My Like, Love/Hate Relationship With Filler Words

I spend a lot of time thinking about words. How we use them, their meanings, and what the words we choose say about us. But what do filler words like “so,” “um,” “like,” and “you know” really say about us as speakers?

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

I host two podcasts, and I’m a co-host on another two. That’s a lot of time in front of a microphone. It’s also an opportunity to actually listen to what I sound…