Bethany Anne Lind is an acclaimed actress who makes her home here in Georgia.  I had the pleasure of teaching her to stutter for the award-winning play Carapace- at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta.  In addition to an extensive live theater portfolio, she has had roles in Ozark, The Walking Dead, The Stranger Things.  Streaming now is her movie Blood on Her Name.  We discuss how stuttering is portrayed in theater and movies.  After decades of tolerance for belittling people who stutter and making stuttering a punchline, we are now seeing a shift in the narrative about stuttering.  It is my opinion that the acting and film industry has a responsibility to respect people who stutter.  The ADA protects people who stutter against discrimination. The King's Speech and Carapace are two triumphs for people who stutter.  Documentaries When I Stutter and My Beautiful Stutter are newer additions to a catalog of better portrayal of stuttering and the impact it has on people.  After listening to Bethany Anne Lind, begin enjoying her talent on your television and watch for her in local theater.

Michael Coats is a 48 year old financial consultant.  He began to dive into his life long stutter in late 2016.  We worked together using CBT and best practices in speech pathology.  Michael joined Toastmaster in 2017.  He has entered and won a speech contest!  Whether meeting with clients and team members in person or virtually, he has a game plan for talking. Listening to Michael's dedication and courage is contagious.

Jewish children typically celebrate a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah between age 12 and 13.  They speak in English and in Hebrew in the ceremony.  This special event requires 1-2 years of preparation in most cases. For children who stutter, this event can lead to anxiety.  Uri Schneider wisely frames this lifecycle event as an opportunity for parents to form an alliance with their child; to make achievable goals and outcomes that align with the wishes of the child.  Whether the Mitzvah is virtual or in-person, this podcast will offer helpful advice and strategies. Listen and you will quickly learn that this podcast pertains to all parent/child relationships as it pertains to stuttering.  

About Uri: Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC-SLP is a partner in Schneider Speech, faculty at the School of Medicine at University of California at Riverside and host of Transcending Stuttering Podcast.  (Uri also received rabbinical ordination at Beis Medrash L’Talmud.)  Together with Dr. Phil Schneider, EdD CCC-SLP, BCS-F, Uri co-produced the highly acclaimed documentaries Transcending Stuttering: The Inside Story and Going with the Flow: A Guide to Transcending Stuttering.  You can learn more at www.schneiderspeech.com

This podcast is dedicated to Dean Williams, PhD and John Harrison. In 1990, I asked Dr. Williams, "What is the secret to stop stuttering?" and he simply replied, "I'd want to know what I do when I stutter."  I was taken back when that was all he said.  He planted a seed for me to germinate.  John helped me learn the inner thinking patterns during stuttering.  John's book has a world-wide audience.  https://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Infostuttering/Harrison/redefining.html

Tricia is a devoted parent of three boys.  In addition to stuttering, her boys all have different varieties of autism.  Tricia shares invaluable insight into parenting children with learning differences and stuttering.  She is a big proponent of early support and early intervention.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is well known to help pws.  Mindfulness and meditation are universally embraced as being helpful with stress and anxiety.  Listen as we explore how the acronym RAIN and the 5 Hindrances give insight into anxiety in stuttering.  Rae offers helpful tips to become curious and investigate our thoughts and feelings.  Rae Houseman works for Ten Percent Happier.  Their slogan is Meditation for a Happier and Healthier You. See www.tenpercent.com

Since its release in 2017, When I Stutter has been screened at 13 festivals and it has won seven film awards.  John Gomez was asked to watch My Octopus Teacher, on Netflix, to see if his movie on stuttering had parallels to Craig Foster's movie.  While travelling for movie screenings, John has met thousands of people who stutter in several countries.  Learn what pws have in common no matter where they live on this planet.  To watch John's movie visit: www.whenistutter.org

Derek Mitchell, MBA is an IT professional in Atlanta, Georgia.  He is a local chapter leader for the NSA and active in Toastmasters.  After watching My Octopus Teacher on Netflix, Derek goes deep into the ocean of stuttering.  He has replaced shame and avoidance with courage and advocacy for pws.

This podcast is dedicated to the award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher.  Free diver, Craig Foster, meets and befriends an octopus while navigating the cold and dangerous waters off Cape Town, South Africa.  The octopus serves as a shaman of sorts for Craig.  People who stutter (pws) can benefit from opening an inner dialogue about stuttering.  The octopus is an expert at disguise and camouflage.  Avoidance and concealing stuttering leads to anxiety and the fear of talking.  I encourage pws to shed the disguises, disclose that they stutter, and live free by speaking up.

After several attempts at previous speech therapy for stuttering, Evan and his parents needed a better approach- a holistic one.  Listen to a sample of his blocking on day one and then his speech on day three.  Integrating CBT and best practices from traditional therapy, Evan is already on his way to strong verbal skills.  You will quickly determine that he really integrated key concepts learned in therapy.   Evan's insight and interpretations are beyond his 15 years of age.   Back to Jiu Jitsu: grappling, submission, and choke holds are some of the common terms in Jiu Jitsu.   Evan explains that you can use finesse to counter the energy of stuttering.  He concludes that stuttering is not an enemy but rather a sparring partner that you can maneuver and escape from its tight grasp.