TranscendingX Episode #78: “Consistent Wins with Greg Pandise”

Podcast: TranscendingX—Raw Conversations and Practical Tips to Break Through Stuttering, Communication Fears, and Become Who You Truly Are
Host: Uri Schneider – Speech Therapist & Communication Coach
Guest: Greg Pandise – Sales Professional, Athlete, Person Who Stutters
Date: September 18, 2023

Main Theme / Overview

This episode is a deep, candid conversation between host Uri Schneider and guest Greg Pandise about the real-life journey of managing stuttering, building resilience, and cultivating "consistent wins" both in communication and in life. Through the lens of Greg's story—as an athlete, professional, and person who stutters—the discussion covers strategies to overcome shame, perfectionism, and fear of communicating, ultimately highlighting how embracing difficulties can unlock confidence, authentic self-expression, and leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Greg’s Background and Philosophy

• Who is Greg?
  Greg is a sales professional in financial services, former college athlete (lacrosse), ultra-runner, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, and person who stutters.
• Not in the Resume:
  “I love to cook. I love to take care of people.” — Greg [04:00]

Stuttering Journey: Early Memories and Therapy

• Early Experiences:
  Stuttering surfaced in early grades, particularly during classroom reading. Greg learned later than expected about how others perceived his speech as a child.
  “People’s reactions were really more of the issue than maybe my communication skills.” — Greg [10:03]

• Family Dynamics:
  Grew up with two confident older sisters who would often speak or order for him—something Greg now wishes he could have done himself earlier.
  “In hindsight… I wish they hadn’t have done that.” — Greg [13:16]

• Speech Therapy: The Good, the Bad, the Mixed

  • Early interventions weren’t always a fit (ex: “tapping my foot as I spoke…” [15:26]).
  • Greg appreciated exposure to both technique-based and acceptance-based therapy, but found neither side gave a perfect fit:
    • “With one side it was like… accept that you’re never gonna improve. I couldn’t really do that.” — Greg [17:10]
    • Greg thrives on improvement and learning, paralleling athletic training.

Uri & Greg’s Collaborative Therapy Approach

• Initial Skepticism:
  Greg felt apprehensive at first, anticipating he’d have to be emotionally “broken down to then build back up.”

  • “I was probably afraid of having to break myself down to then build back up.” — Greg [22:12]

• Therapy as Partnership:

  • Uri focused on co-creating a plan: “You kind of let me drive to a certain extent.” — Greg [28:04]
  • Session design was highly personalized, driven by Greg’s explicit goals rather than generic techniques.

• Defining Success: Process Over Perfection

  • Greg talks about shifting away from an “all-or-nothing” success metric to measuring “small wins” and growth over time.

    • “As long as I’m doing all the right things…the sales will come. So really, the process is what I’m focused on — just doing the right things.” — Greg [34:35]

  • Analogous to athletic training: focus shifts from short-term results to sustainable habits and incremental growth.

• Small Wins / Gamification:

  • Greg literally tallied wins (“I would make a tally on my notepads… Whenever I said a word that I would have listed as hard to say.” [41:37])
  • Reframing each interaction as a chance for a win reduced pressure and built confidence:
    • “Give yourself credit for, like, small wins.” — Greg [39:15]

Disclosure & Authenticity in Professional Settings

• Embracing Stuttering as a Strength:

  • Uri encouraged Greg to put his work as a mentor for kids who stutter on his resume.

    • “You said to put it on my resume that I stuttered…” — Greg [44:18]
    • Though Greg resisted, once he did so he found it led to powerful moments of disclosure and advocacy during interviews:
      • “It actually allowed me to kind of tell my story and be able to show…those values that I learned from my speech.” — Greg [46:20]
      • Example: He corrected an interviewer’s misperception about kids who stutter, demonstrating both courage and preparedness:

        “Well, actually, I stutter, and that’s why I work with them.” [47:00]

  • This approach helped him stand out and land a coveted job offer.

Athletics, Structure, and Transferable Lessons

• Sports as a Proving Ground:

  • Athletics taught Greg to lead by action rather than words, which was both a creative adaptation and, at times, a crutch.
    • “I learned how to lead in different ways…with work ethic, being positive…” — Greg [51:00]
  • Shifted perspective to recognize the strength of nonverbal communication.
    • “You can be a great, great, great communicator (even if you stutter).” — Greg [55:13]

• Fitness as Self-Optimization:

  • Endurance training gave Greg personalized structure and clear goals outside of work; this structure and process-driven mindset transfer to his professional and personal life.
    • “Try not to make work the hardest thing in your life.” — Greg [59:20]
    • “If you stay positive, stick with a process…for me, things have kind of happened.” — Greg [60:00]

Family and Empathy

• Support System:
  • Open conversations with family, especially father, provided unique insight, relief, and motivation for Greg.
    • “Hearing that (my dad’s feelings) was…refreshing, like a weight lift off me…” — Greg [63:05]
  • Gained recognition that “everyone deals with things”—a lesson in empathy and humility.

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “People’s reactions were really more of the issue than maybe my communication skills.”
  — Greg [10:03]

• “With one side it was like…accept that you’re never gonna improve. I couldn’t really do that.”
  — Greg [17:10]

• “I was probably afraid of having to break myself down to then build back up.”
  — Greg [22:12]

• “You kind of let me drive to a certain extent.”
  — Greg [28:04]

• “As long as I’m doing all the right things…the sales will come. So really, the process is what I’m focused on…Those are the small wins you can check off.”
  — Greg [34:35]

• “Give yourself credit for, like, small wins.”
  — Greg [39:15]

• “I would make a tally on my notepads…Whenever I said a word that I would have listed as hard to say or put myself out there…like, that’s a small win.”
  — Greg [41:37]

• “You said to put it on my resume that I stuttered…”
  — Greg [44:18]

• “Well, actually, I stutter, and that’s why I work with them.”
  — Greg [47:00]

• “You can stutter, you don’t have to be fluent, and you can be a great communicator.”
  — Greg [55:13]

• “Try not to make work the hardest thing in your life.”
  — Greg [59:20]

• “If you stay positive, stick with a process…for me, things have kind of happened.”
  — Greg [60:00]

• “Everyone should just…give themselves credit. Realize what you do well…If you’re having a bad day, realize there was definitely a few good things that you did that day.”
  — Greg [66:43] (Greg’s “Billboard” for listeners)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introductions & Greg's Background – [00:51–03:37]
• Early Stuttering Memories – [08:57–10:54]
• Family Dynamics and Impact – [12:01–13:16]
• Speech Therapy Experiences – [14:26–18:56]
• First Meeting & Building Trust in Therapy – [22:08–29:01]
• Defining Success and Small Wins Philosophy – [34:35–42:54]
• Disclosure and Career Impact – [44:18–48:56]
• Athletics and Process-Driven Growth – [50:18–56:59]
• Fitness, Structure & Transferrable Lessons – [56:59–61:02]
• Family, Empathy, and Support – [62:24–65:17]
• Greg’s Takeaway for Listeners (“Billboard” Advice) – [66:43–67:15]

Practical Tips & Reflections

• Lean into discomfort: Growth comes from embracing hard things, not avoiding them; “leaning in” to difficult conversations and challenges (see [22:12], [23:36]).
• Define your own goals: Therapy, training, and life improvement should be customized, not one-size-fits-all ([30:14]).
• Measure the process, not the product: Focus on the habits and effort, not just the results ([34:35], [39:15]).
• Celebrate small wins: Literally track daily, even minute-to-minute achievements ([41:37]).
• Authentic disclosure can be empowering: When ready, sharing your story openly can build connection and opportunity ([44:18]).
• Nonverbal communication is powerful: Strength, confidence, and connection are about presence as much as speech fluency ([55:13]).

Conclusion

This episode offers a blueprint for anyone facing communication challenges: embrace your vulnerabilities, focus on consistent improvement, and measure your success through authentic, everyday victories. Greg’s journey highlights how adversity can seed growth, confidence, and connection—not in the absence of fear, but through practical, patient engagement with it.

Quick Access Segments

• How process beats perfection: [34:35]
• Putting stuttering on the resume: [44:18]
• The power of authenticity in the job interview: [47:00]
• Fitness as metaphor for speech & life: [56:59]
• Giving yourself credit daily: [66:43]

Final Thought:
“Give yourself credit. Realize what you do well…If you’re having a bad day, realize there was definitely a few good things that you did that day.” — Greg [66:43]