Shows
Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite: The VERY FIRST Episode Ever w/ Chris TaylorFor this Fan Favorite episode, we're taking you ALL THE WAY BACK to the very beginning! That's right ladies and gentlemen, we're talking the VERY FIRST episode of the Awkwardly Awesome Podcast.
When Chris Taylor and I began Awkwardly Awesome Podcast we knew so little about the world we were stepping into compared to how we navigate it now, but I love sharing this episode because it's unlikely any of this would have happened if not for Chris' encouragement.
It definitely took some patience on his part, he'd mentioned the podcast idea t...
2026-10-2344 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanTranslating Life: A Story of Language, Family, and Resilience w/ Vince Danh | Ep. 296“I’ve translated my entire life. I’ve done my best to bridge the gap. I’ve had to become creative with explaining things to a vast variety of people.”
~ Vince Danh
Growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with immigrant parents, Vince Danh’s native languages were both English and Vietnamese. Much of his childhood was spent translating for his parents, sitting across the table from lawyers, doctors, and other professionals as he helped his family start their business. He took French in high school and Spanish in college, so when he was wor...
2026-10-141h 26Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanWhat Do You Want? with Martin Lopez | Ep. 295“I have a life of joy, and challenges are inside that. The gap between who I am and who I can become is not the problem. It’s the invitation.”
~ Martin Lopez
Martin Lopez talks freely about finding enjoyment in life, as well as, the nitty gritty reality of life.
Martin knows about navigating the heavy realities of life. Driving while intoxicated, his son hit and killed someone. Martin stood by his son’s side through the court proceedings that followed.
Martin talks openly about choosing...
2026-10-071h 10Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFor Music's Sake with Shannon Abels | Ep. 294“I’ve found I get really bored with routine. So, I love that I don’t have a set plan and never have. My life has kind of taken its own path and shape. I like riding the waves. Sometimes if you have a plan you miss out on an opportunity that wasn’t part of your plan.”
~ Shannon Abels
Shannon Abels found her first love at the age of eight. It came in the form of a piano at that age and evolved into a flute by the age of ten.
...
2026-09-3057 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanRestarting w/ Jerry Burns | Ep. 293“Life can be beautiful, enjoyable and deeply satisfying, just as it can be full of struggle, self-doubt and uncertainty. It seems to always be swinging somewhere between the extremes, so it’s important that we learn to find joy in the struggle because it’s as much a part of the gift of life we’re given as is the feeling of being on top of the world.”
~ Jerry Burns, Ph.D.
At 78 years old, Professor Jerry Burns, Ph.D. recently ran and completed his town’s 5k road race. He takes great pr...
2026-09-241h 14Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanMoving the Room w/ Sally Zimney | Ep. 292“If my goal is to move people, perfection has to be removed, completely, from the map. Don’t get me wrong, preparation is still essential. But after preparing, I go out there and open myself up to the magic of all that I don’t know yet about the experience I’m walking into.”
~ Sally Zimney
If anyone was truly “meant for the stage”, you could make a very strong argument that it's Sally Zimney.
In high school, she was on a nationally recognized speech team that went to Nationals...
2026-09-1646 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite - Hidden Determination: Living with Usher Syndrome w/ Ryan GroenewegAs anyone who follows me knows, I have disability. Because of my unique experience, it can be easy to assume that I know what the experience is like for other people with disabilities, but in truth I don't. People's experiences with their disabilities are as varied and unique as any one of us.
In this Fan Favorite episode of the Awkwardly Awesome Podcast, I talk to Ryan Groeneweg about living with Usher syndrome — a hidden disability that causes progressive hearing and vision loss. We discuss his early diagnosis and how he's learned to adapt, ask for...
2026-09-0959 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanThe Accidental Rancher with Eliza Blue | Ep. 291“The more I’ve let myself show up in the world as just who I am, the more peaceful and content I feel. It’s almost like you feel like a square peg in a round peg world. If you show up as a square peg, you will find a place for yourself. And you will find people and other creatures who will support and champion you. We each are so completely unique. It’s a life's work to find the place you fit.” ~ Eliza Blue
Perkins County is in the northwestern part of South Dakota...
2026-09-021h 12Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanThrough the Void: A Journey Out of Burnout with Olivia Morrow | Ep. 290“I enjoy the freedom of expression to just be me. I get to connect with family and friends, to communicate with the animals in my life, train and study in so many different modalities from Yoga Therapy, to Reiki, to breath work, to herbalism and sound healing.” ~ Olivia Morrow
Tell me if you’ve heard this story before? Olivia Morrow had a decent job in medical billing, she was good at it and it paid the bills, but it left Olivia feeling unfulfilled. Struggling through various states of unhappiness for five years after she left her medical...
2026-08-2659 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanClaiming Voice with Afomiya Dejene | Ep. 289“Without discussing different sides of an issue, we lose the chance to find middle ground. Talking things through opens space for questions and helps us move beyond polarized and familiar thinking patterns. I love conversations—talking, listening, yapping—because every exchange gives me new perspectives to consider.” ~ Afomiya Dejene
Afomiya Dejene immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, Africa with her parents when she was just three years old. Now, at age twenty, she’s majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology at the University of South Dakota, as an aspiring attorney. Recently, she...
2026-08-1956 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanHope in Detail with David O'Hara | Ep. 288“I want to teach my students to fall in love with the world by role modeling wonder, delight, curiosity, and being unashamed of what I don’t know.” ~ David O’Hara
Generally, I think I notice a lot, but when I walk with David O’Hara, I realize that there are so many layers to what’s happening in my own backyard that are beyond my awareness.
I love the story he tells about being invited on a hunting trip shortly after relocating to Sioux Falls, South Dakota from Pennsylvania...
2026-08-121h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanThe Challenge of Caring: Stories of Grief, Adoption & Healing w/ Karen Brokenleg | Ep. 287“Life, to me, is about caring for people and loving people, friends and family. I don’t see anything, even in the politics of today, that can divide us if we are willing to sit down and talk about it.” ~ Karen Brokenleg
Karen Brokenleg spent 19 years being a stay at home Mom. Navigating the rewarding and labor-intensive work of raising three children is no easy task. She offers the following advice, “You can burnout on being a Mom just like you can burnout on any job. In the life of being a mother, you can completely los...
2026-08-051h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite: Saying Yes with Shiloh OorlogI just love this conversation with my longtime friend, Shiloh Oorlog. We've been friend's since college and yet, this interview brought up things I had no idea about her.
It's really quite fascinating how, when we've known someone for a long time, we tend to get used to thinking about them in a certain way and engaging with them in familiar ways. BUT, when we get to experience them in new environments, with different people, or in an entirely different format–like a podcast–there's almost always something new to discover!
You're...
2026-07-2956 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanNitty-Gritty Hope with Katelyn Cook | Ep. 286“Hey, this experience, as painful and disruptive to my life as it was, allows me to connect with a whole different group of people in a way I couldn’t have before….the choice isn’t easy at all, but I do have a choice to find light in the challenge, to sometimes make a dark joke and move on.” ~ Katelyn Cook
At the end of her senior year of college, Katelyn Cook was excited to be graduating with a major in speech pathology and was eager to begin her career. But, she also found herself prett...
2026-07-2259 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanMind Your Business with Kevin Elsing | Ep. 285“As technology is changing the way we work, people are going to need to become more passionate, and really follow their passion. Mundane jobs are going away. Without something to be passionate about, it could leave our idle hands to do bad things.” ~ Kevin Elsing
Kevin Elsing knows a thing or two about following his passions. While pursuing an education in electronic engineering after high school, he felt a shiny, new drum set would make for a more appropriate use of his student loan funds.
And he wasn’t entirely wrong…
2026-07-151h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanStrongly Bonded: A Mother's Fight for Her Son's Future with Sarah Anthony | Ep. 284“The only thing I wanted for my son was the best opportunities to have access to what he needed.” ~ Sarah Anthony
Sarah Anthony was well along her path to becoming a lawyer when her son, Aden, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. At that time, “austim” was a word Sarah had hardly heard, as the condition was not widely known or discussed.
Like many things in life, a diagnosis of autism comes with its own gifts, as well as its own challenges. Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles a family who...
2026-07-0859 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanRelentless Champion with Anne Porter | Ep. 283“You mean there’re other things besides having fun? Unless it’s fun on some fundamental level, for me, it’s not going to happen. Humans play. On a spiritual level, I think it’s our job as humans to find joy. Whatever you pick, try to find some joy in it. Just have some fun.”
~ Anne Porter
Since retiring from a career passionately supporting the arts in various capacities, Anne Porter, AP as her friends fondly call her, has dedicated herself to relentlessly pursuing the things that bring her joy and purpose. Proudly carrying on...
2026-07-011h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanLove Substantially: Building Systems of Care with Sarah Meagher.| Ep. 282“I think for so many people guilt is a paralyzing thing which gives them blinders. At the bottom of it all we are one humanity, all with dignity.” ~ Sarah Meagher
Sarah Meagher was 18 years old when she first came face to face with mass scale poverty. She was on a youth group service trip to Mexico, and for Sarah the experience was not only overwhelming, it brought about deep feelings of guilt and shame for the abundance that was part of her daily life back home.
Shame is a powerful...
2026-06-2459 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFAN FAVORITE: You Matter Greatly with Tom CluteWe all have challenges, which is why we need people like Tom Clute to remind us that we matter greatly. That what we are doing is worth the effort. That we’re free to choose challenges, to struggle, to be resilient and to try and try again.
Tom Clute walks his talk. He’s an honorably discharged, disabled US Air Force Veteran, he has a Master of Social Work (MSW), is an advocate and resource in the mental health community, and I’m continuously inspired by him. Considering this episode is a "Fan Favorite", it would appea...
2026-06-1755 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanThe Essential Extra: From Honk! to Mrs. Maisel with Emily Magera | Ep. 281“I want middle school, high school and college students to feel loved and cared for. That they are more than just the talent they bring to the stage. I want them to feel that they are worth knowing and treasuring.” ~ Emily Magera
Emily Magera caught her first big break in third grade. She was cast in “Honk!”, a popular, Olivier Award-winning musical that retells Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, “The Ugly Duckling”. For a young girl in the small town of Aberdeen, South Dakota–population 30,000–this was a huge honor. By fifth grade, Emily and the re...
2026-06-101h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanAn Imperfect Commencement Address with Jason Freeman | Ep. 280Whether you are graduating from high school, college or just another day of work, congratulations on being you and navigating this unpredictable and crazy life.
Wherever you happen to be, I have a question for you about questions. Specifically, are the questions you find yourself repeatedly asking empowering you to grow or are they keeping you struggling and miserable?
I ask because I’ve found the questions you ask yourself have a huge impact on where you go in life. If you ask, “How do I go North?” You are likely to find an an...
2026-06-0355 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanCampaigning for Better: From Bike Trails to Ballots with Joe Batcheller | Ep. 279“The number one mission for Parks and Recreation should be building community, but, the unfortunate reality is that engagement is often treated as an afterthought.” ~ Joe Batcheller
Have you ever stopped to think about all the boxes that need to be checked in order for a town, city, or county to be appealing? There is so much that needs to be planned, from housing, to transportation, to land use and zoning, parks, schools, jobs, community engagement, crime and safety, emergency response times, ease of navigation, water and trash. The list can seem endless and each item com...
2026-05-2757 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanPurpose in the Age of AI with Luke Cumbee | Ep. 278“I believe that on a very fundamental level humans are meant to find purpose in doing challenging things. I believe that AI can enhance what we do, but we must start with a baseline of willingness to learn and think. I believe starting with a high baseline is very important. Use AI to push you and give you feedback that challenges you to be your very best.”
~ Luke Cumbee
When I think about AI, I get a bit overwhelmed. I feel like I’m just getting a handle on the opportunities and challe...
2026-05-2058 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanExpanding Through Grief: Finding Joy After Loss with Flo Mina | Ep 277“Sometimes you have to let go of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are living.” ~ Flo Mina
I met Flo Mina through my late friend Bob Donnell. Bob had been elated to introduce us because after a life filled with tremendous loss, he’d finally met the love of his life and had rediscovered the joy of happiness.
Bob and Flo’s happiness together was somewhat ironically bound by their separate experiences with grief. Flo’s high school sweetheart had died just shy of h...
2026-05-131h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite: One World, Many Lenses: Photography, Faith, and Finding Home with Serge Van NeckJason sits down with photographer Serge Van Neck to trace his journey from Amsterdam to Phoenix and the Rosebud Reservation. Together they explore how he discovered and refined his craft—from mastering exposure and lenses to embracing film and long exposures.
Serge shares how his Baha'i belief in unity and diversity informs his work, and he reflects on timing, composition, and doing one’s imperfect best as an artist. This episode invites listeners to rethink what artistry and dedication mean in everyday life.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn...
2026-05-061h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanAccessibility in the Arts: Making Creativity Inclusive with Alicia Hopkins | Ep 276“Art has the power to tell stories, change perspectives, and help unite communities on various causes and issues. I use art to engage people in dialogue on current events, advocacy issues, disability rights issues and much more.” ~ Alicia Hopkins, from her artist statement
It’s far too tempting to fall into the trap of thinking that true creativity talent is reserved for the lucky few with astounding abilities. World renowned artists, musicians, famous actors, best selling writers, the list is long, but elite. But, what if true creative talent IS actually within ALL of us, regardles...
2026-04-2954 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 275: Practical Mystic: Finding Your Voice with Sandi Kimmel“I’m not Taylor Swift or an opera singer but I can still go out there and sing. The invitation is to walk through the ring of fire that our fears have lit.” ~ Sandi Kimmel
Sandi Kimmel makes her third appearance on Awkwardly Awesome Podcast as her story and creative genius keep expanding.
Growing up in Sandi’s family, being academic was the prize. As a creative person, she knew in her heart of hearts that just wasn’t her. She pursued academic excellence just the same.
As she got older, Sandi held jobs in...
2026-04-221h 03Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 274: An Adventure of Healing: Practical Ways to Manage Chronic Pain with Mike Huber“There is something in many ancient practices, be it acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic, that works or helps, but none of them are a one-stop-shop. None of them can cure everything all the time.” ~ Mike Huber
In college, Mike Huber decided on an accounting degree for a very logical reason: He knew having a definitive skill would make for a lasting career. Then he joined the military in order to pay for college.
But, it would take significant back pain at the age of 26 before the adventure of Mike’s life really began. Seeking relief after back surge...
2026-04-1556 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 273: Unyielding Positivity: Phil Gintowt’s Story of Resilience“Going through a tough time definitely makes you a sharper person. I think back to being in the hospital because I had a grapefruit-sized tumor in my head. I kept waiting and waiting. My surgery was delayed three times. During that time, so much of my emotional well-being depended on my inner circle. For example, my best friend Jake texted everyday. Being alone was and still is one of my greatest fears. I’m a people guy. When everyone was gone for the night and it was just me and my thoughts, that was a very scary place. I knew I might...
2026-04-0858 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 272: The PhD Pivot w/ Paul Abel“Just as I was about to reach the top of the mountain I’d been climbing for years, I caught a glimpse of the view—and realized I was on the wrong mountain. So I jumped.” ~ Paul Abel
This week, we’re joined by Paul Abel, Ph.D., who takes us on a deep dive into the high-stakes world of academia and the "awkward" courage it takes to pivot once you’re about to reach the summit of everything you thought you wanted.
Paul had a, shall we say, unique childhood. One of his earliest me...
2026-04-011h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite: Becoming the Challenge w/ Tiffani Brooke FestIn this Fan Favorite episode, Tiffani Brooke Fest shares her journey from a childhood marked by abuse and hardship to finding sanctuary in theater, success as an actress, and healing through Buddhism. She explains how her pain became the fuel for her craft and the catalyst of her compassion.
Over time, Tiffani has turned her personal suffering into service—supporting survivors and volunteering at children’s hospitals in India. Her message is clear: "Suffering can become a source of purpose when we transform it into compassion and action".
This episode explores resilience, the craft of acti...
2026-03-251h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 271: The Art of Confidence w/ Chandler Price“There’s often a misconception about confidence. It’s not that I don’t feel scared, it’s that I do it anyway.” ~ Chandler Price
The parents of Chandler Price knew she was meant for the arts after seeing her dance around on the soccer field instead of helping her teammates win the game one too many times. So, they decided to enroll her in dancing, acting, and singing classes instead and young Chandler was in bliss.
She carried that bliss with her throughout her childhood and adolescence, jubilantly singing along with Disney movies; her Gra...
2026-03-181h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 270: Imperfect Best Progress w/ Jason W. FreemanWhen I, Jason Freeman, host of Awkwardly Awesome Podcast, began talking about the power of doing my Imperfect Best in 2015, I somehow assumed I was the expert on it thanks to the adversity my speech impediment and coordination issues caused me. But, the more I spoke and wrote about it, the more I found that far from being an expert on Imperfect Best, I was very much still an eager student learning more about the concept every day and then awkwardly applying the learnings to my own life.
When I launched Awkwardly Awesome Podcast back in October of...
2026-03-111h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 269: Riding the Breeze: Nomad Life, Body Art & Letting Go w/ BreezyQUESTION: What do you do when the sofa in your home becomes way too comfortable?
ANSWER: You rent out your home for half a year and become a part-time nomad.
This is precisely the type of change Breezy is continually innovating her life with.
When I met Breezy, her name was Briana. She came into my life as a mentor when I was relatively new to San Diego and needed some kind, insightful guidance. Fortunately for me, after her exceptional mentorship, we became friends.
When I met up with Brian...
2026-03-041h 06Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 268: A Treasure of Tales w/ Steve Boint“To me money isn’t a big deal. I was a pastor. I was a teacher. I’ve worked with the homeless. My wife is an artist. We get by on less. My house tilts to the east, but it’s classy.” ~ Steve Boint
If you’ve listened to this podcast long enough, you know how much I love a good tale. Fortunately for all of us, Steve Boint, has had a life chock full of great ones. Take this one for example: During a gap year between high school and college, Steve and his friend set off on an e...
2026-02-251h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 267: From Kansas to California — Moves, Memories & Pop Culture with Chris Taylor“Pop culture isn’t just a source of entertainment; it’s a powerful force in society. It influences our beliefs, it affects our personality, and it often reflects the importance of our lives.”
~ Aiza Shahid as published on Medium
Between kindergarten and 12th grade, Chris Taylor moved five times, attended four different elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, across four states spread across the country, namely Kansas, Michigan, Virginia and California. There’s no way to downplay how challenging changing schools, let alone changing states, can be for a kid, yet, Chris s...
2026-02-181h 03Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite - Courage to Ride: A Firefighter’s Unstoppable Road to Recovery w/ David SundeDavid Sunde is a former firefighter and avid adventurer whose career was cut short when he suffered a stroke at the age of 56. Not content with the prospect of being mostly stuck at home while others cared for him, David leaned into his determination to continue on with his life of adventure and service. David was fortunate that he was young and in shape but still recovery was immensely challenging.
During physical therapy David discovered spin class which grew his determination to once again ride on his own, out on the open road. This evolved into connecting with...
2026-02-1158 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 266: It’s About People w/ Aaron Johnson - Awkwardly Awesome Podcast“Why people? People just need a little inspiration, a positive and supportive voice in their head, because when people get out of their own way, they can change the world.”
~ Aaron Johnson
Sometimes the most defining opportunities show up long before we understand their impact. Aaron Johnson was twelve years old when his father stepped away from the business that had long supported his family and chose a new path into hospitality. Along with a business partner, his father built a new Days Inn in Oacoma, South Dakota, a town of roughly 400 people along...
2026-02-0455 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 265: From Greyhound to Gustav w/ Jason RanekI met Jason Ranek in high school. We bonded over our shared interest in writing poetry. He challenged and inspired me to become the best poet I could be. Through the years Jason has invited me to think deeply about life, to explore meditation and rigorously reflect on what it means to be human.
I’ve also had the privilege of getting to witness his epic journey of transformation. I’ll never forget the day I asked Jason to meet me at the Greyhound station in Omaha, Nebraska so I could introduce him to the friends I was trave...
2026-01-2855 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 264: Survive & Heal w/ Carol Beth Nelson, MD“The person who is supposed to love me most is saying I’m stupid. When you are told you're a bad person for a long time, it takes awhile to learn to love yourself again.” ~ Carol Beth Nelson, MD
Carol Beth Nelson, MD is a neurologist, a mother to four adult children and five adult step children, a life-long avid swimmer, and a lover of the small South Dakota town she grew up in. Since 2018, she’s done so many triathlons that she's lost count. Add to this her impressive list of completing 2 Ironmans and 4 marathons, a...
2026-01-211h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 263: Win-Win Situation w/ Lisa Drennan“When you have someone at the table with a disability, you quickly see how they’ve had to navigate a world that’s not designed for them. They are problem solvers. They’ve had to learn to organize so many aspects of their lives. They see dimensions to our world we might be oblivious to.” ~ Lisa Drennan
There was a time—not so long ago—when people with disabilities were often hidden away in institutions, their individuality separated from the rest of the world. Fortunately for Lisa Drennan, a childhood family friend with a disability was...
2026-01-1458 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 262: Adventure Awaits w/ Marina Gavryushkina“There’re 10,000 different ways of getting over the same obstacle.” ~ Marina Gavryushkina
Marina Gavryushkina is not unlike a Russian Indiana Jones, not only does she have a Masters in Archaeology and started her PHD, but she’s lived her life in constant pursuit of adventure, following her passion for parkour all the way to the national stage as a contestant on American Ninja Warrior.
Of parkour, Marina says, “It’s an opportunity to move through your environment in a very liberating and creative way. It has a sense of adventure to it. You run, jump and cl...
2026-01-0758 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanFan Favorite - Executive Coach w/ Tim DumasIn this fan-favorite episode Tim Dumas and host Jason Freeman explore "magnanimity" — leading by bringing out others' greatness — and how sharing and supporting personal dreams at work strengthens teams, boosts motivation, and improves results. This episode is chock full of practical stories, explains coaching versus rescuing, and gives tools for building peer support and accountability.
Tune in for encouraging advice on embracing failure as progress, creating action plans, and using connection and vulnerability to help yourself and others reach bigger goals.
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In his invigorating Get Inspired Talk, Tim Dumas says, “Far too many...
2025-12-3144 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 261: From Here to Timbuktu w/ Rosemary MoellerEven though she was only in sixth grade, Rosemary Moeller remembers feeling inspired when President Kennedy fulfilled his campaign promise to promote goodwill and development abroad by creating the Peace Corps. The creation of this new agency offered her a sense of wonder about what might lie beyond the boundaries of the only home, and country, she knew. This wonder became such that when the Peace Corp application arrived in the mail right around the time she was finishing up first master’s degree, she jumped at the opportunity to sign up, putting all of her other goals and drea...
2025-12-241h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 260: Surrogate Grandparents w/ Donna Skora“If my grandson ever learns about me, it is my biggest hope that he’ll also learn how his existence shaped who I am—strengthening my kindness, deepening my compassion, and inspiring me to build a community rooted in connection, understanding, hope and love. Everything I created began with him." ~ Donna Skora
Donna Skora remembers the day she got the news that she and her husband, Rick, were going to be grandparents. They were ecstatic and excitedly counted down the days to their grandchild’s due date. When he arrived, circumstances prevented them from getting to the hosp...
2025-12-1754 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 259: Soulful & Practical w/ Anji Kat“It’s not about power over others, it’s about having power within you to create the life you want.”
~ Anji Kat
I first met Anji Kat a little over 15 years ago, when she was my yoga teacher. After that time I moved to San Diego and she moved to Florida. Recently, a friend of mine shared a poem Anji had written, which was phenomenal, and suggested I reach out and invite her to be on the podcast. I did, and found that Anji’s been very busy since we last saw each other. Not onl...
2025-12-101h 01Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 258: Misfortunes & Miracles w/ Tony Russell“I used to have a neighbor who’d always say, ‘When you rest, you rust’. Well, I don’t ever want to rest and rust to the point where I can’t impact others.” ~ Tony Russell
Tony Russell was only four years old, in preschool, when his mother passed away. She had been having health issues but the suddenness caught everyone off guard. He transitioned through different family members, all doing their best to raise him, but the challenge proved too great and he was given up for adoption. Upon learning this news, Tony’s preschool teacher, Mrs...
2025-12-0358 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 257 : Updated Version w/ Kiley NaroMy next guest and I run in some of the same circles. There’s a particular image of him that I can’t shake. It revolves around a group of us going out for a night of bowling. Everyone was dressed pretty much exactly how you’d expect someone who’s going bowling to dress, except for Kiley Naro. Nope, he showed up wearing a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, trading only his Oxfords for a pair of bowling shoes.
Being dressed up and looking sharp is indicative of Kiley’s drive for excellence. Kiley has been immersed in comp...
2025-11-261h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 256 - Second Life w/ Leah Nixon“Most of us go around in life as if we’re not going to die, but we are not guaranteed 80 years. Knowing that I wasn’t going to have forever changed things.” ~ Leah Nixon
During what she calls her first life, Leah Nixon ran a half marathon, two full marathons, helped construct houses for Habitat For Humanity and generally built up a tolerance for doing tough things, and had just started making greeting cards with her sister.
Then an accident on a construction site on August 14, 2018, changed things. A telehandler slipped in the mud and fell...
2025-11-1259 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 255 - The Guiding Heart w/ Alex RennieAfter growing up in Chicago and attending Northern Illinois University for art, the promise of surfing and warm Januarys gave Alex Rennie all the inspiration he needed to trade the frigid-howling-wind winters of the Windy City for San Diego, California palm trees and beaches. Once there, he continued his work in graphic design and branding, mastered video production and editing, and nurtured his passion for cartooning. He also engineered Project ABLE: Anti-Bullying Leadership Experience; an interactive empowerment workshop for kids. Alex had found his place. He had found his people. He was settled and happy. That is until a new fri...
2025-11-051h 05Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 254 : Lover of Place w/ Mark Zimmerman“It is a simple and profound act of faith to venture forth into the unknown; art is an act of faith. It is the search, the process and adventure, the battle well fought on that terrible field of white canvas, the journey that is art, as much or more than the destination, which matters. Art matters.” ~ Mark Zimmerman
Mushrooms suddenly became a big part of Mark Zimmerman’s life this past summer . . .
Painting mushrooms that is.
Now, if you’re wondering how someone with a MFA in painting from Illinois State University and...
2025-10-3057 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 253 - Important Play w/ Kristin Wittmayer“You have to get to the child’s level by making yourself the best toy in the room.”
~ Kristin Wittmayer
Can profound healing, skill development, and positive change happen through play?
In my youth, I sometimes viewed playtime as a reward for something far less exciting, as in “Clean your room, then you can play with your friends,” or “Finish your homework, then you can play outside until supper”. Even as an adult, the logic lingers: play is a well deserved prize for hard work.
But could play also be a vehicle for helpi...
2025-10-2252 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 253 - Important Play w/ Kristin Wittmayer“You have to get to the child’s level by making yourself the best toy in the room.”
~ Kristin Wittmayer
Can profound healing, skill development, and positive change happen through play?
In my youth, I sometimes viewed playtime as a reward for something far less exciting, as in “Clean your room, then you can play with your friends,” or “Finish your homework, then you can play outside until supper”. Even as an adult, the logic lingers: play is a well deserved prize for hard work.
But could play also be a vehicle for helpi...
2025-10-2255 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 252 - Making Her Proud w/ Zach Anderson“You’ve got to make the most of where you are, make connections and friendships wherever you are. Even in a small town with not a lot of opportunities, you can still make your own opportunities and go on to do what you want to do.” ~ Zach Anderson
Zach Anderson’s upbringing embodies the definition of idyllic small town life in such a way that you’d swear it couldn’t possibly exist outside of a Hallmark movie. He grew up in Canistota, South Dakota just as his parents had and his grandparents before them. Zach knew everybo...
2025-10-1555 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 251 - Anxious Youth w/ Joel Bailey“There’re so many outside factors making our kids feel like they need to be perfect. Whether it’s continually comparing themselves to others on social media, all they absorb from their phones, struggling to be the best on the sports field, or doing great at academics. This adds so much outside pressure to their lives. They don’t get a chance to be themselves. It’s really hard to be a kid these days” ~ Superintendent Joel Bailey
The quote above sounds to me like it would be from a superintendent of a school district in a big city lik...
2025-10-0859 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 250 - Truth & Intimacy w/ Matt & Dina Lantzer“I’m fifty-five. If I can’t be authentic now, when is that going to happen? I don’t want to go to my grave being inauthentic.” ~ Dina Lantzer
“Temporary, extreme fear while speaking the truth is easier to overcome than perpetual fear of the unspoken truth.” ~ Matt Lantzer
Against all odds, Matt and Dina Lantzer had a marriage that worked. They married young, when Dina was 21 and Matt was 18, but they stuck with each other through thick and thin, raised 3 kids and have 4 grandkids.
After 35 years together, they discovered a painful tr...
2025-10-011h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 249 - Fully Committed w/ Scott EhrismanDo what you believe in and let meaning and service follow from that.
This is the core concept I keep coming back to as I think about my next guest’s story…
Scott Ehrisman is a multi-talented artist, a community activist, community builder, a friend to a great many people and an all around kind person. He’s truly committed to doing the things that interest and excite him. He’s had twenty different jobs, fueled by a drive to constantly better himself through learning new things and challenging himself. This drive led him to lose 130...
2025-09-261h 01Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 248: Interdependence w/ David Ervin“I’m a fan of my fellow human being, I’m a fan of achievement. My mother’s hippie ways are deep within me. When I leave the world, I have the responsibility to leave it better.” ~ David Ervin
Right out of college at Penn State, David Ervin was hoping to find a job with a steady paycheck that could cover life’s essentials: car insurance and beer. Instead, what he found was a warm welcome into a community that transformed his life both professionally and personally.
David speaks passionately about how people who experienc...
2025-09-1857 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 247 - Challenging Pros & Cons w/ Ryan Groeneweg & Jason FreemanWe all experience challenges. Some of these challenges are easy for those around us to spot, while others may be utterly invisible to others.
For instance, every time I speak my speech impediment is heard loud and clear by everyone within earshot. On the other hand, my friend and colleague Ryan Groenweg experiences Usher’s Syndrome which involves hearing loss and progressive vision loss. For most of his life, Ryan has been able to conceal his disability from the people around him in a way that I have never been able to hide mine. Over the past ye...
2025-09-101h 00Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 246 - Positive Agitator w/ Kirk Hinkleman“Our brains are our super power. To stop it from thinking is like trying to get our hearts to stop beating.” ~ Kirk Hinkleman
Have you noticed how hard it is to find calm in a world that offers so many distractions and reasons to be stressed out?
Sure, paying closer attention to the present moment and breath work offer some hope of relief. Yet, practices such as mindfulness and meditation take patience, and consistency to be effective. These practices unfortunately can be very off-putting, before they become healing.
Kirk Hinkleman returns to th...
2025-09-021h 01
Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 245 - The Dignity Paradox w/ Lisa Groon“One can become an optimist through challenge, but also there’s the element of growing as an optimist by seeing others experiencing challenge. Through it, you can learn resilience and you can find hope. Seeing hope in the world is truly what makes us compassionate beings.” ~ Lisa Groon
Simply put, more often than not, life can be painfully awkward and imperfect! Great, unexpected challenges come up, like when one of your parents is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and, later, the other is diagnosed with dementia and requires care.
Having two parents concurrently in cognitive decline...
2025-08-071h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 244 - Ethics in Action w/ Amber Allen & Emily LeutholdAMBER: “I have such a cool job! It’s challenging, frustrating, exciting, even thrilling at times. It’s really satisfying to me to explore the ‘why’ behind patient decisions. If I can understand their why, I can often shift my perspective, allowing me to understand their decision, even if it differs from what I value or believe.”
EMILY: “We work with complex cases that involve patients from all walks of life. Regardless of what brought them through our doors, people are worth our time. People are worthy of our care. When a patient faces a life changing s...
2025-07-311h 01Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 243 - Sacred Success w/ Jim Warne“The 7th generation is the native youth of today. They had lots of challenges as their ancestors had lots of challenges. But the 7th generation is here to succeed and lots of great things will happen and, as I always say, I’m a firm believer that one of those 7th generation youth will be president of this United States.” ~ Jim Warne
Educator-advocate-filmmaker Jim Warne is a member of the Oglala Lakota. His Lakota name, Tasunka Akan Wicakte, means Kills on Horseback. He’s a motivational speaker and has testified before Congress. He wrote over FIFTY mil...
2025-07-241h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 242 - Exhaustion & Excellence w/ Kristine Moberg & Mitch JacksonMITCH: “Starting a business is exhausting, running a business is exhausting, raising a family is exhausting. Running a business while raising a family and going through pediatric cancer treatment is exhausting. Running a business while raising a family and going through pediatric cancer treatment AND repairing your flood damaged house is exhausting. It’s easy to withdraw when things are difficult. Kristine always leans in. She just keeps going . . . and that keeps me going.”
KRISTINE: “As long as you are engaged you can always improve and fine tune.”
Kristine Moberg and Mitch Jackso...
2025-07-171h 11Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 241 - ”Yes, And?” w/ Brett LovrienWith all of the demands of life, it’s sometimes quite easy for people to lose focus on who they truly are as they build their identities around what they do and who they feel they should be. There can be entire spans of adulthood where adults are rewarded for their hyperfocus, even if it means that their more personal, and seemingly “optional” desires get neglected. Maybe their hyperfocus is their occupation, or raising a child or children or caring for a parent.
But what happens when that identity goes away, when the job ends, when the child...
2025-07-101h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 240 - Sidewalk Diamonds’ Beth Pyper-Holz & Tony ThomasSidewalk Diamonds is a band who plays what they call "Garage Americana,” a soulful blend of rock and Americana with a raucous spirit, across venues in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. What I find to be exceptional about this band is that from the moment I clicked play on the first track featured on their website, I felt my mood lighten. Honestly, I just felt good. Discovering more about them, my heart felt downright happy. Their music is infectious. The lyrics, vocals, and instrumentals have a lived-in quality that honors precisely what is right for the song. Th...
2025-07-031h 05Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 239 - The WHOLE Fit w/ David Spader“Is this the right dream for me? Is my head truly in it? How about my heart? Does it meet my needs and values?” ~ David Spader
It seems like some people know the answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” practically from the moment they leave the womb.
For others, like my next guest, the answer takes a bit more exploring. David Spader majored in psychology and theology at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, before becoming an internal coach for the defense industry. Realizing his position...
2025-06-261h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 238 - The Survivor Challenge w/ Nick Wendell“Even when you go into remission, you still have a journey in front of you. It’s like someone tacked on another 10 miles to the cancer marathon right as you reach the finish line.” ~ Nick Wendell
There’s nothing like having cancer twice to build your resilience muscle, just ask Nick Wendell.
I had the pleasure of seeing him deliver his TEDx talk, “Notes on Survival” in Sioux Falls recently. Referencing notecards inscribed with Sharpie marker and journal entries, he recounted the challenges and opportunities that come with surviving a cancer diagnosis. In his talk, Nick spok...
2025-06-181h 06Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 237 - Academic Dungeon Master w/ Kade Wells“My passion is a place beyond question. When I know I’m right and my passion and heart are aligned, either help me out, get out of my way and be invisible, or stand in my way and look stupid.”
Many people have heard of the game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), but few know the profound academic and therapeutic benefits it possesses. Fortunately, for the 1,200 or so middle school students who have been taught to play the game as part of their curriculum, Kade Wells knows about these benefits first hand. Kade recognizes that D&D helps...
2025-06-111h 05Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 236 - Patience Appreciation w/ Mecca RutherfordYou know, the results I created in my grade school art classes definitely encouraged me NOT to be a painter. In retrospect, even more than lack of talent, I didn’t have the patience to work with watercolors, oils and acrylics. Yet, somehow, I still managed to find appreciation for the skill itself and the artists who master it.
A while back, I went to an event where former Awkwardly Awesome guest, Mecca Rutherford, was demonstrating her texturing and painting process on canvas. As I watched her paint, it became abundantly clear to me that I had no ide...
2025-06-041h 08Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 235 - Among the Stars w/ Maddie Wadman"Shoot For The Moon. Even If You Miss, You'll Land Among The Stars." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Our guest this week is a WSET level 3 sommelier, who has a passion for attending to tables and connecting her patrons with new wines and dishes that have the potential of expanding their enjoyment of life.
Maddie Wadman is no stranger to trying new things, she’s been doing it her whole life. Her parents must have had some sense of hope for this when they named her Madison after Daryl Hannah’s mermaid in the movie Splash...
2025-05-281h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 234 - Hard Talks w/ Kristine Kopperud“All the baggage that comes with deep, intimate relationships ends up around the bedside at the end of life. So it can become an impromptu reunion tour.” ~ Kristine Kopperud
What do these things have in common?
Advocating for the needs of a child who is a neurodivergent learner;
Determining when business partners should go their separate ways;
Communicating patiently and clearly with doctors, nurses, and family members as a loved one receives end of life care?
All involve having what is often referred to as “The Hard Talk.” A ha...
2025-05-211h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 233 - Dream, Once Again w/ Carol Spader, MS“The dreaming we do by day is so important because it gives birth to a deeper purpose and is what ultimately forms our future.” ~ Carol Spader
I was out with a group of people on a brutally cold January afternoon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was miserable, the type of weather where dreams wither up and die. But, on this particular day, spring seemingly light years away, I met Carol Spader, a Certified Dream Manager®. Carol thrives on coaching people, many of whom are gainfully employed, to go after their dreams in tandem with their cur...
2025-05-141h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 232 - The Multi-Dimensionalist w/ Erik Paparozzi“There’s no ladder for the kind of career I’ve had. I would like to just play one instrument, but hey I do what’s needed.” ~ Erik Paparozzi
Once Erik Paparozzi embraced his love of music and dedicated himself to honing his talents as a multi-instrumentalist, his entire life changed. Over the course of one year, he went from playing in a karaoke band to opening for Gnarls Barkley and the Flaming Lips! As the band leader and multi-instrumentalist for Cat Power, he’s toured the world several times over. He’s a founding member of Lizard Mu...
2025-05-071h 06Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 231 - Roses & Lattes w/ Kristine Reiner“I didn’t realize how important art was for me until I had to get through some really tough times in my youth. Sometimes when you have no words to express what you are feeling it’s easier to create some form of visual representation of your emotions than to write about them. Art itself is an emotion.” ~ Kristine Reiner
I was eating with a group of friends at a cafe recently when a trip to the bathroom, to wash my hands, turned into a profound discovery. I noticed a woman painting on a canvas. The image piq...
2025-04-301h 03Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 230 - Teaching Positive w/ Chase Mielke, M.EdSome weeks ago a colleague and I were at the South Dakota Special Education Conference offering a breakout session designed to inspire teachers to recognize the profoundly positive effects their efforts can have on their students throughout their lives.
During the conference, I opened a door into a room I hoped contained breakfast. Instead I walked into Chase Mielke’s keynote address. I was immediately hooked. He’s very funny with standup comedian timing. He has a light heart. The audience was laughing and having a splendid time.
I was intrigued by what he was saying and...
2025-04-231h 02Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 229 - Drive & Hope w/ Meagan Justus“Life is not always easy, but I do desire to encourage everyone to find what brings them peace and calm, and to remind people that we all have gifts and talents to share that make this world a better place!” ~ Meagan Justus
I was introduced to Meagan Justus by a college friend who told me that, “she’s on a quest to live her best life, one stubborn health challenge at a time.”
Meagan experienced the first symptoms of her illness when she was about 7 years old. As she reached the latter years of high scho...
2025-04-161h 04Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 228 - The Destined Pair w/ Lucas Michaels & Valeska MomoticI met Lucas Michaels a little over a year ago while enjoying some wonderful Italian food at Maribella Ristorante. What impressed me was the amount of heart he put into his work. He seems to dedicate himself to focusing on doing his best down to the smallest detail, all the while bringing an energetic delightfulness to his work. This level of detail and focus might belong on the resume of an entrepreneur or business owner, but Lucas takes care of the patrons at Maribella. He’s a waiter. An extraordinary waiter.
I love to eat Italian food and as su...
2025-04-091h 17Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 227 - Coming Alive w/ Cuyla CooganIn third grade, my next guest asked her Mom if she could cut her hair short. Embracing the curiosity and exploration present in her daughter, her mom obliged. But Cuyla Coogan’s confident first steps along this path quickly turned stressful after her haircut led to her being called a boy and sometimes mistaken as one.
So began Cuyla’s journey with anxiety.
In high school she grew her hair long, hoping to mask the severe acne she was forced to deal with, which further fanned anxiety’s flame. This continued off and on for years until h...
2025-04-021h 05Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 226 - Dare To Rethink w/ Ty Vuong“Life has handed you new puzzles to solve and an adventure that people rarely experience. But you're never alone. We're in this together.” Ty Vuong on what he would tell someone who has been newly diagnosed as a quadriplegic.
What do we do when our reality suddenly changes in a fundamental way?
The local news is ripe with stories of horrible accidents and the people who survive them, but how often do we hear the follow up stories? How often does the word “survivor” carry with it the requirement these people live drastically different liv...
2025-03-261h 12Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 225 - Those Who Are Next w/ Matt KrallI have to admit, Matt Krall is my next guest on Awkwardly Awesome Podcast due to a case of mistaken identity.
Let me explain, between sessions at a conference I attended recently, I noticed someone wearing a shirt with “ND” emblazoned on it. Being from South Dakota my mind instantaneously thought it was initials for our northern counterpart, so I approached and asked, “Did you go to North Dakota?” The shirt wearer replied, “No, I went to Notre Dame.” Despite my incorrect assumption, Matt and I talked for a few more minutes and I learned that not only did he atte...
2025-03-191h 03Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 224 - Beyond What We Do w/ David TollefsonDo you ever notice how easy it is to only focus on one dimension of a person’s life when you first meet them? A lot of times it's “Nice to meet you, my name’s Jason, what do you do for a living?” And gradually over time you just start thinking of that person solely based on that. Each time you talk it’s “How’s that one dimension I know about you going?” I fall into this pattern more than I care to admit. Thus, I love that hosting Awkwardly Awesome Podcast repeatedly reminds me how limiting this habit can be.
2025-03-121h 08
Ultraculture With Jason LouvEp. 231: "FURRIES ARE SHAMANS!" Ari Freeman On the Horrors of Furry & Brony SorceryWatch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Yes hello! Thee Very Wizard of New Zealand himself, Ari Freeman unlocks the DREAD and FORBIDDEN SECRETS of Furry Sorcery and Brony Tulpas in this conversation with Jason Louv in this, the first "actual YouTube show" episode of the Ultraculture Podcast! THINGS MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW become, most unfortunately, KNOWN. Dare ye enter the Thunderdome??? About Ari: Leading what appears to be a charmed life, Ari Freeman is, aside from being a professional musician, a writer, fortune teller, and music teacher from Christchurch New Zealand. Recognisable as the frontman...
2025-03-101h 21Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 223 - Right Until It's Not w/ Gaspar Tovmasyan & Mariam AzolyanHollywood is a place, at least according to the stereotype, which is always right except for when it’s not, where glamor reigns supreme and actors and actresses get facelifts rather than contemplate mortality. But, maybe that goes for all of us in a way.
Mariam Azolyan and Gaspar Tovmasyan both grew up in California and met in Hollywood, they fell in love, married and had three wonderful boys. Gaspar became an MRI technologist, and worked in healthcare for over eleven years; while Mariam earned her masters degree in counseling with a specialization in rehabilitation services and was...
2025-03-051h 12Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 222 - Far & Wide w/ Terry Hershey“Here’s the deal, if you don’t say ‘no’ at some point in your life, ‘no’ will end up being said for you by default, and if you don’t say ‘no’, then you will end up saying ‘no’ to the people you love the most.” ~ Terry Hershey
The power of a person’s words can travel far and wide. They certainly did from my next guest, Terry Hershey, all the way from the Puget Sound in Washington State to little ol’ Brandon, South Dakota.
See, former guest Jennifer Jinks Hoffmann started forwarding Terry’s newsletters to m...
2025-02-2656 minAwkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 221 - Winter Woman w/ Jennifer SouleI’m not sure exactly when poetry had its heyday, but it was probably about a century ago, or so. In this day and age, it’s not a cake walk being a committed poet. Poetry just can’t hold a candle to TikTok or scrolling Reels; even movies and music are going through a massive transformation, and books, well they seem to be headed the same direction as poetry. I say this as someone who fell in love with writing poems in high school, got my BFA in poetry, and has been writing them ever since. And yet, my dedicat...
2025-02-191h 07Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason FreemanEp. 220 - Storytelling w/ Josh MunceI’ve known my next guest, Josh Munce, since we were in highschool together. His life’s ambition at that age was one he’d carried with him since childhood: He wanted to be a big time movie director. Josh followed his dream into film school in Montana, but during his first semester there he was overcome with a strong sense that he needed to return home to South Dakota.
He returned just in time to spend deeply meaningful months with his father before he passed away from cancer. After losing his father, Josh decided he needed to stay clo...
2025-02-121h 00
Unboxing Careers15 College Professor Career w/ Dr. Jason FreemanDiscover your career: http://www.UnboxingCareersPodcast.com
ON THIS EPISODE: Dr. Jason Freeman, an associate professor at Towson University, specializes in sociology and focuses his research on the intersection of religion and health. Dr. Freeman discusses the steps to enter the higher education field, including obtaining a graduate degree and pursuing a tenure-track position. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship, building relationships, and being open to different pathways in academia. Dr. Freeman also highlights the rewarding aspects of teaching, such as seeing students succeed and expressing gratitude for his guidance.
Hosted by G...
2024-10-0934 min
Ultraculture With Jason LouvEp. 184: ADVANCED PODCASTING: Ari Freeman, Deputy Wizard of Christchurch, New Zealand, Tries to Convince Me Magick is Real...!Ari Freeman is the Deputy Wizard of Christchurch, New Zealand—if you've ever seen the Official Wizard of New Zealand, then yeah, he's that guy's apprentice! He also has a new book out, Pragmatic Magical Thinking—here's the book description: "The modern Western world has often raised its eyebrows at magic, associating it with madness and superstition. However, this ignore the fact of the matter that magic is a universal human experience which has existed in a multitude of forms across time and space. "Now, in his groundbreaking book, Ari Freeman presents his argument that magic is still a human univ...
2023-11-132h 01
High Tech Freedom Sales PodcastHow to Unleash Yourself from Mental Barriers and Achieve Sales Success - Jason ForestGuest Bio: Jason Forest is a sales guru who wants to make selling the most honorable profession in the world. He believes that most salespeople don't choose sales as their plan A career due to the lack of education in professional selling. This, coupled with the bad reputation some salespeople have, has created a negative perception of the profession. Jason Forest wants to change this by teaching salespeople how to be truly great and by focusing on their mindset, process, and language. He wants salespeople to earn the respect they deserve by being the best trained and the most...
2023-06-1433 minHigh Tech Freedom Sales PodcastHow to Unleash Yourself from Mental Barriers and Achieve Sales Success - Jason ForestGuest Bio: Jason Forest is a sales guru who wants to make selling the most honorable profession in the world. He believes that most salespeople don't choose sales as their plan A career due to the lack of education in professional selling. This, coupled with the bad reputation some salespeople have, has created a negative perception of the profession. Jason Forest wants to change this by teaching salespeople how to be truly great and by focusing on their mindset, process, and language. He wants salespeople to earn the respect they deserve by being the best trained and the most...
2023-06-1433 minHigh Tech Freedom Sales Podcast100 - From Entrepreneur to Front Line Sales by Jason GuppyAfter founding and running his own company for 15 years with a successful exit, Jason Guppy continued to advise and consult on Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) projects for another 8 years.
Jason has recently made the jump to a sales role as a reseller for EPM software. While Jason has 20+ years of business experience, he is in the early stages of selling and shares some valuable lessons learned.
In this episode, we discuss:
His journey into sales
His first deal that he was working on
A few mistakes he made when preparing for a cr...
2023-05-0327 minHigh Tech Freedom Sales Podcast100 - From Entrepreneur to Front Line Sales by Jason GuppyAfter founding and running his own company for 15 years with a successful exit, Jason Guppy continued to advise and consult on Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) projects for another 8 years.
Jason has recently made the jump to a sales role as a reseller for EPM software. While Jason has 20+ years of business experience, he is in the early stages of selling and shares some valuable lessons learned.
In this episode, we discuss:
His journey into sales
His first deal that he was working on
A few mistakes he made when preparing for a cr...
2023-05-0327 min
Brands for a Better World (formerly Evolve CPG)045 - Giving Bulk a Brand with Jason Freeman of Farmer Direct OrganicTo create a CPG product that is 100% organic, 100% traceable back to the family farm, and 100% tested for pesticides and herbicides is no small feat. In today's episode, we speak to someone who has done just that. Jason Freeman is the Founder and CEO of Farmer Direct Organic, a certified organic supplier of beans, grains, legumes, and all sorts of healthy whole foods to stores across the US and Canada. Today we discuss the challenges of traceable supply chains, affordable plastic-free packaging, finding the right investors, the rise in superweeds, the need for more widely-used environmentally-friendly farming techniques, and the...
2021-11-241h 03
The Corner & The CasualMikes DishwasherAfter another brief hiatus the guys are back to open things up with a Bellator card of all things. We discuss UFC fight night Hall vs Strictland and some other MMA topics. Also talk about the funny noises Mike's dishwasher has been making. Bring it back around to talk about the local neighborhood pedo cases and even more hilarity in the newest episode. shoutout to the sponsor Paint It Right Tulsa LLC and make sure to follow us all on twitter @cornerandcasual @ExtraMediumMike @finch_freeman and show us some love.
2021-08-0348 min
The Corner & The CasualTyrell the Homosexual JewboiThe guys unpack what was UFC264 and discuss whats next for Dustin Porier, Sean O'Malley, and Kris Moutino. We discuss the women's olympics drama and talk about local and national child predators. Asking for 30k for your first fight that you lost and a very fun nickname that Mike got as a kid. Tune in for another fun episode. As always shoutout to the sponsor @paintitrighttulsa with Brandon Bitchin Mullet. Follow all the socials @cornerandcasual and follow the guys on twitter @finch_freeman and @ExtraMediumMike
2021-07-191h 10
The High Vibe NationAwkwardly Awesome- Embracing My Imperfect Best | Jason FreemanWhenever Jason Freeman speaks to an audience, be it an intimate mastermind in North County San Diego or an assembly of 1,500 high school students in Austin, Minnesota, he is absolutely, 100% committed to bringing his speech impediment with him. Audiences see him up on stage, against all odds, living his dream, which helps them see their dreams as closer and more attainable. Jason has a unique walk, a love for country music, a sweet tooth, a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry, a Tedx Talk and a book he authored called “Awkwardly Awesome: Embracing My Imperfect Best.” His goal is to spe...
2021-07-011h 02
The Corner & The CasualThe Terrifying TestiJoin the guys for another fun episode. We cover last weeks fights, the Paul bros and Mayweather, and both Mike and Jason have pretty funny personal stories to share with you guys this week. Please follow us on all the social medias @cornerandcasual and leave us a rate and review on apple podcasts. Huge shoutout to our sole sponsor of the show Paint It Right Tulsa LLC for all the love and support.
2021-05-111h 02
Motivation Monday | Hello Tech ProsYour Voice Is Unique, So Use It — Jason Freeman on MotivationAfter a medical emergency as an infant left him with cerebral palsy, Jason Freeman hated his voice until he realized that it is our uniqueness that makes us stand out. Jason Freeman resides in San Diego where he is a public speaker and a Bravery Coach. Jason coaches his clients to express themselves with confidence, clarity and ease. Jason has a very unique voice, which we will let him explain for himself. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/jason-freeman-motivation/ Key Takeaways Sometimes when we get up to speak we get tongue-tied because we...
2016-06-2044 min
Holistic Survival Show - Economic CrisisHS 201 - Cyber-Economic Attacks with Kevin FreemanKevin Freeman is the author of, "GAME PLAN: How to Protect Yourself from the Coming Cyber-Economic Attack." He's a leading expert in economic warfare and financial terrorism and CEO of Freeman Global Holdings. He's the former Chairman of Separate Solutions, Inc.
Freeman discusses how terrorists hit the economy in 2008 and what they're planning next to hit the US financially.
Freeman explains how an economic attack would affect jobs, real estate, and 401ks.
The conversation then shifts to what people can do to prepare themselves, and surprisingly, buying go...
2014-01-2850 min