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The Stuttering Springboard

Nolan Stuttering Foundation

A podcast dedicated to helping young people who stutter become the best versions of themselves and springboard to the next level in their journey.

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21 episodes
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Avg 57 min
English

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#71
September 9 · 59 min
David Potts: "Take the Power Away From Your Stutter"
This podcast with David Potts is rich with takeaways. David, a Phd. chemical engineer who stutters, brings a refreshing and much needed perspective to stuttering. David shares with us his journey from college to graduate school and earning his doctorate, all while facing the daily challenges of being a person who stutters. Brian and David dive into preparing and giving presentations, focusing on what you want to say instead of how you say it and being on your own team! Taking the power away from your stutter means not putting life decisions through a stuttering lens. This is a powerful podcast for people who stutter and an education for those who don't! Enjoy the listen! David Potts is a research scientist at the Dow Chemical Company. He is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a lifelong stutterer. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2018 and his PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2024, both in chemical engineering. His work focuses on developing catalysts to speed up and make chemical reactions more environmentally friendly. David moved to Michigan in 2024 and is a member of the National Stuttering Association East Lansing Chapter. He is passionate about mentorship, outreach, and making scientific fields more accessible to others who stutter.
#70
July 13 · 59 min
Aidan Cullen, (p/k/a Crunch): Would you wish your stutter away from a Genie?
Aidan, who often goes by "Crunch", is a highly successful young musician from Phoenixville PA who stutters. He found amazing professional success at the age of 15 and has followed his dream as a music producer for some of today's top artists. In this highly introspective podcast, Aidan shares his journey and the intersection of his stutter and his high profile career. Brian and Aidan explore the dichotomy of being frustrated by your stutter while also embracing it and.... not trading it in if asked by a Genie. More about Aidan Cullen: He is an LA-based producer, songwriter, and programmer from Philadelphia who currently attends UCLA. He most recently co-produced “VUELVE CANDY B” off Bad Bunny’s newest release, “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana”, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. His first major-label release was with Tory Lanez and Kevin Gates on the Fast and Furious 9 movie soundtrack. Crunch then continued his collaboration with Tory Lanez, releasing three additional songs/productions with him.
#69
May 27 · 1 hr 8 min
Megan Lynch: There’s hope for the future of stuttering therapy!
Meet Megan Lynch, a young speech and language pathology graduate student. In this deeply person podcast, Megan tells her story of growing up as a person who stutters and her decision to become an SLP. She shares how she uses mindfulness techniques in the moments when she awaiting her turn to speak. Megan also shares the speech trauma she experienced as a middle school student and even a few years ago. What’s really cool are the affirmations and self talk she practices to help her become her authentic self. This podcast gave me so much hope for stuttering therapy! Enjoy the episode! Megan Lynch is an SLP graduate student at Gwynedd Mercy University and an SLPA with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. A native of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Science from Temple University in 2020. As a person who stutters, Megan is interested in creating more open conversations around stuttering as she continues her path in the field
#68
April 9 · 1 hr 3 min
Vince Vawter: Stoicism - "be indifferent to the things that make no difference"
Meet Vince Vawter, renowned author, former newspaper editor and a person who stutters. In this podcast Vince shares his wisdom from his lifelong journey as a person who stutters, much of which he captures in his four books, starting with Paperboy, the story of an 11 year old paperboy and his challenges as a boy who stutters. This podcast dives deep into his most recent book: The Stuttering Stoic, where Vince shares the philosophy that has shaped his and Brian's adult lives for the better. Brian and Vince dive deep into Marcus Aurelius and Seneca and how the messages from ancient philosophers can help us today. Vince's favorite Marcus quote, "Be indifferent to the things that make no difference" speaks to why we shouldn't worry about the things we can't control. Seneca's quote: "we suffer more in our imagination about the future than the event itself" likely resonates with all people who stutter. This podcast is about overcoming, not curing, your stutter by finding your voice. Vince Vawter, a native of Memphis and a person who stutters, retired after a 40-year career in newspapers, most recently as the president and publisher of the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press. He attended Louisiana State University, Rhodes College of Memphis, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Books: • Paperboy • Copyboy • Manboy • The Stuttering Stoic
#67
March 18 · 55 min
Luke McCann, CPA, ABV: "My Stutter Makes Me Unforgettable"
Meet Luke McCann, a Vice President at Valuation Research Corporation and a person who stutters. Luke performs a wide range of financial advisory work in the business valuation sector. In this educational, high energy and yes, at times emotional (that's Brian!) podcast, Luke shapes how: He moved from just focusing on tools to focusing on tools and acceptance. His powerful experience working with his speech pathologist How voluntary stuttering helped him with desensitization How disclosure makes him feel more authentic. And most importantly... how his stutter makes him unforgettable! Luke Graduated from Baylor University, holds both a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation and an Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) credential. He is passionate about staying active and engaged in my community.
#66
March 3 · 1 hr 4 min
Caryn Herring, Ph.D: It's good to have FRIENDS who stutter.
This podcast covers so much ground from being a covert stutterer in high school and starting therapy for the first time, to becoming an SLP who stutters and leading Friends, The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. This podcast is for people who stutter, parents of kids who stutter and all friends of people who stutter. It takes a deep look at the mind of a person who stutters and what truly works! Caryn Herring, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a person who stutters, a speech-language pathologist, and the Executive Director of the non-profit support organization Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. Caryn also, privately, treats children and adults who stutter. She graduated with her PhD from Michigan State University, her MS from Purdue University, and her BA from the University of Pittsburgh. Joe Donaher, Ph.D is the Program Director for Research and Academics at the Center for Childhood Communication at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Joe is also a co-founder of The Stuttering Springboard!
#65
February 11 · 58 min
Tim Fox: In Certain Moments, It's Everything
Meet Tim Fox, a highly successful insurance professional who stutters. Tim shares his journey as a person who stutters, from "round robin reading" to a highly important business presentation. Tim has learned to manage his stutter well, but he also shares that at times, "it's everything". Tim and Brian explore life as a "covert" stutterer"... hiding it at all costs. They talk about the importance of disclosure and being grateful to having found a community of wonderful people who stutter. Don't go it alone.
#64
Dec 4, 2025 · 52 min
Stuttering: A Father's Perspective
In this episode, the fathers of two young men who stutter, Bob Rafferty and Dan Quinn, discuss their sons' experiences and resilience in managing their speech challenges. Brian Nolan, also a father of two sons who stutter, shares his own journey as a parent and a lifelong stutterer, and why he became an advocate later in life. What's extra special here is that Bob and Dan are the fathers of Kevin Rafferty and Conor Quinn, two Board members of the Stuttering Springboard who are changing the perception of stuttering and what it feels like to be a person who stutters. The message from the dads: "let them". Let them be them. Don't try and fix your children. Help them build confidence by focusing on what they do well.
#63
Nov 6, 2025 · 43 min
Kevin Rafferty: A New Level of Acceptance!
Welcome back Kevin. Since we last spoke Kevin's career has taken off, both in the profit and nonprofit world. In business, Kevin's journey as a wealth manager with GVA Wealth Management has taken off. Brian now uses Kevin as well and says that "nobody will work harder for you than Kevin". In the nonprofit world, Kevin is the Treasurer of The Stuttering Springboard, the new organization that was formerly known as The Noan Stuttering Foundation (listen to the podcast for more details!). Kevin explains his professional journey, through college, internships and his new level of acceptance of his stutter. His advice: disclose, disclose, disclose. It will change your world. Enjoy the podcast!
#62
Oct 23, 2025 · 1 hr
Pat Festa: Stuttering Activist
There is a lot of silence around stuttering. Many of us who stutter spent years running from it and doing everything possible to hide it… to “not be found out”. It was the stigma, how people think about people who stutter, that forced us into hiding. So, we don’t talk, we switch words and avoidance becomes our operating system. With some of us, like Pat Festa, our guest today, the light bulb goes off; the realization that we have to become activists for people who stutter, to educate the world about what it means to be a person who stutters in a fluent world. Pat is our neighbor, from Collegeville, just a few towns over. The beauty of this experience is that Pat, a young adult who stutters, found us, because we at the Nolan Stuttering Foundation have decided to stop hiding and to start educating the world. Pat is doing some exciting things. He is a teacher, an actor and about to launch a new program called “Stutter4You”. I’m joined by Pat and my associate John McDermott. John is on the Board of NSF as well as a Master Sergeant in the US Air force. Enjoy the podcast!
#61
Oct 9, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Aidan Marshall-Cort: His Journey, His Message and the Concept of “Reverse Shame”
Meet Aidan Marchall-Cort: Co-Chapter Leader of the National Stuttering Association's DC Chapter and the Young Adult Committee Chair for the entire organization. Aidan is also founder of the support group/interview series called Manifest - a community and space for black men who stutter. This is a podcast that should provide hope for all young people who stutter as Aiden is proudly leading the way in educating the community on what it means to be a person who stutters. He is also speaking to classes of speech and language pathology students, addressing the trauma associated with stuttering and defining what he calls “Reverse Shame”. Enjoy the podcast!
#60
Sep 25, 2025 · 50 min
Bridging Voices Across the Atlantic: Inaugural Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange Empowers Young Leaders
U.S. and Irish participants unite in Ireland for cultural immersion, leadership training, and a celebration of stuttering pride. The inaugural Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange brought together 17 young adults who stutter from the United States and Ireland for a groundbreaking program promoting personal growth, acceptance, and leadership development. From August 1–8, 2025, participants traveled from Philadelphia to Ireland, where they immersed themselves in the country’s rich culture, sports, and history, while engaging in transformative leadership workshops and team-building activities. The program’s mission extended beyond cultural exchange—its goal was to identify and equip future leaders who happen to stutter with the tools, confidence, and vision to make a difference in their communities. Take a listen as members of the trip share lessons learned the amazing express they shared together!
#59
Sep 9, 2025 · 51 min
Jake Sniras: "A bold young leader heads off to college to become best version of himself"
Meet Jake Sniras, a recent graduate of Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, PA and incoming Freshman at Wilkes College. Jake was the leading boys scorer in Basketball at Garnet Valley and will be joining the Wilkes College basketball team. Brian had the privilege of recently traveling to Ireland with Jake as part of the Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange. This podcast spans two timeframes: the day before Jake left for Wilkes and three weeks into his college life. We explore the leadership lessons he learned as part of the leadership program, his anticipation of college and then in part two, Jake shares the reality of college life, as a young person who stutters. Over the last several years Brian has watched Jake mature into a wonderful young man and he is confident that Jake will be one of our great future leaders!
#58
Aug 14, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Kyle Pelkey, M.S., CCC-SLP: “The Role of the Brain in Desensitizing Ourselves to our Stutter”
Kyle Pelkey is a Speech and language pathologist at the Chmela Communication Center in Illinois. Kyle is also a person who stutters. In this deeply educational podcast, Kyle joins the Stuttering Springboard Career Peer Group to talk about how the brain governs our reaction to our stutter. In technical terms, it’s the neuroscience behind emotional reactivity (ie: stress responses). The group discusses the power of mindfulness and pseudo stuttering to control how we think about stuttering. Kyle is forever grateful for the relationship with his mentor Kristin Chmela, Owner and Director of Chmela Communication Center and a leader in the field of stuttering therapy.
#57
Jul 31, 2025 · 57 min
Bill Peters: “Just Get Up There and Throw Your Best Pitch”
William (Bill) Peters is a Denver-based writer, father, and advocate whose life has been shaped by the quiet, persistent challenge of stuttering. A lifelong stutterer himself, William understands the deep emotional terrain of being misunderstood-not for what one thinks, but for how one speaks. This silent struggle, paired with experiences of depression and PTSD, has only fueled his resilience and sense of purpose. With a Master's degree in Psychology and a longstanding career serving people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, William has dedicated himself to empowering others, especially those who have been underestimated or overlooked. He is also the proud father of a son who stutters, which gives his work even deeper personal meaning. Bill is the author of the book, “On the Mound A Rookie’s Triumph in Baseball Verse”, which is another view of Ernest Thayer's 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” In this emotional podcast, Bill talks about the importance of getting in the game of life; about putting yourself out there despite your stutter. It is a deep look into fatherhood and growing up as a person who stutters. Enjoy the listen!
#56
Jul 3, 2025 · 58 min
Robert O’Brien - “Under my stutter, who am I”
Meet Robert O'Brien; author, speaker and trainer from Dublin, Ireland. Robert is a person who stutters and is gay. Robert spent many years learning to accept and love himself. By embracing his speech and sexuality with the help of amazing people and communities, he began to find peace, and direction in his life. Robert describes this journey in his book ‘Just One More Drive' the true story of a stuttering homosexual and his race car’. Now as an experienced speaker and trainer, He continues to explore topics such as overcoming adversity, finding self-acceptance and living our best lives. In this podcast Robert describes his journey from disappointment, to despair and eventually hope and joy. Warning to the listeners, there is a discussion of an attempted suicide in this episode.
#55
Jun 12, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
Alex Koenig: Don’t sit on the doubt…. Get in the reps to get to the other side!
Alex Koenig’s approach to his stutter is to face it head on. He has purposely taken on bold roles in his young career to get in the reps and get his stutter out of his head. From door to door sales to selling on a floor with many other sales reps in ear shot, he has learned that being a covert stutter is not an option if you’re ambitious. Alex says, “being covert now is out of the question”. Alex, who makes 100 sales phone calls a day, says that you just have to jump into the deep end and find your grit. The first phone call is the hardest. In this podcast, Alex and Brian explore what they call “the other side”. The other side is not where you are cured of your stutter. It’s the other side of avoidance. It’s the place where you no longer look at life through a stuttering lens. Take a listen and see what the other side looks like to a young professional who stutters. Alex is graduate of Ursinus College with a degree in Neuroscience. He currently works as a Capacity Portfolio representative at C.H. Robinson.
#54
May 15, 2025 · 54 min
Jack Henderson, MS, CCC-SLP: Stay in the Pocket and Find Your Voice.
Get ready for a different approach to speech therapy for people who stutter. In this podcast Jack takes on a journey and shows us how improv and Shakespeare can shed fear and help people who stutter find their voice. Jack and Brian explore the sound of a stutter and encourage people who stutter to “stay in the pocket” and embrace it. More about Jack Henderson: Jack Henderson is the founder of Henderson Stuttering Therapy. He is a person who stutters with over a decade of clinical experience. His struggles and transformative journey with his own stutter are what led him to this field. Jack graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Child Studies and Theatre. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2013 with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. During his undergraduate and graduate studies he worked on the Developmental Stuttering Project as a research assistant. In 2011, Jack co-founded Camp TALKS (Talking and Learning with Kids who Stutter) and ran the camp through 2023. Jack is an adjunct faculty at Austin Peay State University, teaching the graduate-level stuttering therapy course.
#53
May 1, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
Julia Unger and Steve Hoff: Going Beyond the Silo - An Integrated Approach to Speech Therapy
Julia Unger and Steve Hoff are the founders of Invivo Institute: Invivo provides Teletherapy for speech and language disorders and clinical education for graduate students and professionals. They help our clients become more empowered, feel happier and thrive in all areas of life. They also enable colleges and universities across the nation to offer students virtual clinical education and training. Julia Unger is a bilingual, ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) with licensure in several states as well as Germany. Julia holds international degrees including a graduate degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a Ph.D. from the University of Education Heidelberg in Germany. Steve Hoff is a licensed psychologist in MA, NY, and CT. He obtained his doctoral degree in Child/School Psychology from New York University. Prior to the Invivo Institute, he co-founded Barrington Psychology Inc. in Great Barrington, MA, a practice which specializes in child and adolescent mental health. This podcast goes deep into what Julia and Steve call an Ecological approach to Stuttering therapy. Their welcomed approach involves parents, the teachers and community in understanding the secondary behaviors that often accompany a person who stutters. In this podcast we get into Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology as effective approaches to helping young people who stutter. This podcast warmed my heart. Finally mental health is being integrated into the equation. As a person who stutters, I can personally tell you that I have read dozens of books on CBT and related material and nothing has helped me more than integrating those approaches into my life. Enjoy this dynamic and powerful podcast!
#52
Apr 3, 2025 · 10 min
The Nolan Stuttering Foundation: An exciting update from Brian Nolan
It's been three years since Brian Nolan and Joe Donaher started the Nolan Stuttering Foundation and Stuttering Springboard podcast. In this short podcast Brian shares details on two exciting programs:: The Career Peer Group and The Clonakilty Stuttering Leadership Exchange. It's a great little clip on how we're making a difference! Take a listen!

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