This episode features Tony De La Mora, a cybersecurity professional, Air Force Reserve veteran, and STARS Community Advisor whose journey with stuttering spans decades of personal resilience. Tony brings a grounded perspective to the conversation. One shaped by professional environments, military service, and the emotional weight that stuttering can quietly carry. He shares what it meant to navigate those worlds as someone who stutters, the mental health toll that often goes unspoken, and how his collaboration with Dr. Gerald Maguire has helped bridge the gap between clinical research and real-world community support. Through his story, Tony offers honest insight into what healing, advocacy, and connection can look like and why the stuttering community deserves to be seen, heard, and supported at every level.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on the STARS YouTube channel

This episode features Pierpaolo Busan, PhD, a Tenure-Track Researcher at the University of Trieste and STARS Scientific Advisor, whose work focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms of stuttering and rehabilitation approaches through neuromodulation, EEG/MEG, and neurofeedback. In this conversation, Dr. Busan shares what emerging science reveals about the brain and stuttering, how neuromodulation therapies may benefit people who stutter, and what he hopes the broader research community will come to better understand about this field.

You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-sBQTpAaKg

This episode features Maura Miles, a Special Education teacher in Southern California and STARS Community Advisor whose perspective on stuttering is both personal and professional. As someone who stutters herself, Maura brings a uniquely powerful voice to conversations about stuttering in children and young adults. She shares her own journey with stuttering, what it means to navigate school as a student who stutters, and the role educators play in shaping confidence and acceptance. Through her lived experience and classroom expertise, Maura offers meaningful insights into how teachers, families, and communities can better support young people who stutter and why every voice deserves to be heard.