The Hidden Superpower in What Makes You Different | Raja Vaidya
What if the thing you've spent years trying to hide is also connected to strengths you haven't fully recognized? Raja Vaidya knows what it means to have other people make assumptions about what you can do. Raja is a scientist turned keynote speaker, Grandmaster Black Belt, author and TEDx speaker who has lived with a stutter throughout his life. For years, speaking could be exhausting. Singing was different. So was martial arts. Both became places where Raja discovered ways to communicate, perform and lead without allowing his speech to define what he could accomplish. In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass talks with Raja about invisible disabilities, fear, workplace inclusion and what happens when someone else's perception of your abilities begins affecting your opportunities. Raja shares what happened during his career in cancer research when colleagues routinely presented his work because meetings didn't accommodate the additional time he sometimes needed to speak. Those colleagues received visibility and promotions while Raja's own contributions became less visible. Eventually, one colleague left his name off a presentation altogether. That experience helped force a change. Raja began developing his speaking skills, joined Toastmasters and increasingly confronted the fear that had shaped many of his decisions. He eventually stepped onto the TEDx stage, not because his stutter disappeared, but because what he wanted to say became more important than his fear of saying it. Jennifer and Raja also discuss: • Why singing can change the experience of someone who stutters • The difference between a limitation and someone else's perception of one • How workplaces can unintentionally silence talented employees • What leaders may overlook about employees with invisible disabilities • How martial arts helped Raja develop a different approach to communication • Why fear can protect us while also preventing us from pursuing opportunities • The opportunity Raja gave up because he feared being interviewed on television • What TEDx taught him about speaking when speaking itself is difficult • Why Raja says, “Don't fake it till you make it. Believe it and become it.” The conversation is ultimately about more than stuttering. It's about recognizing how easily a perceived weakness can become a box, whether that box is created by other people or by ourselves, and what can happen when we begin challenging it. Connect with Raja Vaidya and learn more about his speaking, coaching and work through the links below. Disclosure: Jennifer R. Glass and Raja Vaidya participated in a reciprocal speaking arrangement in which each provided a speaking appearance for the other's platform. No payment was made by Raja Vaidya for this podcast interview. Raja's LinkedIn Raja's Instagram Raja's YouTube Raja's website
