An unexpected career journey

First published in LINK – Australia’s national disability magazine – October / November 2026

Michael Theo didn’t intend to become a household name, yet when he applied for the ABC show Love on the Spectrum with the intention of finding love, it became an unintentional step into an acting career, and much more. “I didn’t go on the show to become famous. I went on the show in a quest to find love,” he said.

Love on the Spectrum became a nationwide hit and led Theo to take on other acting roles such as the lead in Austin , but his career evolution is still gaining momentum. He is now a children’s book author, podcaster, brand ambassador for Wable, a social app for neurodivergent communities, and the autism consultant for Aspect. Even with this busy schedule, it’s important to Theo to use his platform to help others take brave steps, stay motivated and believe in themselves.

The central theme of his children’s book ‘Edward’s Astonishing Animals’ is that finding your people takes time, and this motto can weave through all areas of life, including the workforce. Theo said, “The book’s overall message is that you may not have found your crowd yet, but you will, but it takes time. The same thing applies to employers and workplaces.”

Initially working in produce and manufacturing roles, Theo said he’s had good experiences in those workplaces, but there were painful and disheartening experiences too. Looking back, he felt employers at the time didn’t know how to accommodate neurodiversity, or how to respond to workplace bullying. “The company believed I needed fixing because I’m on the spectrum, which is highly false,” he said, adding “some colleagues called me names. Some even called me ‘a waste of oxygen.’”

The public’s limited acceptance that human capabilities and functioning vary greatly, remain major obstacles, as people with disability confront these perceptions out and about, and in workplaces every day. Kristy Kelly from Aspect echoes Theo’s experience. “Workplace bullying is more likely to happen when there is a focus on ‘one right way to work’, leaving differences misunderstood, with detrimental outcomes if bullying goes unaddressed.”

Jobs and Skills Australia reports that people with disability have a lower employment participation rate (60.5 per cent) compared to those without disability (80 per cent), yet the agency estimates that 260,000 people are not employed but are ready and able to be work.

There’s an opportunity exists for business leaders to discover the value and skills that neurodiverse team members can bring to their business and workplace culture. Theo said, “Employers tend to view neurodiverse people as productivity hindrances, but that’s wrong. Neurodiverse people could be their most reliable assets and some of their hardest working employees. They turn up on time and just get the work done without fuss.” To address change in workplace cohesion and build respectful workplaces, Kelly said “employers play an important role in workplace education, setting expectations of kindness and addressing issues straight away so employees feel safe to speak up.”

Small adjustments that make the day-to-day environment smoother are a positive first step. “Turning off music for an hour, keeping the lights a little lower, offering a place where lunch can be had away from noisy areas” Theo said. He also suggests that because everyone is different, “If you don’t know what would help them, just ask them.”

From the workplace floor to management-level actions, inclusion only comes through multi-pronged approach. For business owners, Kelly said, “Make a genuine public accountability commitment to inclusion. Then work to uphold that commitment by embedding inclusive approaches into policies, systems and everyday work practices. Starting at recruitment, onboarding, the daily workplace environment, and even understanding why someone has chosen to move on.” Although operational elements like low light and minimal noise can work for many, Kelly added that “Autistic people are so varied in talents and support needs that single strategies alone often don’t make much difference over time.”

As Australians with disability can struggle to find open doors to full time employment and advocates campaign tirelessly for mandated employment equality, it’s no surprise the disability community can be left disheartened by a cycle of application rejection and stressful interview processes. Theo believes that everybody wants to feel the purpose that comes with a job, so he encourages his peers to keep trying and see what happens . “If you’re given an job opportunity, take it. See how you go. And if you’re knocked-back from potential employers, don’t feel too disheartened, stay determined and press on. Cause life is like that – it still goes on.”

Not all workplaces are a good fit for everyone, and Theo says “If someone knocks you back, it means that employer is not the right fit for you. But there will be one out there that is right.” A personal area to focus on that can help, is to not worry what people think of you. “If others don’t think highly of you, that’s on them. If there are people in this world that can’t accept you for who you are, that’s not your problem.”

With a lot of focus on Theo’s professional development and his budding acting career, Theo’s life goals remain unchanged to the person that signed up for Love on the Spectrum , he’s simply adding goals as he goes. LINK asked where he sees himself if ten years, “I see myself still working with Aspect, and being a married man and having a place in Melbourne. I think I’ll still be making television shows, but I’d like to do films as well.”