Some Stutter, Luh!

Lori Scott-Sulsky is the senior clinician and subject matter expert for the Stuttering Program at the Speech and Stuttering Institute, in Toronto. She has dedicated her practice to stuttering for more than 20 years. Marni Kinder is a Speech-Language Pathologist at The Speech and Stuttering Institute, where she has spent the past 14 years working exclusively with People Who Stutter in both individual and group treatment programs.  Greg has been involved with The SSI as a client and as a volunteer since the mid 1980's and received treatment from Lori and Marni for his severe stuttering over these years.

Cara Bennett is a Stutter Warrior, wife, mother of two boys and step mom to a daughter. A Registered Nurse of 20 years. A small business owner helping woman feel and look their best with skincare and cosmetics. Cara started a Best Life Reset Program and is still maintaining weight and wellness. She is very active with the YMCA community in Grand Falls-Windsor. Cara is a Christian that keeps helping others anyway she can through her steadfast unwavering faith that everything will be ok.

Jeff Gibellina is happily married to his wife Emily of 11+ years with three kiddos, Charlie (9), Peter (4), and Kate (3). He whole-heartedly identified as a lifelong stutterer until about a year ago.  Jeff is neither an SLP nor does he hold any degrees/certificates in communication disorders but he can help create a new way of speaking through habit/behavior formation and modification using the Pro90D system. Jeff is a Pro90d speech coach. 

Do you think PRO90D is the solution to stuttering? Take our very first Some Stutter, Luh! audience poll on Spotify or post your response on our Instagram and Youtube channels! We'll discuss the results on a future episode of SSL!

Welcome to a special Valentine’s Day episode of Some Stutter, Luh! Naturally, this episode is about stuttering and dating!

During our conversation today, our guests will be sharing the challenges and triumphs they faced when navigating the unfamiliar and stressful waters of dating while living with a stutter.

Thank you for joining us for this special interactive episode. We know this topic may be uncomfortable for some but recognize it as a very important conversation to have.

Today we have put together a panel of experts :) to chat about stuttering and dating. From past episodes Greg speaks to Liz Fagan, Robert O'Brien with return-guest-couple Carolina and Sang from last year's Valentine's Day special.

There is much to talk about on what I considered to be a confusing and scary topic.

Greg asks our guests:

1. What are your individual thoughts about these words and questions based on your individual experiences?

2. While reflecting back on your individual experiences with stuttering and dating - the good, the bad, the ugly - would you have approached your stuttering and dating experiences differently? If yes, why and if not, why not?

3. What advice and or strategies for success can you provide other PWS who are considering entering these unfamiliar and stressful waters of stuttering and dating for the first time?

3. Do you have any advice for individuals who stutter, that based on their previous unsuccessful dating experiences, may have decided to step away from attempting to find the right mate?  Do you have any advice for not giving up this quest?

4. Does being a PWS give you any special qualities that people who don’t stutter might lack in the world of dating? (e.g. are we better listeners?) :)

Michael Wright is from the UK and works within the Nuclear Sector at Sellafield as a Planning Engineer.Two years ago he Co founded a online Facebook Group called Stand Up to Stammering, which offers a safe, encouraging, empowering platform that invites members to share their stammering experiences, gain support from other members, and invites them to build on their courage and confidence through the daily mind over matter challenges. 

Elle-même une personne qui bégaie, Geneviève Lamoureux s’implique dans la communauté bègue depuis plusieurs années. Depuis 2020, aux côtés de l’orthophoniste Judith Labonté, elle est notamment co-productrice et co-animatrice de « Je je je suis un podcast », le balado de l’Association bégaiement communication (ABC), un organisme basé au Québec offrant des services et ressources aux adultes qui bégaient.

Geneviève est également candidate au doctorat en sciences de l’orthophonie de l’Université de Montréal, où elle mène des recherches sur l’(auto-)stigmatisation des personnes qui bégaient. Détentrice d’une maîtrise professionnelle en orthophonie, elle est aussi diplômée en traduction et littératures d’expression anglaise et française.

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As a person who stutters, Geneviève Lamoureux has been involved in the stuttering community for several years. Since 2020, alongside speech therapist Judith Labonté, she has been co-producing and co-hosting of "Je je je suis un podcast" (This this this is a podcast), the podcast of the Association bégaiement communication (ABC), a Quebec-based organization offering services and resources to adults who stutter.

Geneviève is also a doctoral candidate in speech-language pathology at the Université de Montréal, where she is conducting research on the (self-)stigmatization of people who stutter. She holds a professional master's degree in speech-language pathology and a degree in English and French translation and literature.

Transcription / Translation available here. 

Brian Woo is a Social Service Worker student, studying part-time at Durham College. He has worked with people with developmental disabilities for 12 years, and has worked in a congregate care setting for over 7 years. He has a passion for raising awareness about Mental Health and is an advocate for the Stuttering community, the Disabled community, the Neurodivergent community, and the Chronic Illness community (which includes immunocompromised people). Brian identifies as a member of each of these communities and he increases awareness through his Twitter account @StutterLoudly and his Instagram @StutteringLoudly. Brian has volunteered at the Abilities Church, DramaWay, and was a Planning Committee Member of the "Simply People" Disability Pride Celebration and the "A Million Things I Need to Say" Walk for Stuttering Awareness. Brian's early volunteer work taught him that identifying as a Disabled or Neurodivergent person is not something to be ashamed of. We all have our own gifts & talents and we all want a world that is inclusive & accessible.

Some Stutter, Luh! is working on providing transcripts of all of our episodes. We are currently working on Brian's episode and while we have some work to do, we wanted to share it with our listeners. To read along, click here. 

Cody is always seeking after that next new experience. An avid traveler, hiker, and coffee aficionado, Cody works for various non-profits, including the John Howard Society, where he offers employment services to formerly incarcerated individuals. He holds a BA in sociology and anthropology from Memorial University, and recently finished a graduate program in human resource management at McGill University. Cody is also immensely interested in politics and intends on running his own political campaign one day, where you might just hear him stutter.

Around the 15 month mark, Ashlie noticed her son wasn't as verbally communicative as his sister at the same age. At 18 months, he wasn't meeting speech milestones and so they found a private SLP to work with them once a month. Then came the diagnosis.

Tune in this week as Ashlie shares her family's story which she hopes can help others on their own journey.

This episode aired Sunday, October 9, at 9am Newfoundland Time.

You can watch it on our Youtube page or listen to it on our Anchor page. Check out every past episode in our archives at somestutterluh.ca, and catch the latest updates via Instagram.

In SSL! episode (S3:E17) Greg speaks with Steven Hiscock. Steven works with the Burgeo Broadcasting Station. Growing up in Burgeo, NL he never imagined he would become an on-camera personality. As a child Steven stuttered; so interviewing people was not a career path he envisioned at all. He was bullied and made fun of a lot. Over time Steven has learned a few tricks to help manage his stutter. Steven says that it’s all about your breathing when you talk and along with a few more tricks.

There is a great article about Steven published in SALTWIRE NL by Rosalyn Roy Posted: May 7, 2019.

Steven's community, Burgeo, was affected by last month's Hurricane Fiona. For more info, check out "Steve Hiscock from the Burgeo Broadcasting System... report[s] on the wreckage of Fiona on the ground in Burgeo." from The St. John's Morning Show from CBC Radio Nfld. and Labrador (Highlights).