Stuttering Foundation Honors Entrepreneurs

To celebrate Stuttering Awareness Week in May, the Stuttering Foundation honored two entrepreneurs for their contributions to the stuttering community during its gala in New York City.

In a reception at The Lotos Club, Foundation president Jane Fraser noted, “Finding meaningful employment can be one of the hardest endeavors those who stutter face during their lifetime. For some, starting or running a successful business is both a personal triumph and a necessity. Our speakers tonight shared their achievements, motivated us and challenged us all to do more.”

Those honored were Nick Weaver, COO and co-founder of Blue Delta Jeans Co., and Laura Shinall, president of Syndicate Sales, Inc., and her son, Mac Wilson.

“Our honorees provided us with an intimate look into their own personal experiences with stuttering and those of their loved ones. They’ve inspired us with both their hard work and their humanity,” said Fraser. “As they have demonstrated, actions speak so much louder than words.”

Weaver spoke about succeeding in business, said how he uses humor in communication, shared how stuttering is just one part of who he is, and discussed how stuttering can be an advantage in business. He is a role model, an entrepreneur, an app developer, a husband, a father, and a person who stutters.

Shinall discussed entrepreneurship, mentoring, and job interviews. Stuttering, she said, can be an additional hurdle to overcome during a job interview.

She encouraged those who stutter to “hire yourself” and become entrepreneurs.

She also encouraged others to form a network so those who stutter could link up with those in the business community. To help Laura achieve her goal, contact her at ldshinall@syndicatesales.com.

Presentations from the gala can be viewed on The Stuttering Foundation’s YouTube Channel, www.YouTube.com/StutteringFdn.

From the Fall 2015 Newsletter

CELEBRITY FOCUS

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

John Stossel

John Stossel is one of the most recognized and articulate reporters today. However, he once considered giving up his broadcasting career because of his stuttering.

“Fear of stuttering can easily become worse than the stuttering itself,” observed Stossel. “The idea that I’m on television and making speeches is still a shock to me sometimes.”