Make Room For The Stuttering

Episode 273 features Halie Matthews, who hails from South East Georgia. She is a toddler teacher and works with 2 and 3 year old’s in a pre-school. She is also in the process of getting her degree in Early Childhood Education. Listen in as we discuss what it’s like working with young kids and their […]

Episode 272 features Gina Waggott who hails from Yorkshire, England. She is a writer and owns her own internet advertising business. She is working on a book honoring long time friend and idol Scatman John, or John Larkin, his given name. John stuttered and hugely influenced Gina when she was a teen and going through […]

Episode 271 features Paula Campbell-Schwab, who hails from Houston, Texas. Paula is a retired Special Education teacher and spends her time doing lots of fun things, such as yoga, water aerobics, and Tai Chi. At 72 years young, Paula is a force to be reckoned with. Paula grew up in the Northeast, and lived in […]

Episode 270 features Chyncia Smith, who hails from New Jersey. She works in outdoor retail, and also coaches field hockey and softball.  Chyncia studied accounting in college, and we talk about whether that was an intentional career choice based on perceived communication demands. In her present role, Chyncia shares that she always tries to stay […]

Episode 269 features Brittney O’Neal who hails from Sacramento, California. Brittney is busy with a wife and almost 3 year old daughter and her career. Brittney is a Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist and is preparing to soon open her own clinic. In her work, Brittney makes artificial limbs and custom braces. She combines her lifelong passion for […]

Episode 268 features Amber Kennedy, who hails from South Lake Tahoe, California, by way of Australia. Amber came to the USA by way of working on private yachts. She and her husband own and manage 10 restaurants around the lake. We talk about how Amber manages stuttering in a communication heavy industry. She talks about […]

Episode 267 features Lexi Hewitt who hails from Exton, Pennsylvania. Lexi just graduated with a Masters degree in school counseling and is looking forward to working with elementary school students one day. She is active with the National Stuttering Association (NSA) as a family chapter leader and was a former intern and mentor. Lexi shares that […]

Episode 266 features Jolie Keenan, who is an infectious disease physician who hails from Washington State. She grew up in the Philippines and moved to the USA after completing her medical training. She has two young daughters. Jolie shares how listening to this podcast helped her get through a lot of dark moments about her […]

Episode 265 Features Stacey Dedering, who hails from San Jose, California. Stacey is the proud mom to 17 year old twins and works as a HR Generalist in the education industry. She also volunteers with her local Food Bank, takes leadership roles and will soon celebrate 4 years of volunteerism.  Listen in to a wonderful […]

Episode 264 features Elizabeth Edwards, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland. Elizabeth works in Public Health as an Adult Immunization Coordinator. Elizabeth shares that she attended an Older Adults workshop at the annual NSA conference in 2022 and found that she really wanted to develop and sustain intergenerational relationships. She is now part of the NSA […]

Episode 263 features Michelle Polinsky, who hails from New York, NY. Michelle works as an ENT surgery coordinator, where she works with a lot of anxious parents. This job sort of fell into her lap, and has actually helped with her speech, as it’s helped her deal with her fear of phone calls. Michelle studied […]

Episode 262 features Devin, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Devin is a nanny/house manager for a family with two kids, ages 11 and 12. She has worked in the child care field for about 12 years. Devin attended her first National Stuttering Association conference this past summer, after learning about it from a SLP who […]

Episode 261 features Mandy Rodstrum, who hails from Columbus, Ohio. Mandy is a wife, mother, and school based Speech Language Pathologist. She has worked as a SLP for 19 years. Mandy originally thought she was going to be a music teacher. She considers music “her first language.” After taking an elective course in speech and […]

Episode 260 features Sara Ayala, who hails from Houston, Texas. Sara is a Montessori teacher working with infants and toddlers. She is a member of the Houston Chapter of the NSA and recently attended her first National Stuttering Association conference. Listen in as we discuss how freeing it felt for Sara to meet so many […]

Episode 259 features Haley Totherow, who hails from Benicia, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Haley has always had a passion for writing, thinking she could express herself better on paper. However, the stress of job interviews caused her to put her writing dreams on hold and she found herself pursuing other opportunities. Haley […]

Episode 258 features Marissa Druzchetta, who hails from Houston, Texas. Marissa is a social worker and presently works as a Director of a Meals-on-Wheels program. She supervises around 10 staff and 100 volunteers, so she describes her work environment as very fast paced and not always conducive to disclosure. Marissa is also very involved in […]

Episode 257 features Gabriela Perez, who hails from Guilford, Connecticut. Gabriela just graduated from the University of Chicago with a major in Global Studies and Spanish and Portuguese. She is going to Brazil for the next year under a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English at a Brazilian university. Gabriela has a very tight knit family. […]

Episode 256 features Mide Oyindamola, PharmD, RPH, who hails from Palestine, Texas, by way of South Carolina and Nigeria. Mide works as a hospital pharmacist. Listen in as we discuss how Mide came to choose pharmacy as her career. We also discuss covert stuttering, and what happened when Mide lost the ability to be covert. […]

Episode 255 features Kathryn Paprocki, who hails from Denver, Colorado. Kathryn is a wife, mom and professional fighter. She and her husband own a gym called DCO MMA & Fitness. She is a boxer and kickboxer, but her ultimate passion and soul lies with MMA. Kathryn shares that training and fighting helped her manage anxiety […]

Episode 254 features Dr. Tracey Wallace, who hails from Brandywine, Maryland. Tracey is an educational audiologist for the Washington, DC public schools. She also works with her husband as an entrepreneur, with an event venue that they are growing. Tracey spent more than half of her life managing the stress of trying to survive as […]

Episode 253 features Elizabeth Escobar, who hails from Germantown, Maryland. Elizabeth is a busy mom and student, who speaks and stutters in three languages: English, Spanish and Arabic. Elizabeth is studying International Studies with a minor in Information Technology. She likes advocacy work and understanding the socioeconomic statuses of other countries. Listen in as we […]

Episode 252 features Callie Brazil, who hails from Irvine, California. Callie is the Director of Digital Marketing and Storytelling at UCLA Law School. Her focus is on social media storytelling and brand journalism.  Callie shares her story of how many doors open when one door closes. And this is not cliché at all! Callie thought […]

Episode 251 features Emma MacMillan, who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Emma works at a bank as a relationship manager, working with the mergers and acquisitions team. She enjoys reading, concerts and hanging out with friends. Emma opens up about working with fast paced attorneys, who slow down to listen to her. She had challenged herself […]

This episode is a milestone for this podcast. We’ve reached Number 250. This brings me so much joy.   Episode 250 features Adriana Flowers, who hails from Springfield, Oregon via Honduras. Adriana is 23 years old and is a grad student studying Public Administration. She hopes to pursue a career in either the nonprofit industry or […]

Episode 249 features return guest Carolina Ayala, who hails from Ajax, ON, Canada. She shares that she’s been working in the disability field now for 20 years and loves it. She has recently transitioned into a new position, where she helps clients engage and be more social in their communities. In this special episode, we discuss […]