In his day job, Paul is Head of People Development and Volunteering for a national charity. Working with people and making sure they fulfil their potential is at the core of what he enjoys doing. In addition to STAMMA, he is a local trustee of a Scout Group (where his daughter is a Beaver!) and leads a national project for another charity looking at the Culture of Volunteering. Writing of his stammer, he says, "I have always had a stammer and it's obvious; I don't try and hide it, it's part of who I am and how I talk".

Catherine is a barrister practising from Cloisters chambers. She specialises in equality, human rights and employment law, with particular experience in disability law. Prior to returning to practice, she was the Senior Legislation Adviser at the Disability Rights Commission. She has been involved in many of the leading cases on disability discrimination, including Paulley v First Bus (wheelchair space on the bus). She is instructed on individual cases and by organisations on legal policy matters, such as how to change the law to better achieve outcomes for disabled people. She works with STAMMA on achieving the best from the Equality Act 2010.

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Elissa is an award-winning researcher with a PhD in Critical Autism Studies. She currently serves as the External Affairs Officer for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, advocating for inclusivity for individuals with speech and language needs on national and international platforms.

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Verena, or Vee, has been with STAMMA for more than 2 years now. She’s STAMMA’s campaigner and coordinates 50+ community groups. Vee says, "I’m passionate about our work, and I do believe that considering those who stammer would make the world holistically a lot better".

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Annette is the Chief Brand Officer at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, leading the company's global marketing strategy and brand recognition. She is committed to the Sunflower's mission of enhancing accessibility for people with non-apparent disabilities, ensuring everyone can participate without facing barriers.

Pip is an actor and podcaster as well as a former spoken word poet and hip hop recording artist. He manages his own record label, Speech Development Records, and hosted the award-winning weekly radio show The Beatdown on XFM in the late 2000s. Pip currently hosts the Distraction Pieces Podcast. Acting roles include French Bill, an assistant to Atticus, in the BBC hit series Taboo (2017) and Anson Ash in the NBC series Debris. Pip has been a Patron of STAMMA since 2018.

Conor Foran is an Irish creative practitioner based in London. As a proud person who stammers, he is interested in how disability intersects with creativity and how art and design can instigate social change. He is the founder of Dysfluent, a collaborative, creative practice about stammering.

Natalie lives in Lincoln with her wife and 1-year-old daughter. She is an apprenticeship tutor specialising in leadership, management and coaching. Natalie has stammered since childhood and says, "I have had my ups and downs with my stammer but believe it to be a superpower that has driven me to achieve all I have in both life and my career. It has absolutely made me the person I am today and I am very proud to be a person who stammers".  

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Ian is a founding trustee and Chairperson of Empowering Voices, and a proud stammerer. After more than 20 years of mentoring individuals to gain better speech control, he teamed up with a group of like-minded people to establish a charity focused on teaching a costal breathing technique to those with a stammer. 

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Anne-Marie originally volunteered for one day at STAMMAFest Global 2022, and stayed for all five. Outside of work, when not playing football Anne-Marie coaches footballers of all ages, working with organisations aiming to open doors and make space for stammering at all levels to create systematic change within the game. Anne-Marie, head coach of Wrexham's first and award winning multi ethnic and inclusion-specific woman's football team, has become a prominent advocate for creating space for dysfluency in sport. More recent examples include writing an article for STAMMA and featuring in the immersive video installation 'Dysfluent Journeys'. 

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Mark Jones was a talented and ferocious rugby player who was tormented by his stammer. During a professional career that spanned 22 years, he was capped 15 times for Wales (rugby union) and 11 times (rugby league) and once by Great Britain (rugby league). One of the acknowledged ‘bad-boys’ of the sport, his on-field brutality was a direct consequence of the off-field frustration and self-loathing caused by his stammer.

Mark received counselling and constructive help rather than condemnation for his behaviour and along with a programme of speech therapy provided by his friends and mentors, all this has helped him turn his life around.

"I have learnt to control my stammer, and have stopped my stammer controlling me. Thankfully, I have now found a way to live my life free from its grip and I hope that my honesty and insight will help others experiencing the same torment."

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Working as the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability Executive at the Football Association of Wales, Carys delivers on the Association’s 'PAWB' (Welsh for 'everyone') strategy, creating an environment where everyone, everywhere in Wales has an equal opportunity, is included and feels they belong in the game.

The legendary martial arts instructor Bob Breen has over 50 years' experience at the highest level, captaining national teams in Karate and Eskrima.

As a full instructor in Jeet Kune Do (JKD) and Kali, Bob is regarded by many as the 'godfather' of European JKD. A pioneer his whole career, Bob is the creator of 4DCombat, an evolution of the best fighting systems in the world. Bob instructs at the Breen Legacy Academy in Hoxton, and delivers seminars and workshops worldwide. He focuses on helping others achieve and become the best they can be.  

Bob started Karate in 1966 and became one of the first black belts in the UK in 1970. He fought nationally and internationally, captaining the national team on numerous occasions. He was a renegade trailblazer, incorporating groundwork and weapons early on. One of the initiators of Full Contact, he moved on to pioneer JKD and Kali throughout Europe.

Bob hosted Dan Inosanto from 1979 and introduced seven different Eskrima systems into the country. He captained and fought in the First World stickfighting championships in the Philippines in 1989 and coached the successful GB team in 1992. His students have gone on to become leading instructors and competitors, with many achieving Master and Grandmaster rank.

Bob has authored a number of books on martial arts and also plays Jazz flute and writes poetry.

Adam is a poet whose collection Tremulous Hinge, influenced by his stammer, was the winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize in 2016. Adam deeply values his involvement in stammering communities, and works as a teaching artist and camp counsellor for SAY, the Stuttering Association for the Young.

Aisling is the Research Officer at the Irish Stammering Association (ISA), as well as a specialist speech and language therapist (European Specialist in Stuttering) working in independent practice.

Aisling has worked with the ISA for over 10 years and has a special interest in providing support services to teenagers and children who stammer, and their parents. Aisling enjoys sport, especially padel, and is trying to learn the guitar!

Alexa is a final-year student completing a Master's degree in speech and language therapy at Leeds Beckett University.

Alex is a qualified speech and language therapist and elected Trustee of STAMMA. He is passionate about bringing his own lived experiences as an autistic person who stammers to help change outcomes for others.

He has presented and written on the need for speech and language therapy, and society more broadly, to adopt a more compassionate and affirming approach to stammering.

Amruta is a mental health professional whose passion for dance, movement, and theatre informs her work. She trained in Indian classical and contemporary dance styles like Bharatnatyam and Odissi, and is a person who stammers. Amruta works as a Dramatherapist for children impacted by parental substance misuse at Oasis UK, and has a private practice as a Mental Health Consultant.

Amruta seeks to make Indian philosophies and classical arts more relevant to modern mental healthcare. Her approach is rooted in authenticity, creativity and a commitment to redefining narratives around diverse lived experiences, including stammering. Amruta's work is a continuous exploration of embodied self-expression, empowerment and collective healing.

Barbara is a part-time PhD student and has been a speech and language therapist for over 30 years. Working to support individuals to speak out AND be heard has shaped her research approach. Whenever possible, she tries to follow the insights of people with lived experience of the topic being explored.

Ben is the Course Director on the MSc speech and language therapy course at Leeds Beckett University. He is also a speech and language therapist and a Director for Talking Out Ltd, a charitably-funded practice providing specialist intervention for young people who stammer and their families from across the UK.

With a degree in English, Bevin works in the disability sector and is a self-declared stammering poet. Bevin says, "I believe that art is a valuable form of expression and I love using poetry to express myself and my experiences with a stammer".

Bob is a highly experienced performance artist and specialises in dangerous tricks. His performance on Saturday night is a new piece of work, created for 2024. Do NOT try this at home - or even a friend's house!

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Cameron stammers and teaches literature and creative writing at the University of South Australia. He is a director of STUTTA, the Australian Stuttering Association, and volunteers as photographer for Camp SAY Australia, the summer camp for young people who stammer.

Cameron also writes short stories, novels and film scripts, and has had three books published and two short films produced.

Cathy is a filmmaker, researcher and nurse, who uses unique methods to creatively explore health-related experiences. Her practice-based PhD has evolved into the 'Stories Beyond Words' Collective, using co-created immersive video installations to share lived experiences of dysfluency.

Christine is a former Trustee of STAMMA and is an admin of the Women Who Stammer Facebook group. She enjoys participating in the online stammering community,  particularly supporting women who stammer.

Ciel is a person who clutters and says, "I learnt I had cluttering as an adult in 1993. I had therapy but didn't get along with it and quit. In 2017, I joined NIFS, the association in Norway for people who stammer, and have been a Board member since 2020. My goal is to share information about Cluttering".

Claire works in educational assessment research in Manchester. She is a member of the Women Who Stammer online support group, and volunteers with the STAMMA Minecraft Club for young people who stammer.

Clara was pretty much born stammering and denying it. But since becoming a part of STAMMA and meeting its community, she is allowing her stammer to just be a part of her, like her crazy curly hair! Sometimes Clara engineers, sometimes she paints, but nearly always she eats cheese. She really can't stress enough how much she loves cheese!

Conor is an Irish creative practitioner based in London. As a proud person who stammers, he is interested in how disability intersects with creativity and how art and design can instigate social change.

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Craig has worked for the Ministry of Defence for 24 years. He served on the RAF Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Austin during the second Gulf War and he has also done tours in Iraq and Kuwait. He was also stationed at the British Embassy in Washington DC for five years. Craig has stammered all of his life and took part in the Starfish Project course in 2018.

Cynthia is a Peruvian stammering therapist and ally with a Master's degree in Neuroeducation and Psychology. Currently living in the UK, she is a Board member of the World Stuttering Network, co-host of the podcast 'Historias de Tartamudez' ('Stammering Stories') and co-director of the Specialised Centre for Stuttering.

Daniele lives in Toronto, Canada. Stammering and drawing comics since he was four years old, Daniele grew up to eventually produce the 'Stuttering is Cool' podcast and enjoys drawing comics starring Franky Banky, a cartoon fox who stammers, both offering a positive view about stammering.

Dawid is an educator, speech therapist and founder of the New Speech school. He has been helping individuals for over 20 years and has appeared on TV and radio over 100 times, advocating for greater awareness of stammering. His YouTube channel about stammering has over 1,300 subscribers.

Emery attended the 2020 edition of the speech contest 'Eloquence of Stuttering' in France. It was the first time he was able to openly talk about stammering. To him it felt like home, a place where he didn't have to explain or justify himself because of his difference, and he decided to join the organisational team.

Emily's background is in performing arts and she specialises in inclusive dance. In 2019, she became involved with the 'Stories Beyond Words' project, which gives her satisfaction and the chance to collaborate with the creative team.

Gareth is a proud person who stammers and is the Founder of withVR. He has advised Meta, worked with Google, and spoken at 40+ conferences in the past three years. Gareth uses his voice to empower others to use theirs.

Geneviève is a person who stammers as well as a speech and language therapist and doctoral researcher at Université de Montréal. She is also a member of CinexMedia Lab, where she produces tools and resources aimed at guiding media professionals towards authentic and considerate portrayals of communication differences.

Gill is a speech and language therapist, a lecturer at Birmingham City University, a doctoral student and a Trustee for STAMMA. She's particularly interested in how people can work together to create change across contexts and in improving access to and experience of healthcare services.

Hilary is the lead speech & language therapist at Liverpool’s Willy Russell Centre for Children and Adults who Stammer. She has a special interest in therapy and self-help groups for people who stammer, and she has played a key role in organising three previous STAMMA/BSA conferences.

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Iain is the founder of the charity 50 Million Voices, which helps to transform the world of work for people who stammer. A former partner with EY, he is now an executive coach working with quieter leaders struggling for their voices to be heard at work. Iain relishes spending time outdoors surrounded by nature and loves Americana music and singing.

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Jack, having been in denial about his stammer for too many years, is now trying to be more open about stammering. He is part of Community Navigator Services, a community interest company that challenges inequality. He is a freelance writer, a speed reader, and slow runner.

Jaclyn is a speech and language therapist, and a parent, with 20 years experience in the NHS and independent sector. Jaclyn is passionate about the way we talk to young people and the messages we give, and works alongside parents in supporting their children to grow as a confident communicator.

Teacher Jakub has been working at an independent school for almost five years and holds a degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Having struggled with stammering and speech blocks for much of his life, he has been using the method of 'New Speech'.

Josh is a doctor who qualified in 2018 after studying medicine at the University of Manchester, and has a stammer. His interest in social theory began when studying a Global Health BSc, culminating in a dissertation that explored the cultural limitations of modern psychiatry. Josh has gone on to develop an interest in therapy, exploring narrative-based and person-centred approaches in particular. He enjoys music in his spare time, playing around and manipulating sound.

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Katy is a final-year student completing a Master's degree in speech and language therapy at Leeds Beckett University.

Kristel is a person who stammers, and a speech and language therapist at the American Institute for Stuttering and in New York City public schools. She is very active with self-help organisations for people who stammer.

Lesley is from Liverpool and has stammered all her life. She was a covert stammerer up to around 2010 when she attended the Durham Conference, which she said was "literally life-changing". Lesley started speech therapy as an adult and became involved in wanting to help others who stammer, especially given her job in adult education.  

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Lisa is a poet, essayist, playwright and political activist. Their work is concerned with diaspora post-colonial poetics, transnational solidarity and queerness as a frontier. They live in grassroots collectivity and remain dedicated to Palestinian liberation.

Marin is the founder and CEO of the market research platform Peekator. He has been boxing for 14 years and is a former Croatian vice-champion. He also volunteers with the 'Entrepreneurs Who Stammer' network and at the Whitechapel Mission homeless shelter.

Melissa writes about contemporary experimental literature and poetry by women. As an extension of her interest in forms of self-representation and self-expression, she works with various communities on research projects that enable individuals to tell their stories in innovative and creative ways.

Mike is a lifelong stammerer, inaugural member of the Action for Stammering Children youth panel and a cyber security/digital forensics specialist from Warrington.

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Mounah is the founder of 'Eloquence of Stuttering', the very first annual speech contest in France for people who stammer.

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Nic is a speech and language therapist and has been working with children and young people who stammer for over 20 years within the NHS. More recently, she has started working with adults who stammer. She is passionate about creating a world which makes space for, and better understands, stammering. She loves to work collaboratively with the people she works with to make this a possibility within her local area.

New York-based Pamela hosts the long-running blog 'Make Room For The Stuttering'. She also hosts and produces the podcast 'Women Who Stutter: Our Stories', created in 2010, for which she has interviewed women who stammer from all corners of the world.

Patrick Campbell is a stammerer and junior doctor. He has an interest in how public and self-stigma intertwine to produce disability for people who stammer and how this debilitating process can be altered through seeing positive value in stammering.

Paul is a global HR leader and lifelong stammerer. After high school, he stopped all treatments trying to 'fix' him and his stammer. He refused to be defined by it and began his own journey to personal and professional success.

Pauline is a speech therapist in Bordeaux, France. She is part of the committee for the 'Eloquence de la Différence' speech contest, which she has also organised in her city since 2023.

Pauline says, "Eloquence de la Différence shows participants and others that no matter what difficulty you have, your words matter! It brings empowerment and confidence to this minority. It's a human adventure that I'm really proud to be part of".

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Penny is the Irish Stammering Association (ISA)'s Youth Development Officer and a speech and language therapist. She is also a founding member of ISA Bród Stadaireachta (Stammering Pride). As a late-discovered AuDHD ally, she enthusiastically and gently advocates for a neurodiversity affirmative world for all. She narrowly balances safe predictability with energising novelty and loves tea, cake, dogs, cats, sharks and gardening.

Ria is the CEO of Action for Stammering Children, the UK charity for children and young people who stammer, their families and the communities who support them.

Ria is a qualified speech & language therapist with a PhD in Psychology. Her doctoral research investigated the risk for anxiety and depression in children who do and do not stammer. She is currently an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Experimental Psychology at University College London.

Richard is a person who stammers and a speech therapist working with Google's Research and particularly 'Project Relate'. Relate is an app that uses AI-driven automated speech recognition technology to better recognise how people speak, including people who stammer.

Dr Rob Grieve is an academic and former STAMMA Trustee. He is an advocate of the authentic approach to public speaking, central to his university lecturing role, self-management of his mild stammer and related public speaking fear. He leads public speaking workshops and has published on the topic.

Rob set up the Cambridge Self Help Group for Adults Who Stammer, one of the longest-running support groups in the country, in 2007. Even though the worst moments in his life were in English literature classes at school, he now teaches English as a second language.

Rob is a former STAMMA Trustee, Starfish Project alumni and once had a gun pulled on him in New Orleans by a cop because of his stammer. He's also a doting father of two teenagers, a traveller, cricketer, writer, wild swimmer and lover of good beer.

Roberta is an art teacher, painter and theatre designer. She has stammered since she was 6 and her difficulty speaking intensified during her teenage years. But when she discovered Soka Gakkai Buddhism in her 20s, it transformed her life, and fostered increased confidence and empowerment with her stammer.

Having faced bullying during her childhood, Roberta is dedicated to raising awareness in schools. Her mission is to integrate stammering awareness into the standard training for all schools in the UK and abroad.

Robyn is a Professor at Cardiff Metropolitan University, having worked in Higher Education for 30 years. Robyn says, "I'm a life-long stammerer, which is something that's influenced my personal development and trajectory more than anything else".

Dr Ronan Miller has experience in several community initiatives and has been part of the 'Stutter Social' team since 2017. He completed his PhD in 2020 and has published research into stammering and foreign language learning and teaching. He now works at BeneTalk as content & community manager.

Rory is a London-based arts producer and person who stammers. He is passionate about social justice, equality and uses the visual arts as a platform to stimulate dialogue and exchange. Rory currently works for Mencap, who work with people with a learning disability.

Rutger is Chair-elect of the International Cluttering Association, and also chairs its Consumer Committee. He is also a Board member of the Dutch Stuttering Association and has served on the board of the International Stuttering Association.

In 2021, Rutger published a book about his experiences with cluttering with an accompanying website toofastforwords.com

Sam is a speech and language therapist, person-centred counsellor, supervisor and trainer (redefiningstammering.co.uk). She has a particular interest in disability studies, stammering activism and what stammering can teach us about ourselves and the world.

Sam is also an experienced facilitator with a background in healthcare, and co-edited the book 'Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference not Defect' in 2019.

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Sibon is a lawyer who is passionate about helping people understand their legal rights and seek justice when they've been discriminated against or treated unfairly. She is a member of the Women Who Stammers online support group and served as Trustee for STAMMA.

Taylor is a final-year student completing a Master's degree in speech and language therapy at Leeds Beckett University.

Zeeshan is an experienced HR leader who is passionate about helping others unleash their full potential. With a proud stammer, he champions authenticity and diversity, crafting inclusive workplaces that redefine success.