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Today I\\u2019m talking with Jimmy Clare, a motivational speaker, autism advocate, and author. He\\u2019s the founder of \\u2018Crazy Fitness Guy\\u2019 and became a speaker after overcoming his own personal struggles in life. He had been told he wouldn\\u2019t be able to walk without braces, bullied, and undergone 9 surgeries, including 3 in one day. Today, he is here to speak loud about proving naysayers wrong.

Growing Up With Autism

Having autism affected Jimmy in many aspects of life. He didn\\u2019t reach many milestones as a kid, though he doesn\\u2019t like the idea of \\u2018milestones\\u2019 as they imply that he was behind in some way. When he was a child, a friend of his mother\\u2019s told her, \\u201cDon\\u2019t worry about Jimmy not talking at the moment because later in life he\\u2019ll never shut up.\\u201d In a way he was right, as Jimmy is now a professional speaker.\\xa0

Many of Jimmy\\u2019s struggles stemmed from school. Bullying was rampant and there was less understanding and acceptance for autism at the time. He recalls not being supported or understood by the school district, which often exacerbated situations. He\\u2019s thankful that there is more awareness and resources for autism now than there was then because of the shortcomings of his school and community in supporting him.\\xa0

Finding His Path in Life

As a child, Jimmy didn\\u2019t understand why he was being bullied. He recounts the instances of bullying starting out small and escalating. He would be asked questions that other kids knew he wouldn\\u2019t be able to answer, as someone in special education, and the humiliation and rejection continued. Students even risked paralyzing him when they would hit him on the back of the neck because of his spinal stenosis.\\xa0

Jimmy\\u2019s physical condition also brought its own challenges, though many of which he\\u2019s been able to adapt to. Despite what doctors thought, he never needed braces or crutches. He\\u2019s able to drive and is pursuing his associate\\u2019s degree in college. Despite his unique challenges, Jimmy has been adamant in proving others wrong.\\xa0

Spreading His Story

Jimmy started producing content through his \\u2018Crazy Fitness Guy\\u2019 website, and later created a podcast in order to produce something new. The podcast has been up for 2 years. He has also dabbled in Zoom and is now live-streaming. He loves to speak and has appeared on more than 130 podcast episodes. When faced with challenges in business, Jimmy has learned not to throw things out the window, but to continue trying something new in order to find the right balance.\\xa0

On his podcast, Jimmy talks about fitness, nutrition, self-help and more, specifically for autistic people. He\\u2019s had amazing guests such as authors, motivational speakers, and nutritionists. The joy of hearing that his content has helped other people has kept him going, and he\\u2019s reached many goals of his own, such as being featured in a magazine.\\xa0

Jimmy hopes that listeners know that autism is not a disease and it does not have to be cured\\u2014and that labels do not define who you are. He recommends resources such as the Autism Society, which provides reliable education and information.\\xa0

Listen in to learn more about Jimmy\\u2019s experience with technology and media studies, how he balances multiple forms of content creation, and his future plans.