Behind the Scenes of the Creating Magic Mastermind

JMS episode 389 Abby Galo

“It’s having many different mindsets, being able to just see things in many different ways and find a way to make it all fit.”

Sometimes you meet someone and don’t realize that a simple conversation may lead to something much bigger. That’s how Abby Galo ended up joining my team.

I first met Abby at a Disney College Program event where I was accompanying Bob Weis, retired president of Walt Disney Imagineering, and Djuan Rivers, retired vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There were hundreds of students there, many hoping for an opportunity to meet Bob and Djuan. Abby had that opportunity too, but she did something that caught my attention.

She came over and started asking me questions.

Abby noticed that I was filming, taking photographs and interacting with Bob and Djuan, so she wanted to know what I did. We had a conversation, and afterward she found me on LinkedIn and sent a message thanking me for my time. It was a small gesture, but I remembered it.

Later, when someone donated a ticket to one of my Orlando workshops and asked that it go to a college student, Abby immediately came to mind. She attended the workshop, took notes and continued looking for ways to help. Eventually, Lindsay Barnes and I realized we could use someone like Abby on our team.

Now she’s our media manager and has helped with everything from the show’s visual updates to organizing the Creating Magic Mastermind alongside Lee Cockerell and me. What I particularly enjoyed was watching Abby participate in the mastermind. She’s at the beginning of her career, surrounded by professionals with years of experience in different industries. Yet she quickly realized that she had perspectives worth contributing too.

And that’s an important part of the story. Abby didn’t set out to get a job with me when she introduced herself. She was curious about a career she didn’t know much about, and she followed through on that curiosity. You never know what will come from introducing yourself, asking questions or simply staying connected.

Building relationships is valuable long before you know where those relationships might lead.