She Built That: How Abbie Jane's Using Rainbow Shoelaces To Build A Brighter World

Welcome to She Built That, the podcast series where we discover incredible women and girls who didn't just dream big...they BUILT their futures! 

In this episode, you'll hear from Abbie Jane, an inspiring teen using rainbow beads to make every kid feel safe being themselves. Bead by bead, Abbie Jane has built the Rainbow Shoelace Project which has gone from being a local hit in her hometown of Broken Hill to a full-blown social movement spreading kindness around the world. Tune in to find out how she took her dream and BUILT it into something real. 

This is a co-listening podcast for parents and kids to enjoy together.

She Built That was made in partnership with LEGO Girls.

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Host: Annaliese Todd
Audio Producer and Writer: Thom Lion
Producer: Tina Matalov
Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
that this podcast is recorded on 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.

(00:34):
Each episode we celebrate extraordinary girls who turn their big
ideas into real change, one step at a time. I'm
your host, Annals Todd, Mamma MEA's lifestyle writer and for
today you're cheerleader with the really bright shoelacers. But before
we lace up for today's inspiring story, can you guess
which brilliant builder we're focusing on? Mom and Dad Switch

(00:57):
on now you don't want to get shown up here.
Clue number one. This young advocate started a project with
nothing but rainbow beads, a big heart, and a simple
idea to make every kid feels safe being themselves. Clue
number two. She launched her movement from her kitchen table,

(01:19):
and now her message of pride and inclusion has reached
schools across Australia and beyond. Clue number three. She believes
that kindness doesn't always have to shout. Sometimes it's quietly
tied on in the morning before school. Got a guess.

(01:42):
If you said Abby Jane, then your pride flag is
waving high. Today we're talking about teen advocate and founder
of the Rainbow Shoelace Project, Abby Jane, who's helping thousands
of kids walk proudly in their own shoes. So pull
on your brighter's laces and after the break will step
into Abby's world of kindness, courage, and color. The hallways

(02:14):
buzzed with morning chatter, shoes squeaking on thenleum floors. But
Abby Jane, heart knocking like a tap shoe, checked her
shoes one more time, rainbow lacers shining bright. It took
courage to show up like this, particularly in a country
town like Broken Hill. Would her friends notice, would teachers understand?

(02:37):
Would anyone care that the colorful beads threaded onto her
shoelaces meant the world to one girl and secretly to
so many others, And in classic schoolyard style, would someone
tried to swap her veggie might sandwich for it at lunch?
Pictured this a creative kid in Australia, loving stories, games

(03:01):
and color, never quite seeing families or friendships like hers
in posters or on TV. Abby noticed early on that
not free classroom or soccer field welcomed kids equally, so
she asked, what if there was a simple way to
show someone that they belonged, no matter what socks or secrets.
They showed up with.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
The rainbow flag. I mean, it's mainly known as the
Pride flag because it is the lgbtqiplus flag, But in
my opinion, I think my rainbow beads were a symbol
to anyone who had ever felt different that they could
be safe and they could be who they are with me.
I had originally had rainbow colored beads on my shoelaces

(03:43):
because it was just a small way to show who
I was to the world, and others could identify seeing
those rainbows on my shoes and know that they were
supported by me, And my hope was that I would
make people feel less alone.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
From the get go. Abby was a builder of bridges.
While some were building lego castles. Well, Abby was doing
that as well, but also building connections, sometimes with literal
knots and bows, asking questions grown ups still haven't figured out,
like if my lasers a rainbow, will people know I
like rainbows? Or just think I'm really into unicorns. Why

(04:23):
isn't there a club for kids who make friends by
sharing their stationary at lunch? Or can kindness go viral
if you leave cookie crumbs on the Instagram photo.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
When I first started the Rainbow Shelace project, I was
really lost as to how I would spread my message
because I was so far away from the rest of
the world in such a tiny town. I felt really isolated,
and I had such huge ideas but didn't know how
to make them a reality.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
At first, rainbow lacers seem like a tiny thing, a
quiet way to show support for LGBTQIA plus classmates or
kids who felt different. But soon friends were swapping out
their regular lasers too. Teachers ask questions, parents noticed to
that parent at the schoolgate, thinking I just bought new
shoes yesterday. Before long, the Rainbow Shoelace project was more

(05:19):
than a local crace, it was a movement. Abby Hand
wrote notes, packaged beads, shared stories, She posted on socials,
and the colors spread.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
And big help was social media. Starting a social media
page spreading not only the Rainbow Shoelace project but my
own personal story really connected with people and also reaching
out to celebrities and influencers who had a high following
so they could promote my project, so then more people

(05:50):
could know about it. That in itself is enough to
help people see that no matter who you are, how
old you are, where you're from, you can make such
a huge difference. But I think my biggest help throughout
all of that was my mum. She listened to my
crazy ideas and made it happen, and she believed in me,

(06:11):
and that is all I could ever ask for.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
It Soon her idea reached new towns, new schools, and
even the media. Abby joins me today. She is the
founder of the Rainbow Shoelace Project.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Abby's rainbow shoelaces and now worn in almost every country.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
From Broken Hill, she has electrified the world. Turns out,
there's nothing more contagious than kindness with a poff of color.
But building isn't always easy. Some days it felt like
nobody noticed, or worse, there were whispers in the hallway.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
There are been a lot of times in the Rainbow
Shoelace Project where the road has been a bit bumpy.
I think the most important to remember when making a
change is that it's not always going to be sunshine
and rainbows. There are going to be difficult parts of
changing the world, and for me, I think my biggest
challenges have been getting negative feedback from people from my school,

(07:11):
and quite badly, that was really difficult. Trying to maintain
your confidence and your passion to keep making a change
while people are trying to tear you down is really difficult.
But I think, as much as it might be scary,
the best thing you can do to help yourself feel
better in those situations is to never stop being who

(07:31):
you are.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
But Abby kept going, hanging signs, sending out packs, talking
to principles for the grown ups. Imagine trying to explain
the postage bill for five hundred rainbow lacers to the
family accountant. Still, at every turn she found new allies,
friends who wanted to stand tall, parents who cheered her on,

(07:53):
even teachers trying to remember how knots work. Step by step,
lace by lace. Her project grew school assemblies dedicated to kindness,
sports teams swapping in rainbow laces for pride rounds, a
classroom full of feet proudly mismatched but united in.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Color, seeing people in the wild, as we call it,
wearing rainbow beads is one of my favorite parts of
having the Rainbow Shoe Lace Project. That is the biggest
indication to me that my hard work has actually worked.
Seeing people who I don't know just casually wearing rainbow beads,

(08:39):
I think about how far my message is spread from
the tiny town of Broken Hill to the rest of
the world. And even though I'm the founder of the
Rainbow Shoe Lace Project, it still makes me feel so
safe and seen and reminds me to look up when
I see other people wearing rainbow beads.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
Today. Abby Jane is still a high school student, but
also a founder, mentor, and inspiration. She didn't wait to
be a grown up build something bold. She was just
twelve when she created her own rainbow walkway, one person,
one story, one pair of laces at a time. So

(09:21):
what would Abbey say to anyone who feels invisible or
too small to make a difference.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
My advice for anyone who has an idea that they
are passionate about that they want to pursue is to
never dull down your personality. People who are going to
support you. Find so much joy in seeing people be themselves,
being able to give something for people to relate to

(09:47):
is super beautiful and accepting that things won't always go
your way. But as long as you continue to keep
your passion and your love for what you believe in,
that's when it all will become true. Anyone who is
feeling different or left out, except that your difference is

(10:09):
your super power. Your difference is what makes you so beautiful.
When a person shows who they are to the world,
the world becomes a better place because being different isn't
something that you should be ashamed of. It's something that
you should embrace and is something that is going to

(10:29):
help change the world.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
So remember, the world doesn't change because one person runs
the fastest. It changes because ordinary people put their best
foot forward, literally and figuratively. So next time you tie
your shoes or see a rainbow in an unexpected place,
think of Abby Jane, the girl who built a brighter

(10:57):
world one not at a time. Building kindness is something
anyone can do and you don't even need matching socks.
And as parents out there, no mismatched socks are a
sign of genius failure. Just trust us, don't ask questions.
Your challenge this week, find one small thing you can

(11:17):
do to make someone else feel noticed, supported, or celebrated.
Tie a note to a friend's bag, share a favorite song,
or just offer a smile to someone having a rough day.
The biggest ways of change start with one small, intentional ripple.
Thanks for listening to she built that. And remember, incredible

(11:41):
girls don't just dream big, they build their futures. Today's
episode was written by Tom Lyon, who also did our
sound design. Our executive producer is Courtney Ammenhauser. The producer
is Tina Mattlov and I'm your host, Annalie Todd. See
you next time when we meet a woman whose path
quite literally launched her into the stratosphere. Bye.

Speaker 1 (12:04):
But as long as you keep being who you are,
you will be unstoppable and you will be able to
change the world.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
Okay, well you just made me cry so wow, thank you.
I actually can't even see right now. Okay,