Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Campbell.
Hi Michael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small town called Ball, Louisiana, and went to school in Tioga. I was the only kid who stuttered there, both in junior high and high school so I wasn’t the most popular kid to put it lightly. I honestly can’t remember too many good days of school, but I do remember the first time I got beat up because of my stutter. I was in 4th grade, and our teacher was out for the day. I had to go to the restroom, and I was excused from class. I went into the stall and unbeknownst to me, I was followed by 5 kids from class. I remember being punched, kicked, and slapped by all of them and telling me at the same time to “learn to talk right” until they stopped and left. I went back into class as though nothing had happened, and until today, haven’t told that story to anyone.
That really set the tone for my junior and high school life. I don’t know why this happened; I honestly don’t. I hated school for that reason. The depth of depression that I went to is a place that only someone who stutters can relate to.
Years had passed, and I was blessed with an amazing son, Cameron. I can still see him now, even though he’s almost 16, as a little boy…Time flies. I prayed over and over that he wouldn’t stutter like his dad, and then one day, he began to stutter, and I blamed myself. I watched him struggle with his words, and it killed me inside. As a dad, I had to do something, whatever that might be. Fast forward to his preteen years, Cameron and I are going to the airport, and he was at the age where he wanted to answer the TSA questions himself. So, I let him, and when he couldn’t answer the questions properly, everyone literally laughed at him. To say I was heated was an understatement. That very week, I started Smile I Stutter. I started this non-profit to show Cameron that he can do anything he sets his mind to even though he stutters.
I’ve been grinding to grow Smile I Stutter ever since. Over the past 3 years, SIS has helped children in over 14 different countries and has shown no signs of slowing. We have created children’s books coloring books and even built a school in western Uganda for children of the village who stutter, which has grown into something so beautiful I don’t think I possess the correct vocabulary to express.
Currently, we are working to create speech therapy scholarships for children in DFW. These scholarships will be for families that have children who stutter but cannot afford speech therapy as speech therapy is not covered by insurance.
The costs can add up really quickly with sessions ranging from 120-150 per hour. Families are having to decide on a pantry full of food or speech therapy, and 9 times out of 10; they are going to choose to feed their family instead. This leads the child who stutters down the same exact path that I went through, and I can’t let that happen anymore.
Smile I Stutter will be a multi-generational foundation that will help children who stutter all over the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I first started this journey, a professor from KU told me something very valuable, and I’ve tried to implement this into every part of my business life. “If you want to grow fast, grow alone. But if you want to grow forever, grow together.”
I started building SIS on my own grew it for a few years before anyone really knew anything about it or even gave it the attention it deserved. But I still showed up. I showed up for myself every single day. There we’re times when I didn’t have more than 21 dollars in my pocket, but I found a way to make it through. My wife has been by my side through all of it. The late-night conversations, the Zoom calls at awkward times because of time zone differences, and most importantly, not being taken seriously. I worked random jobs to make extra money to pay for the formation of Smile I Stutter; I went way out of my comfort zone to build relationships with people that now I call family. Bottom line: I got out of my own way, and I truly started to believe the shit I was telling myself when I needed to be lifted up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Separate from Smile I Stutter, my passion is golf. Matter of fact, passion isn’t the right word. I honestly feel like I was put on this earth to play competitive golf at the highest level. I have made it my mission to make it onto the PGA or Senior PGA Tour someday. I practice every day and have gotten my handicap down to a +2. I have been competing in the mini tours around Texas and have slowly started to make more and more money (not much mind you, but enough to keep the dream alive… lol). I took this year off to work on my mind, body, and soul and I tell ya, that was the best decision ever. I have a great team around me, and I feel like I’m ready for the next level. I started playing golf for a simple reason. I didn’t have to speak. So, I practiced a lot, mostly in my front yard lol, my mom wasn’t too happy about it, but thankfully she let it slide…ONCE…hahah
I joined my senior team, and I am forever grateful to Tioga High School for giving me a much-needed outlet. You really don’t know how important that was for me. For the final period of every other day (If memory serves me right), we got to go practice at a golf course! It was awesome.
After high school, I joined the Marines and served my 4 years with an honorable discharge. I went to school afterwards and got my degree from University of Phoenix. IDK… In hindsight, as an adult now, college was an unneeded debt. YouTube is free.
After school and decade or so of young man work, I picked golf back up and haven’t looked back. I want to play professional golf at the most elite level to bring as much awareness to stuttering as possible. If I saw someone who stuttered openly on T.V. as a child, I wouldn’t have felt so alone.
All that to say, I’m looking for company sponsors now and am ready to compete!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I can’t tell you a blanketed list of what works or what doesn’t work, but I can tell you what worked for me.
I believed in what I was doing.
I stepped out of my comfort zone, like way out. Just to network. It’s so vital to your growth.
I stopped caring about what others thought. As cold as that sounds, you can’t care. Imagine going through life not being yourself because of what someone else thought of you. NOPE. lol Be you bobo. HAHAHA
As far as mentorship goes. I don’t take advice from just 1 person. I listen to a few people’s advice and go from there. I believe that you can learn a great deal from another’s perspective if we just listen.
Also, keep the same core group of people or person. Don’t be so eager to grow ur circle
Pricing:
- Donate: $150 Speech Therapy Session
- Donate: $600 (1) month of Speech Therapy
Contact Info:
- Website: www.smileistutter.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smile_i_stutter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smileistutter/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/SmileIStutter/
- Other: https://smileistutter-bloom.kindful.com/
