Growing up I had a severe stutter. It would take me three minutes to say my first name.
Bill talks about his passions!
My name is Bill Deering and I have something to share with you. Growing up I had a severe stutter. It would take me three minutes to say my first name. Three minutes to answer the phone. I would stutter and say the word “um” 100 times before I could say the first sound in “hello”. I didn’t speak on the phone until I was 20 years old. I was bullied because of my stutter. Classmates and others would say “did you hear him; his name is B-b-b-b-b-bill. He sounds like Porky Pig”. My fellow classmates (upper classmen) called me an idiot, stupid, or a dummy. It was relentless. The impact of bullying was that I was afraid to make eye contact with others. I was nervous all the time. I had low self-esteem and thought very little of myself. I was sad because I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I was lonely because I didn’t have any friends, and I was frustrated because I couldn’t speak.
My life was at a crossroad. To combat the bullying, I took a risk and went out for the football team. While on the football team, my teammates accepted me and I began to make friends. When I returned to school in my junior year of high school, I had new goals. I shared my goal of getting no grade lower than a C with my new friends. With the support of others, my grades improved dramatically, my self-confidence improved as well, and I stopped allowing myself to be bullied and teased by others. I also had a tremendous weight loss of 55 pounds and after 42 years I overcame a severe stutter and now I have spoken with over 30,000 people nationally.
What I am most passionate about is serving others and making a difference for those who have been bullied and teased and especially those with a disability.
To combat the bullying, I took a risk and went out for the football team.
Bill’s Leadership Philosophy
I believe that every person is brilliantly unique. I help people discover their uniqueness and use it to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
Bill’s Businesses
I am a professional speaker, and I deliver presentations to middle school, high school and college students on topics such as bullying and disability awareness.
The Story Behind The Business
In the summer of 2005, I was unemployed. A friend of mine suggested I pray to God and ask him what purpose he wants me to fulfill. I kept asking God everyday “What purpose do you want me to fulfill?” In August of 2005, my friend Steve calls me out of the blue and says “Bill, I just saw world renowned motivational speaker Les Brown. You ought to become a motivational speaker because you inspire others. Les is having a training in Orlando, Florida in two days. It’s a thousand dollars for the training and another thousand dollars for the airfare, hotel, and food and if you want to go you need to get action right away”. In my previous employment working as a bank teller, many of the customers told me that if I ever needed anything to please reach out to them. I found a business card from a former banking customer, gave her a call, and shared my commitment to being a paid motivational speaker. I was shocked by what she said next to me. She said “Bill, if you come over today, I will give you $2,200 dollars but you have to come today because tomorrow I am going on vacation”. Next thing you know, I am in Orlando Florida with the great Les Brown and 75 aspiring speakers. Once I returned from that training, it only took me 1 year to get my first paid speaking event.
Impacting Lives
People who have heard me speak or have read my book have been inspired by my story. I have had over 75 people from all over the world contact me regarding how I can help them gain acceptance of their stutter. Each time I speak, I have at least a handful of students who have approached to let me know that my presentation has touched them and inspired to achieve their goals.
The Benefits of Bill’s Work
People benefit from Bill’s work by experiencing it through inspirational talks.
Bill in a word: Persistent
From challenges to wins
What is the biggest challenge you faced in your business?
Believing I could become a paid speaker with a disability.
What are you most proud of regarding your business?
That I have had an opportunity to touch many lives and especially those who have struggled with stuttering or another disability. I have been fortunate to have had several people who have reached out to me for my advice regarding stuttering and living a life they love.
What you need to know about Bill
Bill is known as someone who inspires and encourages people with disabilities to achieve their goals and live their best life.
Learn from and connect with Bill
Bill Deering is a Motivational Speaker committed to making a difference for others. He graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders.
The career choice of motivational speaker was not an obvious one. When Bill was in middle school, he was often picked on for his stuttering. By the end of his sophomore year in high school, Bill had no friends, was 55 pounds overweight, and failing most of his classes.
The summer before his junior year, Bill made the life-changing decision to go out for the football team. Everything changed after that. By the time he graduated, Bill had the admiration of his classmates and teachers. However, Bill’s stutter continued to plague him well into his twenties. One day, someone suggested that his stutter could be an advantage, and it changed his life. Bill stopped living as a victim of stuttering and began living from a place of power and freedom. He discovered that his fear of stuttering didn’t have to stop him.
Bill has tackled each new challenge in his life – middle school, high school, college, and a career as a motivational speaker – with a passion and perseverance that inspires all who know him. Bill’s keynotes have been described as “empowering,” “heartening,” and “inspiring.” Since completing speaker training with Les Brown in 2005, he has delivered his message of courage, power, and passion to over ,000 people. Bill was inducted into his high school hall of fame in 2022.
Find Bill Online
To learn more or get in touch with Bill:
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Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube: “We have something to say”
Bill’s Final Notes:
What can you do to support people who have a disability? Invest your time in getting to know people, find out what they need, and how you can help them become the best version of themselves. What can you do to support people who have been bullied or teased? Listen. Offer a support group. Become their ally. What is the one message you want to leave with your audience? Your disability is makes you unique. Your uniqueness gives you an advantage. It’s all in how you look at it. If you would like to schedule me to speak or do a book signing, you can reach me at stand4abilities@gmail.com
Bill’s Superpower:
Stuttering. Stuttering has provided many lessons. Stuttering has given me a chance to: persevere through adversity, to be compassionate, and to be patient.
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