What a remarkable Conversation with these three outstanding young men.

- Jonathan Costello (Connecticut, USA)
- Brayden Harrington (New Hampshire, USA)
- Elazar Abrahams (New York, USA))

Reflecting on the significance of Joe Biden's example as a person who stutters becoming President (elect) of the United States of America.

Jonathan and Brayden are extraordinary young men.

Not only do they share the trait of stuttering...
They share the fortune of having personal connections with Joe Biden.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

RESOURCES

Scroll down to see videos including Jonathan, Brayden and Joe Biden’s letter to his younger self.

Upcoming events

Playback previous Conversations and Free Resources

Jonathan Costello with Joe Biden

Jonathan created this viral video in 2019. He teaches people about stuttering and what helps. See more here.

Brayden Harrington with Joe Biden

"Without Joe Biden I wouldn't be talking to you today.” Brayden Harrington’s speech at Democratic National Convention 2020.

Elazar Abrahams, College Student, Writer and Blogger

Joe Biden reflects on his life journey, including growing up with stuttering, faith and tragic losses in his family.

MORE QUOTES

“I felt a lot of connection with Joe bIden, because that was the first person I really got to talk to who stutters. He was the nicest guy. I felt a connection with him, but not on  some other topics.” - Brayden Harrington

“It was cool to meet Joe Biden and see that someone who stutters can really have a big role in this world and talk every day.” - Jonathan Costello

“ I think that growing up with a stutter makes you more sensitive to other things.” - Elazar Abrahams

TRANSCRIPTION:

Uri Schneider: And you see it live on the top left. I think we're live well. Good morning, everybody. Wherever you are around the country, around the world. I am beyond excited to be joined by three of my favorite people. we have, Jonathan Costello from Connecticut. We have Brayden Harrington coming in from New Hampshire, and Elazar Abraham's coming in from Brooklyn.

Sporting the, sporting the campaign sign in the background. And Jonathan casteller has a background that is somewhat reminiscent of Joe Biden's backgrounds when he would give speeches from home. But, it's a special, it's a special time I'd been in touch with the Harrington's. ever since Brayden really rock the world and rock my world.

And Jonathan Costello rocked my world in 2019 with his viral video, which you can see it's in the description. I'll put it in the links, but on the website you could see both of their videos. These are extraordinary young people. and we had talked about coming together on November 8th, tentatively and little, did we know how auspicious that date would be?

And as the election results came in, it occurred to me. Why don't we circle together and bring out these young people to really hear from them, not at all from a political point of view, but from the point of view of what does it mean to young people who stutter. to see the vice president, former vice president, Joe Biden now become the president elect.

And what that means is that a person who stutters a person who grew up with a stutter or a person who continues to occasionally display a stutter, is now the president of the United States, which means. That anything is possible. And so my hope is that through listening to these young people, the message that comes through would be that for parents, if you have a young child who stutters, or if you are a teacher or a counselor or a, any sort of influencer, or if you're a young person yourself to recognize that anything is possible with hard work and putting your best.

best foot forward. Obviously nothing comes easy. Joe Biden didn't become president because he stutters, but the fact that he stutters didn't hold him back and in some ways may have given him certain assets along the way. So my hope is that people take away. There's no reason to think the young person who stutters should have some sort of ceiling or some sort of barrier of what they can or can't to.

Anything is possible with hard work. And putting your best foot forward and stuttering can be an obstacle and it can also be a great teacher along the way. So with that, I would love to just throw out the question to any of you, whoever would like to just raise your hand and take it first before he was elected president.

what were your. What were your interactions and what were your thoughts about, Joe Biden? When did he first come on the scene for you? When was the first time you realized, Hey, this is an adult who stutters, Hey, we have something in common. How did that start? We'd like to take it first.

Brayden: I'll take it.

so I

Uri Schneider: share.

Brayden: I met him, on a rally in a rally. And, he, I usually just, I watched him and it was really hard for me to sit in the seat for a long time. Cause I don't, I have to move around, but it was really good. Watch the rally. And he, when I, when he first came out, I was really like happy to see him and.

I was really happy to see that somebody who's stutters like me, made it this far in my life. And he was a former vice president now the president alive and it's, it was just really good to meet him.

Uri Schneider: Wow. And Johnny, what about you? What was the first time like, Joe Biden came on your radar. Hold on.

I've got you on mute. Just a click to unmute yourself so

Jonathan: we can hear you. All right. So the first time I really heard about him was probably when he was leaving office in 2016. Cause there was like a rumblings that he was going to run for president and someone told me, Oh yeah, he has a stutter in us. And I was like, that's cool.

I looked it up. It turns out he did. And then I didn't really think anything of it until. until he announced his campaign back and on a no August of last year or may of last year. And, I was like, wow, this could be a really big thing. A person who stutters. And when I made my video of about starting, it turns out he saw it.

he, he in me up. To AI rally in Manchester. Was it Manchester? yeah. And, that was really cool to see him and meet him and see that someone who's starters can really have a big role in this world and talk every day. Like he talks in front of hundreds of thousands of people every day. that's incredible.

Thank you. You're on mute.

Uri Schneider: Thanks for the help. see, we all need a little help from our friends. Alizar when did you, when did Joe Biden come on your radar? this whole thing. Yeah,

Elazar: sure. So I've never, met, Joe Biden, a YouTube. that's not as cool. but I definitely remember, when you go online.

And you Google, like I'm a famous people who am I? Who am I? And obviously I think he's the top one now he's definitely the top one. and it was just cool to know that, I think when he was vice president and which I remember pretty well, I was on eight too.

Okay during that time. So I definitely remember it. he didn't speak as publicly, So I think definitely in it, in the past year, I think I've learned more about his speaking and more about his stutter, which has been really cool to see, but I always Knew that he was there.

Uri Schneider: Yeah. Amazing. So for you guys, and when Alizar was coming on, he felt a little bit left out guys. He's I don't have a picture with the guy, so we got to make that happen. All right. Can we do something for Eliza? Can we get them a picture with, with Joe? All right. We'll work on that afterwards, but, I want to bring out the human side of this Jonathan and, Brayden.

So even though Lasar has not had an individual private interaction, personal interaction with. Joe Biden. Can you guys share, so you went and you went to the rally or Jonathan, he saw the video and invited you to the rally, what kind of attention did he give you? was it just like a quick handshake, Tata?

Was it, a few minutes where you felt like he had a thousand things to do? Can you describe whatever it was, whether it was meeting him in person or getting a phone call? Can you just share a little bit about that? Whoever wants to go first, Jonathan.

Jonathan: there we go. it was a show. It was after the, after the rally and it was about a thousand people in this, and I saw a little gym church thing.

I don't really know it was like a. Jim and a church and, and, there was like a line of people that see him and they put us at the very back. They're like, come here, he'll have more time to that time to talk. And he talk and shook hands with every person in the line. And I was standing there for about an hour.

And finally he got. Down the road to us. And I was like, and in my head I was thinking this better, not just be a handshake and it turned out it wasn't, he really connected with me on a personal level. And he told me I'm part of a special club in that. And I have to own it and have a very bright future ahead of me.

And it was really, I stay here, the fat from someone who has shown that there can be a future. I had an a and someone who did it and a field where he does have to speak when he speaks with pride. And he does it very well every day. yeah, it was really nice to meet him. It's a really sincere guy.

He's very genuine. He talked with heart.

Uri Schneider: yeah, I heard he's still waiting for your congratulations call. Have you had a chance to call and offer him your congratulations?

Jonathan: No, but I was going to write a letter so I will be soon.

Uri Schneider: Awesome. And did you have any followup with him or it was just that one-off,

Jonathan: it was sadly just that one-off meeting, but if I did follow up and say, now you really made it, you really showed the world that we can be in the highest position.

Uri Schneider: Amazing. Amazing. Thanks Jonathan. Braden, you want to share with us, your experience? So you went to the rally and where to go from there.

Brayden: so I went to the rally, we were around the middle section of the line and we did get cut off like a few times. and a lot of people, just one passes.

And so we finally got to the, Shaking hands. My dad said, hello, mr. Biden? this my son Brayden and he stutters and, it's like Maidment, mr. Vines, just pause the whole world and just talk to me and just looked at me like nobody else was here. And he said that. It's going to be okay, this doesn't define you.

he gave me a bunch of clock compliments, and then I'm a baby. So I got really emotional. And, and so he proposed me. I went back and we, he went over like his childhood, how he makes his speeches, and the whole on a whole bunch of topics. And it was really, it's really nice of him to do that.

Right to talk to your 13 year old kid.

Uri Schneider: Amazing. So for all of you, there was something about him. Would you say that you all felt like you had something in common? Was there something you hooked into that you felt in his story or in the way he spoke that you connected, you felt like. Yeah, we're similar. And then maybe there were other things that were not similar cause different people who stutter differently and have different experiences and different strengths and all that stuff.

I was wondering if any of you all would share, what was it that felt? What was that connection? What was it similar? How did you feel connected similar with the, with Joe Biden, who would like to take that one?

Brayden: I'll go first. I felt a lot of connection with him, cause that was like the first person I really got to talk to, to stutters. And, he, like I said, he was like the nicest guy in the world and he just, he. I felt some connection and some other topics. I just really didn't feel connection because she came from a different place.

She came from Dell, Dell, but they'll wear something and I can't,

Uri Schneider: yeah, it's a really small state, like there's yeah.

Brayden: from mine, but I did feel a pretty good connection with them.

Uri Schneider: Awesome. You want to go with that?

Elazar: Yeah, sure. I think I definitely relate to, you can tell that he's, he's nice and he's, I think people who stutter are more likely to care about others. The kindness from him, not obviously that's not just because of his Sutter, he's gone through tremendous, like I'm a pain and I'm a loss too, but definitely, I think that growing up with a stutter makes you more sensitive to other things like that.

and I think definitely people who stutter when they watch him speaking, like on, you can tell, like when he's changing the M word that like that, like he wants to say this word, but he has to go back and say it, like I'm over, and change it up just a little bit. So that, the sentence we'll, we'll yeah, we'll, work on.

So I definitely think that's very, relatable and yeah, just like really cool to see, like I was texting you last night and I said, did we ever think that someone who started is, could be like the president of us? And like I said, no way, like I would never in a million years really think that this was possible.

But it did, it happened

Uri Schneider: was I tell you, when you asked me that did any

Jonathan: of us,

Elazar: and you said that you always thought that it was possible.

Uri Schneider: Listen, when I meet rock stars, like all of you, and I know Johnny, I don't know if you re, do you remember the first meeting you had with my dad? I know your father shared with me something you want to just share that story, because I think that speaks to LSRs point.

did we ever think a person who starters could become president. And for me as a guide, as someone who tries to be a champion for people who stutter. yeah. Yeah. I always do. Except I have to deal with people's doubts. young people have doubts. Parents have doubts, teachers have doubts.

Everybody doesn't want to hurt anybody. And I'm like, I meet people like you guys, and I'm like, you can move mountains, man. So I don't have doubts, but Johnny, would if you could share that story, I think that's a beautiful story.

Jonathan: So I was about. Seven ish. and, I had a really bad stutter.

I had a bad time with a couple of speech therapists and honestly it probably just made it worse. and, and I was really nervous because I thought. B. cause I thought it would be like, Oh, this is the worst. This is the hours stutter we've ever seen because I never met anybody with a stutter.

You only other people I knew who stuttered was. There was like this weird like video that they made for like the talking. Ask a ball. I don't know if you've seen it and it's really terrible. That's the only other time I'd seen a person who stuttered at that age and I talked with him for about an hour and he told me you're the you're one of the best,

Elazar: can we.

Jonathan: Communicators. I have ever met. And I was like, what? But I stuttered. you can't really understand me. And he said, I can, you always get your message across and you always get your point across. And I find it the same way in, Biden. Is that. Is that yes, he might have a couple of gaps or he might say the wrong thing sometimes, but his point is very clear and he has a very clear message and he speaks very clearly and everybody knows what he means.

And he's trying to say, and. And I think that it shows like you can be a fluent speaker and your sentences can sometimes not be coherent. They sound like a bunch of junk, but even as a person who stutters, if you take your time and you say it, correctly, and you say it patiently, people can really understand and hear your,

Uri Schneider: Did, and if you ever see this pop up on your phone?

Jonathan: No,

Uri Schneider: I don't think you're going to see what I think you see, which is, Joe Biden's caller ID.

Oh, and did you ever get one of these calls?

Okay, sorry. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. Brayden. You know that name thing on zoom is killing. He did it on purpose. You could pop in, but I met Braden. Braden. Have you gotten these like you're wondering, who's calling who's that on the phone. Oh. Oh.

Brayden: I've gotten a bar called before. And I was like, my mom said, or I was like, can I answer my phone? My mom's no. And then I said, it said up, but it's a bot call. And she said, then go ahead, go right away. And I answered it. I say, hello. And he's this is Joe violin speaking. I was like, wow.

I didn't know. He would actually call me in. Cause he was. On the race. And I didn't know, he would have the time to do that.

Uri Schneider: So you got a live call or it was a bad call.

Brayden: It was a bar called dead. he was alive, but it didn't say that he's like his name or anything.

Uri Schneider: So during the race, you got a call where he personally took the time to call you live it.

Wasn't just a robo call.

Brayden: Oh, no. He was talking through the phone.

Uri Schneider: That's awesome. That's so awesome. maybe, can you guys think about reflecting on. Did something inside of you shifted something feel even more? Or was it just the same old when the news came out that he was actually going to be declared the Victor in this election and be destined to become president elected.

Did that do anything for you guys? And if so, what was that new level? What was that new feeling or was it just the same?

Jonathan: so it was. It was very special for him. He, I would say because all of my friends who've been so like, supportive all of them, all of my life and they're known at, at him and to, and when, and when he got elected, all my friends were texting me, saying, He's in office. Now, the guy that you met, the guy that, it's so awesome.

A it's it's it's so great. I would have it that my friend knows the mr. President and it was really early enough. Nice because, because it showed that like other people care outside of people who stutter about not just him being who he is and about all of the things he believes in and about his politics, but about how big it is to have a person who stutters and that.

And that he can still be a great president, even though he has this barrier. And, and he's been through a lot his whole life and he's shown incredible strength. if only one of the things that happened to me that happened to him, I would probably break down and not be the same person, but he's been through a lot and he continues to be sh.

To be strong and it was really nice to see a person of his character and his strength to be back in office and showing and showing the whole world how to do it. yeah, I'd say that it was really important and it did change though a little bit by just to see it.

Uri Schneider: Awesome. Have you seen me looking away? It's just going to try to process the many people who are trying to hear you guys and get this shared with as many people as possible, because a lot of people, it's amazing, you guys should know, like you're the future and that's why this is so significant because each of you, Jonathan and Brayden Eleazar in your own way, you.

You're just young people, But, once upon a time, all of us were young people too. And inside of us as little young person, and we may have had dreams that we wanted to go after a certain job or a certain relationship or a certain lifestyle or whatever. And we say, Oh, I couldn't be a sportscaster.

I couldn't be a sports agent. I couldn't be a lawyer. And so for a lot of older people, when they hear you guys talking. It like wakes up something that they want to wake up inside themselves. So even though you guys have a lot of years to go and there's huge promise and you're already so awesome.

So it's hard to imagine, like how far you can go. So many people want to hear you because it wakes up something inside of them. And so I just want you to know, it means a lot what you're doing and sharing this. Braden, would you like to share, did anything shift for you or.

Brayden: I would say that something definitely did shift.

I feel like I've grown more confident and, And my stutter and, I'm sorry. Sounds like it's just, something's really funny over here.

and something I it's really confident because he really helped me and I've grown more confident since the DNC, I think. And I have a big feeling cause a lot of people tweeted that. Blood, Brandon's gone. Gyan grown a lot. And, I feel like it's true. Cause, she, I have grown a lot and it's really nice for him to talk to me.

Uri Schneider: That's awesome. Eleazar. What about for you since the results came back to something?

Elazar: Yeah, I definitely think it's ultimate Amara. the ultimate

Jonathan: ultimate,

Elazar: the ultimate sign that like you really can do whatever. I think also something that I've learned about stuttering, which I think this also is like shows is like no one really cares about it as much as you do. there definitely will always be people that are just not nice, but I think people who stutter eventually realize that it's.

In your own head, a lot that people care. And I think this is like really like just a huge deal. It's, it's a huge deal. And like I said, I never really thought that it was going to happen even though it was like going in that direction for a long time and yeah. for him to win with the most votes of, of on any one, I think that's so great.

And I commented yesterday to someone that I almost wish that I was a younger, like now, so that so that I could live through his term as like a like younger person who stutters, obviously I'm not old, but yeah, like I definitely know that if I was, Or 12, like now, like I would think that it was like the greatest thing I ever

Uri Schneider: not to suggest Johnny and Braden that you guys are 12.

Okay. But, but a lot as I was a

Jonathan: junior college,

Uri Schneider: junior in college, what do you think would be different? What do you feel is the climate, now that he's president, what suddenly is lifted and what do you wish you could be living through? What would be different? I

Elazar: just think it's. I just think, I know that there's a lot of young people that are, I'm looking up to him, like young people who started maybe in a similar way to the new, vice-president, how that's also like people see her and like they know that like they can do that.

on a smaller scale, I think Joe Biden like really shows like a lot of young kids that. They can do that. And it's that's it. I think it's great.

Uri Schneider: That's awesome. So I think what you're saying is the significance of breaking boundaries, both in the show, by being a person who stutters right.

Young

Elazar: people have that, role model. Yeah. I think that's amazing.

Uri Schneider: It matters. It matters to see that someone went that far and, and similarly combo Jairus, obviously, first woman African-American descent, Indian descent. opens the door for those possibilities, which it just becomes a reality.

It's a new norm that becomes established. So I guess that's what you're saying. it would be nice to live your high school years

Elazar: through that. Yeah. So

Jonathan: exactly.

Uri Schneider: So in that maybe that would be a beautiful leader into the next question. I'd love each of you to think and Brayden, you gave the vice president, the president elect it's so confusing.

Like what's it called everybody, but, you gave him a great pep talk. and told him, it's going to be okay. You might stutter, just, stand your ground, stick to the message. what would you guys say maybe for people that don't know stuttering, as well as you guys, what would you hope the world would understand?

And it could be things people miss say about Joe Biden. Like you see him speaking and you see a little hiccup and you're like, Oh yeah, I know what's going on right there. And other people might misinterpret, or you might know for yourself, Times where you've had a little stutter, a moment of disfluency a hiccup, repetition, whatever.

What would you like other people to know? And maybe what would you ask people to do anybody want to go for that? Yeah, Johnny,

Jonathan: I'd say that it's a little bit sad sometimes when people don't understand, because. Because some people accused him of being like, not there mentally, like he's passed it.

And he might have Alzheimer's or like dementia or something crazy like that. And they say it, they say, and you ask them why. and they're like, he sometimes fumbles his words. He sometimes doesn't say the right things. He sometimes switches words and mid sentence. And I think it's sad to see that, people don't know that he's just stuttering and that's sometimes how it's going to be.

he tries hard not to stutter, as I'm writing said, I came up. Like he, marks up all of his speeches. So any end he puts in pauses to try and make sure that he has the least, he has to least amount of stuttering as he possibly can, but sometimes it happens. And I think it's very important for people to know, to just.

Get off his back almost. It's not his fault that he stutters. And it sounds sometimes that people feel that way. Like one kid at school, back in like March was like, it, I was talking, he was talking, he was. He was talking with them. some people like right behind me on purpose because he knew that I had met him and he's and he's like Joe Biden.

He's he's the R word. I don't think you want me to say here he's passed it. he's crazy. He doesn't speak properly. He's a moron. I turned to him and I was like, dude, Chill it's he just has a stutter. Just like me. You can hate me. you can say hi to me, but it really doesn't matter that Fetty as a starter, he still does what he does.

And he does it very well. And I think that's important for people to know. And it's just a stutter and it's not that he's it's not that he's Passengers or us.

Uri Schneider: I always love how you say it straight, man. I would say in my own way, less straight, but that was so raw. And so beautifully said, I would just say for people to know probably the most prevalent misconceptions it's somehow stuttering is a reflection of shakiness and your thoughts.

You're not sure what you want to say. Or you're having a shaky moment of confidence. Maybe you're an anxious person or a nervous moment. And stuttering is just not that, you might have that happen for the average person when you feel those things. but for a person who stutters right. You know exactly what you want to say.

Totally solid here. All the cars are lined up. It's just. Getting the mouth to do the thing to get it out. There's a physical, there's a physical block there, but it's not a reflection of a mental cognitive moment. that's a great point. Johnny, thanks Braden. You want to take a go with anything you think would be helpful to know?

you were so helpful to Joe. Maybe you can help everybody else take something away.

Brayden: I like probably Hour and a half before this meeting, I watched Jonathan's, I watched Johnathan's video and it was his tips were really on point on how to talk to somebody who stutters and how to approach them.

And it's just terrible how people think of him as some. Guy who did that? Doesn't know what he's saying and mentally ill or something. Cause he's definitely not out of all those things. He's neither of them, except because he stutters and it's just that, it's not that he's mentally ill it's that he can't get his words out.

Me and Jonathan and Angela, was sorry. and, it's just, all you have to know is that, you know what he's going through when you feel what he's going through and it doesn't matter what other people think, because they're not going to go up on stage and tell everybody that Biden's, Mentally ill or something.

They can't do that. they're in middle school. they can't do that without, is without, like some sort of, I forgot the word, some sort of like invitation or something. They can't do that. And it's just matters what you think and what you know, and the facts. And that's what I

Uri Schneider: think.

I just want to read to you guys a comment from my friend, Michael Ryan, he's in Ireland, and he's writing what I said to you guys before, how you guys are waking up these dreams that lay inside of people. Some people grow old with streams that they never let themselves pursue. And I think just to the point that you guys are saying, sometimes your worst enemy is that person that says something stupid or that person that doesn't let you finish that person that cuts you off and gets it wrong.

I know Eliza gets that all the time, but other times I think we hold ourselves back, right? Like we know we want to do something, but as a lot, as I said earlier, we make it a bigger deal than other people might make it. We don't. Take the risk. We don't dare to try. We don't dare to try and see what would happen if we went to be captain of the team.

If we try not for debate, like we sometimes to hold ourselves back before we even try. So Michael Ryan wrote he's 59 years old and he still has dreams and you guys are stirring those up for him and for so many people. So it's so special. Braden, that was great. Thank you for sharing that. Eliza, you want to share, a tip, a thought.

Elazar: Yeah. I definitely think the M a narrative that, you guys just, spoke about is, frustrating, to know that stuff is, out there and has been pretty, prevalent in the last year or so. And, but at the same time, what makes me feel better is that he, one, and I think we could also really make the case that he won because of the empathy and the kindness that he gets from soldering, And

Uri Schneider: can you elaborate on that because you have a couple more years on these guys you're talking about like the upside, the game.

Elazar: Yeah. Oh, okay. Sure. yeah, like I said, earlier in the talk, I definitely think. We can see it in, Joe Biden. We can see it in ourselves. I think, this is a, this is a on my generalization, but I think it would be safe to say that people who start are, would tend to be, nicer, kinder people who, you're not going through the same thing as someone else, but you know that like you have this thing that's really hard for you.

Yeah. This thing, I think a huge factor. I could say personally, I want to go into journalism and I definitely think having a stutter has made me better at, at, being able to Ahmet writes well, like I can choose the words that I want to use on, the page and yeah. and look, I w.

I'm not the person to say that I would rather have the stutter because let's be honest. It is a roadblock in a lot of scenarios, but definitely. I think it makes you a better person if, all that to say that. Yeah. and so just to go back to, Joe Biden, It is frustrating.

It is hard to see in the past year, people going after him for the way he speaks and that kind of thing. but now to know that he won and that, he won with that. And I think he won in large part because of that. Yeah.

Uri Schneider: I think that's really great. Amazing, in, I'm going to take us home in a small way, but as I just give these closing words, I do want to give you to you guys a chance.

So if, while I'm saying what I'm going to say, something comes to mind and you want to give a go, I won't hang up on you because people didn't come to hear me came to hear you. but again, the comments and the people jumping in are just A few Civ and from all over the world. So if you're watching this, I ask you to drop a comment, drop a, like I ask you to share it because the messages of these young men needs to be heard.

this is a really special moment in so many ways, in so many challenging ways, but one of the things that's come out of this pandemic for example, is I've gotten to spend more time with each of these three guys and, I'm better off for it. I'm happy that I'm able to just create a vehicle for you guys to have a.

To have a platform you already are awesome. And I'll put all those links in there to see Jonathan's viral video, that PSA video. I did that little demo a few seconds ago. You go on our website, go to the blog page and just search viral video, boom. Or you can look up, Jonathan and a number of places.

Maybe he'll drop the link in there, Braden. if you're not living under a rock, you may have seen one of his videos, but, it's fair to say that he was a pivotal part of the campaign. as a voice of, authenticity of strength of courage, I think he touched so many people with his courage, bravery, authenticity, just remarkable and Eleazar, knowing you as long as I do, after I spoke with Braden, the first time you said, Hey, I got to get it on one of these.

So this is it. This is such an opportunity. So I just want to reflect on the words of my friend, Parker mantle Parker. Mintel. Before you guys came around. I think it was around 2014. Someone could correct me. He gave the commencement speech at Indiana university, and I just want to read a little excerpt and you can find that speech and his Ted talk also on our blog page, just look up Parker mantle.

Guy's a busy guy, so we haven't had a chance to pull him in. I tried to loop them in for today. I'm sure he's watching this. So Parker, we got your number. he said as follows, he said, Beethoven was deaf. Imagine if he never dared to listen to his calling to compose music, Ray Charles was blind.

Imagine if he had never dared envisioned that he could touch the keys of the piano. Albert Einstein was dyslexic. Imagine if he never dared to embrace seeing things differently by formulating equations, FDR couldn't walk. Imagine if he had never dared to run. Imagine what you are depriving our world of, if you never dare to achieve your purpose.

And that my friends is the message that I'd like to leave everybody with is as you guys show us, you can be younger. You can be older, you don't need to wait to be ready. When you feel you have something inside of you, that's just burning inside of you. do it there to step out of your comfort zone.

Don't be stupid. Don't do risky behavior. Don't be impulsive and, in a mindless kind of way, but recognize that if you feel you have inside of you, some purpose, something you want to go for, find the champions that are going to get behind you. There are allies like your parents. Like that one teacher in the school or that one guidance counselor that believes in people and all the other ones are a bunch of haters and that's okay.

That's normal. But find that one champion and it could be in your family, or it could be outside your family. It could be a speech therapist, but there are people that want to get behind you and help you achieve everything you dream of. And Joe Biden certainly has really a bulldozed through a certain glass barrier of sorts and gives all of us.

Those of us that are champions for people who stutter parents. Educators and people who stutter a little bit more confidence that we can do it. any of you want to take it home, but again, just please share this. Please comment, please. these guys are awesome. I appreciate Sean. You drop in those links.

That's awesome. And, I'll add more links afterwards, but, do you guys want to have any closing words before we take it away?

So with that, hang around because in 15 minutes you can join me for a conversation with one of them, the most intelligent articulate people. I know he's a rocket engineer at space X. My good friend Rubin chuffed will be on in 15 minutes. All of these conversations people have asked, will these be available?

This conversation, all the public conversations are available on our website, on the blog page, and they're all available for replay. We hope that you've enjoyed the conversation. Please send any questions or comments. You could send them to us through the website, Snyder speech.com/contact, and I'll forward them to the respective parties.

But these guys are all stars. I know Johnny's got to run to soccer. Brayden. I'm not sure where he's running, but something amazing and everybody woke up early and carved out the time. So thank you. And for the parents behind the scenes who made this possible, and for all of you turning out, thank you so much, wish everybody a wonderful day.

And hopefully we can make the world just a little bit more respectful, a little bit more patient. And sometimes we think the job is for everyone to talk better. If we could all learn that on the other side of talking is listening. And if people who stuttered could teach us one thing, I think that they would ask us, could you guys just learn to listen for an extra second?

Just give an extra moment. Like a little microsecond can make a world of difference. So I wish everybody a great day. Great conversations. Keep talking. You guys are amazing. Everybody knows. They're going to say I knew him when, so we're all watching you. You guys are amazing and you have lots of people behind you that support you along the way.

If I can do anything for you, I'm there. All the best God bless America.