Awkwardly Awesome Podcast w/ Jason Freeman

Ep. 249 - Fully Committed w/ Scott Ehrisman

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 constantly better himself through learning new things and challenging himself. This drive led him to lose 130 pounds over the course of the last two two years. A personal commitment to himself found him commuting everywhere by bike last winter, sans four inhospitable days. AND keep in mind, Sioux Falls, South Dakota winters are windy, snowy, icy, and bitterly cold!
Scott’s commitment to making his convictions actionable is astonishing. A few years back, he took six months off of work to recharge, develop new fascinations, and refocus on what he wanted from life.
After researching and dreaming about starting a pedicab business for a decade, he took a leap this summer and started Downtown Rickshaw in downtown Sioux Falls. For those who aren’t up on your pedicab or cycle rickshaw lingo, picture a human-powered, three wheeled, taxi-bike service.
I love talking to Scott because in this super challenging world he has found the courage to be himself, exactly as he is, in all his brilliance, and that helps me find the courage to embrace who I am. I hope our conversation inspires a deeper recognition of your own brilliance.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

Ep. 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 experience disabilities are part of the broad and sacred spectrum of what makes up humanity. He notes that there tends to be an urge to help those with disabilities out of a sense of pity. However in his experience, people with disabilities are definitely not charity cases. With reverence, David says, “I’ve learned so much from people with disabilities: grit, perseverance, bravado, the ability to find hidden strengths and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.” He goes on to say, “The people I have worked with for over 40 years want opportunity just like I do. When given an opportunity, they succeed.”
David points out, need for each other is simply part of what unites us. He talks enthusiastically about how interdependent human beings are and views the act of offering people with disabilities help is no different than offering anyone else help.
Currently the CEO of Makom, David supports and empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve the quality of life to which they aspire. He is also Conscience of the Field Editor for Helen: The Journal on Human Exceptionality.
Tune in for this enriching conversation.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 247 - Challenging Pros & Cons w/ Ryan Groeneweg & Jason Freeman

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 conceal his disability from the people around him in a way that I have never been able to hide mine. Over the past year, Ryan and I have presented together in front of audiences around South Dakota. We have found that there are both benefits and drawbacks to having a challenge out in the open, just as there are benefits and drawbacks to being able to hide a challenge. The key to thriving with a disability as part of your experience is definitely not black or white.
Tune in to hear this unique conversation between Ryan and I, where we ask each other questions about our unique disabilities, joke around, and ponder the hidden and visible nature of life.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 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 the Awkwardly Awesome Podcast to help us navigate this conundrum and others as we each do our imperfect best to navigate our daily lives. Kirk is the Director of Creative Design and Wellbeing at both Life Works and Alliance of Change. He is a speaker, author, and a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher committed to helping people find purpose through awareness-based action. He proudly calls himself a “positive agitator” and is an irreverent, brilliant and a student who learns as he teaches. Please join me for this sure to be enlightening Imperfect Best, Awkwardly Awesome conversation.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

Ep. 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 would be challenging enough under the best of circumstances, but caring for them while also supporting and caring for three children and fostering a healthy family, with the help of her husband of course, well, that takes quite a degree of resilience. Undoubtedly, the key to Lisa’s resilience is her unwavering outlook on life. As she says, “The more good you look for, the more good you find.”
Lisa Groon is a healthcare quality strategist and caregiver advocate with over twenty years of experience in patient-centered care. Inspired by her role caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s, she reframes dignity as an act of compassion and presence that we can choose to give. Her Dignity Paradox framework challenges conventional approaches to Alzheimer’s caregiving, empowering caregivers to preserve dignity through presence. She also brings these lessons to life through keynotes, workshops and a TEDx talk, guiding audiences to deepen connection and restore dignity in the human experience.
In short, Lisa thrives on being a leader in challenging situations. Her number one tip for good leadership? “Assume good intent.”Yes, my next guest is obviously highly quotable. Want one more? When asked her thoughts on cooling the current political climate, she offers: “It’s important to remember that taking care of one another starts with being kind, one seemingly small act at a time.”
I am both excited and honored to have a talk with Lisa Groon. Eagerly awaiting more gems like the ones above, I look forward to discovering the important ideas and stories she has to share with us.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 244 - Ethics in Action w/ Amber Allen & Emily Leuthold

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 brought them through our doors, people are worth our time. People are worthy of our care. When a patient faces a life changing situation, even if the outcome is not great, we can still know that we did our best even if it feels extremely imperfect.”
 
When our interaction with the medical system consists of a yearly check up, maybe a few labs, or skipping preventive care altogether, it can be easy to adopt an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ philosophy about the world or medicine. Indeed, doctors, nurses, clinics and hospitals can seem a world away when we feel healthy; not unlike how a country that’s half a world away, may seem alien compared to our own. But, unlike the country that will likely remain optional to visit, chances are at some point in our lives we will have to interact with the healthcare system either because we need care or our family members or friends need care.
Enter Amber Allen and Emily Leuthold, both nurses turned clinical ethicists who help patients, families and healthcare professionals navigate the complex and sometimes agonizingly painful questions that often come in all shapes and sizes with healthcare challenges.
As I talked with Amber and Emily in preparation for this episode, it became abundantly clear that many decisions in medicine are highly emotional and complicated with no ideal answer that 100% pleases everyone involved. However, what can be created is a conversation where everyone feels heard and where ethical principles and frameworks are considered as an imperfect best decision is reached.
I don’t know about you, but when emotions run high, I want perfection. This conversation should be very illuminating.
If you’ve ever been curious about what it’s like to work in this intensely challenging and rewarding field, had questions about morals vs. medical ethics, wanted to know the difference between palliative care and hospice, or to learn about advance care planning, this episode is for you.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 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 million dollars worth of grants and contracts for universities and Tribal Nations during his 22 year tenure at SDSU Interwork Institute. Ready for more? Jim’s an Emmy nominated filmmaker. He has worked as an actor and stuntman. Oh, by the way, he was drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 1987 and was also an All-PAC 10 Tackle for the 1987 Arizona State University Rose Bowl Championship team.
Of his early career, Jim says, “I was grateful to live out my young dream related to professional football and acting.”
Jim went on to get a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling with an Administration Emphasis from San Diego State University.
In his current career, he honors his father’s 37 year journey with multiple sclerosis by passionately writing grants, providing opportunities, and advocating for Native American youth with disabilities. As part of this work, Jim is the Community Engagement Director at the University of South Dakota Center for Disabilities and an affiliate with the Sonoran Center For Disabilities.
He honors his mother and his ancestors through his storytelling and filmmaking. His Emmy nominated short film, “Oyáte un Itówapi – Pictures of my People” was featured on Fox’s NFL Thanksgiving Pregame Show in 2020 and FOX’s “Voices” on MLK Day in 2021. His WSD Productions Film Division produced the Award-Winning Documentary, “7th Generation.” Jim’s work reveals the horrors boarding schools inflicted on Native American Youth and the terrible genocide that took place at Wounded Knee.
Tasunka Akan Wicakte brings light to the past to raise awareness, promote healing, and to inspire us all as we endeavor to create a future that is more gentle for our fellow human beings and the Mother Earth we all live on.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 242 - Exhaustion & Excellence w/ Kristine Moberg & Mitch Jackson

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 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 Jackson own and operate a successful business they founded together named Queen City Bakery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Queen City’s draw lies in the way Krisitine’s brilliance as a baker combines with Mitch’s exceptional people skills. His knack for being able to talk to anyone, for any length of time and remembering most every detail ensures that return customers are sure to be greeted by name whenever they enter. Mitch takes their orders, makes their coffee and asks questions that build on what he has learned about their lives on their previous visits. He wants his customers to feel good. He wants them to know that they matter. Back in the kitchen, Kristine is focused, efficient, and tremendously detail oriented as she bakes for hour after hour, making scones, pies, cakes, cookies, bars, quiche (basically all the food I’d love to eat all the time if I could).
Yes, Mitch and Kristine put their strongest skills together and built a dream they once had into a thriving business that’s a hub of the community.
They love being married. They go on long walks together and celebrate each other’s passions and interests outside of their business. You’d think after slaving away in a bakery all day, every day, the last thing either of them would want to do when they get home is be in a kitchen, but nope, you’d be wrong. They estimate that they cook 95% of their meals together. Indeed, through kindness and determination, they relentlessly bring out the best in each other. They are happy parents to two sons, aged 11 and 14, whom they are tremendously proud of. And yes, as implied in the quote above, their journey has not been without major, sometimes gut-wrenching challenges.
When we met up recently, Kristine and Mitch talked about finding joy in the immense amount of work they’ve undertaken in all aspects of their lives since May 10, 2008, the date Queen City Bakery opened. We also talked about finding joy in the challenges, finding joy in being a couple, finding joy in raising their sons, and finding joy in giving so much to a community they truly love and admire.
They inspire me. I hope you let them inspire you too.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 241 - ”Yes, And?” w/ Brett Lovrien

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 children or caring for a parent.
But what happens when that identity goes away, when the job ends, when the child grows up, when the parent heals, goes into a care center, or sadly passes away?
Brett Lovrien could have easily fallen into the trap of hyperfocus. After all, he is a very successful civil attorney specializing in transactional litigation, business law, and health law, which can be a pretty ALL encompassing career choice.
Fortunately, he’s come to recognize that he’s so much more than his work. He’s a proud husband and a father of three adult daughters. He’s an avid hunter and fisherman who loves to go on back country adventures in Western South Dakota, Canada, and Alaska.
He’s passionate about caring for an acreage of land that he and a partner own and have in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
Brett is also someone who has just a few more years of work before he retires.
After that, he’s excited to say “Yes, and?” to the rest of his life.
Had he built his identity entirely around his career, he might not have such an optimistic attitude.
I’m excited to have an Awkwardly Awesome conversation about all it has taken for Brett Lovrien to become a highly successful lawyer, what it’s like to look forward to the rest of his post career life, how he keeps expanding his view of himself and how this expanded view improves his life and the lives of the people around him.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
 

Ep. 240 - Sidewalk Diamonds’ Beth Pyper-Holz & Tony Thomas

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 happy. Their music is infectious. The lyrics, vocals, and instrumentals have a lived-in quality that honors precisely what is right for the song. Their graphics are top notch (thanks to their drummer, Nick Pyper-Holz) and I found their video section well produced and unique (thanks to lead guitarist Jeff Petersen, and features the backstory behind many of their songs. Sidewalk Diamonds seems like a band whose members have been doing this full-time for a long time, and earning a sweet living off of their efforts to boot. But that’s not the case at all. All of the band members have much more traditional, full time gigs.
Now in their fifties, each member brings years of experience with other bands and musical endeavors to Sidewalk Diamonds as they honor their love of creating good music, and their passion for performing and bringing joy to audience after audience.
With so many brutally hard news stories out there, it’s reassuring to realize that our hearts and souls can still connect to the goodness in the world around us. It’s not unlike staring down at concrete on a sunny day and seeing sparkles in all the hardness, or Diamonds In the Sidewalks. See what I did there?
During this episode, I’m excited and honored to talk with band members Beth Pyper-Holz and Tony Thomas and learn why they describe Sidewalk Diamonds as more than a band, but “a cross-country road trip in a VW minivan, where the heat and air conditioning might fail, but the friendships and music make it all worthwhile”.
Check out their website: https://sidewalkdiamonds.com/ Listen to some tunes, and Tune in…
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com