My Stuttering Life

Today's featured guest is Kota Teratani .   Kota is a developer from Kobe, Japan. After developing an adult-onset speech disorder at his first job, he spent years navigating conflicting diagnoses and medical treatments. In mid-2024, he taught himself to code using AI and built Vocal Proxy — an app that helps people with speech difficulties communicate with confidence. He thinks it's not about esca...

Today's featured guest is Bryan Matthews . Bryan states, "I started stuttering when I was around 10 years old. I'm currently the Director of Training for the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, welders and Service Technicians Local union 625 in Charleston West Virginia. I'm the co-leader of the Huntington/Marshall University Adult Chapter for the National Stuttering Association. I have co...

Today's featured guest is Andrea Navarra . Andrea Navarra is a 35-year-old Italian living in Malta. He holds a BSc in Nursing from Rome and an MSc in Green Economy from Bournemouth University, where he specialized in carbon management, renewable energy, and environmental law. He began his professional journey in healthcare as a nurse (2014–2021) before transitioning into environmental sustainabili...

Today's featured guest is Travis Warrington . Travis states, "I've stuttered since I was 5 years old. I was in speech therapy on and off during grade school to college. I have struggled with my self-esteem due my stuttering, but I have recently found an outlet and a global support system from having a YouTube channel".   I believe that there is healing in sharing, and I want to thank Travis for sh...

In this episode, I dive into embracing our worth and cherishing life's beautiful moments. I'll share how practicing self-compassion, celebrating small victories, and surrounding ourselves with positivity can help us recognize our true value—stutter and all. Together, let's journey toward self-acceptance and joy, because we are worthy of every beautiful thing life offers! LINKS: Thank you to Noah S...

Today's featured guest is Larry Stein. Larry Stein struggled with stuttering for 50 years, compromising his career and suffering debilitating depressions.   In an effort to save the business of his dreams, he launched a drive to improve his speech that far exceeded his expectations.   Over the next two years, he relearned to speak, retrained his brain and worked through speaking situations that on...

Today's featured guest is Doyle.   Doyle, the warm voice behind Spirit Talk Show , invites grown-ups to unwind with bedtime stories that blend magic and mindfulness.   An Irish-American adventurer and dad of two, Doyle's path from camp counselor to beloved teacher and tech whiz is one of passion and persistence.   With a B.A. in Child Development, a Master's in Educational Technology, and three te...

Today's featured guest is J. Scott Yaruss .   J. Scott Yaruss, PhD, is a Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and the President of Stuttering Therapy Resources, Inc., a specialty publishing company dedicated to helping speech-language pathologists help people who stutter. A practicing clinician for more than 30 years, Yaruss is a board-certified specialist...

Today's featured returning guest is Andrew Simpson .   It's always a great honor to have a returning guest and I'm thrilled to welcome back Andrew, whose journey continues to inspire. At just 25, Andrew is thriving on the accounting team at Colliers International in Columbus, Ohio. A proud graduate of Capital University and former student-athlete on the Men's Golf team, Andrew shares how disciplin...

Today's featured guest is Anthony Figueroa. Anthony is a United States Air Force Nondestructive Technician.   I believe that there is healing in sharing, and I want to thank Anthony for sharing his story with me today.   LINK: Contact Email : sf031604@gmail.com Thank you to Noah Swiderski (owner and producer of Briton Beats ) for your outro music. For more information on Briton Beats, click this l...

Today's featured guest is Will Hocker. Along with being a life-long person who stutters, Will is a speech therapist practicing in the school setting. Before that, Will worked as a camera operator, writer, line-cook, and sous chef but always knew that he would eventually become a speech therapist. Will has a history of covert stuttering and is on a life-long mission to be more open and willing to s...

Today's featured guest is Ryan Chrisenberry. Ryan is a creative with a passion for comedy, writing, performing, and design. He states, "I've stuttered since I was 5 or 6, but it first started with me saying 'mmmmm…' a lot, and then eventually evolved into the stutter that I have today.   Everyone told me up throughout high school, and even some in college, that I would grow out of it, and at 33, a...

Today's episode is very close to my heart. In honor of our son, Ethan, I've put together a tribute filled with laughter, love, and memories that capture the amazing person he was. Ethan was just 20 years old when he was taken from us far too soon by a drunk driver. He was a bright light in our life—a passionate gamer, talented basketball player, swimmer, vintage truck enthusiast, and a person whos...

Today's featured guest is Luke Critchley. Luke is from the UK and stated that stuttering had been a part of his life for over 30 years.   "That was up until COVID and I started to work with John Harrison over Skype.   Over 3 years and countless public speaking groups, I have improved to the point it's no longer a big issue in my life". I believe that there is healing in sharing, and I want to than...

Today's featured guest is Mark Jones. Mark Jones was a talented and ferocious dual-code rugby player who was tormented by a debilitating stammer.   During a professional career that spanned 22 years he was capped 15 times for Wales, 11 times for Wales RL and once by Great Britain RL.   One of the acknowledged 'bad-boys' of the sport, he was sent off six times and banned for over 33 weeks for viole...

Today's featured guest is Ignacio Dela Cruz .   Ignacio is a Native of Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, and is a current Speech-Language Pathologist.  Prior to his role as an SLP, Ignacio taught special education and preschool and represented his home at different conferences.  Ignacio has degrees from the University of Guam and San Jose State University.  Ignacio is pursuing a doctorate in Spee...

Today's featured guest is Kenny M'Pindou .   Kenny shares his personal journey of overcoming obstacles and pursuing his dreams despite facing challenges. Originally from DR Congo but born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, he developed a speech impediment at a young age. He can't remember when he first noticed a difference in his speech or when it started to affect him, but to t...

Today's featured guest is Sam Bagshaw.   Sam Bagshaw is a 27-year-old residing in the UK who has grappled with a stammer since childhood. Over the past few years, Sam has found a newfound confidence in speaking and has taken to TikTok to raise awareness about the challenges of living with a stammer. I believe that there is healing in sharing, and I want to thank Sam for sharing his story with me t...

Today's featured guest is Jia Bin . Jia Bin, M.A., is a doctoral student at Michigan State University. Jia earned her undergraduate degree in English Language and Literature at Chongqing Normal University in China, master's degree in Secondary Education at Oakland University, and master's degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University. Jia has been a language teacher (...

Today's featured guest is Sean Bw Parker .   Sean Bw Parker (MA) is a British artist, musician and writer specializing in art, cultural theory and justice reform. He has published several books and albums, won several awards – including Koestler Arts platinum for play The Wolfstadt-Wire (2020) and Compelling Speech - The Stammering Enigma (2023) - and gave a TED talk in 2013. He holds Masters and...

In today's episode, we're delighted to welcome back a returning guest,  Tom Lovett . Tom is the author of the insightful book, " Words Unspoken: The Science, Experience, and Treatment of Stuttering . " In this fascinating discussion, Tom opens up about his journey in writing this book, offering a blend of scientific exploration and personal experiences related to stuttering. Join us as we delve in...

Today's featured guest is Gabriela Hammoud .   Gabriela Hammoud is 16 years old, and she lives in New Zealand. She has had a stutter since she was 4 years old. As she has a stutter, she wanted to help make a difference for those who stutter. She started a business at her high school through an organization called the Young Enterprise Scheme. Her business is called  Stutterfly , selling products th...

Today's featured guest is Kelly Garcia-Ramos (pronouns They/Them).   Kelly is a rising fourth year student at the University of Pennsylvania studying Neuroscience and Chinese. Kelly has stuttered ever since they could remember, and going through having a stutter has been one of their most difficult challenges up until recently. They started a support group at UPenn called Speech Fluency @ Penn (th...

Today's featured guest is Danny Miguel .   Danny  is 34 years old and lives in Connecticut.   He states, "I started stuttering surprisingly at 18 which is kind of odd since most stutterers develop stuttering during their adolescent years. I became a situational stutterer, often long pauses and struggled with it for 15 years until I found a program and book late last year. After 2-3 months of dilig...

Today's featured guest is Josef Rodriguez .   Josef  is a writer and filmmaker currently living in New York City. He works as a Contributing Writer to We Are Mitú, a Latino-centric, online news and entertainment outlet. Over the last decade,  Josef  has contributed to outlets like Latina, Desde Hollywood, and Geek Exchange.  Josef  is also a filmmaker, focusing most of his efforts on documentaries...