You're listening to Amma Mia podcast.

Hey Parenting Out Louders, it's Stacy here now.

December is upon us, so we thought you might be looking for some extra things to keep the kids entertained.

Before you know, Santa slides down the chimney.

That's why I'm sharing an episode from our co listening podcast, She Built That.

It's a podcast that you and your kids can listen to together.

It's all about spotlighting stories of amazing women who've built incredible careers to help inspire the next generation of young people to chase their own dreams.

It's brilliant and in this episode, host Annalie's Todd speaks with Netflix star Chloe Hayden to find out how she made her dream of becoming an actor her reality.

There are three other episodes you can tune into via the She Built That podcast feed.

There'll be a link in the show notes to find the other episodes, including an out of this world conversation with Australia's first ever female astronaut, Catherine Bennell peg.

I hope you.

Enjoy Hello future Builders, and welcome to She Built That, the podcast where we discover incredible women who didn't just dream.

Big they built their futures.

Every episode we'll explore how these amazing women stack their talents, overcame obstacles and created something spectacular that changed the world.

I'm your host, Annalise Todd, MMMA, MIA's lifestyle writer and head of the Dreaming Department.

Now, before we activate this episode, can you guess who we're talking about today?

Okay, Mum and dad switch on now.

You don't want to get beaten here, think about your pride.

Clue number one.

This young builder is an actress who portrays an autistic character in a hit Netflix series and is proudly autistic herself.

Clue number two.

Her hair color has been various forms of red and she's a big one direction fan.

Clue number three.

She wrote a book called.

Different Not Less and has won an Audience Choice Award at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.

Can you guess who it is?

How'd you go?

If you guessed Chloe Hayden, You're spot on.

Today.

We're talking about actress, author, and disability rights activist Chloe Hayden, who's building a more inclusive world by championing authentic representation for neurodivergent people one conversation at a time, So get ready to embrace your individuality.

After this, the audition room was bright and humming with nervous energy, But for Chloe, the world seemed to shrink to the size of her own heartbeat.

Her hands trembled as she clutch the script.

This was the moment she dreamed of, but also the one she feared most.

Would they understand her?

Would they see her for who she truly was?

As the casting director called her name, Chloe took in a deep breath, feeling the weight of every time she'd ever been told she was too different, too much, not enough, And then she stepped forward.

Picture this a young girl in Australia feeling like she's crash landed on an alien planet.

That was Chloe Hayden, And for real, everyone else may as well have spoken alien, because that's how it felt at times.

From the very start, Chloe knew she was different.

The world around her felt loud and confusing, eye contact weird, small talk even weirder.

And why did everyone seem.

To expect her to fit into a box That just didn't feel natural?

I mean, most spend half their lives in meetings about thinking outside the box, but kids are just expected to get in and stay there.

But there was one thing that Chloe discovered that made her feel right at home, and that was acting.

So she would escape into film and so mister mcgorriam's wonder Implorium would always make her smile.

Well to the store upstairs immediately first.

Now we all need something to make us dream and feel good about ourselves.

So I asked Chloe why performing was so special to her growing up.

I always knew that I wanted to do something in the entertainment space.

I wanted to be a singer.

I wanted to be an actor.

I wanted to be on stage and perform and play pretend because weirdly, by playing pretend, I felt more myself than I did any other time.

Chloe found freedom in practicing characters behind Chloe Stores.

But still her early years were anything but easy, and by the time she was thirteen, she'd already attended ten different schools yep ten and eventually Chloe's parents decided to homeschool her to protect her well being.

It was at this time Chloe got a diagnosis she was autistic.

Now, autism is a natural variation in how human brains work.

Not a flaw, just a different way of experiencing and processing the world.

Later, she'd also learned she had ADHD.

I asked Chloe what it was light getting this news and how it made her feel.

Being diagnosed as autistic as a thirteen year old girl was really scary in some ways and really validating in others.

Growing up in a really tiny country town, autism wasn't really something that people knew about, and when they saw me, they definitely didn't see what their expectation of autism was, and that made being autistic feel somehow even more isolating.

But through it all, Chloe still dreamed of becoming a performer, even as she struggled relating to people outside of the home.

She would watch her favorite performers and then try to emulate their mannerisms, always building on her acting skills.

Her dad would drive her to acting lessons and community plays too.

This was the one place where Chloe could find her own self expression.

It lit her up inside.

I wanted to know what Chloe loves about acting and why having someone else write the rules can sometimes be the most freeing thing of all.

There's something about performing, whether it be on stage or in front of a camera.

That just takes me to my happy place.

I mean, I get to literally play pretend as a job.

Would that not be everyone's happy place?

But there's just something so wonderful for me as a neurodivergent person, where the lanes are written for me, my emotions are written for me.

I don't have to play this game and figure out what I'm supposed to be or how other people are expecting me to be.

I just get to do what the words on the paper say and play pretend.

And there's something so oddly freeing about doing that.

So let's call a spade a spade here.

Teenage short is.

Hard enough trying to find your identity, but Chloe's teens were next level tricky, being isolated from her peers and abandoned by some friends for not acting how others thought was normal.

And for all you mums and dads out there, just think back to that one year of truly questionable fashion and blue eyeshadow.

Perhaps that you survived and we salute you, but this was truly a time Chloe felt everything was stacked against her, but she continued to stack on layers of expression in any way possible.

Even outside of acting, Chloe was embracing her own unique if you will magnetism, and she decided to tell her own story to see if anyone else out there could relate to her experiences, starting an anonymous blog under the name Princess Aspian, hoping maybe, just maybe someone out there would understand.

To her surprise, thousands of people did.

Messages poured in from kids and teens who felt just like her, different, alone and desperate for acceptance.

Chloe realized she wasn't alone after all.

Soon Chloe was building a community, and her difference.

Was her superpower.

I asked her about the moment she discovered she wasn't as alone as she thought, and how that changed everything.

When I started my online blog, I wasn't expecting people to see themselves in me.

I was hoping to see myself in other people.

I was desperately reaching out, desperate to find one person who made me feel like I wasn't from an alien planet and that I was supposed to be here.

And many, many people reached out and responded to my blog, and the rest is history.

But that initial realization that if I was from an alien planet, there was millions of people out there that were from the same planet.

Was instrumental in my growth and instrumental in my understanding that I was supposed to be here and that I was supposed to exist, and people like me have existed for as long as humankind have, and they will exist for as long as humankind will.

It is so important for people to be able to see themselves and to be able to have an understanding that their brain is supposed to be here and that they are supposed to exist, and that community and that social aspect of being able to find that is is life changing.

Her blog led her to YouTube, where she made videos about her life as an autistic girl.

Hi guys, my name Chloe.

I know I learned Prince's Askian executive functioning.

What's that?

Don't know her?

She looked.

She became a powerful voice for neurodiversity, showing the world that being different wasn't just okay, it was amazing.

As her online momentum snowboard, Chloe grew more confident in who she was.

She embraced what made her different instead of trying to fit in.

As the years passed, her acting career was moving slowly but still growing.

She did roles in theater plays and short films, but was yet to find her big break.

But in twenty twenty one, at age twenty four, something incredible happened.

Chloe was invited to.

Audition for a role as an autistic teen called Quinny on a new Netflix show called Heartbreak High.

I knew the second that a I saw Quinnie's character that she was mine.

I was actually competing at a cowboy event in Bonnie Doon when it got sent through to me, and I knew I had to get this job.

And so there's actually a video of me circulating somewhere of my mouth moving while I'm doing this competition, and my mouth is moving practicing the script in the middle of me competing.

I sent it off and I was hounding my manager almost daily being like, do you know anything yet?

Have I got the job?

Is the next stage of the audition coming?

Like do you know anything?

And lo and behold, I got a second audition, and then I got an audition in front of the cast and producers and the directors and the producers of the show.

This was a dream role for Chloe, and she knew she had to nail the audition.

But then Yes, Sue turned up at the front door, or uninvited self doubt.

Hello, just like that relative who shows up at Christmas but never RSVPs.

So.

Arriving at the audition, questions arose in her mind.

Would they really get her?

Would they like her, love her for who she truly was?

As the casting director called her name, the blinding lights shone in her eyes, just for some extra pressure if there wasn't already enough, and everyone there began to murmur, Chloe took a.

Deep breath, and then with a quiet.

Confidence, she stepped forward, letting her authentic self shine.

Through every word, every gesture.

Channeling years of feeling misunderstood into Quinnie's vulnerability and strength.

When she finished, the room was silent for a beat.

Everyone was in awe.

Chloe had done it.

She hadn't just played the part, she owned it, turning her difference into her greatest power.

This might seem naive to say, but I do truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

And if I could go back in time and take away little Chloe's pain, I would in a heartbeat.

But I can't do that, and so I have to believe that the pain that I went through growing up made me the person that I am today and gave me the opportunity and the life experience to be able to perform Quinny the way that I do.

Working with the director, Chloe helped shape Quinny's character, crafting and stacking layer upon layer, making sure she was real, honest, and nothing like the stereotypes she'd seen growing up.

When I got the role of Quinny, I knew straightaway that she obviously was autistic.

Originally she was just neurodivergent, coded, I believe, And when I got the job, I had discussions with the producers and the directors and told them how important it was to me that Quinny wasn't coded autistic, because we have enough coded characters.

We need to see an actual, real life underlined bold teal a sized this person is autistic on screen, and so I was really lucky to be able to work with them to help create this character that we know and that we love today.

But we also had the most incredible autism consultants.

Quinny was written by an autistic person, and I think she shows the importance of representation not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera to make sure that experiences truly are and the characters that we are seeing truly are a real version of a person, and that real people can look at these characters and go, oh, my gosh, I see myself and I think QUINNI is the perfect example of that.

The audience and critics loved Quinnie.

Chloe had made this character so authentic and real, and for the first time, kids like Chloe saw themselves on screen.

I don't want to be a burden, but I've never given any time or wanting to prepare.

It's just not a fair.

Chloe won an Actor Award for her performance and was nominated.

For a Logi Award.

She made history, but more importantly, she gave hope to thousands of neurodivergent young people who felt invisible.

After the success of Heartbreak High, it became clear there was a void to be filled for a neurodivergent voice to raise awareness so that people like her would be better understood well.

Chloe stepped on into that space like a perfectly cast lead.

Word by word, page after page, she poured her heart, experience and knowledge into her debut novel, and it was a best seller.

If you don't mind called different not Less, Sharing her journey and encouraging others to embrace who they are.

She became a motivational speaker, traveling the world to talk about autism, kindness, and the magic of being yourself.

Today, Chloe Hayden is a role model for kids everywhere.

She's shown that you don't have to fit in to make a difference.

In fact, it's the people who stand out, who dare to be themselves who change the world.

So what's Chloe's advice.

To young people looking to embrace their individuality?

Learning that I was autistic and having that diagnosis was so incredibly powerful, and I wish that I could go back and tell thirteen year old Chloe or even younger than that, who wasn't diagnosed with anything, and be able to tell her that she has got such an incredibly bright future.

And most importantly, what I want every young person to know that has ever felt different is their brain is exactly how it's supposed to be.

I've always seen dreams as you need a dream as big as you possibly can, because everything that I am currently living and doing was beyond what expetations were for me.

But I dreamed for it and it happens.

So the next time you feel out of place, or worried about what others think of you.

Remember Chloe Hayden, the girl who turns society's walls into stepping stones, paving her own way to become a performer and a voice for change.

Yep, she built that.

Gosh.

Thinking about Chloe's story, I know I've had many times where I felt that urge to change myself just to fit in with everyone else, don't stand out, Particularly at school, it can be hard to not go with the flow.

But this week, let's flip that like Chloe did.

Now it's your turn.

I've got a challenge for you.

It's called the Celebrate your Difference Challenge.

Bit of a mouthful, isn't it, But I do think Chloe's right.

Embracing what makes you you is a far better path to happiness than trying to follow others.

Here's the challenge.

Think of one thing that makes you unique.

Maybe it's a special interest, a talent, or even just the way you see the world.

Maybe it's a thought.

Or opinion that's a little bit different.

Write it down, draw a picture about it, or tell a friend or family member.

When I was at school, I was told I was too much and I talk too much.

And now I'm talking on a podcast that's a celebration of what I was told was a challenge.

Remember, your difference is your source of insight, just like Chloe's was.

Share it proudly and see how.

It makes you feel.

Of course, if you're comfortable doing so and in a safe space, you might even inspire someone else to celebrate what makes them unique too.

Thanks for listening to She Built That, And remember, incredible girls don't just dream, they build.

Today's episode written by Tom Lyon, who also did the sound design, and produced by Tina Mattloff.

The executive producer of She Built That is Courtney Ammenhauser and my name's Annalise Todd.

I'll catch you next time when we.

Tell the story of an Ozzie girl who's taking the surfing world by storm.

Bye.