Anjali Hid Her Covert Stutter for Years. Then Acceptance Became a Spiritual Practice.

About this episode

Maya talks with Dr. Anjali Alimchandani about her experiences as a covert stutterer and the journey towards acceptance and community.

Maya talks with Dr. Anjali Alimchandani about growing up as a covert stutterer and why stuttering was the hardest identity for her to accept. Anjali shares how she first became aware of her stutter through bullying, the loneliness of having no language or community around it, and how early experiences with speech therapy reinforced shame rather than support. The conversation explores covert stuttering, passing, and the emotional and spiritual labor that often goes unseen. Maya and Anjali reflect on navigating stuttering alongside other identities, the pressure to accept oneself, and how healing often requires being witnessed in community. Together, they discuss belonging, enoughness, and the importance of creating spaces where people who stutter can show up as they are, without needing to perform fluency or prove their identity. Links Maya's Substack Participate in this stuttering research survey and get a gift card! Anjali's website ----- Big thanks to Proud Stutter's recurring supporters: Jennifer Bolen, Jerry Slaff, Josh Compton, Pablo Meza, Alexandra Mosby, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Reiss, Jason Smith, Paige McGill, Wayne Engebretson, Swathy Manavalan, and Martha Horrocks. If you…

People in this episode

Host: Maya Chupkov

Guest: Dr. Anjali Alimchandani

Topics covered

• covert stuttering
• acceptance
• identity
• community
• healing
• belonging

Keywords

• stuttering
• acceptance
• identity
• speech therapy
• community
• belonging
• emotional labor

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Proud Stutter, Independent Arts & Media

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