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[0:01] Robert Peterpaul: Hey everyone, this is Ariel. And you are listening to the Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul. Have a great day.

[0:16] Robert Peterpaul: Hello, beautiful people. Welcome to the Art of Kindness, where we have compassionate conversations with artists from all areas of the entertainment industry who are using their voice to spread joy and make this big spinning planet in the universe a better place to be. I'm Robert Peterpaul, and I'm so glad you're here.

[0:47] Robert Peterpaul: I've got oh hello, friends. Happy Thanksgiving! I am on a serious note incredibly grateful that you're here. I'm always grateful that you're here. Thank you for tuning in to this show. We have a really heartwarming chat with a friend of the podcast. Yes, Disney Legend Jodi Benson is here for you. She has returned, and she is kinder than ever. You know her and love her as the original Ariel in The Little Mermaid, of course, but also flicks like the Toy Story franchise and Enchanted, being a Tony-nominated stage performer, casual, or perhaps you've seen her floating around Disney Parks. I mean, the list goes on. She is like the Energizer Bunny. If the Energizer Bunny had a mermaid tail. Her presence is truly such a gift.

And I recommend going back and listening to her full Art of Kindness podcast episode that we did. Gosh, I think it was three years ago now. Wow. I'm so grateful again that we had the chance to reunite, as she is now a part of a new family adventure series called The Wing Feather Saga from Angel Studios. I'll share more information on the show in the show notes. We discuss her journey with self-kindness in the recording booth for shows like this one and outside of it, navigating fear and channeling courage, how we all have unique gifts, and how we can learn to share them, and of course, her legacy as The Little Mermaid, because duh. Shout out again to my cousin Maggie. Hey, who is Jodi's biggest fan, and of course to her adorable kiddos, Luca and Declan.

Hi, love you, fam. Miss you. Find more positively unhinged content at Art of Kindness Pod on our new YouTube channel. Yes, you can watch full video from this very episode and all the previous episodes on YouTube. You can also find us at Art of Kindness Pod and at Robert Peterpaul on Instagram or wherever Muppets are sold. I don't know what that means. Now without further ado, let's catch up with our friend, the joyful Jodi Benson. Uh-huh. Let's go.

[3:19] Robert Peterpaul: Hi, Jodi.

[3:21] Jodi Benson: Hey Robert, good to see you again. How are you?

[3:23] Robert Peterpaul: You too. You look so beautiful.

[3:25] Jodi Benson: Oh, thank you. You look so wonderful too. How you doing?

[3:28] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, now I want to sing wicked with you. Like wonderful.

[3:34] Jodi Benson: You know I'm in. How about you?

[3:36] Robert Peterpaul: I'm so thrilled that we can share some time together again today.

[3:39] Jodi Benson: Yeah, I know. It's been a while since we've chatted, but you've been doing well.

[3:43] Jodi Benson: Yes, I've been doing well. We got our first house, which is like the big update and feels so surreal and exciting. How about you?

[3:51] Robert Peterpaul: You're up to so much.

[3:53] Jodi Benson: Yeah, it's been great, it's been busy, it's been good, and family's well, and yeah. So we're just we're so thankful.

[4:02] Robert Peterpaul: I'm so glad. One of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life that's happened since I last saw you was watching you watch your daughter play Ariel. I just need to say that right now because that just popped into my head when I saw you.

[4:14] Jodi Benson: It was special. Did you expect that to go viral and read around?

[4:19] Jodi Benson: No, no, that was an illegal cameras aren't weren't allowed at that theater. Yeah, and um somebody grabbed it without us knowing, and boy, it was like overnight. It was crazy.

[4:33] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, so crazy. Oh, you must be so proud.

[4:37] Jodi Benson: Yeah, so proud. She's actually leaving Saturday to start the uh Broadway National Tour of Spam a Lot.

[4:45] Robert Peterpaul: No way.

[4:46] Jodi Benson: Yeah, she's excited, so she'll be on the road. Uh I think for a year.

[4:51] Robert Peterpaul: Oh my gosh, that's amazing. I have some friends that worked on that, and it's such a positive group of people.

[4:57] Jodi Benson: Yeah, lovely group of people. Josh is an amazing director choreographer, and so packed her up out of her apartment, and she's got her two suitcases, and she's hitting the road.

[5:08] Robert Peterpaul: I love that. Well, you and I are gonna hit the kindness road for a little bit together again today. And I know I've asked you this question before when I was so lucky to share some time with you. I think it was three years ago now, which is wild. Long time ago. So I I did ask you what kindness meant to you, and I remember your definition, but I'm curious where you are now. What would you say is your definition of kindness, Jody?

[5:33] Jodi Benson: Oh, kindness is so important. Vitally important every single day. Yeah. It it's the staple of life of being able to wake up and have purpose, you know. Um we're in some really, really challenging times right now. And I think having that element waking up, knowing that I have an opportunity to possibly make a difference in somebody's life gives me tremendous purpose and hope for the day. And trying to like switch my lenses to the positive as opposed to, you know, feeding off of the negative. And I think kindness is absolutely important right now. I mean, vitally important. I really do. I think it's kind of a matter of of um lightness and darkness, you know. It just feels like kindness is uh such a healing balm to be able to to use and to pour out onto others and to receive it, of course, is a lovely gift as well.

Uh, but yeah, there there needs to be that plan and purpose every single day of how I can make a a positive impact in someone's life. And it doesn't have to be big. It does definitely doesn't have to be big, but just you know, what does that element look like? So yeah, I think kindness has uh taken a huge leap forward now more than ever.

[7:05] Robert Peterpaul: Well, one of the things I've always admired about you, Jody, is that you seem to put kindness at the forefront of the conversation. I was looking up clips of you even before this, and immediately what popped up on YouTube is Jodi talks about kindness and courage in relation to being a princess. And then The Wing Feather Saga, of course, there's themes of kindness tied up in there and the projects you choose. And I just think that's incredibly special and needed. And that was a beautiful definition, slightly actually pretty different from what you said, but the core is the same and is another thing I really think that you walk the walk on, which is pouring into others. Because last time you said it is thinking of the other person before yourself in any moment.

[7:44] Jodi Benson: Yeah. You were recently kind of honored for that, right? You were honored as the fan ambassador at D23 in Walt Disney World.

[7:53] Robert Peterpaul: I know it made me curious, Jody, this might be tough, but do you remember your very first fan interaction?

[8:00] Jodi Benson: It would have been right after the film was open uh in November and it would have been probably uh that holiday season and we were in let's see where was I in 89 I think I might have been in Los Angeles making a transition of moving and it was at a Disney store in uh in Los Angeles like the studio city branch I think is it at the time.

[8:28] Jodi Benson: I missed the Disney store so much. Yeah it was making that connection with the cast members that worked at the store and them kind of putting two and two together of who I was as I was grabbing and purchasing a bunch of Ariel goodies for the holidays for my two nieces. And I I just remember having that first interaction of like, wow, this is this is going to be kind of life-changing. Like, people are going to actually know who I am, because of course we weren't supposed to be revealed who we were, we were going to remain anonymous, which was the way that Walt had animation planned, and then it just took this big turn right before the film came out. So yeah, I would say that's probably my first interaction with with that aha moment of like wow, this is making an impact in people's lives, and I directly get to participate in this moment with them.

[9:23] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, and I love how you don't cut off those interactions, like you make it such a priority, which we talked about in our previous episode, even at the Disney parks. It's you know, you had to teach your children kind of young, you know, we've been on this ride three times. It's important that I say hi to this person because I'm a representative of Disney and Ariel, and you know, you've continued to sing "Part of Your World." I mean, a few times, you've sung it a few times.

[9:47] Jodi Benson: I sing it, I sing it a few times almost every week, which is wonderful.

[9:51] Robert Peterpaul: Oh my gosh. It's funny now when we go to the parks with adult children. Um, they're the ones that peek out. They they go, okay, three o'clock mom, right hand side, somebody's waiting for you, mom, mom, just slow down. There's a gentleman behind you. It's like so the two of them, they all have eyes all around me, and of course I'm oblivious. I'm just gonna walk in at the happiest place on earth having the time of my life.

[10:12] Jodi Benson: Right, and they'll be like, Okay, mom, slow down, slow down, take it, pull over to the side, pull over to the side. We need to get a picture, they've got a little one. I'm like, Okay, good. So they're like my my watch team that I really appreciate.

[10:24] Robert Peterpaul: That is so special. Like, ha ha, hello. You know, it makes me wonder since uh repetition is sort of how we master crafts, and I'm sure you learn something new still every time you sing "Part of Your World," depending on where you are in your life. Do you have a favorite line in the song? Is there a certain line that always touches you?

[10:43] Jodi Benson: Bright young women, sick of swimming ready to stand.

[10:46] Robert Peterpaul: Ooh, I just got the chills. It's such a powerful lyric that Howard wrote, way, way, way, way ahead of his time. And who would have thought that that type of statement is so important right now? You know, bright, meaning smart, sharp, young women, you know, sick of swimming, sick of being held down, sick of being put in a box, being sick of being told no. Um, and then they're ready, you know, they're ready to step out on their platform. So it's it's a powerful lyric, and I love I love getting to sing that.

[11:28] Robert Peterpaul: That's amazing. That's a great name, too, for a foundation. Not that you need to add more to your plate or a school, you know, to teach the future princesses. And people obviously would write to me if I didn't ask you about The Little Mermaid. So before we get to The Wing Feather Saga, which I'm so excited to talk to you about today, Ariel and Disney, they've been with you for so long, and as you kind of continue to honor this legacy that you've certainly created yourself because of just who you are innately. And I think that's part of the reason why you were revealed versus like having the voice actor stay in the background, is just because you embody that Disney magic.

[12:01] Jodi Benson: Oh no, it's it's so true. You know, I wonder as you continue to kind of honor the legacy in this moment right now, what is the new thing striking you? You touched on it a bit with bright young women.

[12:16] Jodi Benson: What I love about my character, and it's always funny when you say my character, because I feel like Ariel and I are are kind of one. So, you know, I kind of put a little split in between when I'm referring to to Ariel, but I kind of feel like we're sort of we're sort of grouped in together. Um yeah. I love I love her ability to unconditionally love everything and everyone around her. Unconditional without judgment without um criticism without feeling better than or thinking they're she's mightier than or bigger than or smarter than or prettier than anything in that compare and compete sort of world but I really love that about her and the fact that she is kind of shocked that there is this separation between these worlds and why can't we be one? You know it's just innately in her to have a unifying story to have a unifying love to have a unifying community. That's just innately who she is and I I love that quality about her.

[13:39] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, that is more powerful now than ever I would say I think that's that's pretty incredible. Absolutely from the last time we spoke I know a big learning lesson for you from The Little Mermaid was sort of shedding perfectionism as an artist and getting to your family-centered animated series The Wing Feather Saga which we're gonna break down a bit here. At this point in your you're a pro at recording, I mean in the recording booth, I just wonder you talk so much about pouring into others, Jodi. How are you kind to yourself? In I don't know if if you face these things in the booth at all anymore, but just as an artist.

[14:14] Jodi Benson: Yeah. Well, that's a great question, Robert. That's a good question that I that I am trying to work on more, figuring out how to pour into myself, how to take better care of myself. Uh, I was just having this conversation with my husband today.

[14:32] Jodi Benson: I was feeling um slightly overwhelmed. I was having a little bit of a panic attack this morning and throughout the middle of the night. I get a little bit overwhelmed with my schedule sometimes when I see the itineraries come in for a trip. I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. for Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney World, working on a project for a week and um the holidays are coming. I've got my daughter leaving to go on a national tour. I've got my son and his wife in the middle of their Oscar campaign for their animated short film. So there's a lot going on with our family. And what I try to do is I try to live in the moment and savor the moments that I'm doing right now. Like right now, I'm having a great conversation with you, Robert.

And so I want to stay present in that moment. I do notice that in the middle of the night, when my brain is at rest, my body starts to trigger and it starts to trigger with the list of things to do. And I have to like shut it down and just say, you know what? When I wake up, I've got that list. I'm gonna tackle it. I'm gonna take it one step at a time. And if I can do it in small increments, so this is what I'm learning for myself. If I can live my life minute by minute or in a five minute increment, savor that moment and then tackle the next project. But if I think about the whole thing, like for the next eight days, I just get very overwhelmed. Um it's just it's something that I'm working on for myself because I don't I don't want to live uh in any type of fear, and I don't I certainly don't want to live wishing this moment away to tackle the next moment because there's so many things on the list, you know.

I don't want to live like that. So it's something that I'm working on. I'm actively working on it. Um and finding a little bit more white space, meaning time to just sit and maybe do nothing, or the time to maybe just like close my eyes and take like a little 10 minute uh break. If I fall asleep, that's great. But if I just take a break for 10 minutes and just rest, I feel more uh rejuvenated, and I feel like I have more to give. Sometimes when, as you know, like for yourself, like when you're pouring out, you pour, pour, pour, pour, pour, and your tank is empty. Yeah, and you have nothing to give after that, and then you feel like okay, then I feel like I'm a disappointment. So, what I do for obviously for my my livelihood, but also who I am as a person, I'm pouring out 24-7.

And that does run out, and my body will shut down, you know, and then you're really not good for anything. Yeah, so it's something that that I'm I'm trying to get better at to, and it doesn't have to be a big thing, it's not like I need a vacation. I Lord knows I don't need to get on another plane. I had like 86 trips last year. Oh my gosh, you must must have so many points. No, that's a lot. I don't need to be on a plane any more than I already am. So for me, I could just sit down uh on our our little chair downstairs and I can just stare out at where I'm looking right now at the lake and just take a little moment and it's good. It's a good healthy little thing for me to do.

[18:03] Robert Peterpaul: I really appreciate you sharing that, and I think a lot of people will as well because you are such a giver. I mean, you do so much, Jodi. So those feelings are completely valid. You're always running around giving to so many people, and it that's why it made me curious. I mean, I have the same thing on a smaller level when my head hits the pillow, my mind starts racing, and then as creative people, you never know if an audition is gonna come into the mix, and then you gotta memorize and prepare the sides, and then it's like and so that's just that's so much on your plate, and I think that's gonna be very helpful for people to hear. And it's actually relevant to Wingfeather because to me in this show, these characters are facing enormous odds and they're navigating a lot of fear. And so I do wonder how that applies to you in your real life. Like if this character's taught you anything on navigating fear during high-stakes moments.

[18:52] Jodi Benson: Yeah, I mean, I love my character of Nia, she's great. I can relate to her in a lot of ways. Uh obviously as a mother and as a nurturing figure, but what I learned from her is her bravery and courageous spirit, but she is incredibly patient in the middle of strife, and especially when it has to do with the health and the safety of her children. And this particular season is very frenetic, very chaotic, um, very stressful, very stressful season. And so in the recording studio, it's it's exhausting. You know, I'm I'm in a full blown sweat when I finish and I am worn out. Um, because the angst and all of the adventure that's going on, but Mia, she just plows through it. She has this solid stillness about her that I don't really have.

And so I'm having to like dredge it up inside of me to make sure that it's believable. But you know, she's an incredible leader, and but she as a mother, ooh, she has her feelings, but she can like really control there. Yes, I am not one to get like I'm not catastrophic, I'm not a a worrier, I'm not a negative thinking person. I wake up generally happy every single day. That's just that's just how I was, you know, chemically created. That's that's my makeup is I wake up happy. I'm a I'm a half full cup kind of person.

[20:18] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, same. We need to bottle you up and get that out there into the world.

[20:22] Jodi Benson: I mean But it it's nothing I've done. It's just how I was born. It's like how I came out of the womb. It's just the way it is. But um, but I can be a mama bear. And when it comes to the safety and and health of my children, I can woo, I can really get myself riled up about it. So Mia has really, she's a solid, she's solid foundation voice. She just she holds and anchors that family so beautifully. And every once in a while I'll get to let loose on how she's really feeling as a mom, but then she keeps it in control in front of the children and in front of the community. Yeah, she's an incredible character. I think that makes incredible performances too, is that covering up of the emotion versus, you know, obviously playing the emotion.

[21:06] Robert Peterpaul: Right. You know, the show, another thing it celebrates, I think are unique gifts. And on behalf of everybody in the world, before we have to wrap up here, you've shared your own remarkable gift with us for years. And in this digital age where connections so easy, and that's how I get to see how much you're doing and all my friends and support people, but at the same time, it can be scary and there's judgment. And I just wonder in this vein, what's your advice? I'm thinking of a friend in particular, who I won't shout out, but you have advice for people who maybe have a gift or haven't discovered it on just embracing them, what makes them unique.

[21:42] Jodi Benson: Yeah, and I think for your generation, all of you wonderful young people, you're dealing with something I didn't have to deal with, which is compare and compete and social media. So when all of those elements were removed back in the day, back when the dinosaurs were here, um, I didn't have to compare with the world. I just had to get into an audition with with however a couple hundred people, do my best, throw it out there and see. And if if the job's meant for you, it will not pass you by. That was just the way that I just believed. Whatever job is meant for you will not pass you by. For me, I feel like a shut door is either God's direction or it's his protection. Those are the two options for me.

That's that's just my mindset. But I do feel like for all of these wonderful young people, including my adult children, the concept of compare and compete is so dangerous. It sends us down such a dangerous path that it then curbs people from taking chances and risks because ultimately my career is built on failure. So everything that I stand on in the foundation of who I am as an artist is on the stepping stones of failure. Because I'm failing forward. I'm failing and moving forward. I'm failing and moving forward. With that comes tremendous freedom. Because I don't care. I make a fool of myself on stage. I make a fool of myself in every single concert I think that I've ever done with a symphony.

I have made a fool of myself and I don't care. I laugh it off. I call it out. I tell the audience, hey, my dress just broke. Let me just squeeze it together again. I'll be right back. I'll start a song and I'll be like, those aren't the lyrics. Let's try take two. And what happens is that people laugh. Of course they laugh. I laugh at myself. Yeah. But then they genuinely feel safe because I've broken down any kind of like false facade of this is how you need to be perfect. And then there's the freedom to go, you know what? They can connect. Oh my gosh, she's like a real person. She makes mistakes too. And I can really relate to her. Because obviously, in the entertainment industry, Robert, for me, I feel like the number one thing that we're trying to do is connect.

Yeah. We're trying to connect. As storytellers, we're trying to connect with our audience. And the way we can connect is we have to be relatable. So I can't be perfect. I can't be this like fake thing here because we people can't relate to me. So it's it's in the failures are a blessing because that's the foundation that that I stand upon. So I wish I could encourage young people to take those chances. Because if you goof up, make mistakes, who cares? You always learn. You always learn and you always get something out of it when we fall flat on our face. I know I have.

[24:57] Jodi Benson: That's so beautiful. A million times. And I continue to make a fool of myself and make mistakes and make and and do stupid things every day. Every day. That makes us human, especially in this world with AI on the rise, which we won't get into, but that's what sets us apart.

[25:15] Robert Peterpaul: And I know I gotta let you go. So in I guess a few seconds, maybe if you could just end our time together as we've had such a lovely connection here by sharing a tangible kindness tip for the holiday season. What's a kind thing you think everybody can do this season just to try and build a kinder world together?

[25:32] Jodi Benson: Yeah, I appreciate that. First of all, I just want to say a huge thank you to you, Robert, because your platform and who you are as a human, you're changing people's lives. You're changing the atmosphere in the room by who you are and your heart and your light and your spirit and your kindness and your grace and your generosity. So you're making a huge impact in all fields of whatever you are involved with, because I see it, I see it, and you touch people's hearts. So that's that's what that means so much. I'm trying not to slither away like uh Ursula's eels or something.

[26:07] Robert Peterpaul: I'll receive that. That's very beautiful. Thank you.

[26:09] Jodi Benson: Receive it, receive it. I want to give you that. And that's I would say the number one thing that I'm trying to focus on every single day is a simple word of encouragement. We have a million thoughts every day, but we don't necessarily let them flush out of us. So when I have that thought, I jump to my phone and either text, leave a voice memo, uh a little word, a couple of emojis, or if it's a person I get to see in person, just a word of encouragement. And I'm trying to act upon it quickly when it comes across my mind. So let's say it's like six o'clock in the morning and in LA, it's 3 a.m. So I'll write it down and I'll hold on to it, and then I'll just send it. And inevitably, and I know you know this, inevitably, that person that you've touched is going to say something like, I was just thinking about you, or I needed to hear that today, or you have no idea what a horrible day I've had.

Thank you for this emoji and that you love me, or that you're thinking of me. Every single time, so right it happens, it's magic. So I'm trying to not just say, Oh, I thought about them. Oh, I'll I'll do it later. I'll do it later. Because then you don't. So now I don't have any excuse, right? On a phone. You can make a note, you can send an alarm. You can schedule texts now.

[27:37] Robert Peterpaul: That's right.

[27:38] Jodi Benson: Right. You can schedule the text, I can make the voice memo, and I can save it, and then I can push it at the appropriate time zone. So that's probably the number one thing that I am consciously intentionally trying to do is give a word of encouragement because I know the person that gets that, it's just what they need today. And you get to be part of that, and that's really amazing.

[28:05] Robert Peterpaul: Part of that world, Jodi. Thank you so much for you said that, not me.

[28:07] Jodi Benson: Bringing it back.

[28:11] Robert Peterpaul: No, that is so kind. I feel like I've been complimenting you this whole time, but I just I admire you so much. I see, and we all see all the work you're doing, and I don't want you to stop, but just know you've done more than enough to contribute to building a kinder world. And I'm grateful for you, and I hope you're kind to yourself as you continue to run around spreading this magic this season and beyond. So I really appreciate you.

[28:33] Jodi Benson: Thank you, Robert. I send you so much love and thank you so much for having me on your show again. And you are amazing.

[28:34] Robert Peterpaul: You are amazing.

[28:34] Jodi Benson: Thank you.

[28:34] Robert Peterpaul: Thank you so much, sweetie. All the best to you. Happy holidays.

[28:48] Jodi Benson: Until next time, remember, everything is gonna be a okay.