PROUD Stutter

25/06/2024

Thank you Common Sense Media for including Proud Stutter on your list for Best Meditation and Mindfulness Apps and Podcasts!

Check out the full list here:

Common Sense Media editors help you choose Best Meditation and Mindfulness Apps and Podcasts. Apps and podcasts that help kids practice mindfulness and regulate their emotions.

19/06/2024

Friends! Join me this Friday as June guest speaker at ! I’ll be talking about some exciting updates around my film as well as bringing some swag. Registration link in Bio (it’s free, but you must RSVP as there’s limited capacity).

📆 Friday, June 21st
🆕📍 HQ (1011 3rd St)
☕ Coffee brews at 8:30, talk begins at 9
🎟️ Registration link in bio

17/06/2024

Our campaign will end in 6 hours. If you haven’t heard, we passed our initial goal of $21,500 last night (WOOHOOO!!!!) and are now setting our sights on $25,000. Thank you for getting us this far. Our entire team is so excited to work on this project and can’t do it without your generosity.

We are only $944 away from reaching that $25,000 mark. The additional funds will help us with our post-production costs (editor, colorist, score) and bulking up our emergency budget (preparing for the unknown). I think we can definitely reach it in the next 6 hours.

If you have a friend (or a friend of a friend) who likes movies/documentaries and wants to support independent artists... now is the time to share our project with them!

Campaign ends at 1:20pm PST TODAY!

Thank you all ♥️♥️

13/06/2024

Do you want to hear your name on Proud Stutter?

We will give you a personal shout out on tomorrow's episode for folks that donate $30 or more TODAY to our crowdfunding campaign for our film. Deadline to take advantage of this perk is today at 6pm PST!

Can't support monetarily at this time? That's totally OK because another huge way you can support the campaign is by simply clicking "follow" on the page. We are 20 followers away from unlocking creator perks!

Pledge and/or follow here:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/rock-of-hope-film

Thank you!!!

"ROCK OF HOPE" centers Jay and his journey navigating life with a stutter, using his life lessons to advocate for criminal justice reform that leads to his own freedom. This film is for the millions of people who stutter, for those who ever felt misunderstood, dumb, or hopeless. You are not alone.

11/06/2024

We are at the very end of our crowdfunding campaign to fund Rock of Hope and make it a reality, which ends in just 5 days!

Can you support the campaign by making a pledge to the campaign today? We need to raise $2,865 more to meet our goal!

If you’d like to support us but just can’t afford to support us monetarily, that’s okay! (Really!)

Here’s what you can do instead:

Click “Follow” on the campaign on Seed&Spark! This is almost as beneficial as pledging because once we hit 250 “followers,” regardless of how many people pledge, we’ll start unlocking creator discounts for this and future projects. We need 36 more follows to reach this goal!

Share it with your friends/family/colleagues - I created a super cool toolkit that you can use to share out the campaign. It includes sample language for social media and an email template to share with your friends, family, and colleagues. LINK IN BIO!

Thanks again for lending your support on this, I appreciate you all so much!!

Maya

02/06/2024

Hi all!

I need $27 to reach 80 percent of my crowdfunding goal for my first film Rock of Hope .

We need to reach 80% or we get NONE of the funds we raised so far.

Help us reach this milestone by pledging $27.

THANK YOU!!

Here's the link to support:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/rock-of-hope-film

27/05/2024

Our Ideas that Matter grant recipient, Designmatters at Art Center College of Design, launched a new element of their grant project last month.

My Stutter, the comic book, was presented to a standing room only crowd at Octavia's Bookshelf in Pasadena. People who stutter often feel marginalized and stigmatized. Through a series of education, outreach materials, social media, videos and in-person presentations, Proud Stutter and Designmatters will help to promote acceptance and create safe spaces for them in as many corners of society as possible.

Check out their website to learn more: https://bit.ly/43Diagu

23/05/2024

On today’s podcast, host Lori Boll speaks with Maya Chupkov, host of The Proud Stutter podcast. Maya is a stuttering advocate and community organizer. As a woman who stutters, she is working to shift societal norms around stuttering and the disability community. Lori and Maya discuss Maya’s schooling experience, how teachers can make a better environment for their students who stutter, and all about an exciting documentary Maya is currently working on. It’s going to be a movie none of us will want to miss.

This podcast episode is sponsored by: Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes

https://www.seniainternational.org/the-proud-stutter/

20/05/2024

17/05/2024

🎬 Support An Independent Doc & Social Change!

I'm making a film that challenges the stigma around stuttering with Isaac Bailey and Tessa Andrade, two filmmakers who also stutter. Many people who stutter experience feelings of shame and unworthiness because of this persistent stigma. The doc is called ROCK OF HOPE and it lifts up an underrepresented stuttering voice in the community and offers a vision of hope where having a stutter is not a barrier, but instead a boon to success. 🌟

In a society where misconceptions about stuttering and criminal records continue to destroy lives, storytelling is a powerful tool to foster empathy and fight back against bias. This film needs to be made because it has the ability to change people’s lives and inspire hope for the estimated 70 million people who stutter worldwide and those who are formerly incarcerated.

Every voice raised, every share, and every contribution helps in amplifying the message that we all deserve to be heard. 💪

Join us in this movement for change by supporting the crowdfunding campaign for the film below. Together, we can make a difference! ✨

LINK TO CAMPAIGN: https://buff.ly/3K0kzsK

13/05/2024

Happy Stuttering Awareness Week!

For 2024, Proud Stutter is supporting ROCK OF HOPE, a film that aims to de-stigmatize stuttering and criminal records. We hope you join us in supporting this film being created by two woman who stutter.

The crowdfunding campaign for the film will kick off on Monday, May 17 during a virtual event on zoom featuring Isaac Bailey, an award winning journalist and author of My Brother Moochie.

Want to get involved? Join the launch team to make this campaign successful and help bring this film to the screen!

Email [email protected] for more information.

Learn more about Stuttering Awareness Week here: https://buff.ly/4dC31k8

10/05/2024

Happy almost Stuttering Awareness Week.

Thank you for covering this important week for the stuttering community.

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

10/05/2024

Thank you Axios SF for covering in San Francisco!

I'm very grateful to Supervisor Dean Preston for doing this resolution. It's wonderful to have great allies and such a thriving community of people who stutter in the Bay Area ❤

Stuttering has become a focus on the campaign trail since former President Trump mocked President Biden's stutter.

03/05/2024

Happening tomorrow! Proud Stutter at StutterFEST 2024
Maya will be talking about the story behind her documentary—how it came to be, and how the process has been going—and will give an early preview of the crowdfunding campaign and video with behind-the-scenes footage and never before scene clips.
Maya will be on the live stream from 11am PST to 11:20 PST.

Register for the online event here:

Register for StutterFEST! Check out the program of events for our annual 24-hour celebration of the world stuttering community.

02/05/2024

Join Proud Stutter for a Stuttering Awareness Week event with special guest AUTHOR ISAAC BAILEY.

This virtual event will now be on ZOOM!

Attendees will get an early preview of ROCK OF HOPE, a short documentary on stuttering ft. Jay Jordan, and get to speak with Isaac, a true legend when it comes to criminal justice reform reporting and winning awards for his amazing journalism.

We hope you will join us to kickoff our crowdfunding campaign and be in community with people who stutter from around the globe!

RSVP via link in bio!

19/04/2024

I am so proud of this episode because I went out of my comfort zone to produce a narrative episode of my interview with John Stossel. I’ve been wanting to try this format for a while but didn’t think I could do it. Shout out to my friend Quinn Greenhaus for her help and guiding me in the right direction.

John Stossel was a household name in the 70s and 80s and has a very interesting story about how he navigated his stutter while rising up to cable TV stardom. His stutter reminds me of mine because we are both covert and I actually had a brief stint in broadcast journalism. But instead of pushing through like John did, I let that dream go because I didn’t think I could talk live on TV.

Listen in your preferred podcast ap and type “Proud stutter” in the search.

02/04/2024

Happening in a few hours!

AIS Speaker series with Maya Chupkov
Tonight at 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EST

Maya Chupkov once scrapped her dreams of working in broadcast journalism, because she didn’t think someone who stutters could handle a job that required talking in front of a massive audience. Now, she broadcasts her voice to thousands of listeners every week, as the host and producer of the immensely popular, award-winning podcast Proud Stutter, a show that puts the spotlight on “speech diversity”—and offers up room for an impressively diverse lineup of guests to share their experiences of living with a stutter.

For the latest installment of AIS’s Speaker Series, Maya sits down with LA Clinic Director Gregory Scott to talk about overcoming fears, big life changes born in the pandemic, and the necessity of rendering more visible the “invisibility” of speech differences.

This online event is free! Visit the link to register: https://www.tfaforms.com/4915201

26/03/2024

Thank you Dr. Kendra LaRoche and Special Needs Support Center for writing this article on anti-bullying when it comes to stuttering. Appreciate the mention, too!

4. Expand our own knowledge by listening to people with stutters, such as advocates like Maya Chupkov, host of the stuttering advocacy podcast, Proud Stutter, or journalists like John Hendrickson, author of “Life on Delay.” There are researchers like Chris Constantino, who studies ways to reduce stuttering stigma and Josh Compton, a Professor of Speech at Dartmouth and covert stutterer.

Recently there has been an increase of ableist bullying of people who stutter after a former president mocked President Joe Biden’s stuttering in the State of the Union address. This bullying is a result of our ableist culture. Here are some ways to...

10/03/2024

Proud Stutter’s Press Release on Trump’s Mockery of Joe Biden’s stutter:

Stuttering Advocates: Trump’s Mockery of Biden’s Stutter is “Awful and Unacceptable”

March 10, 2024 -- Days after the president gave his State of the Union address, Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden’s stutter at a rally in Georgia. “Wasn’t it—didn’t it bring us together?” Trump said. “‘I’m gonna bring the country tuh-tuh-tuh-together,’” Trump said, trying to get the audience to laugh.


This is not the first time Trump has ridiculed Biden for his stutter. “‘He’s a threat to d-d-democracy,’” Trump said at a January rally in Iowa.


“Regardless of your political affiliation or who you support, mocking Joe Biden’s stutter is ableist and unacceptable,” said stuttering advocate Maya Chupkov, founder and creator of Proud Stutter, a multi-award winning podcast and advocacy organization. “It’s awful that stuttering is still used as a weapon for bullies. As a society, we must embrace people with speech diversity, including people who stutter – even our leaders and politicians.”


Author John Hendrickson interviewed Joe Biden about his stutter in a 2022 Atlantic article, where the President opened up about his experiences with a stutter as a child and his political career.


As a lifelong “covert” stutterer, I am dismayed that former President Trump has added stuttering as another disability to mock and stigmatize,” said Jayne Amelia Larson, a woman who stutters. “As a proud American I am ashamed that he is rewarded for his grotesque, dehumanizing behavior, and that his supporters continue to encourage him. As a performer who has struggled with speaking in front of others since childhood but still regularly confronts the challenge, I know how much courage, determination, and sheer effort it takes for President Biden to make his thoughts known, however haltingly, in a public forum.”


80 million people worldwide speak with a stutter, and about 5% of children go through some form of stuttering. However, 80% of those children stop stuttering at a young age.


Proud Stutter is a podcast about the stuttering experience, changing the narrative around stuttering, one conversation at a time. You can listen and learn more about Proud Stutter here.


# # #

March 10, 2024 -- Days after the president gave his State of the Union address, Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden’s stutter at a rally in Georgia. “Wasn’t it—didn’t it bring us together?” Trump said. “‘I’m gonna bring the country tuh-tuh-tuh-together,’” Trump said, trying to get .....

09/02/2024

Lorenzo Becerra is a college freshman who stutters. He is studying to be a speech pathologist. When he thinks about his future, he envisions a happy life. But he didn’t always see his stutter as something to be proud of.

“I put some of my self worth in speaking. And since I couldn't speak that well, my self worth was down.”

How do you find self-worth with a stutter? Tune in to Proud Stutter's new episode out today to learn how Lorenzo was able to make the change within himself.

P.S. We are about to shoot the first episode of Proud Stutter's California Humanities-supported documentary. This huge milestone could not have been possible without your support.

However, we need your help so we can continue to film. Your donation to our fundraising campaign will allow us to produce the next phase of the documentary series. Help Proud Stutter de-stigmatize stuttering by making a donation today.

Each person who supports our documentary fundraising campaign will get a line in the credits of Proud Stutter's documentary.

Thank you for your support and making this documentary possible!

https://mailchi.mp/proudstutter/proud-stutter-is-up-for-an-award-9437810

30/01/2024

Proud Stutter has won an Anthem Award! Selected from over 2,000 entries worldwide, Proud Stutter received a bronze medal in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category for our Stuttering Awareness Week campaign.

The Anthem Awards recognizes mission-driven work that sparks global change.

And if you haven’t listened yet, now’s your time! Get Proud Stutter wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks to all our listeners who helped spread the word! Here’s to a magical 2024 🥳

The Anthem Awards

29/01/2024

Proud Stuttering is putting on its first Los Angeles event in partnership with Designmatters.

Everyone is welcome and tickets are free!

Monday, February 12, 2024
6-7:30pm

PLEASE RSVP TO:
[email protected]

Join the stuttering community and allies for a special evening featuring a reading from Proud Stutter’s new comic book MY STUTTER: LIFE OF VERBAL TURBULENCE, and special guest speakers.

Comics will be available at the event with a suggested donation of $30 to Proud Stutter’s documentary on Californians Who Stutter.

You can also get a copy online at the link in our bio.

23/01/2024

Proud Stutter is putting on a live and in-person event in Pasadena, CA!

Monday, February 12
6pm
Octavia’s Bookshelf
After party TBD

Come hang out with the LA stuttering community, hear from special guest speakers, and get your hands on Proud Stutter’s brand new comic book!

Learn more at proudstutter.org/events.

RSVP your spot at [email protected]. Tickets will sell out soon!

Thank you to our sponsors

09/01/2024

LA community:

Proud Stutter is putting on a special event in Pasadena, CA on Monday, February 12 at Octavia’s Bookshelf.

RSVP at [email protected].

Tickets are FREE. Comic books will be available with a suggested donation of $30 to Proud Stutter.

All proceeds will go to the production of Proud Stutter’s documentary on Californians Who Stutter.

Learn more:

SAVE THE DATE. More information to follow.

07/01/2024

LOS ANGELES PEOPLE!

Proud Stutter has tentatively scheduled a special event in Pasadena on Monday, February 12 for the stuttering community in Los Angeles. Timing is TBD but it will be in the evening.

Save the date for now. I'll be sharing more details on our website and social media channels.

I hope you can make it!

03/01/2024

New year, new Proud Stutter posters available.

Get yours while supplies last. Suggested donation for posters are $30 each.

All proceeds will go towards the production of Proud Stutter's documentary on Californians Who Stutter.

Posters will be available at upcoming in-person events by Proud Stutter. If you would like to make a donation and get a poster, please email Maya at [email protected].

19/12/2023

ICYMI! Proud Stutter is a finalist in The Anthem Awards (brought to you by the The Webby Awards) for social impact work! Proud Stutter is a finalist in the Category for its Stuttering Awareness Week media advocacy campaign.

Being a finalist means that we're eligible to receive a people's choice award (the Anthem Community Voice Award) -- if you believe in our hashtag please sign up and vote for us! (Hit "Celebrate") 🙏 -- voting ends 12/21!
https://celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting #/2024/diversity-equity-inclusion/awareness-media-categories/non-profit

11/12/2023

NOMINATION ALERT!

Proud Stutter is nominated for the The Anthem Awards in the category for its Stuttering Awareness Week campaign. We are running for the Community Voice Award, but only if we get enough votes!

It would mean the world if you can vote for Proud Stutter's campaign.

How to Vote: Find Proud Stutter's campaign, click on "Celebrate," put in an email and password, click the Verify button in your email. That's it!

Let's de-stimagize stuttering by promoting and celebrating Stuttering Awareness Week!

Vote here: https://celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting #/2024/diversity-equity-inclusion/awareness-media-categories/non-profit