“Pop culture isn’t just a source of entertainment; it’s a powerful force in society. It influences our beliefs, it affects our personality, and it often reflects the importance of our lives.”

~ Aiza Shahid as published on Medium

Between kindergarten and 12th grade, Chris Taylor moved five times, attended four different elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, across four states spread across the country, namely Kansas, Michigan, Virginia and California. There’s no way to downplay how challenging changing schools, let alone changing states, can be for a kid, yet, Chris says the moves taught him “so much about learning to make new friends and adapt to new environments. It really helped me learn to reinvent myself and discover who I was.”

Through all the changes, Chris had the consistency of two loving parents, a brother three-and-a-half years younger than him, and pop culture. Taylor talks fondly about everything from Star Wars to Pee-Wee’s Playhouse to Nintendo to his Fisher Price record player. Things like this remained familiar friends when everything else changed around him. These cultural references, known from coast to coast, also offered great bonding tools for making new friends.

Chris talks with great passion about the importance of remembering the music, movies, TV shows and hobbies we loved when we were younger. Sometimes, we think that we become too “adult” to entertain the things that brought us joy in our youth. However, those things might not only bring us joy now, but could also hold the key to core memories that inspire our creative ideas and passion projects. For instance, as an award-winning graphic designer, Chris loves to combine imagery from the many eras of pop culture he’s witnessed into artwork that is at times parody and at other times satirical. He calls this emerging body of work Culture Pop. Chris Taylor explains, “It’s all about turning pop culture on its head and experiencing it from a different perspective. If Culture Pop makes you think, makes you laugh, makes you examine how pop culture has shaped your own identity, then it’s functioning as designed.”

I’m fascinated with how Chris uses pop culture references and memories of being a kid to energize the life he lives now. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

David Sunde is a former firefighter and avid adventurer whose career was cut short when he suffered a stroke at the age of 56. Not content with the prospect of being mostly stuck at home while others cared for him, David leaned into his determination to continue on with his life of adventure and service. David was fortunate that he was young and in shape but still recovery was immensely challenging.

During physical therapy David discovered spin class which grew his determination to once again ride on his own, out on the open road. This evolved into connecting with friends he’d ridden with in the past and biking extremely long distances, often multi-day rides of around FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILES. He didn’t stop at exploring land, either. After his stroke, David also resumed scuba diving, even though his doctors weren’t thrilled about the idea. He also once more took up the hobby of “shooting walleye”, a fishing method I’ll be sure to ask him about during our interview.

Strokes are one the leading causes of disability in the United States and there’s much need to let survivors know there’re rewarding paths forward. David also mentors other survivors by sharing hope, stories and practical insights. As he says, “I know if I don’t do anything, I don’t help anybody. We are here on this earth to help each other.”

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

“Why people? People just need a little inspiration, a positive and supportive voice in their head, because when people get out of their own way, they can change the world.”

~ Aaron Johnson

Sometimes the most defining opportunities show up long before we understand their impact. Aaron Johnson was twelve years old when his father stepped away from the business that had long supported his family and chose a new path into hospitality. Along with a business partner, his father built a new Days Inn in Oacoma, South Dakota, a town of roughly 400 people along the Missouri River.

That decision set a trajectory that continues more than three decades later.

Today, Aaron is the CEO and Visionary of KAJ Hospitality, a second-generation, family-owned hotel ownership and management company founded by his father, Kevin Johnson. Now managing 14 hotels across the Midwest under brands like Hilton and Marriott, KAJ has grown with a clear belief at its core: strong businesses are built by investing in people. Aaron has been instrumental in shaping a culture that empowers team members, guests, and partners to grow, lead, and achieve more than they thought possible.

That people-first philosophy doesn’t stop with hospitality or adults.

When Aaron and his wife found themselves underwhelmed by traditional education options for their children, they began searching for something different. That search led them to the Acton Academy model, a learner-driven approach to education centered on ownership, curiosity, and resilience. Believing deeply in the model, they opened Acton Academy Sioux Falls, serving learners from pre-K through high school.

At Acton, students are called learners and teachers are guides, a reflection of the school’s belief that young people are capable of far more than we often give them credit for. Aaron describes the model this way: “Acton helps young people practice the things many of us spend our adult lives learning. Taking ownership of their work, pushing through obstacles, learning from failure, and staying motivated without someone constantly telling them what to do.”

Across both KAJ Hospitality and Acton Academy, the thread is the same. Aaron believes that leadership is not reserved for a few, and potential is not limited by age or title.

As he puts it simply, “We are all capable, and we all have the ability to lead.”

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

I met Jason Ranek in high school. We bonded over our shared interest in writing poetry. He challenged and inspired me to become the best poet I could be. Through the years Jason has invited me to think deeply about life, to explore meditation and rigorously reflect on what it means to be human.

I’ve also had the privilege of getting to witness his epic journey of transformation. I’ll never forget the day I asked Jason to meet me at the Greyhound station in Omaha, Nebraska so I could introduce him to the friends I was traveling with. Well, let’s just say Jason and one of these friends, a wonderful Norwegian woman, took a liking to each other. They dated and eventually got engaged and married. I’d say they hit it off pretty well! Together, they eventually moved from the prairie of South Dakota to the fjords of southern Norway.

Just as Jason had no way of knowing that his crosstown jaunt to a Greyhound station to humor a friend would have such major delightful life implications, he also had no way of predicting that his immigration to Norway would inspire an epic, decade-long book project called The Vigeland Oracle, which was published in November of 2025.

The project began taking shape shortly after Jason arrived in Norway and became immersed in its culture. He found himself especially drawn to the works of Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, as explained on the back cover of The Vigeland Oracle, “Vigeland built a universe of granite and bronze in the heart of Oslo—statues and reliefs that capture every human emotion, struggle and triumph.” Jason’s book transforms Gustav’s “monumental sculpture park into a tool for inner work, rooted in the principle of synchronicity.”

What the back of the book doesn’t mention in its description is the thousands of hours of dedication, courage, and persistence it takes to write, edit and publish a book of this caliber. If you can’t tell, I’m extremely proud of Jason Ranek and I’m honored to have him as my next guest on the Awkwardly Awesome Podcast.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

“The person who is supposed to love me most is saying I’m stupid. When you are told you're a bad person for a long time, it takes awhile to learn to love yourself again.” ~ Carol Beth Nelson, MD

Carol Beth Nelson, MD is a neurologist, a mother to four adult children and five adult step children, a life-long avid swimmer, and a lover of the small South Dakota town she grew up in. Since 2018, she’s done so many triathlons that she's lost count. Add to this her impressive list of completing 2 Ironmans and 4 marathons, and sum it up with Carol’s own words, “I have to use all my energy, I just don’t sit very well.”

And while Carol has had many enormous successes and victories, like all of us, she’s experienced life's immense challenges and complexities as well.

Carol was a freshman in med school when she married her first husband, Shon. They shared the kind of love one only dreams about, the kind of love that lasts forever, but life at times can be so cruel. Nine and a half months into their blissful marriage, Shon was tragically killed in a car accident just a mile from their home.

Navigating such profound loss at such a young age can leave even the strongest person vulnerable. Carol missed what she had. She wanted to move forward. She says, “Shon showed me how to love and be loved and I wanted that back.” Carol remarried four years later and though the marriage would ultimately last for 24 years, it was not the stuff of storybooks.

For many years, it was challenging for Carol to even wrap her head around what was going on. For eleven years of her marriage, she was the only one working and bringing in an income, yet she was always in charge of doing most everything from raising their kids to doing the housework. The only things her husband reliably managed were the lawn and the finances. Unfortunately, his managing of the finances led to significant financial abuse. Slowly, Carol was able to identify that her husband was repeatedly manipulating her, gaslighting her and exhibiting other behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder. Carol eventually found the strength to leave that marriage and get a divorce.

Her experiences informed the foundation of the book she would go on to write, entitled “We Are Alike: How a Doctor Leveraged her Neuroscience Expertise to Survive and Heal from Narcissistic Abuse”. The book covers the details and lessons of her profoundly challenging and isolating experience in the hopes that she can help people in long-term relationships with narcissistic partners identify what is going on and to explore their options. Carol also hopes the book might help people at the beginning of a relationship to identify patterns and red flags and understand their options.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

“When you have someone at the table with a disability, you quickly see how they’ve had to navigate a world that’s not designed for them. They are problem solvers. They’ve had to learn to organize so many aspects of their lives. They see dimensions to our world we might be oblivious to.” ~ Lisa Drennan

There was a time—not so long ago—when people with disabilities were often hidden away in institutions, their individuality separated from the rest of the world. Fortunately for Lisa Drennan, a childhood family friend with a disability was welcomed fully into her life and community. That relationship allowed her to see, firsthand, what it meant to navigate the world with a different set of circumstances —planting early seeds of understanding, empathy, and belonging that continue to guide her work today.

At 17, Lisa secured a job with a neighborhood agency that supported people with disabilities. There she developed a passion for figuring out how to support people who navigate life with additional physical and / or developmental challenges, as they strive to be included in all aspects of society. Her time at this organization was so important to Lisa that she now serves on its board of directors.

Since we all have differences of one sort or another, Lisa views inclusion as a win-win for everybody. She believes that as we celebrate, honor and accommodate these differences, we pave the way for each of us to grow into the best version of ourselves. Inclusive mindsets and practices benefit everyone.

Lisa founded MERGE Inclusion Consulting in 2018 to further her efforts to put this belief into action. Through MERGE, Lisa provides training to community organizations and helps them brainstorm about ways to be more welcoming to people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Lisa also talks to the community of people who experience disabilities about navigating their lives powerfully through accessing their community, contributing in meaningful ways.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

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This is a link to a free download “A Toolkit For Community Recreation, Cultural, and Faith Organizations” which Lisa talks about during the show-

https://thearcofmass.org/toolkit-organization/

IMPORTANT NOTE- after you click the link and enter your name and email, it will take you to

another page with the link to download the PDF.

“There’re 10,000 different ways of getting over the same obstacle.” ~ Marina Gavryushkina

Marina Gavryushkina is not unlike a Russian Indiana Jones, not only does she have a Masters in Archaeology and started her PHD, but she’s lived her life in constant pursuit of adventure, following her passion for parkour all the way to the national stage as a contestant on American Ninja Warrior.

Of parkour, Marina says, “It’s an opportunity to move through your environment in a very liberating and creative way. It has a sense of adventure to it. You run, jump and climb your way around obstacles and experience challenges and perspectives not just anyone gets to experience.” If we consider Marina’s environment the entire world’s stage, she has vaulted over many obstacles within it. She was born in Moscow, Russia, went to grade school in Santa Monica, California, high school in Thousand Oaks, majored in Anthropology and Art History at Berkley, and went to grad school in the Netherlands. She’s had an archeology internship in the wilds of the Nevada desert, has worked at a chateau in France, a vineyard in France, an AirBnB in the Italian Alps, as a grounds keeper in Scotland, and as an accountant because she needed money to further fund her adventures.

Currently the Manager of Communications & Development at Jay Nolan Community Services, Marina does her part to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other neurodiverse disorders to live as empowered, included, and embraced members of the community. Of her years of service, she says, “My work at Jay Nolan has supported me through all the crazy adventures and all my crazy adventures inspire me to always return to Jay Nolan, where no two days are the same and I feel like the work I’m doing actually makes a difference.”

Be it leaping over a six foot wall, moving between continents with confidence, or sitting down for an Awkwardly Awesome conversation with me, Marina Gavryushkina knows how to make life exciting. I can’t wait to share some of her adventures with you.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

In this fan-favorite episode Tim Dumas and host Jason Freeman explore "magnanimity" — leading by bringing out others' greatness — and how sharing and supporting personal dreams at work strengthens teams, boosts motivation, and improves results. This episode is chock full of practical stories, explains coaching versus rescuing, and gives tools for building peer support and accountability.

Tune in for encouraging advice on embracing failure as progress, creating action plans, and using connection and vulnerability to help yourself and others reach bigger goals. ______________________________

In his invigorating Get Inspired Talk, Tim Dumas says, “Far too many of us have forgotten the difference that dreams make in our lives.”

Tim’s purpose is ‘Growth through Service.’ As the Founder of Servus Leadership, Tim specializes in executive coaching and strategic planning for values-based leaders. His energetic approach to coaching focuses on creating accountability and action!

Professionally, Tim Dumas is a Certified Coach, Speaker & Trainer with the John Maxwell Team, a Certified Facilitator and Trainer with the Extreme Leadership Institute, a Partner and Consultant with Virtuous Leadership LLC, a Forum Chair with MacKay CEO Forums and a Partner & COO in JAK’s Beer Wine & Spirits.

When Tim is not coaching in the board room, he can be found coaching soccer and football with South Delta United and the South Delta Rams; respectively. Tim and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Tsawwassen, BC; just outside of Vancouver with their six children.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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