Peter Bradley is a man who has a lot to say when it comes to supporting people with stammers - and it's certainly worth listening to.
The Co Tyrone man has ended up as an NI Fire and Rescue Service crew commander but it has been a path fraught with setbacks, learning and a relentlessly positive outlook.
He has co-founded Belfast Stammer Support, an informal peer network aimed at bringing together people who stammer so they can share experiences and inspire.
Read more: Co Down man says stammer support group could be a lifeline for many
The idea is for the group to allow young people to see that there are other people out there like them who have stammers but who have gone on to excel in different areas.
"We've got loads of people who we know who stammer who are keen to help - we've got GPs, nurses, physios, mathematicians, lecturers and even a stage actor," Peter said.
"Almost every profession, there's someone who stammers and they've got their own story. And they're all passionate about helping young people who stammer, because they have their own experience of feeling limited.
"I've yet to meet anyone who has a stammer who's not a really lovely person. It's probably because of the stammer that they're caring and resilient and that's the positives in it."
The group's website signposts various services available for those with a stammer and is fundraising to help those who need specialist services further afield.
Peter is originally from the Clanabogan area, between Omagh and Dromore.
His stammer started when he was around seven-years-old and it is something he has lived with ever since, while learning how to accept it along the way.
"There wouldn't have been too many people like me in school that had a stammer and it's hard especially in 'big school' when you're different and it's so obvious," Peter told Belfast Live.
"Having to say your name in class, you'll get people laughing at that and that's commonly the hardest thing to say. Even when I joined the Fire Service, I couldn't say my name."
Peter's journey involved qualifying with a Clinical Physiology degree from Jordanstown, a decision he says was influenced by the course having less presentation requirements than others.
He was unable to complete his placement in a clinical setting though as he struggled to overcome the impact of his stammer.
"I couldn't really handle communicating with patients - you would have had to call out their names in the office and reception and that was a huge source of stress for me," he said.
"It's kind of like an iceberg - the tip is your stammer, but underneath you have feelings of embarrassment, guilt, low self-esteem and anxiety.
"But meeting other people who stammer actually brought all those feelings way down."
It is the power that other people who stammer can have for someone, that Peter is keen to bring to bear.
"The one person for me growing up was a man named Paddy Gallagher," he said.
"Paddy was really the only person I saw stammering publicly and he didn't let it get in his way.
"He was my football coach, a legend really and when he spoke, everybody listened.
"That's why our tagline for this community is 'be you, bravely' - you can't let it dictate what you do and don't do.
"My approach was if I was going to do something that I wanted to do, but the voice in my head was saying I couldn't because of my stammer, I would just go and do it."
Nowadays, Peter is a crew commander within the Fire Service and says the support he has received within work has seen him go from strength to strength.
"It's built really good resilience - they say pressure makes diamonds and that's what I have found," he said.
"The school safety talks at the start- I would have rather ran into a house on fire with fireworks in it and big gallons of diesel rather than stand in front of a group and talk about fire safety.
"But now I get a serious buzz out of it, I actually love the school talks - the excitement I get off it is probably more than someone who hasn't had that struggle.
"You end up walking out feeling like a boss just from talking to a few kids!".
Belfast Stammer Support is running a fun day to bring together all young people under the age of 18 for a day to meet up and grow their own peer group with people experiencing the same issues.
"We have the tepee booked at Let's Go Hydro and there will be refreshments served at it," Peter said.
"It's for parents and any kids under the age of 18 and it'll be from about 1pm-4pm.
"We would ask that parents or carers attend with their kids, both from a safeguarding aspect and just it'll be of real benefit to themselves too."
He said his advice to parents and the wider public when chatting with someone who has a stammer is to give them the space they need to say what they want to say.
"I would advise parents to keep eye contact, keep smiling at them and just try and take the pressure off them," he added.
"It's what they say that's important, not how they say it.
"They need their confidence boosted more if they have a stammer, so even if it's just drawing a picture or playing sports, you have to really let them know how good they are at it.
"It's all about bigging them up as much as you possibly can, because that's what they need especially at young age.
"Just give them the time to say what they have to say - it'll be worth the wait."
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