Magical Mindset Moments: A Parenting Podcast for Disney Families

So often when we are facing Herculean tasks or are watching others do so, we ascribe our or their successes or failures to identity words.

We say: I am so lazy. Or he's so motivated. Or she's so smart. Or they're so bossy.

But what if identity isn't the whole story? What if it's not even the important part of the story? What if we make like Dory and forget identity entirely?

Then what? 

Well, buckle up, because ...

Have you ever thought about the fact that the majority of our parental lives will be spent in relationship with adult children?

It can be hard to imagine when you're elbow deep in diapers and bottles or trying to figure out how to get that incredible stink out of sweaty soccer gear day after day.

But that's really the truth of it, isn't it? 

This hit me square between the eyes when I read Julie Bogart's fantastic bo...

Happy Halloween! Is there any better way to celebrate today than spending the whole month prior watching Hocus Pocus on a loop?

If you're on Team Lauren, the answer is no. There is not. 

If you're on Team Jen, the answer is yes. Watching literally anything not dealing with the occult would be great. Thanks. 

But, no matter which team you're on, today we're dealing with the lighter side of witchy energy because we...

Vulnerability can be challenging. And our two pals from Pixar's Ratatouille, Remy and Alfredo Linguini, both experience vulnerability in different ways during the movie.

In this episode of the Magical Mindset Moments Podcast, Jen presents three distinct types of vulnerability for us to discuss, as well as tools and strategies for us to use when we navigate these tricky, stressful situations.

How we show up for ourselves and for...

Did you know that Harrison Ford's dysentery-induced diarrhea forced an improvisation on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark that led to one of the most memorable moments in the whole movie?

It's true!

But does that cool-yet-gross bit of trivia hold any lessons for us as parents?

Of course it does! Otherwise we wouldn't be talking about it.

This Week's Big Think: Take some time this week to think about a great memory ...

When you're high on the hog, it can be hard to empathize with the little guy...until you're taken down a peg or two. That's when our most fun thoughts come out to play.

Maybe that's one of the very many reasons why watching Woody's journey from running the show solo as Andy's favorite toy to learning to share the spotlight with Buzz is so satisfying. 

Regardless of our typical position in the pecking order, ...

A few weeks ago when we explored life lessons from Cinderella, we talked about how wishing won't get the job done when we have big juicy goals. Envisioning our goals is lovely. It does put gas in our motivational tanks. But, ultimately, we have to put our feet on the gas pedal and start moving. We have to lean into action. 

But there's another aspect of growth that's important to remember and it's that growth is ite...

Our emotions are like magnets that can point us to true north. But they can be really hard to fully feel and dissect in our busy, everyday lives.

Also, as Jen acknowledges in this episode, a lot of this internal work can feel like naval gazing. There can be a temptation to either stay on the inside and never do anything with the new information acquired or to skip it altogether in favor of tackling something more active.

But the tr...

"No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." - Cinderella

We've got beef with Cindy.

While it is true that belief is useful as a fuel, it does not serve us to live just believing in our dreams. We have to pair that vision with action. 

As Jen so brilliantly shares, the holding duality of the vision for the future and the reality of the present is the key to lo...

Out there...way beyond Earth 2805...there is a tiny little droid named M-O.

A consummate rule follower who values order and cleanliness, M-O is a good citizen of the Axiom, the Buy 'N Large Starliner spaceship where evacuated humanity now lives. He does his job and does it well. But then WALL-E shows up and his usual routine is thrown all out of whack.

In his fervor to maintain cleanliness, M-O breaks a rule. He jumps the track...

What does it mean to Bump The Lamp and what can this lesson do to help us in our everyday lives?

The term Bump The Lamp comes from a scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in which Eddie Valiant, played by Bob Hoskins, is trying to cut off the handcuffs that tie him to Roger. Throughout the scene, he bumps his head repeatedly on a lamp in the room causing it to swing which made the animation of that scene considerably more expensive and ...

It's easy to feel siloed in life, as though certain tasks or relationships are only allowed to have one dimension.

Laundry is boring. Work is serious. Kids are exhausting. Errands are annoying.

And, while each of these statements is certainly true at times, they aren't the whole truth. Come to think of it, the people we love spending time around are the ones who don't let a single, pre-determined adjective around the ta...

Back in Episode 1, we dove in with a life lesson from the Little Mermaid that was all about seeing - really seeing - the most important people in our lives.

In this episode of the Magical Mindset Moments podcast, we're heading back to the water to dance with the undertow and the waves. We like how it misbehaves!

Gramma from Moana is such a playful force to be reckoned with. Wise and mischievous, she is able to impart a beautifu...

Villains, particularly Disney villains, are so deliciously easy to spot and decidedly terrible. We love to hate them. Fully. Completely. Irrevocably. 

But...what if they're not actually all bad? 

In this episode of the Magical Mindset Moments Podcast, we're going to peel back the layers of one of the baddest baddies around: Mother Gothel.

While we're certainly not here to excuse child thieving, there are clues in the op...

When it comes to the uppity, is there any poster boy more fitting than pompous Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins? Slippers, sherry, and pipe due at 6:02, indeed.

It's so easy to poke fun at him. From our vantage point, he's ludicrous. But he genuinely believes that he is doing all the work of running his household well when the truth is he has very little understanding of anybody in his home (himself included) and it's not go...

Remember that time that a rebel blew up the Death Star? No, not the second time. Or the third time. 

The first time when the OG not-yet-Jedi, Luke Skywalker, delivered the mother of all Hail Marys with only the Force and an assist from Han and Chewie to help him?

It's all fanfare (big love to John Williams) and destiny and how brave, how lucky, one in a million shot, kid.

But - wait - was it actually any of those things? Or was...

If you've heard us talk about why we started the Magical Mindset Moments Podcast you know that connection is a big deal for us. 

Coming out of the pandemic, a lot of people are talking about the importance of connecting with others. And while we're clearly in full support of that (Hi Magic Family! ::waves::), we believe that genuine connection with others actually starts inside with our connection to ourselves.

And one way ...

If you've heard us talk about why we started the Magical Mindset Moments Podcast you know that connection is a big deal for us. 

Coming out of the pandemic, a lot of people are talking about the importance of connecting with others. And while we're clearly in full support of that (Hi Magic Family! ::waves::), we believe that genuine connection with others actually starts inside with our connection to ourselves.

And one way ...

Whether it was your first movie in the theater like Lauren or you are still living that Little Mermaid life with husbandly antics accompanying every car ride like Jen, The Little Mermaid has certainly left its mark on us.

Is there anything so breathtaking as Jodi Benson's voice? We'd argue that there very likely is not.

And while we adore that fiercely independent mermaid, in this episode we're going to talk about a dif...