Growing a business focused on disability and being an autism advocate, sometimes my blogs will be rants about certain topics. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Autistic signaling is when an autistic person or family member points out an issue within either society or the autistic community that needs to be resolved. This is great to raise awareness for issues. However, it comes across as whiny behavior that in the end does not help anyone. A lot of social media "autism" influencers have gained massive notoriety being signalers. However very few actually come to the table to help resolve them.

An example being is that they complain about autism organizations not including autistic individuals but don't try to actual join. And once you have attacked someone as being wrong, you really think they'll consider you joining them? Does not matter how right you are. Back in 2021, this was a huge topic. I saw it everywhere and it infuriated me because, to me, it's a simple fix. Just join and work from the inside to create the change you want to see. I am also a problem solver, so I did that in my area. I chose to start in my area because, I believe we must change our area to change the world. I joined an organization whose rules at that time were to include one autistic person on their board. At the time this was implemented, it was very progressive. However, by the time I joined it needed to change because due to whatever reason, there seemed to only be one autistic person on the board at any given time. This made it feel tokeny. Knowing the people on and around the organization, this was far from the truth. While still helping this organization on their mission, I made it my mission to get as many qualified autistic people as possible on the board that I could. In the first year, I had tripled the amount of autistic board members. In my third year on the board, I became the boards first autistic chair and had grown the autistic representation to 50%. I also help found an initiative in 2021 with an ABA company to employ autistic individuals and not just recruited but also vetted the individuals for specific jobs within the company. I am proud to say that the first two I recruited are still employed with that company.

So how do we get from signaling to solving? 
Ask questions. Most people know there may not be a solid solution and just need to be heard so asking questions that entice the individual to think deeply about the subject.
Listen. I mean truly listen. Again its more than likely just frustrating bottling up.
Ask reflective questions. Make sure they know you heard them. That goes farther than you think.
Share your opinion if allowed. This opens dialogue to figuring out if there's a solution.
Take action if action needs to be taken. When I first went to therapy, one of my biggest lessons was to know when I could take action versus when I could not. A lot of times we can not actually do anything in our position and while we can still care, thinking about it only makes the feelings worse.

Till next time- Dr. Mark

A topic I don't really see brought up within the circles of the autistic community I am a part of is the prevalence of self-medication. Considering the levels of stress that comes with being in a world that does not quite understand you and sometimes feels like its attacking you can lead to trying to find ways to cope. This can come in many different forms that may end up being unhealthy if not dealt with a psychologist. 

Today, I'm going to talk about my addiction to tobacco. I started dipping tobacco at 16 years old when some friends at the time suggested I try it. Everyone was doing it, so I didn't really see it as wrong, and my uncle and grandfather did it so why not try it. From the very first time, it felt like my brain slowed down. That I could just exist. Like any addiction it started as a one-off thing that I did when it was available. Being under-age with no job, it was quite hard to just acquire for myself. So, I just bummed it off of friends that had it. Due to the stress of growing up and knowing now the enviroment I was living in, the usage slowly increased in the first year. This increase led me to start buying it myself. This meant trying numerous gas stations in the area sometimes just to find the one that would not card me. I even learned that if I was scruffy, it was easier to not get carded. However, I was still limited in the time I could use as I knew it would get me in big trouble at home if I wasn't careful and potential even worse if the very christian school I attended found out. This hiding of this habit should of been the first sign that this habit was taking a turn for the worse. Usage really started to go up after I turned 18, since it was legal and I could obtain it anywhere I wanted. Then I moved to college, where I had somewhat free reign to use whenever I wanted.

The first year of college, my usage increased significantly as stress from social situations and school increased significantly. I also started attending college parties where alcohol was being drunk. Ill recount my alcohol use in a later post, just know now that I have been sober for about 8 years and getting away from dipping was a big contributor to that. During college, I set up this routine where I would end up dipping 4-5 times a day. I'd wake up and dip, have one after lunch, one before dinner and one to cap off the night. The fifth would be in between somewhere depending on the stress of the day. This habit forced me to be less physically and socially active as I felt I needed to be in my dwelling place to do it due to the stigma I felt behind the habit. I am not sure when I first decided that this habit was detrimental to me, but I do remember trying to quit numerous times in college and not being able to go a day without it. 

My usage went down after graduating undergrad as I started working. Having to be in a specific location for long durations really slowed down the times I could dip. Though after about a year from school, I enrolled into graduate school and quit working to ensure that I stayed in due to having a conditional acceptance. Usage rate then increased back to where it was for the next couple years. Until I moved back home after a issue with my graduation. I started working again, now a full-time job. A full 8 hours away from a secluded place where I could not dip. Usage went down to just 2 times a day on weekdays. That year was quite stressful on me and went through had to feel some emotions I had not felt since my teenage years. During this year was when I decided to go and start doing business for myself.

Starting a business while dealing with emotions that you have not dealt with meant some of the most stressful days in that first year of the business. It also didn't help that I decided to just quit dipping because my position of a personal trainer, I felt it would be a bad look if I did not have healthy habits myself. I tried cold turkey, nope. I tried the gum, nope. I tried replacement dip, nope. Then I took a swing at the patches. It was really tough because even the patch with the most nicotine in it didn't satiate any part of the addiction. Thankfully, it worked just enough to wear after the first couple weeks, I just went cold turkey. That should have been another sign I was addicted. If I put my mind to something it gets done, the fact that I struggled so long with quiting and that once the nicotine levels in me decreased significantly, I could just stop. However the stress stayed and started to give me panic attacks. These panic attacks got me to the point where I knew I would eventually turn back to dipping, so I took the chance and went to a therapist. I was taught in therapy the reasoning for the stress I was going through and that it was natural and given many healthier modalities to deal with it so that I could function properly enough to live a life worth living.

I still do a lot of those stress relieving strategies on a daily basis because I know at any point the curiosity of using could get me to go out and get a can of dip. Hopefully my story can help others realize that its not too late or impossible to get out of very unhealthy habits.

​Til next tine- Dr. Mark

Dude! I graduated with a PhD this past weekend. A degree that is terminal. That means no more after. Lets break it down why its so significant to me.
Before I even started school, I was called the r-word just because I am dyspraxic and could not hold scissors like all the other kids. I may have not understood the words or heard them directly, but I know I felt that energy.
While most of elementary school went by just fine, after I moved, I started getting bullied and getting called stupid by my peers. This happened around my autism diagnosis so I was in the middle of an identity crisis and was being told I was certain things by professionals that did not exactly match my experiances up to that point, so I ended going along with what others told me about who I was. It was easier than trying to prove them wrong or show a more complex version of my being. This got me suspended from athletics once in high school due to poor grades so I learned how to just keep my head afloat. Luckily, I am a good test taker, so I managed to get conditionally accepted into college.
Then in second semester of freshman year, I freaked out and had a crisis of direction. Trying to hold on, I went to the career center looking for guidance. Bad advice. As I broke down in front of some random person, I was met with "maybe college is not for everyone?" Are you flipping kidding me!?!? Along with other situations, its no wonder my second year at college ended being my worst academic year ever.
Thankfully, I was able to create a goal. That goal was to join a fraternity (where majority of my friends were apart of). These guys showed me the path that I needed to achieve this goal and along the way found my passion in Kinesiology.
The rest is history but these parts played a significant part of who I am and why reaching the peak of something like academics was very important to me.

​I can not believe I am graduating with my doctorate in Kinesiology this week. So many emotions are stirring. I am so proud to finally finish this dream and goal that started over a decade ago. To be honest, once the business started gaining traction, I had put it in the back pocket for some day that I was unsure would come.

I am also very anxious. Having technically graduated three times (high school, undergrad, and masters), I have only one typical graduation. I was not able to walk at my high school graduation due to a stupid mistake and the school thinking punishing me would be the best option for my future. They were wrong but that story and the ramifications will be told another day. This was probably the worse thing for my abandonment trauma (another story another time lol). I graduated normally for undergrad (thankfully). When I walked graduation for my masters degree, I received a call 3 weeks after with the registrar office telling me I did not graduate and needed one more class. Talk about completely halting my entire plan for the future. This is what led me back to Tampa and eventually starting the business, so I guess it turned out for the better but I still have ptsd flareups from this especially leading up to this graduation. This kind of stress leads me to just freeze, just waiting for the ball to drop. Like I messed up again and graduating isn’t going to happen. I keep checking my transcript and degree works to make sure everything is good, that nothing was missed. I had to physically see the package from the company sending my regalia as they did not provide proper documentation on when it was getting here while I was baby sitting my sister and brother in laws dog. I am already starting to create the schedule of things in order to make it all seem more manageable. I know I can handle it all and have proven with all these previous situations that I am completely capable. Too bad stress does not work like that.

Another feeling that comes up towards this accomplishment is liberated. I was considered dumb growing up and I took that to heart because I was told this before I could figure out who I was. I also was never given the tools to show my intelligence. I then saw those who were considered smart were ridiculed for it and I was already bullied just for existing so I think subconsciously I decided to just play the dumb kid as it was easier than being this complex individual that I was and still am. I finally feel liberated from those labels people put on me and it will be a big weight lifted once I walk across that stage with a prefix on my name that cannot be taken away and that was given due to hard work and determination.

Overall, I am just glad to celebrate and close this chapter. On to the next one soon!

Til next time,
Dr. Mark

​One way I ensure my day is the best it can be is stating my daily affirmations. Affirmations are statements to yourself to reaffirm confidence, build resilience and reduce stress. I started doing affirmations when I started going to therapy in 2017. My therapist set up some affirmations for me to get me started as there was just so much, I needed to work on. Nowadays, I have a set of affirmations that I have made for myself. These are based on things I found in my life that I need help with on a daily basis. I will share some of mine with yall along with the reasoning behind them.

1. You can handle everything that comes your way today- too often growing up something would happen and derail my day. Yet when I state this, it’s a reminder that I have indeed survived and figured out every situation that has come up in my life. If I did not, I would not still be here. Its worth noting, Im not telling my self to have a good day or anything like that because life is full of ups and downs and to place an standard on the day sets me up for failure. This was the 1st one that was ever made.
2. You can be a rabbit- I have a hard time with initiating tasks and with understanding how much time something may take and thus paralyzing action. When I state this, it serves as a reminder that I am capable of doing things when they need to be done and react when its necessary. This was the 3rd ever made. I came up with a rabbit because of their quick movement.
3. It is okay to want attention- Growing up, I felt that most of the attention I ever received was when I did something wrong. Thus I created this connection with attention being negative and went as far as just wanting to fly under the radar for most my life. This created some weird feelings when the studio got all the publicity it got and I turned down and sabotaged numerous opportunities because it felt icky due to this connection I created to survive as a kid. I say this knowing that I am not going to get the attention I want from everyone and that’s okay. This just allows me to acknowledge that its okay and natural to want the attention. Especially when its deserved, like a birthday, graduation or some other big time things.

I currently keep these on my phone, however I started with them on my bathroom mirror. This ensured I saw them daily and said them daily. I currently have them memorized and state them through out the day to help in the different situations.

If you need help figuring out and setting some for you, hit me up. I can help you discover some specific to you.

Sustaining proper nutrition as an autistic individual with food sensitivities is hard. Fruits and veggies tend to taste different with every little piece which can mean only certain ones get picked. This can result in not obtaining proper micronutrients throughout the day. This can cause numerous amounts of issues if not resolved.


Before I get to talking about my own diet through this blog, it is important to note that I am not a registered dietician or a medical doctor. So, it is very important that if you are looking to start anything new, consult with your primary care physician and do not take my diet as something that is meant explicitly for you. I will put this disclaimer for anything regarding my diet or supplements. However, I may have a link towards the bottom of each blog that takes you to the product (possibly discounted) to try after consulting with your physician.

For years and years, I had numerous gut health issues. I will not lie to you or sugarcoat this. I swung from diarrhea to constipation weekly. I had horrible stomach aches at times. This was due to a really poor choice of diet. By the way, when I mention diet, it means the totality of what I am ingesting food-wise. I had up to 48 ounces of Mountain Dew a day. I had pizza at least 2-3 times a week. I would also drink beer most of the week. This not only affected my gut, but I had really bad insomnia that I needed up to 10 mg of melatonin to get me to sleep (enough to down a much bigger person).

Fast forward to shortly after I started my business. I stopped drinking soda regularly, took a multivitamin, and gave up drinking. However, I still had sleeping and gut issues. I saw a product that looked appealing to me to try to bridge this nutritional gap I knew I had but was not able to try it out due to a very tight budget. I was finally able to try this product in late 2020, thanks to an uptick in my business towards the end of that year. This product is called Huel.

Huel is a shake-based meal that is vegan-free. It comes in a bag and is in powder form. I now use the black edition, which has a higher protein content than the original. One meal is two scoops and is 400 calories, no matter which type of Huel you choose. A nutritional label is posted below:

I just realized today I run a fitness brand and have not really posted a blog about it. Silly me. Since I am operating this differently than just a personal training company, I have so much information that I want to share and get lost a lot of times in when to share it with you all. 
When it comes to exercise there are three different groups of reps that are recommended depending on your goals for working out. These are categorized as strength, hypertrophy (growth), or endurance. Strength sets focus on building how much you can lift and are typically under 4 reps per set. Hypertrophy focuses on growing the size of a particular muscle and is recommended for reps of 8-12 per set. Endurance focuses on how many times you can move a given weight and is recommended for reps of 16-24 per set. This does not mean you can grow your muscles with strength training, or you cannot get stronger with endurance sets. These are just the recommendations. 
We got how many reps we need depending on the goal but how many sets are needed for each exercise. So, for strength-based programming, the rule of thumb is at least 4 sets. This gets the total rep count up to 16. For growth-based programming, the rule of thumb is 3-4 sets. This gets the total rep count to 24-32. Then for endurance-based programming, the rule of thumb is 2 sets. This gets the total rep count to 32-48. However, depending on if you are really focusing on one area or not, these may be adjusted to fit.
Reps. Done. Sets. Done. How long do I need to rest for between sets? And no its not when you feel like it. For strength-based exercises, its recommended to wait around 3 minutes between sets. This is due to the energy system being used. For growth-based exercises, its recommended around 90 seconds. Then endurance-based, its recommended to 30 seconds. 
Now you know how many reps, sets and rests you should have depending on your goal, but when do you increase weight? Very good question. This is progression and the recommended rule of thumb for moving up with when it comes to lifting goes by the 2x2 rule. This rule states that if you can manage 2 more reps on your final set for 2 consecutive workouts then you can move up in weight. An example of this would be if you're lifting on a machine chest press for 3 sets of 8. If you can lift the current weight 10 times on the last of the 3 sets for 2 consecutive workouts, then you can move up. I have different methods of progression that I acquired working with my clientele, but I've been told that's a company secret. lol 
Till next time,
Dr. Mark

You may be looking at the title and telling yourself, "I thought you're a fitness expert, why talk about mental health?" Because physical health and mental health are connected. I have seen numerous individuals improve one and it helps with the other, throughout my career. While I always want to get someone to exercise first, it may be a better option for them to work on decreasing stress through other means first. I say this because I've dealt with individuals that typically have lower tolerances for stress. This means even light exercise could be overwhelming. So, what are some ways to reduce stress outside of exercise? I'm going to talk about a few techniques that I use to help increase my tolerance for stress during my day, thus improving my mental health. I'll go into more detail in different blogs for each.

1. Meditate- Taking time out of your day just to be present with your body allows you to understand how you feel any certain day. 
2. Journaling- Writing down what occurred during a day is a great way to visualize it and then release it so it no longer weighs you down thinking about it.
3. Limit caffeine- Caffeine reduces the brains ability to feel sleepy and can put the body in fight or flight which can make it harder to be present in your day.
4. Drink water- Our bodies are made of water. Does it always taste as good as soda? No. But it helps keep the body doing all the things it needs to do to keep us alive and healthy.
5. Personal Boundaries- Creating personal boundaries between yourself and everything else in your world. If you're off work, then you're off work. 

Do not implement all 5 at once as that can overwhelm the brain that craves consistency and changing that can make the brain upset. 

​It feels like forever ago that I have written specifically about Autism. I stepped into advocacy for Autistic people way back in 2016/17 when I not only worked for an ABA company but started my blog that held the same title. I have learned so much in that time frame of all the intricacies of this subculture. I learned that I do have sensory sensitivities, and they can lead me to be quite overstimulated and overwhelmed. Something that was not even mentioned when I was diagnosed at age 11. I have learned how supportive some people are in the community, but like a lot of subcultures, there are people who will try to take advantage of you for their own means. I hope to write on so many more of these things in the coming months and years. For today, just now, there are those out there who see you and the battles you fight every day and are doing their best to fight alongside you. Enjoy your Journey today! - Dr. Mark    

​Guess what? The business has been approved to conduct business in the state of Arkansas as a foreign business. However, I still have to wait till early to middle of next week to conduct consulting sessions online. Why? I have to create a DBA, aka Doing Business As for the business. Why do you ask? Part of this new journey is being completely open with some things I had to navigate early in my life or career that ultimately helped shape me. I mainly learned by a sink or swim principle, and this story almost sank the business just as it was getting its foot in the door. Let me take you back to very late 2019 when the business was called Puzzle Piece Fitness LLC, which was created in June 2018 in preparation for the studio after being a DBA for me as Puzzle Piece Fitness. If you don't remember the business got a whole lot of buzz in the media that even went internationally that year. This was beyond amazing for the business in terms of brand awareness. However, due to being a small company just starting off, I dismissed creating a trademark for the business. Thinking my business was unique enough and was created early enough that I would be fine without one for the time being. Boy, was I wrong. One random day, I got a random Instagram message asking me if I knew of this trainer across the country. I'm leaving their name and business out to leave it to speculation. I knew of them and their business. Even though their business name sparked a similarity close to mine, I believed their purpose, along with my earlier usage, would ensure my safety. Nope. I received a cease-and-desist letter shortly after this message stating to change the name of my business. This put me in a tailspin. I was furious beyond reason. I spent a lot of money on this brand that just got international attention, just for someone to undercut a person apart of a population that they were supposedly helping. I got my lawyer involved and was then referred to a trademark specialist lawyer. When I discussed the situation with that lawyer, I was told that battling this in court, even with previous usage on my side, could cost over 100k dollars. I was just breaking even with the business and could not afford that kind of payment just to keep a brand. I was also told that I could just create a DBA and not create an entirely new business as the IRS did not care; the trademark is just for public use. Thankfully, around this time, the autism community was going away from Puzzle Piece, so I decided that it was time to evolve the brand entirely and focus on helping more than the autism community. Thankfully if I try hard enough, I can be creative at times. Numerous searches, both at the state level and the trademark office, to come up with a new brand name that fit the direction of the business. Then I had to create the logo. Again, I am not artistically gifted, but I could not afford to hire anyone for a second time to create one for me. So, I sketched one out, and my artistic sister (who is an amazing architect) put it together to get the logo that Equally Fit has today. I made sure I got it trademarked this time, and my lawyer had it framed for me. That brand, I think, helped me survive the pandemic and ultimately get more recognition down the line as I was able to pull in clients with other disabilities into the gym to work with.
This is one of the situations I endured that led me to want to start business consulting. If you have a business and want to become better than ever, I can help you with that as someone who has endured all the lessons the hard way and succeeded, so you do not have to. Email me to schedule a free 15-minute talk to discuss your needs and find out how I may be able to help you.