A reminder that you can do so much more than you think you can

I met a man called Anthony Neil Harker on Necker recently, and his story reminded me that you can do so much more than you think you can. Anthony’s story is especially inspiring for anyone with a stutter!

At seven years of age, Anthony learnt that he had a severe stutter. He realised it the hard way too – up on stage at a school play, while the audience laughed and his mother cried. School was miserable for Anthony, as his fear of speaking grew larger and larger, alongside his frustration at not being able to say what he wanted to say.

As such, he left school before graduation and began working at his father’s garden centre. He enjoyed the hard work and began to see a brighter future ahead, but his stutter was still holding him back. As he told me on Necker:

I was 29 at this point, incredibly ambitious, but trapped in a body that could not speak.

Anthony decided he would do everything we could to manage and reduce his stutter. After completing a course called The McGuire Programme, he started doing company-wide speeches and navigated his way through tough conversations with insurance companies, banks, architects, and so forth. The garden centre went on to become the third largest in the UK. However, now that Anthony has found his voice and was able to share his opinions, it quickly became clear that he had a different vision to his father.

He decided to leave the business and put his £7,000 worth of savings into a new business as a gravel supplier. He had realised there was a better way of supplying gravel, and he knew how to do it. Fast forward 10 years and Anthony had built the largest business of its kind in the UK. He also managed to negotiate the sale of his company to a room full of powerful executives. Not an easy discussion at the best of times! Anthony is now involved in 40 UK garden centres, runs a new business, and coaches other people with stutters. Oh, and he is also a future astronaut with Virgin Galactic!

I really struggled to get my words out as a kid, and I’ve since learnt that stuttering is very common in dyslexic children. I can completely relate to Anthony’s feeling of helplessness, frustration, and self-doubt. I can also relate to the fear of dealing with lawyers, bankers, and shareholders who used much bigger words and wore much fancier more clothes than I did. But every experience made me realise that you don’t need big words and stiff suits to get things done.

Anthony’s story is a reminder that we can do so much more than we think we can. You’ve just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s also a reminder that we need to ease up on society’s requirements for speech fluency, perfect spelling/grammar, and other standards that weren’t designed with inclusion at the front of mind. I would rather see businesses and society filled with people who have brilliant ideas and attitudes, rather than perfect speech and spelling.

If you are inspired by Anthony's journey and want to do something about your stammer, consider reaching out to The McGuire Programme. To gain a broader understanding of stammering, explore the resources provided by STAMMA - a UK-based charity.