Jon Coghill & Tim Reid
Imagine living with a stutter while chasing your dream as an industrial design student – every excited idea could trip you up. Meet Hugh, 18, who swaps words mid-sentence to outsmart his stutter, all while creating clever fixes for his Nana’s everyday struggles. This chat on living with a stutter is raw, funny, and full of heart – listen and feel the empathy kick in.
Ready for some stranger stories? Personal stories of love, resilience & daring unfold in this loveable podcast, as story-collectors Tim Reid & Jon Coghill wander the streets of Australia (and sometimes a little further), microphone in hand, chatting to strangers.
It’s conversations… with everyday people.
Episode Summary
Bumping Into Hugh at Uni
Jon pulls up a chair with Hugh. He waits three hours before his tutorial. He dropped off his girlfriend early. Hugh is in his third course of a four-year degree. He loves making products that help people. He has always enjoyed drawing. Plus, he takes things apart to see how they work.
Why Industrial Design Fits Him
Hugh chooses designs that make lives better. However, some focus on profit instead. For example, why create something that breaks fast so you buy more? He cares about humanity’s good. Additionally, living with a stutter hasn’t held him back. He notices annoying designs everywhere. Then he thinks how to fix them for those in need.
The Daily Battle of Living with a Stutter
Living with a stutter hurts most when stress or excitement hits. For example, it flares during uni questions or work chats. Hugh changes sentences on the fly. He picks words he knows won’t trip him. It got bad around Christmas once. Every sentence became a battle. At McDonald’s mic? That was hell. But now at an ice cream shop, it feels easier.
When It Gets Bad
It happened a few years ago around Christmas. He couldn’t speak without it in every sentence. So he saw a speech pathologist. At work, the mic made it worse. He got lessons on exact words. Now he uses things he can do all the time.
Tricks for Living with a Stutter
Speech pathology helped twice when it peaked. He learned “soft onsets.” Start airy, like “oh-pen” instead of “open.” This avoids choking up. Also, slow talk works. Word swaps help too. He pushes through S’s like “snake.” Living with a stutter means lots of practice for speeches. COVID recordings let him nail uni takes with retakes.
Empathy & Inspiration from Living with a Stutter
Living with a stutter builds empathy in Hugh. He spots others’ word hiccups. He knows that “crap, it’s coming” feeling. It shapes his designs too. For example, he made a tilting jug for Nana’s weak shoulders after falls. Fundamentals? Care, have faith, do your best. Then everything falls into place.
Hugh’s Vibe & Wrapping Up
Hugh is romantic and thoughtful. He loves his Nana. He supports his girlfriend. He chases designs for good. Living with a stutter? It is part of him. Yet he outsmarts it daily. This chat leaves you smiling. You think about small fixes that change lives.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro and meeting Hugh early for uni
00:26 – Industrial design studies, future tech focus
01:23 – Why industrial design: drawing, improving products
02:29 – Design for good vs profit, helping Nana’s jug
03:26 – Living with a stutter: flares with stress/excitement
04:35 – Techniques: soft onsets, word swaps, slower talk
05:32 – Speech pathology, work mics at McDonald’s
06:10 – Practicing speeches, COVID recordings help uni
07:25 – Empathy for others’ hiccups, mentoring vibe
08:14 – Fundamentals never change, caring first – farewell
00:26 – Industrial design studies, future tech focus
01:23 – Why industrial design: drawing, improving products
02:29 – Design for good vs profit, helping Nana’s jug
03:26 – Living with a stutter: flares with stress/excitement
04:35 – Techniques: soft onsets, word swaps, slower talk
05:32 – Speech pathology, work mics at McDonald’s
06:10 – Practicing speeches, COVID recordings help uni
07:25 – Empathy for others’ hiccups, mentoring vibe
08:14 – Fundamentals never change, caring first – farewell
Key Takeaways
- Dropping girlfriend, waiting three hours for uni – true romantic
- Designing tilting jug for Nana’s weak shoulders – pure heart
- Living with a stutter: reroutes sentences mid-thought to avoid blocks
- Soft onsets trick: “open” becomes airy “oh-pen” to push through
- Flare-ups at McDonald’s mic – hell; ice cream shop easier
- Practices speeches endlessly, records for perfect uni takes
- Empathy boost: spots others’ word hiccups, knows the struggle
Living with a stutter?
Hugh’s story is gold – romantic designer, stutter-smarter, inspiring fixes. Listen now on your favourite platform
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🤩 Who’s behind all this strangeness?
Made & Hosted by Tim Reid & Jon Coghill
Music Supervision by Dennis Feletto
Photography by Will Reid & Andy McColl
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