Episode #280: “I grew frustrated with others defining the experience for me.” I speak with, Irmo Stijnberg, the filmmaker behind Unspoken Truth , a powerful short film that shines a light on the lived experience of stuttering in a world obsessed with fluency and speed. Unspoken Truth follows Timothy, a talented graphic designer who stutters and whose passion and skill are overshadowed by misunderstandings and a devastating false accusation. As Timothy struggles to defend himself in an HR meeting...
Jun 25, 2025•38 min
Episode #279: Your stutter as a sidekick. In this episode, I share the story behind my new book, Draw Your Stutter , which grew out of a mind-blowing experience in 2024. It all started when I tested a new idea for a cartooning workshop. After refining it through a few virtual sessions, I finally led it in person at STAMMAFest in front of a packed room—where the impact was life-changing for both me and the participants. Draw Your Stutter is a guide to creating a cartoon character based on your st...
Apr 01, 2025•30 min
Episode #277: Two stutterers walk into a podcast… I chat with stand-up comedian Aidan Greene about his upcoming film, Stutterbug , the first film since 1937 to feature a stuttering actor playing a stuttering character. Stutterbug follows a man with a stutter, played by Aidan, who goes to extreme lengths to hide his speech, leading to a series of hilarious misadventures…at his expense. All Aidan wants is a cup of coffee, but his efforts to conceal his stutter cause him to accidentally curse out a...
Feb 11, 2025•44 min•Ep. 277
Photo credit: Lisa Hollingsworth Episode 276: Stuttering is more complicated than just choosing fluency or acceptance. The current way the acceptance movement is being presented is “it’s ok to stutter… as long as you’re only embracing it”, however, this is not saying it’s ok to stutter in general – which is what the acceptance movement was initially about. Because it is ok to stutter and not want to be prideful about it. Meanwhile, the fluency camp continues to present fluency as either the only...
Nov 19, 2024•36 min
Photo taken with permission of the group Episode #275: My first time attending STAMAMFest and going to the UK! Join me as I chat with new and old friends at my very first STAMMFest which took place in Nottingham from August 15 to 18. It was also the first time I gave a new version of my cartooning workshop where attendees draw cartoon characters of their stutter, I mean, stammer, as they say in the U.K. (hey that rhymed). To my surprise, the room was packed! And even better, everyone seemed to h...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Episode #274: Ever wish there was a manual for stuttering? There is one now! Stuttering is Beautiful is a free online manual for young people who stutter created by people who stutter (PWS) from all over Europe, in particular Italy, Estonia, The Netherlands, Iceland, and Finland, and professionals working with PWS. The manual provides evidence-based information about stuttering and explores the many ways to manage it with a neutral point of view from speech therapy to acceptance and exploring st...
Feb 28, 2024•59 min
Episode #273: Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop! You know that song! And I’m sure it’s now playing in your head and no doubt putting a smile to your face. On this episode, I chat with Gina Waggot , personal friend of Scatman John, also known as John Paul Larkin, who shot to fame in the mid-1990s with huge hits – and much welcomed earworms for me – such as Scatman, Everybody Jam!, and Scatman’s World. Scatman also stuttered and talked about it in his debut single, Scatman. This touched fellow PWS, Gina Wag, ...
Jan 08, 2024•34 min
Episode #272: Stuttering is one of the most important things you can do – because fluency is a trap . A friend recently shared with me that she believes acceptance must come first in order to get rid of the fear of stuttering. Only after that can you work on your speech, if you want to. Or work on your self-esteem caused by a lifetime of society’s stigma towards your speech. Or work on your social skills, public speaking, etc. I share my friend’s perspective. Working on eliminating your fear of ...
Dec 20, 2023•40 min
Episode #271: Being told how to speak just won’t go away will it? I chat with Danra Kazenski , a speech-language pathologist… or is that speech therapist? Well, she helps clients who stutter to manage their stuttering and communicate the way they want to. We start our conversation about narrative therapy and how Danra uses comics in her speech therapy practice then she interviews me about my stuttering journey and Franky Banky’s origin story. This inevitably leads us to the neverending fluency v...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Episode #270: I attended my first American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Conference! Join me as I chat with a few friends I met at the incredibly gigantic ASHA Conference 2023 which took place in the beautiful city of Boston. I helped out at the withVR booth run by owner and friend, Gareth Walkom, who also happens to be a previous guest on my podcast , attended an NSA Boston Chapter meet up, then the first Stamily meet up in North America, and I ate lots of lobster and clam chowder....
Nov 21, 2023•31 min
Episode #269: Choose your own speaking adventure! Join me at the Canadian Stuttering Association Annual Conference which took place in Ottawa this year. I chat with old and new friends about a variety of topics including trying new things outside of your comfort zone, forming a stuttering community across rural areas, my cartooning workshops, and more. But first, some grocery shopping! Links mentioned on this episode: Canadian Stuttering Association HeyFrankyBanky on Instagram Franky Banky and S...
Nov 07, 2023•58 min
Episode #268: Painting in front of a studio audience… and the entire country! I chat with portrait artist, Paul Aston, who recently participated in Portrait Artist of the Year, a television competition with portrait artists from all around the United Kingdom, as a way to step out of his comfort zone and spread stuttering awareness. Paul then stepped out of his comfort zone again and was interviewed live on the radio. Join us as we talk about Paul’s art, his Portraits of People Stammering series,...
Oct 24, 2023•54 min
Episode #267: Hello, my name is… point to the name tag. That was a scenario someone had recently proposed in a stuttering forum. The poster was worried about stuttering on his name when meeting new colleagues. He pondered the use of a name tag. Responses to his question varied from agreement to enabling avoidance. As the creator of a podcast named “Stuttering is Cool”, you can accurately guess which side of the argument I sit on Join me on a walk as I share my thoughts on this tactic along with ...
Jul 21, 2023•41 min
Episode #266: The most adorable reviews ever! Hear from two children, one who stutters and one who doesn’t, and their review of my new book, Tales of Mischief, Mayhem and Mirth . We also hear from their parents. What do the four think of my book? Listen in and find out! The post Kids review Franky Banky’s graphic novel appeared first on Stuttering is Cool ....
May 10, 2023•27 min
Episode #265: Introducing Franky Banky’s new book, Tales of Mischief, Mayhem and Mirth . And an audio review! Links mentioned on this episode: Details about the new book Buy the book on Amazon Buy the book on Etsy Epic book launch post on Instagram STAMMA contest Every Friday the 13th is Stuttering is Cool Day comic The Great Name Search comic Subscribe to the Stuttering is Cool monthly newsletter . The post Franky Banky’s interactive graphic novel appeared first on Stuttering is Cool ....
Apr 18, 2023•29 min
Episode #263: Listen to highlights from the Canadian Stuttering Association two-day conference – first time in person since the pandemic began! Join me as I hike through Niagara Gorge (and almost get lost), run into people as I check into my hotel room, meet some new friends at the Hard Rock Club, and join everyone for a group photo as the falls are lit up in sea foam green for International Stuttering Awareness Day – and we bewilder passersby! I took this photo during my hike. This reminded me ...
Oct 24, 2022•41 min
Episode #262: I chat with comic book artist, Jean-Sébastien Bérubé, about his experience with stuttering openly in the media after drawing two autobiographical comic books that mention his stuttering; Comment je ne suis pas devenu moine (How I Didn’t Become a Monk) and Vers la tempête (Towards The Storm), both published by Futuropolis. The result created a very powerful transformation and a boost of confidence for Jean-Sébastien. A topic I talk about a lot on my podcast. What I like about these ...
Jul 04, 2022•35 min
Episode #261: I hope you’re having a great start to the new year. I’ve been busy drawing my next Franky Banky book which I will provide a read-along preview on this episode! Then I’m joined by what must have been 400 geese. This episode is brought to you by the Stuttering is Cool shop and FrankyBanky.com . Let’s connect on Instagram at @heyfrankybanky . The post New book progress and 400 geese appeared first on Stuttering is Cool ....
Jan 31, 2022•44 min
Art by Willemijn Bolks Episode #260: Snow report. Join me on my walk as I give you an update on what I’ve been up to the past six months including the new Franky Banky book I’ve begun working on, new products in my shop, cartooning workshops I’ve given, being interviewed on CNN, the passing of Lynne Mackie a stuttering shining star, the tight Stamily community, and lots more. Links mentioned on this episode: Remembering Lynne Mackie Lynne was big on theatre and the arts. A scholarship fund suppo...
Dec 21, 2021•46 min
Episode #259 – Who knew accepting your stuttering can be controversial? For some, like myself, accepting one’s own stuttering is the definition of empowerment, freeing one from worrying about stuttering, and opening up many opportunities in all facets of life. For others, it’s the definition of… giving up and defeat? You can understand why I’ve always had a hard time understanding the latter. After all, I produce a podcast named Stuttering is Cool! Join me and a few of my friends from around the...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Episode #258: I speak with Ari Waldman, co-funder of Pathway With Stuttering, an initiative that takes a unique approach to supporting people who stutter. Learn about Ari’s journey from covert stutterer to overt stutterer working in commercial real estate sales and how Pathway With Stuttering uses a wholistic approach that not only covers stuttering via Schneider’s Speech’s free Transcending Stuttering (I drew cartoons for the workbook!), but also other aspects of life including health, religion...
Jun 29, 2021•40 min
Episode #257: I chat with Sherrika Meyer, author of the Lil Herbie series of books for children, about her experiences growing up with stuttering and how she came to create the Lil Herbie series. However, Sherrika is not just an author, she is also the founder of Every 1 Voice Matters which breaks down communicative, social, and cultural barriers to teach kids to live their best lives through community events, school assemblies, and even a pop up Santa!. Sherrika is an unstoppable dynamo and a g...
May 25, 2021•41 min
Episode #256: Recorded live during the StutterFest 2021, Stephanie Lebsack joins me in sharing some of the comics her SLP students drew depicting their understanding of what “overcoming” stuttering means. Note the quotes as I’m not referring to achieving fluency or being “fixed” (there are those quotes again). Stephanie’s philosophy for speech therapy is “it’s their stutter, not mine”. In other words, the client’s needs and wants are the focus of their speech pathology journey to let them feel l...
May 10, 2021•47 min
Episode #255: I want you to hear me even if I stutter. Those are the words of Ciarra McFarland, self-proclaimed student of life, my guest on this episode. I recently met Ciarra in a stuttering room on Clubhouse where a woman mentioned how she doesn’t talk around certain people because of her stutter. Ciarra encouraged her by saying that our voice has value no matter what. I just had to have Ciarra on my show! Links mentioned on this episode: Ciarra’s Instagram account What if King George VI gave...
Mar 23, 2021•44 min
Episode #254: I chat with Rutger Wilhelm, author of Too Fast For Words: How discovering that I don’t stutter but clutter changed my life . Rutger had recently discovered that his lifelong understanding of the way he talked wasn’t stuttering after all but cluttering. While people who stutter know what they want to say but struggle to get their words out, people who clutter struggle with formulating what they want to say. While stuttering deals with speech mechanics, cluttering deals with the plan...
Dec 15, 2020•53 min
Episode #253: “You’re going to have to wait for all my brilliant ideas!” That’s one of the many catch phrases of Nina G , a comedian who stutters and my returning guest on this episode. Recorded live during the Canadian Stuttering Association virtual conference, I ask Nina G about her book, Stutterer Interrupted: The Making of a Stuttering Stand Up Comedian , growing up with stuttering, dyslexia, earning her PhD, the rich history of the disability rights movement and our part in continuing its p...
Nov 29, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Episode #252: Wether you want to get rid of your stuttering or not, this one’s for you! Patrick Campbell, co-editor of the Stammering Pride and Prejudice book, and Grant Meredith, lecturer from Federation University, join me in a thought provoking conversation about acceptance, the stuttering pride movement, diversity, stuttering openly for awareness, and much more. Our main consensus is we all can seize the opportunity for our different camps of stuttering thought – from negative outlooks, to a...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Episode #251: I chat with Cynthia Dacillo, an SLP living in Peru who treats people who stutter and their families. On this episode, Cynthia and I chat about how she uses my Franky Banky comics in therapy sessions and about the stuttering community in Peru and across South America and the Spanish-speaking world. Cynthia had interviewed me for her video series earlier this summer so I thought it would be great to get to know the person behind the interviewer! Links mentioned on this episode: Esp. ...
Aug 25, 2020•42 min
Episode #250: GASP! Fluency! How did a word that’s used in universities, science, speech-language pathology circles, to describe stuttering, cluttering, and other communication – if you pardon the expression – disorders (GASP!) grow to become a traumatic word to some? Hint: from well-meaning people throughout our lives punishing us for not speaking fluently, or speech language pathologists focussing solely on getting rid of the stutter and not on the experience and mental well-being of the whole...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Episode #249: Stammer but with love. That is the motto of The Indian Stammering Association, or TISA for short. TISA’s Bhupendra Singh Rathore and Dhruv Gupta had interviewed me in a video entitled, The Story Behind the Comic , to talk about my stuttering journey and Franky Banky comics. They kindly gave me permission to include the audio from our chat for this episode. But first, it’s my turn to interview Bhupendra and Dhruv! Get to know the people behind the interview, their involvement in TIS...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 20 min
