Mădălina Botos, Founder and Creator of Ayu & Gigi, United Kingdom
Madalina is the powerhouse mum who built a world of pink hair, laughter, and learning. As the creator of AYU & GIGI, she transforms everyday chaos into colourful magic. And that’s not all: she juggles multiple roles with heart and intention, balancing life as a mother, a wife, and a deeply passionate human being who pours love into everything she does.
1.Tell us about yourself—as a woman, a mother, a creator, and a leader in a managerial role. And then tell us about your other self: AYU. How do these identities move together, and how do they complement one another? How do you switch between your many roles?
Oh, well. First, thank you so much for seeing something in me. I feel more than honoured.
As a woman, the first thing that comes to mind is passion and intensity. I am passionate in everything I do, in everything I feel, in every step I take. I have always been someone who naturally cares for others—very often before I care for myself—and I tend to put people’s needs, dreams, and plans before my own (I am working on that one). I have always been that reliable pillar for anyone who crossed my path. If I love you, you will feel it deeply. I usually express love best through acts of service, or you simply feel it because my energy carries a very high level of intensity. In one word…I would say that I am very, very INTENSE.
As a woman, I am still discovering myself, adding more and more layers to my femininity, my desires, my needs, and my thoughts. I am super organised, obsessed with lists, early bookings, notes, and reminders. And themed parties… my friends call them “Mădălina’s trademark.” I find it boring to celebrate anything without colour or creativity.
As a mother, I feel I’ve stepped into the most beautiful version of myself. I always knew I was born to be a mum. It fulfils me in a way nothing else ever could. I have two wonderful little boys, both proudly wearing the mushroom haircuts I give them myself—my greatest creations. It is hard and beautiful and magical all at once, and I cherish every moment I get to be their mum.
I am also a content creator. I built a YouTube channel dedicated to little children, and alongside that, I support my husband with some ongoing administrative and managerial projects at our family car dealership. Nothing overwhelming—just helping where I can. I contribute to social media content, a few organisational tasks, the occasional meeting, and the small bits and bobs that naturally fall under a supporting role, all while slowly shaking off the “late baby phase” and learning to organise myself better so I can step in more. Even so, my main project remains Ayu, and I want to take that far. I have already created two Ayu-branded products, and I cannot wait to bring them into the world as well.
Then there is AYU. Ayu is my main identity outside being a woman and a mother. She is a character I created: a girl with pink hair, freckles, and an alpaca called Gigi—a toy made out of blankets. Twice a month, I become Ayu. I go to the studio, tie my hair in a bun, put on the wig, and start playing, singing, teaching little ones to count, to recognise colours, to move, to laugh. The content is in English, and it brings me so much joy.
The two identities walk hand in hand. Through Ayu, I express a side of me that is naturally playful. I adore being silly, changing my voice, moving with joy. Ayu is my colourful version—my happiness expressed through voice and movement. I think my editor laughs quite a lot watching the raw footage I send her.
It has also been a form of therapy. On hard days, when I am sad or tired, transforming into Ayu forces me to switch state—to smile, to play, to give joy. It heals me.
Switching between roles is a rhythm I learned. Office days are planned in advance: shirt, blazer, heels—everything ready. I try to mentally switch off from home tasks so I can properly leave the house. My schedule is flexible, since my husband owns the dealership, which helps. When I am home, coffee is sacred. That is when my engine starts. I cook, tidy up, then open the laptop to manage the YouTube channel: meetings with my editor, notes, thumbnails, planning. Then my second coffee. Then a bit more cooking, a bit more cleaning. On weekends, Ayu comes to life. That is when I film.
2.Was there a specific moment when AYU & GIGI was born—an instant when you just knew this project needed to exist?
Yes. Everything started with a bit of screen time in my boys’ lives. I used to think before motherhood that they would never watch anything, but as we all know, screens were invented for parents more than for children.
They were watching an American creator who explored playgrounds, taught children different things, played, experimented, and it intrigued me. I began researching the field and suddenly a light switched on inside me. I knew I wanted to create educational content. No compromises. No shortcuts. No putting my own children on screen for faster visibility or easier money, even though that is a very powerful niche in children’s online content. I wanted to build something I truly believe in.
I felt called to go back to my roots—back on camera. I had done this before, in my student years, appearing on a Sunday morning show on TVR2. Good times.
I took a few days to create Ayu, spoke to mums, researched extensively, and then I began. It has been a long journey since then. The channel now has over 320 thousand subscribers.
3.You’re a mother of two, managing multiple projects while also juggling involvement in a car dealership business. How do you navigate all these worlds without losing yourself, and what keeps you grounded through it all?
Short and simple: I go to therapy weekly, and it helps enormously.
What keeps me grounded is what I receive back from the people in my life. I am deeply blessed with incredible family, friends, and souls around me. They feed my energy. They constantly show me that every second I give, do, help, love, is worth it. Love keeps me grounded. Love, love, love.
4.In a fast, demanding, masculine-paced world—especially considering the nature of your other job—how do you stay connected to your feminine energy? What rituals or mindsets help you return to softness?
My feminine connections keep me rooted in my feminine energy. I have beautiful women in my life, inside and out. Music and time spent in my dressing room reconnect me with my feminine side deeply. And ironically, being surrounded by three boys at home sometimes amplifies my femininity even more. They adore me, and it makes me feel like a sort of queen.
One of the most powerful things is the online interactions I share with the women in my life, from all corners of the world: our video calls, our voice notes, our long messages. We never take them for granted. Sometimes we dress up a little, put on lipstick, light a candle, pour a glass of wine, and enter a full feminine, warm, glowing vibe.
As a ritual, I often start dancing in the kitchen—usually when I am home alone. I catch a glimpse of myself reflected in the oven glass, and I love it. That is the “secret side of Madi”: the soft, sensual shape moving in the oven reflection.
5.What advice would you give to other beautiful women who want to honour their femininity while still being powerful and ambitious?
Surround yourself with warm, loving women. And try to forget, from time to time, that you have a “role” to fulfil. We were not born to embody titles like wife, mother, or anything else. We were born with talents, desires, needs, thoughts, and feelings, just like men.
If being a wife, a stay-at-home mum, a career woman, or anything else aligns with your heart, then go for it confidently. But stop thinking in rigid roles. Masculine energy speaks in terms of attributes and competencies, not roles. I believe we should vibrate in the same way.
By Bianca Bonta
