The AMP (Al Mega Podcast) – Jimmy Clare

Welcome to THE A.M.P.!

Jimmy Claire is an inspiring motivational speaker, autism advocate, author and founder of Crazy Fitness Guy. He joins Al Mega on the debut episode of The Al Mega Podcast to share his story of success. Jimmy is from Pennsylvania, where he still lives today. He enjoys reading, writing, playing video games and working out six to nine times a week, as well as spending time with friends and family. Growing up, Jimmy faced some difficulties as he was diagnosed with autism and faced various challenges that came with it. However, he never let this stop him from achieving his goals and has since become an inspiring figure to many.

The speaker recounts the challenges he faced growing up, including being told he would never read beyond a second grade level, having to use braces or crutches to walk, and living with spinal stenosis in his neck. He notes that he is also autistic and suffered from eight years of bullying, which the school district did not take seriously until he reported it more than 100 times. He explains that he had to persist in his own way to report the bullying in spite of being told that asking for help was a sign of weakness. He decided to go the extra mile and avoid certain situations as a way of getting out of the situation. His experience has inspired him to become the leader he is today.

The speaker was a victim of bullying in their school days. To avoid the bullies, they started skipping the bus and walking to their house instead. However, their special education teacher noticed something was off and followed up with the lead, realizing the speaker was lying. The speaker was happy that their teacher noticed and offered help without them asking for it, as they were too embarrassed to do so due to the bullying. To combat the bullying, the speaker persisted with their teachers, guidance counselor, and stood up to the bullies. They even did P90X twice later on in their life, which gave them the confidence to be able to stand up to their bullies.

The speaker talked about how he lost thirty pounds with an infomercial he saw on TV with his dad. He also discussed how he didn’t stand up to bullies until 11th grade, and how people were trying to dim his light. He then shared an article he read about a school district that had a fine for those found bullying others. The speaker then discussed his school district not listening, and how they used restraint on him in elementary school. He talked about the bruises he got from the restraint and how he still gets nightmares about the experience. He concluded by saying he didn’t know if it was illegal or not at the time. He stressed to always consult a doctor before starting any kind of physical program.