Hi, my name is Hassan, and this is my journey of overcoming stuttering.
First, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Coach Lee, the WSSA program, and all the incredible coaches. Your work has made a lasting impact on my life.
My story starts in childhood. I was born and raised in the Ivory Coast, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Around the age of five or six, I remember a kid in my neighborhood who had a severe stutter. He didn’t interact much with others, and while I noticed he struggled to speak, I didn’t associate his experience with myself at the time. However, by the age of eight, I began having similar difficulties—struggling to speak under pressure, especially to authority figures.
One of the first moments I recall being aware of my speech problem was when an aunt visited us. She hadn’t seen me in a while and asked how I was doing. When she asked my age, I stammered trying to answer. She turned to my mom and others, asking if I had started to stutter. That was the first time I remember someone acknowledging my speech difficulty out loud.
Around the same age, a friend once asked me directly if I stuttered. These moments made me self-conscious, and by third or fourth grade, I was repeating words often. People would tell me to slow down. My speech wasn’t debilitating, but I was insecure about it.
When I immigrated to the U.S. at around age 11 or 12, learning English added another layer of difficulty. I had a strong French accent, and people often had trouble understanding me. This only deepened my insecurities. Throughout middle and high school, I became what you’d call a covert stutterer—I could hide my stutter most of the time, but inside, I was terrified of speaking.
Looking back, I believe my stuttering developed due to the environment I was raised in. I grew up in a household with dominant authority figures who weren’t very affectionate. I often had to suppress my personality to meet expectations. That shrinking of self likely contributed to my speech issues—repetitions, lack of confidence, and fear of expression.
In high school, I experienced serious anxiety around public speaking. I remember having panic attacks simply because I was called on in class or knew I had to read out loud. These issues followed me into college, where the reality set in: I had a problem expressing myself, especially in professional settings.
I never had speech therapy as a child or teenager. In college, one professor helped by teaching me relaxation techniques. Another, my psychology professor, helped me prepare for a presentation where I actually performed well. But the fear and insecurity still lingered. I was working a customer service job during that time, and I would come home with my jaw aching from forcing words out all day. I was deeply unhappy. Despite being in my “prime,” I was struggling just to speak comfortably.
Dating and making friends were also affected, though I managed by connecting through sports, where I excelled. I chose to major in IT because I believed it would help me avoid speaking roles, but even in that field, you still need to communicate effectively—especially in job interviews.
Right before graduation, I made a bold decision: I joined the military, hoping it would help me escape the pressure of professional speech. But boot camp quickly proved to be one of my most humbling experiences. During roll call, I couldn’t even say “here” or “present.” The spotlight was on me, and I completely lost any confidence I had left. I left the military and returned to the corporate world.
There were jobs where I found success, particularly in one phone job where I believed I could say the required words. My problem wasn’t fluency in every setting—I’ve had plenty of fluent conversations—but pressure and constraints would trigger my stutter.
A year before joining WSSA, I had still never received formal speech therapy. One professor in college even suggested putting small pebbles under my tongue to “relax” it—needless to say, that didn’t work. I had some good moments, but the fear of speaking remained constant.
Eventually, the toll of working night shifts to avoid interaction began to wear me down physically. I decided to switch jobs. But during one interview, I struggled so badly that I had to ask to reschedule. My wife overheard everything from the next room—the blocking, the anxiety, the excuse I gave—and it was deeply embarrassing. She had never seen me in that state. But that moment became a turning point.
She found Coach Lee’s book on Amazon and ordered it for me. I started watching his YouTube videos, downloaded the app, joined the group, and that’s when everything changed.
Coach Lee’s program taught me how to manage anxiety and pressure while creating fluency. The One-Two-Three Punch method has been a game-changer for me. It includes:
- Mind Training – Affirmations and mental conditioning to feed the subconscious with positive thoughts about fluency.
- Reading Out Loud – Something I always loved as a child. I never had anxiety reading aloud and always looked forward to it.
- Practicing the Crutches – I joined every group session I could and practiced under pressure to prepare myself for real-life speaking situations.
From there, I started doing interviews again—this time with confidence. Eventually, I landed a great job with a great schedule. The rest, as they say, is history.
In the future, I’d love to become a speech coach. I want to help others overcome their fear of speaking—not just stuttering, but the fear of expressing yourself imperfectly. No one is perfect. We all have flaws, but when we stop shrinking and start embracing them, fluency follows.
Thanks to WSSA, I now have the confidence and tools to be fluent and secure. Thank you to everyone—Coach Lee, Danny, Ambassador Thomas, Patricia, Steve, John, Dean, and all the coaches and staff. You’ve made an incredible impact on my life, and I hope you continue to grow and help others around the world overcome stuttering.
Hassan, 36, San Antonio Texas – July 2025