Finding a workplace to be my authentic stuttering self

If you’d have told younger Josh that he’d be a co-host on a podcast, presenting at conferences and even working trade stands in NYC – well, to say I wouldn’t have believed you would be the understatement of the century. However, this is my life at Evenbreak.

Evenbreak is a job platform run for and by people with disabilities, offering global opportunities. I get the pleasure of introducing disabled candidates to a job board dedicated to removing barriers and helping people find the right fit for them. As I’m sure the person reading this will know, for someone who stutters the task of finding a job can be tricky.

Image description. Josh and Adam chatting in the background of the podcast studio with camera and lighting equipment in the foreground.

Before I write about how I got here, I want to explore exactly what “here” looks like for me right now. One of the things I absolutely love doing is hosting our podcast on disability inclusion and getting to speak to incredible guests. For example, we recently spoke to the CEO of the Hidden Disability Sunflower, and it was intriguing to hear about their purpose and how much impact they’ve made. Every conversation teaches me something new, and I hope it does the same for our listeners.

I’m usually one of the first people to sign up for conferences. I genuinely love going, meeting new people, and having conversations that matter. It might surprise some people because I stutter and I have got the “wow, you’re such an inspiration” comment before (which of course was said with good intentions) but being social and chatting with people is so normal to me. I love being able to connect with people and hear their stories. Honestly, I’ve met so many brilliant individuals along the way at these conferences and they’re people who simply haven’t been given the right space to shine... yet.

And speaking of incredible experiences at conferences, getting the chance to travel to New York for one was unforgettable. Watching the sunrise from Brooklyn Bridge gave me one of those “I almost forgot this was the whole point” moments. It’s always been a dream to get the chance to travel internationally for work and to have a company that allows me to do this with full confidence as my authentic self. This was a real pinch me moment on many levels. Ps. the bagels were incredible, and I now understand the hype!

On a more day-to-day level, I form partnerships with like-minded organisations. We’re always looking to team up with people and groups who share our passion for creating real impact in the disabled community. This is why I reached out to Stamily. I know that looking for work as a person who stutters can bring additional challenges and I wanted the Stamily community to know that Evenbreak exists.

Speaking of the challenges, prior to finding my role at Evenbreak, I endured a long, tedious journey of applications, intro calls, interviews and a lot of “Unfortunately, you have not been offered the role” emails. This all came with a million thoughts about my fluency and how companies would perceive me – would they not think I was capable of doing the role? Noticing body language change in interviews as I struggled to explain why I wanted the job – due to blocking on words – was hard to take. The rejections certainly impacted me, and low confidence resulted. After what felt like a brutal year of searching, I ended up being exactly where I needed to be.

When looking for a job, everyone says the candidate needs to impress the employer and of course this is true, but people forget that the employer must be right for that person too. This ties into the title of this piece. At Evenbreak, I can be as dysfluent or fluent as my words come out. No added pressure. Everyone trusts me to do my role, and this allows me to thrive (even in some situations that scare the life out of me!). This is exactly the work environment we help the employers on the board to achieve: an inclusive, diverse space where authenticity leads to people thriving.

By working closely with our employers, we can help guide them to exhibiting best practice across their business. Stuttering is a part of our disability inclusion training, and we have an abundance of resources in collaboration with organisations and people with lived experience that employers can access to create the best environment for their staff. Of course, our primary aim is to connect talented candidates to inclusive employers and provide resources to aid candidates in their search. This includes general employment topics such as resume and interview guides, but specific resources related to employment and disability. For example, sharing your access needs with employers can be daunting and we want to ensure people are equipped in the best way possible before doing this (if they choose too).

I hope you’ve been able to take away something useful from this blog! Whether that be knowledge of Evenbreak and what we can offer candidates, being able to relate to aspects of my story or you’re now considering a trip to NYC for the bagels!

On a personal level, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to write this. I reached out to Stamily from a work perspective but it’s great to see that there’s this big international community of people who stutter. I often forget that 1% of the world’s population stutters.

If you would like to check out the resources I’ve spoken about, please find the links below along with my email if you have any questions!

Job board: https://www.evenbreak.com/

Resources: https://hive.evenbreak.co.uk/

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@Evenbreak./videos

Email: Josh.Wright@evenbreak.com

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Josh 😊

Image Descriptions: The image on the left shows the sun rising from the Brooklyn Bridge, with a faint orange glow on the water. On the right, a bagel sits on a small white plate. The bagel is cut in half showing the filling inside predominately to be salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes and onions.