Emily Ladau
Disability rights activist, writer, and speaker
John Hendrickson
Journalist and author of Life on Delay
I Stutter. But I Need You to Listen. | NYT Opinion
Credit: Matthew Bernucca
John Hendrickson is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of Life on Delay: Making Peace With a Stutter, a reported memoir that explores his lifelong struggle to speak. A soulful, honest, and empathetic communicator, Hendrickson inspires his audiences to become better listeners, to persevere in the face of their own struggles, and to reconsider their perspective on various disabilities, disorders, and differences. Whether speaking at universities, corporate events, healthcare conferences, or nonprofit gatherings, Hendrickson advocates for compassion toward all people—as well as toward ourselves.
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About John Hendrickson
John Hendrickson is the author of Life on Delay, a critically acclaimed reported memoir that explores the lived experience of stuttering, a disability that affects nearly 70 million people in the world. From current day celebrities such as Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Willis, as well as executive Jack Welch and President Joe Biden, to historical figures including Marilyn Monroe and King George VI, stuttering is a pervasive verbal disability that remains misunderstood and rarely talked about.
Hendrickson is one of the country’s top authorities on stuttering and a leading voice about disability issues, having appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, BBC, and PBS. In his keynotes and fireside chats, Hendrickson talks to audiences about not giving up and how to make peace with our past and present selves.
Hendrickson’s 2019 feature article The Atlantic, “What Joe Biden Can’t Bring Himself to Say,” sparked a national conversation on communication diversity, was read by more than 2 million people, and named one of the best stories of the year by Longform and The Sunday Long Read. The piece went viral around the globe and inspired thousands of readers to reach out to him and share their personal stories—prompting Hendrickson to write Life on Delay, where he not only shares his own story but amplifies the voices of others.
Beyond The Atlantic, Hendrickson has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The Denver Post. Today, he is one of the country’s most sought-after speakers on disability awareness, mental health, resilience, and inclusive communication.
Contact us for more information about bringing John Hendrickson to your next event.
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Speaking Topics
Lessons in Leadership from a Reluctant Speaker
What if the very thing you once saw as a liability could be your greatest leadership strength? In this inspiring and unconventional keynote, John Hendrickson invites emerging and established leaders to rethink how vulnerability, authenticity, and active listening can transform the way they lead. Drawing on his personal experience navigating the world with a stutter, Hendrickson offers a model for leadership grounded in self-awareness, resilience, and radical empathy—qualities that are increasingly vital in today’s dynamic, inclusive workplaces. This is not a talk about how to "overcome" a challenge. It’s about how to lead because of it.
Bridging Inclusion Gaps: What Stuttering Taught Me About Belonging at Work
In this deeply personal keynote, John Hendrickson explores how his lifelong experience with stuttering has informed his understanding of inclusion and exclusion—not only in society, but particularly in the workplace. He shares how communication differences are often misunderstood or overlooked in corporate environments, and how that contributes to feelings of isolation and being "othered." Drawing from his career as a journalist and author, as well as his lived experience navigating professional spaces while managing a speech difference, Hendrickson encourages ERG members to think expansively about disability inclusion, invisible challenges, and how organizations can create environments where all voices—regardless of fluency—are heard, valued, and empowered.
How to Become a Super Listener
One of the common misconceptions about people who stutter is that they are anxious and nervous and oftentimes the listener will either try to help by jumping in and finishing sentences or telling the speaker to “slow down,” “take a breath” or “relax". John Hendrickson breaks down these misconceptions and harmful behaviors in this thought-provoking talk and teaches us how to be better (super) listeners. In a society largely unprepared or disinclined to accommodate people who behave outside of certain norms (in this case, those who stutter), Hendrickson urges us to be patient listeners and just hear what someone has to say.
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Praise for John Hendrickson
John was so engaging and really took the time to work with our students during his visit to Otterbein. He spoke on numerous topics, including his stutter, being a journalist, the process of writing the book, obtaining internships, and the future of AI. Many faculty and staff said that John’s visit was one of their favorites of our Common Book program.
— Otterbein UniversityA tremendous, and gorgeously written, memoir that will have you rooting for John — as well as catching glimpses of your own life’s journey in his. . . . [Hendrickson] is an incredible storyteller.
— Isaac FitzgeraldPraise for Life on Delay
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that made me want to both cry and cheer so much, often at the same time.
— Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley RoadLife On Delay brims with empathy and honesty … It moved me in ways that I haven’t experienced before. It’s fantastic.
— Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is PassedSoulful…Profoundly moving.
— Esquire -
Books by John Hendrickson
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Featured Title
Life on Delay
“I can’t remember the last time I read a book that made me want to both cry and cheer so much, often at the same time.”—Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road
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