Meet Lori Melnitsky

We were lucky to catch up with Lori Melnitsky recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lori, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I stuttered severely as a child. It originally lowered my confidence and negatively impacted my self esteem. This forced me to take a close look at myself and my life. I had to confront the areas where I felt insecure and pinpoint the sources of my self-doubt. This self-awareness was crucial in understanding what I needed to work on and what I truly wanted.

To build my self-esteem, I began setting small, achievable goals. These goals were aligned with my interests and strengths, and accomplishing them gave me a sense of achievement. Each small success helped reinforce my belief in myself. It involved listening to my inner voice and not letting other people’s negative biases influence me.

Support was crucial to keep growing I realized the importance of surrounding myself with positive influences. I reached out to supportive friends, family, and mentors who encouraged me and provided constructive feedback. Their support was instrumental in boosting my confidence and keeping me motivated. My family supported me unconditionally.

I worked hard to identify and challenge my negative self-beliefs. I replaced self-critical thoughts with positive affirmations and focused on my strengths instead of my perceived shortcomings. This shift in mindset was essential for rebuilding my self-esteem. Learning to accept life’s setbacks and bounce back was crucial.

I made a conscious effort to prioritize my well-being. Engaging in activities that nurtured both my mind and body—like pursuing hobbies I enjoyed and spending leisure time with family and friends—was crucial for maintaining a healthy self-image.

I learned to celebrate my achievements, no matter how small. Recognizing and appreciating my progress reinforced my belief in my abilities and motivated to keep going.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I own and operate my own private practice, All Island Speech and Stuttering Therapy (www.allislandspeech.com). I am a speech pathologist, stuttering specialist and motivational speaker., which focuses on providing speech-language therapy services as well as coaching. She works with individuals of all ages to address and treat a variety of speech, language, and communication disorders. Her practice may offer assessments, therapy, and individualized treatment plans to help clients improve their communication skills and overall quality of life. I am also a certified life empowerment coach.

In addition to her clinical work, I am also involved in educational activities, such as workshops or training sessions, to help others understand and manage speech and language issues more effectively. Her role likely combines direct therapy with broader educational and consultative efforts in the field of speech-language pathology and coaching. I run a podcast called Stuttering DeMystified and Beyond on Spotify and Apple. I am expanding to include public speaking and confidence coaching,

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back I believe resilience, grit and self love helped bring me along this journey. Without these qualities I would not have been able to move on and excel in my career.

I would tell others to learn to look in a mirror and like who they are without themselves comparing to others. Find people around you who love and support your journey. Run from toxicity and negative comments. Seek help when needed and realize it is a sign of strength. Do not accept what is. Rules are meant t be broken. Do not be afraid tvo make mistakes and learn.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

My family has helped me the most with constant encouragement and support. My father who overcame stuttering is my role model. My mother had the challenging job of listening to my challenges and talking to me of how to overcome. My husband and children are my cheerleaders.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allislandspeech.com
• Instagram: ALLISLANDSPEECH_
• Facebook: All Island Speech and Stuttering Therapy
• Other: podcast:
  Stuttering DeMystified and Beyond (apple and spotify)

Image Credits

none