Sep 11, 2026
✨ ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens when curiosity becomes your classroom—and the willingness to make mistakes becomes your greatest teacher?
In this episode of The Wisdom of Walt: The Podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Barnes and Kristin Reinbold sit down with renowned wood carver and theme park artisan Raymond Kinman to explore his unconventional journey from self-taught creative to creating work for Disney and the themed entertainment industry.
Raymond shares how curiosity, experimentation, persistence, and hands-on learning shaped his craft—even when traditional education didn’t always recognize the way he learned best. From his early days as a musician to discovering wood carving and eventually finding his way into theme park design, Raymond’s story is a reminder that there isn’t always one prescribed path to meaningful work.
The conversation explores the teachers and mentors who recognize potential before we see it in ourselves, why mistakes are an essential part of mastery, and how the imperfections left by human hands can give art its character and soul.
Raymond also joins Jeff and Kristin in considering what happens to craftsmanship in an age of automation and AI—and why the unmistakable evidence of a human hand may become even more meaningful as technology advances.
Sometimes the path forward isn’t perfectly planned.
Sometimes you simply have to start carving.
💡 WORDS OF WISDOM
• Curiosity—and the willingness to keep asking questions—is one of
our greatest tools for learning.
• Mastery comes through doing, experimenting, failing, adjusting,
and trying again.
• Imperfection can be part of what makes something distinctly and
beautifully human.
• You don’t have to follow someone else’s path to find where you
belong.
• Persistence, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace unexpected
opportunities can take you places you never planned to go.
🎙️ ABOUT THE WISDOM OF WALT: The Podcast
What can the life of Walt Disney teach us about living a better story?
The Wisdom of Walt: The Podcast explores the life, leadership, creativity, failures, and perseverance of Walt Disney—and the lessons his story can teach us about our own.
Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Barnes, bestselling author, speaker, and creator of the world’s first accredited college course on the History of Disneyland, and Kristin Reinbold, educator, writer, storyteller, and creative strategist, the show goes beyond the parks and pixie dust to discover the wisdom behind the man who created them.
Through Disney history, leadership, education, storytelling, creativity, resilience, and conversations with fascinating guests, we ask one simple question:
What can Walt’s story teach us about writing a better one of our own?
🏰 CONNECT WITH THE WISDOM OF WALT
🌐 Website: www.thewisdomofwalt.com
📚 Books & Resources: https://thewisdomofwalt.com/#books
🎤 Speaking & Events: https://thewisdomofwalt.com/#contact
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdisneyland/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.barnes.163097
🎙️ YOUR HOSTS
Dr. Jeffrey Barnes
Author • Speaker • Disney Historian • “Dr. Disneyland”
Jeff@thewisdomofwalt.com
Kristin Reinbold
Educator • Writer • Storyteller • Creative Strategist
Kristin@thewisdomofwalt.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristin_reinbold/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinReinbold
Special Guest: Raymond Kinman
Website: https://woodcarverguru.com/
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodcarverguru/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raykinman
✨ SUBSCRIBE
If Walt Disney’s story, creativity, perseverance, and approach to life inspire you, subscribe and join us for new conversations about Disney, leadership, storytelling, personal growth—and the wisdom we can carry into our own great stories.
Keep dreaming. Keep learning. Keep moving forward.
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