Episode #249: Stammer but with love. That is the motto of The Indian Stammering Association, or TISA for short. TISA’s Bhupendra Singh Rathore and Dhruv Gupta had interviewed me in a video entitled, The Story Behind the Comic, to talk about my stuttering journey and Franky Banky comics. They kindly gave me permission to include the audio from our chat for this episode.

But first, it’s my turn to interview Bhupendra and Dhruv! Get to know the people behind the interview, their involvement in TISA, the story behind their motto, and the really creative activities TISA has been doing over the years (my favourite being The People Who Buffer show).

Links mentioned on today’s episode:

• The Indian Stammering Association
• The Indian Stammering Association – Massive Open Online Course
• The Hakla Hakla Song (video)
• What if the 99% of the world stammers/stutters? (video)
• The Story Behind the Comic

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Episode #248: Be a fly on the wall as I chat with Annie Bradberry, board member of the National Stuttering Association (NSA), Stutter Social host, and a long list of other activities she does for the global stuttering community the day after the NSA@Home Conference which took place online from July 7 to 10, 2020.

Despite a collective disappointment across organizers, veteran attendees, and first timers that the covid-19 pandemic kept us all from coming together to the legendary NSA conference in person (and near the beach in California!), the virtual conference received over 1500 registrations with 800 being first timers. Many had participated from all around the world. That was an increase of 50% from the usual numbers at their in-person conference. And best of all, the joyful vibe of the in-person conference was present throughout.

Annie and I chat about our favourite moments during the conference, the cartooning workshop I hosted for kids (and big kids), a bit of the behind the scenes, and how not even a pandemic can keep the global stuttering community from getting together.

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A new podcast about stuttering that has nothing to do with stuttering! A group of people gather around a table every month and chat nonsense. Some of those people stutter. It’s a very clever way to raise stuttering awareness while having a good laugh.

That podcast, Oh and on that note…, is produced in association with the Scottish Stammering Network providing a platform for people who stutter (or as they say in Scotland and other parts of the world, stammer) to have their voices heard and an opportunity for people who have had little exposure to stuttering to begin to hear what is being said, not how it’s being said.

On this episode, I chat with regulars, Tom Costelloe, John McIntosh, and Christina Parker about the formation of their podcast and in true Oh and on that note fashion, a lot of nonsense!

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Episode #246: What you say is important, not how you say. I chat with French filmmaker Melissa Bronsart, creator of the documentary, L’Êloquence du bégiament, also known as The Eloquence of Stuttering. Created in partnership with the Association Parole Bégaiement (the stuttering association in France), Mélissa takes us along the journey of people who stutter as they prepare and compete in a national speech contest which made headlines in the French media. Joining our conversation is Mounah Bizri, co-creator of this unique speech contest for people who stutter.

Melissa, Mounah, and I chat about the contest, their respective stuttering experiences, and how stuttering shouldn’t hold you back.

Melissa’s film is also available with English subtitles as a sneak preview for listeners! Go to https://vimeo.com/408031979 and type in the password “luckystar” (without the quotes). This password expires on June 2, 2020.

This episode is brought to you by my book, Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World. Packed with tips, stories, encouragement and comics for fearless stuttering and joy.

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Episode #245: Instachat! Being cooped up in isolation to help fight the spread of covid-19 opened up opportunties for me to try new things. Such as live streaming on Instagram. Near the end of March, I chatted with artist Willemjin, who runs the @juststutter Instagram account full of comics she drew based on her everyday stuttering experiences. We talk about her art, covid lockdown, and… stuttering!

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Episode #244: Keep your distance. Wash Your Hands. Don’t touch your face. And keep in touch over the Internet. We’re in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic with many countries in lockdown and people staying inside in doing their part for preventing the spread of the virus that has circled the globe like wildfire and caused over 118,000 deaths. Anxiety and uncertainty is everywhere along with isolation from our friends and family as we stay indoors in order to flatten the curve and save lives.

I asked a few of my friends to join me on this episode to help ease the sense of isolation for ourselves and you! Hear how the pandemic has affected us, our speech, and some unexpected blessings that arose.

You will hear from John Gomez, creator of the multi-award winning When I Stutter documentary, Geneviève Lamoureux, translator of my book in French, Myriam Fauteux, co-vice-president of the Association Bégaiement Communication (ABC), David Alpuche, photographer and winner of the 2017 National Stuttering Association (NSA) chapter leader of the year, and Kevin Chambers, winner of the 2018 NSA chapter leader of the year and current Regional Chapter Coordinator for the Eastern United States.

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Episode #243: How do you engage child clients? Be a clown! I chat with Erik X. Raj, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, stuttering researcher, app maker, rock star, podcaster – is there anything he doesn’t do? – about being a “clownician”. From playing Fortnite or Minecraft, to using his apps to make funny photos or activity sheets where the child is the star, Erik shares his methods of using humour to engage child timid or uninterested clients who don’t want speech therapy in the first place.

If you’re an SLP having difficulty engaging child and teenage clients, this one is for you!

Links mentioned on this episode:

• kimsanzoslp, inventor of the term “clownician”
• erikxraj.com
• SLP Trivia Fun
• Erik’s apps

This episode has been brought to you by my book, Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World. I share my experiences with stuttering and
tips on how to live the life you want in spite of stuttering. It’s a book full of humour and my comics starring Franky Banky, a fox who stutters.

Sounds used on this episode:

• 80s riff by ModulationStation
• Winner Bell Game Show by Oldedgar
• Applause Two by Littleboot

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Episode #242: Difference not defect. All about the book that challenges the stereotype that stuttering is bad instead of a way of speaking that is different, valuable, and respected.

Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference not Defect features a variety of voices and opinions on stuttering from a social model perspective through 22 essays written for people who stutter, the general public, and professionals.

Following up from episode 241 where I chat with one of the book’s authors about the impact of shame on children who stutter, I chat with editors Patrick Campbell, Christopher Constantino, and Sam Simpson on the mission of the book, their respective articles, the paradox of speech therapy, stigma, the benefits of sharing your vulnerability while stuttering, and more.

You can purchase your copy of the book at J&R Press and Stuttering Therapy Resources.

The book also has a Facebook page!

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Episode #241: If you are a parent of a child or teen who stutters, you’ll definitely want to listen! On this episode, I’ll be chatting with Dori Holte, mother of a young adult who has stuttered since he was a toddler. She is also the author of the book “Voice Unearthed — Hope, Help, and a Wake-Up-Call for the Parents of Children Who Stutter”. That title pretty much sums up this episode!

Dori’s son, Eli, was a chatty toddler who soon grew silent not because he stuttered, but because of the overwhelming shame he felt around his stutter. The shame came from the constant judgement towards his speech even when others were not intending to judge. Dori noticed that despite Eli successfully using speech tools during therapy sessions, this only increased expectations of fluency and her son’s anxiety around talking outside of therapy.

One of Dori’s key learnings is the importance of speech therapy focusing on educating the parent and not to drop everything and zero-in with eye contact every time their child speaks. Instead, Dori recommends to create opportunities for the child where they are in charge, can pursue their passions, and most importantly, speak without fear of judgement.

If you are a parent who has been struggling with knowing what to do about your child’s speech, this episode is for you!

Links mentioned on today’s episode:

• Dori’s book, Voice Unearthed — Hope, Help, and a Wake-Up-Call for the Parents of Children Who Stutter
• Dori’s website Voice Unearthed
• Voice Unearthed Facebook group for parents
• The book, Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference Not Defect

This episode is brought to you by my book, Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World. Packed with tips, stories, encouragement and comics for fearless stuttering and joy.

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Episode #240: We are staaaaaaaaaamily! Stamily is a new, multi-platform network of people who stutter all around the world. Get instant access to a supportive community no matter where you are.

Join me as I speak with a few active regulars in the Stamily community. A few? Hear from Willemjin Bolks, Jurjen de Jong, Vinnie De Craim, Marc van Krakinger, Satu Nygren, and Natalie Park across a number of time zones (isn’t technology awesome?) as we discuss their respective stuttering histories, the formation and mission of Stamily, and most importantly, how YOU can participate in this growing worldwide community of people who stutter just like you!

Learn more about this exciting community at stamily.org.

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