I joined Toastmasters as a way to build confidence with public speaking. I’ve stuttered since 5 years old - started talking at 2, so had some natural fluency for a few childhood years and then started stuttering, and have ever since, and now just turned 60. Toastmasters really helped me build confidence and courage - I didn’t overcome stuttering. I believe I overcame the fear of stuttering publicly, which I equated with being inadequate, less than, unintelligent, and lacking creativity. I disclosed that I stutter after visiting several Toastmasters chapters and selecting the club I wanted to join. Surprisingly, people were curious and asked a lot of questions. I did a couple of my speeches on stuttering, and always received warm applause and great feedback. Turns out, people who join Toastmasters hate public speaking just as much as people who stutter do. There’s a joke out there that goes something like this: “most people would rather be in the casket than deliver the eulogy.”