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.

< Back DEI Committee Spotlight: Julie Marshall — Building a More Inclusive NSA, One Voice at a Time For Julie Marshall, advocacy has always been second nature. As a speech-language pathologist, she’s worked with people who stutter across all ages and stages of life—always focusing on what matters most: their individual goals. Julie has long relied on the National Stuttering Association's resources and community. Now, as a proud member of the DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Committee, she’s helping ensure that the NSA continues to grow into a space where all people who stutter feel welcome, represented, and empowered. “The NSA is a community where stuttering is celebrated. I joined the DEI Committee to help foster inclusion and promote equity.” The DEI Committee works to support underrepresented groups in the NSA—Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQAI+ individuals, and multilingual speakers—while promoting diverse representations of stuttering throughout the organization. Julie is especially proud of continuing a weekly adult support group in honor of the late Dr. Walt Manning, a beloved leader and mentor in the stuttering community. “It’s a privilege to carry forward a space that offers connection and growth. I know Walt would be proud.” Her advice to newcomers? “You are welcome and accepted — wherever you are on your journey.” Get to know Julie: Favorite ice cream: Salted Caramel Favorite show: Ted Lasso Karaoke go-to: Anything by The Mavericks Pet: Phoenix, her 14-year-old mixed rescue pup Fun fact: She sings jazz on weekends! Dream vacation: Australia Julie’s voice and vision are helping the NSA grow into a more inclusive, connected, and diverse community—and we are so grateful for all she brings to the table. Thank you, Julie! Previous Next

Meet Courtney Luckman , a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. Courtney Luckman Professional Relations Chair (NSA Board) Courtney Luckman is a person who stutters, speech-language pathologist, and doctoral student at New York University studying social cognitive influences on stuttering. She has been active in the NSA since 2011, formerly chairing the Young Adults Committee. She is the founder of the Charlottesville Chapter of the NSA and helped co-run the City of Chicago NSA Chapter for several years. She is co-author of the 3Es model for stuttering therapy and her research has recently been published in ASHA Perspectives and the Journal of Fluency Disorders. In 2020, she received the Distinguished Early Career Professional Certificate of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is passionate about educating speech-language pathologists about the experience of stuttering. She is a writer for Medbridge Education, has been featured on several podcasts about stuttering, and has presented on stuttering at several national and international conferences. When she is not consumed by all things stuttering, she enjoys traveling the world, spending time outside with her dog, writing, reading anything nonfiction, and baking. Fun fact: she once owned her own cookie company! Term began August 2022

Learn how Christopher Monello,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Senior Marketing Manager Christopher Monello Briefly describe your daily job duties. Simply said my job is to drive subscription revenue growth across all digital channels: email, social media, website, search, etc. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is communicating via Zoom, phone calls, Slack messages, etc. As a person who stutters, it’s hard for others to know when I’m done sharing a thought. This can be frustrating when I’m in the middle of a block and I need a bit more time to convey my ideas. In person communication is easier for others to gauge when I’m done speaking. 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 not self-disclose during the job hiring process, but I wish I would’ve. Disclosing stuttering makes you and your counterpart feel more comfortable and more often than not, makes for easier communication. I disclose my stuttering to colleagues now when the time feels right. I never force disclosing my stutter. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I think I’m a better communicator and listener because of my stutter. I listen to others and in general I’m more patient. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment at my current company was finalizing a major project. My first project onboard 3 long years ago (feels much shorter) was to create automated email frameworks to onboard each category of our customers: subscription, eBook, and single issue. This project was very technical and also creative in nature. Accomplishing this and being able to share both positive engagement and revenue results signified the value I could bring to my superiors. What are your long-term career aspirations? My long-term career aspiration is to take all of the experience that I’ve built working in marketing in various industries (client-side, media, technology and publishing) and start my own application/company (still brainstorming ideas). I’d love to be my own boss one day and also build a company culture of acceptance across the board. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Always be yourself. Don’t let your stutter define you. Join the NSA local chapter meetings and take advantage of their online resources. I interviewed for over 70 companies when I first graduated college in 2014. The process was rigorous and frustrating. Once I joined the NSA local chapter in midtown Manhattan, I felt immediately at home. To be so comfortable and open about my stutter with fellow stutterers is a gift that continues to enhance my life. You can get job interview tips and build both personal and professional relationships by joining the NSA community.

Learn how Conor Quinn,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Commissioner & Restaurant Owner Conor Quinn Briefly describe your daily job duties. As a commissioner in my community I talk with constituents every day and deal with their concerns. Commissioners run the government in the township, pass budgets, ordinances, and serve as the voice for the constituents. My other job is as a restaurant owner in my township. I help manage the daily operations of the restaurant and deliver the best possible service and food we can. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. As a stutterer, the most challenging part of being a commissioner and restaurant owner is speaking in public. But I’ve not let that hold me back in speaking up. 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? Yes, when I ran for Commissioner I’d speak to residents and if I stuttered, then I would let them know that I stutter. Everyone from the residents to my fellow commissioners are very understanding and respectful. That also goes for my job as a restaurant owner. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. It shows you’re not afraid of being you. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment was when I won my election. I live in the greatest community and being able to give back is what I enjoy. What are your long-term career aspirations? My long-term plan is to best represent the people in my community. Maybe I’ll run for higher office because public service is important to me. I will continue to work at the restaurant and who knows, maybe I’ll own other restaurants too. You never know what life holds. 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 shy away from speaking. Embrace it. If you stutter let people know, you’ll find out people are very understanding. Don’t be ashamed.

Learn how Jon Mohr,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Honda Deployment Specialist / Composer Jon Mohr Briefly describe your daily job duties. For Honda, I use historical and present data to determine how to send inventory throughout Honda’s network of warehouses and part centers across the U.S. For composing, I compose and produce cinematic music for films/video games/TV shows. I also create online content to share my work and workflows with others. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job with Honda is phone calls. They aren’t frequent, but they can be somewhat challenging to take sometimes, especially if a request is extremely urgent. Online meetings are a frequent part of the industry when I’m composing, especially meetings with people I’m not very familiar with and haven’t met in person. These are always enjoyable meetings, but they can be considerably intimidating. What are your long-term career aspirations? I would like to improve my skills at data analysis and logical thinking with Honda to deploy inventory in more strategic and beneficial ways to improve customer satisfaction and reduce backorders (I know how it feels to not be able to use your car because you have to wait weeks for a part to come in!) With my composing, I aspire to have my music featured on trailers for large franchises like Marvel, and to be able to work with live orchestras and musicians more frequently. 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? With my work at Honda I disclosed. I waited until I had a few blockages while I was answering questions and then very briefly mentioned, “if my cadence seems off, I have a speech impediment, it’s no biggie.” The office I work isn’t super uptight so that makes it much easier too. For co-workers I don’t know yet, I don’t tend to disclose it. I’m usually able to manage it for brief interactions, but for longer interactions with people I don’t know, I’m likely to bring it up in a similar way to my interview. I don’t find myself in many “interview” positions in y composing work, but for my online content, I created 1 post in March of 2023 that talked about my stutter and the work I have to put in to my videos to keep them within Instagram Reels’ minute and a half length limit. For general meetings with people I don’t know well, I usually briefly mention the stutter via email/messages before the meeting and crack a little joke like, “if it seems like the call is frozen, it’s not. haha!” That also starts each meeting off on a lighter note too which also makes me stutter less! What is your proudest moment at your current company? I automated complex business processes to save loads of time with Honda! I taught myself Excel VBA and quickly realized that just about ANYTHING you do in Excel can be automated, so it’s saved me tons of time at the office and has improved my logical thinking. In my composition work it was working on a track from scratch with a composer from Atlanta, GA, preparing the sheet music for it, getting it recorded remotely by an orchestra in Budapest (and getting vocals recorded by a singer in Germany), and then releasing it in December 2023. We had a TON of meetings for this project–almost once a week–and also had to provide real-time input for the orchestra during the recording session over Zoom. I love ambitious projects like this. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Stuttering has given me a lot of patience at work. When I’m training someone new, or when I’m explaining my thought process to someone, I take things slow and speak as clearly as possible. I take a calm approach to every situation and am never quick to infuriate. Because of this, my stutter is less severe than it usually is and I am also a relaxed person a majority of the time. It’s a positive feedback loop. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Your stutter does not define you. People will encourage you to be the best version of yourself no matter what, and they won’t look down on you for having a stutter. The most important part of being a good worker is to work smarter not harder, improve yourself, and contribute what you can to every situation. People will see your true value, even if you struggle to see it yourself.

Learn how Ian Mahler,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Receiving Manager Ian Mahler Briefly describe your daily job duties. As a Staff Level Manager at the biggest Costco in the world, I’m responsible for overseeing a continual smooth warehouse operation. This means if any matter requires attention in the warehouse, from employee or member concerns to equipment or other individual department issues, my role is to fix and rectify the situation. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The daily journey of managing and, if necessary, educating people about the time it takes me to communicate can be challenging. Stuttering can be a vicious, back-stabbing companion if I let it. It can also be a great way to let people know I’m communicating in an open, honest way and that they can do the same. It’s important for me to not let stuttering affect my own self-perception as a leader and authority figure in the workplace. 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 have been with Costco for over 22 years. My stuttering has evolved over time; during the interview process I was going through a period of heightened fluency to the point my stutter wasn’t overtly noticeable. I typically do not disclose my stutter unless someone asks me about it during conversation. I prefer to let my overt stuttering speak for itself. I typically stutter often and most times people who don’t know me will try to finish my sentences. When that happens, I continue speaking without acknowledging the interruption, and usually they get the point and let me finish. My co-workers know to let me finish, both from experience and because I put a note under my email signature. “A person who stutters” #LetMeFinish Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Stuttering has given me the gift of empathy. Being a child growing up with a stutter, without access to today’s many youth stuttering foundations, programs, camps, etc. was a terrible ordeal. On the outside I may have seemed fine mentally, but the negative aspects of the “stuttering iceberg” were rearing their ugly head on the inside. Stuttering has taught me how to view my employees as more than just a cog in a wheel. I often look past the task at-hand and look at what is unseen but communicated in other ways through body language and other mannerisms. I have learned over the years to look past the surface and learn what motivates each of my employees and how I can help them meet their personal goals related to work. Through empathy I can communicate that I value them and am truly concerned about their well-being. What’s your best advice for people in a career striving to achieve greater success? Find a way to advertise your stutter that works best for you. Advertising my stutter through overt, open stuttering and via email has allowed me to be more at ease in the workplace. People I work with know what I’m about; I’m not hiding my stutter. People I don’t know get the point when I continue stuttering while speaking and they quickly understand I intend to communicate what and how I want to. There have been and will always be uncomfortable or anxious moments in the workplace regarding stuttering. (But there will always be stressful moments that aren’t related to stuttering in one’s career.) Being resilient and moving upward and onward can help get past the hard times. No matter what the issue, for me being resilient has been beneficial. Separating the event from the person, and classifying it as another experience to strengthen me, has helped shape my life journey.