Proud Stutter

When Lisbeth Peguero was a little girl, her mom took her to speech therapy once. Inside the office, she did not stutter at all. The therapist told her mom she was fine and did not need help. Walking out, Lisbeth felt relieved. Not because she was actually fine, but because she did not want to be the girl who went to speech therapy. She did not want to disappoint her mom. That moment shaped how she felt about her stutter for years. In this episode, Lisbeth, a model, paralegal, and stuttering advocate from Austin, Texas, talks about growing up with a stutter she tried to hide. She shares what it is like to walk into a casting room and have to say your name out loud when you stutter, and the night she got on stage at a mall in Houston, microphone in hand, to audition for Victoria's Secret in front of Ashley Graham. She also talks about starting a podcast, getting her Pilates certification, and the speech therapy that finally helped her stop trying to get rid of her stutter and start learning to accept it. In this episode Lisbeth's audition Lisbeth's podcast Follow Lisbeth on IG & TikTok Support Proud Stutter ---- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more, we’ll give you access to ad-free episodes and bonus Proud Stutter+ content as a token of our thanks! Make your tax deductible gift here. Proud Stutter is proudly fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Want to lean more about what Proud Stutter has to offer? Sign up here to stay in the loop and take advantage of our upcoming events, actions, and educational materials. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/proud-stutter/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Isaiah was in third grade when his teacher called on someone else while he was still in the middle of answering a question. He had the answer. He just stuttered getting it out. That was the moment he started wondering if his stutter made him less capable than everyone else. In this episode, Isaiah Solomon, a 21-year-old political science student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, from Boston, Massachusetts, talks about what it has been like growing up with a stutter. He shares the eighth grade presentation that went terribly wrong, how acting in school plays was the one place he felt totally fluent, and what it was like starting college and meeting hundreds of new people on orientation day. He also talks about stuttering in French class, the internship he did with his state senator, and what he is thinking about as he heads into his senior year with a career in politics on his mind. ---- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more, we’ll give you access to ad-free episodes and bonus Proud Stutter+ content as a token of our thanks! Make your tax deductible gift here. Proud Stutter is proudly fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Want to lean more about what Proud Stutter has to offer? Sign up here to stay in the loop and take advantage of our upcoming events, actions, and educational materials. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/proud-stutter/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Bryan Matthews still remembers the moment everything changed — he was in ninth grade, giving an oral report in American history class, when classmates began mocking his stutter while his teacher just sat there and let it happen. From that day on, Bryan went "headlong into hiding," learning to pass as fluent and burying the truth of his stutter from nearly everyone in his life, including his own family. In this episode, Bryan — director of training for the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, Local Union 625 in Charleston, West Virginia — opens up about growing up with an undiagnosed stutter in rural Appalachia, the three-hour drive he used to make to find community at a National Stuttering Association chapter, and the unlikely path that led him to a job built entirely around public speaking. He also shares the story behind his self-published Stuttering Journal, a tool born from years of silence that he now hopes can help others put their own experience into words. Plus, a special clip from California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, who shares his own stuttering story at an event with Proud Stutter, at the CA State Capitol. In this episode The Stuttering Journal (Amazon) Marshall University Speech & Language Center CA Capitol Event with Speaker Rivas Press Release ---- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more, we’ll give you access to ad-free episodes and bonus Proud Stutter+ content as a token of our thanks! Make your tax deductible gift here. Proud Stutter is proudly fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Want to lean more about what Proud Stutter has to offer? Sign up here to stay in the loop and take advantage of our upcoming events, actions, and educational materials. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/proud-stutter/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As a child growing up in Saudi Arabia, Saad Al-Munajem learned how to build a wall around himself. After being laughed at while trying to read aloud in class, he spent years hiding his stutter — avoiding speaking, overthinking every interaction, and quietly carrying the fear of being heard. But what happens when someone decides to stop hiding? In this episode of Proud Stutter, Saad shares the moments that slowly changed his relationship to his voice and led him to found Mutalaathem, a nonprofit creating community for Arabic-speaking people who stutter across the Middle East and North Africa. This is a conversation about fear, identity, disclosure, and the long process of tearing down the walls we build to protect ourselves. In this episode Article in Arab News Proud Stutter (Short Film on YouTube) ----- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more, we’ll give you access to ad-free episodes and bonus Proud Stutter+ content as a token of our thanks! Make your tax deductible gift here. Proud Stutter is proudly fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Want to lean more about what Proud Stutter has to offer? Sign up here to stay in the loop and take advantage of our upcoming events, actions, and educational materials. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/proud-stutter/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Proud Stutter, Maya talks with Elizabeth Escobar, a person who stutters, substitute teacher, and advocate, about trauma, healing, and learning to reconnect with herself after years of silence and self-protection. Elizabeth reflects on growing up with a stutter, being bullied throughout school, and how therapy helped her begin processing memories and emotions that had long been buried. She shares how returning to her former schools as a substitute teacher became an unexpected turning point, allowing her to support students while also healing parts of her younger self. The conversation explores the lasting emotional impact of stuttering, the importance of being seen beyond speech differences, and how community and advocacy can create space for transformation. Elizabeth also opens up about losing her mother, volunteering after a difficult period in her life, and eventually speaking before county council to advocate for adults who stutter. Links and resources Apr 8, 2026 - Council Public Hearing ---- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more, we’ll give you access to ad-free episodes and bonus Proud Stutter+ content as a token of our thanks! Make your tax deductible gift here. Proud Stutter is proudly fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Want to lean more about what Proud Stutter has to offer? Sign up here to stay in the loop and take advantage of our upcoming events, actions, and educational materials. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/proud-stutter/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy