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I’m walking where Walt walked, trying not to cry off my fake lashes, and unpacking everything I brought home from Disney’s Created in LA. We’re talking creator lessons from Zach King, the Try Guys, Disney storytellers and more—but this one gets much bigger than content. I’m sharing why partners matter, why “no” might really mean “not right now,” why we have to be willing to let an idea change, and why views will never be the same thing as community. Then I finally walk through Walt Disney’s office and have one of those full-circle moments I know I’ll never forget. Bet on yourself, boo. 00:00 My Name Was on the Badge00:43 Welcome Back to After Hours00:59 Walking Where Walt Walked02:37 Who Was in the Room05:28 What I Actually Took Home07:18 Zach King: Ideas & Trial Reels08:48 The Pringles Test09:25 Hooks, Curiosity & Your Story10:37 Partners Matter11:26 “No” Is Not Right Now12:05 Test the Opening12:49 Be Willing to Let an Idea Go14:08 Don’t Stay Stagnant15:47 Views Don’t Create Community17:26 Walt’s Office & Betting on Yourself

I’m back, boo—and I have some explaining to do. During our quiet two-month hiatus, I seriously considered ending After Hours With Amanda. Instead, I found myself heading to Disney’s Created in LA and confronting some very loud imposter syndrome along the way. I’m sharing what happened, why the podcast needed room to breathe, the new Dreamers & Believers series, and what it felt like to almost walk away from an opportunity I had dreamed about for years. This is about Disney, yes—but even more, it’s about letting a dream change without deciding it’s dead. Grab your bevie. We’re catching up. 00:00 We Took a Hiatus00:41 I Almost Ended the Podcast02:28 Dreamers & Believers Is Coming04:24 Why Created in LA Meant So Much06:27 The Dream Only Ends When You Stop07:13 My Dad & the Mickey Mouse Club09:21 Applying for Created in LA10:55 The Acceptance Email11:53 Imposter Syndrome Almost Won13:13 Landing in LA13:31 The El Capitan15:30 Walking Into a Dream17:51 Creator Films on the Big Screen20:53 Meeting Mickey & Minnie23:06 Christmas Morning at Disney Studios

Grab your bevie and settle in, because today I’m talking about the question I keep teaching my girls to ask: “Why did they tell me that?” We’re getting into gossip, friendship motives, direct communication, self-talk, comparison, and the difference between trying to control our tiny humans and choosing to have an impact. I also share the advice a therapist gave me when I was scared I wouldn’t know how to parent a teenager, plus a little life update about London’s birthday, D23, and why I’m learning to protect the moments I don’t want to miss. This is not a rulebook. It’s a long voicemail between friends about growing alongside our kids, staying in our own lane, and doing our best. 00:00 Snow Globes and Back in My Room01:11 Choosing What I Won’t Miss02:55 Growing Into the Parent They Need04:44 Control Is an Illusion, Impact Lasts06:07 Stop Comparing Parenting Seasons07:21 Why We Took a Week Off09:08 D23, Disney, and Creator Pressure12:46 Why Did They Tell Me That?15:09 Gossip, Motives, and Real Friendship19:31 When Praise Becomes Comparison22:13 Change the Way You Talk to Yourself24:34 Stop Guessing Who’s Mad at You26:26 Rejection Is Redirection27:19 Honest Conversations Build Safe Relationships29:31 What’s Next and What I Need You to Hear

Grab your iced coffee because I’m finally sharing my full Disneyland game plan. I’m walking through how our family plans park days, what I pack, where we eat, how I use Lightning Lane and mobile ordering, which rides we hit first, where we stay, and why I still bring a stroller even with bigger tiny humans. I also want to talk about the part no itinerary can control: overstimulation, tired kids, changing moods, and the pressure parents can feel after spending so much money on a magical day. This is not the one perfect way to do Disney. It is simply what has helped our family make more room for the rides, snacks, memories, and magic. 00:00 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda00:21 I’m Finally Sharing My Disneyland Guide02:28 Why Disneyland Feels Different to Me04:03 When to Go and Whether Lightning Lane Is Worth It05:00 What I Pack for Every Disneyland Trip07:28 The Stroller, Locker and Wet-Shoe Debate09:02 Dressing for a Full Park Day and Packing Snacks10:59 Preparing for Tiny-Human Meltdowns12:50 Dining Reservations and Taking a Break13:57 My Disneyland Rope Drop Game Plan18:42 Using the App and Planning Lightning Lanes21:28 Adventureland, Frontierland and Galaxy’s Edge24:00 Disneyland Food and Mobile-Order Favorites26:30 My Disney California Adventure Strategy31:41 Hotels, Nighttime Shows and Final Tips

This week, I’m sitting with a realization that made me cry in my car: my daughter is learning to take up space without first checking whether she is too much. Watching her at camp showed me that we really have created something different, even while I’m still untangling the childhood fears that taught me to shrink, scan the room, and control what I could. We’re talking about parenting without projecting, breaking generational cycles, postpartum anxiety, family addiction, emotional safety, faith, and the strange gift of raising tiny queens who remind me who I was before I started editing myself. Maybe this is your permission, too: seasons don’t have to stall you, and you’re allowed to take up space again. 00:00 This Episode Needed to Be Heard03:20 Camp Changed the Conversation04:07 Becoming a Mom Felt Different Each Time05:49 Postpartum Anxiety and Fear06:42 The Illusion of Control in Parenting08:31 Projecting Fear Onto Our Kids10:10 I Want Them to Call Me First11:06 Watching Her Take Up Space13:21 When Did I Stop Taking Up Space?14:08 Learning to Scan the Room16:00 We Broke the Pattern18:47 My Tiny Queens Reminded Me21:00 Seasons Don’t Have to Stall You22:09 Permission to Take Up Space23:29 Who Is Cheering You On?

This episode is for the moms in the preteen and teen trenches, or honestly anyone who is realizing that big feelings have a way of calling out old wounds. I’m talking about what I’m learning as my girls get older, especially when attitude, tone, communication, and hurt feelings start showing up in new ways. This one is about not taking everything personally, asking whether I’m responding to my child or my childhood, and trying to become a safe space instead of just the correct space. We’re doing our best, boo, and we’re figuring it out together. 00:00 Setting the Timer and Mom’s Watch00:21 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda00:37 Buckle Up for Preteens and Teens01:25 Watching Your Heart Get Hurt02:42 When Parenting Feels Personal04:55 Don’t Take It Personally07:14 When They Start Meeting Your Eye Level08:22 Responding to My Childhood10:11 The Book Moment with Lennon11:42 Preteens Are Figuring Out Who They Are14:18 The Toy Story 5 Parenting Parallel15:28 Maybe It’s Not Attitude16:35 Don’t Make It About You18:38 My Biggest Fear Is Losing Communication21:02 Attitude as a Clue23:35 Don’t Match Their Energy25:43 Safe Space, Not Correct Space27:22 What I Hope You Take Away28:28 If No One Has Told You Lately

This week, I’m taking you with me to Pixar and into the very real mom guilt spiral that hit when one of my girls got invited into a special experience and the others didn’t. What started as a magical Disney/Pixar day turned into a bigger parenting reframe about fairness, sibling comparison, and why equal does not always mean the same. This is me learning out loud about intentional parenting, shared joy, and remembering that our tiny humans do not all need identical things to feel loved. 00:00 Siri Thinks It’s a Medical Emergency 00:39 Welcome Back and Pixar Joy 01:12 Walking Onto the Pixar Campus 02:18 Meeting Kind People in Real Life 03:14 A New Season of Motherhood 04:13 Three Girls, Three Different Humans 05:21 One Person’s Encouragement Isn’t Your Discouragement 06:20 The Pixar Tour Invitation 07:33 The Immediate Pang of Mom Guilt 09:02 Equal Doesn’t Always Mean the Same 10:33 Sometimes It’s About Intentional 11:41 The Pixar Pool and Shared Joy 13:03 Different Kids, Different Needs 13:41 The Myth of Balance 16:24 Intentional Time Changes Everything 17:11 Celebrating Someone Else’s Turn 19:39 Life Isn’t Measured in Sameness 21:39 Giving People What They Need 23:32 Moving Out of Guilt and Into Intentionality 25:19 Shared Joy Is the Gift 25:50 You Are Doing Your Best

I wrote “Visit Pixar Studios” in my goals for five years, and this year, that dream came true. In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind getting invited to Pixar for Toy Story 5, but really, this is about dreams, faith, motherhood, and learning to keep showing up even when not everyone understands what you’re carrying. I talk about borrowing belief, fear that sounds like wisdom, safe friendships, and what I hope my tiny queens learn from watching me dream out loud. If your belief feels tired today, you can borrow mine. 00:00 The Pixar Invite I Didn’t Know Was Possible 00:33 Welcome Back, Boo 01:03 I Got Invited to Pixar 02:15 Writing the Dream Down for Five Years 03:17 Why This Is Bigger Than Pixar 05:12 Dreams Have Fingerprints 06:11 When People Don’t Get Your Dream 08:08 When Fear Sounds Like Wisdom 12:11 Borrowing Belief 16:07 Medicine Cabinet Reminders 19:00 What I’m Teaching My Tiny Queens 24:12 Maybe Belief Is the Better Gift

Grab your iced coffee and sit with me for a few minutes, because this one is for anyone who feels behind. I’m talking about the comparison trap, Paige’s little watermelon plant, and what happens when we start comparing our roots to someone else’s tree. This episode is about motherhood, dreams, faith, waiting, and remembering that just because something is taking longer does not mean it is not happening. Maybe the quiet season still counts. Maybe the roots are growing. Maybe the life we prayed for is already happening right here. 00:00 Keep Showing Up 00:30 Casual Summer Energy 03:00 Summer Feels Like Possibility 05:00 Waiting on the Thing You Want 06:03 Paige’s Watermelon Plant 07:16 Life Is Not Instant 09:56 Beautiful Things Take Time 10:59 The Comparison Trap 13:31 Maybe You’re in the Roots 18:34 What Dream Are You Carrying? 20:32 Growth Is Not a Race 22:20 Don’t Miss the Life You Prayed For

Season six is here, and I’m catching you up on life, summer, middle school survival, my solo Disney day, and the very real feeling of not being where I thought I would be by this point in the year. This episode is about the mid year reset we do not always know we need. I’m talking about changing directions, showing up without waiting for motivation, letting go of shame, and remembering that not being where you want to be does not mean you are behind. Maybe you are not failing. Maybe you are still becoming. 00:00 This Is Your 30 Minutes 00:55 Welcome to Season Six 01:42 Surviving Middle School and Summer 03:01 A New Recording Space 04:45 My Solo Disney Day 05:44 When Your Plans Don’t Happen 07:27 June as a Mirror 08:35 You’re Not Behind 09:58 One Day or Day One 12:38 Changing Directions Isn’t Quitting 14:12 The Pressure to Know Your Path 16:28 Stop Worshiping the Result 19:49 Enjoying the Process 22:41 The Middle Is Not the Ending 24:20 Showing Up Without a Perfect Plan 26:06 Still Becoming

In this episode, I’m talking about anxiety, timing, dream chasing, and the coffee line analogy that changed how I see waiting. Just because someone else gets the dream before you does not mean yours is not coming. The only way you do not get your coffee is if you get out of line. I’m also sharing about health anxiety, mammograms, meditation, glimmers of gratitude, keeping promises to myself, advocating for my body, and learning that authenticity starts with being honest with myself. This one is for anyone who feels behind, scared, or tired of waiting. Stay in line, boo. 00:00 Surprise, I Missed This 00:19 Finding the Rhythm Again 01:37 Tiny People Are Still the Priority 01:54 Troop Beverly Hills and Disneyland Updates 03:36 Classes, Mammograms, and Health Check Ins 04:36 Timing, Anxiety, and Dream Chasing 05:57 Becoming Before Reaching the Goal 07:38 The Coffee Line Analogy 09:12 Glimmers of Gratitude While You Wait 10:39 Anxiety, Scripture, and Being Present 11:34 Health Anxiety Before a Mammogram 13:01 Life Can Change in an Instant 15:11 Becoming Ready for the Dream 16:10 Finding the Fear Under the Trigger 17:53 Authenticity Starts With Yourself 20:36 Meditation and Listening to My Body 23:35 I Used to Think I Had to Prove Myself 26:36 Stop Proving, Start Showing Up 27:34 Keeping Promises Builds Self Trust 30:18 Learning What Works for My Body 32:42 Other People’s Opinions and Anxiety 35:24 What Anxiety and Dreams Have in Common 36:08 The Thought Is a Passenger, Not the Driver 37:51 Information Is Not Intimacy 40:18 Advocating for Myself 42:08 Being Bold Enough to Trust Yourself 43:17 The Journey Is the Becoming 45:19 Showing Up for Yourself Means Saying No 47:14 Focus on Becoming, Not Just Arriving

In this episode, I’m talking about the sweetest Disney Pandora surprise, why the Tiana charm felt like a hug from my mom and big J, and how those little glimmers can remind us to keep going when life does not look how we pictured it. Then we get into marriage, miscommunication, keeping score, serving each other when we are both tired, and what it really means to date your spouse like you are still learning them. I’m not speaking as an expert. I’m just sharing what I’m learning in real time with Blake, life, grief, dreams, and all the tiny chaos in between. 00:00 We Took a Week Off 01:00 Laguna Beach and a Little Disclaimer 02:29 The Pandora Surprise 08:25 Looking for the Princess Charms 10:42 Why Tiana Means So Much 14:26 Snail Mail From a Princess 15:18 The Charm That Felt Like a Hug 17:45 Keep Going When You Feel Behind 20:16 You Are Right Where You Need to Be 21:46 When the Emotional Board Turns Back On 25:10 Marriage, Miscommunication, and No Judgment 26:59 Date Your Spouse Like You’re Still Learning Them 29:34 Giving All Day and Keeping Score 33:41 Coming Back With a Servant’s Heart 41:28 Learning Each Other Again 45:05 The Heart Posture of Repair 48:09 The Boxes We Keep Unpacking 51:03 Glimmers, Prayer, and Encouragement

In this episode, I’m talking about why our tiny humans are not our mini mes, even when they look like us, sound like us, or remind us of ourselves. This one is about parenting without projecting, seeing their hearts before assuming their intent, and remembering that behavior is often communication, not just a power struggle. I’m also getting into terrible twos, big feelings, labels, inner child moments, asking better questions, and learning to let my tiny queens grow beyond the version of them I thought I knew. Come sit with me for this one. It might call us out a little, but lovingly. 00:00 Three for Three, Baby 00:44 Blind Boxes and Little Joys 02:12 Disneyland, Coffee, and Life Catch Up 04:02 This One Might Call Us Out 09:35 The Comment That Started It 11:19 Why Mini Me Bothers Me 13:04 When We Project Our Story Onto Kids 15:10 Listening Before Assuming 19:05 Stop Boxing Tiny Humans In 20:06 The Terrible Twos Reframe 23:20 Behavior Is Communication 26:38 Letting Them Grow Beyond Our Version 29:34 Questions That Help You Know Them 34:54 Empathy for Them and Yourself 41:44 Making Room for Their Hearts

In this episode, I’m talking about a morning where I messed up as a mom, said something that wounded, and realized I could not just wait until the end of the day to repair it. So I used my lunch break, pulled one of the tiny queens out of school, apologized, got Chick fil A, opened blind boxes, and learned something I do not want to forget. This one is about parenting mistakes, repair, preteen emotions, presence, progress, and why our kids do not need perfect parents. They need parents who keep showing up and trying again. 00:00 Episode Two of 52 01:01 Inside Out Is Too Real Right Now 02:00 Whole Foods Smoothie Drama 02:40 I Messed Up This Morning 04:28 When a Sting Becomes a Wound 06:07 Pulling Her Out to Repair 07:08 Progress and Presence Over Perfection 08:02 Showing Up With Urgency 10:19 What Pursuit Feels Like in Relationships 11:41 Preteen Emotions and the Control Board 14:35 I Do Not Know What I Am Doing 16:04 Staying Present When They Push Away 18:10 Distance Creates the Wedge 19:05 Body Image, Food, and Outside Noise 20:38 Learning What Hat They Need Me to Wear 22:26 Chick fil A, Pop Mart, and Baby Molly 25:24 Progress and Presence Beat Perfection 26:39 When They Need You the Most 28:19 Becoming the Matlock of Emotions 30:18 Foxhole People and Showing Up 31:06 Not Every Seat Needs to Be Filled 34:19 Podcast Dreams and 2026 Energy 35:13 Progress, Presence, and Marriage Too 36:11 You Are Doing Really Good

In this episode, I’m talking about fixing your crown, saying dreams out loud, and realizing that sometimes I am the one knocking my own crown off. We’re getting into joyful choices, self confidence, walking, meditation, health PTSD, motherhood, Disney dreams, The Courage to Be Disliked, and why keeping small promises to yourself can rebuild trust in yourself. This is also the episode where I admit I recorded an entire podcast with no sound, talk about lice season, book a Disney cruise, and declare that 2026 is our year. Delulu is the solulu, bestie. 00:00 Recording on My Phone in 2026 00:58 The Episode With No Sound 02:21 Lice Season and the Stigma Needs to Go 04:12 Reading The Courage to Be Disliked 07:41 Fix Your Crown, Girl 08:05 New Year Pressure and Joyful Choices 09:16 I’m a Walker Now 12:36 Why Am I Dissing Myself? 13:39 Meditation, Health PTSD, and Regulating 16:21 Owning It Without Overexplaining 17:31 Saying the Big Dreams Out Loud 19:21 Pixar Studios and Disney Podcast Dreams 23:14 Why I’m Careful About Guests 24:27 Tell Me Your Big Dreams 25:00 We Booked a Disney Cruise 27:01 The Call Is Coming From Inside the House 28:12 Keeping Promises to Yourself 33:14 A Podcast Episode Every Week 35:14 Stop Taking Your Own Crown Off 38:37 2026 Is Our Year 40:31 Waiting for the Email 41:12 You Are Needed Exactly As You Are