The video shares a powerful personal story of transformation through adversity. The speaker recounts his experience as a teenager dealing with stuttering, which led to a moment of crisis. Faced with the belief that he would stutter for life, and a desire to overcome what he perceived as a weakness, he discovered strengths he had developed unknowingly: listening, writing, and sports. These strengths provided a new path and purpose, leading him to a career shift from finance to creating a successful business in personal training and holistic health coaching.

This video is captivating as it illustrates an emotional journey from vulnerability to empowerment. By accepting his stuttering, the speaker was able to redefine it as an integral and positive part of his identity. Through encounters with other stutterers and professional help, he embraced resilience and responsibility, pivotal in overcoming his speech challenges and fulfilling his ambitions, like gaining admission into a top business school.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. stutterer [ˈstʌtə-rər] - (noun) - A person who speaks with involuntary disruptions or blocks in the flow of speech. - Synonyms: (stammerer, hesitator, repeat-speaker)

I was 15. I was a stutterer.

2. condemned [kənˈdɛmd] - (verb) - To declare someone to be in a certain state, typically an undesirable one, with little hope of improvement. - Synonyms: (doomed, sentenced, judged)

The magazine says that if a child who stutter is not taken in charge immediately by a specialist, he's condemned to remain so for the rest of the his life.

3. interpretation [ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of explaining or understanding the meaning of something. - Synonyms: (explanation, understanding, elucidation)

My interpretation is condemned.

4. holistic [həʊˈlɪstɪk] - (adjective) - Relating to the idea that things should be viewed as a whole rather than just as a sum of parts. - Synonyms: (integrated, comprehensive, whole)

In parallel, I've developed a personal trainer and holistics health coaching business.

5. acknowledged [əkˈnɒlɪʤd] - (verb) - Accepted or admitted the existence or truth of something. - Synonyms: (recognized, admitted, accepted)

Three, I acknowledged that I'm responsible.

6. affirmations [æfərˈmeɪʃənz] - (noun) - Positive statements that can help to challenge and overcome self-sabotage and negative thoughts. - Synonyms: (assertions, declarations, confirmations)

Every day I repeated positive affirmations.

7. tragic [ˈtræʤɪk] - (adjective) - Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow. - Synonyms: (disastrous, calamitous, catastrophic)

After what would have been a tragic day, my mother and I went to see an association specializing in stuttering.

8. principles [ˈprɪnsəpəlz] - (noun) - Fundamental truths or propositions that serve as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior. - Synonyms: (rules, precepts, doctrines)

Thanks to his help, I decided to apply three principles that will start to free me from stuttering.

9. empowerment [ɛmˈpaʊəmənt] - (noun) - The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. - Synonyms: (enablement, authorization, self-determination)

This video is captivating as it illustrates an emotional journey from vulnerability to empowerment.

10. weakness [ˈwiːknəs] - (noun) - A disadvantage or defect which makes someone less effective or less able to withstand adversity. - Synonyms: (flaw, shortcoming, frailty)

I thought that I could never escape from what I consider my greatest weakness.

Finding strength through w-w-weakness - Frederic Balussaud - TEDxEDHECBusinessSchool

My mother was in the forest shouting, no, Fenrik, don't jump. Above all, don't jump. We love you. I was standing on top of a 33 meter tower. I left a farewell letter on my desk and my mother found it and ran after me. The one and a half kilometers between our house and the tower. She was breathless and aching at the sides.

I was 15. I was a stutterer. I didn't want to keep going anymore. It wasn't because some classmates were constantly making fun of me, but because I'd read on a magazine that if you were still stuttering as a teenager, you will stutter for life. I thought I'd read that. I thought that I could never escape from what I consider my greatest weakness. And I had no clue that it would become the key to unlock my greatest strength. Actually, at that time I had already developed this strength, but I wasn't aware of them. So what were the three strengths I've developed thanks to stuttering? Listening skills. When your sentences come with speed bumps, listening is the smooth rhythm. Writing skills. When you want to communicate and you have trouble speaking, writing is your secret weapon. Sport. In sports, you convince with the performance, not with the words. These three strengths have deeply transformed my life.

In the first half of my professional career, I worked in finance. My job was to analyze challenges faced by bank and insurance executives and then to draft detailed reports proposing solutions. My core skills were listening and writing. But I felt that one ingredient was missing. One ingredient that will connect mind and body sport. When I was 30, I decided to quit finance to create a business in sport. After graduating as a personal trainer, I created a blog with hundreds of articles in order to help people to become fitness trainers. Since then, my team and I have helped more than 600 people directly to become fitness trainers. In parallel, I've developed a personal trainer and holistics health coaching business. Thanks to these two activities, I was finally able to combine listening, writing and sport.

Thank you, Stuttering. Thanks to you, I was able to make from a weakness my main strength to make an impact. In the farewell letter that my mother kept, I wrote. The magazine says that if a child who stutter is not taken in charge immediately by a specialist, he's condemned to remain so for the rest of the his life. But what the magazine really said was one in four children who stutter runs the risk of remaining so for the rest of his life. If he's not treated in time by specialists, the magazine 1 in 4 runs the risk. My interpretation is condemned. So, as a teenager, why did I Interpret it that way in such absolute terms as you can hear. Stuttering is no longer an issue.

How could that happen? What I'm about to share made all the difference for me. After what would have been a tragic day, my mother and I went to see an association specializing in stuttering. There, for the first time in my life, I met another stutterer. I couldn't help laughing when I heard him stuttering. Laughing with joy. Simply because I wasn't the only one anymore. Thanks to his help, I decided to apply three principles that will start to free me from stuttering. One, I accepted that I stuttered. I stopped fighting it. Two, I wasn't ashamed of stuttering anymore. I could even mention it early on to take the pressure. Three, I acknowledged that I'm responsible. This last principle was the hardest for me. Responsible for what? I wasn't doing it on purpose. Why weren't others struggling to talk? But this principle was also the most powerful. If I was responsible, which does not mean guilty, that meant that I could do something about it. I wasn't a victim. Anyone. I was switching from why? Why me? To how? How can I fix it?

The second big step when working on my stuttering happened when I was 20. I was preparing the entrance exams for one of the top French business schools. The part with the most marks was an oral exam of 45 minutes in front of a jury of three people. For me, it was like asking a one legged man to to run a hurry race. I felt I needed help again. I went to see a therapist who combine movement, breathing and positive thinking. Every day I practice movements like this one. Every day I repeated positive affirmations. Like I can express myself in a group with ease. It helped me a lot. Even though I wasn't speaking as smoothly as I wished, I was able to say what I wanted to say to the jury and be accepted to the business school of my dreams.

Now, what about you? What if I turn the question back to you? Think about what you consider to be your main weakness. Now think about one ability that this so called weakness has allowed you to develop. Would you say thank you to this so called weakness? Say it. Thank you again. Louder. Yeah. Your main weakness can become the key to unlocking your greatest strength. Maybe you are already aware of them. If not, don't worry. Each story is unique. Wait. It may take years to connect the dots, or even decades, like it did for me. In the meantime, keep faith in life, the universe, God, whatever you call could have a positive impact on you and on your loved ones. It could even change lives. Thank you.

INSPIRATION, OVERCOMING CHALLENGES, SELF IMPROVEMENT, EDUCATION, MOTIVATION, SPORTS, TEDX TALKS