Well done! (Edited for ease of reading...) ​ On Stuttering ​ Hello Family, While we are as different as snow flakes (while not being “flakes” or “flakey”) LOL ;-) I’d like to share what has helped me for over 5 decades; when I get up in the mornings I grab a book (usually Shakespeare he provides some deep lessons on life at the same time) that I’m not familiar with and spend at least 20 minutes reading out loud with attention to my pronunciation and tempo of speech as well as making sure my voice is naturally resonating…. ​ You can check if you are by holding a finger (plugging your ear) and humming a single tone, and you’ll find your natural tone (which is usually lowering your voice an octave or two) which is also known as your “timber” and then start reading out loud, pick up anything, a magazine, newspaper even just open the fridge and read the ingredients on the bottles of hot sauce! LOL ;-) Just so we’re clear, I’m very familiar with being the shy wallflower hoping not to stand out for fear of being made fun of and the pain of being devalidated which are just as ridiculous as accepting the “judgment of others” as to my (and your) value in the world. ​ Yanno, just because one stutters doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good, or in my case a bad sense of humour! LMAO! Another thing you can do is open a telephone book…for you youngsters, it is a book of all names and phone numbers, something we used in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s before google searches! LOL ​ Back to my suggestions…Once you get going with reading everything out loud, try reading using various inflections (attitudes) in your tone of voice while staying focused on your rate/tempo of speech and pronunciation and annunciation. I’ve had the great pleasure over these many years, of working with James Earl Jones (my friend, and fellow paratrooper, he also had his Ranger tab \[google it\] Jimmy RIP) and a few other icons whom also stutter and had the opportunity to have personal one-on-one conversations with them about stuttering and sharing “situational humour that only a stutterer would/could appreciate LOL. ​ I’ve also worked with Micheal Caine, Lou Gosset Jr., and Morgan Freeman all of whom shared their speech (voice craft) with me through humour, we’re all veteran of one sort or another… ​ SIDEBAR: Part of what got me the opportunity to work with IMO the masters of film and stage is that I refused to accept that just because I stutter, doesn’t mean I’m a lesser person. Instead, IMHO, having a stutter made me more sensitive to how others felt, gave me the ability to connect deeply with others on many levels, see through facades that people put up, develop a keen ear for accents and languages, realize that most people have speech impediments of various degrees (ummm, ah’s, etc.), and…. I think the biggest benefit of having a stutter has been to be able to understand that speaking one’s truth is also about being okay with being vulnerable in the eyes of others meaning that I can be okay when my fluency crashes and be aware enough to stay in the moment and work through it… Which people see and the “solid people” see the “honesty in the moment” and also shows me those who are as “solid as a soup sandwich” that I really don’t want to be around in the first place. END SIDEBAR ​ LMAO, another benefit is that I used to constantly get under-rated as not being that smart because I stuttered… My life path is littered with those whom underestimated me and my resolve as a teen, a soldier, and a performer and film/TV professional. ​ I’m NOT bragging, I’m stating fact as an example that you can do anything you choose to do, the only limits you have here the ones you place in your path, there’s always a work-around, you just have to find it and the courage within yourself to ignore the external judgments and opinions and take a shot at it. ​ Once you are comfortable in reading to yourself aloud, use your phone to record yourself doing it (phone’s these days are great for this) you can always record your first try and don’t look at it and then after a month do it again and then watch both videos and see how far you’ve come! I think you’ll surprise yourself and find a new level of confidence as well. :-) ​ Another great adventure to try once you start feeling better in your own skin is to grab a trusted friend or, your partner and reading aloud in front of them (increases your stress level within safe parameters) LOL, I remember grabbing a old friend and telling them they’ve been “Volen-ordered” to listen to me! LMAO ;-) This is also known as “stress-inoculation” with baby steps… ​ These suggestions for you are based in lessons which I’ve learned, done and lived. ​ You will build your confidence, learn a few things about yourself and also learn not to give a crap about what others think because you are your own master and their opinion is ill-informed and thus based in arrogance and ignorance. ​ Why am I telling you all this; because we all have a kinship and that to me means sharing how to be better, stronger and sharing “lessons learned” to get to that place where we know our “real potential” belongs… Who Dares, Wins, and We should always dare!” ​ You be you and do that crazy thing that you do! LOL :)Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and please take what you need from it :)Some links for examples: ​ IMPORTANT LESSONJames Earl Jones and His Unmistakable Voice[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2LkdNls4bw&t=107s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2LkdNls4bw&t=107s)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiB6q2D-UE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiB6q2D-UE) James Earl Jones On Using His Darth Vader Voice In Public | The Dick Cavett Show[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiB6q2D-UE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiB6q2D-UE) Other kids, however, were not as accepting as animals. “Stuttering is painful,” Jones said of his childhood struggle. [https://www.stutteringhelp.org/famous-people/james-earl-jones](https://www.stutteringhelp.org/famous-people/james-earl-jones) JAMES EARL JONES ON STAMMERING [https://stamma.org/news-features/james-earl-jones-stammering](https://stamma.org/news-features/james-earl-jones-stammering) The Stuttering Foundation[https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/503277327103572866/](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/503277327103572866/) Stuttering is painful. In Sunday school, I'd try to read my lessons, and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter.[https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1191779](https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1191779) Michael Caine Teaches Acting In Film \[Also a Korean war veteran\]) listen to his explanation of eye contact and engagement/commitment to “being in the moment as actors, we create the reality as we do in life) as we all do in human communication [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPLVDwEr7Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPLVDwEr7Y) Michael Caine: Breaking The Mold | The Hollywood Collection Jimmy died in 2020 and my friend and mentor (I hope yours too) left these lessons for all of us.