About Not So Typical Fitness & Rhiannon Cooper

Not So Typical Fitness is neuroinclusive fitness coaching built for autistic, ADHD, and anxious adults, by someone who gets it from the inside. Sessions are available online, at the gym, or at home, across the UK and worldwide.

New to the Gym?

Starting out doesn't have to feel overwhelming, it just has to feel right for your brain. Whether you're anxious about walking through the doors for the first time or you've tried before and it didn't stick, I've created resources specifically for you. Or book a personal training discovery call with me today.

  • The Gym Anxiety Toolkit Booklet

    Gym Anxiety Toolkit

    Feel calmer and more confident at the gym with this free toolkit designed for anxious, nervous, autistic and/or ADHD adults.

    Includes sensory checklist, quiet time planner, and encouragement tracker.

    Get the toolkit now
  • Mock up imagery of the gym beginners guide for basic gym knowledhge

    Gym Basics: A Beginner's Guide

    Starting the gym doesn't have to feel overwhelming. This guide breaks down reps, sets, weights, and equipment in a simple, neurodivergent-friendly way.

    Get the guide

Not So Typical Fitness Press & Features Include:

  • A red and white target symbol with the text '101.8' in bold blue and black, and 'WCR FM' below in blue.
  • Logo for Neurodiverse Sport with purple background and white text reading 'NDS Neurodiverse Sport'.
  • Profile picture of Joe Fazer, a shirtless man with short hair, in a social media profile.
  • Logo of The Sun with white text on a red background
  • ITV logo with the letters 'itv' in lowercase, each in a different color: blue, green, pink, and orange.
Rhiannon Cooper is wearing glasses, a sequined jacket, a black Nike t-shirt, and pink leggings with her arms raised and smiling outdoors near a tree in West park in Wolverhampton.

I spent years thinking I was broken.

Too sensitive for the gym. Too inconsistent to stick to a plan. Too much for spaces that were never built for me.

When I was diagnosed as autistic and ADHD at 30, it wasn't a crisis, it was an explanation. Suddenly I understood why gyms felt overwhelming, why every "simple" workout plan fell apart, and why I'd been failing at something that seemed effortless for everyone else.

I wasn't failing. The system was.

And if you're reading this, there's a good chance it's been failing you too.

I've lost over 100lbs. I've also gained some back.

I'm not going to pretend otherwise, because that's not how real life works, especially not with a neurodivergent brain navigating burnout, mental health, and a world that doesn't always make space for us.

What I can offer you isn't a transformation story with a tidy ending. It's something more useful: a coach who understands that progress isn't linear, that setbacks aren't failure, and that sustainable change only happens when you stop fighting your brain and start working with it.

I work with people who've been failed by fitness.

People who've walked into a gym and walked straight back out. People who've bought the programme, started strong, and hit a wall they couldn't explain. People who've been told to "just push through" by coaches who didn't understand, and ended up burnt out, injured, or convinced fitness simply wasn't for them.

That includes autistic adults, people with ADHD, people with gym anxiety, and anyone whose brain doesn't fit the neurotypical fitness mould.

For me, getting healthier was never really about weight. I wanted to feel better, move more, and stop dreading my own body. Weight loss happened, but it was a side effect, not the goal. And it's not the metric I use to measure success for my clients either.

I became a PT because I needed a coach like me, and one didn't exist.

After my diagnosis, I started to see a pattern. So many of us had been masking our way through group classes, white-knuckling through sensory overwhelm, and quietly blaming ourselves when we couldn't maintain routines that were never designed for how our brains work.

I trained as a personal trainer because I wanted to build the space I wish I'd had. One where you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not just to get healthy. One that's built around how you actually think, feel, and move; not how fitness culture expects you to.

That looks like sensory-aware training, executive function support, flexible scheduling, and a coach who genuinely gets it. Not because they've read about it, because they live it.

I'm qualified, not just experienced.

I hold CIMSPA-registered certifications in personal training, gym instruction, and nutrition, with more in progress. My professional training is grounded in lived experience, not just theory.

I understand sensory needs; from the inside.

Bright lights, loud music, the smell of a gym, someone standing too close. I know how quickly those things can tip from manageable to overwhelming. My approach is built around your sensory world, not just your fitness goals.

I work with executive function, not against it.

Struggle to start? Lose momentum halfway through? Can't stick to a schedule that changes week to week? That's not laziness, that's an ADHD brain without the right structure. My programmes are built with that in mind from the start.

I'm not here to fix you.

This isn't about finding what's "wrong" and correcting it. It's about building on what's already there, your focus, your pattern recognition, your ability to hyperfocus when something actually clicks. Your neurotype isn't the problem. The programme design was.

Overcome Gym Anxiety Now

A promotional graphic for a fitness program called 'The Sensory-Safe Strength System' featuring a smiling woman holding dumbbells in a gym. Text highlights overcoming gym anxiety, consistent workouts, and building real strength in 8 weeks, with an offer of 5 bonuses.

The Sensory-Safe Strength System is an 8-week program designed specifically for anxious people. It's a complete roadmap to feeling safe, capable, and in control—one step at a time.

What's Included:

  • 8-week strength training program - Building to progressive workouts that help you find strength without burnout

  • Home workout alternatives - No access to a gym? No problem. Train anywhere that works for YOU.

  • Sweat Solutions Handbook - the 12 sensory strategies for managing sweat discomfort

  • Gym Etiquette Scripts & Social Survival Guide - Word-for-word scripts for every gym situation - no more panicing if someone asks you a question.

  • Meltdown Prevention Protocol - Recognise the warning signs and learn how to prevent overwhelm

Only £27 - Immediate access, lifetime use, no subscription.

Get the Sensory-Safe Strength System

This is bigger than personal training.

Not So Typical Fitness exists because one coach can only reach so many people, and the need is enormous. Alongside 1:1 coaching, I run a free community, host the Not So Typical Fitness Podcast, and create resources used by both clients and PTs across the UK. If you're a personal trainer looking to work more confidently with neurodivergent clients, there's a space for you here too.

Are You a Personal Trainer?

Neuroinclusive fitness isn't just a niche, it's the future of the industry. Whether you're already working with neurodivergent clients or want to start, I've created resources and a community specifically for PTs like you.

Join the Not So Typical PT Network → A growing directory of neuroinclusive PTs across the UK. Get listed, get found by clients who need you, and connect with like-minded coaches.

  • The Neuroinclusive PT Toolkit

    5 Frameworks That Help Neurodivergent Clients Actually Stay

    Stop losing clients who "just can't stay consistent." Start coaching with confidence, clarity, and ethics.

    Instantly Download the Toolkit
    Set of notebooks and guides titled 'The Neuroinclusive PT Toolkit,' with five frameworks on each focusing on different aspects of neurodivergent clients, including sensory awareness, executive function, burnout, gym anxiety, and strength and identity.

  • The Anti-Diet PT Survival Guide

    Download the free Anti-Diet PT Survival Guide and learn how to build a values-driven business without burning out or selling your soul.

    Download it here
    A spiral-bound book titled "The Anti-Diet PT Survival Guide" with a colorful gradient pink and teal cover. The subtitle reads "How to build a values-driven business in a toxic industry for personal trainers who don't fit the mould" and the author's name is Rhiannon Cooper. The interior pages show sections with headings in pink, such as "Define Your Non-Negotiables," "The Real Problem," and "Why 'Just Be Yourself' Isn't Enough."