Learn how Joe McEvoy,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Chief Strategy Officer Joe McEvoy Briefly describe your daily job duties. As CSO I lead all of my organization’s work in implementing our strategic plan. This includes developing new programs and partnerships in response to needs in the community, building strategic partnerships with other providers and funding organizations, advocating for change at the local and state level, and identifying internal improvements that ensure we can best use our resources. I also lead all of the agency’s fundraising and communication efforts – so every day is really very different. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I think, like most people who stutter, speaking to large groups can be a challenge. I have the added challenge of having an accent (I’m Irish) which can sometimes make me feel like it’s harder for people to understand me. It’s definitely something I want to work on and become more comfortable with, as I’d like to be able to do more of it. I am lucky to able to rely on a great team who have many different skills, which allows me to work to my strengths, like being a much better communicator with smaller groups and at building personal relationships. Other than that, many people who stutter will recognize how tired you can get after a long day of talking – sometimes I get home and just need to not talk for a while in the evening! What are your long-term career aspirations? I love working in the community non-profit space, and particularly in anti-poverty work. While I imagine one day I would like to be the CEO of a non-profit, for right now, I love what I do. I honestly feel like I have my dream job and I want to continue to do all I can to help meet the needs of folks in our community who may be struggling. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? Yes, I did – in those kind of situations it makes everyone feel much more comfortable, and I feel like by naming it, you lessen the stress and it’s impact on your interaction. The first time I stuttered in the interview, I took a moment to explain that I had a stutter. My boss has been very supportive from the moment I mentioned it, and it has never had any negative impacts on my work. I don’t always disclose, but I will in the right circumstances – I talk very openly about it with coworkers and folks in the community. I hosted a screening of “My Beautiful Stutter” for my coworkers and invited some donors and community partners, and I regularly share information on Stuttering Awareness Day. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I’m really proud of all the work my agency does to serve the community – every day we change people’s lives for the better and offer hope in times of crisis. What I am most proud of is how our entire team went above and beyond, working so hard, and being so innovative and imaginative about how we were able to help those in need when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. It might be counterintuitive but I think that stuttering helps in a number of ways. It often evokes openness and engagement with people that might be surprising to someone who does not stutter. By sharing that you stutter, and being comfortable with stuttering, you are showing a vulnerability that many people respond to. I feel like I am much better able to build relationships with individuals. I also feel like stuttering has helped me become a much better communicator – I love writing (there is no stuttering in writing!) and the tactic of replacing trickier words or sounds has given me a great vocabulary that definitely comes in handy! What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? I don’t know about advice, but I really feel like being open and even a little bit vulnerable is our superpower! While it might feel stressful to put yourself out there, I can honestly say that I have never ever received any negative response when disclosing. Stuttering gives us a unique perspective, we value personal interactions and communication in a different way – in the workplace this can really set you apart and can help you build incredible relationships!

Learn how Ben Zucker,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Airman Ben Zucker Briefly describe your daily job duties. I work missions! I help tip off US and Allied forces to potential threats using my foreign language skills. While I can’t go too deeply into what I do, my work can be quite rewarding and I would recommend those who have a knack for foreign language and are seeking work to consider the Air Force language program. While the job can be stressful at times, it always feels good to know that my work is meaningful and can help save lives. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part was definitely learning Russian from scratch. I was fine with the reading and writing, but speaking a foreign language with a stutter is legitimately challenging. A lot of the speech techniques that I learned in English didn’t really apply well to some of the sounds in Russian. In the end I was able to get through the speaking portion of the training, but I definitely sympathize with bilingual people who stutter and the challenge that that brings. Speaking is already hard enough for many of us, but speaking in a language that you’re not comfortable with adds a whole extra layer of difficulty. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting peers? Yes, and initially I was disqualified from the Armed Forces due to it. Luckily, the Air Force was in need of qualified linguists and I was able to file a waiver and get through. It was important that I worked extra hard though because I always felt that I was under a bit of extra scrutiny due to my condition. I also disclosed my stutter upon arriving to my first duty station during the introduction meeting, and my peers responded well to it. I regularly disclose and am happy to educate if others inquire about it. The main reason that I like disclosing is because I don’t want to give others the impression that I’m a nervous or uncertain person. Disclosing that I stutter allows me to control the framing of the issue, and in some sense exert a measure of ownership over it. It also helps sever the common association between stuttering and nervousness by presenting stuttering in a different light. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. While I wouldn’t say that my stutter directly improves my job performance, I would say that it has helped me connect with people on some occasions and acts as an excellent filter. I feel that it has made me more empathetic to the struggles of others, and this trait has helped with interpersonal relationships and has certainly made me memorable. Even supervisors and co-workers from years ago often still remember me, and not too long ago I received an email from a supervisor who I had 5 years ago asking how I was doing. For better or for worse, stuttering makes it much more difficult to stay below the radar. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment was graduating from my language training course. It was a difficult course, and one-third of my starting class did not graduate. The cost of failing the course would have meant that I either would have been separated from the Air Force or that I would have been assigned to whatever job the Air Force is in need of, which would have essentially placed my future out of my hands. Graduating was a huge accomplishment, and I was able to demonstrate to my teachers and peers that stuttering is no barrier to success. What are your long-term career aspirations? I’m currently applying to MBA programs and looking to concentrate in financial technology. I’m endlessly fascinated in the ways in which money and technology interact and transform the way that traditional financial services are done. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? I’ve found that it’s best to be upfront and open about it. Show your employer that stuttering is only a small part of you, and that you have many other skills that you bring to the table. People who stutter can make excellent employees, managers, and entrepreneurs by embracing their stutter as a part of them as opposed to constantly trying to hide it, often by staying silent. It’s very important that we don’t view every instance of stuttering as a failure. While we may not have full control of our speech, we are in control of our attitudes and how we evaluate and frame success. Plenty of employers will overlook a stutter, but a bad attitude is actually a much bigger burden.

Learn how Trevor Bell,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Sr. IT Security Specialist Trevor Bell Briefly describe your daily job duties. Protecting people, patients, and data while tracking bad guys across the Internet. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. Interfacing with third-party/vendors in virtual meetings. Most of my team is aware of the fact I stutter, however, meeting with external customers always presents more of a challenge. What are your long-term career aspirations? My career aspirations are to continue up the cybersecurity ladder and eventually teach. I love mentoring aspiring cybersecurity enthusiasts. I was fortunate to have a few mentors when I was just starting out. I enjoy helping others get to where he or she wants to be, professionally. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? In 2021, I had the pleasure of participating in a research study where I worked with Speech Pathologists on placing more emphasis on other facets of communications. These facets included eye contact, tempo, hand gestures, and disclosure. This program really showed me how disclosure helps everyone, the listener and myself. I make it a point to disclose at the beginning of the hiring process and other social interactions. What is your proudest moment at your current company? Aside from professional moments, my proudest moment is just blending in with my coworkers. I have been with the company for over a year and being hired during the pandemic made things difficult but I made the most of it. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. For a lack of a better phrase, stuttering has allowed me to work with a “chip on my shoulder”. Throughout my younger years, I’ve always felt like I had to work harder because I did not have the “gift of gab” and I could not articulate my work as well as others. So, I always let my work speak for myself, which made me work harder not smarter. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Disclose, disclose, disclose. Hearing the words, “I am a person who stutters” goes a very long way.

Learn how Kaleb Brown,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Front Desk Associate Kaleb Brown Norman, OK Front Desk Associate Crunch Fitness Briefly describe your daily job duties. My job duties include giving our customers the best experience possible going into the gym. Whether that is saying ”hello” ”Welcome in” or ”Have a great workout”. I am also responsible for telling people about what our gym offers for those interested in signing up for a membership. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I would say speaking to people who don’t know that I stutter. It’s a daily challenge that takes practice. What are your long-term career aspirations? My long-term goal is to be a gym owner. I plan on working somewhere in the community related to health and wellness. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I am pretty open to my stutter with people I work with. All of my co-workers and bosses are all very accepting of my speech. I often think it doesn’t even faze them. What is your proudest moment at your current company? Winning employee of the month! Also, seeing my co-workers succeed. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. My speech has given me a hunger to succeed in life. It’s given me a different outlook, and I can relate to people better that may be struggling with something. Stuttering has caused me to work harder every day. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? My best advice for people who stutter is to be the best version of themselves every day, no matter the circumstances. Give yourself grace day by day and be patient with yourself.

Learn how Logan Williamson,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Process Engineer Logan Williamson Briefly describe your job and daily work duties. I am a process engineer at Corning, a Fortune 500 company that specializes in glass and ceramics technology. I currently work in the Pharmaceutical Technologies division, a newer business within Corning that focuses on developing and manufacturing pharmaceutical packaging devices such as vials, syringes and cartridges. My daily responsibilities include monitoring the key process parameters to ensure all quality specifications are met, implementing continuous improvements ideas, owning and updating documentation, troubleshooting equipment, scheduling maintenance, and being the spokesperson for process performance at the daily production meeting. Before becoming a process engineer, I began my career with Corning as a shift supervisor, managing front line operations within the plant. In this role, I directly managed a team of about 20 operators to ensure that daily production targets and quality standards were met. I am also an officer within Corning’s internal Toastmasters club, serving as Vice President of Membership. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job as a person who stutters is working in an environment known for constant change. Most of the time, I am juggling multiple high-priority tasks at the same time. This can result in me being stressed out as a I try to coordinate activities to various groups of people. When I get stressed, it directly impacts the severity of my stutter, which can result in frustration and loss of focus. I overcome this by trying to focus on prioritizing my tasks so that I do not become overwhelmed. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I disclosed my stuttering by talking about my leadership experience as an NSA chapter leader during college. This allowed me to frame my stutter as a strength, rather than a weakness. It also portrayed a sense of personal confidence that I think potential employers will admire from a candidate who stutters. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Being a person who stutters is humbling. I believe the experiences that a person who stutters goes through makes them more empathetic and increases their emotional intelligence and ability to connect with others. This characteristic really helped me when I served as a shift supervisor at Corning. I had a natural sense of understanding for my employees need to be heard and understood. Because of this, all of them respected me and valued my opinion when I had an idea – because they knew I was taking their interest into account when making a decision. What is your proudest moment at your current company? There are two moments that come to mind. The first was when I transitioned out of my shift supervisor role. During my final days as their supervisor, many of my employees came up to me and thanked me for the job I had done. They appreciated the respect that I had for each and every one of them and took the time to wish me the best in my new role as an engineer. The second proud moment came when I was elected as Vice President of Membership of the Toastmasters club at Corning. I had only been a member for about 2 months when I was nominated for the role. During my first speech to the club I talked about the challenges I had overcome in my life, with a specific focus on the challenges of stuttering. In this speech, I believe they saw the emotional connection that I could form with people and had faith that I could transfer this over to forming relationships and interacting with potential new members as an ambassador for the club. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Never turn down opportunities because of your stutter. Confidence only comes by tackling challenges and overcoming adversity. I suffered from low self-confidence while in college because I was always blaming my stutter for my short-comings and missed opportunities. At some point late in college (and after my involvement with the NSA), I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and never let my stutter stop me from doing something I wanted to do again. This was the point at which my life began to change for the better. As I took on more challenges, my confidence blossomed, and I rode this high to take on even tougher challenges. This “challenge — confidence — tougher challenge — more confidence” feedback loop has allowed me to be in the fortunate position I am today. The tough lesson that took me nearly 20 years to learn is you only truly fail when you do not try. Just think – if you try something and it kills you, you won’t have to do it again! (Thanks Eric Mandel for this wonderful motto from the 2019 NSA Annual Conference.)

Learn how Eamonn Hubert,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Musician Eamonn Hubert Endicott, NY Musician Hot Dogs & Gin Briefly describe your daily job duties. I perform live music with my band and as a duo with my Dad for several shows a month, both private and public. I was also on the US Broadway First National Tour of “School of Rock the Musical” as a musician and swing/understudy for three characters, and went on several times in 13 states when I was ten years old. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of what I do is talking spontaneously to fans and doing interviews. I tend to stutter more when I’m excitedly speaking about something that isn’t rehearsed or scripted. I also stutter more while I’m in the early stages of learning lines for a role. This is a challenge every year when I participate in my school musical which is always put together in a very short time. What are your long-term career aspirations? I hope to attend music school someday and continue to perform as a professional musician. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? When I was cast in School of Rock I didn’t disclose my stutter, but I’m pretty sure the casting team noticed it! It didn’t seem to matter to them since most actors don’t stutter once their lines are memorized. It did affect my being selected to speak on press days– I usually wasn’t allowed to because of my stutter. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment has probably been performing with my band, Hot Dogs & Gin, at the NYS Blues Festival last summer. I first performed there with another band when I was six, but to have a full set to ourselves was such an honor! Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I’m not sure how stuttering helps me, but I don’t really think about it as much anymore. I’m fairly fluent most of the time and when I’m not, I don’t let it bother me. Most of the folks who come out to see us perform know I have a stutter (I’m also autistic) from old social media posts. I hope that if anyone who stutters does notice my stutter, they will see it’s not a big deal for me and doesn’t have to be for them either. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Focus on strengths and use whatever fluency tools you may have learned as needed. If others have reactions or questions about the stutter, just tell them it’s part of you like anything else: eye color, gender, etc. and that it doesn’t affect your ability to be awesome! The more you worry about your stutter, the less fluent and confident you’ll be.

Learn how Emily Anderson,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Environmental Specialist Emily Anderson Briefly describe your daily job duties. As an Environmental Specialist at DOWL, my job duties vary depending on the project we are working on and the time of the year. During the summer, I am very busy with wetland delineation fieldwork. When a client wants to fill wetland for development, they need the proper permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That’s when a third party, like what I do at DOWL, does fieldwork to identify the wetland. We look for three things: hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and hydrology. Simply put, we dig big holes and analyze the soils plus the surrounding environment. It’s a lot of fun and has brought me to such beautiful regions of Alaska. When not doing field work, I am working on permits, Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements for major projects. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. My biggest challenge is participating on teleconferences. Because projects involve a lot of different people from a variety of sectors, teleconferences are very common in my field of work. I already stutter a lot on the phone and when I know there are many people on the line, important people for that matter, it can be very stressful for me. It’s also difficult to find a moment to talk on teleconferences. Sometimes I will start to speak, stutter, and someone will start speaking because they think the line is open. It is not their fault but just something that happens. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers, clients and or customers? I did disclose my stutter and it felt AMAZING. I knew I wanted to disclose but I was waiting for the right moments to do so. I wanted to make it organic and prove it as a strength of mine. My interviewers asked me what I like to do in my free time. I responded with the normal outdoor Alaskan activities but also said I like being a role model to people who stutter, especially the younger generation. I brought up my leadership role with the Alaska NSA Family Chapter and what an impact it has had on children and their parents. My interviewers were completely blown away and loved it. Currently when I disclose to clients or other coworkers, I also wait for it to be organic. If I am just casually stuttering, I usually don’t disclose unless I need to. But if I’m in a big meeting or presentation, I will simply say: “Just a heads up, I do stutter so it may take me an extra moment.” I have even had people approach me after presentations to tell me how great it was that I told the crowd that. It really helps people feel comfortable with you when you disclose your stutter. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Being a person who stutters in the workplace makes me a very conscientious speaker. I take my time when I speak up and choose my words wisely. This is not to avoid stuttering or to choose words I will not stutter on, but rather, it makes me feel better when I take my time. I’ve found speaking slowly and concisely demands attention from people. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I have only been at my current company for about 6 months now, so I expect a giant proud moment is yet to come. As of now, my colleagues and supervisors have been very vocal about my strengths and willingness to help where needed. Something I am proud of is that out of the entire environmental department, I have logged the most hours in the field. For someone of my age and experience level, that is certainly something to be proud of. What are your long-term career aspirations? Thankfully in the environmental science world, there’s always work to be done and a large variety of it. However, that makes my field very broad because I’m interested in absolutely everything. Once I narrow in my interests, I hope to go back to school to obtain my master’s degree. I would love to study the social effects of climate change, especially since Alaska is being hit rather hard by the changing climate. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? My advice is do not let stuttering define you. Use your stutter as a strength. Show people that it’s just one part of you and it does not hold you back. Plus, I promise we, people who stutter, notice our stutter way more than anyone else! It can feel like such a huge deal to tell someone that you stutter, but chances are they are going to accept and move on. It is not a big deal to them. They value you for your brain, your talent, your personality. Your stutter can be an asset, if you let it be that.

Learn how Shea Quinn,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Helicopter Pilot Shea Quinn Briefly describe your daily job duties. I am a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot for maritime search and rescue missions and counter narcotics interdictions. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. Although I do a lot of public speaking for my administrative duties and a great deal of talking on the radio while flying, I think the pre-flight crew briefings is the most challenging part of my job. The briefing sets the tone for the entire flight, so it’s critical to present yourself as an effective communicator. Some days I feel that demand more heavily than other days. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers, clients and or customers? I did disclose but it was in my medical record. There was also a read aloud test as a part of the initial medical screening process, so my stutter advertised itself. I was initially medically disqualified from the Coast Guard but I was able to obtain a waiver through an additional series of interviews with medical officers. Now, I try to be very forward about advertising the fact that I stutter. At the start of every presentation, briefing, or other speaking engagement at which I am in front of an unfamiliar audience, I advertise the fact that I stutter immediately after introducing myself by offering an “admin note about myself.” This seems to put both me and the audience at ease. I have received a lot of positive feedback from listeners that my introduction actually made them more interested and engaged with the content I was speaking on because of, to use their words, the “honesty, truthfulness, and simplicity” of my introduction. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Stuttering has undoubtedly made me a better listener and has enhanced my “crew resource management” skills as the Coast Guard would term it. The thousands of instances throughout my life, both in and out of the military, where I wasn’t listened to because of my stutter, has taught me to hear and understand the whole message before developing a response. This prevents the all too common mistake of hearing only the response you want, thereby leaving the other person feeling ignored, belittled, and ostracized, greatly diminishing their input to the team when responding to a given situation. In aviation, especially with the small crew size of many Coast Guard helicopters, the input of every member is critical to mission success. Therefore, fostering an environment of healthy communication both inside and outside the aircraft is paramount. Without the lifelong struggle (or gift) of stuttering, I would have had much greater difficulty promoting such effective communication. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment at my current unit has actually recurred several times over, and continues to re-surface on a regular basis. It comes about every time someone at the unit approaches me to tell me how much they enjoy when I speak at “All Hands” events and unit trainings. I’ve been told by many people that I am very entertaining and that I deliver information very well. Although I have often thought they were just being nice, the consistency of the positive feedback has taught me otherwise. To have such success and to receive such positive feedback after exposing a vulnerability through advertising my stuttering is great motivation to continue doing so. (Thank you Ms. Paula Bacolini and Dr. Phil Schneider for developing my willingness to advertise my stuttering.) What are your long-term career aspirations? I hope to serve twenty years in the Coast Guard and fly most of, if not all of that time. I’m looking forward to teaching and encouraging young “nugget” pilots as they progress through their various upgrades and qualifications to become Aircraft Commanders. I’m still toying with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing business after retiring from the Coast Guard. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? STUTTER STRONG! Be up front and honest about your stuttering. Disarm the critics by advertising your stuttering as often as you can. Own your stuttering and you will gain immediate respect from your co-workers. Change your mindset from a focus on fluency to a focus on effective communication. There is so much more to communication than not stuttering. Fluency is not essential to mission success.

Learn how Kirsten Silvey,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Internal Medicine / Geriatric Medicine Kirsten Silvey Briefly describe your daily job duties. Educating people about their disease process and providing them with the tools to improve their health. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is calmly communicating with the upset patient or family member, followed closely behind by cold-calling colleagues who have never met me. What are your long-term career aspirations? I aspire to promote a holistic model of healthcare that employs multidisciplinary teams partnering with patients and their caregivers to provide high-quality care with positive healthcare outcomes while decreasing unnecessary treatment costs. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers, clients and or customers? I start off EVERY conversation with a new person with my background followed by a disclosure of my stutter and permission to ask me to repeat myself if they are having difficulty understanding me. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I was secretly thrilled when I was named the Geriatrician of the year in 2020 by my colleagues in The Albuquerque Magazine. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. As a physician, stuttering requires me to talk more slowly and deliberately while utilizing plain and concise language. Patients appreciate this. It also allows me to empathize with and comfort patients who are feeling frustrated, broken, or lesser than. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Do not hide your stutter. Address it and then move on. If it becomes an issue, show how it is an asset. Never believe people who tell you that you cannot do a certain job. I believed I could not be a physician for eight years. However, I do not regret postponing my career. My prior careers as a medical researcher and science writer / editor have made me a better physician and leader today.

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Learn how Anthony Davis,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Credit Union Bank Teller Anthony Davis Briefly describe your daily job duties. I handle members money and help sure that all Ascent Credit Union members are satisfied. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is communicating with my coworkers and members. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? Yes, I did. I let them know that I stuttered before I started the interview. When it comes to my coworkers just let them ask me. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I believe my stutter helps me better relate to members that have a stutter or something similar. What is your proudest moment at your current company? One moment that comes to mind was helping a member fix a fraud on their account. What are your long-term career aspirations? I want to eventually go back to school and become a teacher. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Don’t let your stutter hold you back. If anything, stuttering makes you more of a valuable worker. You are unique and special. Believe it!

Learn how Lane Sanders,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Freelance Musician Lane Sanders Briefly describe your daily job duties. I am a drummer/percussionist in the San Francisco Bay Area where I wear many hats as a musician. For one, I play in orchestra pits for musical theater productions around the Bay. I also instruct percussion groups at the high school and college level. And, I give private lessons to students of all ages. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part is definitely networking. For those who haven’t heard my playing, their first impression of me will always be my stutter, which is probably just as bad now as it was when I was in grade school. For most people it doesn’t matter to them, but I do always have that fear that they’ll know me as a stutterer, rather than the musician that I am. Do you disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it? The hiring process for my profession isn’t like a regular 9-to-5 job, it’s usually based on recommendations and through word-of-mouth. I don’t mention my stutter upfront unless who I’m speaking to has a confused look on their face. My hope, so to speak, is my playing will “do the talking for me.” Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. It forces me to be patient, as well as forces the other musicians to slow down sometimes and have patience. There can be fast-paced moments sometimes, so it’s good to just slow things down now and again. What is your proudest career moment? Probably my proudest moment as a musician was being in the orchestra for the world premiere production of “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” that is now currently on Broadway. The show did it’s Off-Broadway tryout in Berkeley, California, and I was fortunate to be a part of it. What are your long-term career aspirations? It’s pretty simple: to keep playing music and inspiring others. As long as I can continue to make a living playing music, I’m all set. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not, and don’t hide anything about yourself. Your honesty will get you a long way with your peers.