Okay, well… here we are.

Four years. I genuinely cannot believe it. I feel like I need to officially pick an anniversary date because clearly I never locked that in. Because if I’m being honest, this didn’t actually start four years ago. This really started in 2018. That was when I went all in. I grabbed the handles, bought the domain, set everything up like I was ready to go. I was going to blog about Disney because blogging was what I knew. The creator economy wasn’t really a thing yet, not in the way it is now, but blogging was huge and I loved it.

And then… nothing.

I didn’t actually think I could do it yet. I didn’t think I was ready, so it just sat there. It wasn’t until December of 2021 that I finally decided I was done waiting. No more sitting on it, no more trying to figure out the perfect time. I was just going to start. And then in February 2022, I hit post for the first time. So yes, four years… but also a lot longer than that.

At the time, we were deep in the little kid years, and everyone kept asking me about Disney. Every single time someone reached out, I found myself sending the same three page email over and over again, and it never felt like enough. It wasn’t as detailed as I wanted it to be, and if I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t even doing Disney the way I truly wanted to. We were still in that one trip a year, rush through everything phase. I hadn’t fully figured out yet that Disney could be done better.

What I really wanted, for myself and for everyone asking me, was slower Disney. The kind of Disney I grew up with. The kind where you watch the shows, sit for the parades, enjoy the food, and actually take in the magic instead of racing past it. But somewhere along the way, after getting married into a very scheduled, go go go Disney family, I felt myself shifting into that faster pace. Everything planned, everything packed in, and I didn’t love it. So when I finally started this blog, it was not just about sharing tips. It was about reclaiming the way I believed Disney was meant to feel. The way I grew up with Disney. We didn’t ride everything, but was it magical? Absolutely. And I wanted to get back to that.

So let me actually introduce myself, because if you are new here, this is where it all starts. I’m Jessica. Therapist by trade, Disney kid turned Disney mom, and the voice behind Well Hello Magic. When I’m not breaking down Disney planning or talking through strategy, I’m running our yard sign business, teaching cookie decorating classes, or parenting four kids who keep me very grounded in reality. I married my real life Flynn Rider in 2009, notice how he is NOT a prince charming haha! We spent our wedding day at Disneyland, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about us. We’re a military family, Disney Vacation Club members, D23 Gold members, and people who truly believe the magic does not have to stop when you leave the parks.

Disney has been part of my life for over 30 years, but becoming a mom completely changed how I experienced it. I vividly remember my first trip with my oldest, standing in a park I knew inside and out and wondering why I felt so overwhelmed. That was the moment everything clicked for me. Knowing Disney is not the same as doing Disney as a parent. You need different strategies when you are carrying the mental load, managing expectations, and trying to be both the planner and a present participant in the experience.

Over the last 13 plus years, I have blended my experience as a therapist with countless trips as a mom of four to figure out what actually works. Not perfect Disney and not do everything Disney, but realistic, sustainable Disney. The kind that does not leave you burnt out, overwhelmed, or feeling like you missed it while trying to manage it.

And truthfully, part of what pushed me to finally share all of this in 2022 was a shift in perspective for me.

I had applied to planDisney for the second time and did not make it past the second round. And while that dream of helping families as part of the House of Mouse has always been there, that moment helped me realize something important. I did not have to wait for the “right” opportunity or the “right” path to start helping people in the way I felt called to.

I could begin right where I was.

And that is exactly what I did.

My goal has always been simple. Help you minimize the stress so your Disney vacation actually feels like a vacation for you too, not just your kids.

I do consider myself one of the lucky ones, because when I officially started, things moved quickly. My first post as a Disney content creator was February 6, 2022, and by June 1, 2022, I had my first paid opportunity, which still feels wild to say. Undercover Tourist had put out a creator call in April 2022, and I remember thinking I should apply because we use them all the time. I could do this. Except I missed the deadline, not by a couple days but by two weeks. At that point, I knew if I was going to reach out anyway with my tiny account of 1,600 followers, I had to make it count. I had to show my personality, my knowledge, and who I actually was. And somehow it worked. I was late, but I showed up as myself, and that first piece of content went live on June 1. That moment changed everything for me, because sometimes you just need one person to believe in you before you can fully believe in yourself.

Now I will be honest, the word “influencer” still feels a little weird to me. It has never really fit how I see what I do.

I am a content creator. I create content about Disney.

I am not here to convince you to go to Disney, and I am not even here to convince you to like Disney. What I care about is helping you plan better vacations, giving you tools, perspective, and strategies that actually work for your family in real life. If it feels helpful and if it makes things easier for you, then I am doing what I set out to do.

And if somewhere along the way you fall in love with Disney the same way I have, then maybe you stick around a little longer.

Yes, I want the content to be helpful. Yes, I want it to be entertaining. But more than anything, I want it to feel real.

Because this has grown into more than just planning. It is lifestyle. Disney is woven into our everyday life. It shows up in how we travel, what we watch, what we celebrate, even the cookies I make. My kids are in plays that are Disney themed, we talk about Disney stories, we connect through it. And yes, we also love other things. We go to Universal, we travel outside of Disney, we experience other parks. But Disney is the thread that runs through it all.

Well Hello Magic is also built around community. There are spaces where we talk through podcast episodes, planning strategies, real time updates, and even life outside of Disney. Spaces where questions get answered, conversations happen, and things feel a little more personal, because this was never meant to be one sided.

I also hope that when you are here, you never have to question who I am. You are going to see how I talk about movies and representation, you are going to see my values, and you are going to see that my faith matters to me, even if I joke that we are very much Brown Jesus people over here. You are going to get all of it. Because one thing I have learned over the years is that even when I thought I was being authentic, I was still holding something back. I was still trying to be polished in a way that felt like content creator. And while things might not always look perfectly polished now, the truth is the heart of who I am has never changed. If anything, it has just become more honest.

And that is what I want this space to be. A place where you come for Disney, but stay because it feels real. I am so happy you are here.