“I’m not Taylor Swift or an opera singer but I can still go out there and sing. The invitation is to walk through the ring of fire that our fears have lit.” ~ Sandi Kimmel

Sandi Kimmel makes her third appearance on Awkwardly Awesome Podcast as her story and creative genius keep expanding.

Growing up in Sandi’s family, being academic was the prize. As a creative person, she knew in her heart of hearts that just wasn’t her. She pursued academic excellence just the same.

As she got older, Sandi held jobs in Corporate America. She tried to outrun the creative genius she knew was inside of her, but was afraid it wasn't professional enough to provide the success she thought she should achieve. During this time, she was often saddened by the thought of her guitar sitting in a closet collecting dust.

The urge to make music just wouldn’t let go. So Sandi finally gave in. She recorded her first album in 1998.

She feels that each subsequent album she’s released has reflected great growth in her attitude towards life and her ability to embrace it and celebrate it. This growth has included learning to navigate the heartache of grieving the death of her husband and her mother two short years apart.

Now, six albums into her recording journey, Sandi Kimmel has released “Practical Mystic" which she describes as “an invitation to remember who you are beneath the noise—without striving, without fixing, without force.”

How did Sandi make it through the ring of fire of her fears to record the brilliant and joyful music within her?

She has this to say, “I suddenly understood that I was a spiritual being and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. I started to write from the place in me that was touched, that was growing. I sing the truth as I know it at the time. We can only do the best we can with what we know at the time. I can only sing to the place I’ve healed to.”

Please tune in for this most inspiring episode.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

“There is something in many ancient practices, be it acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic, that works or helps, but none of them are a one-stop-shop. None of them can cure everything all the time.” ~ Mike Huber

In college, Mike Huber decided on an accounting degree for a very logical reason: He knew having a definitive skill would make for a lasting career. Then he joined the military in order to pay for college.

But, it would take significant back pain at the age of 26 before the adventure of Mike’s life really began. Seeking relief after back surgery at the age of 30, he took a job teaching English in China knowing he would be amongst the world's leaders in acupuncture. While the acupuncture did bring him relief, it wasn’t the solution. However, Mike did meet the woman who would later become his wife.

Several years after marrying, while in Vermont, Mike and his wife took a hot yoga class. Mike was immediately hooked.

Through the movement and breath work of yoga, Mike discovered he could reduce the amount of pain he was in and even feel good more often than not. He was so inspired by his progress that he enrolled in a yoga training program and became a yoga teacher to share what he had learned about the practice with others.

These days, Mike Huber is both a yoga teacher and a financial planner. His yoga teaching includes volunteering in the South Dakota Penitentiary, sharing the restorative art of healing with people who rarely have access to it and who arguably need it most.

When he was a kid, Mike often imagined his life would become fixed and unchanging once he entered adulthood. But adult life has time and time again proven him wrong. His journey surprises even him. It has helped him heal in ways he once doubted possible. Mike will tell you that he still doesn’t know what else he wants to be when he grows up . . . but, oh my goodness, is he having fun in the process of finding out.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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

“Going through a tough time definitely makes you a sharper person. I think back to being in the hospital because I had a grapefruit-sized tumor in my head. I kept waiting and waiting. My surgery was delayed three times. During that time, so much of my emotional well-being depended on my inner circle. For example, my best friend Jake texted everyday. Being alone was and still is one of my greatest fears. I’m a people guy. When everyone was gone for the night and it was just me and my thoughts, that was a very scary place. I knew I might die. I knew I might die in surgery. AND I wondered if I would still be me if I did survive.” ~ Phil Gintowt

Phil Gintowt doesn’t get hung up on the “why me?” Instead, he has a steadfast commitment to maintaining a positive attitude, regardless of his circumstances.

As a little kid, Phil learned to navigate the uncertain waters of seizures, a speech impediment, and attention deficit disorder. On top of that, he had severe allergies.

Luckily, as Phil neared adulthood these waters started to calm. He was able to set his sights on the horizon and pursue his dream of becoming a chef. He completed vocational school and landed an internship at a prestigious restaurant in Georgetown, Virginia. Phil loved being close to Washington, DC and visited the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian and everything in between.

Everything, in fact, seemed to be going great. Then a substantial tumor was discovered in Phil’s brain. On top of everything else he’d already had to endure in life, Phil could have taken this unwanted news and let it contort him into a bitter, frustrated, angry person.

Yet Phil refused to abandon his unyielding positivity.

These days, Phil Gintowt is writing a second book, is in the process of starting a podcast called “Waking Up With Phil,” and dreams of founding a foundation dedicated to supporting individuals facing serious, life altering conditions.

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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

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