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

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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.

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