Hi. I am posting this to inspire young people or adults. I wrote it for a group for people who stutter. Feel free to share it.
My goal is for young people, whether they stutter or not, to believe in themselves regardless of their challenges.
My name is Lori Melnitsky. I have stuttered since the age of 4. When I was growing up I stuttered severely and could not say my name or answer the telephone. The fear of stuttering became intense. I graduated with a degree in accounting and spent five years in the field. Realizing I was stifled and barely speaking I walked out. My father stuttered severely and I knew watching him I had to speak out. I walked out of a job, left a marriage and started my new life. I was told by speech pathologists I stuttered so severely I wouldn’t be able to talk to parents. Thirty years later I proved them wrong. I learned ways to overcome fear and drastically reduce stuttering. This was important to me as I stuttered intensely leading to severe headaches and neck pain. I now run my own speech private practice and specialize in stuttering therapy. I am married with two grown daughters. I work on my speech and positive outlook daily. I became a life coach and professional public speaker. I even pushed myself to teach on the graduate level at a university. I have appeared on local TV. I tell you all this because I never expected to achieve all of this. Stuttering was a curse and became my life’s passion to help others. My hope is that stuttering does not stop you from following your dreams.
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