The Too Much Girl: Chiara Gizzi on Unmasking and the Power of ‘Different’
The Script We Never Wrote: A Conversation with Chiara Gizzi
In the episode of I’m In Control, I sat down with a woman who spent ten years acting professionally on the Australian stage and screen, only to realise her biggest performance was happening when the cameras weren't rolling.
Chiara Gizzi is an award-winning Italian-Australian actress, writer, and producer. You might know her from Soul Stories, the viral YouTube web series she created that garnered over 40 million views globally.
But behind the highlight reel of viral success, Chiara was navigating a massive internal shift: a formal diagnosis of Autism in 2022, followed by ADHD in 2024.
The Highlight Reel vs. The Reality
Chiara’s career sounds like a dream on paper, viral episodes, global attention, translating scripts into Russian and South Korean. But as she told me, "Social media is the highlight reel." Between the takes, Chiara was pushing herself past her limits.
The diagnosis at 38 wasn't just a label; it was like going back and watching her entire life through a completely different lens. For many women, a late-in-life diagnosis brings a mix of relief and a heavy dose of grief for the years spent wondering why things felt so much harder for them than for everyone else.
Understanding Neurodivergent Burnout
One of the most powerful things Chiara shared was her experience with neurodivergent burnout. It’s not just "feeling a bit tired." For Chiara, it led to skills regression, a state where your nervous system is so overwhelmed that basic executive functions like cooking, cleaning, or personal hygiene suddenly feel impossible.
As an autistic person, Chiara’s brain is wired differently. When you function over your capacity for decades by "masking", acting in a way you think society expects you to in order to be loved, the crash is inevitable.
The Spectrum is Not a Straight Line
We talked about the biggest misconception regarding Autism: the idea that it’s a "linear" spectrum from "a little bit" to "a lot." Chiara explained it as a circle or a pie chart.
Everyone’s "wheel" looks different. One person might struggle heavily with sensory processing but have high social communication skills, while another might have the opposite. This is why women often fly under the radar for so long; they become experts at "masking" their sensory challenges to fit the societal expectation of being a "good, quiet girl."
The Irony of the Actress
The irony of Chiara being an actress isn't lost on her. She spent her life acting to feel safe. "I’ve always just felt like that little bit stranger than everyone else," she told me.
We bonded over the "invisible disability" struggle. Because Chiara looks "normal" and doesn't wear a helmet or ear muffs in every setting, people often dismiss her needs. It’s a parallel I felt deeply with my own journey, people see me walking and looking able-bodied, and they judge when I use a disabled parking spot because they don't see the fatigue or the internal battles I'm fighting.
The Too Much Girl
In February 2025, Chiara released her book, The Too Much Girl. The title comes from a lifetime of being told she was "too sensitive," "too loud," or "too much."
The book isn't a medical textbook; it’s a story about a girl named Aurora finding her place in the world. It’s inclusive and universal because, at the end of the day, we are all just trying to figure out how to make friends and be ourselves.
Compassion as Recovery
When I asked Chiara what she does on the days when things feel "f'd up," her answer was simple but profound: Compassion.
She puts on noise-cancelling headphones.
She reaches for a weighted blanket.
She hangs out with her dogs and watches Netflix.
She leans on her community of neurodivergent friends who "get it."
The "In Control" Verdict
Whether your hurdles are physical like mine, or neurodivergent like Chiara’s, the goal is the same: Acceptance. You aren't broken; you’re just built differently. Once you stop fighting your own biology and start working with it, you move into the driver's seat. Chiara’s story is a reminder that being "different" isn't a deficit, it’s a unique speciality.
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