Meet Katie Gore. 

Watch conversation, scroll down for notes, scroll further to see bio

Katie is an inspiring human being who strives to help others. Katie’s “why not” attitude is infectious and in her gentle way she has become a real force of good, impacting the field of speech-language pathology with fresh ideas and new ways of helping people.  She is a leader, a starter-upper and she has started, supported and been involved in countless projects, large and small, near and far from her hometown of Chicago.  

Katie Gore joins Uri Schneider for a refreshingly candid and friendly conversation about growing-up, coming into the field, growing-up and staying young, a new model for stuttering therapy and much more.

NOTES: Enjoy the Conversation

US: So, everyone who knows you, knows that you have a signature thing about your hair.  You often color some of your hair and occasionally change the color.  Since we are friends, I feel I can ask (and I’m genuinely curious) what does your hair color mean to you?  Like, why do you do it, and is there meaning to the color of choice?

KG: Those who watch anime will say hair color is a very significant part of someone’s personality...mine changes very frequently. Some ask, Why yes?”  I ask, “Why not?” I don’t have a compelling reason to not color my hair.

US: When you’re not coloring your hair or reading comics. How do you keep yourself busy?

KG: I would say, keeping busy isn’t a problem. Usually, it’s trying to figure out how to unwind from the busy-ness…on Friday night I had three hours of downtime so I drafted a conference…But most of how I spend my day right now is seeing speech therapy clients, delivering training and facilitation for companies that are doing inclusion and communication training, and volunteering work…

US: What parts of 15-year-old Katie are still alive today? 

KG: I have always been inclined towards creating things to help people learn.  I was homeschooled growing up and 11th grade was my first year back in “regular” school. I was taking at the history course which was not well-tuned. End of the course, I did my teacher a favor and rewrote the entire curriculum.

US: You have done some work exploring and presenting on the role of trauma in stuttering, can you tell us more about that? 

KG: The stuttering experience itself can be the trauma experience…  For some people, there are some moments or some memories of their stuttering that put them through a trauma process and they have a traumatic experience and that means that addressing the stuttering in their life through therapy or just on their own is going to require what’s called a “trauma-informed approach.”  Currently, it does not (yet) exist in the field. There should be more of it.

US: Tell us about your approach and your new model about stuttering?

KG: You have a person in front of you and you listen to them and you do the best that you can to help them, that’s the approach. We created a model called “Three E’s” model. Three major areas that should be covered within stuttering therapy. It stands for Easiness- how to make speech easier, Education- learning about the world of stuttering and about others who stutter and Empowerment- being confident within yourself and being able to have an impact on others.

US: What is the best way for people connect you?

KG: At my email, katie@speechirl.com, or you can connect us through our website.

BIO:

Katie Gore is the founder and principal of speech IRL, a communication consulting and speech therapy practice. She is the founder and former Chapter Leader of the City of Chicago chapter of the National Stuttering Association and formerly served on the NSA Board of Directors as Professional Relations Co-Chair. She is the co-founder and Community Outreach Chair of Shared Voices, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization focused on community support and advocacy for people who stutter. She is an adjunct faculty member at Rush University, where she teaches the graduate course in Stuttering & Fluency Disorders. She is a SIG 4 affiliate and currently serves as the Fluency Track Chair for the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

While stuttering is her first love, Katie is also passionate about equity and inclusivity. Her approach to this work is rooted in her experiences in the stuttering community, applying intersectional principles and values more broadly. As a consultant for organizations, she provides training and facilitation services centered on the topics of communication, inclusion, and leadership. She is the Chair of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.

Katie grew up in Toronto, Canada, and is a proud dual American-Canadian. She has lived in Chicago with her husband John for the past 11 years. When not engaged in work, volunteer, or advocacy activities, she enjoys yoga, reading (specifically classic literature and Marvel comics), and playing Minecraft or Sid Meier's Civilization. New pandemic hobbies include crossword puzzles, trying to become a runner, and learning Spanish.