Episode 263 features Michelle Polinsky, who hails from New York, NY. Michelle works as an ENT surgery coordinator, where she works with a lot of anxious parents. This job sort of fell into her lap, and has actually helped with her speech, as it’s helped her deal with her fear of phone calls.

Michelle studied theater in college, and before the pandemic, started taking cabaret classes. She took a class again after the pandemic and was encouraged to do a show of her own. She has now performed it twice. She couldn’t find a song that represented stuttering, so she wrote one herself. She  has been encouraged to submit it for the Cabaret Awards.

Michelle is involved in the stuttering community, as a long time member of the Manhattan chapter of the National Stuttering Association and as a former member of Our Time Theater (now known as SAY.) In fact, Michelle was one of the original pre-teen members of Our Time, and attended a couple of NSA conferences where they performed at the NSA Opening Ceremonies. 

Michelle shares that stuttering isn’t the worst thing in the world and that she has a relationship with stuttering that includes community and friends she loves. She treasures her time with “her people” a couple of days a year at the conferences.

And I treasured this conversation. Dear listeners, please take a moment to watch and listen to Michelle’s wonderful original song, in her YouTube video.