Today we’d like to introduce you to Akira Payne.
Hi Akira, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I was originally born in a small town in Alabama called Sheffield. At the tender age of three, my parents moved to Atlanta, GA for better opportunities and better education for me. Growing up, my parents made me work hard for everything I got which really allowed me to understand life’s values as I got older. I cried many nights because I was so hard on myself which drove me into self-deflecting depression. I never realized how bad it was until my boyfriend of 3 1/2 years told me that I was starting to become very closed off and I began to really become this harsh person towards other people and even drive myself insane if I didn’t do things right away. So here I am 23 years old, at the time, beating myself up because I had an image of myself in my head and I didn’t understand why someone who works as hard as me, full-time college student and worked a job pulling 12 1/2 hours a day didn’t have everything I desired. When I noticed that I was different and I knew that I could make an impact on people, I hosted my first ever empowerment brunch and when I noticed that when I got up to finally speak after I finally finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, and it finally clicked that was my passion, that’s what I was put here for. That’s when I took it and ran with it and ever since then, I have been involved behind the scenes of a lot of events here in Atlanta as of right now but I am looking to expand my gift of motivational speaking starting in 2022. I am so excited that at the age of 26, I have impacted so many lives and I can not wait to impact more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road, no one knows but I got diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia at the age of 22. When people made jokes about me always being sleepy and laughed thinking it was funny because I’m the young girl who could fall asleep anywhere, it caused me to be in a deep depressed state again and I didn’t want to come around anyone anymore including my family. Once again, it was only one person who really knew the seriousness of it and I thank him so much for understanding and keeping his composure throughout the process because I will Struggle with this condition for the rest of my life including taking medication.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of being a motivational socialite. Although I’ve had one event, I am still involved in other people’s lives and helping in the background. My business Key Secret Society LLC is based of the anonymous information given to young business owners trying to find their way and get discouraged along the way. We give them that extra push that they need to be successful and also give them the proper connections to be connected to the people they need to be connected with to have a prosperous business. There will be more events here in Atlanta, including networking events and meet & greets. We are also looking to expand across the country once we build the proper team to do so.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memories are mostly with my grandfather, may he Rest In Peace. Although I remember very vividly everything else I can remember like it was yesterday when I was 2 or 3 and my grandfather used to always take me with him everywhere he went, we used to go to one of his favorite restaurants called the olive tree maybe once a week and I loved When I could sit in his lap and turn the steering wheel like I was driving his favorite truck, I was always on his hip when you’ve seen him you seen me. He cherished me and I really hate our relationship got cut short but I’m so happy I can remember the small things.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/Iamakirarashane_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrsMarkk
Image Credits:
Geneieve Stevens
