Stutter. Podcast. Repeat.

David and Mama Sanchez open up about the ways they responded to David getting teased for stuttering throughout his childhood, and they give practical advice for how parents and kids might respond to teasing now. Also in this episode, a hilarious “Top 10 Ways To Respond to Rude Comments About Your Stutter” and the debut of a new segment, “Stuttering IRL.”

To what extent do you think of a child’s stuttering as a deficient form of speaking when compared to “normal”? To what extent do you think of a child’s stuttering as central to their identity? David and Mama Sanchez answer these questions from the perspectives of both parent and person who stutters, and they share how their views have changed over time. They wrap up the show with a hilarious “Top 10 Show Names We Considered Before Stutter. Podcast. Repeat.” 

*The “Illness vs. Identity” theme is borrowed from the book Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon. SPR adapted the theme for the purposes of discussing stuttering and creating the “Illness vs. Identity Grid.”

Mama Sanchez reflects on moments from David’s childhood when he was confronted with stuttering-related challenges, including school musicals, class presentations, and running for school government. David asks what led Mama Sanchez to gently push him to do some activities (like joining sports/clubs to make new friends) and allow him to quit at other times (like picking him up from school to avoid a class presentation). In the second QFT segment, the Sanchez duo try to come up with a rubric for how parents might think through these decisions with their children who stutter.

Also, David argues in his “Word Switch” segment that everyone--parents, teachers, SLP’s, and people who stutter themselves--need to stop saying “can’t” when it comes to stuttering (e.g., “I can’t talk” “I can’t say that”). He provides alternative language for changing how we talk and think about stuttering.

Lastly, the Sanchezes play another game of “The Sing’s Speech” the game where they sing famous literary works to famous tunes and have to guess which is which!

David and Mama Sanchez are joined by school counselor (& wife/daughter-in-law) Amy Sanchez to talk about resilience and stuttering. In the first Quality Family Time they critique the societal messaging around resilience and discuss the role environmental influences play in the development of resilience.

In the second QFT they focus on practical tips for parents, teachers, SLP’s, and allies in “building up” resilience in children who stutter. Building blocks include supportive parents/adults, a community of peers who stutter, successful role models who stutter, access to speech therapy and other support services, and more. 

This episode’s intermission is brought to you by “Imagine If…” which asks the audience to imagine if stuttering happened to your hearing instead of your speech. David discusses the merits of using “Imagine If…” questions as desensitization-themed conversation starters in support groups and in therapy sessions.

David ends the show by challenging his guests in a game of “Pseu-real or Pseudo.” He plays 10 clips of himself stuttering; half of the clips include real stuttering and half of them include fake (pseudo) stuttering. Amy and Mama Sanchez have to tell which is which! They wrap up the game with a discussion on the potential therapeutic benefits of this desensitization game.

Mama Sanchez talks about all the ways she spoke for David throughout his childhood so that he wouldn’t have to, but she wonders… did she do the right thing? The Sanchezes talk about their experiences with this and provide some guidance to parents wondering to what extent they should be trying to make speaking easier for their child. To celebrate the new year (late), they also briefly reflect on the joys and challenges of speaking up about stuttering via podcasting, and they play an “Advice From Kids” segment featuring 13 year-old Noah.

Mama Sanchez used to finish David’s sentences when he stuttered. He liked it. It wasn’t until adulthood that both of them learned that speech therapists and stuttering organizations recommend against this. In the first “Quality Family Time” they share their experiences, rationales, and ideological growth in how they think about finishing sentences for people who stutter. They also “Imagine If” they stopped stuttering today and how their lives would be different.

Guests Drew and Stephanie Fleming join the show for the second QFT segment. Drew discusses his experiences of stuttering through elementary school, then having it disappear in middle school… only for his stutter to return in high school. Stephanie talks about her own growth as a mother and advocate for a son that stutters. Drew and Stephanie bring the hilarity in an improv (and potential therapy?) game of “Finish My Sentence” that ends with David and Mama Sanchez screaming ridiculous phrases at one another.

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Drew Fleming is a 20 year old college student from Maple Valley, WA.  He is an avid movie watcher and comic book reader when he's not working at his job at Chick-Fil-A. 

Stephanie Fleming is a stay at home mom to Drew and Davis.  She has been married to Kevin for 22 years.  Stephanie is originally from South Carolina, which will be very obvious as soon as she starts talking.

‘Tis the season for a Christmas themed episode! David asks Mama Sanchez about the time she planned to give a speech in front of her church for their ‘Christmas Cheer’ program then decided not to follow through. Afterwards, Mama Sanchez brings the Christmas spirit and sings the Top 10 Christmas Carols about Stuttering!

Old friends Konner & Tiffany Buford join the Sanchezes for the second half of the show to talk about their experiences with various stuttering support organizations, being a teenager who stutters in a 'virtual' world, and the ways Tiffany learned from Konner while becoming the amazing supporter she is today. Konner then quizzes the old heads about terms teenagers are using these days in a game called “Man, You’re Old.” In turn, Mama Sanchez asks, turn down for what????

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Konner Buford is a 16 year old sophomore and attends Oak Park River Forest High School. He is a person who stutters and enjoys attending conferences for the stuttering community and their families. He is currently learning how to drive. He loves playing video games and spending time with his family. He is considering becoming a speech therapist in the future.

Tiffany Buford is a married, proud mother of a son who stutters. She is a registered nurse and currently working on a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management. She is a Medical Manager at a top Fortune 50 healthcare company. She enjoys spending quality time with her family. She is an advocate for her son and educates her friends and family about stuttering.

David and Mama Sanchez talk about how serving people who stutter has shaped their own experiences with stuttering and parenting. David speaks to how service can be a great avenue for people who stutter to experience the “stuttering community” for the first time, and Mama Sanchez provides insight on how this can be a bittersweet experience for parents who wish they could have provided these experiences for their child earlier in life. The Sanchez duo also debut “Ask Us Anything” to answer your questions, this time talking about the “do’s and don’ts” when speaking with people who stutter.

Nathan and Padma Mallipeddi join the Sanchezes for the second half of the show to talk about Nathan’s experience founding and leading the Southern California Stuttering Service--a nonprofit organization providing people who stutter access to high-quality access stuttering therapy--and his mom’s journey in supporting Nathan and his speech. Nathan shocks his mom in a hilarious game of 2 Truths and a Lie to wrap up the show.

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Nathan is a 22-year old person who stutters and a recent graduate of UCLA (BS, Biology, BA, Political Science) . He is pursuing a career in medicine and public health and enjoys developing public service initiatives that help persons who stutter around the world. He is the founder and CEO of the Southern California Stuttering Service.

Padma is a proud mother of two and a physician. She specializes in Urogynecology, and in her free time, enjoys helping to assist Nathan with his nonprofit activities for persons who stutter.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, David and Mama Sanchez discuss the timely topic of… family gatherings! David reveals to Mama Sanchez the difficulties he experienced with stuttering in the context of loud, tamale-filled family gatherings at the Sanchez house growing up, and they consider what advice they would have given their old selves if they could. 

Back by popular demand, David interviews 12-year-old Bennie Storey on the issues people who stutter are facing this Thanksgiving with SPR’s second installment of “Advice From Kids.” Bennie offers advice on small talk, responding to unsolicited advice about stuttering, and father-in-laws.

Mother-daughter duo Audri & Alicia Gundersen join for the second half of the show to talk about their relationship, stuttering, and family gatherings. Audri shares how she openly shared her experiences with stuttering with her parents, along with things her mother continually did to make her feel comfortable when talking about stuttering.

David and Mama Sanchez discuss his gap year from college and his decision to finally confront his stuttering in a bold and unorthodox way… by backpacking across the country. David tries to fool his mom in a game of “2 Truths and a Lie” by telling three shocking stories from his year of traveling (stories include a turf war and transcendental meditation hot tubs). The Sanchez duo reveals the results of the “Who’s More Likely To” game played by the audience, and they introduce their “Ask Us Anything” segment for answering listener questions. Finally, David debuts “Word Switch” by providing insights on how using the words “good” and “bad” to describe moments of stuttering are harmful for self-esteem, and he introduces new language for promoting stuttering acceptance.