Awkwardly Awesome w/ Jason Freeman

Jason Freeman
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Jason Freeman is a professional speaker, author, and podcaster who makes his living using the very same voice and speech impediment that he spent nearly thirty years of his life trying to hide, proving that sometimes our most awkward obstacles can be our most awesome gifts. Awkwardly Awesome Podcast is a show founded on the belief that EVERYONE has an important and engaging story to tell. Sometimes profound, sometimes funny, educational and always motivational. May you, dear listener, use this podcast to relate and better understand, to be inspired and increase productivity in the areas of your life that you wish to improve. New episodes EVERY Wednesday. _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  1. 6d ago

    Destiny’s Jockey: Joe J. Steiner's Journey of Dreams, Addiction, and Redemption | Ep. 297

    “Jockeying is how I became who I am.  Everything I have gone through brought me to a very humble place.  I’m thankful for everything, from the FORTY broken bones, to the two divorces, the years I battled alcohol addiction, to the decade-plus I struggled with bulimia.  Jockeying demands absolutely everything of you, and that really messes up your head.  You have to become an actor, projecting confidence at all times, no matter what.” ~ Joe Steiner   At the young age of five, Joe Steiner saw his future.  He looked out at a horse track, saw his uncle confidently racing on a horse and said, “I want to do that!”  Joe’s grandfather had been a jockey too, so you could almost say the sport was a right of passage in his family.  Little did young Joe know then, the complexities that would come with choosing such a mighty dream.   A quick trip to the Equibase website, the official database and data collection agency for North American Thoroughbred horse racing, reveals a profile on Joseph J. Steiner.  Under his name is a line that reads simply, “10,846 starts, 1,061 firsts, 1,112 seconds, 1,176 thirds, winnings of $17,288,500.”  Truly incredible stats.     So how did he get here?     As a kid, pursuing his dream, he was repeatedly told he was too big to be a competitive jockey and to make matters more complicated, he was very allergic to both horses and hay.  But he persisted.  Joe reflects, “I think I was destined to become a jockey.”     At the ripe age of 17, with the help of his grandfather, the legendary jockey turned trainer, Jonny Longden took Joe under his wing.  Within a year, Joe was the second leading jockey in the nation.  Along the journey that followed, Joe employed an Anthony Robbins technique to become fearless, contracted with the Saudi Royal Family, and was a stunt double in the Oscar-nominated film, Seabiscuit.   Then came the day Joe broke his neck while horse training.  By miracle, the surgeon was able to repair his neck, but informed Joe that his racing days were over.  If he were to ever fall off a horse and hit his neck, he would die instantly.   Depression and alcohol abuse filled much of the next six years of his life.  Fortunately, helping a friend train inspired him to start taking his life back.  Joe signed up for yoga and began to feel like himself again.  After that, even though well aware of the risks, Joe started racing horses again AND winning races.  Talk about fearlessness!    Around this time, Joe met and married the love of his life.  The year his son was born was one of the best years of his career.   Such goes the epic tale of Joe Steiner.   Now officially retired from racing, he’s determined to help as many people as he can to find their purpose and make good use of the brilliance within them.  Joe reflects on the road he has been on, “With life, it doesn’t always happen as you want it to.  It's definitely a tough road along the way, but if you stick with it, better times come.”   _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  2. Oct 22

    Fan Favorite: The VERY FIRST Episode Ever w/ Chris Taylor

    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 have happened if not for Chris' encouragement.     It definitely took some patience on his part, he'd mentioned the podcast idea to me many times over previous years we'd worked together but I always had an excuse to put it on the back-burner.  Truthfully, I couldn't see the immediate benefit of it, much less its longterm potential.     But then COVID changed the face of my business.  My speaking career which had really begun to take off, suddenly hit the skids and we had to go back to the drawing board and figure out new ways to reach the audience I so missed and longed to be in front of again.  Chris seized the opportunity to pitch the podcast, once again, and this time, even though I was still hesitant, I agreed to take a chance and do it.  Boy, am I so beyond grateful that I did.  I had no idea then that week after week, guest after guest, I'd become more and more passionate about it.  Not to mention inspired by it.     As we approach Episode 300, what a great opportunity to look back and see how far we've traveled.  This episode also serves as a reminder that when we start something we don't have to be perfect at it, and we certainly don't have to have all of our ducks in a row.  There is such power in just making the start, then learning, adjusting, adapting, and growing with each step as we evolve right along side of it.   May this episode inspire you to start the thing you've been hesitant about or that you've been wanting to do but haven't made time for.  The time has come.  Just start.     Do it.     Start.    _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  3. Oct 14

    Translating 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 working for a nonprofit in Saigon, Vietnam during college with volunteers from all over the world, he was the one who could communicate with everyone.     Vince’s mother came to the United States with the help of nuns in the early 1980’s.  His father had a much more harrowing journey a few years later, escaping Vietnam in a makeshift boat using a lawn mower engine, with two of his friends.  One friend was caught while the two of them sped across the Gulf of Thailand through the night, dodging pirates.   His parents met on US soil and moved to South Dakota where they opened the first Vietnamese restaurant in Sioux Falls.  They found success by working long hours week after week, month after month, and year after year.   This work paid off.  As Vince relayed during his deeply moving TEDx Sioux Falls talk entitled, “The Swinging Door, From Survival To Significance”, his parents now own the strip mall that their restaurant is in.    Circling back to that college trip to Vietnam, it was a pivotal time for Vince.  Prior to the trip he had been pursuing a more traditionally accepted career in immigration law, but during the trip he worked as a documentarian for the U.S. State Department and fell in love with the art of storytelling.  He found in it a different form of translation that could provide more clarity, honoring different cultures and subject matter.  When Vince returned from the trip, his focus shifted more towards the creative side of life.   But pursuing a career that he loved came with a dose of immigrant guilt for Vince, “It was hard to feel like I was honoring my parent’s sacrifice.  Then I realized, my parents worked hard so I can do what they couldn’t.”   Vince and his business partner would go on to form 4Front Studios to work with clients as varied as nonprofits, health care institutions, and manufacturing companies, focusing on the threads that help bridge the gap to honor their stories.    In the last year, Vince took on the challenge of running for a Sioux Falls City Council At Large seat.  Although his “Vince For Sioux Falls” campaign, ultimately proved unsuccessful, it gave the city an additional opportunity to experience the joy, optimism and creativity that is Vince’s trademark.   As Vince declares, “Life is too short to wear boring glasses and not to eat spicy food!”, so let’s all gather round for this episode!      _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  4. Oct 7

    What 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 to have the affair that ended his marriage, but also about his handling of the divorce proceedings and how it’s one of the moments in his life he’s most proud of.  In part because it allowed him to shed who he was not to become more of who he always knew he could be.  This discovery of self opened the door to finding new love in his late fifties.       When asked what else about life has pleasantly surprised him, Martin says, “Everything!  I wake up at about 4:45 every morning.  I look up at the sky with joy and say, ‘are you kidding me?  This is SO GOOD!”   Yet, Martin isn’t head in the clouds about the responsibilities that come with facing adulthood, he says, “We as people can thrive on a sense of duty.  But too often, that same duty burns us out, leaving nothing for the person underneath the armor.”   As a life coach, people come to Martin Lopez with virtually every one of life’s struggles.  Instead of offering them platitudes or encouragement, he gets curious and asks, “What do you want to experience next?”   It’s a question we’d all do well to consider.  Please join us for this empowering conversation. _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  5. Sep 30

    For 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.   Yet, when she found herself in college as an undergrad in Music and Social Work, she didn’t think a career in music, no matter how much she loved it, would ever be able to pay the bills.  One of her music professors gave her some advice, “When you do music for something other than music’s sake you aren’t going to perform at your best.”   And so, Shannon took a great variety of non-musical jobs to make ends meet.  From coffee shops to a yogurt shop, to a job as a small town activity director.    While working as the health unit coordinator of a large emergency room.  Shannon took inspiration from her coworkers who were working in the ER full-time while raising families and going to grad school.  She thought, if they can manage super-busy lives, I can too.  So while working full time at the hospital, Shannon Abels obtained a Masters in Musical Performance from the University of South Dakota.   Nowadays, Shannon keeps busy with her one true love.  And by busy, I mean, she teaches orchestra at two Sioux Falls Public schools; teaches Flute at the University of Sioux Falls, Dordt University, and Northern State University.  She plays flute in the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra, the Aberdeen University Civic Symphony, and the Worthington Area Symphony Orchestra.   Shannon estimates that she drives 700 miles a week fulfilling all of her musical endeavors, but is quick to point out: NOT during the summer.  Those are the months she stays put, playing with the Sioux Falls Municipal Band, as she has been doing for the past 26 years.   Reflecting on her love for music and the career that has emerged from it on its own terms, Shannon says, “I’ve been able to make music my career, even though I didn’t think it was going to be the way I made my money.  I think if I had really pushed for music to be some fantastic career, it wouldn’t have happened.  Sometimes if you push something you love too hard it doesn’t work out the way you want.  Sometimes you just have to love something for what it is and it will love you in kind.”   _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  6. Sep 24

    Restarting 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 pride in his ability to still do this at his age but he also admits that he’s finally coming around to thinking a good deal about, “coming into old age.”  As is natural, this stage of life also finds him a bit more reflective on where he’s been and what’s gotten him here.   Jerry remembers his forties being a turning point.  When he started them he was pretty disappointed with life.  He hadn’t made tenure at the prestigious college where he taught because he hadn’t published enough academic books and articles.  And the one thing he wanted more than anything: to meet the woman of his dreams, fall in love and get married . . . well, that JUST. WASN’T. HAPPENING.  He felt slighted at virtually every peer’s birthday party he attended, as if “Over the Hill” applied solely to him, reminding him that his best years were behind him.   So Professor Burns decided to restart.  He moved to the Philippines as a Fulbright Scholar for two years.  He didn’t meet the love of his life, however, he found great satisfaction rejuvenating intellectually and emotionally.  While in the Pacific, he wrote a book entitled, “Presenting America, Encountering the Philippines.”    When Professor Jerry Burns returned to the States, he landed a position at Franklin Pierce University, a small liberal arts college in New Hampshire.  With the expectations to publish academic works removed, Jerry found himself taking on more leadership opportunities on campus and thoroughly fell in love with the art of teaching.   After the publication of “Presenting America, Encountering the Philippines”, Jerry returned to the Philippines on a book tour and, while there, he met Ruth, the woman he would marry.  They would have a son and live a very full life together.    Now, as he closes in on his eightieth year, Jerry feels like he’s restarting once again as he encounters new limitations and creates new priorities.    Who knows exactly what life has in store for any of us, but as Jerry’s story demonstrates, just when we think we’ve gotten all we can get from life, we can choose to restart.    _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  7. Sep 16

    Moving 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.  Sally not only won in her category, but nearly all of the 12+ prelim rounds leading up to the final competition.  This is almost unheard of.   These days, Sally Zimney is a keynote speaker, author of “Speaking Story,” and founder of Be Moved Institute™.  She helps leaders find their voice, own their story and move rooms.   Sally owns the stage with such confidence that I was surprised to hear her introduce herself in her TEDx talk, entitled “Not a Speaker, Be an Unspeaker,” by stating:  “I’m Sally.  I’m a speaker and presentation coach and because of that I’m always cool and confident when walking on stage.  And obviously that is a lie.”   I needed to know more.  So I asked her, “Do you ever struggle with self-doubt?” Sally promptly responded, “100%, all the time, even now.”     Well, where in the world does Sally Zimney put that self-doubt when she’s up on-stage?  How does she handle it when it comes up?  She answers, “rather than using the self-doubt to become self-absorbed, disconnected and closed off, I let the self-doubt inspire self-trust which opens me up to all kinds of connection, allowing me to become a channel for what I most want to say.”   Drop the mic!    This episode is going to shift some perspectives and move people.  I can not encourage you enough to tune in.    _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

  8. Sep 9

    Fan Favorite - Hidden Determination: Living with Usher Syndrome w/ Ryan Groeneweg

    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 disability that causes progressive hearing and vision loss. We discuss his early diagnosis and how he's learned to adapt, ask for help, and maintain independence. Ryan also shares about his upbringing on a farm, his professional journey as a school psychologist and behavior analyst, and offers practical tips for interacting with people who have disabilities.   Since this conversation, Ryan and I have traveled across the state of South Dakota speaking about the complex nature of our independent disabilities. During the process, we consistently discover lots of common ground even though our experiences are quite varied. Our audiences love it!   This man has so much to teach all of us. I hope you enjoy!   _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

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About

Jason Freeman is a professional speaker, author, and podcaster who makes his living using the very same voice and speech impediment that he spent nearly thirty years of his life trying to hide, proving that sometimes our most awkward obstacles can be our most awesome gifts. Awkwardly Awesome Podcast is a show founded on the belief that EVERYONE has an important and engaging story to tell. Sometimes profound, sometimes funny, educational and always motivational. May you, dear listener, use this podcast to relate and better understand, to be inspired and increase productivity in the areas of your life that you wish to improve. New episodes EVERY Wednesday. _______________________________________________ **Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest **Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

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