Today I’m talking with Jimmy Clare, a motivational speaker, autism advocate, and author. He’s the founder of ‘Crazy Fitness Guy’ and became a speaker after overcoming his own personal struggles in life. He had been told he wouldn’t 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’t reach many milestones as a kid, though he doesn’t like the idea of ‘milestones’ as they imply that he was behind in some way. When he was a child, a friend of his mother’s told her, “Don’t worry about Jimmy not talking at the moment because later in life he’ll never shut up.” In a way he was right, as Jimmy is now a professional speaker.
Many of Jimmy’s 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’s 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.
Finding His Path in Life
As a child, Jimmy didn’t 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’t 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.
Jimmy’s physical condition also brought its own challenges, though many of which he’s been able to adapt to. Despite what doctors thought, he never needed braces or crutches. He’s able to drive and is pursuing his associate’s degree in college. Despite his unique challenges, Jimmy has been adamant in proving others wrong.
Spreading His Story
Jimmy started producing content through his ‘Crazy Fitness Guy’ 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.
On his podcast, Jimmy talks about fitness, nutrition, self-help and more, specifically for autistic people. He’s 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’s reached many goals of his own, such as being featured in a magazine.
Jimmy hopes that listeners know that autism is not a disease and it does not have to be cured—and that labels do not define who you are. He recommends resources such as the Autism Society, which provides reliable education and information.
Listen in to learn more about Jimmy’s experience with technology and media studies, how he balances multiple forms of content creation, and his future plans.