[INTERVIEW] Amanda Bauner: Me and the Magic

Speaker 0 (00:00:00) - Hey girl. Welcome to the Purpose and Pixie Dust podcast. The podcast where we dive deep into our passions, our purpose, and really unlock our potential With the pixie dust thrown in, what is pixie dust? You might ask. It's the fun and joy that gets unlocked when you're creating and owning your magic. I'm Lindsay Dollinger, dog mama, Disney lover and high school Spanish teacher who has used my magic to grow my businesses while also working full-time. I'm on a mission to help other women create and own your magic by building not only the business of your dreams, but also the life of your dreams while still juggling life, your full-time job and all the things. So if you want more than this provincial life, let's use our glass slippers to break those glass ceilings and sprinkle lots of pixie dust into our lives and businesses. Let's do this.

Speaker 0 (00:00:51) - Hey, hey, friend. I am popping in here to make sure that you know about the best kept secret membership that exists for women entrepreneurs and shocking. The name is The Magical Membership for Women Entrepreneurs. So what is this magical membership you might ask? Well, it is a super fun place that I have curated. Uh, there's a Facebook group component to it as well as a website portal. So if you're not on Facebook, no worries, you can still be a part of the membership. But there is amazing community accountability, challenges, trainings, templates, done for you, uh, social media, calendar content, all all the things, literally all the things. And I don't talk about it nearly as much as I should. So here is your open invitation to join the magical Membership for Women entrepreneurs. The information is in the links, or you can definitely send me a DM and I can get you all of the deeds.

Speaker 0 (00:01:46) - I hope I just realized that rhyme. Oh my gosh. Well, I hope you go out there creating on your magic, and I will see you inside the magical membership for women entrepreneurs. All right, I believe we are live. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to A Purpose in Pixed Dust Live recording. I am super excited for our guest today. Amanda Bonner is on and she's going to be talking all things. Well, I'm not gonna give it all away, but we're going to be talking about how she started her business and um, it's a really interesting one. I think a lot of my listeners will definitely relate with. So, Amanda, welcome to the show. Tell us a little bit about you. What do you do? How'd you start doing it? All the things.

Speaker 1 (00:02:23) - Oh, well thank you so much for having me, Lindsay. Really appreciate it. And of course, I live just north of Magic Kingdom, so I really relate to the purpose and pixie dust parts, both of those.

Speaker 0 (00:02:33) - So jealous, so jealous .

Speaker 1 (00:02:36) - But I, for almost 26 years now, I actually have been a environmental engineer. And what that means is I mainly work on, uh, water wastewater treatment, the conveyance, basically making sure that it's clean water when you turn on the tap. And I know where it goes when you flush the toilet . So I've worked for consulting firms for most of my time, but a couple years for utility and have great respect for the people that work for those utilities. They do a lot of hard work. Um, but I, um, you want me to go ahead into my origin story? I

Speaker 0 (00:03:06) - Started, yeah, let's hear it. Please.

Speaker 1 (00:03:08) - Yes. So I love Disney, obviously living where I do right now. And, um, I grew up in Indiana and then in my mid twenties I moved to New York City. And so I went through this period where I was just, you know, focused on my twenties and having fun and moving to the big city. So I didn't go to Walt Disney World for a period about 12 years, but growing up, all four grandparents were down in Florida. So we came quite a bit and I went back with friends in 2012, and then I wanted to go back immediately, so I was just like, I missed it. I can't believe it. You know, it's been 12 years. And they all said, well, we've got jobs, or we, you know, they had other things going on. And I thought, well, what if I went solo? And I started doing research in like 2013 for a trip in 2014.

Speaker 1 (00:03:51) - And at that time there were hardly any resources for Disney World going solo. It was all families, which is, you know, somewhat to be expected, um, and hardly anything if it was just like an adult trip either. So I thought, well, I had it in my back of my mind this whole time as I'm creating my spreadsheets. Cause I'm a planner when I travel, I love to plan , so I did love that. Yeah, of course. . So I did two solo trips in 20 14, 1 of them as an excuse for preparation in 2015. I had my, um, 40th birthday with 14 adult friends at Disney World and my parents. So we had a great time. It was so much fun. And then of course you do the Disney math and I figured if I buy an annual pass and I come for my, you know, birthday, and then I come this many times because at that point my parents had retired and moved to Southwest Florida.

Speaker 1 (00:04:41) - So that led to a series of trips where I would meet them at Disney World and I would usually have like a day or two by myself before they would join me. And this kept percolating in my mind and I'm like, what do I do with this? And then at that same time, I started listening to the W DW Radio podcast by our mutual friend and mentor, lumen Jello. And he started talking then 20 16 17, about this momentum. And I couldn't go in 2017, I actually was in Walt Disney World, the first Momentum conference he had, but it was my twin goddaughter's second birthday with a bunch of people that I had helped plan the trip. And I wasn't about to miss that, you know? Right. So, yeah, , so I know this is like kind of a long story, but, uh, no,

Speaker 0 (00:05:23) - No. I love how things like always align. Like everything always happens how it's supposed to happen, even though you don't realize it in the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:05:29) - Exactly. And I think I did things maybe a little bit backwards than other people who've gone to Momentum, but I emailed Lou, I never talked to him, he didn't know who I was. I said, I have this idea for giving all these resources to both solo travelers and adult travelers going to Disney destinations. And he loved it. He emailed back and then we had a call and I had missed Momentum conference. And he said, well, I have the weekly mastermind. And I said, I know nothing about being an entrepreneur about social media, how to do a website, none of it. So I came in green as could be, and blessed these people. welcomed me into that weekly mastermind. Yeah. I did that for two and a half years, his weekly Oh, wow. Mastermind with different people, obviously going in and out. Right? Yeah. Um, but it didn't take long that I realized, uh, 15 years in New York City, I was kind of ready to move.

Speaker 1 (00:06:24) - Yeah. So, um, within six months of joining the Mastermind, I had moved to Tampa, Florida. Okay. And gotten a different job and started Disney Travel for All, which at the time was just a block. Mm-hmm. not just, but you know Right. That that's what it was. Yeah. That's what started with Yeah. That's what I started with. Yeah. And that was meant to do exactly what I wanted to do, provide the resources for solo travelers and adult, um, like, you know, fun Girls Trip, or like, I had a bunch of people going for birthdays, that kind of thing. But then that connection was missing, and I really love connections and relationships and Yeah. I thought that's kind of hard with writing, even though I love writing. Right. Yeah. Um, so Lou, of course, he's been podcasting for I think 2008, nine. Long time, long time .

Speaker 1 (00:07:11) - Yes. He's an og, uh, maybe even B before that. Um, so he had said, and others had said, you should try a podcast. So I, I gave it a try. And the first few episodes I did like the intro, and then I did about three episodes each with friends. And I thought, well, this feels kind of natural. I actually kinda like this. So I started at January, 2020. Okay. Which of course, then Covid hit Oh yeah. and everything got, you know, just turned topsy-turvy for everybody. Um, so I kept going, had to pivot, and I was still in Tampa at the time, but after a year of going through the pandemic, I kind of felt isolated in Tampa because I had moved there and I had friends in Orlando and my parents were in Southwest Florida, but I didn't really have friends in Tampa.

Speaker 1 (00:07:59) - Yeah. And I asked, uh, my boss, can I move to Orlando? Cause that's what I had originally wanted to do when I moved to Florida mm-hmm. . And so I did that, and that helped with the podcast and just being social. But then the piece was still missing about why I had started it, even though I was growing this awesome community. And it felt like I wanted to expand beyond Disney. And it also felt like I had kind of left behind the solo travelers a little bit. Okay. So I thought, uh, what if I rebrand? Mm. And that's when me and the magic came up. So I worked, I wondered where that happened. Yes. mm-hmm. . So I decided last fall to rebrand to me and the Magic and just hit 100 episodes of the podcast. Congratulations. That's so exciting. Thank you. Thank you. That's so big. It's wonderful. And the community's doing great. We have our first, um, uh, I'm sure we'll talk about all the things, but we've got a lot of things coming up, so .

Speaker 0 (00:08:57) - Yeah. Oh my gosh. And I love, and I, I never would've guessed that you have been doing this just since January, 2020 because your community is super engaged. Um, you do meetups, you do all kinds of stuff with your community. So let's talk a little bit about how you have been able to, like, what are all the components of your community now and, and how have those added to your brand and you know, what you do, because there's a lot of them.

Speaker 1 (00:09:22) - Yeah, there are. And, uh, I, I kind of learned as I went along, and then I also learned from watching Lou and, and others Yeah. With their communities. And then with the pandemic, you know, we all had to kind of, uh, uh, pivot. So it started, um, with just me doing the show, not just, but you know Right. Getting, getting the podcast growing, being mm-hmm. active on social media. And then I was having virtual monthly Zoom calls, um, with the community. Okay. Okay. And then January, 2021, Wanda Vision came out. Mm-hmm. and I decided, why don't we do weekly calls to discuss the show, because I Oh, okay. I not, I I love the M C U Yeah. Marvel Cinematic Universe, for those that don't know what that is, . But I, I'm not a comics person, so mm-hmm. , there are all these Easter eggs in there that I didn't know and I needed help . Yeah. Yeah. So it ended up, we did this weekly for however many episodes, eight or nine weeks. And we would have sometimes up to 10 people on the calls, sometimes just a few of us, but always kind of the same core group and formed such a, a tight-knit, uh, I don't know. So fun. Yeah. And so it was really nice in episode 100 people were sharing their favorite memories and that kept coming up. Aw. So that was really lovely.

Speaker 0 (00:10:39) - I love that. Yeah. I didn't know you did that part of it, even . Yeah. I was thinking of, of your, your in-person meetings that I have seen you post about

Speaker 1 (00:10:48) - That too. So I started, actually, was it just last year? I think I started, uh, walk The World. Okay. Um, so we meet somewhere different around Walt Disney World Property each month. So I just posted, the next one will be Walk the World Showcase around Epco. Ooh.

Speaker 0 (00:11:04) - That's gonna be so fun. I'm

Speaker 1 (00:11:06) - So proud. It'll be so good. Yeah. .

Speaker 0 (00:11:07) - Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:11:09) - And, and sometimes, you know, there are just a, a couple of us, which is great mm-hmm. and sometimes, uh, I think the largest we had was maybe like 12 or 13 of us. Oh, wow.

Speaker 0 (00:11:17) - That's

Speaker 1 (00:11:17) - A good one. And, and I, yeah, it's wonderful. And I'm actually starting to get people requesting, like, I had a woman who emailed me and said, I'm coming from Seattle this week. You're gonna happen to have an event. So I actually said, that works great for my calendar. Why don't I schedule the event for that week? You're coming.

Speaker 0 (00:11:34) - Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah. I love that. I love that so much. Well, that's why I was just thinking, I was like, man, I've gotta to coordinate with her one of these weekends that I'm actually Yes. In Orlando Yes. To like, do something like that. Um, because well too, and you're also doing this while still juggling, working full-time. Correct. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:11:53) - . Yes, absolutely. Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:11:55) - Okay. So what kind of tips do you have for the person listening who's like, I have something that I wanna build, but I don't have time to do it all. What would you tell them?

Speaker 1 (00:12:05) - Number one, if you really wanna build it, you find the time. And I know that sounds simplistic and me, especially maybe as a single woman, no children, that sounds easier than someone with other responsibilities, but everybody's got different responsibilities. So what really helped me, and I actually, um, worked with, uh, someone we both know Angie Robinson, who's a life and leadership coach. And one of the biggest things for me was just really scheduling and being very intentional about what I wanted to do, um, and sticking to it, because I'm great at putting things on a calendar, not so great about always sticking to it. Yeah,

Speaker 0 (00:12:43) - Yeah. No, I get that. And it, and I love that you said, um, everyone has, sorry, has me in my eye or something, , it's really

Speaker 1 (00:12:49) - Funny. That's all right. Um,

Speaker 0 (00:12:50) - You're watching live, that's what's happening, . Um,

Speaker 0 (00:12:54) - But um, I love the, how you say that, you know, we still, cuz I also have no children and I, I have a dog who is extremely needy though . So I think it's probably about the same thing. Um, but it's the same thing. You know, we all have things that fill up our days, but if something is really important to you, you will find a, a way to fit it in. Yeah. Even if it's something really, really small each day, like that's my thing. Um, especially when I'm working with my clients and Thursday the same thing you do. We're busy, we're tired, we wanna go out and do other things. But you can find 10 minutes today to do something. Like you can make the Facebook event for your walk around the world there, you know, you can do something to move the needle forward. And I think that's a really huge thing that a lot of people need to hear .

Speaker 1 (00:13:37) - Yeah. You, you figure out a way to, to fit it in. You figure out those pockets. Um, and what I've been challenging myself with the last six months or so is as I've been traveling mm-hmm. trying to do some of my engineering work and then trying to do the me and the magic work and the traveling itself is some Right. Feeding into the me and the magic. So that's been interesting as I've been kind of playing with that. And I, I'm fortunate that my engineering job, I go into the office, I also can work from home and sometimes I travel to client sites. So

Speaker 0 (00:14:08) - I was wondering that. Yeah, yeah. A

Speaker 1 (00:14:10) - Little. I have some flexibility there, which is definitely helps.

Speaker 0 (00:14:13) - Yeah. That's great. Yeah. So have you been working with the same company this whole time? Um, or is that from, since you moved to Tampa?

Speaker 1 (00:14:20) - Since we moved to Tampa. So I just hit my five years with the company. It's called Corolla Engineers. And they're a wonderful company. I have to plug them because I, it's truly, uh, such a wonderful company. Yeah. We're doing a lot of, um, they put the people first. Uh, so That's great. I, I cannot speak highly enough about that company. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:14:38) - Yeah. And that makes a big difference too. Yeah. And, and seeing that modeled, I'm sure has helped you in your business too, cuz you are completely people-centered. Um, yes. With the magic in me also.

Speaker 1 (00:14:50) - Yes, definitely.

Speaker 0 (00:14:52) - So let's talk a little bit about the solo female specific travel. So is, is your audience specifically female, um, solo travelers or is just any solo travelers?

Speaker 1 (00:15:02) - It, it's any solo travelers. Okay. I do tend to focus somewhat more on some issues maybe that affect women more. Like if I talk about safety that I, I read some interesting articles that when it comes to men, their top concern for solo travel is the cost women, their top concern is safety.

Speaker 0 (00:15:20) - Ooh.

Speaker 1 (00:15:21) - Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:15:22) - That's super telling. Yeah. Okay. Um, so then let's talk a little about about safety. So what are some, some tips or some things that have come up along the years safety-wise that you can tell us as women who may or may not be traveling alone?

Speaker 1 (00:15:35) - Uh, number one, uh, share your itinerary with someone. Um, and, and maybe even arrange like a, a check-in, uh, so that someone Oh, I like that knows where you are. It doesn't have to be every day, but at least if someone says, oh, Wednesday at five, I'm gonna at least let you know by then and they haven't heard from you, then Yeah. You know, or just share like where you're staying, um, contact info, like, and I go on a cruise, I'm like, here's how you could contact a cruise ship. That type of thing. Yeah. So I, I have gone on a solar cruise before. Highly recommend it .

Speaker 0 (00:16:06) - Oh yeah. That sounds fun.

Speaker 1 (00:16:07) - Yeah. I didn't know single person on the ship. Um, and you know, another way to stay safe is to try to protect where you're staying. Like I would be careful if I were saying my state room number or my hotel room number, you know, something like that. Um, and then even in public places now with all the electronics Yeah. Um, making, you know, put a privacy screen on your cell phone. Um, the air tags I know have become kind of an issue. Like, they're wonderful to stick in your luggage and track it mm-hmm. , but people now are starting to stick it in other people's luggage to track them. You're kidding. But no, it's kind of starting to become a little thing, but wow. Your phone will alert you now if there's one near you that's not registered to you. Okay. And they actually can make a sound so you can find it.

Speaker 0 (00:16:57) - Okay. So there

Speaker 1 (00:16:58) - Was, is

Speaker 0 (00:16:59) - There a setting or something we have to turn on for that or is that just automatic on

Speaker 1 (00:17:03) - It's, if you have an iPhone, it's in the find my, you know, so if you go to find

Speaker 0 (00:17:07) - My

Speaker 1 (00:17:08) - IPhone, you can add the find my air tags. Um, okay. And if you don't have it and it detects one, my understanding is the latest operating system that it will ping you that I, and it might just be another travelers Right. Sitting next to, to my airplane has one

Speaker 0 (00:17:23) - . Right. Yeah. Yeah. But like, if it goes off in your hotel room, that's probably, probably definitely telling. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah. Oh my gosh, people are so creepy.

Speaker 1 (00:17:32) - . I know. There's all these things.

Speaker 0 (00:17:34) - I'm glad you said that about the hotel room because I had an incident happen to me in Punana mm-hmm. about this time last year. I was in Punana, it was me and another woman. Um, we traveled separately, we met there, uh, for our company incentive trip. Anyway, the, the people working for the hotel kept asking as they were driving us. Well I, I went by myself, so I met her there. But as they were driving me to my hotel, like, what room are you? What room are you, what room are you? And I didn't think anything about it. I'm like, oh, I'm in whatever the room was. Yeah. And I said it probably to four or five different men, uh, on this uhhuh on the way there. Yeah. They were all asking me. And then that night we had a man try to break into our room.

Speaker 0 (00:18:20) - Ah, like pretty forcefully. And thankfully we had put the, um, like the security lock across it mm-hmm. , but I mean the door somehow got unlocked. So it was a worker and he was like body, like body slamming against the door, like yelling in Spanish. Oh. And we, we were like, what is happening? Like, what do you want? And I speak Spanish, so we're like, what do you want? Like, we're not opening this. We didn't order anything. We're in bed. Like, you need to go away. We kept saying it and he finally went away. And, um, oh my God. Anyway, we were safe. Thankfully we had that across the door. Um, and we reported it and like, we talked to the police and like all this stuff and they, they said it was a worker who, it was a security guard who we, someone had called for a noise complaint or something and they were checking on us.

Speaker 0 (00:19:12) - And I was like, no, that was not a security guard. We asked him what he wanted, he wouldn't respond. I was like, it was not. So anyway, after that it was super scary. Yeah. After that. Yeah. Um, when they started asking me when they were like driving us back, like, what room were you in? I'm like, oh, we're in, we're in the building eight or whatever. Like, I refused to stay my room after that and I told every woman that I could, that I saw on that resort the rest of the trip. I'm like, do not tell your room number. Do not tell your room number. . I'm like, just happen to us. Lock your room. Um, cuz that was another thing I'm usually pretty good about locking that security, you know, thing across the door when I'm in my room alone. But yeah. Not during the day when I'm in there by myself. So now it is very much in the back of my mind, like close that security thing. Do not tell people your room number.

Speaker 1 (00:20:00) - Yeah. That is the first thing I do. As soon as I go into the room, no matter if I'm gonna leave again. I, yeah. And I actually bought, I, I haven't used it yet, but I bought one of those, um, it looks like a door stopper, except the top of it is metal so that when it hits it, the an alarm goes off.

Speaker 0 (00:20:17) - Yes. I've seen those. Yeah. I probably need to grab one of those, but that would be perfect because I have been in a hotel room, which I think I read that it's illegal for them not to have a safety thing like that. Oh, okay. Um, but I have been in one before where it didn't have a way to lock it like that. And I definitely felt nervous, so.

Speaker 1 (00:20:36) - Oh goodness. .

Speaker 0 (00:20:37) - Yeah, I know. So there's some more, some more women, uh, traveling by yourself. Tips For sure.

Speaker 1 (00:20:43) - Yeah. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Well thank you for sharing that. Sorry that happened to you. Yeah,

Speaker 0 (00:20:47) - No, I mean, and I like, I am very adamant about sharing that with women now when I talk to them. Cuz I'm like, yeah. And it's so common, I feel like, for those all-inclusive resorts, especially with those higher level of service for people to want your room number. But I'm like, no, ,

Speaker 1 (00:21:05) - It's true. Or they're very casual about it when they mm-hmm. give you your key at the front desk, you're at 5 0 8. I'm like, thank you. The whole reader.

Speaker 0 (00:21:13) - Yeah. And I had a friend tell me that they're not supposed to do that. And I was like, oh, that makes sense. It's supposed to be like written down or like Yeah, yeah. Quietly. That's why I

Speaker 1 (00:21:22) - Like the online check-in now where it's, you can use your phone as your key. Yeah. And you don't even have to go to the front desk.

Speaker 0 (00:21:28) - Right. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah. And then that way people at the front desk don't know like a face to a room either. Yeah. Which I think is a smart idea.

Speaker 1 (00:21:36) - Yeah. But I know that's not always possible. Depends

Speaker 0 (00:21:38) - Who you stay. Yeah. Right. Well thank you for those types. Those are super great. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about your cruise. How was your, how was your cruise?

Speaker 1 (00:21:47) - It was fantastic Cruise. It's like, it was, uh, uh, it was my first time on the Disney Fantasy. Okay. I've been fortunate to be on, uh, each of the Disney ships at least once, so Okay. Um, and Awesome. It was, uh, seven night cruise. I, I decided to give this a charity.

Speaker 0 (00:22:03) - So bigger go home. Yeah. Right.

Speaker 1 (00:22:05) - Yeah. Why not? I knew I love cruising. Um, so decided to do it and it was a very merry time. So everything, I love Christmas, so

Speaker 0 (00:22:13) - I do too. It

Speaker 1 (00:22:14) - Is all decorated for that. Yeah. And it's interesting, most cruise lines do this, including Disney is they pair you with people to sit with a dinner mm-hmm. and they try to do it, um, intentionally so that you have something in common with those people. Yeah. Ok. So I was with, um, two couples and then a mother and daughter that the daughter was probably closer to my age. She know the mother was a little older. Okay. And it was wonderful. I mean, by the end of the cruise it was when Frozen two came out, there was one of the couples at our table. It was like their 52nd Disney cruise, something insane. Oh my gosh. That was just like, you know, wow. Amazing. Yeah. And they had us all to their suite for a champagne toast. And then we all walked down together to the frozen two premiere and I just kept running into them to do things with them. But I also had some great time to myself and the cast members were so wonderful and I mean, I didn't let it stop me from doing anything. I ate at the adult restaurants for brunch and dinner, all fours , you know?

Speaker 0 (00:23:12) - Nice. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:23:14) - Yeah. So Great. Oh, that sounds

Speaker 0 (00:23:15) - Perfect. Yeah. Yeah. That sounds really great. Yeah. Uh, so which is your favorite of the Disney cruise ships?

Speaker 1 (00:23:21) - That's so tough.

Speaker 0 (00:23:23) - . I know, I know. They're all so different. Yeah. I,

Speaker 1 (00:23:25) - I really love the Wonder because I sailed on the Wonder. Uh, it was the first sailing out of New Orleans and for those that don't know, the Wonder has on it a French Quarter lounge in Tiana's Place. And it was right before Mardi Gras. It was actually February, 2020. Oh. So the themeing was fantastic, you know, um, yeah. And I works great. I like the smaller ships. Mm-hmm. , um, they feel more intimate, although I love the what the larger ships offer too. So I'm excited to go back on the fantasy. We have our first group cruise this November on the fantasy. Oh,

Speaker 0 (00:23:57) - Is it for your community? Are you doing a group cruise? Yes. Oh my gosh. Okay. Tell us the, you talk about that. Yes,

Speaker 1 (00:24:02) - Everyone's welcome. It's actually the same itinerary I, I sailed in 2019, so Oh, cool. Um, it's a seven night Eastern Caribbean stopping in Tortilla and St. Thomas and then Disney's Private Island, Castaway Key and um, perfection. Yes. It's a very merry time. So it's November 11th through the 18th and, um, you can get free, no obligation quote if you go to me in the magic.com and Oh, you know, we have, I think so far maybe 25 of us booked.

Speaker 0 (00:24:31) - Oh my gosh, that's huge.

Speaker 1 (00:24:33) - I'm, I'm great with that. You know, I mean Yeah. Welcome more people for sure. But, um, yeah, the, we have some people coming from Canada who've been so active in the community and we're all going to be meeting in person for the first time and everybody's so excited. Nice.

Speaker 0 (00:24:48) - Yeah. That's so fun. Yeah. Hashtag goals for my community purpose and Pink Dust. Stay tuned. , we're going to make it Disney Group cruise half of those days.

Speaker 1 (00:24:58) - Yes.

Speaker 0 (00:24:59) - So how long have you been planning this then for your group?

Speaker 1 (00:25:03) - Oh gosh. Uh, I think we announced it last year. Okay. Because it, you know, they open up pretty,

Speaker 0 (00:25:09) - Uh, uh, pretty soon, far in event. Pretty

Speaker 1 (00:25:11) - Soon. So right now I think, uh, they're up to summer 2024 has been announced, if I'm not mistaken, through September, 2024. So actually I'm very, very soon, maybe like next week going to announce the 2024 group trip, but it's not a group.

Speaker 0 (00:25:23) - Okay. I was just gonna, I was just gonna ask that. Is it gonna be another crew? So it's gonna be a land trip?

Speaker 1 (00:25:29) - It is a land trip, yes. So that'll become,

Speaker 0 (00:25:32) - Can you give us any, is it Disney related or not Disney related or can we not know it?

Speaker 1 (00:25:36) - It is Disney related. Um, okay. If you're in the community, you probably have a good idea cause I did a

Speaker 0 (00:25:41) - Poll. I was, I kinda, I kinda have an idea. I didn't see your pool though, but I know places that you have recently ish traveled, so Yes, I'm thinking I might have an idea, but I won't, I won't say my guess. . Yes. So that is, that'll be really fun. That's gonna be so exciting.

Speaker 1 (00:25:55) - Yes. And I would love to do like smaller get togethers too mm-hmm. as I'm traveling around. Um Yeah. You know, to, to meet up with more people, not just in Orlando. Cause I know not everybody Right. Can always get somewhere the Orlando meetups. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:26:09) - Oh that's a fun idea. Like you can do like a meetup wherever you're, wherever you're at. So if you go to Disneyland, if there are people local there that wanna do a meetup, oh, that's a fun idea. I like that.

Speaker 1 (00:26:19) - Yes. And Dollywood is one of my new favorite places. So I was, yes.

Speaker 0 (00:26:23) - Can I ask about your Dollywood trip? So give us a little bit about Dollywood. How was that?

Speaker 1 (00:26:28) - Yeah, the first time I went was last fall and it was perfect time to go. Cause they have the Harvest Festival, the Smoky Mountains of the Leaves changing. I mean pretty, it was just gorgeous. Yeah, it is a beautiful park. It's just one park, but it's about the size of Epcot probably except on a mountain. So Hilly. Yeah. .

Speaker 0 (00:26:46) - Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:26:47) - And the themeing is just so fun. And there's just all these little touches of Dolly and there's tons of music. Not just country music, all kinds of music, all these shows. The entertainers are so talented. There's one official resort right now with Dream More Resort, but they're about to open the second one this fall.

Speaker 0 (00:27:05) - Oh, I didn't know.

Speaker 1 (00:27:05) - And yeah, and Nice. They have plans to expand. It's a seasonal park. So because it's in the s smokey, you know, it closes like January through March, but they're trying to make it probably a year round park coming up.

Speaker 0 (00:27:17) - Yeah, that's

Speaker 1 (00:27:18) - Awesome. Like getting a little creative. So

Speaker 0 (00:27:20) - I was gonna say, they might have to have some more indoor type of things. Yes. But yes.

Speaker 1 (00:27:24) - Yeah. But I fell in love with it.

Speaker 0 (00:27:26) - Yeah. I haven't been to Dollywood. Gosh. I think we, I we were probably in high school. Yeah. So I don't remember at a ton. Um, but we were just in Gatlinburg. We drove there. Oh yeah. Were there. And stayed overnight on our way home from Florida this past spring break. Nice. And we drove by the entrance to Dollywood and the resort. I'm like, that looks really nice. I don't think it was built when we were there in high school. Like, I don't think Yeah. That hotel portion. But I was like, oh, that would be really fun to stay. And I have a coworker who their daughter is three mm-hmm. . So they, and they have an rv so they go down a few times a year I think. I think they might have had like an annual pass. Nice. And she was saying at least at her age, that they really liked that better than Disney World for her. Hmm. Um, also I think cuz it's the ease from Ohio too. Sure. Tennessee is a little bit different than going to Orlando often. Yeah. When you have littles. But, um, yeah, I thought that was very interesting. I'm like, oh, I, I need to go back and, and check that out a little bit more. I didn't know she did all the festivals and all of that.

Speaker 1 (00:28:32) - Oh yeah, I was, I was just back for the Flower and Food festival because I bought a season pass because it was only, gosh, $235, so Oh wow. And that I also received two free tickets to bring a friend and then all these discounts.

Speaker 0 (00:28:49) - Oh wow.

Speaker 1 (00:28:50) - Yeah. That's really

Speaker 0 (00:28:51) - Nice.

Speaker 1 (00:28:51) - So that was the gold level. Um, yeah. So it's, it's very reasonable mm-hmm. compared to Disney. I mean obviously, you know, you're getting not quite as much. Right. But, um, it, I I absolutely love it. Sorry.

Speaker 0 (00:29:04) - Yeah. And if you go multiple times, uh, for sure it would make sense.

Speaker 1 (00:29:07) - Yes. So I'm hoping to go back at uh, Christmas time because they do it all up, you know, for that time

Speaker 0 (00:29:12) - Of year. That's so pretty. Mm-hmm. , I bet. Well I guess it would depend on the weather cuz I'm like, the only bad thing is I wouldn't like to drive through the mountain. I know if it was snowy and icy, so Yes. That might be an early November type Yes. Christmas trip early December before it gets icky.

Speaker 1 (00:29:32) - Exactly.

Speaker 0 (00:29:33) - I don't know how bad it gets in the Yeah. In Tennessee area.

Speaker 1 (00:29:37) - I think it's, it's up there in the mountains. I mean, it's really close to where you enter the Smoky Mountain National Park, so it can get a little icy, snowy.

Speaker 0 (00:29:46) - Yeah, I bet. I bet. Yeah. Someone said comments, um, on Facebook. I'd love to go to Dollywood someday. It looks so cute. Reminds me of Knottsberry Farm . Oh. Which I haven't been to that, but I have seen neither. Yeah. I have seen pictures and that. It does look cute. Yeah. Angie says, let's do a meetup in Minnesota. .

Speaker 1 (00:30:03) - . I'm actually going to be in Minnesota, uh, in, in August, so Oh,

Speaker 0 (00:30:09) - Well there, you, you go.

Speaker 1 (00:30:10) - Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:30:11) - Time to time to get that set up then. .

Speaker 1 (00:30:13) - Yes, I think so. I'm gonna be in a few places that's coming up, so.

Speaker 0 (00:30:18) - Awesome. Well tell everyone where they connect, can connect with you, maybe what is going up or coming up in like the near future that they can, um, connect with you about as well and Sure. Um, we'll go from there.

Speaker 1 (00:30:31) - Yes. Well I'm planning the next 100 episodes, so I'd love to hear if anyone has ideas. I'm always looking for, um, ideas and, and guests. Um, we're doing more giveaways. We just did a major giveaway of an Orlando area vacation, so going to have more giveaways coming up. Um, working on some digital travel guides for solo travelers for Walt Disney World and other locations. Nice. And then May 23rd at seven o'clock is our next, uh, monthly walk the world showcase. And then the group cruise, if you go to me and the magic.com, you can get all the information about the group cruise and uh, like I mentioned, I think next week will probably be announcing the 2024 group trip. And then, um, I'm on Instagram at me and the Magic and the Facebook page is me and the Magic . And then , the me and the Magic community is on Facebook. And you can email me also at amanda, me and the magic

Speaker 0 (00:31:25) - Com. Awesome. And friends, I will make sure to put all of that in the show notes too, so you can just do like quick clicks for everything. Um, make sure you can connect with Amanda, but Okay. I like to ask, um, a few like rapid fire questions at the end. Yes. Yeah. So, um, in no particular order, morning routine, nighttime routine, neither both. What's your take ?

Speaker 1 (00:31:47) - Uh, ideally both, although I'm much better about sticking to the morning routine. . Okay. So I, uh, uh, started doing this when I, um, first had Julie Voris enter my world, which was about August, 2021. And I really treasure the morning routine now. Yeah. I, I get up early, um, I get my big water and I have my, uh, energized cuz coffee does not agree with me. So I have my energized drink and I journal, pray, meditate, and then go work out shower, usually listen to some kind of personal development podcast while I'm showering, getting ready for the day. then have, yeah. And, uh, I'm also, um, a team body partner. So I, the Energized and the Shakeology and all that is from Team Body. So I have my shake with breakfast and then get to work, whether that's doing a little me and the magic if I'm early enough before I start the engineering job or traveling to the office or whatever I'm doing. That's my morning routine.

Speaker 0 (00:32:44) - Awesome. Oh my gosh, I love that. Yeah. What's your favorite, uh, shake flavor of Shakeology?

Speaker 1 (00:32:49) - Uh, the vegan chocolate. Mm-hmm. . I'm, I'm pretty standard. I love, uh, pairing that with just banana and baby spinach and uh, some almond milk. And if I really wanna be decadent, then I get the chocolate almond milk with it.

Speaker 0 (00:33:03) - Ooh. Fancy . I never thought about doing that. That's like such a trick.

Speaker 1 (00:33:07) - It's, it's good. Have you

Speaker 0 (00:33:09) - Ever put the, um, I forget, I don't know if it was called like the light or the fit or something, but it's PB two powder. Oh yeah. And you can get the kind like that's low sugar or whatever mm-hmm. and sometimes I put that in the chocolate shakes and they're really good. Like, makes actually really good creamy.

Speaker 1 (00:33:25) - I actually just on accident bought the PB two powder with cocoa in it, so I haven't tried it yet, but I'm like, Ooh, this might be a game changer, . Oh,

Speaker 0 (00:33:32) - That could be. You could, you have to let me know if you like that one or not.

Speaker 1 (00:33:35) - Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:33:36) - Jennifer says, baby spinach beats kale all day. Agreed. Agreed. I can't do the kale. Mm-hmm. I wish I could, but

Speaker 1 (00:33:42) - You can't even taste the baby spinach in the shake. Yeah. I haven't tried kale in a shake, so I don't know. .

Speaker 0 (00:33:47) - Yeah. I haven't tried Kale in the shake either, but I try not to buy Kale , so that's why. Yeah. Um, best personal development book that you have read lately or like of all time?

Speaker 1 (00:33:59) - Oh gosh. I had to go with, uh, lately, which was Dare to Lead, uh, Brene Brown. Mm-hmm. , I, I love Brene Brown and just everything that she does. Yeah. And, um, loved her podcast that she had too. Yeah. Um, okay. Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:34:15) - Very cool. I love that. Yeah. I'll have to link that in the show notes for you guys to check that out too. Yeah, I, um, you said that I don't know that I got all the way through that book. I have to find it. I'm one of those that I start a book and then someone will mention a book that I need to buy and then I'll buy that one and it shows up on my door and then I start to read that. So I have about 55 books with like bookmarks in them that I need to go, like I need to make that a priority this summer to actually finish some of the books that I start .

Speaker 1 (00:34:44) - Yes, I hear

Speaker 0 (00:34:45) - You. But I have that here somewhere. , same

Speaker 1 (00:34:47) - Way. Yep.

Speaker 0 (00:34:48) - Yes. Yes. Um, okay. Favorite, and this might, well maybe not for you. Um, favorite vacation destination that you have been to ever and or a bucket list vacation destination you'd like to go on?

Speaker 1 (00:35:03) - Oh gosh. Uh, well favorite, Hmm. Vacation destination I've been to is probably Paris. Mm. Um, and I wanna go back and know I did not go to Disneyland Paris yet, but I really want to . Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:35:15) - Yeah, you'll have to. So

Speaker 1 (00:35:16) - That's on the bucket list. And then I really wanna go to Tokyo also, and partly because of Tokyo, Disneyland and Disney C .

Speaker 0 (00:35:23) - I heard that's the best one. Yeah.

Speaker 0 (00:35:26) - Uh, from multiple people. Yes. But I also heard Shanghai, is it Shanghai? Mm-hmm. Shanghai has a Disney too. And I heard that one's really awesome. So now we basically have to go to all of them. Yeah. could be another, that could be another one of your group trips, right? Ah, I hope so. To to every, yeah, to every park. Yes. We'll put that out there in the universe. I love it. Yes. Yes. Awesome. Well, Amanda, thank you so, so much for your time. This has been so fun. And I know that the listeners are going to take something out of it, whether it's business related or travel related that pertains to everything that we talk about on the show. So I really appreciate you. Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me. So welcome, and that's a wrap on today's episode. I hope you're leaving today Inspired Princess to create own and spread your magic to the world. If you found Bayou in this episode, or Noah girlfriend who needs to hear it, would you screenshot it and send it to her? And if you're feeling really generous, pop it up on your IG stories and tag me at Lindsay Dollinger so I can see you loved it and tell you thank you. I appreciate you. Now let's go do some amazing things. Bye-bye.