7 Disney Songs for Your Workout

A while back on the podcast, Russell and I discussed Disney songs for your running playlist. I have dabbled with running (especially during the pandemic, when Russell and I ran together) but I'd rather dive straight into strength training. If you're like me, you might like some Disney music to keep yourself motivated while lifting weights. I'm working on a larger playlist, but here are a few recommendations so far. I've put these songs (and others) on our Spotify recommendations, so check out the full ongoing playlist here.

One Last Hope (Hercules)

It's a bit of a goofy one, but Hercules literally trains to this song.

I’ll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan)
If this isn't on your workout mix, you're not ready to "get down to business".

Dig a Little Deeper (The Princess and the Frog)
For those times you need to dig deep inside to get those last few reps.

Show Yourself (Frozen 2)
Just a reminder to show up for yourself and find your motivation. 

Surface Pressure (Encanto)
There's some unhealthy people-pleasing in this, but just focus on being as strong as Luisa.

Can I Get a Chee Hoo? (Moana 2)
It's a musical pep talk from the muscled Maui. What's not to like?

Kick It Up a Notch (Phineas and Ferb the Movie)
Another pump up/pep talk song. A great choice for when you need to reach that next PR.

Reaction to HBO Harry Potter Trailer

     

            
The new trailer for “Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone” on HBO Max has been shared. These are my thoughts about it. My first reaction is, “Wait, why are they remaking the Harry Potter Series? It’s only been out for like 5 years!” And then I have to look back and remember that the first movie came out when I was a freshman in high school and like it or not, that was 25 years ago. Boy, time can surely fly by can’t it?  There have been plenty of franchises that have done reboots in less time than 25 years.

I love the Harry Potter books. My wife and I listen to them regularly. Jim Dale remains one of the best narrators of audiobooks, in my opinion, and I will forever be comparing his voice to the characters in film. Speaking of comparisons, I think that is what is going to inevitably happen with this series. It is going to be compared to the books and to the movies, both of which have had 25+ years to be read, viewed, listened to, discussed, and dissected by fans of the Wizard world. That doesn’t make it good, bad, or otherwise, it is just the nature of how things work. 

        I admit that I watched the trailer at first without sound so I was able to take in the visual aspect of things and I will say that I look forward to the details that are going to be available with a tv series compared to a movie. The fact that the haircut scene is in the trailer is telling of that. It’s also weird to see how young the actors and actress are, but then again, Harry turns 11 in the book before going to Hogwarts. 

I also have no idea who any of the actors and actresses are in the trailer. That was somewhat the case with the movies, but there were also some known faces (Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman to name a couple), where I feel like there is no one that I recognize in this trailer. It is very likely that they will become very well known over the next few years. Going back and watching the trailer with sound was also interesting because everyone sounds different than how Jim Dale portrays them or how they were portrayed in the original movies. 

Overall, I am excited to see what the series will add to the Harry Potter experience and see if it sparks a new generation’s interest in the boy who lived.

Thunderbolts: What About Bob?

I finally watched Thunderbolts (only took me a year) Cause I worked my way, preparing for Doomsday. I can see why it was such a big hit. I love a good story about a group of underdogs and "small and simple things". Not only did we get more of Bucky, Yelena, and Alexei, but we got introduced to a brand new star: Bob.

Bob's backstory is pretty crazy: abuse, drug addiction, and other mental health issues. No matter where you are on the spectrum of mental health, there's something relatable in Bob. One line in particular hit hard from Void, his dark alter ego: "You can't outrun the emptiness."

As someone who has struggled with mental health and self-esteem for most of his life, this and other lines from Void resonated. And it resonated with Yelena too. Throughout the movie, Yelena felt doubts and emptiness. Though her life was full of trauma, manipulation, and abuse, she longed for something more than being Valentina's pawn. 

All of us have a past and we've made mistakes. That's a fact of the gospel. That's why the Savior gave Himself and performed the Atonement. The lies of the enemy hit like the Void. “The most shameful thing of all was thinking that you could be anything more than nothing.”

The adversary would love for you to be alone. But we are never alone. That's hard for me to believe in the moment, but this movie was a good reminder. The temptation is to hide and mask and pretend that everything is okay. Constantly. Yelena said it wonderfully in Thunderbolts: "You can't stuff it down. You can't hold it in all alone. No one can. We have to let it out. We have to spend time together. And even if it doesn't make the emptiness go away, I promise it will feel lighter."

As Elder Gong said in the October 2025 General Conference, "On the dusty roads to Jericho, each of us has been laughed at, embarrassed and hurt, perhaps scorned or abused. And with varying degrees of intent, each of us has also disregarded, not seen or heard, perhaps deliberately hurt others. It is precisely because we have been hurt and have hurt others that Jesus Christ brings us all to His inn. In His Church and through His ordinances and covenants, we come to each other and to Jesus Christ. We love and are loved, serve and are served, forgive and are forgiven."

It wasn't until the Thunderbolts worked their way out of the Void together that they were strong. It's hard to remember (trust me) but life is so much lighter when we live it together. It won't take away the emptiness--we live in a fallen world after all. But Elder Gong also said, "In His restored Church, we are all better when no one sits alone. Let us not simply accommodate or tolerate. Let us genuinely welcome, acknowledge, minister to, love. May each friend, sister, brother not be a foreigner or stranger but a child at home."

So what about Bob?

Just as he and the Thunderbolts learned, we are meant to live this life together.