Ep. 157 - From the Industry to Home Life: Raising a Child with Autism with Chastity

<p>In this episode of Autism for Badass Moms, host Rashidah sits down with entrepreneur, mentor, and autism mom Chastity Hankins for an honest conversation about what happens when the demands of the entertainment and beauty industries collide with the realities of raising a child with autism.</p><p>Chastity shares her journey from noticing early signs in her son Kobe, through the diagnosis process, and into building her business Bombshell Beautii — all while managing therapy schedules, industry travel, and her own mental health.</p><p>Chastity shares how she turned survival mode into a blueprint, how pattern recognition keeps her business running, and why she credits her son with choosing her as his mother.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we discuss:</p><p>0:00 - Meet Chastity<br>1:23 - Noticing the Signs<br>2:29 - Gaslit<br>3:01 - Early Intervention<br>4:35 - Getting the Diagnosis<br>5:24 - Processing the Diagnosis<br>6:41 - Finding Purpose in the Journey<br>8:27 - Family Reaction<br>10:47 - Family Dynamics<br>12:46 - Sibling Bond<br>14:37 - Balancing Business and Motherhood<br>17:39 - Industry Demands<br>21:00 - Time Management<br>22:50 - Torn Between Kids and Career<br>24:10 - Divine Purpose<br>27:19 - Getting Your Pink Back<br>29:08 - The Breaking Point<br>30:23 - Building Bombshell Beautii<br>32:55 - Elopement, Safety and Free Resources<br>34:54 - Finding Community<br>38:26 - Self-Care<br>40:55 - Contact Chastity<br>43:48 - Advice for Moms<br>48:13 - What Makes Chastity Badass</p><p><br></p><p>ABOUT OUR GUEST</p><p>Chastity Hankins is a self-taught hairstylist, entrepreneur, and autism advocate based in Virginia Beach, VA. She is the founder of Bombshell Beautii, offering hair extensions, wigs, and styling services. Her work has been featured on reality television productions, and she is currently expanding into brick-and-mortar beauty supply stores along the East and West Coasts.</p><p><br></p><p>CONNECT with CHASTITY</p><p>Website: <a href="https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bombshellbeautii.com&token=346527-1-1790035351827" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc">www.bombshellbeautii.com</a></p><p><br></p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2FInstagram.com%2Fbombshellbeautii&token=736066-1-1790035351827" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc">Instagram.com/bombshellbeautii</a> (business) | <a href="https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2FInstagram.com%2Fblackbarbiebombshell&token=dbfd3b-1-1790035351827" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc">I