A Tale of Two Bobs... just before American Thanksgiving, Disney swapped out Bob Chapek for Bob Iger as CEO of Disney. There's much to discuss, not only on a factual basis, but on fundamental leadership styles, places we lead from, enrollment, relationships, creative, and did we mention enrollment? Plus so much more about leadership transition, and Bay and Laura's upcoming Disney trip. Thanks to Meaghan Wagner for the title of the episode.
"Happily Ever After" is one of West of Wonderland's favorite fairy tale concepts to unpack. In this week's episode, Bay and Laura discuss the most recent season of Netflix's "Love Is Blind," a show that relies on myths and fantasies about love in order to operate. Join Laura and Bay for a shockingly high level discussion of reality television, fantasies we hold about relationships, and how myths can help or harm us when it comes to making huge life commitments (like marrying someone you've only ...
Awkward beginnings, awkward pl-imagining, awkward sickness, awkward boundaries... welcome to No-vember at West of Wonderland! Bay and Laura are a No to a lot of things in this gloriously awkward, pre-holiday season episode: holiday decor happening early in the season, how to listen and pay attention if your thyroid is actually telling you "no," and what about telling your own personal inner people-pleaser "no"? Saddle up for an extra bonus of how to take good care of that people pleaser when you...
How *does* one cross the threshold from a "should" conversation around structure into a "wanting" conversation around structure? Bay and Laura get real nerdy about the ever unfolding relationship between structure and magic. Why is it that humans are always on a Quest for Understanding? When is understanding enhancing our experience of magic and joy, and when is it limiting or control based? What's the relationship between Ontology and Phenomenology? It may make no sense but Laura's gonna try to...
It turns out that nobody is pretty enough for themselves at West of Wonderland this week. Laura used her tiny cauldron and created a pretty large releasing ritual, so naturally, Bay and Laura are discussing all things nature, beauty, ritual and witchy. What's powerful about creating rituals for yourself? Why does it seem to enhance rituals or spellcasting when your friends (aka coven sisters) suggest them out of love for you? What powerful messages did Bay and Laura find (or hate) in Hocus Pocus...
West of Wonderland embraces the season of autumn, which asks us to open up to transitions and grief. Bay and Laura contemplate the recent passing of a number of powerful figures in the WoW film world, including Angela Lansbury and Robbie Coltrane. Why does it hit us so hard when actors behind beloved characters pass away? What do you connect with most with each of them?
What's fascinating, fun, and important about spooky season? In West of Wonderland's second annual spooky season, Bay and Laura are investigating some ontologically interesting phenomena surrounding the season of the creepy. Why are we interested in being scared? Why are fear and darkness so pivotal to powerful stories, even when it's not a scary story? Why is it important to experience darkness arriving in a cyclical fashion? Also, how will Laura and Bay end up talking about the Velocicoaster on...
Zoom is trying to sell Bay some stuff, which is just inappropriate. The Fall Fairy has arrived at West of Wonderland - and so have the spideys and all the “back to school” urgent energy. What is the experience of “being with” fall this time around? What are you aware of, present to, transitioning through? …and how are you decorating? Inquiring minds want to know (Bay and Laura)! PS. Welcome Bonevolio, patron saint of spooky season....
Why is WoW so enrolled in Halle Bailey as Ariel? Bay and Laura speak from their particular identities about our new Ariel and all of her beautiful possibilities. Imaginative Leadership is built on powerful, humble, active inclusivity. Join Bay and Laura in a prismatic conversation about what’s possible if we acknowledge the different facets of Ariel’s possibility in the Disney fandom and beyond. PS. H20+ Beauty update, rose gold helmets, and Laura vibing with Nori Brandyfoot....
Here at West of Wonderland, everyone's imprinting their emotional needs onto national treasure Tom Hanks, even if the latest Pinocchio release has Bay less than fulfilled. A bee colony update from Laura's house has everyone thinking about community, connection, and surrendering to nature's timelines... though sometimes Imaginative Leaders want things to happen more quickly, there is magic in surrendering. Also: what if the new Ariel becomes an anthropologist?; the ontological stretch of a Disney...
Though we aren't mermaids, as human animals, we are a bit attached to the mindset of, "I want moooooore." Today, Bay and Laura ask the question of all humans, why are you the way that you are? What are the hoops that Imaginative Leaders must jump through in order to connect with imagination, love, heart, the wisdom of the body - all of the tools humans have that have nothing to do with the brain? Also: kind doctors, commitment, anxiety in coaching and in healing spaces, short games vs. long game...
Just how good can you let life be? Can you let yourself do more of what you love? These are the big questions at West of Wonderland this week. Where's the fun police when you "need" them - Bay and Laura have booked their next sabbatical to Walt Disney World. What's it like to create, even when you are in a pit of despair? This episode is chock-full of fun parks, leadership and inspiring creativity updates in the ethos of Disney Fandom that you never knew you needed, including a fun Rapunzel upda...
Why *not* just bring an old timey accent to the beginning of every conversation? On a scale of Villainous Ambivalence to Princess Sobbing On Bed, how devastated are you about H20+ being discontinued? In this episode, Bay and Laura traverse the landscape of county fairs, a completely distinct experience from a Disney park. What crazy experiences have we all had in the lawless terrain of county fairs? What do senior pranks have to do with enrollment from possibility and in partnership? How and whe...
Someone here at West of Wonderland got ahead of herself and labeled last week's episode Dark Magic. When really, this week's episode is about Dark Magic. How Dark Magic is that?! (Halloween decor is already up in the Magic Kingdom, is it up at your house already? Season of Magic and Faith kicks off with an exploration of the darker side of magic. What value does resistance play in the bigger games we are calling upon magic for? Why does magic seem harder to find as an adult (Bay and Laura have t...
What *is* your relationship to magic - inquiring minds want to know (Bay's and Laura's). What's magical about transition times, like summer becoming fall? How do transitions relate to imaginative leadership? Why is it harder to believe in any kind of magic when you become an adult - and how do we bring it back in? Why are we so obsessed with Tiana?...
Welcome to the most adorably narcissistic episode of West of Wonderland thus far (yes, that's saying something) - as Bay and Laura welcome us all into an unofficial second "season" of West of Wonderland. For this episode, consider getting cozy with a cup of coffee and a notebook, so you can capture anything that it inspires. This episode is centered around a reading from DailyOM about (what else?) magic... MAGIC.... M A G I C... deliberately opening way more doors than Bay and Laura could ever p...
Rocket and Hermes have **a lot** to say about Bay and Laura and WoW's birthday this year. First Birthday Lightning Rounds include: favorite merch, favorite episodes, and a really detailed rundown of the concept of the Spirit Jersey. What's the difference between having an expectation for your birthday, and an intention? What are the bad feelings that surround an accomplishment and WHY do we have them? Where do our Rose Colored Glasses come in handy with regard to celebration? PS. Powerade works....
Bay and Laura continue the Secrets of Dumbledore tease, but please join them anyway in beginning to celebrate West of Wonderland's BIRTHDAY WEEK with a bonanza of conversation about, but not limited to: the number eight, happy/sad birthday memories, bolstering resources as an Imaginative Leader, the relationship between freedom and responsibility, breakthroughs in consistency, and how for three Leos (podcast included), they're not super great at celebrating, but great at appreciating and maybe t...
What do you do when you're the Boss of People?!?! Get ready for an episode chock-full of insight about what to do as an imaginative leader when people let you down. It's not a matter of if, but when. Expect to lose some battles in pursuit of the war (and other analogies); hybrid work environments + autonomy, juvenile bears, dancing hornets, and other truths universally acknowledged, such as how boundaries are an inside job and the difference between "protecting against" and "enrolling into."...
Welcome to summer vacationtimes at West of Wonderland, in which Bay and Laura are back to time traveling, celebrating 200+ followers on Instagram, and coming up on the first birthday of West of Wonderland! Join in for a thoughtful (and a little righteous) discussion about the cool LA Times article in which an interviewee admits he's gotten into adult tantrums at Disney World before. Also: the miracle of air travel, how much we love our coaching clients, and celebrating breakthroughs in consisten...
Today, Bay and Laura open up all kinds of critical questions in a truly riveting episode of West of Wonderland, inviting you to consider queries such as: what kind of desk lotion do YOU have? Can you imagine the most beautiful cruise on the planet? On a more serious note, exciting updates from Disney about Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which, let's be honest, probably sent Bay and Laura straight to waldisneyworld.com to look at prices for the Port Orleans Resort. Because... mmm.... Mickey beignets....
Have YOU gone down the media rabbit-hole that Laura did this week, learning about Teal Swan's spiritual business and questionable healing methods? Bay and Laura discuss their growing appreciation for feedback, ethics, and communities of practice in this not TOO holier-than-thou episode. Coaches are among the privileged few who get to "imagine" their work into existence. And, since coaching is leadership, ethical service providers have got to put some, uh, is it too soon to say "checks and balanc...
How do we automatically Be when difficult news breaks? What do we grapple with, how do we handle our feelings, and how do we interact with the world around us? In this vulnerable episode, Bay and Laura discuss the prism of Being With Friday's news about Roe vs. Wade being overturned by the US Supreme Court. Is it a failure of imagination, imaginitive leadership gone wrong, or something entirely different?
Why is it that the same themes circle back around on us in life? Just like fashion trends, ways we see ourselves tend to resurface in different ways through life. Less significantly, this episode also includes a really important merch follow up, where's the line between a uniform and a costume, hashtags for any WoWers on Peloton, and of course, fantasies about personal growth and how circumstances will change our lives. Can we just all live in Cinderella's castle and call it a day?...
Ah, the politics of coughs in 2022! Bay and Laura discuss what it's like to "get back to it" after two partners have been apart for awhile; what imaginitive leaders value when it comes to getting back to work. Also, what's it like to go from being a one-scent gal to two? Where can we practice not being wishy-washy about what we want? Why is it important to enjoy the stuff you make for yourself? All of life's questions answered in one simple podcast episode. Also, spoiler alert, Laura's house sti...
Welcome to the least boring conversation about boredom that's ever happened. Imagination and wondering must bring with them their cousin: boredom. What does boredom have to do with your health and happiness? What would Laura say to Katy Perry at her American Idol audition? What can leaders learn from kids? How do you pass the time during an MRI? Burning questions will be answered!!
"I don't want to be seen learning!" Oh, the vulnerability of being in possibilites; oh, the fever dream that is Figment's house. Bay and Laura revisit the concept of imagination as it relates to imaginitive leadership - what clicks open our imagination in a way that is helpful? Also: messing up, going beyond data in leadership, and arguments about seatbelts with Bay as an officer of the law.
The main difference between Universal parks and Disney parks - what's that, you ask? Besides EVERYTHING... Bay and Laura think it's in the Being and Ownership. Also: Rocket's Gym opens, the bees move in, novelists making plans, a magical moment for Bay at EPCOT, and Laura's endless desire to wave back....
You've never thought about Disney merch quite as much as you will think of it after this episode. Or.... maybe you have. Bay and Laura share what they learned not only about the merchandise they liked at Disney World, but also about scarcity and creating vacations that serve you. PS. Merch asks from both B and L....
Bay and Laura are (spoiler alert) surprised by how enrolled they were in their Universal weekend! Velocicoaster spoilers abound in this episode. And, here's the fun they had and the shenanigans that ensued and the stuff that happened that they already forgot about and the stuff they learned about each other and themselves and run on sentences. PS. Maybe don't joke with your customs officer on your way to vacation? PPS. How do YOU react to scary things in theme parks? PPPS. "The shimmer of like w...
