Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Ashley-Lauren Elrod of Brooklyn

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ashley-Lauren Elrod. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Ashley-Lauren, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
What I am being called to do now is to step into community and leadership in a way I never imagined for myself before. For so long, I was afraid of being fully seen, and I let fear keep me in the background. Now I know that showing up matters, not just for me but for the people and communities I serve. That is why I said yes to joining my local community board in Brooklyn. It felt intimidating at first, but I realized it was exactly where I needed to be. Having a voice at that table means I get to help shape real change for families and for neighborhoods that deserve to be heard.

That same calling is what drives Maya’s Magic Word. What started as a children’s book has grown into a full framework for early childhood empowerment and safety. It is giving kids as young as two the tools to use their voices and set boundaries, and it is helping parents, teachers, and caregivers know how to guide those conversations. I used to wonder if I was ready to carry something this big, but now I see how much it matters. Maya’s Magic Word is not just a product. It is a movement that belongs in every home, classroom, and community.

So what I am being called to do now is to say yes, even when it feels bigger than me. I am saying yes to community leadership, yes to protecting children, and yes to creating the kind of legacy that makes people feel safer, stronger, and more empowered.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ashley-Lauren Elrod, and I like to say I am a survivor turned visionary. I am an award-winning actress, Emmy-nominated social impact production company owner, children’s and mental health advocacy professional, and a community leader here in Brooklyn, where I serve on my local community board. At the heart of everything I do is a passion for protecting and empowering others, especially children.

I am the creator of Maya’s Magic Word, a children’s book and the first early childhood prevention framework that teaches kids as young as two how to use their voices, set boundaries, and feel safe in their own bodies. What started as a story is being developed into a full movement with parental guides, live programs, and partnerships with organizations like the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and National Children’s Alliance. It is special because it bridges education, storytelling, and prevention in a way that has never been done before.

I also run Visionary Woman Productions, my company dedicated to storytelling that blends art and advocacy. Through film, television, commercials, and purposeful live experiences, we create content that sparks conversations, uplifts voices, and drives social change.

What makes my work unique is that it all comes directly from my lived experience and expansive background in entertainment, media, marketing, mental health, and advocacy. I know what it feels like to be silenced, and now I am building spaces and stories that make sure the next generation never has to feel that way. Right now, I am focused on growing Maya’s Magic Word into schools and communities nationwide while continuing to use Visionary Woman Productions to amplify stories that create legacy.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a curious and imaginative little girl who believed anything was possible. I loved to sing, perform, and create stories out of thin air. I was deeply sensitive to the world around me, able to feel people’s emotions, and I carried a spiritual gift of knowing and seeing beyond what was in front of me. I did not always have the language for it back then, but I could sense things in ways that made me feel connected to something bigger than myself.

At my core, I was a storyteller, a visionary, and someone who wanted to protect and uplift others. That part of me never went away, even when trauma and expectations tried to silence it. Today, that same little girl lives through my work with Maya’s Magic Word and Visionary Woman Productions. She is the reason I use both my creativity and my spiritual gifting to heal, to protect, and to create spaces where others feel seen and safe.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there have not only been moments I almost gave up, but I did and survived. The most potent experience was years ago, after graduating from college, which forced me to finally start processing my life of carrying trauma and abuse that felt unbearable. I reached a point where the weight of it all pushed me into complete hopelessness. I felt invisible, like no one could really see what I was going through or understand the pain I carried every single day. In that darkness, I attempted to take my own life and survived.

What led me there was not weakness but exhaustion. I had been strong for so long, holding my story in silence, and I truly believed there was no way forward. But that moment did not end my story. A friend intervened that night; she felt a prompting in her spirit that something was wrong, and thanks to her, I was given the chance to live.

Surviving that night changed everything for me. It became a turning point where I realized I was still here for a reason. It is what fuels my work now with Maya’s Magic Word, with Visionary Woman Productions, and with the advocacy I carry into every room I walk into. I know what it feels like to want to give up, and because I survived, I get to remind others that their lives matter, their voices matter, and that even in the darkest places, there is still hope.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is absolutely the real me. I think sometimes people expect there to be a mask or a performance, but what you see is really who I am. The sassy, fierce, bold, and quirky parts of me are not an act; they are me. They come from surviving so much and choosing to live life fully, unapologetically, and on my own terms.

When you survive death, your entire perspective shifts. You honestly learn not to give a f** anymore about the expectations people try to put on you. You realize how short and precious life really is, and you stop wasting time trying to be someone else. My lifestyle and outlook changed completely after surviving my suicide attempt. I can’t be anything but myself now. The fire, the humor, the grit, the softness, the quirks, they all come with me into every room.

That is what makes me unshakable in my work, personal life, and my community leadership. I am not hiding, and I am not playing small. I survived for a reason, and I am going to live as my full self because of it, and teach others to start doing the same.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I lived with purpose, that I turned my pain into something powerful, and that I left the world safer and stronger than I found it. I want them to remember that I fought for children to have voices, for survivors to have dignity, and for women to be seen as the visionaries they are.

With the frameworks I’m building to help end cycles and create new systems for safety and inclusion, I hope they say I created a movement that gave kids the tools to protect themselves and shifted the way families and communities talk about safety. With Visionary Woman Productions, I hope they say I told stories that sparked change, elevated voices that needed to be heard, and showed what it looks like to lead with both grit and heart.

Most of all, I want the story to be that I lived fully as myself. That I was bold, a little sassy, deeply loving, and unafraid to walk in my truth. And that by doing so, I permitted others to do the same.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Grace Hatfield Photography

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