Last night’s meeting was a bit smaller than usual, so we got right into the deep stuff. We had 11 people in attendance, with three first timers (welcome Ajay, Andreas and Samantha!) and a few SLP grad students. The meeting kicked off with a discussion about how difficult it can be to break our habits. Ajay recounted his experiences of being exempt from answering questions or leading discussions in school as a child because of his stuttering, and how those memories may hold him back from stepping up to leadership opportunities in his work as an engineer. Many of us echoed that experience of habitually believing that we are incapable of certain things, and a few shared how taking small steps like accepting this opportunity and then that one can slowly begin to change our ingrained beliefs about ourselves. It is possible to change, and to become more confident then you ever thought you would.
On Monday we had a few first-timers who were pushing the boundaries of their comfort zone. Andreas was in the states for a few weeks from his native Germany, and sought out the group because he was needing some support. At the end of the group, he courageously volunteered to call a restaurant on speaker phone and advertise his stuttering. Samantha shared her recently begun journey to become open about her stuttering with her friends and colleagues. The NSA is a good place to start that journey and receive support and empowerment along the way. I’m going to round it up here, as I’m feeling particularly corny this morning…