Awkwardly Awesome Podcast w/ Jason Freeman

After 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 en...

“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....

“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...

“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 Can...

“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

“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 ...

Do 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 constant...

“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 ...

We 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 ...

“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 effe...

“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 ...

AMBER: “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 br...

“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 A...

MITCH: “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...

With 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 ...

Sidewalk 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 happ...

“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 Collegev...

“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 wi...

“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 ...