Description:When life blocks you, do you break or build? In this episode, SSL! Welcomes Dr. Satyendra Srivastava who has built a community of courage! His journey started as a four-year-old who was bewildered by his first stammer, to a covert teenager hiding behind English synonyms, and ultimately a visionary who turned private struggle into global advocacy. His decision to blog in 2008 sparked the Indian Stammering Association (TISA), a volunteer-driven movement teaching self-help techniques and transformed stammering from shame into shared strength. Tune in now and be inspired!Notes:Dr. Srivastava’s story begins at age 4, when he was unable to utter “half past three,” he discovered the bewildering reality of stammering. Over time, his sensitivity to criticism turned him into a “covert stutterer,” using English synonyms or withdrawing entirely to avoid the shame of blocks and repetitions.In adolescence, the emotional weight of a stammer—shame, guilt, fear—left him feeling alien to himself. He describes a “loss of self” when his primary identity hinged on fluency. Seeking solace, he immersed himself in solitary pursuits—reading, trekking, nature walks—only to emerge years later with renewed purpose. Dr. Srivastava believes true healing starts with radical acceptance—embracing life’s gains and losses, blocks and fluency, without ever resigning yourself.His decision in 2008 to write about his experiences marked the start of his recovery, transforming private struggle into public advocacy. TISA, the Indian Stammering Association, was born from Dr. Srivastava’s conviction that stammerers cannot wait for external solutions. TISA’s self-help groups teach core techniques—bouncing, prolongation, voluntary stammering, pausing—and encourage open sharing of stuttering stories to foster community and laughter rather than shame. Supported by volunteer coordinators and allied therapists, TISA offers an accessible, no-fee alternative that complements professional services. Recalling his first encounter with a professional fluency specialist in 2003—at a cost he deemed prohibitive—Dr. Srivastava investigated the real expectations and guarantees of therapy. He concluded that no one can promise a cure for stammering, unlike medical procedures such as cataract surgery. This led him to champion self-help: individuals can learn and apply many therapy techniques themselves, without incurring unaffordable costs or waiting for scarce specialists. By turning stammering into a “portal” for self-discovery and spiritual growth, TISA’s volunteer-driven network proves that collective courage and creativity can reshape vulnerability into strength!TISA website: https://stammer.in/home/#stuttering #stammering #disabilitypride #interview #stutteringacceptance #stutteringawareness #stammeringawareness @indianstammering
