Autism, Eating Disorders in Men, Stigma and Sport with Thomas Henley

Today, I’m talking to Thomas Henley – passionate autism advocate, public speaker and online content creator. Thomas has his own podcast (the Thoughty Auti podcast- all things autism and mental health) – he is also a YouTuber and Documentary creator. And that’s all in his spare time, as Thomas is also a Business & Event Project manager for a non-profit organisation. Amazingly, Thomas is a former Commonwealth Championship Taekwondo Gold medalist, and owner of the ‘Best Male Fighter’ trophy for his heavyweight bouts. Diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at age 10, and then partnering with the charity, Anna Kennedy Online, Thomas became an autism advocate in his early 20’s. He openly shares that he suffers from meltdowns, panic attacks, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Binge Eating Disorder, and Severe Depression. Despite his struggles, he has developed strong social and communication skills, and achieved an honours degree in Biomedical Science (UoM), has taught in SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) teaching, has extensive traveling experience, and developed his video and audio skills independently. Thomas is an incredibly inspiring human!   In this interview, we talk about a whole range of different topics. Thomas talks through his personal story of struggling with his own mental health issues, including having bulimia as a child, this then morphing into binge eating disorder as an adult. He shares about his diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome at aged 10 and more about the role of how autism interplays with eating disorders and interoception. He also addresses stigma around males having eating disorders and the impact of sport and eating disorders, when there is pressure to be a certain weight or size. This is an episode to truly inspire and encourage people on their journey. I hope that you enjoy it. To find out more about Thomas: - Website: https://thomashenley.co.uk/