There is a lot of silence around stuttering. Many of us who stutter spent years running from it and doing everything possible to hide it… to “not be found out”. It was the stigma, how people think about people who stutter, that forced us into hiding. So, we don’t talk, we switch words and avoidance becomes our operating system. With some of us, like Pat Festa, our guest today, the light bulb goes off; the realization that we have to become activists for people who stutter, to educate the world about what it means to be a person who stutters in a fluent world. Pat is our neighbor, from Collegeville, just a few towns over. The beauty of this experience is that Pat, a young adult who stutters, found us, because we at the Nolan Stuttering Foundation have decided to stop hiding and to start educating the world. Pat is doing some exciting things. He is a teacher, an actor and about to launch a new program called “Stutter4You”. I’m joined by Pat and my associate John McDermott. John is on the Board of NSF as well as a Master Sergeant in the US Air force. Enjoy the podcast!
Meet Aidan Marchall-Cort: Co-Chapter Leader of the National Stuttering Association's DC Chapter and the Young Adult Committee Chair for the entire organization. Aidan is also founder of the support group/interview series called Manifest - a community and space for black men who stutter. This is a podcast that should provide hope for all young people who stutter as Aiden is proudly leading the way in educating the community on what it means to be a person who stutters. He is also speaking to classes of speech and language pathology students, addressing the trauma associated with stuttering and defining what he calls “Reverse Shame”. Enjoy the podcast!
U.S. and Irish participants unite in Ireland for cultural immersion, leadership training, and a celebration of stuttering pride.
The inaugural Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange brought together 17 young adults who stutter from the United States and Ireland for a groundbreaking program promoting personal growth, acceptance, and leadership development.
From August 1–8, 2025, participants traveled from Philadelphia to Ireland, where they immersed themselves in the country’s rich culture, sports, and history, while engaging in transformative leadership workshops and team-building activities. The program’s mission extended beyond cultural exchange—its goal was to identify and equip future leaders who happen to stutter with the tools, confidence, and vision to make a difference in their communities.
Take a listen as members of the trip share lessons learned the amazing express they shared together!
Meet Jake Sniras, a recent graduate of Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, PA and incoming Freshman at Wilkes College. Jake was the leading boys scorer in Basketball at Garnet Valley and will be joining the Wilkes College basketball team. Brian had the privilege of recently traveling to Ireland with Jake as part of the Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange. This podcast spans two timeframes: the day before Jake left for Wilkes and three weeks into his college life. We explore the leadership lessons he learned as part of the leadership program, his anticipation of college and then in part two, Jake shares the reality of college life, as a young person who stutters. Over the last several years Brian has watched Jake mature into a wonderful young man and he is confident that Jake will be one of our great future leaders!
Kyle Pelkey is a Speech and language pathologist at the Chmela Communication Center in Illinois. Kyle is also a person who stutters. In this deeply educational podcast, Kyle joins the Stuttering Springboard Career Peer Group to talk about how the brain governs our reaction to our stutter. In technical terms, it’s the neuroscience behind emotional reactivity (ie: stress responses). The group discusses the power of mindfulness and pseudo stuttering to control how we think about stuttering.
Kyle is forever grateful for the relationship with his mentor Kristin Chmela, Owner and Director of Chmela Communication Center and a leader in the field of stuttering therapy.
William (Bill) Peters is a Denver-based writer, father, and advocate whose life has been shaped by the quiet, persistent challenge of stuttering. A lifelong stutterer himself, William understands the deep emotional terrain of being misunderstood-not for what one thinks, but for how one speaks. This silent struggle, paired with experiences of depression and PTSD, has only fueled his resilience and sense of purpose. With a Master's degree in Psychology and a longstanding career serving people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, William has dedicated himself to empowering others, especially those who have been underestimated or overlooked. He is also the proud father of a son who stutters, which gives his work even deeper personal meaning.
Bill is the author of the book, “On the Mound A Rookie’s Triumph in Baseball Verse”, which is another view of Ernest Thayer's 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” In this emotional podcast, Bill talks about the importance of getting in the game of life; about putting yourself out there despite your stutter. It is a deep look into fatherhood and growing up as a person who stutters. Enjoy the listen!
Meet Robert O'Brien; author, speaker and trainer from Dublin, Ireland. Robert is a person who stutters and is gay. Robert spent many years learning to accept and love himself. By embracing his speech and sexuality with the help of amazing people and communities, he began to find peace, and direction in his life.
Robert describes this journey in his book ‘Just One More Drive' the true story of a stuttering homosexual and his race car’. Now as an experienced speaker and trainer, He continues to explore topics such as overcoming adversity, finding self-acceptance and living our best lives.
In this podcast Robert describes his journey from disappointment, to despair and eventually hope and joy. Warning to the listeners, there is a discussion of an attempted suicide in this episode.
Alex Koenig’s approach to his stutter is to face it head on. He has purposely taken on bold roles in his young career to get in the reps and get his stutter out of his head. From door to door sales to selling on a floor with many other sales reps in ear shot, he has learned that being a covert stutter is not an option if you’re ambitious. Alex says, “being covert now is out of the question”. Alex, who makes 100 sales phone calls a day, says that you just have to jump into the deep end and find your grit. The first phone call is the hardest. In this podcast, Alex and Brian explore what they call “the other side”. The other side is not where you are cured of your stutter. It’s the other side of avoidance. It’s the place where you no longer look at life through a stuttering lens. Take a listen and see what the other side looks like to a young professional who stutters.
Alex is graduate of Ursinus College with a degree in Neuroscience. He currently works as a Capacity Portfolio representative at C.H. Robinson.
Get ready for a different approach to speech therapy for people who stutter. In this podcast Jack takes on a journey and shows us how improv and Shakespeare can shed fear and help people who stutter find their voice. Jack and Brian explore the sound of a stutter and encourage people who stutter to “stay in the pocket” and embrace it.
More about Jack Henderson:
Jack Henderson is the founder of Henderson Stuttering Therapy. He is a person who stutters with over a decade of clinical experience. His struggles and transformative journey with his own stutter are what led him to this field.
Jack graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Child Studies and Theatre. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2013 with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. During his undergraduate and graduate studies he worked on the Developmental Stuttering Project as a research assistant. In 2011, Jack co-founded Camp TALKS (Talking and Learning with Kids who Stutter) and ran the camp through 2023.
Jack is an adjunct faculty at Austin Peay State University, teaching the graduate-level stuttering therapy course.
Julia Unger and Steve Hoff are the founders of Invivo Institute: Invivo provides Teletherapy for speech and language disorders and clinical education for graduate students and professionals.
They help our clients become more empowered, feel happier and thrive in all areas of life.
They also enable colleges and universities across the nation to offer students virtual clinical education and training.
Julia Unger is a bilingual, ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) with licensure in several states as well as Germany. Julia holds international degrees including a graduate degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a Ph.D. from the University of Education Heidelberg in Germany.
Steve Hoff is a licensed psychologist in MA, NY, and CT. He obtained his doctoral degree in Child/School Psychology from New York University. Prior to the Invivo Institute, he co-founded Barrington Psychology Inc. in Great Barrington, MA, a practice which specializes in child and adolescent mental health.
This podcast goes deep into what Julia and Steve call an Ecological approach to Stuttering therapy. Their welcomed approach involves parents, the teachers and community in understanding the secondary behaviors that often accompany a person who stutters. In this podcast we get into Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology as effective approaches to helping young people who stutter. This podcast warmed my heart. Finally mental health is being integrated into the equation. As a person who stutters, I can personally tell you that I have read dozens of books on CBT and related material and nothing has helped me more than integrating those approaches into my life. Enjoy this dynamic and powerful podcast!
It's been three years since Brian Nolan and Joe Donaher started the Nolan Stuttering Foundation and Stuttering Springboard podcast. In this short podcast Brian shares details on two exciting programs:: The Career Peer Group and The Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange. It's a great little clip on how we're making a difference! Take a listen!
Meet Daniele Rossi: Author and illustrator by night, UX Designer and Digital Strategist by day and the creator of @heyfrankybanky comics.
If you were to express your stutter as a picture, what would it look like? Daniele, a person who stutters from Toronto Canada, is using his creativity and art skills to help young people who stutter look at their stutter differently. He runs workshops where people draw a picture of their stutter. He is also the author of the book "Stuttering is Cool" and a podcast by the same name. He uses Franky Banky, the main character in his books and comics to share the experiences of people who stutter and educate those that do not stutter. Why does Daniele think Stuttering is cool? Take a listen and find out
Dr. Farzan Irani is a professor and chair of the Department of Communication Disorders at Texas State University and a leading thinker in stuttering therapy. This podcast takes twists and turns. Farzan was originally invited as a podcast guest on the Springboard to share his results of a study on how sleep efficiency impacts people who stutter. We cover that and a lot more! Great podcasts often evolve into an amazing conversation, which is what happened here. We dove in early to the widely accepted notion that stuttering cannot be "cured" and listen to Farzan give a very intriguing response, getting at... what are we actually trying to cure? The podcast touches on a new definition of "acceptance" and being "okay with not being okay". As in many of Brian's podcasts... there is a dose of emotion! Take a listen.
Dr. Michael Azios is an associate professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in the Department of Communicative Disorders. He is a speech and language pathologist, training future SLPs and working with groups of people who stutter. In this vulnerable and authentic podcast, Michael shares his journey as a younger person who stuttered and his incredible transformation and courage to use narrative therapy to deeply reflect and better understand the trauma from stuttering experiences and how he has "changed the lense" by which he views it. He uses books and films on stuttering to help parents and children who stutter better understand stuttering and put their stutter into perspective. Brian and Michael share a common belief that storytelling is therapeutic and the pathway towards joy. Creating space between the person and the stutter is an important step towards loving yourself. Enjoy the podcast!
Please join me in listening to this very emotional, educational and authentic podcast on what it's like to be a person who stutters in the dating world.... and what it's like to date a person who stutters. Our very own Jack Nolan and his wonderful girlfriend, Arianna Einsig, share their experience in meeting each other, learning about each other and accepting each other for who they are.
Meet Andrew Snedeker, Kavin Rafferty and Conor Quinn, three young adults who stutter who boldly and bravely gave speeches at the recent Stuttering Springboard Fundraiser. Listen as our podcast guests share their approaches to preparing for the speech and getting up the courage to speak to a large audience about their journey. The fundraiser event on November 21st was very special in that many of the people who attended learned a lot about stuttering and how to give people who stutter the time and space to communicate. We're over halfway to our goal of raising 50,000 for the Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange.
This trip is a unique opportunity for young people who stutter (ages 18-35) from the United States to come together and travel to Ireland in August 2025. Our goal is to empower individuals who stutter by enhancing leadership skills, building an international network, and raising awareness to destigmatize stuttering.
Today, October 22, 2024, leaders from Ireland and the United States gathered to recognize the significance of international Stuttering Awareness Day, a day that reminds us of the profound impact stuttering can have on individuals, and families. Stuttering affects millions, transcending borders, cultures, and ages.
Awareness is the first step toward understanding. By observing this day, we foster an environment where conversations about stuttering can flourish, where bullying is not accepted and where verbal differences are tolerated and respected.
To recognize this day, we brought together leaders to discuss the importance of leadership in dismantling the stigma associated with stuttering, accepting people with disorders such as stuttering and giving them the space to share their voice. We were pleased to have Bertie Ahern, the former Irish Prime Minister from Ireland, lead this discussion. Joining Brian and Bertie for this conversation were, Jamie Googan, Michael Sheehan, Michael O’Shea, Derry Canti and musician Maive Walsh.
Enjoy the program!
Jason Heffler is a musician and author whose stories help young readers overcome speech disorders and fears around speaking. Drawing from his own childhood experiences growing up with a stutter, he writes uplifting tales that build confidence in kids who lack self-esteem.
As a child, Heffler was cruelly bullied for his stutter, knocking his self-acceptance, but he eventually decided to "own" it rather than be defined by it. This hard-won self-love became the driving inspiration behind his writing career. By day he is a DJ (Fluencee) and leads the operations of EDM.com, the world's leading electronic dance music site, as its Managing Editor.
Meet Greg Beasley, a chiropractor for 31 years and a person who stutters. Greg attended Central Michigan University for his undergraduate studies and Palmer College of Chiropractic for his postgraduate studies. He’s owned and run four successful chiropractic clinics in Michigan and Washington. Within his practice, he makes a point to encourage people of all ages to not let social constructs limit their desires. Greg shares his story of grit and determination and the importance of not letting society tell you who you are and what you can be. Take a listen as Greg and Brian’s energy and passion for shedding the shame and stigma associated with stuttering resonates throughout the podcast.
Brandon, a lifelong person who stutters, is an American politician serving as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 25th district. Elected in November 2018, he assumed office on December 1, 2018, succeeding his father, Joseph Markosek.
Brandon has introduced House Bill 2268, which requires insurance companies to provide speech therapy services to children ages 2- 6, a critical time for a young person who stutters. The bill has passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate.
Take a listen as Brandon shares his journey as a person who stutters, including getting the courage to run for office, and explains the impact of House Bill 2268. Thanks for what you do Brandon!
