I also play three clips of audio feedback from listeners asking listeners to chime in on the topics of seeing stuttering as a challenge not a problem, tips for controlling your stuttering and maintaining eye contact and stuttering with facial and body language. What would you do?

Music used on this episode:
I Like Popcorn by Mastentz

Links mentioned in this episode:
Ali Salem’s website, Almost A Whisper

I speak with Krishna Srinivasan, Stutter Social‘s Eastern hemisphere host, regular participants, Kishore Bisht and Dustin Linkins, and and my Stutter Social teammate, Mitchell Trichon.

Music used on this episode:
Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5, in E-flat Major, Op. 73 (“Emperor”) by London Philharmonic Orchestra

Links mentioned on this episode:
My interview in The Globe and Mail and on CBC Radio.
Stutter Social
Stuttering is Cool Pinterest board!
Stuttering is Cool Tumblr site!

Did you know that Shaquille O’Neal stutters?

Music used on today’s episode:
Symmetrical Tree by Binary Pulse
Ebullience by Podington Bear

But first, my friend Sam Dunsiger, director of communications for Stutter Social, takes over the show while I’m driving (and averting collisions). Sam shares his recent experiences with ordering coffee at Starbucks.

I also play audio feedback from beautiful Quebec City which prompts me to talk about the ISA’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities of People Who Stutter.

It’s a jam packed episode with Creative Commons music by Texasradiofish.

Music used on this episode:
Disco High by UltraCat

Links mentioned on this episode:
Stutter Social
The Mel Blanc Show

Evan Sherman accepting the NSA award for Chapter Leader of the Year

Update: Evan has since launched his I Stutter, So What website. Check it out!

As Vivek described it on this episode perfectly well, attending a stuttering conference made him feel like Stutter Bond with a license to stutter. If you stutter, you’re not alone.

Music used on this episode:
Oslodum 2004 – DJ Dolores
Pepito by KarmaHackeR

Vivek’s presentation at the conference

If you stutter, you’re not alone

Some fun at the ISA conference

So how was the conference?

The future of ISA – part 1

The future of ISA – part 2

Links mentioned on this episode:
Social and support groups across Canada, USA, India, UK and Ireland for people who stutter.

Music used on this episode:
Ride A Wave To Uranus by Full Load King
James Brown d’funk (Lets go, Bounce) by texasradiofish

Another thank you to David Resnick for the cool beatboxing used on this episode. David was also recently interviewed on KOMU.

Check out this article about Stutter Social also spreading awareness.

Links mentioned on this episode:
Indian Stammering Association website and blog

And now a message from Hiten Vyas!

Recently, a teenage stutterer committed suicide because of his speech. It is important that we spread the message about the benefits of both offline and online stuttering support groups. We also need to continue educating the public about the myths and realities behind our speech because life does not need to be unbearable when you have a speech impediment.

Music on today’s episode:
Piano Improvisation No. 5 by Alex Bailey
In Peace (reprise) by Lasswell

Further reading:
The James Campbell Stuttering Memorial to help other stuttering teenagers.

Links mentioned in this episode:
Speech4Good
Balbus Speech

Music used on this episode:
Beakortolaris (Cerror) by Feryl

Links mentioned on this episode:

Indian Stammering Association

Canadian Stuttering Association Conference

Ti-Ger comic – How to pick up women in a bar, club, etc. when you stutter

StutterCast

Krishna’s videos from the British Stammering Association Conference

Links mentioned on today’s episode:
David Alpuche’s photograpy
The Stutterer ebook

Music used on today’s show:
Symmetrical Tree by Binary Pulse
Halogen by Redux

The last time I saw my relatives was back in my covert days so I had a lot more to explain than just my stuttering! On this episode, I share with you how I went about disclosing, what worked and what did not work. I learned a lot in these past two weeks and have a big confession to share as well.

Episode #117. On this episode, I share a recording of a conversation about becoming comfortable with stuttering openly and how it makes you appear more authentic. I also play some feedback explaining how Twitter can be a way to describe how it feels like to stutter.

And an epically HUGE thank you to all conference organizers and hotel staff. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Music used on this episode:
100127 by Hyqo remixes Arrogalla
Beatboxing on today’s show by David Resnick (thanks David!)

Links mentioned on this episode:
The Catharsis of Communicative Diversity article by Aman Kumar
Stuttering sketch comedy films

NSA Conference 2011 Fort Worth Conference video. I tear up every time I watch this.

More touching conference reflections by Nina G:

David Resnick’s presentation last year at DorkBot SoCal. It has nothing to do with stuttering but he explains stuttering at the beginning of his presentation. Very cool!

The stuttering sketch comedy film I participated in:

Watch more Stuttering sketch comedy films. They’re hilarious! Well done, peeps!

This year’s conference took place in beautiful Fort Worth, Texas. I speak with a few of my old friends whom I met at last year’s conference, chat with some new friends, talk about a few sessions and how shame plays a role in stuttering. I also try out laughing yoga and share some comedy from the stuttering community’s own Jody Fuller and Nina G.

Music used on this show:
Sally Goodin by Obed Pickard

Further reading:
The Catharsis of Communicative Diversity by Aman Kumar
Now I Understand by Pamela Mertz

The title of today’s show was inspired by the sheer courage I witness in my fellow stutterers. As Aman explains in his article (see above), and as David Seidler described in his keynote, no matter the level of severity, we tackle the social punishment and face the suffering which come our way every time we speak. I am inspired by everyone who I meet at the NSA conference.

The children who stutter are fortunate to be learning the benefits of loving their stuttering. I see my younger myself in the stuttering teens who will soon become leaders in the world. I am constantly inspired by the courage and friendliness of my peers of all ages, backgrounds, professions, and level of stuttering severity.

This show is dedicated to you, my awesome stutterer. You rock!

This show is also dedicated to the parents, siblings, spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends and friends of stutterers who are patient with us and understand that we only need a little bit more time than the average person to use our voices. You rock!

Quotes from David Seidler’s keynote:
“If I’m stuck with stuttering, f*** the rest of you, you’re stuck with listening to me”

[On speech therapy] “I believe that love and support is far more important than mechanical techniques”

“If you can live through a childhood of stuttering, you can live through anything. And if you go into adulthood still stuttering, you can handle anything… You have been tempered by the fire.”

“It would be naive to think that we’re going to see a rash of films with stuttering leading men in it. It’s not going to happen. …Be publicly articulate about the fact that you are a stutterer and what that entails. It’s incredibly important to get it out there. …Write essays. Write stories… Write a poem… You should be giving speeches whenever you can to explain what this journey is about. It is the example of bravery.”

Links mentioned on today’s episode:
The Break with Father Roderick
HIStory: She Asks Him
The Canadian Stuttering Association
Estonian Association for People Who Stutter
International Stuttering Association

My first guest is Chris Bryant, competitive bodybuilder and co-author of the Fit True blog. Along with my stuttering volume curiosity, we chat about how physical fitness can help your stuttering but your job interviews, too!

We move into the octagon with my second guest, Curt Schneider, who practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and its benefit of increasing self-confidence and “owning the space that you’re in”.

Music used: Torramindedda sa sennora by Arrogalla remixes Signorafranca

As Chris shares about himself in this episode, I also started lifting weights in high school. I had two goals, looking better and increasing my strength. I was very skinny and very bad at lifting and carrying heavy things back then.

My advice to young men getting into bodybuilding: There is nothing wrong with lifting weights to meet women. I hear it all the time how it’s only flexing your ego. But science has proven time and time again that looking better plays a huge factor in self-confidence (which is a quality in men that women find attractive, by the way). There is nothing wrong about feeling good about the way you look. It isn’t egotistical. It isn’t narcissistic. This is simply a matter of being comfortable in your own skin. And to achieve this, you don’t have to look like a super model or action hero.

Just don’t be too focused on how you look or if your biceps are big enough. And stay away from steroids. Just keep consistent with your workouts, watch what you eat (you don’t have to totally eliminate junk food but that’s a good idea in itself since it’s all chemicals anyway), perform your exercises with proper form and don’t injure yourself. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Further, exercising regularly increases your energy level and does make you a happier person. No matter what kind of exercise – bodybuilding, martial arts, pilates, walking, gardening, etc. Get off the couch, put the iPhone away and do some physical activity. The added bonus is you’re also getting yourself into speaking opportunities. Plus, you can still listen to my podcast while you exercise ;)

I’ve had my eye on taking up martial arts* to complement by bodybuilding and learn some cool skills. I really liked how Curt described about “owning the space that you’re in”. I’ve met many stutterers who feel they are just taking up space. This is a self-loathing thought coming out a lack of self-confidence or refusal to accept the fact that they, too, are an important person. They, too, can own the space their in. Everybody on this planet is important. We all have something unique to provide. Stuttering should never, ever be a factor of anyone’s worth. And YOU should never, ever make it so.

You always will be an effective communicator even with a speech impediment.

In case you’re interested, this is the workout I do (please note that the guy in the video isn’t performing some of the exercises correctly due to time constraints):

Two fantastic exercises which builds muscle fast not mentioned in the video is the pull up and chin up. Read up on them. They are tough but totally worth it! As Chris said on this episode, you will feel great for your achievement.

*BJJ, Muay Thai and boxing
**I know ‘badarse’ is a cheesy term but I’m trying to keep my website accessible to all ages.

Music played on today’s episode:
U.S. Army Camp Songs by Male Chorus with Billy Murray
Good Humor Quadrille (1st Figure) by Edison Military Band

Danny’s Thoughts:
This is a new feature I’m starting up to complement new episodes. I elaborate a little bit by adding my parting thoughts on items mentioned. And I know, cheesy name. I’ll change it once I think of a better one.

During this episode, Jody mentioned the army values; loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honour, integrity and personal courage. “And that spells out leadership”, Jody explains. Well, LDRSHIP, to be exact.

Leadership is commonly not part of a stutterer’s belief about what they are capable of achieving. Me? A leader? With my speech? This sounds familiar to viewers of The King’s Speech. But as we’ve seen from King George VI’s biography, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Jody’s military career and all the guests I’ve had on my show, we are more than capable of leadership in spite of our speech disorder. Managing people at work, giving presentations, coaching little league, making dinner reservations, asking a girl out. We can all be leaders.

I think the army values is something us civilians can also live by. For us stutterers, they can help shape us into people others would like to hang around with no matter how severe or worried we may be towards our speech impediment.

My take:

Loyalty is a virtue which builds trust and reliability. Being at your friend’s side at the hard times; offering advice; ready to help out; being the first to apologize. That kind of thing.

Duty is taking responsibility, taking the initiative, being accountable. Nobody likes a sneak who tries to pin the blame on scapegoats. Also, it is our duty as stutterers to get ourselves into speaking situations and educating about stuttering. Take the initiative and order that pizza.

Respect is self-explanatory. Treat everyone as you’d like to be treated yourself. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it’s usually best to agree to disagree. Including taste in music ;) I’d also like to mention self-respect. Don’t be hard on yourself for having a speech impediment. Don’t put your self down or hold yourself back. You will only live up to the distorted image you created inside your mind.

Selfless service is doing nice things for people, helping others because you want to, doing the dishes and cutting your neighbour’s side of the front lawn, staying behind to help a colleague out. This ties in with Jody also mentioning that you do good things without showing it.

Honour is living up to all these values. This is the kind of awesome person I strive to be.

Integrity is doing what is right. Living up to your ethics. Standing your ground. It can be hard to debate and state your case when your body’s preventing you from speaking. Argue your case gracefully, ask to be given the time to complete your sentences. You might also have to explain that you aren’t nervous and that emotions can affect stuttering volume if you’re in a particularly heated debate.

Personal courage is what us stutterers have every day of our lives — we face our fears every time we open our mouth. Getting out of your comfort zone and get into speaking situations. Having the courage to accept your stuttering, even being proud of it, seeking speech therapy, disclosing your stuttering, volunteering to give a presentation at work. Taking baby steps is a great way to build personal courage slowly, cautiously, growing with one step at a time even when you start out as a covert stutterer.

LDRSHIP — you can do it!

Share your thoughts in the comment area below. What values do you live by?

Trying to explain how it feels like to stutter can be quite complex at times. What I like about Saba’s speech is how she was able to sum up our experiences so simply and in a few words. And so powerfully. I’m glad she touched on the topic of the judgement of others and switching words because both can be a very big thing. Particularly when you’re growing up.

How do you deal with keeping your head high as you stutter while ignoring the natural human tendency to mind what others may think? Share your thoughts in the comment are below and I’ll include them in my next episode. Or better still, record a sound file (any audio format will do) of your thoughts and email them to me at coolstutter@gmail.com. I’ll play it on the next episode!

Music played on this episode: Future Cha Cha by Kevin MacLeod.

Concluding the episode, I give you the chance to use your favourite social media tools to help out film producer and fellow stutterer, Paddy O’Sullivan, to generate some buzz about his short film about stuttering, Speechless.

Speechless Trailer from Paddyproducer on Vimeo.

Music used on this episode:
Morning News by Nameless Dancers

Links mentioned:
SLPChat, The Speech Pathway, Schneider Speech and their documentaries on stuttering, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Tungle, Dopbox.

Tanya Cole also wrote a great guide on getting started in Twitter.

Music used:
Torramindedda sa sennora
by Arrogalla remixes Signorafranca

Redux
by Halogen

Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5, in E-flat Major, Op. 73 (“Emperor”)
by London Philharmonic Orchestra

Links mentioned:
Speak Out — Stuttering Support Group, Stratford, Ontario
2011 Canadian Stuttering Association Conference

Music used on today’s episode:
Deep Performance by Gradient
Disco High by UltraCat
Disco Lounge by Kevin MacLeod
Pinball Spring by Video Classica

I Skype into an NSA support group meeting and chat a bit about, well, stuttering! We also talk about the great idea of hosting a panel after a showing of The King’s Speech.

I speak with BSA Chief Executive, Norbert Lieckfeldt, about the history, present and future of the British Stammering Association and his recent, excellent interview with Colin Firth, star of the movie, The King’s Speech.

Being one’s own worst critic, being a perfectionist, or simply being hard on oneself is a common trait among people regardless of speech impediment. While there is nothing at all wrong with aiming to do your best and being the best, there are stifling consequences that come with the negative thinking involved with being hard on yourself. On today’s episode, I talk about how we can make perfectionism work for ourselves.

I also play audio submitted by listener, Ari from Israel who shares his stuttering story and dealing with patience.

“If I didn’t stutter, I’d be able to (insert item here)”. Really? Continuing the theme from epic episode 100 about stuttering’s affect on self-esteem, today’s epic episode looks at it from the non-stutterer perspective. Meet my friends from the podcasting community, Mark Blevis, Andrea Ross and Bob Goyetche as we talk about how self-esteem affects people who don’t stutter. Even if they have all the confidence in the world. Really!

We will also hear from Glenn Schmelzle, Daryl Cognito and Tim Coyne sharing their fluenter stories.

Podcasts and links mentioned:

• The Canadian Podcast Buffet
• Just One More Book!
• We Can Rebuild Her
• Atomic Suburbia
• The Hollywood Podcast
• Special Chronicles
• Me on TV! (not viewable outside of North America)
• Just A Catholic Dad
• PAB Conference
• Andrea’s powerful presentation at PAB

Music used on today’s program:

• Lipstick by Bisk
• The Squeaky Song by Podington Bear
• Beat 1 by Pradio

On this day in 2007*, I posted the first episode of Stuttering is Cool. I didn’t think my podcast idea would last 4 episodes. And here today is episode 100! To celebrate this spiffy number, I’ve asked you to share your thoughts on stuttering’s affect on things like self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and self-image. And how it also drives us to overcome it all and live awesomely. And I received over an hour’s worth of fantastic stories. Thank you! My show would be nothing without you, my listeners.

List of stories and wisdom:

5:59 – People can learn to be confident by Hiten Vyas of stutteringhub.com

14:37 – Stuttering in college by Sarah Bryant

16:32 – Self-esteem in the social and intellectual world by Tom Weidig of The Stuttering Brain

19:19 – Toastmasters speech by Rebecca

24:17 – Speech as a fundamental aspect of life by Robert R. Best

28:15 – Social punishment and stuttering as a secret weapon by David Freidman

32:44 – Body language and feedback by Carolina Ayala

35:08 – Quality friends and stages in life by Carlo Silipo

37:22 – Disclosing during a first date by Rob, a.k.a. Box of Clocks

39:10 – Control over stuttering by Jaan Pill

40:12 – Support systems and the NSA by Tamara Williams

41:59 – Holding yourself back by Brendan O’Carroll

44:24 – “The Look” and maintaining eye contact by Dan Hudock

46:55 – Making new friends and acquaintances by Krishna

50:13 – Fear of stuttering and limiting yourself  by Pam Mertz, Make Room For The Stuttering

54:27 – Stuttering is a positive thing by Prolific Elvis

57:28 – Buying bus fare by Stephen Paterson

1:00:31 – Comfort Zones by Grant Meredith

1:04:12 – Being an effective communicator despite stuttering by Greg Snyder, stuttering.me

Music used in this episode:

CCmixter.org by Code

Beat 1 by Pradio

Stuttering Blues by The Insomniacs. iTunes link.

Another Another Day by Teru

Upright bass noodling throughout this episode by cool cat Jean Finstad who plays in a number of bands in the Washington DC area.

December 1 update: I received some awesome audio after I posted the above and I just had to post it for you asap! The first is from Glenn Schmelzle of Marketing What’s New. Glenn doesn’t stutter but shares with us his gratitude for having learned so much from listening to all the different perspectives on this episode. The second piece of audio comes from fellow stutterer and Special Olympic athlete, Daniel Smrokowski, of the Special Chronicles podcast. Daniel shares his thoughts on stuttering’s affect on self-confidence.

Don’t forget to check out ti-ger.org and participate in the community.

*Arg! I miscalculated. It was November 25th. Darn it. Not the 27th.

You’re making a telephone call, the person on the other lines picks up and says ‘hello’ and you’re stuck in a block. What can you do before the person hangs up thinking nobody is on the line? On this episode, I  speak with preschool teacher and fellow stutterer, Sarah Bryant, about her techniques when making these type of telephone calls.

Stotter, or Stammers in English, is a documentary about Jef, an 18 year old with autism spectrum disorder who is struggling with his stuttering. After years of trying, Jef gives it one more try with a speech therapist who also stutters. In part one of this episode, I speak with the documentary filmmaker, Joke Nyssen about the story behind her film. Send an e-mail to sophimages@skynet.be for information on ordering a DVD copy.

Part two takes place later in the day when I’m out with my friends on International Stuttering Awareness Day. We talk about how we deal with the frustration of stuttering.

Disclosing is the best thing a us stutterers can do when meeting people for the first time. Be it in a group or one-on-one. It puts both you and the person(s) you’re talking to at ease. After knowing this and experiencing this first hand numerous times, then why, pray tell, am I still nervous about disclosing? Join me in my noisy car (I left the windows rolled down) as I ponder for a reason and share a tip about giving a confident handshake.

Meanwhile, Stephen from Ireland returns in a Skype chat as we ponder the best way to bring up someone else’s stuttering when you meet them for the first time.

This episode is a variety show! I splice clips from a few chats over Skype talking about a variety of topics from dating and stuttering, the life cycle of support groups, BSA London Open Day 2010, the effectiveness of speech tools and getting a little surprise at work.

Links mentioned on this episode:

• SpeakEasy Queensland
• Ed Balls at BSA London Open Day 2010
• Miro’s website MyStutteringTreatment.com

Music in today’s episode:

• Beat 1 by Pradio
• Cafe Connection by Morgantj
• Dizee ke Peeche by Martinibomb

The King’s Speech had it’s North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and I was there! Of course, I did some podcasting to give you the thoughts and reviews from me and my friends about the movie. Based on the friendship which formed between King George VI and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue, the movie is already getting Oscar buzz. The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush as respectively as the king and the therapist, will be coming out in theatres all over the world this winter (or summer for those of you in the southern hemipshere). So here’s a spoiler-free sneak peek into the movie that I just won’t stop raving about.

Edit: Sept 20th: The King’s Speech won the main prize at TIFF!

More about the movie at Firth.com

More about King George VI – this will provide the perfect background information for the movie

First Clip from the Oscar Bound ‘King’s Speech’

Interview with Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Hooper – includes how Firth learned about the stuttering experience through a stuttering friend

King George VI’s Christmas message in 1939

I speak with two fellow stutterers on how they use stuttering to their advantage when meeting women. And you know, it isn’t as difficult as people may think. Topics include online dating, offline dating, your strengths and weaknesses and a touch of attitude – it’s all part of the dating game.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Horror writer Robert R. Best returns as we chat a bit about his new book, Ashton Memorial, and then it’s all about stuttering avoidance. Are there advantages to avoiding? Plus, a contest!

• Robert on episode #57: Is there a time and place for stuttering?
• 101 Stuttering Links #26 featuring Robert: Telling the world you stutter
• Ashton Memorial blog post by Robert
• Don’t Look In The PodCast
• Horror Realm convention

Still on my NSA Conference high, I play the full version of my chat with Steve Kaufman about the NSA Nation and his first time attending the conference a few years ago.  We also hear from a non-stuttering SLP’s first impressions of the conference.

In this post-NSA Conference 2010 episode — I’m still on a happy vibe from the event! — I share the 5 important things which resonated with me at the conference. And so do conference repeaters Pam Mertz and Steven Kaufman along with Mandy Sims and Jean Finstad who make some Stuttertini!

Today’s episode is a long one! It’s an audio collage presenting highlights of my experiences at the NSA Conference in July 2010. My very first time attending! Join me and two of my fellow stuttering friends, Rebecca (also her first) and Carolina (her 4th, not her 3rd as mentioned in the episode) and as we bus it to Cleveland, Ohio to attend this awesome event. Find out about stuttering at customs, hear from some of our new friends, SLP students voluntarily stuttering, what I shared at the open mike, stuttering etiquette, the creation of the Stuttertini and much more!

• My photos of the NSA Conference
• I Heart My Stutterer t-shirt
• Pam‘s Ti-Ger tattoo (who is Ti-Ger?)
• Four Friends website
• Dr-Nina-G.com
• National Stuttering Association Facebook fan page
• Stuttering Experts Gather In Cleveland (from WCPN)

Video by @jeanfinstad We’re Not Afraid’ practice for closing ceremony

2010 NSA Closing Ceremony Video

P.S. I am forever grateful to the NSA Conference organizers, volunteers, stuttering community and the super amazing staff at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel (who gave us the time we needed to stutter out our words without rushing us or finishing our sentences) for putting on such an AWESOME time!

The big day is almost here. The NSA Conference for 2010 begins July 7th and I’ll be there wearing the first time badges! On today’s show, I’m a little over-zealous about attending but who wouldn’t be? Last I heard, almost 600 people have registered. SIX HUNDRED stutterers all in one big, fancy hotel. Imagine being in a place where stuttering is common. Anyhoo, continuing from my previous episode, I read listener replies to my question of how I should prepare for the conference. I also offer my own advice on how to meet people before the conference.

Please include your tips in the comment area below.

On today’s episode, I share with you some pretty nifty things I learned at the fantastic and highly recommended PAB conference (check out my photos and then see better ones). Mostly, I’m explaining the benefits of YOU starting up your own stuttering website, blog, podcast, whatever you like! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Internet is our playground and it’s so easy for all of us to use it to reach out, help and learn from each other. Regardless of technical knowledge.

Then I shift into NSA mode where in about 2 weeks, I’ll be attending my very first stuttering convention! What should I bring? What should I prepare for?

I have a Q & A with Nigerian rapper, Prolific, on today’s episode. We talk about his stuttering, how he got into hip hop, what his inspirations are and how rapping helps his stuttering! Prolific also graciously let me play play 2 of his songs. Check them out!

On this episode, I have a quick chat with lawyer, Michael Niven, who opened up his own successful law firm after being let go from his job because of his stuttering. We also chat a bit about his involvement in the stuttering community which started up CAPS, The Canadian Association for People Who Stutter which is now known as the Canadian Stuttering Association.

On this episode, I speak with Jay who is an airline pilot. In our lively discussion, we talk about his experiences with stuttering on the job, what it’s like to be a pilot, our unique yet common stuttering experiences and then the tables are turned and he interview me!

On this episode, I interview Stephen Paterson, who started up the Stuttering & Stammering Speech Disorder Forum. Among Stephen’s experiences with his stuttering, we chat about his involvement in the self-help movement in Dublin, the Irish Stammering Association and its Facebook page, his job, his presentation about the benefits of Twitter for stutterers and using Stammering/Stuttering Non-Avoidance Day to help celebrate his first year wedding anniversary (and stuttering on their blind date before then).

I know you’re eager to hear about Pagoclone, the drug that supposedly can prevent stuttering. On this episode, I speak with John Hathaway who is a test subject of Pagoclone. Does the drug really prevent stuttering? Is it a cure? John also blogs about his experiences with testing the drug. Check it out at Pagoclone Study.

Continuing from episode 80′s Big UK stammering meet up, I’m back on Skype chatting with Pam and her friend Sheila. These two online friends recently met in person for the first time. Shiela also wrote an interesting guest post on Pam’s blog describing a few aspects of what it feels like for a woman to stutter. We chat about PMS/PMT’s effects on female stutterers, the feeling of being a mother of a stuttering child and the differences in perspectives on stuttering between men and women. As I did for Pam and her friends in episode 80, I also ask Sheila what went through her mind when meeting Pam, Tone and Lisa for the first time.

Further reading: A Silent Minority by Julia Ammon and a few blog posts by Pam; “You Have An Unusual Stutter” and Breathe In, Breathe Out.

Music used on this episode: Aren’t Women Grand by Sophie Tucker

Using Skype, I chat with a few of my online friends Pam, Ridwan, Tone and Lisa meeting in person for the first time in the UK! They share a variety of their experiences including attending a British Stammering Association meet up and what a great guy Leys is, what went through their minds the moment they met in person for the first time and of course what’s a trip without a few tourist mishap stories? Lisa tells us her experiences with meeting another stutterer in person for the first time ever and Tone  describes her experience at the BSA meet up as someone who doesn’t stutter.

Pam blogged quite a bit about her trip; Traveling With Fellow Stutterers, Stuttering Meet-Ups in the UK (with video!), Guest Blogger: Shilea Shares (coming up on episode 81), We Attend A British Stuttering Group and Meeting Friends in Person. Pam invited Tone to guest blog with Guest Blogger: Tone Tells It. Ridwan posted a few photos on his Posterous page like this one.

In this episode, Jaan Pill joins me in a Thai restaurant (anyone for pad thai?) to chat about his experiences with speech therapy, the ISTAR program, the Stuttering Association of Toronto, and creating his own method of controlling his rate of speech. Afterwards, we go slightly off topic and briefly talk about the time he met legendary animator Bob Clampett, co-creator of Bugs Bunny!

I play two audio submissions that I received from fellow stutterers. The first asks about stuttering foundations and the second gives us a demonstration on the metronome used in speech therapy giving us an idea of how practical it really is. This is also the episode where I debut my fancy outro (how do you like it?) and Stammering/Stuttering Non-Avoidance Day!

I’m the one who gets interviewed on this episode! Remember way back in episode… um… well, about this time last year when I had Greg Snyder on my show? He’s a University professor who once in a while asks stutterers to come in to his class for a Q&A session. It’s a great chance to give future speech therapists the inside story on what if feels like to stutter and all the goodness and crappity crap that comes with it. I connected with Greg’s class over Skype and here it is in all it’s mp3 glory.

Before all this, we hear from a new listener!

I’ve talked about my Toastmasters class a number of times on my show before but never included clips. So in this episode, guess what? That’s right, a clip! Of a 5-minute – rather unusual - speech I gave at a recent Toastmasters meeting (along with a very distracting firetruck siren in the background). After that, I play audio from a caller and Pam, the @StutterRockStar, who ponders self-consciousness. Before all that, I read an inspiring letter from a fellow stutterer.

The Year of the Ti-Ger postcard giveaway is still on! Send in audio and add your postal address so I can send you a postcard (I won’t play your postal address on the air). First person to do so before March 15, 2010, wins the 1st postcard.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! It is the year of the tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar so I’ve declared 2010 as the Year of the Ti-Ger! I talk all about it on today’s episode and what it means for us stutterers. I also beg announce how you can become a Ti-Ger Tamer and entice you with a contest I’m conducting in celebration of this year. As always, you are encouraged to send in your audio (instructions) that I can play on my next episode.

Today we go into a pub for a stuttering meetup! I recorded about 20 minutes to give you a slice of life in the stuttering meetups that I attend almost every month. I always have a blast and enjoy great conversation about stuttering and non-stuttering related topics. If you ever have a chance to go to a stuttering meetup, totally go!

Today’s episode begins with a nighttime winter’s walk from the bus while I tell a positive story about disclosing my stuttering at a meetup I attended for iPhone developers. I didn’t know anyone there and I was stuttering A LOT. Very awkward, really embarrassing but… Then a quick chat on a sunny winter’s day at a dim sum restaurant where I ask a non-stuttering friend on how she never notices my stuttering despite me having a high volume day. Followed by reading listener e-mail.

If you have a Facebook account, join my newly created Facebook fan page for Stuttering is Cool! You can also follow me on Twitter —I’m @stutterdude— and chat with fellow stutterers.

Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! The first episode of Stuttering is Cool for 2010 is a chat with Eric Stirpe, an aspiring animator and who also doesn’t let his stuttering get in his way. Since we chat over video, I can see all his secondaries ;) After my chat with Eric, I play some audio feedback that I received since my last episode waaaay back in 2009. Check out Eric’s great work at ericstirpe.com.

Remember when I participated in a stuttering study back in episode 20? Today I go back to participate in a second one. I interview Kim Bauerly who is currently a PhD student at the University of Toronto who explains how her research has the potential to improve speech therapy. Also in this episode is a sampling of the Toronto subway system.

Remember Job Interviews and Job Interviews part 2? In this episode, I speak with Pam for Job Interviews part 3! Pam is a high school guidance counsellor who’s got rock star advice about preparing yourself for job interviews.

Job interviews can be daunting and we are the lucky ones to have our stuttering in the process. Though fear not, as Pam and I discuss, it’s not about the stuttering. It’s about who you are as a person and what you can offer to the company that matters. Even people with perfect speech get turned down. A breakdown of our conversation is below:

00:00 introduction and such

00:58 Pam’s blog post about anxiety and confidence in job interviews for stutterers

04:55 Pam’s story about a medical student going on residence interviews and his technique for controlling his stuttering (Bouncing; Pam demonstrates this at the 10:00 mark)

12:40 Part of the stutterer’s preparation for a job interview is to practice speech tools

14:54 Don’t focus on fluent speech, focus on fluid speech

17:43 The benefits of keeping a job interview journal

22:00 LinkedIn is the greatest tool in your arsenal

28:27 There’s no need to make a big deal about your stuttering during the job interview. Instead, focus on your strengths.

30:03 The benefits of mock interviews

33:52 The job interview journal revisited and asking for internships

36:05 Stuttering and job hunting during tough economic times. Look at your transferrable skills.

39:50 Final pieces of advice

Following up from episode 68, I delve a little deeper into what happens after you’ve accepted your stuttering: trying to break your years and years and years of covert habits! We also hear from two cool stuttering listeners. Send in your audio – talk about anything you like, comment on this show, share an experience, suggest a topic, ask a question, tell a joke, whatever you like. Record an mp3 (or any other kind of sound file) and e-mail it to coolstutter@gmail.com or call the voice feedback line at +1-206-339-0389. I can’t wait to receive your audio!

Today we hear from 2 fellow stutterers who called in to give a shout out and ask how to control your stuttering when reading in front of a large audience. I recorded this while on a day trip to the unique Leslie Street Spit with a few friends who you will also hear. We go a bit off the topic of stuttering to discuss what we are doing at the Leslie Street Spit.One of my friends is Victoria Fenner, who you might remember from a previous episode. She produces a fantastic podcast called The Roaming Ear playing sounds she recorded in exotic places all over the world!

It was a beautiful day with a bit of wind. And my habit of holding the microphone too close to my mouth when I record. So I apologize for the awful clipping. At the very least, it’s short :)

I also took photos during my soundwalk and uploaded them to Flickr. Check them out!

Today I speak with @hthrb2 on our way to her first ever stuttering meet up. Along with sharing her thoughts with us before and after the meet up, Heather also tells us what’s it like be a stutterer in the military. She also gives her advice for any fellow stutterers out there why may be skeptical that they can enter the military due to their stuttering.

And between all this is a new story sent in by a new listener about stuttering on his name. I’ll be adding that to my mini-documentary.

Music used today is Carioca by Neurowaxx.

CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, recently aired a documentary about stuttering on their radio network. Unfortunately, I missed it however, fortunately, I have friends who took the time to tell me about it and suggest that I contact the station. I would have never imagined that the following week I’d be at the station recording the intro for the rebroadcast!

Actually, I was recording the intro for CBC Radio One’s superb podcast called “Listener’s Choice” (or “The Choice” as it’s named on the radio version. The podcast provides listener requests for shows they enjoyed on the air.

I just heard the documentary and it is FANTASTIC. The stutterer being interviewed, Andrew McIntosh, describes our stuttering vividly and covers all our challenges: self-lothing, dating, job interviews, the telephone, speaking in front of a crowd, to name a few.

The documentary introduces Andrew to us as someone who tried A LOT of speech therapy throughout his life and now is done with it. He shares with us his feeling that speech therapy makes us feel that we’re broken and need to be fixed.

I share Andrew’s positive outlook on embracing your stuttering and I hope you do, too.

Listen to the documentary, The Sound of My Voice.

Today’s episode is the first of a series of mini-documentaries I plan on producing to show what it feels like to stutter. This first installment talks about the embarrassment of stuttering on our names. We hear from @bibiubrasil, @ridwan326, @stirpicus, @webby49 and @dima7b (thanks guys!). Music by Podington Bear (Hook Line & Sinker, The Squeaky Song, Robin’s Egg Blue, Drama Queen, Metal Finch, Invisible Is Not Invincible – please check his website for copyright  information).

stutteringiscool.com Released under creative commons license Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0 for more information.

Today I talk about a few positive experiences when I stutter with confidence even though I may feel awkward about it inside. Particularly, how we can tell when the people we’re talking to accept our stuttering. We also hear from @stutterrockstar‘s thoughts on her stuttering increase right after I receive a timely phone call providing a glimpse in what I sound like on the phone- and speaking in Italian!

Speaking of Italian, I’ll be launching an Italian and French version of Stuttering is Cool in November. And speaking of November, don’t forget that Friday, November 13th is Stuttering Appreciation Day!

Stuttering, music, and MySpace. That’S what we’re talking about today with @dima7b, @stutteringme and his lovely wife, @courtneydare. Dmitriy (@dima7b) is a star. He doesn’t let his stuttering get in the way of him in school and businsess. He shares with us his techniques in stuttering with confidence in all of life’s situations; talking in class, giving a speech, running his own business— there’s nothing that can stop this guy! :)

Check out Dmitriy’s awesome work at myspace.com/dima7b. He can take something frightfully ugly like a MySpace page and turn it into a gorgeous work of art.

Ever wondered why we go through phases of differing stuttering volumes? Today, my conversation with @ridwa326 continues from last week’s episode with @stutterrockstar joining in (along with special guest Gene). We ponder our increase in our stuttering the past few weeks and that of our fellow stuttering friends. Is it the summer holidays? Mercury in retrograde? Ridwan also tells us about the speech therapy he had as a child, growing up with fellow stuttering family members.

We take a Skype trip around the UK and with our first stop in London for a fun chat with @barrymcgee talking about his experiences with a 4-day intensive McGuire Program. I never took it but from the sounds of it, it seems very effective and liberating. We’re joined later in the show by @ridwan326, hailing from Glasgow, where we chat about the best things to do in job interviews.

On today’s show— I mean, on tonight’s show, I play fantastic audio from two fantastic ladies. The first is from a new listener in Germany sharing her ti-ger story with us (and photos) and the second audio comes from Pam Mertz, the @stutterrockstar. Pam shares with us her voice on stuttering conventions. I also do a bit of sharing myself on tonight’s episode; the sudden increase in my stuttering and being confident as I stutter through a joke.

Tonight’s show has been recorded during the night while I peek through my spiffy Galileoscope and observe Jupiter and her beautiful Galilean moons.

Today I chat with Tim Coyne who is an actor living in Los Angeles and produces The Hollywood Podcast. Tim is a fantastic story teller so I invited him on my show to share his thoughts on how to tell a good story. I know all too well how stuttering can ruin a good story or joke you’re trying to tell.

• …I guess you could say I use my stuttering to my advantage; a social filter. I’ve got no time for snobbish standards.
• My advice: I don’t MAKE the time 4 standards. Don’t like my stuttering? Plenty of other people on the planet to make friends. Kthanxbai.
• Also, it’s the confidence that attracts people. That and shared interests, connections.
• Stutter & react like a wimp, then you’ll be seen as one. Stutter & react with confidence, people see you in a positive light.
• You’ll get there. For me, it was getting positive feedback and rising above the negative. It ain’t easy. You’ll get knocked down
• THAT’S IT! Having control. Not of your speech but of your rejection of societal norms.
  
• THAT’S the root of getting confidence. Being in control & rejecting societal expectations.
• Exactly. You know your self-worth. Exude it. Man, they should teach this in speech therapy.
  
• @stirpicus To quote Demetri Martin: “Stuttering’s not a disability, it just adds drama and suspense to any conversation!” ;)

I also talk about a new website I started up called Ti-Ger.org. I hope you can join in on the fun :)

Today I answer a few questions about stuttering sent in by Sandy. I talk about what to do while a stutterer is speaking, how voluntary stuttering is done and Sandy’s great idea about stutterers joining a storytelling club! Don’t forget that you, too, can chime in your thoughts about the topics. All details are found on The Podcast page.

I chat with horror author, Robert R Best, today about his writing, his podcast and of course, his recent journey into his stuttering acceptance. In contrast to everything I talked about on episode 56 about letting your stuttering out and just do it, we ponder a dilemma Robert is facing for an upcoming convention where stuttering just may not be appropriate. Yes, it’s easy to say there’s room for stuttering everywhere— and there is— but certain circumstances may be an iffy.

Listen to today’s episode and share your advice for Robert. Leave a voice mail at +1-206-339-0389 or record an mp3 and e-mail it to coolstutter(at)gmail(dot)com or record a message right from your computer mic in the orange box on this page.

We also hear from @stutterrockstar where she talks about blocking.

We have a packed episode today! I talk about my awesome experiences at Podcasters Across Borders (as per usual) this year including audio from my presentation (merci à Laurent LaSalle for the video). What happens when a stutterer gives a speech? Nothing. Only great things happen which I talk about on today’s episode. Including my experiences talking on CBC Radio the day after PAB. We also hear from @stutterrockstar, my roving reporter and @sbless and The Stuttering Hour is back!

My chat with Grant Meredith who has recently been voted top lecturer in all of Australia which we talked about in episode 54. We continue our chat with explaining stuttering to his kids (or not), how Grant’s stuttering was never an issue when dating, the power of suggestion, and the films he makes which are shown all over the world. We also talk about taking a firm stance on not allowing your stuttering take control and letting your personality shine.

I chat with Grant Meredith who has been voted top lecturer of the year and 14th overall (out of 6000) in Australia. I first read about Grant on Stuttering.Me and just had to have him on my show! We talk about how stuttering benefits us stutterers and shapes us into great presenters and effective communicators. We also talk about the type of speech therapy Grant received and I allude to what’s coming up in part 2 of our chat…

Today we talk to fellow stutterer, Daniel Smrokowski, also known as @photodan on Twitter. Daniel is an athlete in the Special Olympics and a fantastic motivational speaker, photographer, writer, and so much more.

We talk about how Daniel go into podcasting, public speaking, and getting rid of the r-word.

Today’s episode is actually an episode of Stuttering.tv with co-host Greg Snyder of Stuttering.Me. Video didn’t seem like it was going to happen so we decided to record audio instead. Even that was a tech challenge at times :) When technology throws you lemons, make lemonade! Ok, back on topic. Sites mentioned on today’s show include:

• Daniel’s Photography Home
• Daniel’s motivating speech
• Daniel’s articles in The Torch
• r-word.org

Today we travel to Germany via Skype and chat with Stefan about stottern and desensibilisierung which mean stuttering and desensitization respectively. As well as chatting about the preparation of explaining stuttering to your kids.Today’s episode is brought to you by… a disclaimer! Yes, I’m having audio issues again. Never a dull moment in the podcasting world :)

I chat with Pamela Mertz, the Stuttering Rock Star (which is also her Twitter name) and author of the superb Make Room For The Stuttering blog. Pamela explains what stuttering is like for a woman, how giving her stutter a name helps her accept it and give many presentations and talks for her work.

In today’s episode— episode 50!—I explain how I went from covert stutterer back in episode 1 to laid back overt stutterer giving presentations. And loving it! Speaking of which, I also talk about my experiences with my very first presentation at a podcamp. I stuttered and… did the sky fall on my head? I also ever so briefly mention a wiki I started up— stutteringiscool.pbworks.com. I got the idea out of this very momentous (for me anyway) episode 50. EPISODE 50! FIFTY!

I still can’t beleive I reached 50 episodes! Thank you to all my listeners. There would be no show without you. So call in at +1-206-339-0389! Or e-mail your mp3 at coolstutte[at]gmail[.]com.

I just got back from PodCamp London (or as the Twitter hashtag says, #pclo09) where I gave my 1st solo presentation. Woot! It went great. I recevied a lot of positive feedback and people were tweeting and retweeting my presentation. It was streamed online and once I get the link to the archive, I’ll share it with you.

On today’s episode, I chat with a few fellow attendees asking them about their stuttering or any questions they have about stuttering. Then I find out I was quoted in the newspaper!

Sites mentioned:

• The Roaming Ear
• Deys.ca
• Stuttering.tv
• The London Free Press
• PhotoCast
• Dovetail Organizer
• iTalk
• On The Log
• My presentation!

On today’s show, I answer a question from Trey, a listener who wants to disclose his stuttering on a cover letter he is sending out with his resume. I provide my thoughts on his proposed disclosure (see below) and invite YOUR thoughts as well. After all, I’m not a career expert :)

Here is what Trey wants to write:

I am a student at _________High School, who maintains an above average grade level. Like every kid I can be a bit shy at first, but am very outgoing once you get to know me. I do suffer from a mild stutter, and I am open and comfortable to talk about it, although my stutter can be discouraging at times, I do my best to maintain a positive attitude. I also understand that it might hinder my ability to work in certain areas of the workplace that require a lot of talking.

What are your thoughts? Would you disclose your stuttering on a cover letter? Have you ever? Would you disclose your stuttering on your resume?

This episode goes to the birds! And then I talk about yet another new project that I’m involved with called stuttering.tv (@stutteringtv on Twitter). As the name suggests, yes, it’s a video podcast. You can also find it on YouTube. The best feature of this podcast is YOU can be on it, too!

I mentioned The Sniffer on this show and a presentation I’ll be doing at PodCamp London this upcoming weekend. Check out my Flickr set if you’re interested in seeing the birds that were tweeting and zooming around me while I was recording.

Despite what I say on today’s show, this is episode 46, not 47 :p I really should keep track. Anyhoo, I give a glowing report on a meetup I attended for stutterers as well as the cool things I observed. I also give an update on a few items of note including a few stuttering stories and the date for Stuttering Appreciation Day!

• Toronto Stutterers Meet Up Group
• Stuttering Appreciation Day

I chat with Hiten Vyas, of Stuttering Hub, who teaches us about the power of postive thinking and it’s influence on our lives. We learn all sorts of acronyms like NLP and CBT which, as you will see, play quite a useful role for us stutterers.

Sites mentioned on today’s show:

• British Stammering Association
• Mastering Stuttering and Blocking
• Stuttering Hub
• @HitenVyas on Twitter

Today I chat with Michael, an Australian student who stutters without avoidance. We talk a bit about the fires in Australia, Michael’s interest in IT and building 100 computers and what it’s like to be a university student who stutters. Oh the memories…

…and I liked it! It was totally cool and the sky didn’t fall on my head. The audience didn’t even flinch. On today’s episode, I play a clip from the panel I participated in at PodCamp Toronto 3. You can see the video here.

I tried my best not to do any secondaries (except that I noticed I kept touching my nose) and I’m proud to say that I didn’t avoid or substitute words! Whoo-hoo!

I also play quite a few audio submissions from listeners (thanks guys!)

I posted a link to Ssstutter, a short film about stuttering made by director Bruce Oothout and producer Youssef El-Khoury while attending the Vancouver Film School. I interview them on today’s show. We chat about how they got into film making, the making of Ssstutter, and of course, their personal experiences with stuttering.

Music played on today’s show was McGill by Podington Bear.

Part 4 of my fun interview with Stuttering.Me‘s Greg Snyder, we first chat a bit about the podcast scene then we talk a new kind of X-Men: polygenetic mutation hard evidence that stuttering is a genetic thing and NOT, I repeat, NOT or ever has been a psychological thing. This is great news for us stutterers! Good thing we don’t have to wear spandex.

Music played on today’s show is Hydroplaner by Podington Bear

This is part 3 of my interview with Greg Snyder of Stuttering.Me. We start off talking about the role of technology in stuttering and self-help. Can technology also be abused? We also talk about stuttering in relationships (ignore the part where I say Valentine’s  is coming up since this was recorded before and posted after the 14th), the benefits of stuttering and fluency vs. effective communication. I’m aiming for effective communication.

Music played on today’s show is Hydroplaner by Podington Bear

In part 2 of my interview with Greg Snyder of Stuttering.Me, we chat about stuttering related food service issues and double entendres (which means there’s a language advisory in today’s episode), standing up for your stutter, shared common experiences among stutterers and when little kids ask us why we talk the way we do.

Music played on today’s show is Hydroplaner by Podington Bear.

There’s this ‘list 25 random things about you’ thing going around Facebook and for link #20, with permission, I will share the 25 random things by Mike “The Birdman” Dodd of This Week In Geek. Though he doesn’t stutter, I found his 25 random things really inspiring.

We can get beaten down by stuttering risking having our lives stifled by it. It’s easy to get discouraged and sometimes an uphill battle to overcome it and kick it where the sun don’t shine.  I’ve come across many stutterers who insist they’ll never amount to anything and don’t bother trying. The Birdman’s 25 random things should inspire you to live free. As @stutteringme says, stutter on your own terms!

1: Full name is Michael Albert John Dodd
I named after my grandfather and a hockey player I think

2: I was kidnapped when I was a kid and was rescued by a SWAT team in Brampton

3: I was adopted and was told my real mother was my sister and then I was told the truth by my grandparents when I was 12.

4:I have a real fascination with bugs but can’t stand to be near them

5: I intend to swim with sharks in the next 5 years

6: My goal is to run a marathon in 5 years & climb a mountain in 10 years

7: I have been engaged twice before

8: I dye my hair red as a sign of who I am at core. One who goes against the grain and will not submit to authority

9: My favorite time of year is fall.

10:Everytime I see a shooting star, I wish for “World peace”or for everyone on the planet to know a heartbeat of true happiness hope that would change the world

11: I hope to accomplish something great that’ll change the course of human history

12: I believe in humanity still.

13: I believe in pyshics & the paranormal: Seen too much weird shit to not believe in it

14: I recently traveled to Washington,DC on a whim to witness apart of history in the making because it would be “cool”. I live in the moment when it comes to making memories

15: I tried skateboarding to much failure but love the skater culture and the decks

16: I’ve had hot chocolate with Douh Gilmour of the Toronto Maple leafs when I was a kid

17: I have no idea on who my real father is so I see it as a chance to become more then the sum of my DNA and the ability to become whoeever I choose to be

18: I fear remarkably little and believe that fear is an enemy you choose to make stronger and so you choose to make yourself weak if you give into it

19: I have been beaten up by Neo Nazi’s so bad I was beaten I thought I cracked ribs

20: To those that have hurt & betrayed me & made fun of me, I would do anything for, including taking a bullet for because I believe that faith in humanity

21: My only regret is that I wish I had loved those who loved me even more but hope I made a positive change in their lives and wish them well in future endeavors

22: I am chippawa of Nawash, Objiway Indian and of Clan Bear

23: My tattoos symbolize the defeats in my life so that I may make those into victories and be reminded of what I can accomplish

24: I have been interrogated by the police for a crime I didn’t commit for 4-5 hours

25: I have been suspended from school over 10 times but not once for fighting for being a “Political agitator” aka troublemaker and prankster

5 February, 2009 update: I recevied this awesome thank you from the Birtdman!

Today I interview Greg Snyder, founder of Stuttering.Me, his awesomely motivating micropodcast and microblog about stuttering. We had so much fun chatting that I recorded almost a full hour and a half! There is no way I’d edit any of it out so I chopped it up into 4 bite sized pieces (a bit in honour of the micro theme to Greg’s podcast). that means February is the Canadian Greg Snyder Awareness Month here on Stuttering is Cool ;)

In part 1, we talk about telephones and cellphones (a stuttering favourite), wireless routers and stuttering, protestors, Facebook, Stuttering.Me and Twitter, sitting in the front row at comedy clubs, being spoken for and my embarrassingly s-l-o-w upkeep on some things.

My apologies for the fuzzy, static noises coming from my computer. Please also note that today’s episode contains some colourful language and double entendres.

Music played on today’s show is Hydroplaner by Podington Bear

Song used in today’s program is Filth Biz by Podington Bear.

Is the audio sounding horrible? It sounds fine in iTunes and other sound programs. Even if you click ‘download’ and listen from your computer. For some reason, this particular episode won’t play properly on the web. I spent long hours troubleshooting but can’t figure it out. Trust me, I tried all methods. Yet the browsers hate the file. Or vice versa. I don’t know. My apologies for the inconvenience.

It’s hard living with a stutter. Even harder that stuttering isn’t understood. Today’s episode focuses on 2 of the many downsides of stuttering. First, I give a little bit of a rant about the perception that people who don’t stutter seem to have about people who do stutter. Despite what we tell them. In the second half, I talk about something that’s been going on stutterwise with me lately. I’m just too tired to talk. What is causing this and most importantly of all, how can I prevent it?

The first show of 2009. Happy New Year everybody! And with a new year comes new year resolutions so on today’s show, I talk a bit about what I plan do to in 2009 to improve myself. I’d also like to hear your new year resolutions, too. Continuing with the new theme, I talk about the new redesign (finally it’s up!) of this very website, stutteringiscool.com. All recorded on my way home at 3 a.m. New Years’ Day. You’d think I’d be stuttering up a storm at that hour!

I answer your questions about stuttering today and I also explain my longish absence from posting an episode.

Today I have a conversation with Jeremy Fails about his ideas on conquering the telephone… and fat loss! Jeremy is a registered dietitian and fitness trainer who spends a lot of his time speaking to clients without letting his stuttering get in the way.

In the first half of this show, Jeremy shares with us his advice on how to make phone calls with no fear. In the second half, we talk a bit about boot camp training and how diet can even affect stuttering!

Links mentioned on today’s show:

• WomensFitCamp.com

I interview Ezra Butler today who gives us his tips on networking, conversation starters and using stuttering to your advantage. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter !

0:00 Ezra Butler introduces the episode
0:05 my new intro!
0:57 introducing my interview with Ezra Butler and the topic of networking
2:26 my interview with Ezra begins with his background info, his networking events and how he lives in no timezone
5:17 benefits of networking
6:00 tips for networking around the world from Ezra’s trip to China
7:54 what does Ezra do for work?
11:40 online social media (online networking) is just like networking offline
13:00 Ezra’s stuttering history and how he got into networking (along with tips)
18:01 being authentic and learning from messing up
20:05 using your stutter as an excuse
23:44 you’re starting with a clean slate when you first meet someone
24:40 conversation tips
29:08 factors contributing Ezra’s stutter to subside
31:30 use your stutter to your advantage
38:37 round up
39:49 Stuttering is cool in Hebrew

Links mentioned:
Ezra’s Posterous

Music played:
No Pants Friday by Lee Rosevere
Fraud 015 by Mr. Suitcase

We start with a few submitted audio clips (and a challenge!) and then I talk with Omar Ha-Redeye of the Law is Cool podcast (great name!) about Bruce Lee and his take on why having presentation jitters is a benefit.

Today I talk with Michael, an undergraduate student doing a study in sociolinguistics. And of course, yours truly participated in his study.

I answer 2 callers today on the topics of stuttering more due to work pressures, speaking a different language and recommending speech therapies. I also give my report on the first Stutter Night event and announce who won my Bajo Fondo Tango Club cd contest.

Items mentioned on today’s show:

• Stuttering Steve’s chatroom Stuttering Chat
• Media Driving, Community Divas, Talking Stick, Canadian Podcast Buffet
• WordCamp Toronto
• PodCamp Toronto 2009
• Canadian Stuttering Association 2009 Convention
• Stutter Night

Music used on today’s show:

• No Pants Friday, Interlude and Do What You Can by Lee Rosevere

Today I answer a question about how stutterers feel when people finish their words or sentences. I also read email, play some audio feedback and run into a hilarious moment while demonstrating Utterli . It’s all good :)

Sites mentioned on today’s show:

• DeysCast
• Country Music Cast
• Utterli

Tonight I go out of my comfort zone and attend a house party where I know very few people. And the party goers are old friends. This episode documents what this brave stutterer does…

Today I speak with Sarah, a high school student who disclosed her stutter to eight people in one week! You go girl! Sarah tells her story of how she disclosed and what she said. Also, we get treated to hearing her recite one of her poems and Steve (from episode 23) drops by to give us an updsate on his recent online adventures.

Today I interview Michael and we talk about those pain-in-the-butt oral presentations we had/have to do in school (and work, too). Also: a contest! I explain how you can win a promo copy of the Bajaofondo Tango Club ‘s new album, Mar dulce.

• Niagara-on-the-Lake Social Media Meet Up 2008
• My photos of the event
• PodCamp Montréal
• Mark Blevis
• The Shadow and James Show
• Toastmasters for People Who Stutter
• Stuttering Chat

Apologies for the background noises. They came from my computer during recording.

Links mentioned on today’s show:

• St-St-Stuttering is C-C-Cool comic
• Plurk
• My Plurk account

I talk about how I cheered up a fellow stutterer on the other side of the country thanks to the Internet, social media and the relatively low cost of computers, broadband, webcams, etc. In other words, Stuttering 2.0!

• RSS in Plain English
• Google Reader
• Netvibes
• Let’s be friends on Twitter, Plurk and Facebook!

Here it is!

The interview of me, Mark Blevis and Melinda Mason on CBC Radio One‘s Sounds Like Canada. Mark produces Just One More Book with his wife, Andrea while Melinda produces My Marilyn, a podcast devoted to the legendary Marilyn Monroe.

Click this beautiful link to listen to the interview.

Podcasters Across Borders – My Flickr photos

Yonderman

You can listen to CBC Radio One online at cbc.ca/radio

Also, I will be interviewed on CBC Radio One! This Friday Monday at 10:00 a.m. (eastern time/Toronto/New York) I’ll be intervieweed along with 2 fantastic podcasters, Mark Blevis and Melinda Mason. The show is called Sounds Like Canada and it’s a great one to check out. How do I feel? Am I nervous about stuttering on the radio? Find out on today’s episode 15b!

You can listen to CBC Radio One online at cbc.ca/radio

Links mentioned on today’s show:

Stuttering Is Cool Facebook group

How To Podcast tutorial

Podcasters Across Borders

2008 National Stuttering Association Annual Conference

In order of mention:

• For the Sake of the Song provides the music played on today’s show
• YonderCast
• Atomic Suburbia
• All Axis Radio
• On The Log
• Headphones Required
• Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase
• The Amazing Adventures of Doctor Floyd
• The CatFish Show
• The Canadian Podcast Buffet and Podcasters Across Borders
• Just One More Book
• The Daily Breakfast
• StutterTalk
• Stutter Radio
• Canadian Immigrant Song
• New Turkish Beat
• Boxcars711 old Time Radio Podcast

At the end of the show, I play a snippet of a song from 1922 called You Tell Her I Stutter by Billy Jones and Ernest Hare.

You have 3 very easy ways to leave audio which are found on the right navbar of stutteringiscool.com. Plus, I also mention it on my show.

Also, is stuttering a handicap/disability? And another radio show all about stuttering. Send in your audio comments by calling +1-206-202-0463.

• Holland by Cique
• Record scratch sound by jswonger
• bubble sound effects by tedthetrumpet
• Stutter Radio

Music used: Holland by Cique

Today we learn from a listener how we can use stuttering to our advantage when meeting women. I am not a love expert, however, I give you my take on the 3 things women find the most attractive in a man.

My apologies for the sound quality.

PWS Toastmasters Facebook group

Music used: Holland by Cique

Links mentioned:
PodCamp Toronto

Music: Holland by Cique

Livhealthy.tv

Music: I disagree (UK Dance Mix) by KCentric

I also say something profound like: “When you think ‘I can do this I can do this’, there is a chance you’ll end up doing what you’re doing”. You see, I meant to say you’ll end up accomplishing what you hope to do with flying colours. Anyhoo, I hope you will still enjoy the show.

Music for intro, as always, Holland by Cique

Music played on today’s show:

• Holland by Cique
• Felix and Krazy’s Night Out (ft. duckett) by duckett

Music played on today’s show:

• Holland by Cique
• Le Club des Coeurs Brises by purplehood

Call +1-206-202-0463 or record a sound file and email it to coolstutter *at* gmail *dot* com.

Many thanks to my good friends who agreed to record themselves for my intro!

Music played:

• Holland by Cique

I don’t have plans to post a new show every day however, I couldn’t resist. Toronto got a wollop of a snowstorm today– a mere 20 cm but enough to give the media a chance to blow is completely out of proportion and sensationalize it as a major event. As usual. I wish they’d just go off the air on slow news days. Toronto has been getting pretty wimpy winters the past 2 decades so the media jumps all over it.

Anyhoo, no stuttering in this one– this is an impromptu soundseeing show for any listeners living in snow-free, permanently warm areas. I actually recorded myself shovelling the driveway! This recording is when I was shovelling for the 2nd time in 2 hours. It’s also edited down from 1.5 hours.

I’ll be shovelling again for the 3rd time right after I post. I kind of enjoy shovelling the driveway. A lot better than cutting the grass (too much noise and exhaust fumes in my face).

Let me set the scene: large snowflakes, wind blowing in my face, A LOT of snow. Maybe past the top of my boots. You can hear the crunch crunch of the snow as I walk over it and the shovel scraping along the driveway. Atone point, you’ll hear the sound of a truck starting. It makes it easier to clear the snow from underneath vehicles.

Pardon the low volume of my voice. The microphone was dangling from the pocket of my winter coat. It also sounds like there’s a strong wind but it’s only because I didn’t shield the mic. My apologies.

It would have been better if I was able to shoot video. Instead, I took a photo from my upstairs window. This is by no means a major amount of snow. No matter what the media says.

There are other areas of Canada (with far, far less pollution) that gets triple, maybe quadrouple the amount. How I envy them.

Music played: Holland by Cique

I also talk about a discovery I’ve made with Seesmic. Could it be used as a stuttering device? I think so.

Unfortunately, I’ve received no audio comments to play but that’s ok. My podcast is still new. I have hope! So send in your comments– talk about whatever you like and feel free to let your stutter happen :) Send your mp3s to coolstutter -at- gmail -dot- com or leave a voice message at +1-206-202-0463.

Today’s episode is more of a monologue but your comments will make it a lot more interesting! :)

Transcript to come

• Music: Holland by Cique
• Stuttering Forum and Fluency Quest
• My video on Seesmic

I introduce the concept of the show and talk a little bit about my stuttering past and present.

Podsafe music I used in this episode in order of appearance:

• Holland by Cique
• Cidade Sol (partyboy house mix) by partyboy
• Color Shifting (Kaleidoscope Mix) byDJ Rkod
• Boing sound by stomachache

Below is the transcript (not word-for-word):

Hi, I’m Danny.

I live in Toronto, Canada and I’m a web designer and social media geek by day and a freelance illustrator by night. I’m also a person who stutters.

You’re listening to the first episode of my new podcast called “Stuttering is cool”. I know, radical title.

This is a podcast in open-mic style for people who stutter. It’s open-mic because I want my fellow stutterers to share their experiences, tips, tricks, funny stories, and anything else.

This podcast may also be useful for people who don’t stutter. People who may be curious to know what causes stuttering and what’s it like to stutter all the time.

(ok, how many times have I said the word ‘stutter’? 8? Ok, everyone take a drink)

I have another podcast called SpudCast where I talk about creativity and my comics and stuff. On episode 9, I went off topic and talked openly about my stuttering. After all, what’s a stutterer doing with a podcast?

That was quite an unusual event for me because like most stutterers, I’ve always been covert about my stuttering.

<whispering> It was always a big secret.

But that gets tiring. It’s a lot of work for us to speak fluently.

By coincidence, after I posted that episode, I discovered a podcast called StutterTalk. It’s hosted by 3 guys who stutter.

Their podcast changed the way I looked at stuttering. Now, my stuttering is not such a horrible secret that needs to be kept anymore.

And I like this new idea of being open about my stutter.

Since that show, I’ve met a few people on Facebook who also stutter. It’s great to meet other people who have had the same experiences as me. I’d like to meet more stutterers.

And that is what I hope this podcast will do. Help my fellow stutterers. Kind of like a virtual self-help group.

So, back to the open-mic.

I have a telephone number set up for you to leave a message that I will play on future episodes.

I know, it’s a radical idea.

To many stutterers, talking on the phone is a nightmare. I’m not so nervous as I was many years ago but sometimes I get a little nervous depending on the nature of the call. But if I can do it, so can you! You also don’t have to leave your name.

And by me playing your message on my show, you can listen to your voice.

I know, it’s a radical idea.

Nobody likes to listen to their voice. Even if they don’t have a stutter.

Recording and listening to your own voice is one step towards controlling your stutter. So far, recording podcasts have helped me learn to start to control my stuttering.

As far as I know, there is no cure to stuttering. So why not have a little fun with it?

The type of messages I’m looking for are your experiences good and bad, tips for how to control your stuttering in certain situations, a funny thing that happened to you today, what your job is, whatever you like. It doesn’t have to be about stuttering. I will also accept any questions you may have.

No one will judge you and we’re all sharing the same experiences.

The number is +1-206-202-0463. That’s +1-206-202-0463. Did you write that down? It’s +1-206-202-0463.

If you don’t want to pay long distant charges, you can record yourself and e-mail me an mp3 at coolstutter at gmail dot com.

Speak for as long as you like, and call as often as you like. There will be no show if I have nothing to play.

And don’t worry about stuttering or how you sound. On this podcast, it’s ok to stutter!