This month’s Spotlight of the Month honors JJ White!
JJ White was born in sunny San Diego, California but can’t call himself a Californian since he only lived there until he was 3 years old. JJ’s a Texan at heart, growing up in Austin, Texas and spending the next 10 years on the East Coast (Northern Virginia). As for his professional endeavors, JJ is a 25-year-old on-site Program Manager for XLA, a D.C. based government contractor. He manages a contract of 47 employees.
JJ grew up playing sports and eventually earned a scholarship to play baseball at Penn State University. He made lifelong friends playing baseball and is thankful for the lessons it taught him, such as how to eat a Subway sandwich while running to practice held 15 min after a class, and how to claim study hall hours without actually being present.
JJ joined the NSA in 2016 when he found himself constantly substituting words, hiding stuttering as much as possible, and not saying everything he wanted to say. He noticed how at work people did not have an accurate perception of who he was because he wasn’t fully sharing who he was with the world. It was obvious, that a change had to be made. He showed up to his first NSA meeting in Tysons, VA and instantly felt welcomed and comfortable being around other stutterers for the first time. Almost immediately, the NSA chapter recommended JJ see Vivian Sisskin, a D.C./Maryland/Virginia based SLP who teaches Avoidance Reduction Therapy (ARTs). After attending Vivian for a period of 6 months, his life was completely changed forever. He saw the proverbial “light” and how his past habits of thinking did nothing but compound emotions and lead to conditioned patterns of avoidance which had to be untrained. In the span of a year and half through intentionally seeking out speaking opportunities and chances to talk about stuttering, his stuttering management abilities and quality of life increased dramatically. JJ is on a never ending journey of becoming a more compassionate and effective communicator and the best way he can describe Avoidance Reduction Therapy and his new outlook on life is from a quote by Tim Ferriss, which says, “A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
Today he enjoys reading, practicing mindfulness and meditation, getting to know people and exploring the DFW. He loves to learn from other people, especially other people who stutter, so if you are ever in the mood for conversation, a cup of coffee or a beer, feel free to give him a text…or better yet, a call. JJ’s phone number is 703-344-1483 and his email address is jjwhite1418@gmail.com.
Next time you see JJ, grab a cup of coffee with him and talk about life, love, and maybe even a little stuttering.