Stutter. Podcast. Repeat.

David and Mama Sanchez spend the first QFT segment sharing the ways stuttering has benefited their lives. In the second QFT segment they share how their thoughts about the “benefits” of stuttering have changed over time and the factors that led to that perspective shift. Desensitization segments this episode include “The Top 10 Countries to Live In If You Stutter” and a game of “Impressions.”

David walks Mama Sanchez through his theory on how people who stutter cope with stuttering through the “6 Stages of Stuttering Identity.” Stages include Ignorance, Denial, Avoidance, Exploration, Acceptance I, and Acceptance II. He describes the typical thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in each stage and criteria for moving to the next stage. Desensitization segments this episode include “Facts Machine” and “The Top 10 Ways to Tell Children Why People Stutter.”

David and Mama Sanchez about the experiences of being a kid who stutters at… summer camp! They discuss factors that make camp exciting vs. challenging. They also discuss the recent advent of summer camps designed for children and teens who stutter. Other segments this episode include “Stuttering IRL” and David’s much anticipated debut of the first ever “NBA All-Stutter Draft” in which the Sanchezes draft famous people who stutter for a fictitious game of basketball.

David flips through the speech file Mama Sanchez has kept all these years, filled with evaluations, doctor’s notes, IEPs, therapy ads, literature, Mama Sanchez’s personal notes, completed therapy worksheets, and more. The Sanchez’s also provide insight to their personal experiences as student and parent receiving speech therapy in the early 2000’s. Other show segments include a game of “Who Am I?” and a return of Mama’s “Facts Machine.”

Mama Sanchez shares her experiences with talking to David about stuttering throughout his childhood. She talks about following the speech therapist’s training to tell David to “slow down” and “breathe” and how recommendations for talking about stuttering have changed since David’s childhood. Also in this episode, David and Mama “Imagine If” we could always sing what we wanted to say, and they end the show with a desensitization game of “Sound Salad.”

David and Momma Sanchez answer the question, “Would you rather stop stuttering but still worry what other people think about you, or continue to stutter but not worry what other people think about you?” They talk about how they would answer the question now, how kids and adults tend to answer, and how parents might answer. In the middle of the episode they play an “Advice From Kids” segment featuring 12-year-old Jacqui, and they end the show with some stuttering themed “Would You Rather?”

David and Momma Sanchez spend both Family Quality Time segments talking about the ways we can “challenge ourselves” with speaking, as well as ways we can foster a family culture that promotes this spirit. In the middle of the show they present “The Top 10 Fluent Moments That Feel Better Than They Should” and end the show with a bit of trivia about famous challenges.

Mama Sanchez opens up about the guilt she has carried with being the parent of a child who stutters, including feeling responsible for David’s stutter and at times helpless in how to support him. David shares the “Clinical Characteristics Associated with Persistence” (from The Stuttering Foundation) and explains the likelihood of lifelong stuttering. Also, David presents a “Word Switch” segment about why people who stutter need to quit saying “sorry” after a moment of stuttering, and he challenges Mama Sanchez to a game of “2 Truths and a Lie” about funny personal experiences with stuttering.

In light of David’s recent announcement, he and Mama Sanchez spend both Quality Family Time segments answering the question every future parent who stutters asks... What if my kid stutters? They end the second QFT by sharing their favorite episodes so far, along with which ones they wish they could edit. Also, the Sanchezes present ‘The Top 10 Hardest Boy Names to Say For People Who Stutter’ and test out a theory about fluency in a game of ‘Impressions.’

David and Momma Sanchez are joined by father and husband, Michael Sanchez, to discuss topics around fatherhood, sonhood, and family dynamics around stuttering. The “Facts Machine” interrupts the show in a surprise return. Wife and daughter-in-law Amy Sanchez joins at the end for a family game of “Who Am I?” and to help David reveal about a dad-to-be… ;)