Empathletic is a personal training service built around empathy and athletic potential — designed from the ground up for neurodiverse people who want to move, grow, and thrive on their own terms.
Combining empathy — the genuine understanding of another person's experience — with athletic — the pursuit of physical capability and wellbeing. The belief that you cannot build a body without first understanding a mind.
Most fitness approaches expect you to adapt to the training. Empathletic flips that. Dion builds every programme around the way you think, feel, process, and move — because that's the only approach that actually works.
Whether you're autistic, have ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, or any combination, your neurology shapes how you experience exercise. Empathletic treats that as information. The information can be used to create goals and confidence in exercise and athletics.
No cookie-cutter plans. Every session is designed for your sensory profile, communication style, and goals — and adjusted in real time.
Sustainable routines win every time. Dion builds habits that fit your life, not bursts of effort that burn out.
Visual cues, written instructions, verbal coaching, or a mix — Dion matches the way you receive information best.
No judgment. No pressure. No "pushing through" what doesn't work for you. Progress looks different for everyone and you define what success means for you
Photo of Dion coming soon
Dion Philpot — Founder, Empathletic
I founded Empathletic because I know, first-hand, that standard fitness spaces aren't built with neurodiverse people in mind. As someone who is neurodiverse themselves, I have experienced the overwhelm and mixed messages of gym environments, the frustration of instructions that didn't land, and the feeling that their body and mind were working against each other rather than together.
I have worked as a fencing coach for 5 years, working with a plethora of neurotypical and nuerodiverse children. I enjoy working with children but I also know that many nuerodivergent adults enjoy exercise and body movement. I work with people 1-1 as a direct support professional as my day-to-day. So, I know that there are barriers to finding a stable place or activity that neurodiverse and intellectually developmentally disabled people can enjoy.
I channel all of that into Empathletic: a practice built on the conviction that movement is for every mind, and that the right support can unlock things people didn't believe were possible for them.
Dion is neurodiverse — I coach from inside the experience, not outside it.
Formally qualified in working with neurodiverse clients alongside their PT certification.
5 years coaching and working directly with neurodivergent people
Empathletic wasn't retrofitted to be accessible — it was built that way from day one.
Every service aims to be built around flexibility, sensory awareness, and your goals
Fully private sessions built entirely around you — your sensory needs, pace, communication preferences, and goals. The most personalised experience Empathletic offers.
Research studies have shown how sports and physical acvtiity can help improve mood and coping skills toolboxes.
There's no script, no one-size-fits-all plan. Here's what working with Dion actually looks like.
A relaxed conversation (by phone, video, or even over text if that's easier) to understand where you're coming from and what you want
A thorough intake that goes well beyond the physical. Dion explores your sensory preferences, communication style, energy patterns, previous experiences with exercise, and what you actually want to feel like or be able to do.
No templates. Dion builds your programme from scratch, selecting exercises, formats, and progressions that work with your brain — not against it.
Every session starts with a quick check-in. If today is a high-sensory day, an anxious day, or just a different day, the plan adjusts. There's no rigid session structure that overrides how you actually feel.
Dion checks in between sessions. What's working? What isn't? What do you need more or less of? The programme is a living thing — always evolving with you.
Neurodiversity takes many forms. Dion has experience working with people across the full spectrum — here's how Empathletic responds to each.
Predictable session structures, sensory-aware environments, clear and literal communication, and consistent routines you can rely on.
Varied, engaging movement to hold attention. Short-cycle goal setting, immediate feedback, and flexible momentum — stopping when needed is a strategy, not a failure.
Patient, broken-down movement instruction. Extra time to process and practise. No pressure to match speed or style. Strength and confidence built through repetition and encouragement.
Programmes delivered visually and verbally — never just written text. Clear, jargon-free language. All materials available in formats that work for you.
Sessions as short as 30min. to as long as 1 hour
You don't need a diagnosis to work with Dion. If you are looking to learn about how to work-out and follow a program - Dion can help create and facilitate exercise regimines. If you want support through weight-loss or weight-gain, Dion is there to help. (Dion is not a nutritionist however)
Anxiety, sensory processing differences, chronic fatigue — Dion works holistically, understanding that neurodiversity rarely comes alone and never in isolation from the rest of your life. If you need a break, we take a break. All Dion ask is you restart
Empathletic is designed to remove barriers — physical, sensory, and social — at every step.
Session plans shared in advance so you always know what to expect — no surprises.
Lighting, music, and noise levels adapted to your preferences if possible— ask and it's done.
All exercises demonstrated and available as visual guides, not just verbal cues.
Processing takes as long as it takes. Dion never rushes you through explanation or movement.
Contact by call, text, email, or written form — whatever feels most comfortable.
Sessions available in familiar or specifically chosen environments that suit you. Locations include inside your home, or a recreation gym, or quiet Fencing gym, or outside
Sessions can include learning sports you are curious about or have played before and want to try again. i.e. Tennis, soccer, volleyball, basketball,etc.
The first conversation is completely free, no commitment, and you can have it however works best for you — call, video, or written message.