PRESS RELEASE: Bay Area Women Launch Podcast “Proud Stutter” Today on International Stuttering Awareness Day

Series aims to bring light to stuttering and change the narrative around the 
speech disability that affects over 70 million adults worldwide

Listen to the first episode here

SAN FRANCISCO – October 21, 2021 – “Proud Stutter,” a new podcast series on shifting societal views on stuttering, launched today, International Stuttering Awareness Day, with the release of its first episode. 
 
Hosted by stuttering advocate Maya Chupkov and education leader Cynthia Chin, the new series aims to change how we talk about stuttering and to advocate for those who have yet to find their voice, one conversation at a time. Episode topics include dating with a stutter, raising a child with a stutter, and how TV and film can do a better job of portraying people who stutter.

“After 28 years of hiding my stutter, I am finally coming out of the shadows at 29 years old,” said Maya Chupkov, a proud person who stutters and producer and host of Proud Stutter. “Opening up about my stutter is bigger than myself. Proud Stutter is for the millions of people who stutter worldwide, and for the children who struggle with bullying, and for all of our allies who are connected to our community. It’s time we are seen, heard, listened to, and taken seriously. At the end of the day, we are all human beings.”

“I am eager to learn about stuttering and to embark on this journey with Maya, my long-time friend, and with listeners,” said Cynthia Chin, co-host and editor of Proud Stutter. “This podcast explores a space where stuttering is just a different way of speaking and the more stories we share about stuttering, the more it is understood and not stigmatized.”

“Worldwide, more than 70 million people stutter, yet it is still widely misunderstood,” said Nina G, Bay Area comedian and author of the memoir Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen. “Not enough is being done to help normalize stuttering, many who stutter experience discrimination in their jobs and personal lives – myself included. That is why I am so excited about Proud Stutter, a podcast hosted by two women working to reduce the stigma associated with stuttering and bringing light to this issue through creative storytelling.”

“Stuttering is widely misunderstood. Many people just don’t know much about it, about what causes it, how to communicate with someone who stutters, about the impact it has on us,” said Bailey Levis, a proud person who stutters and a San Francisco-based speech pathologist specializing in working with stuttering. "Accepting ourselves just the way we are, being proud of our stutter, and not letting it slow us down will support us in living our fullest, happiest, most authentic lives.”

Alongside stuttering advocates from across the Bay Area and Comedian Nina G, creators of Proud Stutter will celebrate the launch of the new series at an International Stuttering Awareness Day community event at Manny’s in San Francisco at 6 pm.

Proud Stutter was created and produced by Maya Chupkov, and edited by Cynthia Chin. To listen to the show, subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms. New episodes will release every other Friday. Follow @ProudStutter on social media for updates and join the conversation with #ProudStutter. Visit proudstutter.com for more information.

###