Clare, an autistic writer, public speaker, and founder of the digital platform CrazyFitnessGuy, has spent years navigating the complex personal and social realities of life on the spectrum. Recognized as Speaker of the Year in 2026 and serving as host of The CrazyFitnessGuy Show, Clare has established himself as a dedicated advocate sharing stories centered on self-acceptance, belonging, and neurodivergence through his platform and personal website. However, long before reaching a position of public advocacy and authentic self-expression, he endured decades of intense social masking—a psychological coping mechanism that protected him from immediate social friction while silently exacting a profound physical, emotional, and cognitive toll.
Growing up autistic, Clare did not always possess the specific clinical vocabulary to articulate his neurological differences, but the social signals from his surrounding environment were unmistakable. From an early age, he learned that being noticeably different carried immediate personal risk. Childhood peers quickly made sure he understood his divergence, subjecting him to teasing, harassment, and social exclusion. On multiple occasions, classmates scrutinized him as though he were a scientific experiment, even asking directly if he was an alien from another planet.
Faced with persistent social hostility and isolation, Clare reached a conclusion shared by many neurodivergent children navigating unsupportive environments: he decided that the fundamental problem lay within himself and that he was entirely responsible for fixing it. To survive in a world structured around neurotypical expectations, he resolved to study human behavior with academic precision, approaching daily social interactions much like a student preparing for a high-stakes examination.
Clare systematically analyzed the unwritten mechanics of human socialization that seemed to come effortlessly to his peers. He observed how people positioned their bodies when standing in groups, noted the precise timing and cadence of their laughter, and measured the acceptable length of eye contact before looking away.
