker
um And I don't think the parks are getting any less populated. So the more that we can just strategize, what's going to be my my location where I just need a second here? Or what about over here?
Planning the Perfect Disney Experience
00:17:43
Speaker
What is that timeout going to look like for the family just so that we leave happily as we did as we entered?
00:17:50
Speaker
You know, I know it's in divorce at the end of their magical journey. Yeah. Oh, That's when you're looking at the bills. That's right. Amen. but And I know Ashley and Kat both work with students at different age levels, too. So if you have. do.
00:18:14
Speaker
Any insight, and especially with you, Ashley, working with the littles, you know, there's probably places that you found that were ah quiet, safe haven for kiddos at Magic Kingdom.
00:18:27
Speaker
Magic Kingdom, you know, a lot of people don't think about it, but the baby care center. Because anybody can go in there and they have like the padded seats and they're always playing Disney cartoons or like Disney, like one of Disney cartoons and one has like the calming music.
00:18:45
Speaker
and just It's nice to go in there and it's air conditioning and they'll give you, they have free water and juice boxes for the kids. It's like, and people forget about it. But it's a great place to go when you a breather and it's quiet.
00:18:59
Speaker
just and you can and they don't but they don't kick you out. they let mean that They encourage you to stay as long as you need. Ashley, I'm so glad to hear you say that because I've i've only gone in there twice when I was with somebody who actually had a smaller child, but I would feel personally just kind of guilty going in there if I didn't have a child in tow. Like I wouldn't want to use a space that wasn't necessarily designed for me. So I think that's a really good reminder to folks that, you know, if you need it, that's what it's there for. And they even encourage you. They're like, they'll encourage the parents like, hey,
00:19:32
Speaker
If you need a mom break, or if you need a dad break, please, this place is open for you guys to come. They have rocking chairs in there. Like if you need to go, like just want like rock a child to calm down or if you need a moment yourself, they're very encouraging of that.
00:19:50
Speaker
yeah they of that Both at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, I've taken advantage of those um home earth home safety. Oh, my goodness. First aid, I guess it is home safety now that I say that out loud, but safety at home. But um I've taken advantage of that numerous times, even with when the kids were little. um And it's been wonderful. Take a little breather during the middle of the day. Plus, I like those. Sometimes we would go back to resorts, regroup, and then come back to the park later on. Yeah, sometimes you need that too.
00:20:25
Speaker
I am of the age in my 40s now where we absolutely have to have a resort day. Gone are the days where I can park hop in one day. That's just crazy sauce. Who does that? I don't know. Not me. No way. can't do it either.
00:20:39
Speaker
yeah I have to do like one park per day, but not even that. Like I have to have non-park day in between both of the park days just for recovery and like not doing anything.
00:20:51
Speaker
So it just it's getting more expensive to do these things because now I just require a lot more days to get through it all. I feel so bad when you're walking to the parks and you see screaming babies screaming toddlers and you're like, i just want to be like mom dad take them somewhere. It's right okay to take a break.
00:21:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. But I think for a lot of families, like when you're spending so much money on a vacation and you have this idea in your head of what you think it's going to look like, and then it goes completely sideways, you know, parents just feel like, well, if we just push through it, you know, we're just going to push through it, but you're not. And then it's going to be a miserable experience for everybody.
00:21:30
Speaker
ah quick story on that. If I may, um one of the years that my daughter, I think it was probably her first year at Disneyland that we took her. She was about five or six and we were, One of the first ones to put our hands on the opening gate, you know, a whole hour before they opened because I'm an insane person. And we got selected to be the honorary citizen. Somebody help me. Oh, how cool. Like the family of the day. Family of the day.
00:21:55
Speaker
There you go. So they pulled us in and, you know, my daughter was really excited. And We had no idea what that was going to look like. We thought, oh, we're going to be the first ones that count down and we're the hosted family. And then we're going to be the first ones that get to walk leisurely to our attraction of choice.
00:22:12
Speaker
No, no, no, that is not at all what happens. And so as soon as we counted down and got to zero and they opened up the gates, it was like the floodwaters opened. And that was such a scary moment for my daughter, instead of us like running as a happy family to our first attraction of the day, she went the opposite way into the oncoming traffic of crowds looking for like a trash can to hide behind. And it was a good 30 minutes before we could like get her out of that state of panic. And so like, what a perfect example of how like your best laid vacation plans just go out the window. and
00:22:49
Speaker
we have a choice to make. Like, are we going to scold her for what she did and like push through and, you know, dominate this to make sure our vacation is saved? or are we going to lean in and listen to what she's really trying to tell us as a five-year-old that that was really scary. And so when it came time for my son to kind of do something similar, you know, ah lesson learned, we definitely evaded that catastrophe altogether.
Relaxation and Adaptation Tips for Families
00:23:13
Speaker
So yeah, I think it starts with this, right? Like communication and sharing ideas and what works and what was your nightmare experience. So i don't relive it. So yeah, it's all, all good.
00:23:24
Speaker
always tell like, you know, I'll see parents sometimes in line and they're like, okay, you come all the time. How do you do this? Like when their child's having to melt and I'm like, you know what? Take your child somewhere quiet or even go on the train and just ride the train around. Where you can just sit and let them like cool off, calm down.
00:23:43
Speaker
Sure. It's like don't force your child. Right. I said you want it to be enjoyable. Or go ride it to small world. At least you're in a boat in the AC for like a longer attraction. Right. Right.
00:23:56
Speaker
Those are good suggestions. Yeah, I think the typical family has a checklist that they don't feel like they're getting their money's worth unless they do. I mean, I've been there, right? We've all been there. And Eric was a great travel agent. So she knows how to tell people this is probably the quintessential Disney plan. And this is to plan B if things aren't going to go that route. But I think in general, we, we want to get the most for our money. And I think those are all good suggestions that if your child is kind of, I've had enough, I think the hotel pools are excellent. And I still like you're getting your money's worth because you're paying for that hotel room, especially if you're one of the Disney resorts. I love that. I still, like you said, take a day off and I'll go to the outlets or I'll go to the pool. You know, I love it.
00:24:48
Speaker
Just as much fun doing that with the monorail. Right. right And you know, another good option too, I tell people is like, if you're not single property, you're, and it's too far for you to, like, go back to your hotel, like, especially if you're at Magic Kingdom, hop on the monorail and go over to, like, the contemporary and go sit, like, on the level, like, the quiet level, like, where they do the conventions. It's always quiet up there. They have couches in the corners that are just, and you can have a, let your child have some quiet time and just sit in a,
00:25:21
Speaker
up there on one of the quiet couches and just relax for a while. Or if they need to run and scream, they can run and scream there too. Yeah, because nobody's coming up there. It's a dead area. Unless there's a major conference going on, it's quiet.
00:25:36
Speaker
That's a good suggestion. And then you can be like, honey, can you watch him? I'm going to go to the gift shop because there's a a lot of good gift shops in those hotels. True. Genius. You know, two things that came to mind on that. I love the refurbishment that Disneyland did of Toontown because it is so much more sensory friendly and toddler friendly. um We took our two-year-old grandson there this past year, and it was great to just have a place where he could run around, and if he falls down, he's not going to hurt himself, and he can touch anything he wants. like What a great immersive space. um But then also, that made me think of just how lucky Florida is and how the Florida Project was given something that you know Walt just didn't have at the time of building Disneyland. and Of course, that was space. That was land. And so they, um you know, per square foot, there's just so much more packed into Disneyland.
Kristen's Writing Journey and Disney Inspirations
00:26:28
Speaker
And, you know, they're changing it yet again to kind of try to squeeze more into, you know, the the footprint of it. But there is so much room to just breathe and, so you know, expand yourself as needed throughout the resort of Disney World, which is just fantastic. So those of you that are closer to Disney World, are you lucky duckies.
00:26:52
Speaker
Yeah, but you're by the original, so. Yeah, that's true. That's true. This is why we have to be members of both.
00:27:02
Speaker
I appreciate both. Yeah. Kristen, I would love to know what it inspired you to write your book, Mondays on Main Street. Okay, so great question. And I'm only going to just correct because I don't want to misguide anybody and have people send me nasty emails. So I'm working on my very first book, which is a Disney infused memoir. That's called A Forced Perspective. And we can touch on that a little bit later. But the weekly article that I write, which is called a and ah Mondays on Main Street, that came out of a level of pixie dust that I still to this day don't quite know how I received. And let me explain as as quickly and efficiently as I can what that what I mean by that. So um I was actually not in Las Vegas. I was at my husband's hometown of Waterloo, Illinois, tiny little town 30 minutes away from St. Louis, Missouri on Yeah.
00:28:13
Speaker
but i fell in love with it Because it has what we don't have out here and that's green and that's, you know, just kind of the hometown feel. And I fell in love with it. So we're sitting in a cafe and I happen to get a ding on my phone and it's from somebody that I had never met before. Well, this person happened to be part of a Club 33 group that I was a part of because of a magical moment that had happened a year before that, where I had just by chance got invited to Club 33 by a complete stranger that I was talking to in line for security to get into Disneyland. So fast forward these dots that did not connect for quite some time. i get this message from a gentleman that said, Hey, I'm putting on this, this, um, uh, fundraiser for Dina Benenden, who owns the Walt Disney birthplace in Chicago. And the event is actually being held at Walt Disney's private mansion in Las Feliz on walking away. I just happen to have a couple tickets left. Do you think you and your husband would be interested?
00:29:18
Speaker
I look at my husband and I was like, this is like from from beyond. Like, this is Walt. This is my dad's father. Like, we this is a sign we have to go. And of course, my husband thinking, you know, he's the numbers guy. Like, wait a minute. We haven't even paid off our last Disney trip or this trip we're on right now. And you're already thinking about going back. Like, hold the phone. And I was like, but wait, like, I just feel like we're meant to go there. I can't explain it, but just go with me on this. And God love my husband. He said, okay, let's do it. So we pulled the trigger and we got two tickets to attend this event. Now, then I started to look into it after I committed to it, just what this event was and who was going to be there.
00:29:57
Speaker
ah Just to throw out a few names, l Floyd Norman, who is a fantastic Disney legend, right? if If you don't know him, you got to look him up. He has had his hand in some of the most beautiful Disney classics. um Who else was there? um ah Becky Klein, director of the Walt Disney Archives. She was on my bucket list. So was Raymond Kinman, who's the Disney wood carver, who hand carved a lot of the wood signs that you see throughout the Disney parks. I mean, these were people that literally I have on my bucket list that I've got to meet.
00:30:27
Speaker
Bob Gurr was another one. And I started to realize that soon i I was going to be in a room or a backyard or a house with these people.
00:30:38
Speaker
And I'm an English teacher from Las Vegas, Nevada. And I quickly felt like I'm out of my league. Who do I think I am? What am I doing? And I had no idea how to show up for this thing. um And at that point, you know, we were too far gone. We're like, we've already paid for the tickets. We're in it it. We're committed. Let's do this thing. And so I just showed up um and I showed up not having any expectations. And i I said, I was going to make this quick. I lied.
00:31:11
Speaker
Because it's just that good. So it's a silent auction, right? To raise money for the Walt Disney birthplace. So at the silent auction, i am on my phone using the silent auction app that that they were hosting. And I'm not telling my husband just how much I'm betting.
00:31:25
Speaker
I just figured... If he doesn't know, it's but it's for the best, right? Beg for forgiveness later. Bingo. Bingo. I was like, well, you know, $1,000 for an opportunity to to go hang out with Becky Klein at the Disney archives and take a tour of Walt's office. that That's budget friendly, right? Sure.
00:31:45
Speaker
So I just kept hitting increase bid. And by the end of the night, I'm over $1,000. And I'm like, I better get this thing because it's a lot easier to ask for forgiveness when I've won it and be like, yeah, but look at this amazing opportunity than to not. Well, long story short, I got outbid in the last 60 seconds of it by five bucks.
00:32:08
Speaker
And how frustrating. Yeah. Now I will say this. I didn't lose a dime. Luckily they only took your money if you actually won. So it didn't cost financially. it just cost emotionally because I wanted it so bad. I love to collect. i love antiques. I look up to Becky Klein as being just like the gatekeeper of so much history and I have such respect for her. her um So the night was wrapping up. We had a wonderful evening.
00:32:34
Speaker
I'll save the details for the book. But before I left, my husband gently reminded me, hey, you haven't really talked to Becky Klein much tonight. Didn't want to go and, but you know, make sure you do that before we leave. I'm like, oh thank you. I would have forgotten.
00:32:48
Speaker
And so I go up to her and ah super nervous. So I hide my nerves by making a joke. And I said, listen, you're on my bucket list. It's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm nobody. Just so you know, I'm a teacher in Vegas. She's like, oh, I love teachers.
00:33:01
Speaker
I said, but I've got a bone to pick with you. You were the only thing that I wanted to bid on all night. And I was willing to put a thousand dollars that I didn't have into getting a date with you.
00:33:12
Speaker
And she laughed and she said, you know, after she learned that I had lost the bid, she goes, well, you don't need to win to come to the archive. She's like, take down my my information and ah I'll give you a private tour.
00:33:26
Speaker
So fast track that ended up becoming a private tour and a private afternoon, having lunch with her where Walt sat and used to have his lunch at the studios, got a private escort through his private office. It was a fantastic experience. But before that, on my way down the very steep driveway at Walt Disney's mansion, as we're leaving for the night, and I'm literally pinching myself because I got to meet just about everybody on my list, except for Bob Gurr, because he threw his back out that week, but it's fine. I met him later.
00:33:56
Speaker
Um, I strike up a conversation at the bottom of the hill with another couple that was waiting for their valet and small talk, you know, as we all do. and And the gentleman says, so what is it that you do, you know, for the Disney company? And I laughed and I said, again, I probably said the phrase I'm nobody a hundred times that evening. um Such self-deprecating. But um I said, well, i'm I'm just an English teacher back in Las Vegas. And it's ironic that I actually got this far making a career, uh,
00:34:27
Speaker
convincing teenagers to do the thing that I've been afraid to do my whole life. And that's to write the damn book already. And he smiles and looks at his wife with like ah a sheepish grin and he pulls out his business card and he said, well, when you're ready to write that book, give me a call.
00:34:44
Speaker
I just happen to be a twice bestselling author and I've been doing this for quite some time. And that gentleman was none other than Dr. Jeffrey Barnes. So I took his card and within a week I reached out because I was like, well, shoot, I'm already showing up to parties that I'm not fancy enough to be at anyway. And I'm already, you know, going toe to toe with Becky Klein and that ended up pretty good. So I'm going to call this guy.
00:35:07
Speaker
So within a week, I reached out within a week of that. We had our first Zoom and immediately he started giving me challenges of like, if you say you want to be a writer, what's your excuse? How many words have you written?
00:35:17
Speaker
And ladies and gentlemen, at the time of that call, I had written zero. um And it just, he broke it down in such a ah an easily digestible way. He allowed me to stop making excuses. He checked me hard and quick um and said, listen, if you say you're a writer, then write. And if you haven't, then you're not.
00:35:39
Speaker
What are you waiting for? um And little by little, 15 minutes a day, 15 new ideas, 15 minutes a day, 15 new ideas. i just literally rinsed and repeated that. And now I'm on chapter 22 of 23. The book is slated to go to publishing in a month. And he then saw my passion for writing and asked me if I could cover one of his ah his ah newsletter weeks because he was going to be traveling to Disney World. And he's like, can you cover my article this week? Let me see what you got, kid
00:36:11
Speaker
And I did it. And it was that first article that I wrote about my dad and never growing up and getting kicked off of Tom Sawyer's Island and how we have a choice in this thing called adulthood. You know, we can grow old, but we don't have to grow up. And he liked it. And we got really good feedback. And he's like, do you want to do this like weekly? And I was like, more than anything in and the entire world, I need to write. i need to tell stories. I need to inspire and encourage because I knew what it it was like to be on the receiving end of that, knowing how desperately I needed to hear something like that from somebody else. And yeah, since January of this year, I've been writing weekly for him and almost done with my book.
The Power of Storytelling and Disney's Four Cs
00:36:55
Speaker
And I i don't know how I got here.
00:36:58
Speaker
What a great story. That's fabulous. Thank you for answering that. Wow. Yeah. Sherry, thank you for your patience for the 45 minute answer to your very brief question. I love it. No, I was, i was watching your YouTube channel earlier today and prep for this, uh, for this podcast. And I just loved, um, the four C's of Walt Disney. I thought that was excellent. And it just really hit home because every new year I have a new word for the year of just pertaining to my goals and this year was consistency and I think number four is consistency yeah so it was like curiosity confidence courage consistency and so I was like oh wow how interesting that I'm seeing this today and you know trying to remain on my goals of consistency and so I was just also curious piggybacking off of that is that do you feel like that is the most important of the four c's or what would you say god that's a great question
00:38:00
Speaker
Wow. That's like asking a parent, which child do you love? And here's why, because I feel like the reason why they are, and and they're not just Jeff's four C's, right? They're not my four C's. They are from the words of Walt Disney himself, that he literally attributed all of his success to those four fundamental principles. Because when you look at, let's say curiosity first, you have to first be curious about what your life could look like if you had the courage to live it differently.
00:38:29
Speaker
Now I'm speaking to a bunch of educators right now. And so I know you can appreciate what I'm about to say. We are in a very safe career, not easy, not that we don't have to deal with, you know, maybe some violent behaviors or maybe some choice words that parents use, but it's safe, right? There's always going to be job security. There's always going to be a job for us. We already have, you know, retirement built in or PERS or, so you know, whatever that that might look like.
00:38:56
Speaker
So it's, it's easy to stay where it's safe. And that's quite frankly what I did for a very long time. But I got used to that narrative. I didn't allow myself to even be curious to think about, well, what would my life look like if I put my face out there and I started doing YouTube or I started a podcast with you know this this amazing guy? Or what if I actually did start writing and put myself out there very intimately and vulnerably?
00:39:21
Speaker
What would that look like if I actually was successful at it? you know So I think that curiosity is what sparks everything else. But But you could be curious all all day long, right? I could sit at home or sit by my pool and be like, oh, i wonder what it would look like to ah design my own book cover and write my own book, but then not do a dadgum thing about it because I don't have the courage or the confidence to back that curiosity up. And then once you get that momentum, I think that's where the constancy or consistency comes in and is so important too, because One thing that Jeff said that ties right into this and hits this home is that everybody wants to be a bestselling author.
00:39:57
Speaker
Everybody wants to be in the best shape of their life. Everybody wants to be a world traveler or go see the world. But is everyone willing to do the work that it requires every single day to make that dream a reality?
00:40:10
Speaker
Everybody wants to be a bestselling author, but not a lot of people want to be a writer. And that was mind blowing to me because that brings it down to the micro level. Yeah, everybody would want to be Walt Disney with the the the ah greatest, most successful entertainment enterprise in the entire world of existence.
00:40:31
Speaker
But is anybody willing to be bankrupt by the age of 21 and to lose things that were closest to him repeatedly and not be able to trust people and, you know, get mocked and made fun of and, you know, all of the things that went along with with with his life story. So I know I didn't answer it because I did that on purpose. I don't think you say there's one more than the other. I think that they cohesively have to work in unison for it to,
00:41:01
Speaker
For it to be ah you know be a success, I think. Absolutely. and that makes sense.
00:41:10
Speaker
I will say if you had a fifth C, it would be churro. It would be what? Churro. Churro? Because you said you were you like to go and hide and listen decompress and not on a churro.
00:41:26
Speaker
I love it so much. The first time we took my son, David, we had a churro counter on our phone. We let that boy eat eight churros that day. Come at me. It's fine. one favorite Mother of the year. It was over like 12 hours, but it was great. I was like, man, you live your life. Life is too short to not eat eight churros, man.
00:41:44
Speaker
What is Disney if it's not like, yeah, have dessert at 9 a.m. m and have as much as you want? I mean, that's that's the point. that's there's There's no real meals or vegetables. It's okay. Yeah. Is he still a slacker or did he get to nine or ten churros? Right
00:42:00
Speaker
We ride at dawn, ladies. i love it. Oh, great question. I love that. I love that. Yeah. yeah Yeah, that's suit that's great.
00:42:14
Speaker
And it's been really cool because I've been, you have to remember, I met Jeff at the at Waltz mansion in August. So it's been less than a year, not even a full year. So I met him in August and I had students, we start very early at my charter school. So we have students coming the second week of August. That's our school year start time.
00:42:36
Speaker
And so right around this same time period, all of this is happening. And so my my my students got to be on the front row, really, of all of these stories coming together and, you know, me taking a couple days off work and having me to get a sub because I was going to go meet Becky Klein and the director of the archives and all of that. And so they've been able to watch...
00:42:56
Speaker
what it's like for someone in their 40s that's already in a career that supposedly already grew up, kind of refine themselves and go on a different journey. And it's been cool because, you know, they're some of our biggest supporters and they're the one asking us for merch for, you know, the wisdom of Walt. And we actually just had Dr. Barnes come and speak to all of our junior hires. Right in the middle of SBAC season about this idea of the four C's and, um you know, kind of going boldly into this next chapter of their life, which is soon going to be high school. And so it's been really neat to see how all of these dots right from the from the time that I met the lovely couple that first invited me to Club 33 a couple of years ago through the network of people.
Inspiring Diverse Career Paths and Success Definitions
00:43:39
Speaker
and chance encounters that led me to meet Jeff that then full circle led me to inviting him to speak to my students to just hopefully inspire this next generation of dreamers and doers and innovators um to to kind of keep that magic and keep that legacy that I believe Walt held so dearly to his heart alive. um It's just been, it's been such a great journey. And how can you not want to write about that? You know, it's great.
00:44:07
Speaker
Yeah, that's amazing, and especially for kids. And I know exactly what you mean when you said they're on our front row and they're our biggest cheerleaders and they are all up in our business. They are going to ask every question and then follow up on it. And so I 100% know what you mean because I teach eighth graders. And I mean, yeah, they're just like, all right, bestie. Yeah, what's what's going on And i'm like, you don't need to know that. but But they do. They do want to know all that. And I think that's a unique opportunity that you're sharing because you're right. They are very much in the... ah An age where they could find out whatever they wanted. So like back in that day, like they told us, hey, you go to college and then you get a job and that's just there it is. And then you got your job. And then they now know that's not real. Like they know that you could go to college or you could not. You could go to community college, try some things. You could go to trade school.
00:44:56
Speaker
You could start yourself. You could just literally decide what you want to do start your own business, and there it is, you know, and there and that looks differently. So I think it's cool for them to see someone like you. You're like, yeah, I have a career, and yeah, I'm still working. Like, I'm here right now, and but also I'm doing this thing that's making me money, and I'm also doing this thing that's, you know, getting me hookups and getting me, you know, press and things that I'm going to need later, and it's not necessarily about it making me money something. that's my full-time job. It's, it looks different and you can apply yourself in so many ways and your strengths and it still can be successful. And then, yeah, you still have a day job, I guess.
00:45:35
Speaker
Kat, I love that. Like if I could just come through the screen right now and like give you a big hug, I would because there's couple secrets that I'm going to let out to you and to anyone else who's going to listen to this podcast. So literally today, before the end of the day, I'm working on tomorrow's Mondays on Main Street article.
00:45:53
Speaker
I'm late today because I was at a TEDx all day. But anyway, it's going to the editor by the end of the day. And it literally is all about what you just said. I just watched my daughter turn 21. And when I was 21, was pregnant, had a C-section, ah filed for divorce, and was trying to escape abusive relationship and marriage.
00:46:13
Speaker
all at the same age that my daughter is currently right now who just won first place of a research convention that she had hosted by her college. And she's nailing it with a 4.0. And we put this pressure on like, by the time you're 18 22, there should be like a four-year college plan followed by a five-year career plan.
00:46:34
Speaker
And then you go back and you remember that Walt Disney didn't have any higher of an education than ninth grade. And he was actually reprimanded at school because it was during an art lesson. His flowers that he was drawing for art, he drew faces on them because he's an animator. And he got scolded for that. Raymond Kinman, the woodcarver for Disney, who's one of the very few remaining handcrafted woodcarver artisans,
00:46:59
Speaker
got kicked out of school. He flunked art school. And so i just think that that's so important for our students, whether it's our children or students in the classroom, to realize that we're not looking down our nose at high test scores or you know being a high achieving school. But what we are looking down our nose at is this idea that we have to tell every child that their road to their dream or success is paved this way.
00:47:29
Speaker
you know like Just throw away the plan. Throw away the plan. In fact, ah the gentleman that we interviewed on our podcast a couple weeks ago and we wrote all about him, um Tom Naby, who was Tom Sawyer, the very first Tom Sawyer Tom Sawyer's Island at Disneyland, hired by Walt Disney himself.
00:47:49
Speaker
His only stipulation, other than showing up for work on time, was that he had to maintain a C average. Right. We don't celebrate that anymore, right? We don't celebrate those individual thinkers. We don't celebrate the kiddos that are in my classroom that are getting C's.
00:48:05
Speaker
But if I look at their art book, they have outsketched probably Walt Disney in terms of, you know, ability. And so, yeah, I just think we need more of that in the world.
00:48:16
Speaker
100%. am very big on just Your success and your intelligence, there's so many, there's multiple intelligences. There's so many different ways to check that box. And it's not always going to be like you're good at math and science or you're good at English and history. And then sometimes you're in the middle. Like it, it's just, that it's on a spectrum, like everything where just sometimes, yeah, you can.
00:48:43
Speaker
You know, rub two brain cells together and get that math question right. And then everything else couldn't tell you. I have no idea. And I have to tell them all the time. i humble myself every day. I'm like, look, I'm in my 30s and I can't do that.
00:48:57
Speaker
Like they'll show me the homework. like, I can't do that. And I'm just going to tell you right now. I can't do that. Couldn't do that then. I can't do it now. So it's like, don't stress about it. And I'm very big in like, yeah, if it's causing you stress, like just know, did you do the best? And is that as far as you can grasp it? And I mean, if you don't try, that's one thing. But if i you genuinely are hitting a wall, that's your wall and that's okay. And right let's,
00:49:21
Speaker
That just means you're down another hallway. Keep going somewhere else where you will be successful. And, you know, we're all just good at different things. We're all good at the same things. Everything would be very boring. So, you know, that's that's great that, you know, it's very much, I think we're starting to be very much hands off about that perfect future, those five-year, 10-year plans. And, oh, you need to know right now. You don't know right now? Oh, that's crazy. And it's like you're 14. Yeah. They don't know.
00:49:47
Speaker
They have no idea. Oh, my Lord. Can you imagine? Well, and indeed to bring it back to Main Street, because that's what I do. You know, if you look down Main Street on either side, every single window tells a story, but they don't tell the same story.
00:50:01
Speaker
And if we were to measure success or the worth of the parks or the worth of the legacy that Walt left based on one unified metric or barometer, we're God, the landscape of of Disney, as we know it would look so different. We need the minds to be exactly what they are. We need the creative minds. We need the you know um intellectual minds. We need the arc you know the um im say archetype. or English teacher head, but you know, the architecture hands, like we, we need the Joe roadies and we need need the Bob Gers, you know, and we need the numbers guy. We need like Walt needed Roy just as much as Roy needed Walt. It's like, if that's not the perfect example, you know, and i think Mike Leisner and, and, um, um, Frank Wells was the same way. Like we need everyone and everyone has a seat at the table.
00:50:54
Speaker
So yeah, that's great. And that's one of the things that our podcast does really well. We bring in folks that have their unique perspective and and their unique place within within Disney and bring forth those stories. And some of those stories aren't being captured by authors. Some of those stories aren't being captured on podcasts. And if no one asks those specific questions or encourages people, you know, any type of sharing, then some of those stories that are gems are absolutely lost. And so that's one of the things that we like to do here. um And so I felt like that kind of would put it in perspective of, you know, that that is what we are here for.
Sharing Stories of Resilience and Joy
00:51:40
Speaker
So we absolutely are enjoying every minute of this interview. and um
00:51:48
Speaker
I see, I see some smiles there. So but um One thing i wanted to ask you specifically is um your day-to-day, know, working on whether it's the that your podcast or or the articles or just even the PR, social media for the podcast and some of Dr. Barnes's activities.
00:52:17
Speaker
What, what, um, obviously we all have priorities and it sounds like you are incredibly busy, but what keeps you going? Like what, what motivates you to keep sharing the stories that you share?
00:52:33
Speaker
wow I'm a crier. So the fact that I've gotten this far without crying yet is ah is just a little baby Jesus miracle. um But I feel it coming. Because to be honest with you, I think the best way to answer that is this right here.
00:52:49
Speaker
Disney does something that not a lot of people can and not a lot of corporations can can even come close to. And that's bringing diverse people from all walks of life together in a unified purpose for the sake of joy, entertainment, inspiration, and education.
00:53:09
Speaker
and And in the world that we live in, i can't think of a better time to do that. And so I think what inspires me is that I've been on the receiving end of call it pixie dust, call it fate, call it divine intervention,
00:53:30
Speaker
I've been the receiving end, but before that, I was on the other side of the table where life was really, really dark. I was a single mom. I was divorced twice um by the time I was 26. I'm now on my third marriage. I have a child with autism. I have another child that was um that had overcome a lot of social emotional deficits as a really ah relates to just a very traumatic childhood and past life. that I had to get her kind of freed from. um I've struggled with my own adoption. It was not always a great story. um It was something I resented for a long time and I never felt like I had a home. I never felt like I had a a main street. I never felt like I had a hometown. um
00:54:16
Speaker
I lost my dad the same year I was planning my third marriage and I was planning my wedding in my backyard. And he died on Christmas Eve, the same month that I was supposed to get married in that backyard. So daddy didn't get to walk me down the aisle with the one that I actually really liked.
00:54:30
Speaker
um And I had to turn wedding planning into funeral planning. And then that led to a very unhealthy relationship with food and alcohol and became an addict before I knew it gained over a hundred pounds and had to check myself into rehab.
00:54:45
Speaker
And so being on this side of health, being on this side of weight loss, being on this side of addiction, being on this side of hell, really, i' amm fueled by...
00:54:57
Speaker
the fact that I know I'm not alone in any of what I just mentioned. And there is a whole world of women, a whole world of men and children that are dealing with their own demons. And so to be a very small part of that magic that might offer them an opportunity to force their perspective, change their mindset, but not just keep it here, but change what's in here. Sometimes it's Learning a new narrative, right? Maybe if we've been taught that like we are our GPA and we are only as good as our career choice, like we have to unearth that and rewrite that narrative, but that takes curiosity and confidence and, you know, all of the other things.
00:55:38
Speaker
um So I think that's really what keeps me going is because I've seen a life almost as if I'm like having an out of body experience. Like I look down into this person called Kristen Reinbold and I have seen the woman who she used to be. And i saw the woman on welfare and I saw the woman, you know, who was putting herself through college on food stamps, trying to be the best mom that she could while still trying to grow up herself and being at such a dark place of despair. And I've also been able to reflect on the journey on how I've gone from that to where I'm at today. and
00:56:10
Speaker
like Like when you've tasted the magic, like how it's like a churro. How can you not want to share that with others? You know, like, it's so good. Life is so good. The magic is so real. Like you've got to experience this in here. Let me help show you on how you can get a little taste of that too.
00:56:26
Speaker
Just to hope that maybe they'll be inspired enough to share that with somebody else. Right. And it's like the ripple effect. Right. um So yeah, i that's that's what it's all about. It's about you. It's about me. It's about Walt. It's about our kids. It's about our future.
00:56:42
Speaker
um It's about... It's about magic, right? And I think that's what it all comes back to every single day. And as long as there's magic left in the world and imagination left in the world, like Walt would say, like I'm here for it. And I just want to keep doing what I'm doing because I love it. um And I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. And Kat, I have to go back to what you said earlier. Like, I don't know if it's appropriate for me to say this. And if not, we can always edit it out. But I have not yet made a single dollar
00:57:14
Speaker
doing what I'm doing outside of teaching. And I think there's an important lesson in that, because if you look at Walt Disney's road to success, how many days did he have to show up to the office unpaid? How many days did, you know, in his original studios, did he expect his animators to work for free? Because the dream was there. the skill was there. it was coming, but it just wasn't there yet. And that's kind of how I feel, right? Like,
00:57:40
Speaker
we're so close to this being a thing, right? But monetary value isn't what makes this real for me. And so right now I'm so thankful that I'm able to work my day job to help pay for my dream job.
00:57:54
Speaker
And we're coming up, you know, a couple of weeks away from summer where I can dive in and then it won't be so exhausting where I'm literally up at four writing the book. And then I go work for eight to 10 hours. And then I come home and I kind of reflect and I get things off to the editor and, I do all of my own socials and promoting and I learned how to do things with cameras and microphones and I'm making a lot of mistakes, but I'm giving myself grace and i'm having fun. And I think there's a message in that too, right? Like you don't have to have it all figured out or have a degree in it to get started. Like just go do what you love and follow your dream and do not let anyone stop you.
Pursuing Passion and Trusting in Oneself
00:58:30
Speaker
Period. You're making your important message. Sorry. Oh, I was just going to say, you're making your passion have a purpose. Yeah. Bingo. You're taking what you love, whatever anybody that's listening, what they love and actually applying it, and enjoying it. That's why you don't mind not making a dollar because it's your passion. And I love that. I mean, what is that saying, Lisa, on the other podcast we always hear and we've quoted before that if you love what you're doing, and you never work a day in your life. I don't mean that you're not working hard. I know you get up at four in the morning. I know you're working. I mean, work in the sense of like,
00:59:05
Speaker
you know, really slaving away. It's something you love, right? So it's, you're passionate about it. So it doesn't feel like you're working even though you're putting in the hours. Yeah. I have to quickly becomes, and I get to.
00:59:18
Speaker
So when my alarm gets off, goes off in the morning, it's not like, Oh God, I have to go to work. It's like, I get to go write about something that's really important that I know is going to impact at least one person today.
00:59:29
Speaker
What a gift, right? And I feel that same way about going into the classroom. It's just, it hits different, you know? And I think that two things can exist at once. It doesn't mean that I have to forsake education or that I'm giving up on my students or that I'm giving up on my degree or that it's a waste of student loans. No, like that helped me in the classroom captivate 120 teenagers a day to get them to buy into something that they hate, which is school. So if I can do it on that level, then I can do it on the world stage level It just might look a little bit different, you know, and so nothing is wasted. um Yeah, and I love it. I do not feel like any of this is work like getting here to sit with you ladies tonight is just such a treat and such a gift and and resonates with me on a level that I don't know if you quite understand. But it means more to me than you'll you'll ever know.
01:00:16
Speaker
So thank you. I think that um being grounded in reality of you're still doing your job and you're not getting paid is also very inspiring because you don't let the critics kill the dreamer. And that's something that bringing that into the classroom is so important to inspire that next level. We need the the imaginaries. you know We need the visionaries. We need all the doers and dreamers and thinkers.
01:00:40
Speaker
um But it takes all of us to keep a wonderful place going. Yeah, for sure. entrepreneurship too is very much planting seeds and reaping the benefits later, right? So um I've been an entrepreneur for eight years and a few of the beginning years, like the first two years, it was planting seeds. You are paid later for the work you do today. And that is not a lot that that it most people aren't willing to do that. And so the fact that you are loving what you're doing, that is the key because that is what's going to make you you stick with
01:01:11
Speaker
and stick through everything that you were doing. And most people don't unfortunately, you know, find that passion in their lives. And they, like you said earlier about comfort, they get comfortable in their day to day and what they're doing every day while they're passionate about their, their day job.
01:01:28
Speaker
um You know, they may be too comfortable in that to pursue something that they're truly passionate about outside of that. So that's excellent. And um it will pay off later um because, you know,
01:01:39
Speaker
what you're willing to do today. um You know, you'll reap the rewards. um You'll be paid later for things that um you're doing now. And it will just, it'll snowball over time and be well worth it. But I mean, it's well worth it now too. But obviously all the experiences that you've had and all of the things that you've been able to do, it's it's wonderful. So.
01:02:01
Speaker
yeah Thank you, Sherry. appreciate that. And good for you with your entrepreneurship. I think that's kind of what we all are, right? Like of our own lives. Yeah. girl power. Amen. We're all girls here.
01:02:12
Speaker
what What have you learned about yourself though, through everything that you've experienced? um You mentioned quite a bit about your story, just in some of the hardships that you've experienced, but what what have you learned about yourself through all of that?
01:02:25
Speaker
ha
01:02:32
Speaker
I think the biggest lesson I've learned is It kind of comes from the story of Dumbo. Just as much as Dumbo didn't need the feather, he had it within him all along.
01:02:44
Speaker
I didn't need
01:02:47
Speaker
anyone else to save me. I didn't need to wait for a magical experience to happen. Quite frankly, i didn't need Jeff Barnes. Was it helpful? Did it, did it definitely get things started into motion?
01:03:02
Speaker
Absolutely. But, you know, at the beginning there, i was giving Jeff way too much credit and he kind of called me to the carpet on. He's like, listen, kid, like this is you. Like, it's okay to say i did this.
01:03:16
Speaker
And yeah, I think this goes back to the little girl that always felt abandoned and rejected as a little kid when I found out that I was adopted because I was told from a very, very young age. And i don't fault my parents for that. They had my best intentions at heart and they they did what they thought was best. But with that was a natural consequence, which made me feel like, well, if you adopted me, that must mean somebody didn't want me.
01:03:39
Speaker
And Again, two things can be true at once, right? There was a reason why someone had to put me up for adoption in the first place. And so I carried that forever. And I spent way too much of my life believing that I wasn't good enough, that I was...
01:03:55
Speaker
kind of discarded, so to speak. And I always compared myself to my brother, who was my adopted family's natural child. So he was my brother, six years older, um Travis, I love him. But for a while, I didn't, you know, he was tall and thin, and he was really academically inclined and got straight A's and ran track. And I was short and round, and I played softball, you know, and and he went on to be a doctor. And I just always felt like I just was never good enough. Like I spent my life just feeling that, right? And that was just my own narrative.
01:04:24
Speaker
But I think in all of this, I've really been able to genuinely believe that the reverse is true. That I am enough. Our audience is enough. You are enough.
01:04:36
Speaker
Everything that we come to the table with is enough.
Kristen's Projects and Closing Remarks
01:04:40
Speaker
Um... And we have it in us. There is no secret recipe. There is no, you know, code that we have to crack in order to get to be to this level of happiness or success.
01:04:53
Speaker
It is genuinely within us from day one. And I think it's just a matter of doing the work to get to that and believing in ourselves and having a little bit more faith in us and our own abilities um and celebrate what makes us different.
01:05:08
Speaker
um I think that's what it comes down to.
01:05:13
Speaker
Fabulous answer. Well, thank you. 10 points. 10 points on that one. That's wonderful. I know we are ah right here at about an hour, and I want to be mindful of your time, and thank you so much for this insightful and in-depth interview. I mean, you've you've answered some some tough questions today. um You've made me cry, is...
01:05:41
Speaker
hard to do generally. um so I did want to ask you if you have any projects, events, books, anything that you'd like to promote, websites, social media, where where our listeners can find you.
01:05:56
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And I'll be sure to make sure you guys have the links to post. um So let's start with the wisdom of Walt. So the wisdom of Walt is Dr. Jeffrey Barnes company. He is the president and CEO. And he actually recently, I can't believe I didn't mention this earlier. um He asked me a month ago um to step in as his a director of creative strategy and speaker relations. Um, that's just a, basically a fancy way of saying that I just help him with creative next steps on how can we expand this further and create more of a movement, not just a keynote message. Um, and so all of my writing that I do right now with the Mondays on main street that goes out each Monday with his Wednesdays with Walt. So those are two completely free newsletters and you can sign up for those through the wisdom of walt.com. And I'll be sure to ah send you the link to that for the newsletter. Then every Friday, we have the Wisdom of Walt podcast that comes out. We just got done recording and dropping episode 15. So this week will be our sweet 16 celebration, which I'm really excited about. um Yeah. And Jeff has two great books out. what I'm sure he's talked to you about those before, The Wisdom of Walt and Beyond the Wisdom of Walt. The book that I'm writing is not actually part of the Wisdom of Walt series. That is just 100% Kristen Reinbold with the writing assistance of of Jeff.
01:07:20
Speaker
And like I said, that is called a forced perspective and that will be out this summer. Um, we will be starting kind of like pre-order sales and ah running specials on that here coming up probably in the next, i would say closer to two months. Um, but yeah, that's kind of all I've got going on. And so I'm across all social medias. We've got the wisdom of Walt, uh, YouTube channel, I'm on Instagram where you can also get my newsletter straight to you through Instagram and of course, Facebook and LinkedIn.
01:07:51
Speaker
So yeah, I would love for you to follow along um and hear about your journeys and um all of our listeners journeys as well to keep spreading the magic. That's awesome. Thank you so much. And I want to thank Sherry, Angela, Ashley, Kat, and Dawn for joining us tonight. And especially you, Kristen, it's been wonderful learning ah from you and speaking with you. Thank you so much. We hope that maybe you'll come back again someday, especially to talk about your book. I know we're all over the place today, but you know it it was evident your passion shines through in every word that you say.
01:08:31
Speaker
Thank you so much. And to each and every one of you, thank you for spending some of your night with me. I love that I got to see your face and I can't wait to hug you all when you guys are in Vegas. Let's do this in person.
01:08:42
Speaker
Yes. Yes. so Girls weekend. like man That was great. That's awesome. And if you're ever in the Orlando area, please shoot a message as well.
01:08:55
Speaker
Oh, I believe I'll have to book a trip now. I think definite i guess absolutely that sounds wonderful. um And so as we wrap up our episode tonight of sharing the magic podcast, we thank all of our listeners and hope you all keep sharing the magic.
01:09:20
Speaker
Thank you for joining us for another enchanting episode of Sharing the Magic. We have magical conversations that are crafted to your ears. The Edutainment Show, where education and entertainment collide each week.
01:09:32
Speaker
We bring you whimsical interviews with Disney guests who share their magical experiences and reveal how they are woven into the Disney fabric. Don't forget to hit that follow button to stay updated on our latest episodes.
01:09:44
Speaker
Spread the word and let your friends know they can tune in wherever they enjoy their favorite podcasts. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly Twitter, at atsharingthemagicpod.
01:09:57
Speaker
Until next time, keep sharing the magic and rattle the stars.