Press & Media

Featured TV Appearances

Featured Articles

  • Amplifying the Voices of People Who Stutter

    KQED Arts & Culture Desk

    A group of creative Bay Area women is leading the effort to help draw attention to the needs of the more than 3 million adults in this country — and roughly 70 million worldwide — who’ve faced bullying and discrimination because of the way they speak.

  • Podcasting as a Proud Stutterer

    J Weekly

    Maya Chupkov stutters, though you might not notice it. She has stuttered since childhood, but learned over the years — and with lots of speech therapy — how to hide it. Now, at 29, she’s had a change of heart.

  • Ditching the shame that comes with stuttering: Advocates see more work to do

    USA Today/Yahoo News

    Maya Chupkov and Lucy Reed talk about their experiences as woman who stutter and why it’s importance to build community and a empowerment.

All Press

December 5, 2023  |  Center for Story-based Strategy

Fellow Maya Chupkov Interviewed by Coach Kedar Reddy

Learn how Story-based Strategy helped Maya Chupkov kickstart her amazing podcast Proud Stutter.…READ MORE

September 28, 2023  |  ABC News

More Than My Stutter: Bay Area residents are working to end the stigma of stuttering

In the Bay Area, there's a small but mighty group looking to spread awareness and acceptance of people who stutter.…READ MORE

July 17, 2023  |  USA Today

Ditching the shame that comes with stuttering: Advocates see more work to do

Advocates and practitioners say that’s because understanding and acceptance of stuttering is still lagging far behind other minority groups who have gained a seat at the table in conversations of inclusion…READ MORE

July 14, 2023  |  Simon Owens's Tech and Media Newsletter

The products that Maya Chupkov, the host of the Proud Stutter podcast, can’t do without

In October 2021, Maya launched Proud Stutter, an interview podcast about changing how we understand and talk about stuttering. Within a year…READ MORE

April 27, 2023  |  ABC7

Here's a look at SF's push for 'Stuttering Awareness Week' in CA

Maya Chupkov stutters and has a podcast called "Proud Stutter." They're putting on a "Stuttering Spoken Word Night" next week to kick off San Francisco's Stuttering Awareness Week.…READ MORE

March 24, 2023  |  KPFA

Building Solidarity Between the Disabled and the Left: The Good, The Bad, and The Inaccessible 

We talk with two advocates about their experience working in progressive movements where disability is not the primary focus. Maya Chupkov has worked as an organizer on issues such as affordable housing and promoting democracy.  In the past, she has experienced challenges in getting other organizers to understand her stuttering disability.  …READ MORE

March 6, 2023  |  Podcasters Getting Paid

How to Make Money at Conferences

Congratulations to Maya, host of Proud Stutter who is in the running for Best DIY Podcast. The Ambies are presented by The Podcast Academy..…READ MORE

February 28, 2023  |  The Podcast Host

Five Ways to Increase Podcast Listener Loyalty

Maya of Proud Stutter has a monthly virtual meeting for your community. Maya decided not to record these meetings. Keeping them private allowed the community to speak freely.…READ MORE

February 8, 2023  |  Descript

AIR members nominated for The 2023 Ambies Awards

Proud Stutter is a show about shifting the narrative about stuttering and embracing verbal diversity, one conversation at a time. The show was created by AIR member Maya Chupkov, a stuttering advocate and community organizer.…READ MORE

February 7, 2023  |  Descript

Want to build buzz for your podcast? Try a miniseries

…offer something unpublished they can listen to. Don’t make it fancy. Pretend like you’re writing to a friend. Here’s an example of how Maya Chupkov of Proud Stutter set up a successful pitch campaign. .…READ MORE

January 30, 2023  |  Variety, Hollywood Reporter

Podcast Academy Ambies Nominations 2023 Announced

Listen up! The Podcast Academy announced the nominees for its third annual Awards for Excellence in Audio — a.k.a. The Ambies — comprising 185 nominees across 26 categories..…READ MORE

December 13, 2022  |  SF Press Club

Bay City News Wins Journalism Award For Profile of Proud Stutter Podcast Host, Maya Chupkov

Tied Second Place for Rowena Gonden, "SF resident launches 'Proud Stutter' podcast on International Stuttering Awareness Day" (Digital Media: Profile) .…READ MORE

December 5, 2022  |  Content Is Queen

7 disability and accessibility-focused podcasts to check out right now 

During our International Women’s Podcast Festival in June, one of our incredible sessions was Beyond The Transcript, a conversion on podcast accessibility with Jumoke Abdullah, Maya Chupkov, Natasha Lipman and Lydia Watkins.…READ MORE

September 9, 2022  |  Podcast Marketing Magic

4.5 things everyone wants to know about podcast marketing

Finally, the best example I can think of is Proud Stutter. Maya Chupkov had a Podcast Therapy session with us after she had published a few episodes and she did everything we told her to. .…READ MORE

September 7, 2022  |  Stamma

Youth Panel Blog: TikTok and Meeting Maya from Proud Stutter

A couple of weeks ago we met with Maya Chupkov from the Proud Stutter podcast, to discuss all things stammering advocacy. Maya kindly joined us from Los Angeles and delivered an amazing presentation on the work she does beyond the podcast.…READ MORE

September 2, 2022  |  PodNews

Comments: coming to podcasts on Spotify?

How can the podcasting industry can be more inclusive of people with speech differences? Maya Chupkov writes about her recent Podcast Movement session.. .…READ MORE

August 15, 2022  |  Global Podcast Editors Newsletter

Stuttering and Podcasts

Maya Chupkov came to our July GPE Virtual Meet-Up and brought up podcast editing issues that we don’t talk about enough. It was a refreshing and needed conversation. Since then, I’ve connected with her one on one.…READ MORE

August 4, 2022  |  The Guardian

Best podcasts of the week

Hosted by Maya Chupkov, “a proud woman who stutters”, this podcast aims to change the way that we understand how people speak. Each week she and a co-host “ally” conduct informative, honest and insightful interviews.…READ MORE

July 28, 2022  |  San Diego Union-Tribune

Opinion: It took me 29 years to ‘come out’ as a woman who stutters. I now help others do the same.

Our culture has come a long way when it comes to disability rights, but those of us who communicate with verbal diversity, what most people understand as a stutter, still belong to a community that often goes unrecognized…READ MORE

June 2, 2022  |  Inside Podcasting

Pro-Democracy Podcast Coalition Returns

Participating shows include "Ear Hustle," "Proud Stutter," "The Sporkful," and "Uncertain Things." Hosts that are part of this include Hrishikesh Hirway, Adam McKay, and Avery Trufelman......READ MORE

MAY 12, 2022  |  The Great Pods Critic Newsletter

Our first YouTube Pod Interview! 📺

Stuttering Awareness Week in SF - Our pod friend, Maya, has been doing some great work on Stuttering Awareness. Her podcast is here.....READ MORE

MAY 11, 2022  |  KQED

Meet Three Bay Area Artists Working to Amplify the Voices of People Who Stutter

This week is San Francisco’s inaugural Stuttering Awareness Week. The annual event, created by a resolution passed by the city's Board of Supervisors at a meeting Tuesday, is the first of its kind in the state, and one among very few in the country....READ MORE

MAY 11, 2022  |  Ear Worthy

Podcaster Actively Supports National Stuttering Awareness Week

Did you know that one percent of the U.S. population has a stutter? That’s about three million Americans.....READ MORE

MAY 9, 2022  |  Pod News

The Podcast Academy removes a governor

Maya Chupkov, host and producer of Proud Stutter, is curator of the EarBuds Podcast Collective this week, with five episodes Raising Awareness About Disabilities...READ MORE

MAY 9, 2022  |  Earbuds Podcast Collective

Raising Awareness About Disabilities

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS THEME? Disabilities are widely misrepresented in media and popular culture. Podcasting as an advocacy tool can do more than just raise disability awareness...READ MORE

MAY 5, 2022  |  San Francisco Examiner

SF podcaster amplifies voices of people who stutter

Maya Chupkov spent years of her life trying to hide her stutter. Comments from peers and colleagues telling her she seemed shy or lacked confidence only worsened her anxiety...READ MORE

MAY 4, 2022  |  48 Hills

Proud people who stutter hold event to mark first awareness week in SF

“I never in a million years thought I would be speaking so openly about the thing I have kept hidden for so long,” mused Maya Chupkov before a small crowd gathered on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall....READ MORE

MAY 4, 2022  |  Youth Today

How podcasters are helping youth who stutter feel less alone

While I am now proud of my stutter and embrace this part of my identity in a public way through podcasting, growing up with a stutter was a very isolating experience, especially at school. Because I didn’t know anyone else that had a stutter, I felt extremely misunderstood....READ MORE

MAY 3, 2022 | Stuttering Treatment

7 Tips for Parents Whose Grade-School Child is in Stuttering Therapy

Parents often ask us how they can help when their child is in therapy. Parents are vital allies in stuttering therapy, and they can make a huge difference in their child becoming a confident, successful communicator....READ MORE

MAY 3, 2022 | SF Speech & Hearing Clinic

National Stuttering Awareness Week Press Conference in SF Today

The Bay Area stuttering community is thrilled to celebrate the SF Board of Supervisors formally recognizing the second week of May as National Stuttering Awareness Week! The celebration kicks off TODAY (Tuesday, May 3rd) at 10am...READ MORE

APRIL 14, 2022  |  SF Standard

This Weekend: A ‘Couture Fantasy,’ Reinterpreted ‘Richard II’ and More

This past year, two San Francisco-based podcasters, Maya Chupkov and Cynthia Chin, produced “Proud Stutter,” a podcast aimed at changing the narrative around stuttering. The final episode of the first season drops this Friday...READ MORE

APRIL 13, 2022  |  ABILITY Magazine

Maya Chupkov — Becoming a Proud Stutter

Maya Chupkov has been stuttering all her life and faced many challenges because of her speech pattern. However, instead of hiding her disability, she is now using her podcast Proud Stutter to shift the narrative around stuttering.... READ MORE

MARCH 1, 2022  |  PROTOCOL

DEMYSTIFYING THE GREAT RESIGNATION

One good listen: A Meta employee shared how he started a support group at the company for people who stutter on the podcast... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 17, 2022  |  NARRATIVE INITIATIVE

MEET THE CHANGEMAKER AUTHORS COHORT

Listen to Proud Stutter. Maya Chupkov created this podcast to open up stories of disability justice and shift the narrative around stuttering... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 17, 2022  |  GREAT PODS

WALK A MILE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES👟

Maya dropped into my inbox with her podcast and links to articles about her podcast. Out for a jog, I added it to my queue. Learning more about the stuttering community, the struggles that include job interviews... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 16, 2022  |  NORTH CAROLINA LOCAL

ESSE QUAM VIDERI, Y’ALL

Stuttering in the Newsroom. Pro Publica's Mariam Elba talks about disability and diversity in newsrooms with Maya Chupkov on the Proud Stutter... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 16, 2022  |  MUCK RACK WEEKLY

HOW THE DRAMA UNFOLDED

Proud Stutter, a podcast about changing how we understand and talk about stuttering, one conversation at a time, recently featured Pro Publica’s Mariam Elba, who talked about what it’s like to have a stutter in the newsroom... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  PODCAST MARKETING MAGIC

📸 THE 4 RULES OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT FOR PODCASTERS 😍

Here are a few shows in the swap library now: Proud Stutter: A show about changing how we understand and talk about stuttering,... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  INNOVATION

HOW DOES NONPROFIT NEWS SERVE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR?

Disability justice podcast Proud Stutter features Mariam Elba who talks about what it’s like to have a stutter in the newsroom. Elba is a research reporter at ProPublica and an adjunct professor at... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  INSIDE PUBLISHING

WHAT’S YOUR ‘JUST IN CASE’ PLAN

ProPublica journalist Mariam Elba is featured on the Feb. 11 episode of disability justice podcast Proud Stutter... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  PODNEWS

DAN SNOW TAKES HIS PODCAST ANTARCTICA

Proud Stutter features Mariam Elba as a guest this week: she’s a Pro Publica research reporter, with a stutter, and talks about how that works in a busy newsroom. In the US as many as 18m people have trouble with their speech... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  PODCASTING, SERIOUSLY

GUEST RELEASES, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATORS TO ADVERTISERS

Maya Chupkov (she/her) is a journalism policy advocate by day and podcast host and producer by night. Her expertise in storytelling and narrative shift work has contributed to her first audio project, Proud Stutter. As a woman who stutters,... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  POYNTER

IS NBC’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE OF SKIER MIKAELA SHIFFRIN FAIR GAME OR OFF COURSE?

The latest episode of “Proud Stutter,” a podcast created to shift the narrative around stuttering, features ProPublica journalist Mariam Elba... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 11, 2022  |  CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

BOOK BANNING: HOW WE GOT HERE

The movement to expand diversity and inclusivity in newsrooms is growing. Yet stuttering, a speech disability affecting nearly 1% of the population, is seldom talked about in the newsroom.... READ MORE

FEBRUARY 10, 2022  |  COMMUNICATION COMMUNITY

COMMUNICATION COMMUNITY’S Q & A WITH PROUD STUTTER PODCAST

This month, we chatted with Maya and Cynthia, co-hosts of the Proud Stutter podcast, out of California. Proud Stutter has made quick moves - featured on NPR’s Life Kit... READ MORE

JANUARY 28, 2022  |  WAVY.com

AWARD-WINNING POET JJJJJEROME ELLIS HAS ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO STUTTER: ‘Your body and your mind and your spirit have so many gifts’

“Stuttering for me becomes more and more a way … to to connect with other people,” said Ellis. “Muscles open with indigo — how will I remember the way next time?…cellos held in a channel…crossing.” READ MORE

JANUARY 25, 2022  |  INSIDE PODCASTING

Meet "Proud Stutter"

“"Proud Stutter" is an independent podcast produced and hosted by Maya. The show, which is in its first season, aims to change how we "understand and talk about stuttering." Begin listening with the first episode, "Stuttering, The Coming Out Story." READ MORE

JANUARY 11, 2022  |  J WEEKLY

Q&A: THIS PODCAST HOST IS A ‘PROUD STUTTERER’

Maya Chupkov stutters, though you might not notice it. She has stuttered since childhood, but learned over the years — and with lots of speech therapy — how to hide it... READ MORE

DECEMBER 20, 2021  |  NPR

YOUR QUESTIONS ON HOLIDAY ANXIETIES, ANSWERED BY PSYCHOLOGIST Andrea Bonior

My name is Maya Chupkov. I've been listening to LIFE KIT since the beginning of the pandemic. That's when I really started getting into podcasts. Two episodes flipped my world upside down... READ MORE

OCTOBER 22, 2021  |  ACCESSIBILITY.com

CELEBRATING STUTTERING AWARENESS DAY

Maya Chupkov is tired of the same old narratives around stuttering and that’s why she’s chosen to start a podcast, “Proud Stutter”... READ MORE

OCTOBER 22, 2021  |  ANOMALY BLOG

5 POETS TO FOR STUTTERING AWARENESS DAY

Though stuttering is frequently presented as a defect, the reality is that it’s just one of many ways to speak. Maya Chupkov, one of the hosts of the new podcast... READ MORE

OCTOBER 22, 2021  |  LOCAL NEWS MATTERS

SF RESIDENT LAUNCHES ‘PROUD STUTTER’ PODCAST ON INTERNATIONAL STUTTERING AWARENESS DAY

The 29-year-old San Francisco resident has stuttered since she was barely school-age, and in recognition of International Stuttering Awareness Day, Chupkov is launching her first podcast Friday... READ MORE