I was covert for more than half my life, so 30+ years. I felt like such a fraud all the time, but I thought it was safer than potentially looking stupid, or being humiliated. I lied to myself and tried to believe I was ok with “not being me.” It took getting fired from a job because I stuttered for me to finally see the light and stop trying to be someone I was not. I got the shock of my life when I began deliberately telling a few close people, and they were like, “yes, and?” They already knew. Stuttering is what it is. It’s what makes me me! And I’m so damn much happier just stuttering than trying so hard not to. Stuttering is what makes you YOU. Own it, rather than worry about it. At one point I thought I was the only woman I knew that stuttered, since it’s statistically mostly men. We’re around too.