Benedict Sheehan is a Grammy-nominated conductor and composer who stutters. His wife, Talia Sheehan, is a professional vocalist and musical educator. In this episode, we talk about the psychology behind people’s responses to stuttering and how people who don’t stutter can be stronger allies for people who stutter. This episode is part one of a two-part conversation with the Sheehans.

Additionally, host Maya talks about California's resolution to recognize Stuttering Awareness Week and plans for a community rally/press conference at the state capitol in Sacramento.

Episode Breakdown

[00:02:24] Being an ally to stutterers.

[00:06:18] Fear is First.

[00:09:18] Stuttering and facial expressions.

[00:13:53] Body language for public speaking.

[00:19:04] Stuttering and acceptance.

To learn more about Proud Stutter, visit www.proudstutter.com.

To support Proud Stutter, make a tax-deductible donation at here.

For this special bonus episode of Proud Stutter, Maya is rebroadcasting an episode from the TheeClutterQueen podcast.

Host Simone Robinson interviews Maya and they talk about the intersections between cluttering and stuttering, their very different experiences with speech therapy, public speaking during class, problematic headlines in the media, thinking you can’t do certain things because of speech dysfluency, and more!

What small thing can you do this week to support Proud Stutter?

• Add a review on your favorite listening app (Scroll down to the bottom of the show page where it says Ratings & Reviews)

Connect with Maya & Proud Stutter:

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Connect with Simone & TheeClutterQueen:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Did you know there is a vibrant stuttering community on Reddit?

Cynthia Chin, Season 1 co-host, is back on the pod doing a second round of going through stuttering subreddit posts. Our first Stuttering Subreddit episode is our most listened-to episode, so let's dive in.

What kinds of posts do we talk about on the Stuttering Subreddit?

We dig into college presentations, being labeled the quiet-type, clinging onto relationships, and funny stuttering moments.

What small thing can you do this week to support Proud Stutter? 

• Buy a brand new Proud Stutter T-Shirt, "Embrace Verbal Diversity"

Connect with Maya & Proud Stutter: Twitter | Instagram | Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok

Steff Lebsack, a speech language pathologist, grew up with a brother who stutters. When she developed a neurogenic stutter later in life, she accepted it right away. In this new episode, we talk about Steff and her journey in juggling multiple disabilities, including lung disease, the power of language in gaining self-acceptance, and the importance of owning your story.

Our guest co-host is Tiffany Yu, CEO & Founder of Diversability, and host of Tiffany & Yu Podcast.

Do you want to pass a local resolution in your city?

Read this toolkit, attend this advocacy 101 workshop, and/or email info@proudstutter.com.

Want to support this work? 

• Tell us what Proud Stutter has meant to you by leaving a voicemail (415-964-0140) or writing (info@proudstutter.com).
• Make a monthly or one-time donation.
• Leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• Sign up for our manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">newsletter.
• Buy Proud Stutter Merch

Connect with Maya and Proud Stutter: Twitter | Instagram | Website | LinkedIn | fi.com/proudstutter/tiers">Support | Subscribe | manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">E-Newsletter | Shop

Johnnie Pina does not let his stutter get in the way of being a successful lobbyist where public speaking is a main part of his job. Joining us is Alexandra Leal, host of Democracy Is, a podcast from California Common Cause. We discuss the importance of community in building confidence and overcoming public speaking fears. We also talk about the local resolution process and how it can be used to generate public awareness. 

Stuttering visibility and acceptance in local communities can have a huge impact. For example, passing a local resolution can have a ripple effect and can even help people realize and accept their own identity.

The guide for this episode, with resources, transcript, show notes, and more, can be found here: www.proudstutter.com/proud-stutter-season-2-episode-13

Do you want to get involved in this work to pass local resolutions?

Read this toolkit and monitor this space for details on our upcoming webinar on this topic. Save the date for Monday, March 27 at 6pm PT!

Want to support this work? 

• Tell us what Proud Stutter has meant to you by leaving a voicemail (415-964-0140) or writing (info@proudstutter.com).
• Make a monthly or one-time donation.
• Leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• Sign up for our manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">newsletter.
• Buy Proud Stutter Merch

Connect with Maya and Proud Stutter

Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Navigating the ups and downs of being a teenager is hard enough. Adding living with a stutter to the already existing anxieties and insecurities we go through can make things even more difficult. 

Priya is a 17-year old living in Sydney, Australia. She is filling a much needed gap in the stuttering community: creating and sharing content around stuttering for her fellow teenagers who stutter from all over the world. We talk about her new podcast, Stutter Conversations, and how she got to being so open about her stutter at an early age. 

Kyle Smeallie, Maya's fiancée, is our co-host. He’s a legislative aide for a local elected official in San Francisco, working on policies related to affordable housing, tenants rights, and supporting small businesses.

The guide for this episode, with resources, transcript, show notes, and more, can be found here: www.proudstutter.com/proud-stutter-season-2-episode-12

Mentioned in this episode

• Priya on My Stuttering Life Podcast
• Scene in Billy Madison movie

Want to support this work? 

• Tell us what Proud Stutter has meant to you by leaving a voicemail (415-964-0140) or writing (info@proudstutter.com).
• Make a monthly or one-time donation.
• Leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• Sign up for our manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">newsletter.
• Buy Proud Stutter Merch

Connect with Maya and Proud Stutter: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

As a young child, Stevie Soul used his stutter to his strength when he started arranging repetitive sounds into beats and patterns. We talk to Stevie about his journey to becoming an Award-winning beatboxer and an independent, multimedia producer.

I am joined by Andrew Menegat, a former teacher who is now working in EdTech.

The guide for this episode, with resources, transcript, show notes, and more, can be found here:

www.proudstutter.com/proud-stutter-season-2-episode-11

Mentioned in this episode

• Stevie’s website and Instagram
• History of Woodward Streets in Detroit and San Francisco

Want to support this work? 

• Tell us what Proud Stutter has meant to you by leaving a voicemail (415-964-0140) or writing (info@proudstutter.com).
• Make a monthly or one-time donation on FlipCause.
• Leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or Spotify.
• Sign up for our manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">newsletter.

Connect with Maya and Proud Stutter: Twitter | Instagram | Website | LinkedIn | fi.com/proudstutter/tiers">Support | Subscribe | manage.com/subscribe?id=5311f4522e&u=8c4d15cffee4bd3785d738db4">E-Newsletter | Shop

Journalist John Hendrickson spent most of his life ignoring the elephant in the room, his stutter. We talk about what it was like going back in time, dating, and ask questions from Proud Stutter listeners. His upcoming memoir is Life On Delay: Making Peace With A Stutter.

The guide for this episode, with resources, transcript, show notes, and more, can be found here: 

www.proudstutter.com/proud-stutter-bonus-8-9

Enjoy this sneak preview of my interview with John Hendrickson, author of Life on Delay: Making Peace With a Stutter, coming January 2023 from Knopf.

We can’t create sustainable change for the stuttering community without disrupting cultural norms around speech. The first step towards breaking down ableist systems is to identify them. 

In this episode, we talk about disrupting ableism by discussing the many systems for which it appears. We also dissect a new term in the ever expanding stuttering vernacular: the non-standard voice. 

Host: Maya Chupkov, www.proudstutter.com

Guest: Kaitlyn Borysiewicz (she/hers), www.themelanincollective.org 

Co-Host: Benjamin Lundberg Torres Sánchez (they/them/elle), https://linktr.ee/b_lts_ 

Mentioned in the episode

Ruth Wilson Gilmore

For further reading:

Using Disability Justice to Reimagine Family Regulation

Lived Experience and Disability Justice in the Family Regulation System

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The Proud Stutter Newsletter 

Producer, Host, Editor: Maya Chupkov: https://www.proudstutter.com/about 

Support & engage with the show:

• Tell us what Proud Stutter has meant to you by leaving a voicemail (415-964-0140) or writing (info@proudstutter.com).
• Make a monthly or one-time donation on FlipCause.
• Leave us a rating or review on your podcast app.