WDW Radio with Lou Mongello, Episode #52

Today’s guest on the Mitlin Money Mindset™ is Lou Mongello, host of WDW Radio, a podcast about Disney Parks, Marvel, and Star Wars. Lou is a former attorney who left the practice of law to pursue his passion for Disney. WDW Radio, which he founded, is an award-winning podcast that at one time ranked #2 overall on iTunes. It was named best travel podcast for 9 consecutive years.

Additionally, Lou is also the author of numerous books and audio tours of Walt Disney World, including his most recent book, the Disney Interviews Vol 1. Lou is a speaker who also provides mentoring and consulting to both individuals and organizations looking to build their businesses and brands by sharing the magic of Disney. Lou is also a philanthropist and the founder of the Dream Team Project which has raised more than $450,000 to send children with life-threatening illnesses to Walt Disney World. He attributes his tremendous success to the participation and generosity of the community he has built. Listen in for some great takeaways on how you can follow your passions and have an impact on the world around you.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

  • Lou’s path to founding WDW Radio [3:33]
  • Was Lou’s path mapped out from the start? [5:44]
  • What is it about Disney that has captured Lou’s heart? [7:43]
  • The most important thing that Lou’s journey has taught him [11:17]
  • Where did the friends not fans concept come from? [16:40]
  • The Dream Team Project [20:52]
  • Lou’s top Disney experience [24:55]
  • Most memorable WDW Radio episode [26:26]
  • Advice for someone who wants to pursue their passion [28:14]
  • Is Disney shifting from a guest satisfaction focus to a revenue focus? [33:34]
  • A Disney secret & plans for the 50th anniversary [38:19]
  • What Lou did today that put him in the right mindset for success? [41:15]

Lou’s path to WDW Radio

Lou says it all began when his parents took him to Disney World three weeks after it opened in 1971. They hopped in the car and drove down from Jersey. They loved it and went back every year. Fast forward to 2003 and Lou is a lawyer in New Jersey with an IT consulting company on the side. Lou had this notion that he wanted to make something once and then resell it. Lou decided a book would fit the bill.

Lou didn’t think he was qualified enough to write about the law or computers so he set out to write the book that he wanted to read. A trivia book about Disney World. Lou was fascinated by the details, the minutia, and all of the little things that brought him back every year. He sought out publishers, got one yes, wrote his first book, started a little two-page brochure website to sell it, and he thought that was it. However, the book turned into articles, a community, and then a podcast in 2005. In 2007 he took a massive leap of faith, left the practice of law, sold his house, and set out to make a go of whatever this was going to be. He’s lived in Florida and been doing his thing full-time ever since.

The most important thing Lou has learned on the journey through his career?

Lou has had an interesting career. An attorney originally, then some experience in the IT field. He says while it sounds ridiculous, and it’s become, unfortunately, a bit of a marketing term, regardless the most important thing he has discovered is the importance of passion. The importance of loving what you do. He always knew that he wanted to be a lawyer. Not because his dad was an attorney but because he’d watched And Justice For All way too many times and liked the theatrics of being in the courtroom, which in real life is nothing like you see on TV.

Unfortunately, Lou never woke up excited to go to work. He couldn’t wait to get home and work on other things. Life is way too short not to get up and freaking love what you do. Every. Single. Day! Do what keeps you up late at night and what gets you up in the morning. He says he literally works seven days a week and that’s never a complaint. He loves the fact that he’s able to do that. Sometimes people are, unwilling, afraid, or unaware that you can and I should find that thing that you love because now we have the tools and opportunity to turn the thing that you love into the thing that you do.

Advice for someone who wants to pursue their passion

Lou says it’s tricky because everybody’s journey is different. Everybody’s roadblock is difficult. It’s easy for somebody to get up and say, stop making excuses! But there’s a reality to what life brings. I’ve got my mortgage. I’m a single parent. I’ve got three kids. I’ve got all this. I can’t physically do all these different things.

Lou says the key is just starting! As ridiculous as that sounds it’s what you need to do. You don’t need to have all the answers before you get started. Just start! If there’s something that you want to do, you’ve got to ask yourself… what is my why? Why do I want to do this? Because if your why isn’t pure and authentic and the passion isn’t there, you’re never going to accomplish it. Next, you start asking the who, what, when, where, and how questions to actually execute it?

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Lou Mongello

Bio

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion for Disney. He is the host of WDWRadio.com, an award-winning podcast (once ranked #2 overall on iTunes and named Best Travel Podcast for 9 consecutive years) about Disney Parks, Marvel, and Star Wars. He is also the author of numerous books and audio tours of Walt Disney World, including his most recent book, “The Disney Interviews – Volume I.”

He is a speaker who also provides mentoring and consulting to individuals and organizations looking to build their businesses and brands by sharing the magic of Disney, delivering exceptional customer service, social media, podcasting, live video, and community. Learn more at LouMongello.com

Lou is also the founder of The Dream Team Project, which, thanks to the participation and generosity of our community, has raised more than $450,000.00 to send children with life-threatening illnesses to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.

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