Episode 256: India’s first model with Down syndrome – Sania Khimji

The episode transcript is below.

Carolyn Kiel: Welcome to Beyond 6 Seconds, the podcast that goes beyond the six second first impression to share the extraordinary stories of neurodivergent people. I’m your host, Carolyn Kiel.

On today’s episode, I’m speaking with Sania Khimji. Sania is an accomplished artist, model, influencer, and international beauty pageant winner who continues to redefine boundaries and inspire inclusivity in every space she enters.

Living with Down syndrome, Sania celebrates her uniqueness as just one part of her powerful story, a story rooted in creativity, confidence and courage. Through her art, modeling and advocacy, Sania continues to shine as a global voice for empowerment, showing the world that when you lead with passion, purpose, and pride, there are truly no limits to what you can achieve.

Sania, welcome to the podcast.

Sania Khimji: Thank you.

Carolyn Kiel: I’m really interested to learn more about your story and all of the really great things that you do. So just to start out, what was it like growing up with Down syndrome?

Sania Khimji: It wasn’t always easy, but I grew up in a loving home that believed in me. I learned that being different is special. It makes me who I am.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, absolutely. That’s great to hear that you had a great loving home and family support to grow up with.

What kinds of stereotypes about Down syndrome did you have to challenge or overcome in your life?

Sania Khimji: People thought I could not model, work or do things. I have shown that we can do anything with talent, effort, the right support.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, I’ve been following you on Instagram and you post about all of the really great and interesting and, and fun things that you do. I’d love to learn more about fashion and how you got interested in that because you post a lot about that on your social media and all of the really cool fashions that you model and develop.

So how did you get interested in fashion?

Sania Khimji: I have always loved dressing up and expressing myself. My first fashion show changed everything. I knew I wanted to keep walking the ramp.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s awesome. What do you like the most about being a fashion model?

Sania Khimji: I love the confidence it gives me and the chance to inspire others. When I walk the ramp, I walk for everyone who’s being told they can’t.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s really powerful. Yeah, and it looks like so much fun when you’re up there walking the ramp and, and you get to wear so many great fashionable clothes, and you have your own styles as well that you really like. That’s really fun.

And you are also an artist and you also share your art on Instagram and it’s really amazing and beautiful. What inspired you to become an artist?

Sania Khimji: Art lets me share my feelings and ideas. When I paint, I feel peaceful and free. It’s my wish of showing the world how I see beauty.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, that’s really great. Art really allows us to express our feelings, as you said, and create beauty and show other people beauty.

I’ve seen that you like to paint. What are your favorite things to paint?

Sania Khimji: Faces, landscape and bright colors. I paint whatever comes in my mind at that time. Each painting tells its own story.

Carolyn Kiel: Absolutely. And do you display your artwork at public shows?

Sania Khimji: Yes. My work has been shown in India and abroad. It makes me happy to see people connect with my art.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s really awesome. That must be so fun to display your art publicly and get to share that gift and that talent that you have with other people in India and all around the world too. Wow.

In addition to being an artist and a model, you are also an advocate for people with disabilities by sharing what you do, and you talk about it a lot on social media too. So how do you advocate for people with disabilities?

Sania Khimji: By living my dreams, modeling, painting, and speaking up. I use my platform to show that inclusion is strength, not charity.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s really important for people to realize. Inclusion is so important and it enriches all of our lives when we all practice inclusion. That’s really cool.

So you’ve accomplished so much already. What are your future goals for your modeling and your art careers?

Sania Khimji: I want to walk international runways and sell my art globally. I want to keep breaking barriers and inspire others to believe in themselves.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s great. That’s a wonderful goal. I think the world needs a lot more of that, especially right now, for people to believe in themselves and find their own talents. That’s, that’s really great.

Sania, how can people get in touch with you if they wanna learn more about the work that you do and support your disability advocacy?

Sania Khimji: You can follow me and contact me on Instagram at sania.khimji and give me more global opportunity for modeling, art and advocacy.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s great. Yeah, you’ve done a few partnerships already with brands, so I imagine you’re open to more of that and, and that’s, that’s really exciting.

Sania, is there anything else that you’d like our listeners to know or anything that they can help or support you with?

Sania Khimji: Yes. I just want everyone to know that you are not alone in this journey. If anyone needs guidance or support, we now offer one-on-one sessions where you can talk with us. Presently, you can just message us to book. We are here to help.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s really great that people can work with you one-on-one.

I will put links to your Instagram, and any other ways that people can get in touch with you, I’ll put that in the show notes of this podcast so that people can reach out directly.

Thank you so much, Sania. It was really great to meet you and to talk with you on my podcast. So thank you so much for spending time with me today.

Sania Khimji: Thank you.

Carolyn Kiel: Thanks for listening to Beyond 6 Seconds. Please help me spread the word about this podcast. Share it with a friend, give it a shout out on your social media, or write a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. You can find all of my episodes and sign up for my free newsletter at Beyond6seconds.net. Until next time.