My name is Nikolaos, but most know me as Nick. My goal is to become the greatest salesman (and the most eloquent speaker) I can ever be.
I began stuttering at the tender age of 6, right at first grade. At that time, I was living in Greece. I was made fun of, embarrassed and humiliated because of my stuttering by the other kids almost right away. This developed into an uncontrollable rage that had me beating up the other kids who made fun of me, disrespecting authorities, and misbehaving badly. I was even bailing from class from the classroom window.
This resulted in me changing multiple schools, and receiving frequent beatings from my narcissistic father, who could not accept the fact that “his” son had a stutter. I was under constant stress, anxiety, and suffered almost nightly nightmares for many years.
Surprisingly, in my teenage years, my stuttering had gotten much better, even to the point of not appearing speech disabled. It was a welcome but short-lived relief.
I was basically forced by my father to move to Finland with my mother at the age of 16, and there my stuttering took a mayor dive. Being dropped to a new county, with a different language and society, really made my speech worse quickly.
I had mayor blocks; I couldn’t raise my hand in class, and I was afraid to meet new people and socialize. I was in a constant fight or flight mode, anxious, and the looming dark clouds of depression grabbed me. I had developed PTSD, and my demons constantly threw flashbacks at me from previous humiliations, I was in my own personal hell. I even contemplated suicide on many occasions, while cursing at the heavers…
I was living a life of quiet desperation, searching for a cure to this madness. I found multiple programs, one was speaking while simultaneously using your fingers in a weird way, the other was speaking in an odd way through your throat and using a throat microphone, … Although in a clinical setting these methods would “work”, in the real world they wouldn’t. Again, I fell even deeper into desperation, fearing that I would stutter until my grave and that I won’t be able to reveal my true self to the world…
Then I found a YouTube comment, under a video about stuttering, that talked about coach Lee and his methods. I was especially skeptical about the program at first, after already spending multiple thousand Euros on previous programs. The small fee made me reluctantly join WSSA, and I read the short version of coach Lee’s book.
The thing that made me a believer was the words of coach Lee “No coach can heal you, the only one who can heal your stuttering is the stutterer himself.” Lee was not doing it for the money, nor did he demand coaching sessions or anything else.
After a few weeks I ordered the full book of coach Lee and never looked back. I read it multiple times, I started reading aloud, and doing self-hypnosis. I was using the crutches 24/7, and in the first month I noticed a mayor improvement that made me work even harder.
After rigorous and determined effort, and in less than 3 months in the program, I became a PWSS (Person Who Stopped Stuttering). And the biggest breakthrough for me, was the mind training and Dr. Caprio’s admonition “Use your mental switch, to dictate your thoughts, believe that you can improve, and you will.”
I was blind, but now I could see. I have the means and the power to control my mind and thoughts, I could REJECT the demons and CHOOSE what I think, what memory I revisit and even how I feel. I was in my own personal hell yes, but I became the CEO of Hell, I am running the place and decapitating unwanted demons left and right. I am now instructing my mind and body on what to do, and I am the captain of my ship the master of my soul.
Coach Lee Lovett is a humble man, and I cannot praise him enough for his work and time he has so openhandedly given me. He literally saved my life! The book “How to stop stuttering and love speaking” is the bible on stopping stuttering, and coach Lee is the prophet, and I would and will do anything that man tells me. My only regret was not finding this program sooner.
With Lee’s program, the help from the other coaches, the crutch and SAM meetings, I have finally found my voice, came out of my shell, and joined the fluent world. I am truly blessed! Thank you, Lee, and everyone in the WSSA community.
Now I’m off becoming the best speaker and version of me that I can be, and an excellent salesman! 😊
Nick, Finland/Greece May 2024