Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
I have a fun interview this week with a man who has survived two brain surgeries and a divorce. Through it all he demonstrated tremendous resiliency.
Today, Jeffrey Barnes teaches people about the wisdom displayed by Walt Disney. He and his wife, Lindsey, who is 38 years younger than he is, also teach people how to make an age-gap marriage work.
Jeffrey grew up in the panhandle of Florida where he visited Disney World in Orlando many times. However, in 1988, he made his first trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. That experience opened his eyes to what a remarkable man Walt Disney really was.
Jeffrey started researching Walt’s amazing life and his resiliency to push through setbacks, discouragement and ridicule to make his dreams come true. He learned Walt Disney had far more failures than successes.
Walt didn’t open Disneyland until he was 53 years old himself. Yet, his vision revolutionized the amusement park industry in many ways.
Jeffrey spent his career in higher education. When he was in his early 50s, he finally assembled all his research to publish a book titled, “The Wisdom of Walt.” Today, Jeffrey travels around the country teaching people about Walt Disney’s approach to life and business.
Jeffrey’s life has had multiple ups and downs in recent years. He had been in higher education for 22 years where he taught religion classes and served in administration at Wayland Baptist University.
However, during the first semester of teaching a course on the history of Disneyland, Jeffrey was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor at the age of 51. Surviving that experience altered the trajectory of his life. Facing mortality, he decided to become a writer and public speaker.
Life threw another curveball in 2020 when he developed a second brain tumor requiring surgery.
Two brushes with death caused Jeffrey to realize how important it was to slow down, shut out distractions and simply enjoy life as well as to dream and think.
His life took another turn after discovering his wife of many years had been having an affair for more than seven years. After getting divorced, Jeffrey connected with a former student while he was in the hospital.
He discovered he shared a number of interests with Lindsey, who was in her early 20s. In fact, they had more in common than they did things for which they may have disagreed. Their bond grew stronger to the point they were married in 2023.
Today Jeffrey and Lindsey operate their own YouTube channel exploring issues of being an age gap couple. Their channel can be found at www.youtube.com/@JeffandLyndseyBarnes
People can connect with Jeffrey at www.thewisdomofwalt.com where they can sign up for his free weekly newsletter titled, “Wednesdays With Walt.” Jeffrey can also be found on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/thewisdomofwalt.
That’s all I have for this week’s show. If you’d like help in identifying a purpose for your life or to get help planning your next steps, I’m offering a complimentary brainstorming session to members of the Forward From 50 Facebook community. For details, connect with me on Facebook or visit www.forwardfrom50.com.
I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
If you order a copy of Jeffrey’s book from the link above, Forward From 50 may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.