Latest / Yes And Land / Meet the Robinsons and Keep Moving Forward | Courtney Kern on Curiosity & Resilience

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Meet the Robinsons and Keep Moving Forward | Courtney Kern on Curiosity & Resilience · Yes And Land

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and i was like this is it like i i'm gonna head
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down to florida use this as my my foot in the
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door and see where this takes me and i have been
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here with disney now almost 12 years uh since
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so very grateful for that journey and they're
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so excited that he failed they're like congratulations
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you failed you learned a way that didn't work
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rather than dwelling on how negative that feels
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here i just went through a crazy last eight months
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this quite literally ruined our life is like
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was my initial attitude we lived in a hotel for
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over 100 days it was like $45 ,000 in damages
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to the condo, but the path might not be the one
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you thought or you foresaw for yourself, but
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just kind of have faith that it'll lead you through,
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but also remain curious. You are still in control
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of your destiny one way or the other. It's that
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curiosity that'll lead you down those paths.
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growth, and imagination of tomorrow. All right,
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welcome to another episode of ESN Land. Today,
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we are very excited for our guest today. In 2007,
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Walt Disney released... Meet the Robinsons, which
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was just a lovely movie about keep moving forward.
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And our guest today has not only knows that line,
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but also lives it. She, in fact, is an employee
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of the Walt Disney Company. She works for Disney
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Cruise Lines as an analyst, which is pretty cool.
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And I will say before we dive in. We do need
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to note that everything you hear from her today
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reflects her personal views and not those of
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the Walt Disney Company. That way you know she's
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legit. You know she actually works for Walt Disney
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Company. We have to say that. Yes, thank you.
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I appreciate you including that. So very excited
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today as well because Courtney. went on a seven
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-year journey of doing a podcast, which I think
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is just so lovely and a wonderful podcast she
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did, what I believe was with a good friend. Now,
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I don't know if she was a good friend when you
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started, but certainly y 'all became good friends
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over seven years of podcasting 120 episodes.
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Yes, one of my best friends. We met in college
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as teaching assistants for the same professor.
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You know, learned we had a shared love of Disney.
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Both of us did the Disney College program, and
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it was a few years after that that we met. We
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had gotten into podcasting, thought about what
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we want to do. And that is how our podcast Book
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of the Mouse Club was born. A little play on
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the idea of Book of the Month Club, where we
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would select a Disney inspired read, whether
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it was something like Bob Weiss's Dream Chasing
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or a book that inspired a film. We did not do
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the one that inspired Meet the Robinsons, but
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things like Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, over
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100 episodes throughout. that journey. We did
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bring that to a close last year, but the episodes
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exist as an archive on YouTube if anyone's interested.
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But yeah, that was a wonderful journey and a
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way to stay in touch with a friend long distance.
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For sure. And, you know, what's interesting that
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you mentioned that is I didn't realize or remember
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that Meet the Robinsons was based on a book.
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I realized that when I was watching the movie
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with my kids yesterday. Right, the opening credits.
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And I'm like, wait a second, this was a book?
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Yeah, I still haven't read it. I'm ashamed of
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it. I know. Well, it sounds like we got our homework
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assignment, right? We know what we need to do.
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Which, as I'm watching it, really starts to make
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sense, though, because it does have, there's
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a very clever. reveal at the end that you get
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the easter eggs of throughout but you don't realize
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the first time i watched i had no idea right
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and then suddenly like oh my goodness that totally
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came together so to me it's like really really
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compelling stories like that that are very clever
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makes sense they come from a book right um and
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that one did which is it's kind of awesome so
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much of the disney pantheon i feel like is inspired
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by literature even the ones you don't expect
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totally there are so many that's why i you know
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when i first came across uh courtney's podcast
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I was like oh there are there a lot of books
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and I started realizing like There actually are
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a lot of books, both based for the stories that
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they do, but then also just so many books about
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Disney, about Walt Disney, about things related
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to Walt Disney, some amazing leaders. There's
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great leadership books out there that relate
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to Walt Disney. So, I mean, you know all those
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things better than I do. Probably an interesting
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journey to kind of take through. Maybe things
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you wouldn't have read otherwise. Yeah, some
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surprises thrown in there for sure. What one
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sticks out for you? What's a book that you read
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that you just, maybe you never would have read
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otherwise, but was a real gem? gem that you found?
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I think getting more into the classic literature,
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things like Treasure Island or 20 ,000 Leagues
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Under the Sea. In 2020, during COVID, we did
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like a themed summer. I think we called it the
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Summer Cinema Series and picked books, Pollyanna
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as well, that inspired live action Disney films.
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And that's where we first brought in guest readers.
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So friends from other podcasts joined us to be
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another voice in the conversation. I'm like,
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I don't... know that those were books i would
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have chosen to read otherwise but i was like
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oh now i now i can say i've read them for sure
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And, you know, one of the reasons why I came
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across the work that you had done in your podcast
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was because I heard you on another podcast. Yes,
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Podcast Universe. Yeah, right. And you were talking
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about Dream Chasing, which is the book by Bob
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Weiss. And we were blessed enough to have him
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on and really just enjoyed the things that y
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'all had to say and the way you kind of took
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readers through a journey of what was in that
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book, but insights as well, bringing something
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more to the table than simply, you know, rehearsing
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what was in the book. And it was really... A
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nice way for me, actually, and I told you this
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before, a nice way for me to prep, actually,
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before I actually interviewed Bob. And so I used
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your materials to help prepare me for talking
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to somebody who's a Disney legend, right? Yeah,
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that was very kind of our friend Brett over at
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Notably Disney. We would often have him on our
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show as a guest reader or appear with him. So
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really fun, fun journey. And I think that's the
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wonderful thing about this Disney podcasting
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community. Even if I finished my podcast, here
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you are inviting me to be part of yours. So I'm
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so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you.
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It is one of the nice things, you know, when
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you find community. I've talked a lot lately
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with my team here at my company, but also. Just
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talking with a variety of other people about
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that real need for a sense of belonging in a
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world that's becoming increasingly disconnected
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from human interaction because they're so tied
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to technology, tied to their phones. I think
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there's this real need for people to have belonging
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with a community. And honestly, as I started
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this podcast, as I started diving deeper into
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what I already have loved about Disney, but starting
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to see this, I'm seeing this whole community
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that exists there. And you've probably felt that.
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Oh, we felt that for sure in 2020. So we started
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the podcast in 2018 with the goal of doing at
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least one episode a month, which we kept all
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through those seven and a half years. But in
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2020, that's why there's over there's like 120
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episodes, because I think we were doing one like
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every every two weeks because everybody was just
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home and we needed that sense of community and
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quite a few authors we got connected with. He's
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now passed on Jim Korkis, a wealth of knowledge
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on Disney was like. oh, you can talk to DDA again
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and you can talk to Jeff Kurdi and just gave
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out their emails and everybody was home. So they
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were they were happy to chat with us. So I was
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like, well, we're really we're really churning
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through them in that that time frame. Yeah. One
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of those one of those blessings in disguise.
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Right. Yeah. And, you know, it actually fits
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really well. with our topic today, right, of
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moving forward. Certainly, I mean, that's the
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theme of Meet the Robinsons. Yeah. And I also
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think, speaking of COVID, it was certainly a
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thing during COVID. that people, you know, if
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they could keep that in mind was a very helpful
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thing because it was really challenging, right?
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For everybody in many different ways and the
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ways that people had to encounter and challenge
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it. And for you guys in your podcast, it was
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sounding like it was just like, hey, keep moving
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forward. We're going to do even more content.
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We're going to do even more stuff. We're going
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to talk to more people, which is amazing. It's
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so applicable in so many ways. Yeah. One of the
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things that I like to do is kind of set the stage
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for the movie that we talk about. And so Meet
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the Robinsons is certainly a terrific Disney
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movie. I do think that may be a little bit underappreciated
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from some folks. Disney lovers and purists certainly
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enjoy it and watch it, but maybe didn't get all
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the fanfare otherwise. And so if there's anybody
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out there who hasn't seen it. Courtney, would
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you set the stage for us on kind of what is the
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overarching story going on in Meet the Robinsons?
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Of course. So Meet the Robinsons was released
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in 2007 by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Interestingly,
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it's one of their computer -generated animated
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films that was on the early end for them but
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not affiliated with Pixar. So you have stuff
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like Chicken Little and things that deviated
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from Pixar but moved away from that hand -drawn
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animation. And in this one, we are focused on
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12 -year -old Louis. an orphan who is interested
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in inventing and has these dreams both of being
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adopted, going through that process, finding
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his own family after his mother had given him
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up. That was pivotal for him, but also becomes
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so engrossed in creating an invention that will
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allow him to see back into that time period.
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At the science fair, he meets Wilbur Robinson,
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a 13 -year -old from the future who kind of kidnaps
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him and is revealed you're at the center of this
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plot there's two missing time sheets a creepy
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bowler hat guy running around uh causing a lot
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of trouble and when lewis goes about at least
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30 years into the future that's where he meets
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the robinsons a quirky fun family that helps
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him feel like he's starting to to belong somewhere
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and it's that family's motto and the patriarch
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of the family's big model keep moving forward
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that is at the heart of that story wilbur takes
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him 30 years into the future where he quite literally
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meets the Robinsons, a quirky, large family filled
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with zany, fun action and habits. And it's the
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patriarch of that family whose motto is keep
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moving forward, which is at the heart of it.
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And it's with this family that Lewis starts to
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feel a sense of belonging. But there is more
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to come. I don't want to spoil some of the reveals.
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So I encourage anyone who hasn't watched it to
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go ahead and give it a watch on Disney Plus or
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wherever you may be able to find it. Well, so
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here's what I have to say, Courtney. It sounds
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like I need to have you do like every recap of
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the movie. My goodness, that was absolutely perfect
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because it does really give that idea of what's
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going on here. And it's a really, it's a good
10:55
show because of so many reasons. But we're going
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to dive into some of that stuff. We're going
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to dive into a little bit of the journey of Lewis
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and what he's experiencing in Goob. uh you know
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what happens for goob we we may have to we may
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have to do some reveals though i'll say i think
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so so for everybody out there like spoiler alert
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okay if you have pause yes go watch it exactly
11:18
Welcome back. It's only like an hour and a half,
11:20
right? Yeah. It's only like an hour and a half.
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And you can totally watch it. It's a quick watch.
11:24
It's fun. It'll keep you laughing and enjoying
11:26
during that hour and a half time. And then you
11:28
can pop back on here. All right. Now we're in
11:30
spoiler territory. That's right. Because, boy,
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Goob. I would not have guessed that Goob ended
11:36
up happening. What happened to Goob? Nor was
11:38
Lewis and Cornelius. Yes. Okay. Let me roll back
11:45
real quick here because some of the things that
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I want to find out from you a little bit are,
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you know, for you in your life, this idea of
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kind of keep moving forward and how you've seen
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it. So we've mentioned that you're working for
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the Walt Disney Company, the Disney Cruise Lines.
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So walk me through, like, actually you also mentioned
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having done the college program. I want to hear
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a little bit about the college program and kind
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of what the lessons were that you learned from
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doing the college program. And then we kind of
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can start fast forwarding through your professional
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career. Sure. I can back it up a little further.
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I went to the University of Maryland College
12:20
Park where I majored in English. So totally made
12:23
sense that I had a podcast about Disney. For
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sure. Yeah. Long time Disney fan. My family,
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you know, I recognize the privilege of this.
12:29
We're members of the Disney Vacation Club. We
12:32
were from Baltimore, Maryland. So very easy to
12:34
get down to Florida. Quick little Southwest.
12:37
flight, got to visit annually. And I just really
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loved the theme parks, Disney history, like in
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sixth grade, you got to do a research project
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of your choice. And I chose Walt Disney and really
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got to learn more about the man behind the name
12:49
behind the company. And so people would ask,
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what do you want to do with your degree in English?
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And I'd say, well, you know, I'd love to work
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for Disney. I don't quite know what that might
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look like. But, you know, that's the end goal.
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And I was thinking maybe that's like 10 years
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down the line in my professional uh career i
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was fortunate to be right near washington dc
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and do quite a few internships throughout my
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studies and so when it came time to graduate
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i felt prepared to enter the workforce but i
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found the loophole that you can do the disney
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college program after you graduate as long as
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you apply uh the semester ahead of your graduation
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you can uh show up at disney the following semester
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yes so oh my goodness i'm just gonna totally
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reveal my age here but i was graduating in May
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of 2014 and so I applied for the fall 2014 Disney
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college program and I was like this is it like
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I I'm gonna head down to Florida use this as
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my my foot in the door and see where this takes
13:48
me you know I have the the rest of my life to
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do a career thing let's let's go do something
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fun and so I got to work at the iconic Space
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Mountain attraction in Magic Kingdom. Oh, amazing.
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Most importantly, it was air conditioned because
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I did start in August of 2014. And I have been
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here with Disney now almost 12 years since. So
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very grateful for that journey. Started at Space
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Mountain. Disney also offers professional internships.
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So while the college program is more what you
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think of when you see people working within the
14:24
theme parks, whether that be food and beverage,
14:25
attractions like me, really any type of role
14:29
that is guest -facing. The professional internships
14:32
are more what you think of like a traditional
14:34
office -based internship. So that is how I ended
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up in Walt Disney Public Affairs. Spent some
14:41
time there and then had a complete career pivot
14:44
to analytics. Really grateful for that. Was not
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where I expected when I said that's what I want
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to do with my degree in English. But I've found
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a passion for storytelling behind the numbers
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and instilling that meaning for it. I was going
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to ask you the connection there. I was going
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to ask you how that bridged the gap, right? How
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do we get from English to numbers? They needed
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someone to put meaning behind those numbers.
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And here I am. I think having my background uniquely
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helps me with other partners who might not also
15:15
have that richer. science, statistics background.
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I'm like, if I can make it to make sense for
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me, I make it make sense for them. So those are
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really long -winded answer. And I did not even
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tell you what I learned from my college program.
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No, you're good. Let's go back to it. So you're
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in the program and they, I'm assuming that they
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put you through some kind of like initial training
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right out the gate. I would imagine it's probably
15:37
like. pretty intensive where you're going to
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go through some kind of training before you ever
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get out in the park. Of course. I'm not sure
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how familiar you are with it. If you haven't
15:49
read, shoot, I'm going to, do you mind if I Google
15:52
it real quick? Yeah, yeah, for sure. To get the
15:54
title. And one of the things that you said was
15:57
interesting too is when you're putting story
15:59
to numbers. I remember like in school, I enjoyed
16:03
math up until I had calculus and it was horrible.
16:08
But then once I had calculus, I was like, well,
16:09
maybe I don't really like math that much. I don't
16:11
like that. I feel that. And I was a business
16:14
major. And then I took business statistics. And
16:17
then that's where it connected for me. It did.
16:19
Because now it's a story behind the numbers.
16:21
It's explaining things that are happening in
16:23
a business with the numbers. And suddenly the
16:26
numbers are storytelling. So I found the book
16:29
that I would recommend. And it's Walt's Apprentice,
16:31
Keeping the Disney Dream Alive by... the late
16:34
dick newness and he actually created disney's
16:37
traditions program are you familiar with that
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at all i'm not okay so that is the training that
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everyone at the company uh goes through on their
16:46
their first day really instills the five keys
16:49
um behind disney's principles so that's that's
16:53
well documented i feel like that's okay for me
16:55
to share yeah and so yeah every that's where
16:58
you get your name tag in a very magical moment
17:00
where mickey mouse comes in and brings the box
17:03
of name tags. And it's really about instilling
17:05
the idea that we create happiness at Disney.
17:08
And so, yes, anyone from the highest level of
17:11
the C -suite to the college program girl working
17:14
Space Mountain goes through traditions. And then,
17:18
of course, you learn more about I was an attraction,
17:21
so different safety related things to that. And
17:24
then, of course, you are trained on your attraction.
17:27
I would assume something like merchandise would
17:29
go through, like cash handling, different things
17:31
unique to their role. to start at the top of
17:34
the funnel and whittle your way down to what
17:35
is specific to your unique role creating happiness
17:38
at disney why do you feel like that is such a
17:42
vital part of what they do that they make everybody
17:44
go through that traditions program You know,
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I think it really instills just, again, that
17:49
idea of we create happiness, that everyone contributes
17:52
to that. I might not be in the parks anymore
17:55
with the guests, you know, making magic directly
17:58
with them, but I still play a part in that backstage
18:01
now as an analyst, like making sure the website
18:04
is functional and telling the stories to, you
18:06
know, show here's maybe what recommendations
18:08
I would make for optimizing the website to make
18:11
that journey easier for the guests. I think it
18:16
just shows that everybody has a part to play
18:18
within the show. I love all the language that
18:20
Disney uses around, like, cast member, costume,
18:23
show, onstage, backstage. Yeah, for sure. I heard
18:26
somebody talking not too long ago, and they were
18:28
talking about the importance of each person understanding
18:31
that and then started referencing, like, when
18:34
somebody first shows up to, and I know Disneyland
18:36
better, but first shows up to Disneyland, the
18:39
first people are actually going to encounter
18:41
security. You got to go through security first.
18:44
And I have definitely noticed because I've been
18:46
to Disneyland so many times, like even going
18:48
through security, you can tell it's people who
18:51
care. Like there's a passion there. There's something
18:54
behind it. They're not just like a TSA agent
18:56
checking things. They are always so great about
18:59
saying something to my kids, making them feel
19:02
excited to be there because because your experience
19:05
starts there. And if that's lacking. in that
19:08
experience that's trying to be created. It is.
19:10
It's exactly right. It sets the stage. And so
19:12
I love that at Disney, it appears to me that
19:15
every step along the way really needs to be part
19:18
of the overall. And so everybody really does
19:21
contribute. It's not one of those things where
19:22
you're like, well, we want you to feel like you
19:24
contribute, but you actually don't. No, people
19:26
actually do matter. Everybody across the board
19:29
matters because of what's trying to be created.
19:31
Your kind of career journey and career path.
19:35
Certainly not everything has been. roses and
19:37
butterflies. Certainly, I would imagine along
19:40
the path, there's been things that have been
19:42
difficult that you had to overcome. What has
19:45
that been like for you and kind of your professional
19:47
career and your professional journey? When have
19:49
you encountered something that was pretty tough?
19:52
Maybe considered a failure? A big thing for me
19:55
was just coming into this career 180. I did listen
19:59
to your Beauty and the Beast episode and the
20:01
guest there talking about imposter syndrome.
20:03
And that absolutely resonated with me. In applying
20:07
for the role, I was now a senior analyst, but
20:10
came in at an associate analyst level. The job
20:13
description literally said degree required statistics.
20:17
And remember, my degree is in English. But in
20:19
reading through the description of like ability
20:23
to instill meaning and effectively summarize
20:26
things which you saw with me but since uh make
20:29
rocket recommendations i'm like i can do these
20:32
things so i applied um i often say you know It
20:37
helps to have someone get you through the door,
20:39
but you still need to show yourself once you're
20:41
in the room. So I did have somebody who knew
20:44
someone in the department that through networking,
20:46
you know, put my resume on someone's desk to
20:49
say, hey, I think you should talk to her. I still,
20:50
of course, had to go through that interview process
20:52
and show my worth and that English major side
20:56
of things. But I did have a bit of imposter syndrome
20:58
at the beginning. Like, oh, my gosh, they made
21:01
me take a math test. in the interview because
21:04
i think they were just like we got to make sure
21:06
she can do math in front of us um and i'm like
21:11
okay i had to remind myself like you you did
21:13
it you made it uh you know like you you're here
21:16
for a reason um you got to keep moving forward
21:19
to to go through our thing here but it that was
21:23
tough and i think sometimes i still feel imposter
21:27
syndrome and then i remember i'm one of the more
21:30
senior senior analysts like i've been in this
21:32
department for for over eight years and i'm like
21:34
oh it's like that meme that's like i wanna i
21:38
i need an adult and then you're like oh wait
21:40
i am the adult like other analysts are asking
21:42
for advice i'm like oh i'm i've been here a pretty
21:45
long time like i guess i'm the one to to answer
21:48
that so I think imposter syndrome is something
21:50
that a lot of people people face and that's definitely
21:53
been a challenge and entering a field that maybe
21:57
I wasn't necessarily felt that I was initially
21:59
qualified for but have certainly proved that
22:01
I am so I just gotta remember that yeah absolutely
22:04
you do and and you know also during your during
22:07
your journey of doing your podcast for seven
22:09
years was there ever a time where you weren't
22:13
sure you guys were gonna keep doing it or you
22:15
ran into some roadblocks and things that were
22:17
difficult and then you found a way to push through
22:19
Yeah, I think, you know, we I'm really proud
22:22
that we stuck to our mission of doing one each
22:26
month. But I think sometimes in your journey,
22:28
you have to think about when is it time to end?
22:32
And for me, as I shared, I recently ended that
22:35
last November. That was the end of it. But we
22:38
had a plan in place. It was kind of you start
22:41
doing the work. And if you're not feeling as
22:45
fulfilled by it, I loved it. I think it shows
22:48
in each episode. But it was a lot of preparation.
22:52
We read our books. We did our homework every
22:55
single month. We weren't just popping on to talk
22:58
about the latest in Disney news or things like
23:00
that. It just became a lot to balance with other
23:04
things going on in each of our lives. And so
23:06
we broached the subject. And that wasn't an easy
23:09
decision to make. But it's something that...
23:12
I brought to my podcast partner. I think she
23:14
was maybe a little surprised by it, but accepted
23:18
that. So that's an important navigating relationship
23:22
piece there. But I gave her the options and said,
23:24
look, we have the next three episodes planned
23:26
out. I think we were up to August at that point.
23:28
And we could end it with this summer series.
23:31
We always did a themed summer series. This was
23:33
celebrating Disneyland's 70th and some books
23:35
that were tied to that. I was like, or we can
23:38
end it towards the end of the year. i've i'm
23:42
making this decision that i want to pull back
23:43
but how can i help you feel like you also have
23:46
closure to this and she said there were still
23:48
some topics she wanted to cover um so we we kept
23:51
that plan in place and then it was it was time
23:56
to come to an end so yeah that can be bittersweet
23:58
and tough but i think for me it was important
24:01
to give our listeners closure because there's
24:03
podcasts that i've listened to and loved and
24:06
then all of a sudden they just stop and you're
24:08
like are they alive? Are they okay? So is it
24:15
behind a paywall now? Like, I just wanted to
24:18
make clear to our wonderful listener community,
24:20
like, Hey, you know, we had just a final episode
24:23
that was like, you know, kind of like, thanks
24:24
so much. Here's where you can still keep in touch
24:27
with us. Like a little, a nice little send off
24:30
for them. So going back then to meet the Robinsons,
24:34
you know, one of the things that we see in there
24:37
is, some of the characters especially experiencing
24:40
some failures yeah and and so for for you what
24:44
what take us kind of through what lewis is kind
24:46
of experiencing with he's an inventor he's trying
24:49
to invent things and he's kind of suffering from
24:51
some of these failures I think a moment that
24:53
really stands out to me is when he's at dinner
24:57
with the Robinsons and he's trying to fix something
25:00
and he does fail and they're so excited that
25:04
he failed. They're like, congratulations, you
25:07
failed. You learned a way that didn't work. Rather
25:10
than dwelling on how negative that feels, they
25:14
turned it into a positive. Like, okay, you know,
25:17
check off. That one didn't work. but keep moving
25:19
forward on to the next one. And so we see throughout
25:23
a lot of Lewis's sketches and pieces there that
25:28
led him on a journey of inventing and growing
25:31
in that space. Yeah, that was a real turning
25:34
point, right? I mean, up to that point in time,
25:36
you know, initially he's trying to create the
25:38
device that can kind of read your memories, right?
25:44
And because it was sabotaged by the bowler hat.
25:48
then it suddenly doesn't work. And he thinks
25:50
things just can't work. And he's getting really
25:52
frustrated with it. All his things seem to mess
25:54
up. And I wrote down one of the quotes from that
25:57
very scene that you mentioned. So I love that
25:59
you took us there. And once that happens, and
26:03
it's this, you know, peanut butter and jelly
26:06
machine, right? To put peanut butter and jelly
26:08
on your sandwich. And they're celebrating it,
26:12
just like you said. And Franny says, I propose
26:14
a toast to Louis. And his brilliant failure,
26:18
may it lead to success in the future. Yes. And
26:21
so what do you think is the importance of, maybe
26:23
let's take it from the angle of somebody else
26:26
helping to reframe it for you, right? Reframing
26:31
what a failure is and what's the role in like
26:33
maybe sometimes leaning on other people to help
26:35
you kind of shake yourself out of something.
26:37
Yeah, I love that you mentioned somebody else
26:39
reframing it for you. Sometimes we're so internalized
26:43
in ourselves and our own thoughts that we don't
26:46
look outward. I think another thing that pairs
26:48
really well with that is the great shot of Goob.
26:52
And he's like... walking through the hallway
26:54
and the kids are like hey goop i like your binder
26:57
goop and then he's like they all hated me and
26:59
that's his internal perception and he didn't
27:01
have anyone to step in and and reframe that for
27:05
him so that's why i always feel like if you're
27:07
going through something it's so important to
27:10
to talk to someone about it whether it's your
27:12
partner a parent a loved one a friend just having
27:15
that sounding board and someone to come in and
27:18
give you another perspective on it can be vital
27:23
Before we jump back in, can I ask you a quick
27:25
favor? If you're enjoying the journey so far,
27:28
will you like, rate, and subscribe to our show?
27:32
It helps us reach more people like you. We can
27:35
design and create and build the most wonderful
27:37
place in the world, but it takes people to make
27:41
the dream a reality. I'm glad you pointed out
27:46
that. That scene as well, because I think there's
27:48
something additional that we can learn from Goob
27:51
walking down that aisle. He had such tunnel vision
27:53
of negativity from wallowing in the failure he
27:57
had, right? So he has this failure of he's playing
28:01
baseball. Yeah, I think it's a championship game.
28:04
Yeah, he misses the winning catch because he
28:06
fell asleep. Because his roommate, Louis, has
28:09
been keeping him up late at night. Exactly. And
28:12
so then he gets mad at Louis and he wallows what
28:16
appears to be for decades, right? Three decades
28:18
that he's wallowing. But when he's still in this
28:21
wallowing phase of like super sad about it, he's
28:24
such tunnel vision. with wallowing in this failure
28:28
that he can't even see the people who are actually
28:30
trying to reach out. There's kids in the hallway
28:31
who are trying to say hello, and he can't see
28:34
it. And I think sometimes we do get in our own
28:37
way. If we could reframe, we'd actually realize,
28:40
hey, there's actually people around me who actually
28:42
do want to help. Maybe there's people who actually
28:45
would want to be positive, but if I can't shake
28:48
myself out, then I miss. those opportunities.
28:51
I miss those connections. And sometimes we have
28:53
to reframe for ourselves. One of my biggest pieces
28:56
of advice to some of my colleagues is you're
28:59
stuck on an analysis. You're getting tunnel vision
29:02
in the work that you're doing. Close the laptop
29:05
and go for a walk. Come back to something with
29:08
fresh eyes, a renewed perspective. And it does
29:11
wonders. I am a big proponent of getting away
29:14
from my desk for lunchtime. I like to go to the
29:16
break room and read. Don't be chained to your
29:20
desk. You need those mental breaks to come back
29:24
and work more efficiently later. Yeah, that's
29:26
exactly right. I tell our employees here, I tell
29:30
other people as well that... you know, the idea
29:32
of taking breaks, the idea of taking a lunch
29:35
is because it really does break things up and
29:39
it can help us to get outside of ourselves and
29:42
then jump back in with those new eyes. And I
29:45
think... you know sometimes what people need
29:48
to do is like give themselves that grace like
29:50
it is okay to go take that break like it's normal
29:53
you sometimes need it you've got to do it you've
29:55
got to you got to acknowledge that that's okay
29:57
i'm not being lazy i actually need this my brain
30:00
needs this so that i can come back better and
30:03
look at things differently And boy, Goop sure
30:06
could have used that and unfortunately didn't
30:08
get it when he was younger. Had to wait to 30
30:11
years in the future to get it after he got manipulated
30:14
by the actual bowler hat, which was interesting.
30:18
Let me ask you about this quote. There's some
30:22
quotes I have from some just people out there,
30:25
thought leaders, other authors. And this is one
30:28
from Brene Brown. She says, vulnerability is
30:30
not winning or losing. It's having the courage
30:32
to show up and be seen when we have no control
30:36
over the outcome. So for you, how does that play
30:40
into this idea of, you know, what the Robinsons
30:43
really embrace, which is keep moving forward,
30:46
right? When we have failures, keep moving forward.
30:48
Yeah, I feel like the entire family shows up
30:51
for each other. I love just the montage of, I
30:55
believe, is it? Bud is kind of the older patriarch
31:00
of the family, taking Louis through all the different
31:04
rooms. And that's how we meet the Robinsons ourselves.
31:08
And seeing just how... they're not afraid to
31:12
to be vulnerable to be chaotic uh you know they're
31:14
driving a train racing through it playing little
31:18
games inside the the potted plants so embracing
31:22
the weird like stay weird embrace that uh there
31:25
is a vulnerability to you know kind of showing
31:27
your passions and your interests sometimes but
31:29
that's a family that that truly embraces that
31:31
and that sometimes is really hard for people
31:34
to do right that Like, people kind of get in
31:38
their own heads. We get insecure about things
31:40
that maybe we have that are a little bit different
31:43
and unique and weird. I mean, it was interesting
31:46
when I was trying to figure out what I wanted
31:49
to do for a podcast. Because I knew that I wanted
31:52
to do one. I just felt like it was something
31:54
that I was almost called to do. But the thought
31:58
of doing a Disney one was like, well, but I kind
32:00
of hide the fact that I love Disney, right? Like,
32:02
I totally love it. I'll sing Disney songs in
32:05
the car with my kids all the time. We play Name
32:07
That Tune. We embrace it. We love it. We go to
32:09
Disneyland all the time. But like in my professional
32:11
career, like, oh, I certainly couldn't be some
32:14
huge Disney fan. And I kind of had to get out
32:17
of my own head and realize like, no, this is
32:18
actually something that like, hey, I might be
32:20
a little bit different or unique or weird. And
32:22
that's okay. I'm going to embrace it. And then
32:23
you're going to make connections with other people
32:25
who love it. That's exactly right. And those
32:28
connections can be really meaningful. You know,
32:31
and somebody who appreciates the fact that that's
32:33
the case, that I can be a little bit different
32:34
and a little bit unique, a little bit weird.
32:36
I had a connection just like that. I went to
32:38
a rather large high school in Baltimore. Like
32:41
my graduating class was like 575 people. And
32:44
so when I went to the University of Maryland,
32:46
it was about an hour away from home. And my now
32:50
best friend, Betsy, not the one that I did the
32:52
podcast with. That was Emily. They're both wonderful
32:54
people. They were both my bridesmaids when I
32:56
got married a few years ago. Betsy and I went
32:58
to the same high school, but we. joke that we
33:00
weren't friends, not because of any animosity,
33:03
but because we were just in different classes.
33:05
Like I might've been in the accelerated English
33:07
classes and she was an accelerated math. So we
33:09
knew of each other, maybe swap numbers. Cause
33:11
we knew we were going to university of Maryland.
33:13
Um, and so I remember that first weekend, one
33:15
of us texted the other, like, Hey, do you want
33:18
to get lunch? Like, I don't really know anyone.
33:21
And so we did that. And just the natural conversation
33:24
of, oh, well, what did you do this summer comes
33:27
up. And I said, oh, I went to Walt Disney World.
33:29
And she said, oh, I did that too. And I was like,
33:31
oh, well, my family has like this. uh timeshare
33:35
type thing she's like oh the disney vacation
33:36
club and i was like yeah and she said yeah my
33:38
parents have that too and that that is what cemented
33:41
our friendship you know come to find out we have
33:43
a shared sense of humor many other things in
33:46
common but literally just that lunch sharing
33:49
what we did the summer prior to going into college
33:51
and it was go to walt disney world was the foundation
33:54
of our friendship and i get back to her dorm
33:56
and she has like a tinkerbell lamp and i'm like
33:58
yeah we're going to be the best of friends. These
34:01
are my people. These are my roommates for the
34:03
other three years of college. Amazing. And, you
34:07
know, if we are unwilling to open ourselves up
34:10
to a little bit of that vulnerability. Then we
34:12
do miss those. We miss those opportunities. We
34:14
miss those connections and those relationships.
34:16
And those are really important. They're a really
34:17
fulfilling part of our life. I mean, it sounds
34:19
like your two bridesmaids are from these two
34:21
wonderful people, right? Because of Disney friendships,
34:24
basically. Which is amazing. Emily that I did
34:26
the podcast with, we were both teaching assistants.
34:29
And so, you know, we're just in meetings and
34:31
it somehow comes up that we love Disney and the
34:34
movies and the theme parks. Again, there you
34:38
go. That's the foundation, I guess, now that
34:40
I think about it, of both of my bridesmaids.
34:42
Yeah, I love that. So at the very, very end of
34:46
the movie, the flashes across the screen is a
34:51
quote from Walt Disney, which, of course, is
34:53
where this actual idea of keep moving forward
34:55
comes from, which I guess comes as no surprise.
34:57
If somebody didn't know before, then it probably
34:59
makes sense that that was the case. And here's
35:01
what the quote says. Around here, however, we
35:03
don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving
35:06
forward, opening up new doors and doing new things
35:09
because we're curious. And curiosity keeps leading
35:12
us down new paths. So for you, here's what I'm
35:15
curious about is there's this idea like we don't
35:18
look backwards for very long, but that does obviously
35:20
mean that we do look backwards, right, to some
35:22
degree. So where for you is the balance of looking
35:25
backwards and what's the value in that and then
35:28
knowing when to then move forward and let go
35:30
of the past? Yeah, it is a balance. I like that
35:33
phrase, but I think I'm a big proponent of everything
35:36
happens for a reason. I know that might be like
35:38
a little like woo woo, but. All of the paths
35:42
that you take lead you to where you are today.
35:45
And so you're going to learn from each of those
35:47
journeys, whether it's a job that you're no longer
35:49
in or a relationship that didn't work out, that
35:52
still shapes who you are and who you've become
35:55
as a person. So I think it's a matter of, I like
35:59
that, you know, we don't look back for long.
36:00
Like you said, it's not that we ignore it. We
36:02
don't just move on blindly. We think about those
36:07
experiences, how they shape us and use that to
36:09
move forward down the path, then make the informed
36:11
choices as we continue to keep moving forward.
36:14
And I think sometimes when we take those opportunities,
36:17
like you mentioned, where, hey, we just got to
36:18
step away for a second. Those are opportunities
36:21
for us to think sometimes through, OK, that didn't
36:24
work out. It's not working. So maybe a little
36:26
bit of failure. OK, what can I do to learn now
36:29
from that? Now I can move forward. What's the
36:32
lesson? And now let's move forward. What role
36:36
do you think curiosity plays in this for the
36:38
ability to move forward? I feel like it's so
36:41
important. I can tie it to my role a bit as an
36:43
analyst. You have to be curious. It's sometimes
36:47
not enough to just be like, yes, this was the
36:50
number that we saw this week in whatever key
36:53
performance indicator or KPI that you're looking
36:56
at. You kind of have to be a little bit of like
36:59
Olaf, like, yeah, why? Yeah, why? And keep digging
37:02
down that. So I guess when this became like my
37:07
personal motto, I didn't know I was going to
37:09
end up on this specific path. But now I'm seeing
37:13
the path of how it led me to where I am. But
37:17
yes, all that to say, curiosity is so important
37:20
as a driver, because if we're just complacent
37:23
about things, I don't feel like you're in as
37:26
much shape of your destiny as you could be. Well,
37:29
that's actually a great tie in. I love that you
37:32
mentioned Olaf because first off, I mean, who
37:34
doesn't love Olaf? I love him. But it really
37:36
is that idea of like, yeah, why to really do
37:39
try to understand. I think sometimes we're quick
37:42
to judgment. We're quick to think we understand
37:44
what that number means or what that person meant.
37:47
Right. We get an email and we think we know what
37:50
their intention was. And we put all this story
37:53
behind what we think their intention was. And
37:54
we don't get curious to say, OK, why? Why was
37:58
that? the thing they said? Why was that the recommendation
38:01
they made? And when we get curious in those situations,
38:05
we open up a new world of understanding. Now,
38:08
maybe we don't come to the right, you know, perfect
38:12
resolution, I suppose. But if we understand somebody
38:16
more, that understanding, I think, does bridge
38:19
those gaps oftentimes and really does help to
38:21
build that connection. And decisions have to
38:24
get made and you have to do things in a business.
38:26
But without that understanding, I think it's
38:28
lacking. And I think people don't feel as valued
38:30
and appreciate as much as if you do. You have
38:32
that understanding of where they're coming from
38:34
and have that Olaf curiosity. So good. I just
38:37
love that you said that. You're welcome. Here's
38:41
another quote I want to run by you and get your
38:42
take on. And it's similar to what we're talking
38:44
about, but it's just one that I really love.
38:45
It's from Carol Dweck. Carol Dweck is a college
38:49
professor. She's got a doctorate, wrote a wonderful
38:52
book called Mindset. And she's just amazing.
38:57
And what she said was, becoming is better than
39:01
being. The fixed mindset does not allow people
39:05
the luxury of becoming. They have to already
39:07
be. And in this book, she's really making the
39:11
argument that fixed mindset is going to keep
39:13
you in that negativity, keep you without being
39:16
able to move forward. The growth mindset, on
39:18
the other hand, is what opens up those possibilities.
39:20
So can you give me your take on that quote? Yeah,
39:22
I hadn't heard that quote before, but I do feel
39:24
like it pairs really well because becoming is
39:27
a continuous path. I think if you're just being.
39:31
you're not moving on the path you're just there
39:33
maybe you just you sat down for a little bit
39:36
but becoming to me this is getting into the english
39:38
major side that's an active verb that's that's
39:41
moving and so i i absolutely see the the connection
39:45
there yeah and i think if we look at that through
39:48
the lens of goob right the movie actually does
39:50
a really nice job of like he's sitting there
39:53
in his bunk bed right when the orphanage is closed
39:55
and he hasn't changed clothes in 30 years like
39:59
goop's got to smell a little weird if you think
40:00
totally and he was just being he literally during
40:04
that time was just being he wasn't becoming anything
40:07
different and it's it's obviously it's an extreme
40:09
example like somebody actually sit there for
40:11
30 years but it does such a nice job of visually
40:15
highlighting that yeah So that we can understand
40:17
it better, right? What times in our lives are
40:19
we actually goob, sitting there in the same set
40:22
of stinky clothes for entirely too long? Versus
40:26
I think if we're okay to reveal now, but we've
40:28
given the spoiler warning, Lewis grows up to
40:32
be Cornelius. After he's adopted, he changes
40:35
his name. And so as you go through the Robinsons'
40:38
home, you see all of the failures, his different
40:42
inventions, kind of like a haul of them to me.
40:45
that that is becoming that's becoming better
40:47
at this you know there's two time machines you
40:49
see the different prototypes as they go through
40:51
the little joke about the model it's like oh
40:52
it's pretty small uh what is this a center for
40:55
ants uh type of gag there uh but yeah that's
40:59
kind of like goofus and gallant but it's it's
41:01
goob and cornelius yeah it's such a good depiction
41:06
too and we can see how That idea of keep moving
41:09
forward served Cornelius and then brought together
41:12
his family and how they all really embraced that
41:15
in such a beautiful way and were supportive of
41:18
each other, which is just such a nice way for
41:21
us to see that and understand more about ourselves
41:23
by seeing them do that. So, okay. So let's do
41:28
this. Let's take you to our this or that segment.
41:30
Okay. And then we'll hit our rapid fire and then
41:32
we'll circle back at that point in time to kind
41:34
of our closing reflection and our three actual
41:36
takeaways. So first is our this or that. So buckle
41:40
up, Courtney. Okay. Here we go. Time machine
41:43
or Lewis's memory scanner? Time machine. I love
41:48
to travel in general. So now you're just opening
41:50
up new possibilities for me. Oh, yeah. So many.
41:52
So many, right? Okay. Carl the robot or Lefty
41:56
the octopus butler? I really like Carl. And he
42:00
had little mini Carls. Oh, totally. There's a
42:02
lot of potential there. I mean, Carl was making
42:04
them dinners and stuff. Yeah. I could use a Carl.
42:07
Yeah, no doubt. Peanut butter and jelly machine
42:11
or flying car? Blind car. I hate driving. I'm
42:16
going to believe that it's also like autonomous
42:18
driving thing. Get me around. It's fine. It's
42:21
you know, I think I start to get a little tired
42:23
of that. Oh, 100 percent. OK, now here's a harder
42:25
one. Disney World or a Disney cruise? That is
42:32
very tough, but I am going to have to pick Disney
42:35
Cruise. I think if you haven't done one, it is
42:39
a great new way for you to experience the magic
42:41
of Disney, the Disney level of service, but also...
42:44
to get to experience other places outside of
42:47
the theme parks. I was fortunate enough to do
42:49
one in the Mediterranean in summer 2024. And
42:52
to just, you know, you only had to unpack once
42:55
in your stateroom, but you wake up and one day
42:57
you're in Sicily and the next day you're in Santorini.
43:00
And I'm like, wow, this is the way to do it.
43:03
Oh, yeah. I've only been on one and it was nothing
43:07
short of magical. You could do a land and sea.
43:10
I mean, they sail out of Port Canaveral, so do
43:11
a few days at Walt Disney World and then go on
43:14
your cruise. That's the best. That's the best
43:16
way to do it, right? Mix both. Best combo, yes.
43:19
Okay, how about this one? A Disney book or a
43:21
Disney movie? Oh, that is so tough, but I will
43:25
go to my roots and I will say Disney book. There's
43:28
something to be said about uncovering new knowledge
43:31
hidden. secrets behind things I'm actually a
43:34
big Disney non -fiction fan we certainly covered
43:37
fiction on the podcast both Disney fiction like
43:40
the Kingdom Keepers and the fictional stories
43:41
that inspired movies but I loved me a good like
43:44
memoir biography making of type thing oh absolutely
43:50
uh okay how about this one an ocean view room
43:53
uh on the cruise or being out on the pool deck
43:58
I'm going to go with the pool deck. Look, I have
43:59
stayed plenty of times in an inside room that
44:02
didn't even have a view of the ocean. Like I'm
44:04
traveling at an affordable price here. The room
44:07
is just somewhere to sleep at night and shower.
44:09
And so, you know, the rest of the ship is your
44:13
world to explore. Courtney, I totally agree.
44:16
My wife and I actually were talking about this
44:17
just last week because when we went on a Disney
44:20
cruise, the only one we went on, we did have
44:22
an ocean view room. But we were hardly ever there.
44:27
But then even when we were during the day, it
44:29
was like we wanted to catch a little nap and
44:31
then it wasn't totally dark. And it was like,
44:32
yeah, I have an interior room. Oh, my God. I
44:34
have never slept better than in those interior
44:37
rooms because I am so light sensitive and I'm
44:39
a morning person. But I tell you. I've slept
44:42
till like 10 in those indoor rooms and that is
44:45
very late for me. I'm like a 6 to 7 a .m. wake
44:48
up and I was like, oh my God, what time is it?
44:50
Where am I? It was so dark. Yeah, the interior
44:54
room can really help. But when we go again, and
44:56
we certainly will go on another Disney trip,
44:58
we are definitely getting an interior room. Save
45:01
yourself a little bit and put that money toward
45:03
the fun fund and spend it on an excursion or
45:06
something. Yeah, I think you're exactly right.
45:07
Okay, here's the last this or that. Rope drop.
45:11
at a park, whichever park, or staying for the
45:15
fireworks. I'm a rope drop. Yeah, I was the morning
45:20
person in me. It didn't surprise you. My family
45:22
was definitely if you can make it from rope drop
45:24
to fireworks, more power to you. But also, again,
45:27
the crowds on the fireworks are going and stuff.
45:29
I'm a let's take advantage of everybody else
45:32
sleeping in and get right on Space Mountain.
45:34
Yeah, I love me a good rope drop. I'm a big,
45:37
big fan. OK, here's our rapid fire. OK, so buckle
45:40
up. Favorite Disney movie? Beauty and the Beast.
45:44
Favorite Disney song? Out There from Hunchback.
45:48
Oh, okay. That's not one I've gotten yet. That
45:51
is a... Yes. Okay, I like it. It's a great one.
45:54
Favorite Disney princess? Belle. Favorite Disney
45:58
villain? Hades. Oh, he's so good. He's so funny.
46:03
I like... That was fun for me as a kid. I love
46:06
Hades. Favorite Disney ship? Oh, the Disney treasure.
46:10
If you're a theme park fan, if I can explain
46:12
that one. That's the one that has... the haunted
46:15
mansion parlor bar on it a 20 000 leagues inspired
46:20
pub so they were just i'm like this feels like
46:23
niche things that i'm interested in as a disney
46:26
fan it's it's absolutely stunning That one's
46:29
going to be pretty high on my list. I was just
46:30
talking with somebody in my neighborhood and
46:32
they had just gone on the treasure. And I was
46:34
like, oh, this is sounding pretty great. I also
46:37
feel like the treasure is kind of my baby because
46:39
I have been with Disney for 12 years, but started
46:41
on cruise line in 2022. And so that was the first
46:44
ship that like I saw from we're giving you the
46:47
name all the way up to her hitting the water.
46:50
Like when I came in, the wish was about to sail.
46:51
So it was like, okay, like, yeah, I can support
46:53
that. But like. I feel emotionally attached to
46:56
the treasure because that's the first one that
46:58
I really saw from the beginning. It's connection,
47:01
right? You have a connection to it. So yeah,
47:03
that totally makes sense. Favorite Disney book?
47:07
I highly recommend the Bob Thomas Walt Disney.
47:12
biography. It was the authorized one by the family,
47:16
but still doesn't shy away from different experiences
47:20
that Walt and Lillian had. And so that's just
47:23
one. I told Emily she did the college program
47:25
the year behind me. I was like, read this before
47:27
you go on your college program. It just puts
47:30
you in the right mindset. So I think it's Walt
47:33
Disney and American Original is probably the
47:36
subtitle. Well, I mean, I'll tell you what, I'm
47:38
going to download that into my Audible as soon
47:40
as we get done recording here because I'm definitely
47:42
going to read that one. Yes, Walt Disney and
47:44
American Original. Okay. How about favorite Disney
47:47
author? I'm going to give it to Jim Korkis just
47:50
because he had such a prolific Vault of Walt
47:54
series trivia master. If you happen to read his
47:59
Disney Cruise Line book about... you know, the
48:02
history of the cruise line and fun little things
48:04
there, I do get a shout -out under my maiden
48:07
name, Courtney Guth, in the foreword because
48:10
I helped him with some trivia. Amazing. That's
48:14
fantastic. Well, I'm definitely going to pull
48:15
that out. Okay, and here's the last rapid fire.
48:18
Which character from Meet the Robinsons do you
48:21
relate to most? Definitely not goop. I think
48:25
I think Lewis is at the heart of it. And so just
48:29
following his journey and that spirit of optimism
48:32
that he has. But he's like he's a realist, too.
48:35
Like we get to see him, you know, frustrated
48:37
by the interview process and not being adopted.
48:42
I like that he's well -rounded in that regard.
48:44
Yeah. Yeah. He's fantastic. Yeah. I love that.
48:48
Well, let's take us to kind of our closing reflection
48:50
and then let's get your three actionable takeaways.
48:52
So can you give us your reflections overall on
48:56
this idea of keep moving forward and what that
48:59
kind of means from this wonderful gem of a show,
49:02
Meet the Robinsons? Yeah, this movie is the film
49:06
that introduced me to that quote. So even though
49:08
I did that project on Walt Disney years before
49:10
in sixth grade and learned about Walt the Man,
49:13
it was that moment that you described in the
49:16
credits where that quote, flashes on the screen
49:18
i get like a little verklempt when i see it happen
49:21
i get choked up thinking back to that i was um
49:24
like 14 or 15 years old seeing that movie you
49:28
know you're in a pivotal time period coming into
49:30
high school all of that and that quote just stuck
49:34
with me so much so that when I was applying to
49:37
the University of Maryland, one of the required
49:40
of three, I'm sure, essays was what is your personal
49:44
philosophy? And I chose keep moving forward.
49:47
It was also my senior quote in the yearbook.
49:50
So I just really internalized that quote in my
49:52
freshman year. And then by the time I graduated,
49:55
I was just I was thinking about this watching
49:57
the movie because it does have a lot to do with
49:59
fate and the curiosity and the paths that we
50:02
take and where that leads us. I'm like, Maryland
50:05
is where I met my two best friends. It's where
50:07
I met my now husband. I'm like, man, if I hadn't
50:10
written that essay, like I might not have gotten
50:12
in there. I might have been on a completely,
50:15
completely different path. So again, going back
50:17
to that everything for a reason piece as well.
50:20
Brilliant. Brilliant. Yeah, I love it. Keep moving
50:23
forward can be such a great mantra to have. And
50:27
we all go through struggles at times. We all
50:30
go through trials and difficult seasons in life.
50:33
And it's not always easy for us to keep moving
50:35
forward. You want to know what's crazy? Yes.
50:38
Okay, I'm assuming you still have Facebook. And
50:41
you know how Facebook will have your Facebook
50:42
memories? Yeah. Okay, today... 13 years ago i
50:47
posted like a keep like a an infographic of keep
50:51
moving forward the walt disney quote with like
50:53
the castle behind it so i don't remember what
50:54
i was going through at that moment 13 years ago
50:57
but like wow how cool was that i saw that this
51:01
morning i was like oh my gosh we're gonna be
51:02
talking about this tonight the perfect thing
51:04
how beautiful that really is um and it's so nice
51:08
to have have things like that sometimes pop up
51:11
because it reminds us like hey you know there
51:13
are things in life that are inspiring and things
51:15
happen for a reason and oh that's just that's
51:18
wonderful thank you for sharing that you're welcome
51:20
um so if you could provide to our listeners three
51:24
actionable takeaways of something that they could
51:27
put in effect into their lives starting today
51:30
what would those three things be yeah i think
51:33
one thing that we didn't touch on too deeply
51:34
though is the process that lewis goes through
51:38
um going through adoption and i i really saw
51:40
parallels to that of going through job interviews
51:43
because he's kind of being interviewed by these
51:45
parents and he says he's you know faced 124 and
51:50
counting and mildred the the orphanage he's like
51:53
i'm sure that's an over exaggeration he's like
51:55
no this is the tally so i i feel like that's
51:57
probably something that would resonate with those
52:00
maybe in search of a job right now or going through
52:02
that that You're going to face rejection in life.
52:07
Maybe not everything on the path you think you're
52:09
supposed to be on is going to pan out that way.
52:12
But you will find the place where you're meant
52:14
to be, your family, so to speak. Yeah. Just like
52:18
Lewis finds the Robinsons. Yeah, absolutely.
52:21
Then the other one that I really thought about,
52:24
again, everything for a reason, going back to
52:27
a big... The crux of him doing the memory scanner
52:30
is he wants to see his mom in that moment. Like
52:34
he feels like if he could go back, if he could
52:36
change that, she's the one who wants him. Like
52:39
she just couldn't maybe take care of him at that
52:41
time. He just wants, he wants to feel wanted
52:43
and he wants to go to back to that moment and
52:45
change it. So when he finds out about the time
52:46
machine, it becomes a deal between him and Wilbur
52:49
Robinson. Like you're going to take me back to
52:51
see my mom. And we have this moment where she's
52:55
quite literally in front of him and he could
52:57
reach out and touch her and essentially change
53:00
his fate if he were to intervene. And this is
53:04
everything that he's thought that he wanted.
53:08
And then he doesn't do it. And I think that's
53:10
because he realizes, like, if I do this, it's
53:12
going to. change what I know my future to be.
53:15
We don't have, unfortunately, the ability to
53:18
know our future, but I think it gives us peace
53:20
that maybe everything that happens for us does
53:22
happen for a reason and leads you down that path.
53:26
Yeah, because he gets to see this beautiful family
53:29
that gets created because he went down this path
53:33
of not knowing who his mom was and gets to embrace
53:36
that. Yeah, just taking comfort in that when
53:38
you're going through a tough time. If I can get
53:40
a little personal here, I just went through a
53:43
crazy last eight months. We previously lived
53:46
in a condo and the tenant above, we owned the
53:51
condo and we're living there. Someone above us
53:53
was renting and did unauthorized construction
53:55
and completely flooded our condo. And I was like,
53:59
this quite literally ruined our life is like
54:02
was my initial attitude. We lived in a hotel
54:04
for over 100 days. It was like $45 ,000 in damages
54:10
to the condo. But we got new floors. We got new
54:14
kitchen. We got the walls that had a lot of posters
54:17
and stuff patched. And they packed up all of
54:20
our stuff. And we were collectors. And I was
54:22
like, wait a second. This is awful. I'm not going
54:25
to sugarcoat it. But that was the impetus for
54:29
us to now be in a single family home that we
54:31
closed on a month and a half ago. Because it
54:34
was like, OK. this is what we've been dealt this
54:37
is terrible but let's keep keep moving forward
54:40
i mean and maybe for everything for a reason
54:42
um i don't want to belittle the drama that experience
54:46
was having to deal with but And because of that,
54:50
it made us rethink, like, well, do we want to
54:51
still live here? Moving to a single family home
54:53
was something that we had talked about, my husband
54:55
and I, for a while. But it was like, oh, you
54:58
know, maybe like our mortgage rate, those adulting
55:00
type things. It's like, oh, we have all this
55:02
stuff. Like, OK, somebody else paid to have the
55:04
insurance. pack all that up for us and now they've
55:08
upgraded the kitchen cabinets and things like
55:10
okay maybe this is the push that we needed to
55:14
to sell to start over we don't want to be in
55:17
this home with this traumatizing memory and living
55:19
below this person who who caused all this for
55:23
us and so that i think within you know the last
55:26
year has been a huge piece of reflection for
55:29
me uh on on paths and and what gets us to maybe
55:33
a journey we didn't expect but are ultimately
55:35
grateful for the outcome yeah yeah and i think
55:39
one of the things you pointed out is i think
55:40
right it doesn't mean that we have to say like
55:42
oh it was an easy experience no we can acknowledge
55:45
like that was hard and we have hard things and
55:49
we can also move forward past them and we can
55:52
also find the good in things even though something
55:54
was difficult yeah And so at the end of it, the
55:58
third takeaway is just keep moving forward with
56:01
it. The path might not be the one you thought
56:03
or you foresaw for yourself, but just kind of
56:06
have faith that it'll lead you through, but also
56:10
remain curious. You are still in control of your
56:12
destiny one way or the other. It's that curiosity
56:14
that'll lead you down those paths. Absolutely
56:18
wonderful. Oh, those are some absolutely terrific
56:20
takeaways. that I think can really bring some
56:24
more peace and happiness for people if they'll
56:27
try to put those in action into their lives,
56:29
keep moving forward, do so with curiosity. Courtney,
56:33
it's been a pleasure visiting with you today.
56:35
It has been a treat for me as well. I appreciate
56:37
you having me on. I appreciate the knowledge
56:39
that you bring. I appreciate the perspective.
56:42
I appreciate getting to watch Meet the Robinsons.
56:44
It's been a while since I watched it, and I love
56:46
getting to watch it. It's been a while for me
56:47
too. It's always good to circle back to some
56:50
of these, especially when, you know, when you
56:51
have an impact like it did for you, that quote
56:54
for you, you know, and you get to circle back
56:56
to these things. And it's a reminder of like
56:57
where you've come from and what exciting things
57:00
are ahead as well. So appreciate you being on
57:03
our podcast, Yes and Land, and hope the best
57:07
for you and everything you've got in your life
57:10
and in your journey with the Walt Disney Company.
57:12
Thank you. And I look forward to seeing how you
57:14
keep moving forward with the rest of your episodes.
57:17
As you leave this conversation, remember that
57:20
yes, the past can hurt and you can either run
57:23
from it or you can learn from it. So here's to
57:26
learning and finding joy in the journey. See
57:30
you real soon.