Blogs

January 8, 2019

A Love Letter to my Stutter

My stutter is something that has been a part of my life since I can remember. It’s brought a lot of embarrassment and social anxiety surrounding it. However, it’s also brought a lot of individuality and compassion to my life.

December 13, 2018

Stuttering: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

I have never thought of stuttering as a gift, but maybe it is.

November 30, 2018

How Accepting My Stutter Made Me More Genuine

“I want you to stand out. I want all of you, to be as different as you can possibly be, in all the best ways.”

November 13, 2018

An Open Letter to Speech Therapy

Going back to speech therapy was one of the best things I’ve ever done

October 30, 2018

To The Kids Who Picked on Me Because I Stutter

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to go to school with a group of kids who rarely picked on me because I stuttered. I know other people who stutter who were not as fortunate.

October 24, 2018

Stuttering as an Impediment to Driving?

Just when I thought I had seen all the crazy examples of how misunderstood stuttering is, something more outrageous has come along!

October 18, 2018

Why I’m Thankful That I Stutter

After all this time, I’ve come to terms with stuttering and I’ve found peace with my thoughts, with words, with writing.

October 15, 2018

What ISAD Means to Me

For most of my life, celebrate was the last word I would associate with stuttering and definitely the last thing I wanted to do in terms of my stutter.

October 9, 2018

Another Person Who Stutters Wins Stanley Cup

Nicklas Backstrom is the latest NHL player who stutters to win a Stanley Cup.

October 8, 2018

Bloomin’ Arse

I grew up watching old musicals. I memorized the song lyrics, I danced along, and I didn’t just fantasize, I visualized playing the characters some day.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

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.

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.”

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.