842 · Disney Adults: Fandom, Identity, and the Magic of Never Growing Up
WDW Radio: Your Guide to the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!
Lou Mongello - Disney Expert
4.8 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2025
⏱️ 91 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
842 · Disney Adults: Fandom, Identity, and the Magic of Never Growing Up
What does it really mean to be a Disney Adult?
I sit down with AJ Wolfe - founder of Disney Food Blog and author of the new book Disney Adults - to explore one of Disney fandom’s most passionate and misunderstood communities. Together, we unpack:
- Why Disney Adults face stereotypes, criticism, and double standards
- How Disney shapes identity, belonging, and even adulthood itself
- The joys and challenges inside the Disney Adult community
- Disney’s role in cultivating lifelong fans and what the future holds
- AJ’s personal journey, surprising research, and unforgettable stories
Whether you proudly call yourself a Disney Adult or just wonder why so many grown-ups are drawn to Disney, this episode will give you new insight into fandom, culture, and the magic of never growing up.
📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391
✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com
📬 Stay Connected:
- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!
- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
🎧 Explore More:
- WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and more
- WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
- WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
- Events & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!
- LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.
🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.
Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | In front of the Magic Kingdom is Disney's Walk Around the World, |
| 0:04.0 | a pathway that will eventually stretch more than three and a half miles around the Seven Seas Lagoon. |
| 0:10.0 | ... Make a wish. |
| 0:32.9 | You're about to enter a world of dreams come true. |
| 0:35.8 | W. |
| 0:36.6 | V.W. Radio. Your information station. to enter a world of dreams come true. What does it mean to be a world of dreams come true? Or is it mean to be a Disney adult? Is it just loving the parks and collecting merch? |
| 0:49.3 | Or is it something deeper about joy, identity, and how we choose to live our lives. |
| 0:55.1 | Well, this week, I talked to A.J. Wolf, the founder of Disney Food Blog and the author of |
| 0:59.8 | Disney Adults about the passion, stereotypes, and culture of this often misunderstood community. |
| 1:06.3 | Whether you proudly call yourself a Disney adult or just wonder why so many grown-ups |
| 1:10.3 | embrace the magic, |
| 1:11.7 | this conversation might just change the way you see Disney fandom and maybe even yourself. |
| 1:17.2 | Hello, my friend, and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney Parks and Experiences |
| 1:22.1 | around the world. I am Lou Mangelo and this is show number 842, and whether this is your |
| 1:27.1 | first time listening |
| 1:27.9 | or you've been with me since the very beginning. |
| 1:30.5 | Thank you and welcome home. |
| 1:32.2 | Don't forget to be part of the community and conversation over in the clubhouse at www.com |
| 1:36.6 | slash clubhouse and watch and chat with me and other members of the community this and |
| 1:41.0 | every Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. Eastern on Facebook and YouTube. And to get a little |
| 1:44.9 | bit of Disney Magic delivered free to your inbox every week, please sign up for my free |
| 1:48.9 | weekly email newsletter. And when you do, I'll send you a free gift over at www.com slash |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lou Mongello - Disney Expert, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Lou Mongello - Disney Expert and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.