Make Room For The Stuttering » Women Who Stutter Podcast

Teachable Moments – Episode 86

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:31:45 +0000

Episode 86 features Emily Gurdian, who hails from New Orleans, LA. Emily is 23 years old and a teacher. She is presently in graduate school at the University of Portland (Oregon) where she is pursuing Educational Leadership. Listen in as we discuss a range of topics. We talk about teasing, mocking and dumb comments. We [...]

Don’t Stay Home – Episode 85

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:04 +0000

Episode 85 features Jolene Bower who hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jolene works in purchasing for an oil and gas company, and is also in university, studying psychology. She starts graduate school next fall to study speech language pathology. Jolene talks about why she wants to become a speech therapist, and therapy experiences she has [...]

Stutters Like A Rock Star – Episode 84

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:07 +0000

Episode 84 features Miranda Smith, who hails from Florence, Kentucky. Miranda is a full-time college student at Northern Kentucky University, studying computer information technology, with a minor in computer forensics. She also works as a waitress. Miranda is actively involved in the National Stuttering Association, serving as a board member on the Teen Advisory Council. [...]

She’s Got Talent – Episode 83

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:15:55 +0000

Episode 83 features Nina G, the only female stuttering stand-up comic. Nina hails from Oakland, California. She has been doing stand up comedy for two years now, and making a real name for herself. Nina believes comedy is artistic expression that is also a social change vehicle. Nina is a huge disability advocate, and hopes [...]

Grasshopper Says Leap – Episode 82

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:13:25 +0000

Episode 82 features good friend Jamie Rocchio, who hails from Rhode Island. Jamie recently moved to New Jersey and is currently enjoying retired life. Or as she puts it, she is “puttering” around the house and loving every minute of it. Jamie and I met through the National Stuttering Association (NSA) about 5 years ago [...]

Stuttering Paradoxes – Episode 81

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:48 +0000

Episode 81 features Vivian Sisskin, who is a SLP and Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders. Vivian is on the clinical faculty at the University of Maryland. She has specialized in stuttering for over 30 years, and has “loved every minute of it.” Vivian is also active with the National Stuttering Association, and is a [...]

Accepting In The Moment – Episode 80

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:30:16 +0000

Episode 80 features return guest Elaine Robin, who hails from Seattle, Washington. For this great episode, Elaine shares from her present location, which is Shanghai, China. Elaine is a SLP who stutters and first shared her story here in episode 43. I was excited to have Elaine back on the show, to tell us about [...]

Getting To That Place – Episode 79

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:15:44 +0000

Episode 79 features Jacquelyn Revere, 25, who hails from Los Angeles, CA. She is presently in NYC attending the The New School for Drama, and is in her last semester. She is getting her Master’s degree in Acting. Jacquelyn has loved drama and acting from a young age. She stopped acting in high school though, [...]

Brings Her Joy – Episode 78

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:45 +0000

Episode 78 features Fianna Peppers, 27 years old, who hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fianna currently works in a Bank of America call center, something that she never thought she would be able to do because of her stuttering! Fianna describes herself as a master of word substitution. She has been doing that for over 25 [...]

She Loves To Talk – Episode 77

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:30:52 +0000

Episode 77 features Lotte Klene, who is 28 years old and hails from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Lotte’s native language is Dutch and throughout our conversation, it is clear that Lotte is more fluent in Dutch than English. Luckily, we have a translator available to help us! Early in to our conversation, we hear Lotte ask [...]

Fight or Flight – Episode 76

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:00:44 +0000

Episode 76 features Andrea Montes, who hails from Seattle, Washington. Andrea works in Redmond as a massage therapist. She always loved getting massages when she was younger, and became good at giving massages because she knew what she liked. Andrea decided to become a massage therapist, both because of her love for it and because [...]

Living Her Passion – Episode 75

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:30:38 +0000

Episode 75 features Kelsey, who hails from Biggar, Saskatchewan, Canada. Kelsey is 22 years old and currently attends Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. Kelsey plans to graduate in April 2012 with an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies, with a minor in Psychology. Kelsey has always been fascinated with learning about people and understanding [...]

No Regrets! – Episode 74

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:30:31 +0000

Episode 74 features Francine Draper, who hails from Riverside, California. Francine is currently a stay-at-home wife and mom, after a 15-year career in home sales. Francine and I are both members of the forum/group Stuttering Chat, the largest internet group for people who stutter. Francine actively contributed to a discussion about using medication for stuttering, [...]

Moving On, Letting Go – Episode 73

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:36 +0000

Episode 73 features Jeni Cristal, who hails from Long Beach, California. Jeni is 22 years old and attends the University of Long Beach, majoring in Health Care Administration. Jeni will graduate in spring 2012, and plans to go on for her Masters degree in Public Policy. Then she wants to apply to law school, with [...]

Don’t Quit – Episode 72

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:00:58 +0000

Episode 72 features Janet Lennon, who hails from County Laois, Ireland (which is just about an hour from Dublin.) Janet is 25 years old and works with young children in a playschool. We “met” through a mutual friend on an on-line stuttering support group. Janet has stammered since she was about 4 years old. Her [...]

Stuttering Changed Her – Episode 71

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:13:32 +0000

Episode 71 features Megan Hutson who hails from Fairmont, West Virginia. Megan is a 25 year old self described “professional student.” She is studying American Sign Language (ASL) at Fairmont State University. Megan shares how she wants to use her stuttering as an inspiration to others who have difficulties with communication. She thinks she would [...]

UnTamed Tongue – Episode 70

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:27:48 +0000

Episode 70 features Rachel Hoge, who hails from Springfield, TN. Rachel is 19 years old and presently attends Western Kentucky University and lives in Bowling Green. She is studying creative and professional writing. Rachel shares that when she first started college she advertised in one of her classes that she stutters and had started a [...]

Be Not Afraid – Episode 69

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:25:56 +0000

Episode 69 features Darcy Galane who hails from Brooklyn NY. Darcy is at a transition point in her life. She is currently not employed and describes her transition fraught with opportunity, excitement and fear. She went through law school and passed the bar exam, but never practiced law. She spent some time working in educational [...]

If You Only Knew – Episode 68

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:00:38 +0000

Episode 68 features Lisa Bennett, who hails from Wichita, Kansas. Lisa is 29 years old and graduated from Wichita State University in 2010. She is currently in her Clinical Fellowship Year as a SLP in the Emporia-area. She works in the public school coop there. Lisa and I had “met” online through one of the [...]

The Language Of Dance – Episode 67

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:00:12 +0000

Episode 67 features Georgia Stephens, who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Georgia had a career as a choreographer, writer and dance performer for about 30 years. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s degree program at St Mary’s University, studying Counseling Psychology. Georgia is interested in perhaps using dance to help people who stutter, and hopes [...]

Safe But Scary – Episode 66

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:56:00 +0000

Episode 66 features Jennifer, who hails from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Jennifer is in Kingston while attending school pursuing her graduate degree in engineering physics. Her long-term goal is to work in research and development to be a part of the next great technology advances. Jennifer and I first “met” via one of the stuttering email [...]

Joy and Playfulness – Episode 65

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:00:52 +0000

Episode 65 features Guðbjörg Ása Jóns Huldudóttir, or Gudda, an actress who hails from Reykjavík, Iceland. We chatted while Gudda is in Wroclaw, Poland, where she is in residence at the Grotowski Institute with her theater company, Bred in the Bone. Gudda got involved in theater when she was about 23 years old. She started [...]

Really Not Alone – Episode 64

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:30:20 +0000

Episode 64 features Christine Dits, who hails from South Bend, Indiana. Christine is 22 years old, and just recently graduated from St. Mary’s College with her undergraduate degree in speech pathology. She is looking to work in the special education field,while applying to graduate schools in the Mid-west. She wants to pursue her Master’s degree [...]

Bittersweet Performance – Episode 63

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:00:06 +0000

Episode 63 features “regular guest” Nina G who hails from San Francisco, CA. Nina bills herself as the Bay Area’s only female stuttering comic. She has been performing stand-up comedy for well over a year and has become a favorite in the Bay area comedy community. Nina G has been featured twice before on this [...]

Blown Away – Episode 62

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:00:50 +0000

Episode 62 features Cynthia Scace who hails from Greenfield, Massachusetts. Cyn has been a caseworker for an elder and disabled services agency for 25 years. Cynthia shares her entry into the stuttering community, when her then 3-year-old son showed signs of stuttering. A life-long stutterer, her first reaction was panic and fear. She wished her [...]

What We Took Away – Episode 61

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:33:17 +0000

Episode 61 is a first for me. This is the first time I have recorded with several women at different times and attempted (notice I say attempted) to string the clips together into one cohesive episode. Here’s where we will separate the professionals from the amateurs. I am definitely in the latter category! I started [...]

These Kids Will Be Alright – Episode 60

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:30:30 +0000

Episode 60 features Val Ostergaard, who hails from Cary, Illinois, which is northwest of Chicago. Val is 25 years old, graduated in May with her Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology from Illinois State University and will start a job as a school therapist in September. This was a bit of a surprise to Val [...]

By Accident – Episode 59

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:45:49 +0000

Episode 59 features Olga Baroseva, 28, who was born and raised in Tallinn, Estonia, in Eastern Europe. Olga presently lives in Liverpool, England, and is studying Human Resources Management at the University of Manchester. Olga landed in the UK quite by accident! Listen in as she explains how a half-year commitment to a new job [...]

I Really Do Stutter – Episode 58

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:10:28 +0000

Episode 58 features Sarah Bell from Garland, Texas, outside of Dallas. Sarah is a full-time mom to 20-month-old Ethan. She is studying a medical transcription class on-line, which she will complete in December. Sarah hopes to continue working from home, to be right there with Ethan! Sarah and I first met at the NSA Conference in New Jersey in 2008. [...]

Living Life As It Unfolds – Episode 57

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:16:50 +0000

Episode 57 features Julia Ammon, who hails from Essex, England, which is about an hour from London. Julia is originally from Ormond-By-The Sea, Florida. She moved to the UK because she married a Brit and it was easier for her to move. Classic girl meets boy and moves far away! Julia currently works as the Fund Raiser for the [...]

She Says So What! – Episode 56

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:44:37 +0000

Episode 56 features Chloe Barnes, who hails from Northamptonshire, England. Chloe will soon be 20 years old, and is in her second year of University at Brighton, where she is studying to be a primary teacher. Chloe and I were introduced by Perla Ernest, whom we met in Episode 45. Chloe identifies her stuttering as [...]

It’s A “We” Thing – Episode 55

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 11 May 2011 10:57:22 +0000

Episode 55 features Shelby Potts, who hails from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is 19 years old and just finished her sophomore year at Appalachian State University, located in Boone, NC. Shelby is studying communication disorders and hopes to become a speech pathologist. This episode also features Shelby’s mom, Mary Ann Potts. She teaches ballet [...]

Her Presence – Episode 54

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:53:10 +0000

Episode 54 features Lisa Barone, who hails from Troy, New York via Los Angelos, CA and Long Island, New York. Lisa is the co-founder and Chief Branding Officer of Outspoken Media, an Internet marketing company based in Troy. I met Lisa in a rather interesting way. Since I am a blogger, I read other blogs. [...]

First Comes Acceptance – Episode 53

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 05:27:56 +0000

Episode 53 features Claire, who hails from the Washington, DC area. Claire is 16 years old and a junior in high school. She is interested in biology, and already knows she wants to pursue further education and a career path involving genetics, which combines her love for both biology and history. I met Claire and her family at my first [...]

She Saw Her Sign – Episode 52

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:45:44 +0000

Episode 52 features Marley Robertson, who hails from Winchester, Virginia. Marley is 23 years old and a recent graduate of Old Dominion University, with a degree in Human Services. She is applying to graduate programs for Fall 2011. She wants to pursue a Master’s degree in Divinity. Marley has always been actively involved with her [...]

My Greatest Gift – Episode 51

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:02:37 +0000

Episode 51 features Mary Wood, who hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana, via Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Mary is an ordained Unity Minister. She went back to school at age 66 and was ordained in 2005. Mary recently celebrated her 74th birthday! I met Mary last year at the NSA Conference in Cleveland. She did a workshop [...]

Professional Stutterer – Episode 50

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:00:48 +0000

Episode 50 features Jenny who hails from Santa Clarita, California. Jenny and her husband are the proud parents of two boys, Matthew and Nathan, with a third boy arriving in July. Congratulations to all! Congratulations also to “Women Who Stutter: Our Stories”, for this milestone 50th episode. I am proud to be part of this magical telling of stories [...]

The Outer Rim Of A Bowl-Episode 49

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:23:00 +0000

Episode 49 features Hannah Laday, who hails from Central New Jersey. Hannah came out of the woods of rural Maine to attend a stuttering retreat, met and married George, and moved to New Jersey. Hannah is the leader of the Central New Jersey NSA chapter. We got to know each other through NSA conferences, email, the covert support list and phone chats. [...]

I Still Have To Talk – Episode 48

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:00:59 +0000

Episode 48 features Annette, who hails from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Annette is 23 years old, and is a Registered Nurse. She graduated from nursing school two years ago and has been practicing for one year. She has been working in a long-term care home, and as of this publication, will be starting a new [...]

Standing Up – Episode 47

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:30:38 +0000

Episode 47 features Nina G, the Bay Area’s Only Stuttering Stand-Up Comic. Nina is a return guest. We first met Nina and heard her story in Episode 17, back in early August 2010. At that time, Nina talked about how she always wanted to get into comedy and what finally prompted her to take the [...]

Stuttering Is Not Fair – Episode 46

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:30:07 +0000

Episode 46 features Kay, who hails from West Africa. Kay is a lawyer currently working as counsel for a litigation firm. Kay spent many of her childhood years in France. French is her mother tongue. We spoke with each other via Skype in early February, when Kay was in the US at the University of [...]

Road To Empowerment- Episode 45

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:00:46 +0000

Episode 45 features Perla Ernest who hails from Mexico, by way of the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Brunei. She is 23 years old, British/Mexican, and has a history of covert stuttering, except when she couldn’t hide it! Today, Perla views herself as a recovering stammerer. Perla is an ambitious young woman. She wants to use her years [...]

Facing The Monster – Episode 44

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:15:49 +0000

Episode 44 features Anna Margolina, who hails from Redmond, Washington, by way of Russia. Curiousity compelled me to find Anna and “hear” her story. Let me explain! I found the January 2011 issue of Toastmasters Magazine in my mailbox two weeks ago. The headline “From Stuttering to Public Speaking” on the cover grabbed my attention immediately. I flipped open [...]

Letting Go Of Fear – Episode 43

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:26:16 +0000

Episode 43 features Elaine Saitta, who hails from Seattle, Washington. She has been an active member of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) for many years. She has held several NSA positions such as Chapter Leader, Regional Chapter Coordinator, Board of Directors member, and Executive Director. Elaine is a SLP in the Seattle school system and also works in private [...]

I Am Enough – Episode 42

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:17:43 +0000

Episode 42 features Nora O’Connor, who hails from Los Angeles, California. Nora is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She presently works as a therapist in a residential drug treatment program for male parolees. Nora shares how she always wanted to be in the helping profession. But she thought for a long time that being a social worker [...]

Why It Matters – Episode 41

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:22:08 +0000

Episode 41 is a departure from the usual format of this podcast. A woman of strength and courage, Irina, whom we met in episode 16, takes the microphone and the lead and invites me to tell some of my story. This felt strangely awkward, but I was so glad that Irina was the one asking the inviting questions. We [...]

Doors Of Opportunity-Episode 40

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:14:38 +0000

Episode 40 features Mary Rose Sevilla Labandelo, or Mary Lab,as she is known on Facebook, who hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mary is the founder/coordinator of the Vancouver Support Group for Stutterers and has been a board member of the British Columbia Association for People who Stutter. She is presently a Pre-school teacher. Mary has [...]

No Excuses! – Episode 39

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:37:10 +0000

Episode 39 features Beata Akerman, who hails from Ljubljana, Slovenija (Central Europe). She is a researcher/assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Ljubljana. We first met on Facebook, and then enjoyed a video skype chat! She completed her Masters thesis on changing public discourse on people who stammer in Slovenija. For her doctoral dissertation, she plans to research [...]

Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway Episode 38

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:24:14 +0000

Episode 38 features Maria McGrath, who hails from Santa Barbara, California. She was born in Ireland and lived in London for a long time before moving to America just over a year ago. She trained and worked as an accountant, and has recently begun the adventure of bringing the McGuire Programme to the US. I “met” [...]

It’s Showtime – Episode 37

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:10:16 +0000

Episode 37 features Veronica Lynch, who hails from Dublin, Ireland. Veronica and I share a history of being extremely covert, and then making the transition to overt stuttering. We are both contributing members of the Covert-S email group. Veronica worked for 30 years with the Irish Airports Authority. She has recently retired, with her last [...]

Steeped Like A Teabag -Episode 36

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:10:36 +0000

Episode 36 features Claudia Diamond, who hails from Guilderland, NY. She works as a medical assistant. A friend of mine from Toastmasters indicated that he knew someone who I should meet. I took a chance and emailed her, we met and have become friends. Both of us enjoy meeting up at our monthly Chat and Chew [...]

It’s A Thing I Do – Episode 35

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:03:08 +0000

Episode 35 features Tsvetana Dimitrova, who hails from Sofia, Bulgaria. Tsvetana works in academia. Her PhD is in Linguistics and she works at the Bulgarian Academy of Science in the Linguistics department. She is the editor of a business newspaper, called the Bulgarian Daily. Tsvetana is also a member of the Executive Board of the [...]

My Covert Career – Episode 34

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:54:17 +0000

Episode 34 features Patrice Nolan, who hails from Bennington, Vermont. Patrice and I have been good friends since meeting at a NSA conference several years ago. We realized we only lived about an hour from each other, and have visited each other many times over the last several years. Patrice has been a Speech Language [...]

Why Be Angry? – Episode 33

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:11:48 +0000

Episode 33 features Sadia Khan, who hails from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, by way of Pakistan when she was just 3 years old. Sadia is a Grade 3 teacher, which was a life-long dream. Teaching is meaningful for Sadia, as she was told in high school that she should not be a teacher because of her [...]

On A Changing Mindset – Episode 32

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:05:52 +0000

Episode 32 features Leana S. Wen, who currently lives in Boston, MA. She was born in China and lived in Shanghai until she was 9,when her family moved to the United States. Leana is a resident physician at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Brigham & Women’s/Massachusetts General Hospital. A Rhodes Scholar and graduate [...]

Learning About Ourself – Episode 31

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:13:12 +0000

Episode 31 features Darlene Brown, who hails from Beltsville, MD, by way of Buffalo and Albany, New York. I first met Darlene in Albany several years ago, when we both attended therapy at The College of St Rose. Darlene took a break from college when she was studying speech language pathology. She came home to [...]

The People That Matter – Episode 30

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:42:15 +0000

Episode 30 features Nina Zito, who hails from Queens, New York. Nina is 21 years old and is in her last year at St Joseph’s College in Brooklyn NY. She is studying to become an elementary school teacher. I was introduced to Nina through friend and NSA member, Dr Mitchell Trichon. Mitch had met Nina [...]

Didn’t Have To Be Fluent – Episode 29

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 06:20:40 +0000

Episode 29 features Suzana Jelčić Jakšić who hails from Zagreb, Croatia. Suzana has been a speech therapist for over 20 years, and currently works in a children’s hospital. Suzana shares an important turning point in her life – both as a person who stutters and professionally as a therapist. She attended a workshop for specialists [...]

Speaking Of Courage – Episode 28

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:42:21 +0000

Episode 28 features Carolina Ayala,who hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Carolina works supporting people with intellectual disabilities. She is passionate about putting a positive spin on the label”disability”, and shares her personal perception of stuttering as a disability. Carolina attended York University in Toronto and fulfilled the requirements in 2009 for a Master of Arts [...]

We Can Achieve Anything – Episode 27

Pamela Mertz — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 04:04:01 +0000

Episode 27 features Aileen, who hails from Long Island, New York. Aileen is a senior in high school and already finding it unbelievable that she will be heading off to college next year. Aileen is a member of Friends and an active mentor for Friends through the Stepping Up program. She has done classroom presentations [...]

I Don’t Want To Be Normal-Episode 26

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:07:58 +0000

Episode 26 features Carol Buckingham, who hails from Manassas, Virginia. Carol was the leader of the Northern Virginia NSA Chapter for 15 years, and continues to enjoy being a member of this long time, successful chapter. I met Carol at my first NSA Conference in 2006, but really got to know her two years ago [...]

Think With Your Heart – Episode 25

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:00:06 +0000

Episode 25 features Katherine Preston, who lives in Chicago, IL via London, England. I had heard about Katherine about two years ago through some of the stuttering email groups. She was writing a book about stuttering and was looking for people to interview. I met Katherine at the Friends Convention this past July in Chicago. [...]

Fort of Shame- Episode 24

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:34:59 +0000

Episode 24 features Madison Nicole Garcia, a student at Cal State University Northridge, in Los Angeles, California. I got to know Madison at the 2009 NSA Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. We have since become face book buddies. Madison is studying psychology and wishes to combine research of stuttering and anxiety in her eventual doctoral program. [...]

My Whole Life Ahead Of Me Episode 23

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:02:59 +0000

Episode 23 features Jade Vincent Hall, who hails from Sydney, Australia, via London, England. Jade is a 20-year-old young woman who experienced late onset stuttering at the age of 16. She now works in a call center, a job where there couldn’t be any more communication! I was introduced to Jade through a social media [...]

Happiness Is A Choice-Episode 22

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:33:20 +0000

Episode 22 features Heather Baier, who hails from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Heather is an apprentice meteorological technician. She explains precisely what this is, after it is evident pretty quickly that I have no idea! I first met Heather through the Twitter community. We periodically ran into each other on-line, and chatted together in a couple [...]

Stuttering Well – Episode 21

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:28:15 +0000

Episode 21 features Stephie Hirsh, M.A. CCC-SLP, who hails from Highland Park, Illinois. Stephie had been teaching 4th and 5th grades before deciding to return to graduate school to pursue a career as a SLP. She chose to pursue speech language pathology after being inspired by the FRIENDS organization. Stephie’s story is really one about [...]

Let Your Stutter Show – Episode 20

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:00:01 +0000

Episode 20 features Cheryl, who hails from the Bay area of California. Cheryl is a recent college graduate with a degree in psychology and a minor in creative writing. She is presently unsure of her career path, but knows that someday she wants to write. She envisions writing fiction, either novels or short stories. She [...]

More To Me Than People See Episode 19

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:18:24 +0000

Episode 19 features Laura San Martin, who grew up in New York but now calls California home. Lori, as she is known to friends, is co-leader for the NSA Chapter in Los Angeles. I met Lori at this year’s NSA Conference in Cleveland. I participated in a workshop that she and Joseph Diaz co-presented for [...]

At A Crossroads – Episode 18

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:52:44 +0000

Episode 18 features Samantha Gennuso, who hails from New Jersey. Sam came to a workshop I facilitated at the 2010 NSA conference about change. Afterward, we talked about how we have experienced many of the same things in our personal journeys. Sam just completed her graduate studies in Mass Communications at Boston University. She wrote [...]

Reclaiming Her Space – Episode 17

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:06:20 +0000

Episode 17 features Nina G: Comedian, who hails from the San Francisco Bay area of California. This is a place I hope to visit someday. Nina is the world’s funniest female comedian who stutters (at least until she finds another one). She performs at comedy clubs and events in her community. Nina also does motivational [...]

Be Open To The World-Episode 16

Pamela Mertz — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:04:29 +0000

Episode 16 features Irina, who hails from Burgas, Bulgaria. She is a published author and journalist, and has also worked in the disability sector. I met Irina on Face book through another friend in Belgium. It still amazes me how technology allows us to reach out and talk with others all around the world, as [...]

Embrace What You Don’t Want Episode 15

Pamela Mertz — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:40:05 +0000

Episode 15 features Lisette Wesseling, who hails all the way from Wellington, New Zealand. I met Lisette two years ago at the NSA conference that was held in Parsippany, NJ. Since then, we have stayed in touch through various social media and the covert email group. I was delighted to spend some time again with [...]

I Can Do This – Episode 14

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:30:20 +0000

Episode 14 features Sheila Denny, who hails from the eastern part of England. I had the pleasure of meeting Sheila in person when I visited the UK a few months ago. It was such a delight to meet her and husband Reggie and son Jack. Sheila invited me and friends Lisa and Tone into her [...]

The Power Of Being Quiet Episode 13

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:10:37 +0000

Episode 13 (Lucky # 13) is a great conversation about stuttering with a woman who doesn’t stutter. This episode features Jill Douglass, who is from Lafayette, LA. I first met Jill at a NSA Conference, but really got to know her at the Friends Convention in New Orleans in 2008. We have been email, text [...]

Most People Don’t Give A Crap Episode 12

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:26:58 +0000

Episode 12 welcomes Victoria Benson Schutter, from Houston, Texas. Vicki is a long time NSA member,and in fact, was with the organization when it was still known as the NSP, National Stuttering Project. Vicki works at Rice University in Houston, and is a NSA chapter leader, chairing meetings from her home. This week, Vicki will [...]

Proud Of Me, Finally – Episode 11

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:10:29 +0000

Episode 11 features Anita Blom, who hails from Sweden, by way of Holland. I first met Anita two years ago. She attended a National Stuttering Association (NSA) conference, where she gave one of the keynote addresses. I remember feeling inspired by her active involvement in the world-wide stuttering community. I also remember that she came [...]

All Your Worst Fears – Episode 10

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:14:37 +0000

Episode 10 (already!) features Christine from London, England. I met Christine when I visited the UK several months ago and attended a British Stammering Association -BSA-meeting. It was a great opportunity for me to meet women from another country who understand the stuttering journey. They were just like me! We have kept in touch through [...]

Stuttering Gives Us An Edge – Episode 9

Pamela Mertz — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:20:11 +0000

Episode 9 features Beth Bienvenu, from Olney, Maryland, located outside of Washington, DC. Beth works for the US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy. As a woman who stutters, Beth has used her personal journey as a stutterer to raise awareness at the federal government level. She offers advice about reasonable accommodations that [...]

Living An Honest Life – Episode 8

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 05:47:52 +0000

Episode 8 features Barbara Wimpee from Milwaukee, WI. Barb is the NSA Chapter leader in Milwaukee for the adult group, as well as leader for the NSA chapter for kids and teens. I met Barb through social media. We are Face book friends, and she is a regular reader of this blog. We have shared [...]

Life Gets In The Way – Episode 7

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:59:46 +0000

Episode 7 features Lesley Kodom-Baah, who hails from London. I first met Lesley on the covert list-serv,where she posted a lot of questions and shared her stuttering experience. Soon enough, Lesley and I began following each other on Face book and Twitter. One social media account is never enough! Lesley is a college student, majoring [...]

It’s OK To Stutter – Episode 6

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:10:31 +0000

Episode 6 welcomes Gloria Klumb from Madison, Wisconsin. Gloria is a NSA and Face book friend. She is leader of the Madison NSA Chapter. She often reads my posts on this blog and takes the time to comment. So it was a no-brainer that she and I would eventually chat and put our great minds [...]

What You See Is What You Get: Episode 5

Pamela Mertz — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:46:33 +0000

Episode 5 welcomes NSA friend Stacey Fitzenrider, who hails from Seattle, Washington. I e-met Stacey several years ago through various stuttering groups and met her in person last year at the NSA Scottsdale conference. She and 5-year-old daughter Ava came to the Open Mic session that I hosted at 8:30 am on Thursday, as a [...]

Positive Attitude Is Everything – Episode 4

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:14:06 +0000

Episode 4 features my friend Lori Melnitsky, who is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and a woman who stutters. Lori and I first met at a National Stuttering Association annual conference two years ago. She is a co-leader for the Long Island NSA Chapter. We have kept up with each other by phone and email. [...]

Lots Of Tough Stuff-Episode 3

Pamela Mertz — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:53:10 +0000

Episode 3 welcomes Annetta Price from Trinidad and Tobago. I first came to know Annetta when she started commenting on this blog and began sharing some of her own feelings about stuttering,which she had rarely made public. We do a lot of honest talking about how stuttering makes us feel. We cover a lot in [...]

The College Grad’s Feelings-Episode 2

Pamela Mertz — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:30:55 +0000

In this second episode, Pam is joined by Sarah Bryant, a woman who just recently graduated from college and is looking for a teaching job. Sarah talks about some of the challenges she faced while stuttering in school. We also talk about advertising and acceptance, and how stuttering influences social relationships. Sarah recently contributed her [...]

Pilot Episode – The Women’s Podcast

Pamela Mertz — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:30:48 +0000

I am really excited to add an audio section to this blog that I hope will be at least weekly. Good friend Daniele Rossi, creator of the site Stuttering is Cool, encouraged me to start a podcast that would just focus on women who stutter and our stories. There doesn’t appear to be any other [...]

A Sister Who Stutters

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:42:23 +0000

My sister Trish and I talked about how she felt about having a sister who stutters. I have really only had candid conversations like this with one other sibling. I never knew how Trish felt about some things. She was pretty honest. Actually, she quite surprised me with some things she said. She agreed to [...]

Sister Talk

Pamela Mertz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:08:08 +0000

Short and sweet today, but exciting. My sister agreed to record a quick clip of us talking about stuttering, something I have never openly done with a sibling. I took a risk and asked her if she would be willing to do this, and she said yes! It’s really cool! So she came over, and we [...]