Oh man. I’m 33 now and my fluency comes and goes in waves (which is pretty common). I’m not going to lie, it’s been HARD. I used to avoid situations where I had to speak in public like the plague. I’m an attorney now, so that’s just not possible. I try to prepare myself as much as possible before any public speaking session by repeating mantras out loud and practicing breathing techniques. My stutter comes in the form of blocks, so I’ve had people think I was just stupid or that I was done talking, couldn’t hear the questions they asked, etc. It took me a long time to realize I was actually intelligent because I struggled so much with confidence issues related to my stutter. I waited years to go to law school because I had convinced myself that there was no way I could survive law school with a stutter. In the end, I did just fine during school and I managed to work my way up to a great position in big tech. People appreciate how hard I work. I still struggle daily with anxiety about how I come across and whether I will have blocks during a huge meeting, but I truly think people notice my blocks much less than I do. My “tip” is to work on your confidence. Dress well. Maintain eye contact. Exude confidence in the way you carry yourself and your tone of voice. It tricks your brain into thinking “hey I’m actually a badass!” Hugs to all of you ❤️