Joze Piranian inspires Durham District School Board staff to act in spite of fear.
“Everyone has their own stutter,” says motivational speaker Joze Piranian. Piranian stopped by the Education Centre in Whitby on November 19 to encourage Durham District School Board (DDSB) staff to face their fears.
Piranian is a self-described ‘lifelong stutterer’ who, after being afraid to speak in any capacity (socially or professionally), decided to act in spite of his fear. He explained how his fear then became the driving force behind ‘just doing it.’ It motivated him to overcome what was holding him back from truly experiencing life.
Confronting Fear
“The thing we hate about ourselves is often the key to our happiness,” says Piranian. He adds that people shouldn’t expect to be rewarded every time they confront their fear, “Rejection and failure are inevitable.”
With a keen sense of humour, Piranian joked with DDSB staff, shared personal and relatable stories, and pushed people to put themselves in uncomfortable situations. He advocates that doing this will challenge their fear so they may become de-sensitized to it. He explains, “What was traumatizing will become a bit less scary each time.”
Sharing His Story
In May 2017 Piranian spoke at Speaker Slam (Canada’s premier inspirational speaking contest) where he shared his story for the first time. Since then he has spoken at the TEDx conference, and the Archangel Summit in Toronto where he shared the stage with Arlene Dickinson and other notable change-makers.
Piranian is currently working with a CBC documentarian to share his journey with the rest of the world.
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