STARS Speak

This episode features Harris, a young person who stutters, and his mother Shereen, offering a rare dual perspective on growing up with a stutter.Harris speaks candidly about first noticing his stutter, navigating misconceptions about intelligence, and finding his voice at STARS events.

Shereen shares how her understanding of stuttering evolved over time and how she's worked to help Harris see his own brilliance, especially on harder days.

In this episode, Harris and Shereen discuss: 

• What it was like for Harris to first notice his stutter, and how that awareness has changed over time 
• The misconception that stuttering is connected to intelligence, and how Harris responds to it 
• Moments when stuttering felt hard, and what helped Harris push through 
• How Shereen's perspective on stuttering shifted as a parent, and how she advocates for Harris at school and beyond 
• The role the STARS community has played for their family, and what gives them hope for the future

Watch the video version of this podcast here:
https://youtu.be/f_TFwQbeB0U?si=_drbj0m6dAkGztZW

This episode features Tony De La Mora, a cybersecurity professional, Air Force Reserve veteran, and STARS Community Advisor whose journey with stuttering spans decades of personal resilience. Tony brings a grounded perspective to the conversation. One shaped by professional environments, military service, and the emotional weight that stuttering can quietly carry. He shares what it meant to navigate those worlds as someone who stutters, the mental health toll that often goes unspoken, and how his collaboration with Dr. Gerald Maguire has helped bridge the gap between clinical research and real-world community support. Through his story, Tony offers honest insight into what healing, advocacy, and connection can look like and why the stuttering community deserves to be seen, heard, and supported at every level.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on the STARS YouTube channel

This episode features Pierpaolo Busan, PhD, a Tenure-Track Researcher at the University of Trieste and STARS Scientific Advisor, whose work focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms of stuttering and rehabilitation approaches through neuromodulation, EEG/MEG, and neurofeedback. In this conversation, Dr. Busan shares what emerging science reveals about the brain and stuttering, how neuromodulation therapies may benefit people who stutter, and what he hopes the broader research community will come to better understand about this field.

You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-sBQTpAaKg

This episode features Maura Miles, a Special Education teacher in Southern California and STARS Community Advisor whose perspective on stuttering is both personal and professional. As someone who stutters herself, Maura brings a uniquely powerful voice to conversations about stuttering in children and young adults. She shares her own journey with stuttering, what it means to navigate school as a student who stutters, and the role educators play in shaping confidence and acceptance. Through her lived experience and classroom expertise, Maura offers meaningful insights into how teachers, families, and communities can better support young people who stutter and why every voice deserves to be heard.

This episode features Per Alm, a researcher and lecturer whose work sits at the intersection of neuroscience and speech science, dedicated to advancing our understanding of the neurological mechanisms behind stuttering. Per shares his journey into the field and explores what science has revealed about the complexity of stuttering — and what remains to be discovered. Through his commitment to rigorous research and collaboration, he offers meaningful insights that have the potential to shape how clinicians, researchers, and the broader community understand and support people who stutter.

This episode features Farah Al Qaissieh, founder of The Stutter Community in the UAE, as well as an advocate, speaker, and coach dedicated to supporting people who stutter. Farah shares her personal journey with stuttering and explores how advocacy, leadership, and community can foster greater understanding, inclusion, and belonging. Through her work creating spaces for connection and support, she continues to amplify the voices and experiences of people who stutter and their families.

You can also watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.

This episode features Gonçalo Leal, an internationally recognized speech and language pathologist, educator, and mentor who works to advance the understanding and treatment of fluency disorders through clinical practice, research, and global collaboration.

Visit our YouTube channel for the video version of this episode

Episode Description: In this episode, Dr. Gerald Maguire speaks with Dr. Lisa LaSalle about the complexity of stuttering, the importance of individualized support, and what progress in research and clinical care means for people who stutter at every age.

Visit our YouTube channel for the video version of this episode

This episode features Dr. Gerald Maguire, joined by Zach Greene, Annie Hernandez, and Sam, who share personal and professional perspectives on living with stuttering and advancing understanding through the STARS community.

Watch this video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/GV8Z6d0EZTQ

Our first episode features Dr. Shahriar SheikhBahaei, whose work focuses on the neural circuits involved in speech production and stuttering.
In this episode, Dr. SheikhBahaei discusses:

• How his lab studies the brain mechanisms that support fluent speech
• What recent findings may tell us about the biology of stuttering
• How research today may guide tomorrow’s treatments

Visit our YouTube channel for the video version of this episode