Blogs

For as long as I can remember, I have coped with a “speech block,” a type of stuttering that momentarily causes unexpected breaks in my speech.

For years, my stutter was the thing that caused a lot of self-doubt, negativity, and held me back. My stutter would cause me to talk negatively to and be mad at myself. Through years of self-growth and introspection, I no longer allow myself to talk ill about myself or be mad at myself because of my stutter.

On the night of August 31, I called four games of bingo. That was not something I had on my list of things to do that day nor was it on the list of things I thought I would ever do.

I had to convince myself that I am enough and having self-doubt is part of being human. That those who truly love and care for me value my happiness over my perceived success. That my work is changing so many lives. That I am doing well and doing good in life. That I must forgive my hard days.

Stuttering does does not make me less of a p-person. My new friends Jordyn and Nate are just as c-c-cool as me.

For most of my life, I've only talked about stuttering – if I actually brought it up in conversations – to people who spoke fluently.

Living with a stutter has a way of complicating communication, which can be frustrating. Uncomfortable situations creep up and leave you upset about the outcome. But there is one thing you need to focus on: forgiving yourself.

Giving a talk on a TED stage has been on my bucket list. It’s a goal I never thought I would have the ability to accomplish because I thought I wasn’t qualified to stand on that stage.