Face your fear. I've said it before here, don't let your stutter make your decisions for you. Every time we avoid something because of our stutter, it's death by a thousand cuts. Whether it's an event, a conversation, or even avoiding a word. Every time we concede to our stutter, it's a cut to our psyche. You know what the right thing to do is. You said you don't want to take the easy way out. Do the right thing. Do it for yourself. For your self-respect.