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Learn how Sharon Emery,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Senior Consultant Sharon Emery Mason, MI Senior Consultant Truscott Rossman Briefly describe your daily job duties. Having worked over 30 years in communications — as a journalist, university instructor and public relations professional — I have added a new career: book author, including extensive speaking engagements. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The book is my memoir, “It’s Hard Being You, A Primer on Being Happy Anyway,” so of course it details my battle to be a communicator who struggles to speak. Sharing that experience out loud was a challenging step I thought I’d never take. But I did … and people are receptive! What are your long-term career aspirations? Mentoring others who struggle to speak, and educating the fluent public about how they can overcome being “disabled listeners”. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I self-disclose in that I have a severe stutter, so listeners always know upfront that I am one unique speaker… I try to help them get over it. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I love helping Truscott Rossman clients “make every word count”. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. When you’re a person who stutters, you don’t want to waste a single breath on unnecessary words. Here’s to clear, direct, impactful communication! What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Recognize your stutter as a key part of who you are. Own it, and then be brave enough to let yourself fill up an entire room.

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 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.

Meet Jodi Reinstein, a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. Jodi Reinstein Professional Relations Committee Jodi Reinstein, MS, CCC-SLP, MAEdL, is a seasoned speech-language pathologist who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of individuals with communication challenges. Since beginning her practice in 1996, Jodi has amassed a wealth of experience in both clinical and educational settings. Her professional journey began with three years at a pediatric rehabilitation hospital, where she honed her skills working with children requiring intensive support. This foundation laid the groundwork for her transition into public education, where she has been serving for the past 25 years. For the last eight years, Jodi has taken on a leadership role as a school-based special education administrator, leveraging her expertise to advocate for and support students with diverse needs. Her work reflects a deep commitment to fostering inclusive educational environments and empowering students to achieve their fullest potential. Jodi has also contributed to the broader speech-language pathology community through her involvement with the New Jersey Speech and Hearing Association, where she served as part of the School Affairs Committee. In this role, she worked to address key issues affecting school-based speech and hearing professionals, further demonstrating her dedication to advancing the field. As a member of the Professional Relations Committee, Jodi brings her extensive knowledge, leadership experience, and passion for making a difference to her work. Her career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the individuals and communities she serves.

Learn how Chris Heathwood,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Associate Professor Chris Heathwood Boulder, CO Associate Professor University of Colorado – Boulder Briefly describe your daily job duties. I teach classes in the philosophy department, from introductory-level undergraduate classes to graduate seminars. I am currently the director of our graduate program. I do original research in philosophy — basically writing philosophy papers or books — with the aim of having it published. I present this research at conferences. I supervise graduate students. And I do all kinds of miscellaneous service work for my department, my university, and the wider profession. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. If I’m having a bad speech day on a day that I need to be doing a lot of talking — whether because I am teaching or am in meetings — that’s a rough day. I think all people who stutter face this problem from time to time. What are your long-term career aspirations? I am now past the mid-point of my career. I hope to get promoted to full professor next year, and then just continue being a professor until it’s time to retire. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? Absolutely. Disclosing is probably the single most helpful thing that a person who stutters can do. During the hiring process, I disclosed within the first 60 seconds of opening my mouth. I told people I stuttered. I told them they didn’t have to worry about it or do anything about it, other than wait, and that I was talking about it because it helps me to be open about it. I encouraged them to ask me about it and about how I deal with it in teaching, in giving talks, and in other speech-intensive activities. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I felt most proud when I earned tenure and when my work has been published in prestigious journals. In a more general way, I am very proud of myself for not letting the fact that I stutter stop me from trying to make it in the career I most wanted (professional philosopher). Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I think that my students appreciate that their professor can be open and vulnerable about the challenges he faces. Students have told me that they find it inspiring and that it makes them feel like maybe their own problems don’t need to stop them from doing what they want to do. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? The most important thing is to be disclosing often (I myself need to be better at following this advice). You can do it with a sense of humor. Another crucial thing is to “set limits.” For example, if a co-worker is always finishing your sentences, and this is something that bothers you and makes you stutter more (that’s what it does to me), you have to ask them to stop. You can do it gently. You can say that you know that they mean well by it, but that it helps you more if they let you finish.

Meet Mandy Finstad, a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. Mandy Finstad Communications Coordinator Mandy has been an active part of the NSA since 2009, and currently resides in the mountains of Northern Virginia with her husband, PWS Jean Finstad, and their Irish Wolfhound, Granger. She graduated from George Mason University in 2000 with a B.A. in Psychology and continued on to graduate studies at The Catholic University of America and University of Ulster. Mandy has been invited to speak to several groups and has given many interviews on being the spouse of a person who stutters, and has also written an e-book chapter on the topic. In her spare time she enjoys running, hiking, yoga, reading, knitting, true crime podcasts, craft beer, and spending time with Jean and Granger.