Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason Freeman

For 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 h...

“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 law...

“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 ki...

“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 ...

“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, Profess...

“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'...

As 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 d...

“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...

“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 ...

“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...

“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 ...

“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 followi...

I 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...

“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 ...

“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 ...

“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 w...

“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...

“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...

We 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 men...