After Hours With Amanda

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 Badge
00:43 Welcome Back to After Hours
00:59 Walking Where Walt Walked
02:37 Who Was in the Room
05:28 What I Actually Took Home
07:18 Zach King: Ideas & Trial Reels
08:48 The Pringles Test
09:25 Hooks, Curiosity & Your Story
10:37 Partners Matter
11:26 “No” Is Not Right Now
12:05 Test the Opening
12:49 Be Willing to Let an Idea Go
14:08 Don’t Stay Stagnant
15:47 Views Don’t Create Community
17:26 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 Hiatus
00:41 I Almost Ended the Podcast
02:28 Dreamers & Believers Is Coming
04:24 Why Created in LA Meant So Much
06:27 The Dream Only Ends When You Stop
07:13 My Dad & the Mickey Mouse Club
09:21 Applying for Created in LA
10:55 The Acceptance Email
11:53 Imposter Syndrome Almost Won
13:13 Landing in LA
13:31 The El Capitan
15:30 Walking Into a Dream
17:51 Creator Films on the Big Screen
20:53 Meeting Mickey & Minnie
23:06 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 Room
01:11 Choosing What I Won’t Miss
02:55 Growing Into the Parent They Need
04:44 Control Is an Illusion, Impact Lasts
06:07 Stop Comparing Parenting Seasons
07:21 Why We Took a Week Off
09:08 D23, Disney, and Creator Pressure
12:46 Why Did They Tell Me That?
15:09 Gossip, Motives, and Real Friendship
19:31 When Praise Becomes Comparison
22:13 Change the Way You Talk to Yourself
24:34 Stop Guessing Who’s Mad at You
26:26 Rejection Is Redirection
27:19 Honest Conversations Build Safe Relationships
29:31 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 Amanda
00:21 I’m Finally Sharing My Disneyland Guide
02:28 Why Disneyland Feels Different to Me
04:03 When to Go and Whether Lightning Lane Is Worth It
05:00 What I Pack for Every Disneyland Trip
07:28 The Stroller, Locker and Wet-Shoe Debate
09:02 Dressing for a Full Park Day and Packing Snacks
10:59 Preparing for Tiny-Human Meltdowns
12:50 Dining Reservations and Taking a Break
13:57 My Disneyland Rope Drop Game Plan
18:42 Using the App and Planning Lightning Lanes
21:28 Adventureland, Frontierland and Galaxy’s Edge
24:00 Disneyland Food and Mobile-Order Favorites
26:30 My Disney California Adventure Strategy
31:41 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 Heard
03:20 Camp Changed the Conversation
04:07 Becoming a Mom Felt Different Each Time
05:49 Postpartum Anxiety and Fear
06:42 The Illusion of Control in Parenting
08:31 Projecting Fear Onto Our Kids
10:10 I Want Them to Call Me First
11:06 Watching Her Take Up Space
13:21 When Did I Stop Taking Up Space?
14:08 Learning to Scan the Room
16:00 We Broke the Pattern
18:47 My Tiny Queens Reminded Me
21:00 Seasons Don’t Have to Stall You
22:09 Permission to Take Up Space
23:29 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 Watch
00:21 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda
00:37 Buckle Up for Preteens and Teens
01:25 Watching Your Heart Get Hurt
02:42 When Parenting Feels Personal
04:55 Don’t Take It Personally
07:14 When They Start Meeting Your Eye Level
08:22 Responding to My Childhood
10:11 The Book Moment with Lennon
11:42 Preteens Are Figuring Out Who They Are
14:18 The Toy Story 5 Parenting Parallel
15:28 Maybe It’s Not Attitude
16:35 Don’t Make It About You
18:38 My Biggest Fear Is Losing Communication
21:02 Attitude as a Clue
23:35 Don’t Match Their Energy
25:43 Safe Space, Not Correct Space
27:22 What I Hope You Take Away
28:28 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