Q&A with Kyle Heckman
 
Kyle Heckman is a race car driver from Bakersfield, California. He’s had great success at all levels of amateur and professional racing. His dream is to be a fixture on the NASCAR circuit. To do so, he’s looking for a sponsor.
 
Kyle is a person who stutters – but he doesn’t let it get in the way of his pursuit of his passion: racing! Here’s our Q&A Spotlight with Kyle Heckman.
 
Q: What do you do?
A: I just recently graduated college from CSU Bakersfield, and now work for an environmental company in Bakersfield as a CSA Safety Manager where I monitor the company’s fleet to make sure they conform to DOT regulations.
 
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family? Hobbies or interests? What’s your passion?
A: I come from a family of four, and have a younger sister. My hobbies and my passion are directly linked.  I’ve raced cars since I was eight years old and the sport has consumed my life.  From racing, and being hands on in my program, I’ve gained a love for metal fabrication as well.  Aside from racing, I enjoy being active, doing things like baseball, golf and CrossFit. 
 
Q: Do you remember when you first began to stutter? 
A: I first began stuttering at the age of two, but do not have much memory of doing so.  I remember being pulled out of class occasionally by a lady (who was a therapist) and thinking it was odd that I was being singled out, but that’s pretty much my first memory.  
 
Q: Does it run in your family? Who else stutters? 
A: Yes, it does. My father stuttered, however, he became fluent in his late teens.  
 
Q: Did you seek treatment? Did it help? 
A: I obtained treatment occasionally throughout elementary school, and have met with a couple of therapist in my teenage years and gone through their programs.  Initially, with the private therapy I did have good results, but over time however, my fluency would return to normal.  I’ve also tried the Speech Easy device and it did wonders for me, however I have not yet purchased one.  
 
Q: Tell us about your experience with stuttering as a child.
A: Stuttering as a child had a pretty big impact on me, most specifically in school.  I remember at an early age the feelings I would get when we would have to read aloud in class, or perform a presentation.  I would do whatever I could to get out of the situation, like use the restroom right before it was my turn, or search for an alternative way out.  I just remember when we would be reading, I could never retain the curriculum we would read because my anxiety was so centered on the thought of getting chosen.  Outside of school, I’ve done my best to not let it affect my social life, and for the most part it doesn’t have an effect.   
 
Q: Has your stuttering gotten worse or better since you were younger? How?
A: My stuttering has fluctuated a lot over the years.  I like to describe it as a wave because there are times when I can go a week or two with minimal stuttering and good confidence, and then times that I struggle to put a fluent phrase together.  
 
Q: How did it affect you growing up?
A: Growing up it was definitely a part of me, and it occasionally prevented me from putting myself in certain situations that I otherwise would have engaged in had I not stuttered.  Looking back on it, I put forth a lot of effort daily to mask my stutter, and I feel I was pretty good at it, but the older I get, hiding my stutter is becoming less and less important to me.   
 
Q: How does stuttering affect you as a race car driver?
A: Racing requires a lot of public relations and communicating.  I’ve been fortunate to gather quite a few championships, and with those accomplishments, there’s always some sort of formal banquet that requires a speech, so that’s definitely been a challenge.  Also, usually after every race I get interviewed in front of the crowd, and sometimes it’s difficult to maintain fluency when I just get out of the car and my adrenaline is still at a high.   These speeches are very important though, because it’s my opportunity to thank sponsors, so it’s just something I have to work through.  
 
Q: What are the biggest challenges stuttering has presented to you?
A: I feel one of the biggest challenges that it’s presented to me is it’s stunted my ability to network. Specifically in racing, finding sponsors is a big part of progressing up the ladder, and with my stutter it’s been very difficult for me to go and make that phone call to a company and sell myself to someone.
 
Q: What is your greatest accomplishment with regard to stuttering?
A: This article may be it. I’ve always tried to hide and be unaccepting of my stutter, but from listening to Podcast’s such as Stutter Talk and doing more research and seeing the strong community that exists, it’s something I’ve begun to embrace. So coming out with something in print that shows who I truly am is a big personal accomplishment for me.
 
Q: Based upon your experiences, what would you like to tell children who stutter?
A: I would tell them to not be ashamed of their stutter and to just be themselves. Don’t let your stutter run your life. Everybody in the world faces problems daily, and when you look at it in the scheme of things, stuttering is such a minute problem compared to others.
 
Q: Based upon your experiences, what would you tell parents of children who stutter?
A: To be supportive in every way they could towards their child. My parents were and still are very supportive and did whatever they could to help me and provided me therapy when I wanted. I had a dad who could relate to what I would go through on a daily basis and that made it easier on me.
 
Follow Kyle Heckman on Twitter @kyle_heckman
 
Do you know someone inspirational who stutters and has a great story to tell? Contact us at info@stutteringhelp.org and we’ll consider them for our next Q&A Spotlight.
 
 
From the Winter 2015 Newsletter