AYLA MADISON
How this Veteran in Making Pow3r Moves
Ayla Madison is making moves in the world of event planning and marketing. As a veteran of the Marine Corps and the founder of Pow3r Productions, she wants her community to know that when we come together to make things happen, there is nothing that can stop us. Ayla took some time to sit down and talk to AFIYA Magazine about her business, why she does what she does, and what ‘power’ means to her.
Born in Texas, Ayla grew up in Tallahassee, FL and began event coordinating a little over 10 years ago after seeing members of her family host events in the community. “I would love watching my aunt, who was the mayor at the time, have these extravagant events,” shares Ayla. “Eventually, through different experiences and the universe working as it should, I was brought to the right people and places.”
Known to many as ‘Power’, Ayla shares the story behind the nickname that came before the show, and went on to become the name of her business. Growing up, her mother would refer to her as ‘fireball’ because of the many times she persevered in this world. “As I got older, I thought to myself, what’s another name I can use, and the word ‘power’ just stuck out to me. The meaning of my name is ‘halo of light around the moon’ in Turkish and ‘oak tree’ in Hebrew,” she says. “In the Bible, the roots of the oak tree are what keep people grounded. So I felt that ‘power’ in the long run represented who I am. I write it with the number 3 instead of an ‘e’ because that number normally represents completion, and to me ‘power’ represents that—a completion of who you are and what you want to represent.”
Since working in the field, Ayla has had the opportunity to plan and coordinate a wide variety of events, such as networking mixers, day parties, and fashion shows. “To me, event planning is like an empty canvas. When you’re behind the scenes, you get to see everything coming together, almost like a drawing,” shares Ayla. “You see all these individuals from different walks of life, with different ideas, from various groups, and everyone gets together for this period of time. It blows my mind every time because no event is ever the same.” Having had the opportunity to coordinate her very first wedding this year, Ayla knows that this is another path which she would like to continue down, as well. “You never know what you may be good at until you just go for it,” she says.
Read more in the Nov/Dec Issue!
AFIYA Magazine looks to enhance the awareness and knowledge of wellness issues important to African-American women while providing a platform for us to grow, expand, and develop within our personal and professional lives.