Jody Fuller
06-06-2007, 07:13 AM
My name is Jody Fuller and I recently stumbled upon this forum. I am glad I did so.
I am 35 years old from the great state of Alabama. I have graduated from college, served in the military as an enlisted medic and now as a commissioned transportation officer. I was active duty for 8 years and now serve in the guard, although I'm less than 48 hours away from being activated for a one year tour of Iraq. FYI, I was there a year from 03-04. I've traveled the US and the world extensively. I'm a part-time stand up comedian and a full-time stutterer.
I put the stuttering on there last to show that it's not the most important thing in my life. Early on in life, it did suck. It was horrible. Kids can be mean. I think I went home crying every day until somewhere around the age of 12.
I posted this on a separate topic but stuttering is just a part of me...same as my nose, toes, and elbows. Once I accepted that, my stutter somewhat improved...it obviously did not go away, but I was more comfortable and gained more confidence. If you, as one who stutters, does not accept it, how can you get upset when someone else seems to have trouble accepting it?
Right now, I go by Jody Fuller, The Stuttering Comic but that is just more of an identifier. When I quit selling this first DVD, it will become simply Jody Fuller ( a comic that just happens to stutter) I do talk a lot about stuttering because crazy things are constantly happening to us. I tell them how it is in a humorous manner. Some folks who stutter dig it and others do not.
I feel in no way that I demean or belittle stuttering because (#1) I'm talking about myself and (#2) the audience laughs WITH me when I talk about stuttering. I've never had an audience laugh AT me when I get stuck really bad.....until I address it. It's OK to laugh at yourself folks. Laughter is great medicine.
I try and do 3 things: (#1) talk about the daily issues I face such as the telephone and drive thru windows...the way I put it, folks find it humorous but it also opens their eyes to the constant challenges that we face. (#2) I want all folks to know that it's OK to be different and it's OK to recognize those differences. I stutter and I'm damn proud of it. It makes me, me. (#3) I don't want folks to be afraid of challenges. Communication is vital in practically every field but most of us are able to do anything we set out to do....I do bits about being a doctor or a pilot but the bottom line is I'm sure there are many stuttering docs out there...not sure about the pilots though.
I recognize someone's stutter a mile away and most of the time it's less noticeable than mine but many still tend to keep to themselves and remain sheltered. This drives me crazy!
Here's a link. I think many of you have seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1R8VUASlvA
Life is beautiful. Now get out there and enjoy it!
Jody
I am 35 years old from the great state of Alabama. I have graduated from college, served in the military as an enlisted medic and now as a commissioned transportation officer. I was active duty for 8 years and now serve in the guard, although I'm less than 48 hours away from being activated for a one year tour of Iraq. FYI, I was there a year from 03-04. I've traveled the US and the world extensively. I'm a part-time stand up comedian and a full-time stutterer.
I put the stuttering on there last to show that it's not the most important thing in my life. Early on in life, it did suck. It was horrible. Kids can be mean. I think I went home crying every day until somewhere around the age of 12.
I posted this on a separate topic but stuttering is just a part of me...same as my nose, toes, and elbows. Once I accepted that, my stutter somewhat improved...it obviously did not go away, but I was more comfortable and gained more confidence. If you, as one who stutters, does not accept it, how can you get upset when someone else seems to have trouble accepting it?
Right now, I go by Jody Fuller, The Stuttering Comic but that is just more of an identifier. When I quit selling this first DVD, it will become simply Jody Fuller ( a comic that just happens to stutter) I do talk a lot about stuttering because crazy things are constantly happening to us. I tell them how it is in a humorous manner. Some folks who stutter dig it and others do not.
I feel in no way that I demean or belittle stuttering because (#1) I'm talking about myself and (#2) the audience laughs WITH me when I talk about stuttering. I've never had an audience laugh AT me when I get stuck really bad.....until I address it. It's OK to laugh at yourself folks. Laughter is great medicine.
I try and do 3 things: (#1) talk about the daily issues I face such as the telephone and drive thru windows...the way I put it, folks find it humorous but it also opens their eyes to the constant challenges that we face. (#2) I want all folks to know that it's OK to be different and it's OK to recognize those differences. I stutter and I'm damn proud of it. It makes me, me. (#3) I don't want folks to be afraid of challenges. Communication is vital in practically every field but most of us are able to do anything we set out to do....I do bits about being a doctor or a pilot but the bottom line is I'm sure there are many stuttering docs out there...not sure about the pilots though.
I recognize someone's stutter a mile away and most of the time it's less noticeable than mine but many still tend to keep to themselves and remain sheltered. This drives me crazy!
Here's a link. I think many of you have seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1R8VUASlvA
Life is beautiful. Now get out there and enjoy it!
Jody