What happens when the thing that makes speaking difficult becomes part of how you find your voice?
Jason Heffler grew up with a stutter, bullying, and the constant calculation of which words might come out cleanly. He shares how those experiences shaped his relationship with language, belonging, and self-expression.
Jason joins Jay to talk about Tongue Tied, his children's book about a shy chameleon who camouflages herself because she's afraid her speech will keep her from fitting in. From there, they explore childhood identity, fear of judgment, self-acceptance, music, creativity, implicit bias, and AI.
At 19, Jason discovered electronic music. Years later, performing for 10,000 people, the first drop hit and the crowd erupted. He got on the mic, his stutter dissipated, and he felt himself step into a new version of himself.
“You can really embrace your voice and your truth exactly how it sounds.” — Jason Heffler
What We Explore
• Speaking while simultaneously navigating a stutter
• Childhood camouflage, bullying, and belonging
• Tongue Tied and building confidence without “fixing” a child's voice
• How DJing gave Jason another language for self-expression
• Art as a place for people who never quite felt accepted
• AI as a creative tool versus a replacement for the artist
Chapters
00:00 — Meet Jason Heffler
03:10 — When Words Get Stuck
10:10 — Stop Hiding the Stutter
14:23 — Tongue Tied
16:32 — Childhood and Camouflage
21:11 — “I Don't Date Quitters”
26:34 — The First Drop
30:11 — Inside the Mind of a Stutterer
36:31 — Language, AI, and the Inner Voice
43:20 — When AI Becomes the Artist
48:00 — Finding a Home in Art
51:53 — Implicit Bias
57:37 — A Voice Doesn't Need to Be Fixed
About Jason Heffler
Jason Heffler is an author, DJ, and Managing Editor of EDM.com. His children's book Tongue Tied draws from his experience growing up with a stutter and helps young readers build confidence and self-acceptance.
Jason: Tongue Tied (https://rebrand.ly/tonguetied) • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fluenceemusic/) • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jason.heffler)
The Tragedy Academy
Candid conversations exploring the human experience through tragedy and triumph.
Hosted by Jay Hicks.
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