“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 a tradition learned from her parents, who were heavily involved in volunteer work, sitting on boards and building community in San Diego, Anne champions the causes she’s passionate about regardless of whether or not they are backed by an official organization. For instance, she once threw a compost themed birthday party for herself to at once celebrate composting, which she believes in, while making it fun and engaging for everyone in attendance.

Five years ago, Anne relocated from San Diego to the northern Baja region of Mexico. Even though Mexico is not her native land, she cares immensely for her community and its flourishing. As the president of the board of Four Walls International, she and her fellow team members are dedicated to ecological preservation and community development in the Tijuana River Watershed. While the problems they’re working towards finding solutions for are unlikely to be solved in her lifetime, Anne delights in the relentless pursuit of possible solutions.

Anne Porter knows there is great power in connecting with each other and believes that our ability to look past our differences and come together for a united purpose will forever offer hope for the world.

Never one to waste her free time, Anne is the consummate traveler and trier of new things. In the last few years, she’s taken up writing poetry, wielding, and is soon to embark on a two week glass blowing course.

I’ve been friends with Anne for years and have always found her so encouraging and inspiring. I’m truly delighted to get to share her brilliance with you.

_______________________________________________

**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

“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 force. Sarah was aware that she could try and shut out the realities she experienced in Mexico once she was back home and had distance from it. But she didn’t want to. She chose not to.

Instead, the experience inspired great purpose within her. She went on to visit the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Guatemala. She worked directly with people experiencing poverty. The experience informed a greater understanding of what it meant to love, “It’s one thing to say you love someone or something, but if there’s no action behind it, it’s not good enough.”

Sarah spent a year volunteering as a teaching fellow in the South Bronx, then continued as an elementary art teacher at the same school while earning her Masters of Science in Education. As she recounts in her TEDx talk, the first year was extremely challenging. Leaning into her early experiences, she began to express how much she loved and valued each of her students. A short time into her second year of teaching, everything shifted in a way that allowed her students to feel cared for and successful.

While working in the South Bronx, Sarah also met her husband. They had two children and eventually decided to move back to Sarah’s hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This is where Sarah continued some of her most fulfilling work. Together, with a local non-profit, she created and launched a holistic curriculum, an educational framework designed to develop the "whole child" from birth through adolescence by addressing their physical, emotional, social, ethical, and academic needs.

None of us will have the honor of solving ALL of the world's problems, but Sarah’s heart-warming story reminds me of the power we ALL have to spread love far and wide, well beyond the limits of what we can imagine.

_______________________________________________

**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com

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 mental health community, and I’m continuously inspired by him. Considering this episode is a "Fan Favorite", it would appear I am far from alone. Once again, I’m honored to get to share Tom Clute's gentle wisdom with all of you!

_______________________________________________

**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com