December 5, 2024 • 60 mins
LESLIE J. SHERROD is the author of eight faith-based novels speaking to the hopes and dreams of diverse women. She is also a contributor to multiple other publications, including inspirational devotionals and a short story anthology. A writer and a social worker, Leslie aims to bring messages of hope and healing through page-turning, satisfying suspense and heartwarming humor. With a talent for drawing on raw emotions and painting vivid and meaningful imagery with her pen, her books have been welcomed at book club meetings, literary events, and church groups around the country, as well as featured on various media outlets. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Leslie loves to explore the world with her family, enjoying good food, inspiring views, and quiet reflection.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh oh okay, okay, I missed the engine. Ever, we
got a problem.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Okay, here comes, let me see if I could get
his stack. Oh, hold on, I look, and.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I want to make sure you are right. I'm not right, Kennedy. Okay,
the screen is not working. It it just keeps. I
mean to be back here, okay, okay, no hit the
(00:42):
hit that on M I didn't do anything, okay, so much. Oh,
they just can't see it. Okay, excuse me. Let me
(01:02):
get ladies and gentlemen. This beautiful young lady who is
to my right and you're left on screen. Her name
is Leslie J. Sharad. It is a Sharada share it.
She is an author. She's written eight s safe face
books and I have her latest to made. It's called
house Broken and it's about a whole bunch of crazy
(01:24):
people going on and there. Okay, so now I'm not moving,
Keep on talking, just keep on going. There we go.
That beautiful young lady that is Levely Jay Sharad Aunt.
It is my pleasure to have you on the program.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I am absolutely excited and delighted to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
That is my pleasure. So Now let's talk about you first.
Let's get all up in your bees wex where you're from?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
You know?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
What did you do? Did you ever know that you
would be an author? A bunch of question then you
can pick one and answer. A girl going and bring
we'm the city again. They were moving city.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I said, I'm a proud boxmore girls ooh, And you say,
yes I did. I'm probably fifteen minutes away from the house.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
All about that. Now, do you have brothers and sisters?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
I have one sister.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I have one older sister.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You see all my guns, and you know you are?
Were you spoiled? Are you spoiled? I don't.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I don't think you are.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You are are your voice and went up too high?
You like? You can't call me a spoil not they
know me. Yes, I can tell you spoil. You like
what you like and you wanted right there on the guns.
This is what you want? So now when were you
When did this this writing spirit come to you? Did
you always know that this is this is something you
wanted to do? You know?
Speaker 5 (02:46):
I have always loved to write. I took fool second grade.
I had an assignment from my teacher man. We had
to write paragraph about a picture of ourselves.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
And I remember falling in love with the idea of
being able to describe my picture. And I always have
written me even when I did so that it would
be something that I would actually, you know, have books published.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Middle school, high school, I would writing the most poetry,
but I loved it.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
College, I would write short stories. I went to the
University of Maryland.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh you you just look, you just took over the area.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
Yes, I'm all Maryland. So yeah, I've always loved to write.
I realized even though I trade, I'm a social worker.
I saw that I have a private practice. But even
with that, I find myself coming back to writing.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
All the time.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Maybe it's my self care. I don't know, but it's
so much a part of me that way from it.
It keeps calling me.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It's it's like that. It's like the mafia. I guess
when you're thinking around, they pull you back in. I
was I was working on being retired. M oh that
saying that for everybody. Okay, yeah, let's see how that's
gonna work for your missy and and and when you
have a passion for what you do, it's never worked.
It's not work. This is what you do. It's almost
like another organ in your body because you have to
(04:08):
you have to get it out. And we're gonna talk
about house broken, Okay, not to show the book. Now,
who does who does your book covers?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
My husband Actually we are a team together.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
He has designed I would say, all one of these books,
even through you, I've been with different publicers. It's time around.
We actually joined.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Forces together, my husband and I.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
This is our own little imprint here, but even through
my Jolley but traditional covers, that's one did just about
all of my covers.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
How about that? Now, that's and when you work as
a team, and people don't really understand that marriage is work.
That's an everyday ongoing position. You could, you know, talk
about trying to sugarcoat it, you know, fluff it up
all you want to. When you're in a chance with
another human that is your life made that you know that,
you know that, you know mm. Nobody ever said it
(05:06):
was gonna be easy. Nobody ever said this is gonna
be a breet you know, and everybody can I write
good books. I found and I'm like I told you,
I am an I'm an avid reader and I love
the showcase author and and so I looked up. I
got two books right over there on my to go
and they probably gonna go right out the door. It
(05:26):
is the worst. First of all, it made a little
tiny prince and see, and that's something you have to
think about. Talk about that, the little things that nuances
that you do and that you well you already got
your hood and that's a big nuhu. You know that
goes into writing. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I think a lot of times when people think about writing,
whether you are pursuing writing yourself or just staving about it,
people think about the act of sitting down to write,
which in itself is a lot. But when you start
trying to put a book out there, there's so many
different edits. You know, copy at it, line is paid,
proof at it. You also had to from day one
(06:04):
start thinking.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
About your audience as well.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
How are you going to read your audience if that's
of yours. There's so many nuances that come with writing
a book that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I mean, it is a lot of work. You talk
about how when it's past, keep coming back to it.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
When I finished work for today, I find myself back
into writing. I've been tell two three in the morning,
and I'll look at.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The clock, and I'm like, how is it be a clock?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
There's so much work to do, though, and then when
you get up and we'll tell you to social work.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You know, I think for a lot of reasons, you know,
in full disclosure, with my family, there's been a lot
of you know, needs to help and soul.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
As I was growing up, I recognized the role of
the role of therapist, the role of knowing what community
resources the health and so for me, what was personal
became professional, if you will, just recognizing how much support
is needed for our.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Family, for our communities, and that is.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Just as much a part of me, I would say,
of life, because and that's your community. And I don't
understand why a lot of people, a lot more people
are not community minded. I believe when we get out
there and we start meeting people, then you see what
the need is. And oftentimes people say this is just
way too bad for me, Okay. When they say that,
calling to me, I'm like, okay, I know they ain't
(07:36):
got God in their lives, because there's nothing too big
for God. And that's another thing that I appreciate about
your writing, because you had faith based books. I mean,
you could have wrote anything. What I mean because God
calling you and your connected with God. Because this isn't
just for faith based people, though, anybody could read and
(07:56):
enjoy this book. And let me tell y'all, when you
get the book, just read the book because you're gonna
re like me. I'm like, oh no, oh no, she
didn't you know?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Oh yes, I was.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
I was talking to the book. My husband, Henry, who
are you talking to I'm like this book. I love
reading and I love to hear other stories, and you know,
and oftentimes you realize they're no different than you on
r you know, So let's talk when you get there.
How do you decide what this topic is gonna be?
Speaker 5 (08:26):
You know, the stories, the characters have to introduce themselves
to me. You said that sounds just weird to say.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
No, that makes a lot of sense because those are
the people that live in your head, and you got
to get to my head. I can hear space a
lot of times.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
With many of my stories.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
You talked with the scene, the would just be a
character in a place, and I don't even know what
part of the story it is. Sometimes it's in the
beginning of the story.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Sometimes it's been the middle or the end, I would
just see this scene and it would just cast my
interest and then I stopped flushing it out.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So you know, it is very interesting to have do
characters show up. I've had characters.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Where I think I want a character to do one thing,
but then realize that that is not who they are,
and I've paid to delete the hole cap. So yeah,
the characters are the ones who introduce themselves to start
writing their story.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
And a good story. It is. So when when you
see that and you get get these people in your head,
do you write for them individually? Do you write with
them for them collectively? Because you know, looking at Evan
and you know his his fiance and Nika, I mean
you characters up in there, you know, do you do
you focus on more characters so that you start getting
(09:41):
the meat on the bones, because like you said, they
introduce themselves. You're just like the facilitators. You just show
up and make it real. That's all.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
So I it starts with the characters. But then as
the cast includes starts showing up.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yeah, the story be gives us like itself up, So
I do start.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I pictured the story. Almost every every chapter.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Is a different scene become this in seed but if
I keep writing, I have to be about about one
hundred pages in before I have a really prob as.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
To what is.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I can go back and outline and at it hunting
page to do those things. But yeah, do think about.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's pretty that's pretty darn good. One hundred pages. Listen
about the time I thought to one hundred pages, I
had a headache. I'm like, why am I telling these people?
Are my business? Like? This? Would it wrong with you?
And I'm just questioning in God just laughing at me.
I told you this wasn't your plans. So you because
you have a it's important, and because you have a
(10:44):
strong support system. How do you find that balance? You know,
that's what they're saying out finding the balance? You know,
live her that life that you know you have to,
you know, take care of yourself. I've always take care
of myself. I tell them all that if mother ain't happy,
ain't nobody gonna be ethic something.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
I feel like I am still trying to figure out
the balance. One thing that I do love to do
is traveling.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
So whenever I can travel, that's when I can expale
a little a little bit. If I'm not on a trip,
I'm probably day dreating. So for me because I work,
I will I work work, work, work, work, work.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
So when I get to unplugged and get away, I
don't care if it's like to the next state or
across the world. I sit then expe a little bit.
That helps kind of balance out.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
You said it kind of help. Do your characters keep
you away sometimes at night?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
This book?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Not?
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Sometimes sometimes I'm like, what were they really thinking of?
Speaker 4 (11:47):
You know when they did this? Really write that scene?
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Right?
Speaker 4 (11:50):
So you know they they do have a way of
getting in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Trying to make themselves.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
But I love it. How do you How are you
able to separate let from your characters, because you have
to be able to you know, get that have that space.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Yeah, I think it's important to try to figure out
what their voices about me. I noticed, so it's like
you're really getting inside of someone's But then as I
go back and lead, I started realizing, you know, that's
something that I would do.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
You's fix that that's not true to that character, And
that's okay. I think I think people find you more
authentic when they know that there's a piece of you
and not just I'm just gonna write this book, and
I'm just gonna go to the bookstores and I'm gonna
autograph books, and I'm gonna do my book toward thing
when you when you're in it, and you you get
out there and you're making a presentation, how much of
(12:47):
Leslie do you have to separate from to stay with
the story? Because you don't they I do write a
first person, and I know what that is.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You know, it does take some words. I think if
my nature, believe it or not, I'm probably be a
little bit more of an introvert. I am happy to
just trying to be at home, hanging up with my family.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
So putting myself out there with these books that this
is completely trying to come out of my comfort zone.
But I recognize as a writer that's kind of what
you're doing. Put yourself out there, let your characters. You
know that whole process.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
So it can be scary. I'm not gonna lie. This
is and this is the you have to remember. These
are the these are the characters you you created, and
see when you started talking. That's why I don't write
the first person. No, I'm because I do. That's the
only thing I know to do. I got because I
you know, that's why they came blackmail black people, because
we'll tell the story ourself, and we could tell the
(13:45):
story better than you can. I remember when I first
came out here, was like, so, but the little how
come we've never seen your husband? I figure, my husband
ain't none of your business? And they were like, well,
you don't need to be that man when you talking
about getting up in my kool aid. Oh no, I
there's no bill, is no line about you know, me
being Cooper. My kids are off limits. I this is
what I wanted one of this. It's not what I
(14:07):
wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
This is what God said go and do.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
And I know you have a personal relationship with the Lord,
and you here when he hears you, he hears you,
and he knows what it is that you need. Now
do you empty out when you get finished with the book?
I mean empty if staff? Okay, I got housebroken?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Done?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Okay? Cool? I agree? Okay, Now what's my next seat?
Or do you actually stop and bring I don't think
I do a very.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Good divers reading.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Sometimes I will tell you every single book that I've written,
this this is my age one, every single one that
has been a significant tallenge inside, and so I.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Don't know if writing is the relief or that the
lesson or you know, I learned from my character. Sometimes
I would write a scene and then go back and
release to on. So when I get to the end
of the story, it is a relief. It's you know,
you know, I'm happy that it's sun but I'm already
(15:08):
starting to think about with nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
See, I knew it, you bother. The only time you
are still as when you sleep. Yeah, and then it's
at the time I can be up to two o'clock
in the morning, and then that means I have to
get up early earlier. You know what I means, I
don't have your You have to have your rest, keep
your brain fresh. You know, you got to be you know,
(15:30):
and people don't understand this. When you're writing, you have
a million of emotions going on. You know, you could
be angry, you could be therapeutically, and obviously, I think
writing for you is therapeutic. It's your way of cleansing.
It's your way of staying connected without having to get
beat up all the time. You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
You know, one thing that's important to me as a
writer is given a message of hope. I feel like
there's so much darkness, there's so much heaviness in the
world right now. Then I wanted to be a pool
of life like this story.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
It is not this deep dark story. It's meant to
be fun. It's meant to be expressing.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
It's meant to give negats of maybe some life lessons
related to marriage.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
But really that is my goal as the writer, is
to bring the most word possible, to give people a
suit of hope and maybe put a little smile on movie.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Well I got that, trust me, I would. I had
a bunch of smiles on my face. And one of
the characters in your book, Missus whaling m you talk
about boogie Oh, how did you deve? How did you
come across her and have her be like that? But
hepherds looking and feeling human, you know, because I wanted
(16:48):
to strangle her. I saw a eye, threw it one
of them holes in the wall of that house.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
But you know, Mss Whalen has some secrets of her.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Doubt dust has too much And I was like, oh,
I know you up to something, Missy, and I could.
I know your vision of her is probably different from
my vision of her because I can I can see
them four blonde okay, you know I can see them
four blows and when they do and she don't know?
How did you not make Evan a mama's boy because
he is not a mama's boy, You don't think so?
(17:23):
He kind of spoiled. Okay, now, man like our only son,
and we get crazy with our only son. But I
mean she could be. She was quite overbearing. Yes, he
is quite old and she want to take and she
will let you know, she doesn't bite her tongue. You
just don't seem like that kind of person. Where does
that kind and that came out of your pretty head?
How were you able to develop her like that and
(17:45):
still make her human and still make her motherly because
she did been one of them kind of o. I
can't wait till I'm going I'm getting buy here with
this crazy chick. She want to dictate everything on ditate
the wedding, whether we're gonna live.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
But you know, see again, you have to let the
character speak. See have selected for these two for who
they are once turned as a writer, though, is that
every character, whether they are the villains, the hero, to
make them human. They have good and bad So maybe
they get on your nerves, but they know how to
plan a pretty rose guard, you know. So it's like
(18:18):
that's how you humanize, see, finding what parts of them
can people still relate to. Yes, she is overbearing, but
maybe why I'm actually.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Intrigued enough by her that I'm just she's been considering
having her own story of sake, you know, how she.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Got to be who she is?
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So is that another book coming about? And do you
what do you white? Do you white characters that you've
already introduced in your other books, do they entertain you
or they want This is a whole different entity with
How's Broken?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So Housebroken is a is his own story. I am
playing around with the idea of miss Wayman's story.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And also, oh, because she y he he was what
we call the college. He wanted them, one of them
loose women. He wanted them, you know, cause she didn't
have a problem with it, you know. And in this
day age, when we got a a woman who was
getting married and she's still a vergent, I was like,
wait a minute, let me let me go back. And
did she thank me? Was twenty dollars, which is good.
(19:19):
It was refreshing. That gave me hope, you know, for
younger people to understand this is the work in progress.
And when you know you got the one, you know
you got the one. They might not know that they
are the ones, but you know you now who who?
How did you and your husband need? Oh?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
We met actually technically in college. Really it was the
summer after our first year of college. We both ended up.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
As camp counselors at the YMCA. We were West Baltimore
and we've been together til we were nineteen. See you
celebrated twenty five years. But yeah, we started out as camp.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Counselors working at the Listen, you understand, and that is
a very responsible position. People think camp counselors are no
big deal. You're just playing with a bunch of kids.
You got, I don't I don't know how many kids
were in the kidnap. Was this overnight camp or daycamp? Okay?
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I had the kindergarteners. I forget what grade he has.
That that was some serious works.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And people don't know I was a camp counselor for
you know, they're gonna pay me for this because I
was out there having fun, so being wild and undisciplined,
and the kid not only my kids in my cabin,
but other kids in the other camp. I said, yeah,
I can't just sleep in the cabin. It's only made
for a Well we'll sleep with Sally. Well we'll sleep
with Susie. I'm like, no, ya, both black pickup cabin
(20:42):
that everybody want. And it was so cool. And you
really don't know what kind of impact you've had on
these kids at at day camp. So has any of
your former campus ever came up to you and said, hey,
miss did y'all have to use did you were you
able to use your name or did you have to
have a camp name?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
I think we just I just wanna five minutes less.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Okay, that to put a handle on these kids.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
That's you know, that was that was probably.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
About thirty years old.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
Thirty years but.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
There was one that we would see from town the time,
and we watched him grow up and.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Get married and have a child.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Let me, then, we're not old, We're seasoned. I'm a
seasoned citizen. And then our grandchildren told let us know,
uh that we were old, but we weren't old old.
I didn't know what that meant. That said, what does
that mean? And they got old oldest? You know, we
(21:44):
had boyecat creaky and they walked real slow and it
bent over and said, so we're not that. They said, oh,
now you're papa. Y'all just old you gotta get up
and travel. Y'all have people over all the time. We
could come over any town we want to. You know,
what you got. Being with you is like an event,
and so that's I was like, Oh, I'm just own.
(22:05):
That's why I prefer being a seasoned citizen. Back it up.
You better hope you get halfway here. And that's especially
in this day and age with so much animosity, so
much mayhem. You truly are a breath of fresh hair,
you really are. And to just be able to surround
yourself into your characters, you know, and you brought up
(22:25):
uh missus Whalen and Nika. I actually wanted to know
more about them, you know, I particularly care for her
in the beginning. You know, they kind of wear on you,
and that's what you want. That's what you want. You
want people to have a human connection with those pages.
Now do you what you like printed books? Do you
like e books?
Speaker 5 (22:47):
I still kind of like the feel of a book
in my hand.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Now I will read e books.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
I do have them, But do you like the feel
of this kind of.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
And I like to do this when I get a
little book. Just smell the metal so I can smell
all the way to the spine and then I know
this is gonna be something really good. And how do
how do? How do you come up with such distinction
between your characters?
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Again, you just have to listen to their voices.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
You have to think about what their story are.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Even though we just see the little slippet of their
lives in the book, I imagine their life before the book.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
You know, who were they, what did their childhood look like?
You know, what are their goals? What are their motivations.
When you start kind of flexting out a character that way,
it becomes a lot easier to you know, introduce them
into the story and see, you know, what are they
gonna do in this situation?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I love it. I think that's that's really cool because
you can you could you have you have a great
attention span if you are able to sit down. And
because to me, writing a book like that probably ain't
gonna happen. I won't be able to remember. So that's
why I write the shelf help books and the books
on forgiving because it's so important when you see the
(24:01):
madness is going on? Are you compelled to because you
said you're a community a community activist, When do you
know it's not for you to step in and whatever
the situation was, When did you know it's not for
you to step into you know, teaching these little kids
at camp, raising your own kids, and you know, and
(24:21):
that's a lot of work, you know, because you got
so you got four different personalities in your house, including you.
You fine, and you got to deal with all these
different personalities.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yeah, it is definitely a balancing act. And you know, again,
I work as a therapist, so thank god.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I just want to say thank you because we need
more therapists in the community like you that can understand,
you know, even just from an ethnic point of view.
I had a white not psychologist with a psychologists. Oh yes,
I've been in therapy. I've been in therapy since I
was fourteen years old. Get a grip. And why do
(24:58):
you think people are people? I'm so stand fast and
negative about therapy. If anybody people are black women.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
I am a firm believer that sometimes I.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Can carry I can hear it.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Oh can you hear me, now, yeah, that's okay. I'm
a firm believer that sometimes you have to have some
service where you can sit down, unpack, exhale, and pick
up some coping strategy. You know, people have been through
so much trauma.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
There's so much depression and anxiety. I love being in
the role of being able to live sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
That's that's the biggest thing is just people want to
be heard.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
So for me, having that space where I can work
with an individual and let them really tell.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Their stories and kind of dig deep and help them.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Heal, I feel like that's a such a powerful place
that I feel honored to stick with people to do that.
And I think especially in our community, especially without people
are carrying so much. So I am a big advocate
obviously society. It doesn't mean that you are crazy. It
means that you are submitted to being the best.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
President you should do and being well.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
People forget about their mental health. They now go take
care of the physical stuff, and then you trying to
figure out why would they take a bunch of pills that,
you know, take themselves out. And I had to tell
death is not an option. Tweety you you just like
you had nothing to do with hitting the planet. You know,
you you get there bright, you won't have anything to do.
But you know, unless you do it yourself, and we
(26:35):
and we we won't and we don't wanna talk to
anybody about our problems. Just the want to give me.
Everybody want God to do all the work. God say,
you got you help. I'll help those who help themselves.
The Lord figured out he knows my heart. Okay, Now
how you gonna present yourself to other people? That that
way you let them know that you have God in
your life. And sometimes you know them two might not
(26:58):
mess to will together. You know, some people don't want
to listen, and we know that they want to be heard.
That's what he wants. I never would have thought about
if you know, we've lived in two centuries. In the
twenty first century, how about that part? And just seeing
so much destruction, you know, I thought a by the
(27:19):
time we got to the twenty first entry, I'm still
waiting for my jets and car to unfold. I'm an
breefcare So what am I talking about? And it seems
like it's getting worse. And the only thing that I
think each of us can do individually is don't be afraid,
be willing to stand in the gap, be willing to
go through the gauntlet because you're needed and what you do,
(27:41):
your services are needed, you know. And I would rather
somebody say, Oh, I'm not gonna be talking to miss Leslie.
She's just gonna be telling me. You know, let me
sit there and do all the talking. Okay. That's what
therapist does, is fit and they listen and oftentimes you
might not have to ask any questions because they'll they'll
tell you. You know. So you talked about one of
your success stories a young man that you watch them
(28:04):
grow up from time to time, you want, from time
to time as he was growing up and got to
you know, have a sense of that they he knew
what you guys did for him and for him to
be willing to share that with you, that SA is
a lot about you and your husband and the fact
that you know you sit together as a team, you know,
and that's sometimes listen, you know, we had them buried,
(28:26):
we had them based them like dudes. Really yeah really,
and they tell the older they get, they go from
being your your your boyfriend, your lover, your husband. I
messed matter, but you know what I mean. And then
they go from being this your boy, the guy you
just loved the pieces. Oh he is so sad. I'm
just so glad that I have him, which I truly am.
(28:48):
But then when you get now he's at the father's days,
he said, he my daddy. I'm like, you're gonna get
you a hobby because I'm not your hobby. You know
you need to And so we laugh all the time,
all the time, and he'll say, that's not what incid is.
And when I can make him laugh, I know I'm
gonna make a whole audience laugh. Because everybody used to
(29:08):
tell him when they were he wouldn't come and see me.
Do stand up? He said, I live with her. I
know they seen. He would send his fraternity brothers to
come and see me, and they're gonna come back here.
We thought she was sonny in the house, She funny
on the stage. Man, you got to go and see her.
He was like, I see her right there. I'm like,
I'm not always own, but people expect that when you
(29:30):
walk outside the door. When I come home, the wig
come off, the make up come off, and you know
that's enough. And if I never ever, ever ever had
to wear a bra again, because I became the mother
and not be that mother. So what do your kids
and I know your husband, what do your kids think
about they have a famous ride of mom.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
I don't know about the samous part.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Oh you're gonna be famous. Put on your resume. Guess
on the mother Love show. You know people, well how
you know mother love see and you wouldn't say, but
tell them I said that you can did.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
I will keep that in mine to say, a lot
of what I do is because of my kids.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
I started writing my very first novel. You know, I've
been writing all my life. When I started to start
my first.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
Novel, my oldest daughter was three months old, three months old,
and I just for me to pursue the writing dreams
is as much.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
As part of being a mother as it is a writer, because.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
I want to iddle for my children the importance of
following what you believe God has called you to do.
And I think that's not just something that I say
that I want to show them. I love being a mom.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
It has been truly one of the best privileges and
blessings of my life because I can remember.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
A time where I didn't know if I was going
to be able to be.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
A month.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah, I had, I had a couple of.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
You know, we don't talk about that, and I don't
think people realize how.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
How traumatic it is and justn't want to get me
leslie or you'll get over it.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
No, that someone put it best of a friend of
mine at the time, says the grieving of family members
you didn't meet, and.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That just girl, like, how could somebody see? That? Just
goes to show how people can really be cool. And
oftentimes I bet you who that friend used to be
friends said that, did they ever apologize to you for that?
Speaker 4 (31:37):
They were trying to say it in a way of encouragements,
in the way of saying that your grief is legitimate,
that it is a family member.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
You didn't get to meet him, but they were still
a family member. But I just I say all that
to say for me, having being able to be a
mom has been like one of the biggest, greatest things.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
So when I write my.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
Stories when I'm here trying to publish, when I'm not
here trying to push myself.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Oh wait, hold up, wait, hold up, you didn't give
the memo. We don't do the word trying to we
do the dog gone thing. We're not trying to do anything.
You'll tell them, but you won't even take your own advice.
But you know, you know, and you know that you're
giving them good advice. What's the worst advice you ever
gave to them? Can you bring your eye down? They
(32:29):
went past your eyebrows.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
I try to be in a place where I'm helping.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Them recognize.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
They can be confident in the wisdom that they have
been learning through their own lives. School out sometimes to
help helping them to sign to what they already know
and maybe been afraid to believe about themselves. Yes, there
might be some teachings, some education parts of it.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I'm not here to tell anyone.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
What to do. See, that's my job. I'll tell him
in a minute. Oh no, no, no, no no. And
I am here to give advice and guidance. And you
going off in a stupid direction and you need to
turn your flap happy behind around and get a grip.
Come on, let's go do the mirror exercise. The mirror exercise,
especially when you're talking to people who don't feel comfortable
(33:22):
in their own skin, who don't see the beauty in themselves,
and beauty comes from within, you could be ever so
out here beautiful. But if your soul is ugly, if
your heart is dark, you know you gotta that's the
time for reassessment. And then mostly I don't want to
do that. That's just don't take too long. Oh really,
did you really think this was like gonna be a
(33:42):
You didn't you thought this was gonna be a mayor?
What did you think? And then they look at you
and they give you to look like, oh, she might
be right. I'm sure as a therapist you get that look,
oh she might be right.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
You do a lot of work sometimes just focusing on
AFS relations I think, you know, in terms of not
so much telling people what to do.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
But helping them come to those real that they can do.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
It, when they realize who they are, that it is
possible to be healed, that it is possible to move forward.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
And not just look back.
Speaker 5 (34:20):
I love those moments when you reckon, when you can
see it on someone it's not even just something that
I've said to them, but they realize that themselves.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
That's where I think you just begin to see so
much healing come into place, and.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
We really need that, especially now this has done got
bad craft crazy and now do you have your your
space where you're going right? You know that you know
where you can have you know, state focused on what
you're doing, or can you write with chaos around you?
Speaker 4 (34:51):
I can my best writing.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Because it's.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Every I can sit on the sofo, I can fall somewhere,
you know, and make it the corner of my bed,
and I.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Can just think. It's like and plus you know the
day is over. You know you're not worried about kind
of fix dinner or sign this or do that or do.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (35:16):
It's like that is when I can just sit.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
See it was a little bit easier when I was
down there because now I'm tired.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
And that time sounds beautiful now, I doesn't it Just
let me take in all our need is you know,
some power minutes. Let me just lay down for like
twenty minutes. I have a time and when I'm old
fashioned timing and it has a really annoying thing, and
I put it far away from me where I can't
turn it off. You know, I can't. I have to
get up to turn it off, and I'm like, okay,
now I'm good. Seem are He's the kind of person
(35:48):
that lets her feelings be shown that you wear your
feelings on your sleep, or you keep yourself very guarded.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
I feel like I'm probably guarded, but I don't always
have the best face people know about myself.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
You and not to not go to Vegas and gamble.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
No, that wouldn't work. That wouldn't work.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Yeah, there's a game we played sometimes as a family,
talking millions, where that you know what's going on whenever
it's my turn.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
I don't as well. I'm not good at keeping.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Oh it's like charade.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's kind of it's kind of complicated.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
But in the end you're trying to act like you're
blending in with.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Every everyone else knows what the topic is. Oh don't
but you have to pretend that you know.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
I'm not good.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
You're not.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Yeah, I have I know, I learned a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
No, you don't, and people know you. Okay, loves it,
give rid it up. You got to look, I don't
have you have the love. I was got an event
and I was talking to the people that had put
the event on, and they asked me what was my opinion,
and I gave it. In my opinion, I get constructive,
you know, criticism, and they asked me, I'm gonna tell you.
(37:05):
And so he was asking about one of the people
that was there, and then when they did their presentation,
and so he said, so, what did you think of
the presentation? I want? I don't even know what the
look was.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
And he looked at me.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
He said that my mother love. I said, what do
you mean I want? And he said, you done gave
me the look. I said, I didn't do anything, and yes,
you did, so asked me. And you know, what do
you like surprises?
Speaker 3 (37:36):
If it's a good surprise.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
It's hard to me.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I can only think about maybe one pice in my
life I have, okay, still still the t one was
by one of my babys hours. I had to feel
it that it was that it was that, Yeah, I
(38:01):
don't know.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
I feel like I haven't been there has not been
too much.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Now I feel like I'm saying this and now people
will pride. But yeah, it's fun. I feel like I
haven't really been too surprised.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I don't want. I don't like surprises. You wanted to
be a surprise? Everybody else tell me and and I'm
and they were like, you know, didn't it. I'm like,
don't be trying to put my husband is good at that, okay,
and at fifty two years and you still thinks she's
good at that. But he is. But I said, don't
(38:36):
surprise me. Listen, I'm a season siizen. I mean had
a heart attack. If I didn't know what was going on,
I'm just gonna was going at all. But you could
drop any time. I said, I'm gonna down this, I'm
down the keyboard, hella, but you're gonna know I had
a good time. He said, you like traveling. What is
your favorite place that you've been that you could go
back again?
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Let's see last year Morocco and lived in.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Travel. Yes, And he said off across the street. The
next time, you ain't say none about world travel. You
gotta have your international passports. You've been Milwaukee, the Miwaukoe
And if I didn't love you, I would be like
this much together. That's one of the people. And he said,
you've been living.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Yeah, you've been to a few places. That's just like
I said, I love I will plan and see for me.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
I like to I like the challenge of planning a
trip on a budget, so like I will find a
way to make it work.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I'm totally we like to say let two sorts. We
could say more, but why right?
Speaker 3 (39:43):
So to me, I like the challenge. If there's some
place that we want to go in the world, I
will do some research. I will find you know, a
police that's nice to say.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
I will look up their transportation system, you know, take
the train, you know travel you know.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I there was some real those are some really good
travel tips. And a lot of people to this day
have no idea how to pack a suitcase.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
M oh let me tell you.
Speaker 5 (40:10):
Okay, you did a ten days trip, said Europe, and
I just had a no, actually Morocco. I just saw
a backpack and her when we went together, I have
I feel.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Like I'm pretty good at being a character.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Okay, so a ten days in a backpack, Listen, I
learned how to. I learned how to better pack and
be a better traveler. Because when we were growing up,
you know, we went to camp and that was enough
vacation for me, and our mother would say, it's not
a vacation for you, it's a vacation for me. Cause
(40:49):
she would send us out. It was six of us,
she would send us out like all four of the girls.
We would be in a different camp. Brothers, they'd be
in the camp and she was like, oh, peace be still.
And I didn't understand that. I do understand that now,
And that's why it's so important to have that that
you time, it's so important to take care of Leslie.
You know, sometimes sometimes you might not need your husband there.
(41:12):
You might just need to get you know, just do Leslie.
Because when you married and you got kids, they do
they're doing you. I told you kids, and you said
your youngest son is eleven.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Well I haven't.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Oh, oh that's a daughter. So you got a daughter
son daughter?
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yes, sixteen year old, twenty one year old sign, twenty four.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Year old daughter.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Oh I could see that.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Well, how I love my baby.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
They always be my babies.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
I don't care how old they are.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
They didn't know that, right I got and I keep
I'm like, where did the time go? God? I'm like,
this year just seemed like it. This We walked out
the front door, walked around the block, and came in
the side door and it's twenty twenty four. Oh kay,
and we got crazy town. What do you what kind
(42:02):
of advice do you give, especially to your younger daughter
with all the chaos that's going on, and we we
have to tell our daughters things, and my h the
men gotta tell our son's things. Because for as great
a mommy as we are, and we are I we you,
we could be on the front page of the mommy books.
I put my tea son how to be a man,
and not how to be a black I mean have
(42:23):
to be a man, how to be a black man
and be how successful in this racist country where we are,
and I just call it like a wall to be
And the only reason why they still being racist cause
they see us comments. I told y'all to be quiet, okay,
but now I see and they can't put that genie
back in the bottle. They can't. So it's if you know,
you know who's gonna say the world, don't it. It's
(42:44):
gonna be us. It's gonna be the women. It's gonna
be the women. See. I think that's what they're scared of.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
M So lessons that I really tie and really loves
and see the beauty of themselves. I think as a woman,
as a black.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Woman, you have to fully embrace and know and be
confident and who you are and who you are, because if.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
You have that down, if you know who you are
and you have accepted.
Speaker 5 (43:11):
Yourself, it is gonna be very difficult for the world
to tear you down.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
So that is one of you know, yes, you know obviously.
Speaker 5 (43:20):
You know you want there safe and the ability to
believe and the hope to be there. But I feel
like that's all one and the same is have to
know who you are and love yourself.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
You know, even that commandment it says love your neighbor
and age.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
You love yourself.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
You love yourself.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Exactly, and you won't feel intimidated by anybody else. You know,
you can see that. And people used to tell me,
I don't know, I don't know fat behind kind of
hoods and whoel she thinks? She makes everybody laugh all
just getting up and standing up for her when she
come in she ha g okay, And I was like,
you really don't know who I am and whose I am.
(44:00):
So when you get back together, then Sney won't even
have any room to criticize me or anybody else because
God and Shun I always know when you God's child.
I always know when I'm around God hearing people, and
that the the oh I'm telling you two, I'm scared
of God and I'm scared of my mama. God is alive,
and well, my mama left the planet a long time ago,
(44:21):
and I'm still scared of this woman because she pulled
no punsios. She lets you know straight up. And when
she started talking real slow like this, you know it's
being ready to be a problem. Can you do? Did
you give your kids the eye and they have to
talk to them? You know how they could do and
(44:41):
they can make you feel like that's a hole in
your neck, you know, and you just and then he
started shaking. I used to hate with my mother and said, oh,
wait till your daddy get home. Helpful. I'm like, wow,
he's I gotta wait for him because he's gonna be
mad at you, because if I hear it, I'm a kid.
And so when my daddy walk in the door, she
was a whoop up behind and he don't know what
he whooping me for. He just grabbed me, put me down.
(45:02):
I'm crying, he said, Now what does she do? And
they would be in tandem, kept us in order, kept
us straight, and that's not an easy thing to do,
especially now with so many outside forces and so much
white noise around them, and this computer, this, this them
just really wouldn't if I asked you earlier, do you
long hand or or type of the uh type? Or
(45:24):
do you do it on the computer.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
So actually it's easier for me to type out the story.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
I don't know what it is about.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
When I thought V John Wing, I will be wrong
hand if I just if I just need to pour
out personal reflection. So there's nothing. I have so many
notebooks here Pivably I probably could start a store with
all the.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
People thought it was mean, that's what I have. I
had a scrap player about this big and I had
to write they right here on my gas They're in
my bedroom. Next up. If my son asked me one day,
he said he don't go, He says, mother, mother, why
do you have a no inking in the bathroom? I said,
because this is where I get my greatest work from.
I haven't I know the you know, and you heard
(46:09):
that because I knew my best work in the bathroom.
They said some some expert claims and said you should
not sit on the toilet longer than ten minutes. I
heard that the other ting I'm like, well that's just
SOUPID Why would you want together? I'm like, what ten
minutes should I ain't even send it, you know, doing
(46:30):
my birdsiness and ten minutes are you kidding me? And
I said, some of the stuff they give us, Uh,
it's just insane. Now are you a are you a hoarder?
Semi hoarder?
Speaker 3 (46:43):
I probably hold on a little bit longer then I
need a suit.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
I'm trying to let it go.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
I'm trying.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Okay, I got invite for you because I'm like that.
I was like that when I'm still like that, uh
you have if I haven't said, if you haven't used it,
seen it break, you don't need it.
Speaker 5 (47:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
And then I found out I didn't need a whole
close or full of clothes and I went, I'm not
giving up these clothes. And he's my husbands said he
can't wear none of them clothes anymore, like one hundred
eleven pounds. I'm like my big girl clothes. He was like, look,
I've had it on one of the shirts the other
day and it literally fell off of me. He was like, okay,
that's going in the bend. Just forget it. Just I
told you he needs a hobby. So now have you
(47:26):
trouble with you with your children?
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Do they go and you're trying.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
I do like actually like that.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
I do like that when if we can take them
with us, we will. So they're like young adults. And
she saying that we my husband and I do have
a trip next year, Well it would be just us
and like you know, some friends or whatever. That's a
big trip to next seat.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
That's a big trip.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
That's a big trip.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
So and kind of like the fact that you said,
do the research. See, I would have never thought about that,
do the research. Dy else was doing it for me,
you know. So I'm like, Okay, long as I get
get there, get on the plane, I'm safe, get off
the plane. I'm something. Everybody's good and so and and
people don't tell you these little things about packing. I
(48:13):
am just fascinated that you could as a woman, you
could packard y'all say in a while you had a
backpack and your purse.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Yeah, so basically what I do?
Speaker 4 (48:22):
I think of a color? Right?
Speaker 3 (48:26):
So, and then do you have a lot of pieces
that you can together your accessories. I'm very particular about
my feet hurt a lot, so I will get a
good parentcy hair sandals, you know what. I mean like,
I'll figure that out.
Speaker 5 (48:43):
But if I have a scene in mind, then all
my soundings for that tip schools around that team and easier.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
And it really does, it really does. And I and
I learned this the hard way. You don't pack. And
this was before they were weighing her suitcases to find out,
you know, and you couldn't go over a certain certain
way and what have you. And I was like, I'll
take ten pairs of shoes with me. I'm a shoe fan.
I don't take two pairs of shoes. But I've learned
not to do that. You need black shoes, you need
(49:12):
a flat, you need a pump, and maybe you need
a sling bag. That's it. And you wear your tennis
shoes or whatever you're wearing. And you talk about a
color shop. I'm doing some stuff, right, colored thing, my
colored thing for travelers, red, black and white, the air.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Yeah, you know, if you're gonna bring the war, those
so those in the bag. But yeah, I have a
bunch of little you thought about trying to do like
a little travel blow. I think love. I love playing
the strips my friends. Like you ever talk about having
a girl's trip, I.
Speaker 4 (49:44):
Will have like a little mini power points.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
This is where you can save. These are the activities like, yeah,
I'm that person.
Speaker 1 (49:53):
Oh no, you are great traveling companion. And I love
to travel. I used to be terrified to fly. And
my husband had said to me, as long as I
am with you, you're not gonna die in the plane crash.
I said, but what if we can mangled up, It's
not gonna happen another day. And he would say, you know,
you can't. Being in the cars more dangerous than being
(50:14):
on an aircraft. And I was like, why do you
say that? He said, you don't hear it? My airplanes
crashing two and thirty times a day, and they took
off on thousands of planes. I'm just fascinated with that.
But now I and I like to travel, and I
don't wanna go to the country or the city like
a traveler. I'll go I'll get there dead ahead of time,
just so I could get the field for it. And see,
(50:35):
you added another little nuggets of me. Get all the
weather reports. Get how long is think you get to Morocco? Oh?
Speaker 3 (50:41):
Well, so we flew to live and then from listening
it was like maybe an hour or so. It's like
from there but like that that was another.
Speaker 5 (50:48):
Little tips because it's kind of like if you find
the air the airlines that travel over there, get.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
Around trip there, and it was it was a seaper
to just fly to Lisbon. I mean some rasco's back
to Lisbon. So yeah, that that burns out that so well.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Most most countries acknowledge the American dollar, and it just
seems like we went to Africa once and the guy said,
you don't even need to bring about two hundred dollars
to convert. And so we get there and they gave
us a stack of money, like I was like, is
this real much? She said, this is what the currency
is here in this part in this country. And I
(51:28):
was like, well, what happened? They and they only want
American dollars for you. They want you to tip them
in the American dollars and we had a stack like
this and they were like, oh, give us, you don't
need you don't need to give them back to us,
and then they go do it again to the next
plane coming down. If they had a racket going on, right,
and you have to be mindfuls of that too, you
know that be careful because you don't know these people.
(51:49):
You know some of them could be very, very violent.
And I remember one of the guys on on our trip,
he had his baby at his his wife would he
would hang and his wife are holding hands, and somebody
up to him and cut his sandy pack off of him.
He spent the whole trip trying to get his passport.
It was awful. Now, where where else have you been?
(52:10):
Bet Momacle, you've been? Then we're going to We're going
to tie.
Speaker 5 (52:15):
We took when we when we did our Europe trip,
we took overnight train from Germany to Italy. And when
you talk about the passport, I had done my research
and I had read that you had to keep your
passports on you because it was an overnight train, he said,
because someone might try and take it in the middle
of the night.
Speaker 3 (52:33):
Heard us knock at the door, and then yeah, I
was like, wait a minute, what is happening.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
So you know again, I do as like as possible
to find out, you know, safety tips, what you need
to do and where do you change your currency?
Speaker 3 (52:53):
Like the airport's gonna be the most expensive place. Oh
they are.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Whether when you go to do into the neighborhood, you
can get a bottle of water for a dollar, get
it at the airport five hours. Been are different places.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
When do you ever we went to Costa Rica.
Speaker 1 (53:12):
I wanna go. The pandemic just jecked everybody up, you know,
and I, I don't know he'd not remember when the
first president Bush said, you know, after they found the
guy found his uh, I don't know what he did.
And he said, it's not gonna change. You know, our
lifestyle is not gonna change. I never would have thought
I would have almost had the strict to get through
(53:33):
the airport's security. I'm one of the things I learned,
don't wear a lot of jewel through the airport, you know,
and there and people think it's really really explicive when
you say Mowaco. If you don't know where it is,
maybe you don't need to know.
Speaker 3 (53:46):
I will find a way.
Speaker 4 (53:48):
So like that, that to me has been challenge.
Speaker 5 (53:53):
Finding a place set is affordable. Finding deals on flight
is the coump me.
Speaker 1 (53:59):
We're and you know, people think you are you know,
people think you are all I have. I have this thing.
I tell you nothing like flying and well and I said,
and they always put me up. I was always in
first class. And so because I have to get on
the plane, sit out. That's when I got I gotta
get on the plane and sit out. And that's it.
(54:20):
I don't want to look at people, you know, from
the back, cause they don't tell them what's gonna happen.
So I have to be one time. Then I used
to have to take a happy pill. I'm trying to
think what the name of it was, but anyway, they
had to take a twenty minutes before I got on
the plane because I would be just and they told me,
and my my psychologist told me the same thing. You
know why you're nervous month at eleven, I said, no,
(54:40):
I'm nervous. He goes because you don't have controls. M
that that is.
Speaker 3 (54:46):
That's that's a good thing. That's a good thing to recognize.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
And I will tell you as much as I travel,
I'm still terrified to fly. I have to calm myself down.
Speaker 1 (54:55):
I have to do so calm I. I have to
do that. But yeah, you know, I have not let
that fear.
Speaker 4 (55:07):
Like I said, when I tell you, we will find
a deal.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
If we have to apply economy, maybe I finally have
I just.
Speaker 1 (55:21):
Oh see, oh see, And I'm so specific. I want
to sit in front of class. And if I gotta
sit in coach, don't put me by the wing.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Do not put me by the wing.
Speaker 1 (55:29):
And I'm like, uh I, no, you at people. The
safest plane in the on the plane, it's the seats
where the rightness to the right behind the toilet. Oh really,
you see plane crafts most of the time, the end
of the back of the plane is not as mangled
as the front of the plane. So I'm like, oh yeah,
that's real comforting. I find go sit in the back.
(55:50):
I'm like, no, don't want to do it, but I'm
just I'm just surprised a woman could take a back plane.
But if with the it's with the thing.
Speaker 3 (56:01):
I will find a way.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
So because I do that, and my theme is red,
black and white. Take a couple of play of black pants.
It takes maybe a skirt or two, a black dress,
you know, put this. I put all of my jewelry
in my purse because they're not gonna weave that. And
black shoes. I have two. I used to take ten
twelve pair of shoes for four their trips. I know
it sounds crazy because you never know. I never knew
(56:23):
what I was gonna wear that's why I took all
the clothes. But then when one of the people that
I worked with before, uh, Peter Greenberg, he's a he's
an he's an international Uh, I don't know what a
travel expert. He's a travel expert. And he showed me
how to travel. Like you said, see either we're both
crazy for that was a really smart movie. And you
don't fold your clothes, you roll them.
Speaker 4 (56:48):
And with the what what that way?
Speaker 1 (56:53):
You said, some place with a washing machine. Okay had
a wash and the scene and they had you had
to you know, that's to the closure.
Speaker 3 (57:05):
They had this clothes line right outside the window. I didn't.
My husband had to figure out how to work it,
but he did.
Speaker 1 (57:15):
As if there.
Speaker 3 (57:17):
Is if there's my lesson in life, what's that. If
there's somewhere do you want to go research, there's way
to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (57:27):
And I like that, particularly I go on somebody else's die,
you know, which is really cool. I need to grow
up and be like you don't grow up there, do
not grown up. Don't blow up. They take like too serious.
They don't see the beauty in it. They don't see
(57:47):
the beauty in every day. Uh. I'm trying to think
of who made this song and said go with the
child's card, and they don't worry about the day. I mean,
what you're gonna do about yesterday? On import to keep,
you know, beating itself over that? Let me do I
get to say myself my luck. I get to tell
in December fifth, twenty twenty four, I got to meet
(58:07):
and chat with them very lovely. Do you know when
anybody asks you nothing, lady? Why am I talking to
the ancom system like a crazy person? It has been
such a joy. Okay, we got ninety seconds. Where is
your favorite place to travel besides Morocco and Elizabeth A Beach?
Speaker 4 (58:26):
I will I am there and I don't even know.
I just need to see it.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
I just need I'm here if it on the East
Ocean city.
Speaker 1 (58:36):
Or I mean, we went to a Ruba and I
didn't want to leave. I found out and I A
ruber is where God goes to vacation.
Speaker 3 (58:49):
I could believe that A.
Speaker 1 (58:52):
Yeah, breath taking, I told I don't want to leave,
and they have the prettiest jewelry there.
Speaker 3 (58:58):
So so now what what pleased to be here?
Speaker 1 (59:00):
Next week?
Speaker 3 (59:02):
I'm still determined to keep writing that you know.
Speaker 1 (59:11):
Would you ever think about writing and autobiography.
Speaker 4 (59:17):
I have to think about that.
Speaker 3 (59:18):
I have thought about some self help books.
Speaker 5 (59:21):
Character, so you know that that is I.
Speaker 3 (59:23):
You know I I I feel like my story is
still being written.
Speaker 1 (59:27):
So I'll be part two of the net. That's well,
that'll be. It has been my distinct honor and pleasure.
Know that you always as long as I got breath.
You have a place to land to shamelessly promote your
book and they can get it. Tell them where they
can get to that cookie.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
Go to my website, Leslie, Amazon and online bunch of places.
Speaker 1 (59:51):
But if you go to my website.
Speaker 3 (59:52):
You'll you'll see all the link.
Speaker 1 (59:55):
Thank you very much, it has been my pleasure. You
enjoy your Christmas holiday. Just give your husband a kiss
for us, and you know other things, because you know,
when you get to be seasoned, just the idea of
I'll make you hurt yourself. And baby, don't forget this.
No matter how big or small, short or tall thick
of thing, it matters. Now what end you're end. Everybody
needs the mother left now and there. I love it, Yes, ma'am,
(01:00:19):
thank you so much,
Oh oh okay, okay, I missed the engine. Ever, we
got a problem.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Okay, here comes, let me see if I could get
his stack. Oh, hold on, I look, and.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I want to make sure you are right. I'm not right, Kennedy. Okay,
the screen is not working. It it just keeps. I
mean to be back here, okay, okay, no hit the
(00:42):
hit that on M I didn't do anything, okay, so much. Oh,
they just can't see it. Okay, excuse me. Let me
(01:02):
get ladies and gentlemen. This beautiful young lady who is
to my right and you're left on screen. Her name
is Leslie J. Sharad. It is a Sharada share it.
She is an author. She's written eight s safe face
books and I have her latest to made. It's called
house Broken and it's about a whole bunch of crazy
(01:24):
people going on and there. Okay, so now I'm not moving,
Keep on talking, just keep on going. There we go.
That beautiful young lady that is Levely Jay Sharad Aunt.
It is my pleasure to have you on the program.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I am absolutely excited and delighted to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
That is my pleasure. So Now let's talk about you first.
Let's get all up in your bees wex where you're from?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
You know?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
What did you do? Did you ever know that you
would be an author? A bunch of question then you
can pick one and answer. A girl going and bring
we'm the city again. They were moving city.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I said, I'm a proud boxmore girls ooh, And you say,
yes I did. I'm probably fifteen minutes away from the house.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
All about that. Now, do you have brothers and sisters?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
I have one sister.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I have one older sister.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You see all my guns, and you know you are?
Were you spoiled? Are you spoiled? I don't.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I don't think you are.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You are are your voice and went up too high?
You like? You can't call me a spoil not they
know me. Yes, I can tell you spoil. You like
what you like and you wanted right there on the guns.
This is what you want? So now when were you
When did this this writing spirit come to you? Did
you always know that this is this is something you
wanted to do? You know?
Speaker 5 (02:46):
I have always loved to write. I took fool second grade.
I had an assignment from my teacher man. We had
to write paragraph about a picture of ourselves.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
And I remember falling in love with the idea of
being able to describe my picture. And I always have
written me even when I did so that it would
be something that I would actually, you know, have books published.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Middle school, high school, I would writing the most poetry,
but I loved it.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
College, I would write short stories. I went to the
University of Maryland.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh you you just look, you just took over the area.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
Yes, I'm all Maryland. So yeah, I've always loved to write.
I realized even though I trade, I'm a social worker.
I saw that I have a private practice. But even
with that, I find myself coming back to writing.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
All the time.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Maybe it's my self care. I don't know, but it's
so much a part of me that way from it.
It keeps calling me.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It's it's like that. It's like the mafia. I guess
when you're thinking around, they pull you back in. I
was I was working on being retired. M oh that
saying that for everybody. Okay, yeah, let's see how that's
gonna work for your missy and and and when you
have a passion for what you do, it's never worked.
It's not work. This is what you do. It's almost
like another organ in your body because you have to
(04:08):
you have to get it out. And we're gonna talk
about house broken, Okay, not to show the book. Now,
who does who does your book covers?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
My husband Actually we are a team together.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
He has designed I would say, all one of these books,
even through you, I've been with different publicers. It's time around.
We actually joined.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Forces together, my husband and I.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
This is our own little imprint here, but even through
my Jolley but traditional covers, that's one did just about
all of my covers.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
How about that? Now, that's and when you work as
a team, and people don't really understand that marriage is work.
That's an everyday ongoing position. You could, you know, talk
about trying to sugarcoat it, you know, fluff it up
all you want to. When you're in a chance with
another human that is your life made that you know that,
you know that, you know mm. Nobody ever said it
(05:06):
was gonna be easy. Nobody ever said this is gonna
be a breet you know, and everybody can I write
good books. I found and I'm like I told you,
I am an I'm an avid reader and I love
the showcase author and and so I looked up. I
got two books right over there on my to go
and they probably gonna go right out the door. It
(05:26):
is the worst. First of all, it made a little
tiny prince and see, and that's something you have to
think about. Talk about that, the little things that nuances
that you do and that you well you already got
your hood and that's a big nuhu. You know that
goes into writing. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I think a lot of times when people think about writing,
whether you are pursuing writing yourself or just staving about it,
people think about the act of sitting down to write,
which in itself is a lot. But when you start
trying to put a book out there, there's so many
different edits. You know, copy at it, line is paid,
proof at it. You also had to from day one
(06:04):
start thinking.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
About your audience as well.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
How are you going to read your audience if that's
of yours. There's so many nuances that come with writing
a book that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I mean, it is a lot of work. You talk
about how when it's past, keep coming back to it.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
When I finished work for today, I find myself back
into writing. I've been tell two three in the morning,
and I'll look at.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The clock, and I'm like, how is it be a clock?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
There's so much work to do, though, and then when
you get up and we'll tell you to social work.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You know, I think for a lot of reasons, you know,
in full disclosure, with my family, there's been a lot
of you know, needs to help and soul.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
As I was growing up, I recognized the role of
the role of therapist, the role of knowing what community
resources the health and so for me, what was personal
became professional, if you will, just recognizing how much support
is needed for our.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Family, for our communities, and that is.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Just as much a part of me, I would say,
of life, because and that's your community. And I don't
understand why a lot of people, a lot more people
are not community minded. I believe when we get out
there and we start meeting people, then you see what
the need is. And oftentimes people say this is just
way too bad for me, Okay. When they say that,
calling to me, I'm like, okay, I know they ain't
(07:36):
got God in their lives, because there's nothing too big
for God. And that's another thing that I appreciate about
your writing, because you had faith based books. I mean,
you could have wrote anything. What I mean because God
calling you and your connected with God. Because this isn't
just for faith based people, though, anybody could read and
(07:56):
enjoy this book. And let me tell y'all, when you
get the book, just read the book because you're gonna
re like me. I'm like, oh no, oh no, she
didn't you know?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Oh yes, I was.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
I was talking to the book. My husband, Henry, who
are you talking to I'm like this book. I love
reading and I love to hear other stories, and you know,
and oftentimes you realize they're no different than you on
r you know, So let's talk when you get there.
How do you decide what this topic is gonna be?
Speaker 5 (08:26):
You know, the stories, the characters have to introduce themselves
to me. You said that sounds just weird to say.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
No, that makes a lot of sense because those are
the people that live in your head, and you got
to get to my head. I can hear space a
lot of times.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
With many of my stories.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
You talked with the scene, the would just be a
character in a place, and I don't even know what
part of the story it is. Sometimes it's in the
beginning of the story.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Sometimes it's been the middle or the end, I would
just see this scene and it would just cast my
interest and then I stopped flushing it out.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So you know, it is very interesting to have do
characters show up. I've had characters.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Where I think I want a character to do one thing,
but then realize that that is not who they are,
and I've paid to delete the hole cap. So yeah,
the characters are the ones who introduce themselves to start
writing their story.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
And a good story. It is. So when when you
see that and you get get these people in your head,
do you write for them individually? Do you write with
them for them collectively? Because you know, looking at Evan
and you know his his fiance and Nika, I mean
you characters up in there, you know, do you do
you focus on more characters so that you start getting
(09:41):
the meat on the bones, because like you said, they
introduce themselves. You're just like the facilitators. You just show
up and make it real. That's all.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
So I it starts with the characters. But then as
the cast includes starts showing up.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yeah, the story be gives us like itself up, So
I do start.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I pictured the story. Almost every every chapter.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Is a different scene become this in seed but if
I keep writing, I have to be about about one
hundred pages in before I have a really prob as.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
To what is.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I can go back and outline and at it hunting
page to do those things. But yeah, do think about.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's pretty that's pretty darn good. One hundred pages. Listen
about the time I thought to one hundred pages, I
had a headache. I'm like, why am I telling these people?
Are my business? Like? This? Would it wrong with you?
And I'm just questioning in God just laughing at me.
I told you this wasn't your plans. So you because
you have a it's important, and because you have a
(10:44):
strong support system. How do you find that balance? You know,
that's what they're saying out finding the balance? You know,
live her that life that you know you have to,
you know, take care of yourself. I've always take care
of myself. I tell them all that if mother ain't happy,
ain't nobody gonna be ethic something.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
I feel like I am still trying to figure out
the balance. One thing that I do love to do
is traveling.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
So whenever I can travel, that's when I can expale
a little a little bit. If I'm not on a trip,
I'm probably day dreating. So for me because I work,
I will I work work, work, work, work, work.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
So when I get to unplugged and get away, I
don't care if it's like to the next state or
across the world. I sit then expe a little bit.
That helps kind of balance out.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
You said it kind of help. Do your characters keep
you away sometimes at night?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
This book?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Not?
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Sometimes sometimes I'm like, what were they really thinking of?
Speaker 4 (11:47):
You know when they did this? Really write that scene?
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Right?
Speaker 4 (11:50):
So you know they they do have a way of
getting in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Trying to make themselves.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
But I love it. How do you How are you
able to separate let from your characters, because you have
to be able to you know, get that have that space.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Yeah, I think it's important to try to figure out
what their voices about me. I noticed, so it's like
you're really getting inside of someone's But then as I
go back and lead, I started realizing, you know, that's
something that I would do.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
You's fix that that's not true to that character, And
that's okay. I think I think people find you more
authentic when they know that there's a piece of you
and not just I'm just gonna write this book, and
I'm just gonna go to the bookstores and I'm gonna
autograph books, and I'm gonna do my book toward thing
when you when you're in it, and you you get
out there and you're making a presentation, how much of
(12:47):
Leslie do you have to separate from to stay with
the story? Because you don't they I do write a
first person, and I know what that is.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You know, it does take some words. I think if
my nature, believe it or not, I'm probably be a
little bit more of an introvert. I am happy to
just trying to be at home, hanging up with my family.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
So putting myself out there with these books that this
is completely trying to come out of my comfort zone.
But I recognize as a writer that's kind of what
you're doing. Put yourself out there, let your characters. You
know that whole process.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
So it can be scary. I'm not gonna lie. This
is and this is the you have to remember. These
are the these are the characters you you created, and
see when you started talking. That's why I don't write
the first person. No, I'm because I do. That's the
only thing I know to do. I got because I
you know, that's why they came blackmail black people, because
we'll tell the story ourself, and we could tell the
(13:45):
story better than you can. I remember when I first
came out here, was like, so, but the little how
come we've never seen your husband? I figure, my husband
ain't none of your business? And they were like, well,
you don't need to be that man when you talking
about getting up in my kool aid. Oh no, I
there's no bill, is no line about you know, me
being Cooper. My kids are off limits. I this is
what I wanted one of this. It's not what I
(14:07):
wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
This is what God said go and do.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
And I know you have a personal relationship with the Lord,
and you here when he hears you, he hears you,
and he knows what it is that you need. Now
do you empty out when you get finished with the book?
I mean empty if staff? Okay, I got housebroken?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Done?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Okay? Cool? I agree? Okay, Now what's my next seat?
Or do you actually stop and bring I don't think
I do a very.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Good divers reading.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Sometimes I will tell you every single book that I've written,
this this is my age one, every single one that
has been a significant tallenge inside, and so I.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Don't know if writing is the relief or that the
lesson or you know, I learned from my character. Sometimes
I would write a scene and then go back and
release to on. So when I get to the end
of the story, it is a relief. It's you know,
you know, I'm happy that it's sun but I'm already
(15:08):
starting to think about with nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
See, I knew it, you bother. The only time you
are still as when you sleep. Yeah, and then it's
at the time I can be up to two o'clock
in the morning, and then that means I have to
get up early earlier. You know what I means, I
don't have your You have to have your rest, keep
your brain fresh. You know, you got to be you know,
(15:30):
and people don't understand this. When you're writing, you have
a million of emotions going on. You know, you could
be angry, you could be therapeutically, and obviously, I think
writing for you is therapeutic. It's your way of cleansing.
It's your way of staying connected without having to get
beat up all the time. You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
You know, one thing that's important to me as a
writer is given a message of hope. I feel like
there's so much darkness, there's so much heaviness in the
world right now. Then I wanted to be a pool
of life like this story.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
It is not this deep dark story. It's meant to
be fun. It's meant to be expressing.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
It's meant to give negats of maybe some life lessons
related to marriage.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
But really that is my goal as the writer, is
to bring the most word possible, to give people a
suit of hope and maybe put a little smile on movie.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Well I got that, trust me, I would. I had
a bunch of smiles on my face. And one of
the characters in your book, Missus whaling m you talk
about boogie Oh, how did you deve? How did you
come across her and have her be like that? But
hepherds looking and feeling human, you know, because I wanted
(16:48):
to strangle her. I saw a eye, threw it one
of them holes in the wall of that house.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
But you know, Mss Whalen has some secrets of her.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Doubt dust has too much And I was like, oh,
I know you up to something, Missy, and I could.
I know your vision of her is probably different from
my vision of her because I can I can see
them four blonde okay, you know I can see them
four blows and when they do and she don't know?
How did you not make Evan a mama's boy because
he is not a mama's boy, You don't think so?
(17:23):
He kind of spoiled. Okay, now, man like our only son,
and we get crazy with our only son. But I
mean she could be. She was quite overbearing. Yes, he
is quite old and she want to take and she
will let you know, she doesn't bite her tongue. You
just don't seem like that kind of person. Where does
that kind and that came out of your pretty head?
How were you able to develop her like that and
(17:45):
still make her human and still make her motherly because
she did been one of them kind of o. I
can't wait till I'm going I'm getting buy here with
this crazy chick. She want to dictate everything on ditate
the wedding, whether we're gonna live.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
But you know, see again, you have to let the
character speak. See have selected for these two for who
they are once turned as a writer, though, is that
every character, whether they are the villains, the hero, to
make them human. They have good and bad So maybe
they get on your nerves, but they know how to
plan a pretty rose guard, you know. So it's like
(18:18):
that's how you humanize, see, finding what parts of them
can people still relate to. Yes, she is overbearing, but
maybe why I'm actually.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Intrigued enough by her that I'm just she's been considering
having her own story of sake, you know, how she.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Got to be who she is?
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So is that another book coming about? And do you
what do you white? Do you white characters that you've
already introduced in your other books, do they entertain you
or they want This is a whole different entity with
How's Broken?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So Housebroken is a is his own story. I am
playing around with the idea of miss Wayman's story.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And also, oh, because she y he he was what
we call the college. He wanted them, one of them
loose women. He wanted them, you know, cause she didn't
have a problem with it, you know. And in this
day age, when we got a a woman who was
getting married and she's still a vergent, I was like,
wait a minute, let me let me go back. And
did she thank me? Was twenty dollars, which is good.
(19:19):
It was refreshing. That gave me hope, you know, for
younger people to understand this is the work in progress.
And when you know you got the one, you know
you got the one. They might not know that they
are the ones, but you know you now who who?
How did you and your husband need? Oh?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
We met actually technically in college. Really it was the
summer after our first year of college. We both ended up.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
As camp counselors at the YMCA. We were West Baltimore
and we've been together til we were nineteen. See you
celebrated twenty five years. But yeah, we started out as camp.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Counselors working at the Listen, you understand, and that is
a very responsible position. People think camp counselors are no
big deal. You're just playing with a bunch of kids.
You got, I don't I don't know how many kids
were in the kidnap. Was this overnight camp or daycamp? Okay?
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I had the kindergarteners. I forget what grade he has.
That that was some serious works.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And people don't know I was a camp counselor for
you know, they're gonna pay me for this because I
was out there having fun, so being wild and undisciplined,
and the kid not only my kids in my cabin,
but other kids in the other camp. I said, yeah,
I can't just sleep in the cabin. It's only made
for a Well we'll sleep with Sally. Well we'll sleep
with Susie. I'm like, no, ya, both black pickup cabin
(20:42):
that everybody want. And it was so cool. And you
really don't know what kind of impact you've had on
these kids at at day camp. So has any of
your former campus ever came up to you and said, hey,
miss did y'all have to use did you were you
able to use your name or did you have to
have a camp name?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
I think we just I just wanna five minutes less.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Okay, that to put a handle on these kids.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
That's you know, that was that was probably.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
About thirty years old.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
Thirty years but.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
There was one that we would see from town the time,
and we watched him grow up and.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Get married and have a child.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Let me, then, we're not old, We're seasoned. I'm a
seasoned citizen. And then our grandchildren told let us know,
uh that we were old, but we weren't old old.
I didn't know what that meant. That said, what does
that mean? And they got old oldest? You know, we
(21:44):
had boyecat creaky and they walked real slow and it
bent over and said, so we're not that. They said, oh,
now you're papa. Y'all just old you gotta get up
and travel. Y'all have people over all the time. We
could come over any town we want to. You know,
what you got. Being with you is like an event,
and so that's I was like, Oh, I'm just own.
(22:05):
That's why I prefer being a seasoned citizen. Back it up.
You better hope you get halfway here. And that's especially
in this day and age with so much animosity, so
much mayhem. You truly are a breath of fresh hair,
you really are. And to just be able to surround
yourself into your characters, you know, and you brought up
(22:25):
uh missus Whalen and Nika. I actually wanted to know
more about them, you know, I particularly care for her
in the beginning. You know, they kind of wear on you,
and that's what you want. That's what you want. You
want people to have a human connection with those pages.
Now do you what you like printed books? Do you
like e books?
Speaker 5 (22:47):
I still kind of like the feel of a book
in my hand.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Now I will read e books.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
I do have them, But do you like the feel
of this kind of.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
And I like to do this when I get a
little book. Just smell the metal so I can smell
all the way to the spine and then I know
this is gonna be something really good. And how do
how do? How do you come up with such distinction
between your characters?
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Again, you just have to listen to their voices.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
You have to think about what their story are.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Even though we just see the little slippet of their
lives in the book, I imagine their life before the book.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
You know, who were they, what did their childhood look like?
You know, what are their goals? What are their motivations.
When you start kind of flexting out a character that way,
it becomes a lot easier to you know, introduce them
into the story and see, you know, what are they
gonna do in this situation?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I love it. I think that's that's really cool because
you can you could you have you have a great
attention span if you are able to sit down. And
because to me, writing a book like that probably ain't
gonna happen. I won't be able to remember. So that's
why I write the shelf help books and the books
on forgiving because it's so important when you see the
(24:01):
madness is going on? Are you compelled to because you
said you're a community a community activist, When do you
know it's not for you to step in and whatever
the situation was, When did you know it's not for
you to step into you know, teaching these little kids
at camp, raising your own kids, and you know, and
(24:21):
that's a lot of work, you know, because you got
so you got four different personalities in your house, including you.
You fine, and you got to deal with all these
different personalities.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yeah, it is definitely a balancing act. And you know, again,
I work as a therapist, so thank god.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I just want to say thank you because we need
more therapists in the community like you that can understand,
you know, even just from an ethnic point of view.
I had a white not psychologist with a psychologists. Oh yes,
I've been in therapy. I've been in therapy since I
was fourteen years old. Get a grip. And why do
(24:58):
you think people are people? I'm so stand fast and
negative about therapy. If anybody people are black women.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
I am a firm believer that sometimes I.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Can carry I can hear it.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Oh can you hear me, now, yeah, that's okay. I'm
a firm believer that sometimes you have to have some
service where you can sit down, unpack, exhale, and pick
up some coping strategy. You know, people have been through
so much trauma.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
There's so much depression and anxiety. I love being in
the role of being able to live sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
That's that's the biggest thing is just people want to
be heard.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
So for me, having that space where I can work
with an individual and let them really tell.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Their stories and kind of dig deep and help them.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Heal, I feel like that's a such a powerful place
that I feel honored to stick with people to do that.
And I think especially in our community, especially without people
are carrying so much. So I am a big advocate
obviously society. It doesn't mean that you are crazy. It
means that you are submitted to being the best.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
President you should do and being well.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
People forget about their mental health. They now go take
care of the physical stuff, and then you trying to
figure out why would they take a bunch of pills that,
you know, take themselves out. And I had to tell
death is not an option. Tweety you you just like
you had nothing to do with hitting the planet. You know,
you you get there bright, you won't have anything to do.
But you know, unless you do it yourself, and we
(26:35):
and we we won't and we don't wanna talk to
anybody about our problems. Just the want to give me.
Everybody want God to do all the work. God say,
you got you help. I'll help those who help themselves.
The Lord figured out he knows my heart. Okay, Now
how you gonna present yourself to other people? That that
way you let them know that you have God in
your life. And sometimes you know them two might not
(26:58):
mess to will together. You know, some people don't want
to listen, and we know that they want to be heard.
That's what he wants. I never would have thought about
if you know, we've lived in two centuries. In the
twenty first century, how about that part? And just seeing
so much destruction, you know, I thought a by the
(27:19):
time we got to the twenty first entry, I'm still
waiting for my jets and car to unfold. I'm an
breefcare So what am I talking about? And it seems
like it's getting worse. And the only thing that I
think each of us can do individually is don't be afraid,
be willing to stand in the gap, be willing to
go through the gauntlet because you're needed and what you do,
(27:41):
your services are needed, you know. And I would rather
somebody say, Oh, I'm not gonna be talking to miss Leslie.
She's just gonna be telling me. You know, let me
sit there and do all the talking. Okay. That's what
therapist does, is fit and they listen and oftentimes you
might not have to ask any questions because they'll they'll
tell you. You know. So you talked about one of
your success stories a young man that you watch them
(28:04):
grow up from time to time, you want, from time
to time as he was growing up and got to
you know, have a sense of that they he knew
what you guys did for him and for him to
be willing to share that with you, that SA is
a lot about you and your husband and the fact
that you know you sit together as a team, you know,
and that's sometimes listen, you know, we had them buried,
(28:26):
we had them based them like dudes. Really yeah really,
and they tell the older they get, they go from
being your your your boyfriend, your lover, your husband. I
messed matter, but you know what I mean. And then
they go from being this your boy, the guy you
just loved the pieces. Oh he is so sad. I'm
just so glad that I have him, which I truly am.
(28:48):
But then when you get now he's at the father's days,
he said, he my daddy. I'm like, you're gonna get
you a hobby because I'm not your hobby. You know
you need to And so we laugh all the time,
all the time, and he'll say, that's not what incid is.
And when I can make him laugh, I know I'm
gonna make a whole audience laugh. Because everybody used to
(29:08):
tell him when they were he wouldn't come and see me.
Do stand up? He said, I live with her. I
know they seen. He would send his fraternity brothers to
come and see me, and they're gonna come back here.
We thought she was sonny in the house, She funny
on the stage. Man, you got to go and see her.
He was like, I see her right there. I'm like,
I'm not always own, but people expect that when you
(29:30):
walk outside the door. When I come home, the wig
come off, the make up come off, and you know
that's enough. And if I never ever, ever ever had
to wear a bra again, because I became the mother
and not be that mother. So what do your kids
and I know your husband, what do your kids think
about they have a famous ride of mom.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
I don't know about the samous part.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Oh you're gonna be famous. Put on your resume. Guess
on the mother Love show. You know people, well how
you know mother love see and you wouldn't say, but
tell them I said that you can did.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
I will keep that in mine to say, a lot
of what I do is because of my kids.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
I started writing my very first novel. You know, I've
been writing all my life. When I started to start
my first.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
Novel, my oldest daughter was three months old, three months old,
and I just for me to pursue the writing dreams
is as much.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
As part of being a mother as it is a writer, because.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
I want to iddle for my children the importance of
following what you believe God has called you to do.
And I think that's not just something that I say
that I want to show them. I love being a mom.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
It has been truly one of the best privileges and
blessings of my life because I can remember.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
A time where I didn't know if I was going
to be able to be.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
A month.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah, I had, I had a couple of.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
You know, we don't talk about that, and I don't
think people realize how.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
How traumatic it is and justn't want to get me
leslie or you'll get over it.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
No, that someone put it best of a friend of
mine at the time, says the grieving of family members
you didn't meet, and.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That just girl, like, how could somebody see? That? Just
goes to show how people can really be cool. And
oftentimes I bet you who that friend used to be
friends said that, did they ever apologize to you for that?
Speaker 4 (31:37):
They were trying to say it in a way of encouragements,
in the way of saying that your grief is legitimate,
that it is a family member.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
You didn't get to meet him, but they were still
a family member. But I just I say all that
to say for me, having being able to be a
mom has been like one of the biggest, greatest things.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
So when I write my.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
Stories when I'm here trying to publish, when I'm not
here trying to push myself.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Oh wait, hold up, wait, hold up, you didn't give
the memo. We don't do the word trying to we
do the dog gone thing. We're not trying to do anything.
You'll tell them, but you won't even take your own advice.
But you know, you know, and you know that you're
giving them good advice. What's the worst advice you ever
gave to them? Can you bring your eye down? They
(32:29):
went past your eyebrows.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
I try to be in a place where I'm helping.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Them recognize.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
They can be confident in the wisdom that they have
been learning through their own lives. School out sometimes to
help helping them to sign to what they already know
and maybe been afraid to believe about themselves. Yes, there
might be some teachings, some education parts of it.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I'm not here to tell anyone.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
What to do. See, that's my job. I'll tell him
in a minute. Oh no, no, no, no no. And
I am here to give advice and guidance. And you
going off in a stupid direction and you need to
turn your flap happy behind around and get a grip.
Come on, let's go do the mirror exercise. The mirror exercise,
especially when you're talking to people who don't feel comfortable
(33:22):
in their own skin, who don't see the beauty in themselves,
and beauty comes from within, you could be ever so
out here beautiful. But if your soul is ugly, if
your heart is dark, you know you gotta that's the
time for reassessment. And then mostly I don't want to
do that. That's just don't take too long. Oh really,
did you really think this was like gonna be a
(33:42):
You didn't you thought this was gonna be a mayor?
What did you think? And then they look at you
and they give you to look like, oh, she might
be right. I'm sure as a therapist you get that look,
oh she might be right.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
You do a lot of work sometimes just focusing on
AFS relations I think, you know, in terms of not
so much telling people what to do.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
But helping them come to those real that they can do.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
It, when they realize who they are, that it is
possible to be healed, that it is possible to move forward.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
And not just look back.
Speaker 5 (34:20):
I love those moments when you reckon, when you can
see it on someone it's not even just something that
I've said to them, but they realize that themselves.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
That's where I think you just begin to see so
much healing come into place, and.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
We really need that, especially now this has done got
bad craft crazy and now do you have your your
space where you're going right? You know that you know
where you can have you know, state focused on what
you're doing, or can you write with chaos around you?
Speaker 4 (34:51):
I can my best writing.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Because it's.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Every I can sit on the sofo, I can fall somewhere,
you know, and make it the corner of my bed,
and I.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Can just think. It's like and plus you know the
day is over. You know you're not worried about kind
of fix dinner or sign this or do that or do.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (35:16):
It's like that is when I can just sit.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
See it was a little bit easier when I was
down there because now I'm tired.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
And that time sounds beautiful now, I doesn't it Just
let me take in all our need is you know,
some power minutes. Let me just lay down for like
twenty minutes. I have a time and when I'm old
fashioned timing and it has a really annoying thing, and
I put it far away from me where I can't
turn it off. You know, I can't. I have to
get up to turn it off, and I'm like, okay,
now I'm good. Seem are He's the kind of person
(35:48):
that lets her feelings be shown that you wear your
feelings on your sleep, or you keep yourself very guarded.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
I feel like I'm probably guarded, but I don't always
have the best face people know about myself.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
You and not to not go to Vegas and gamble.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
No, that wouldn't work. That wouldn't work.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Yeah, there's a game we played sometimes as a family,
talking millions, where that you know what's going on whenever
it's my turn.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
I don't as well. I'm not good at keeping.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Oh it's like charade.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's kind of it's kind of complicated.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
But in the end you're trying to act like you're
blending in with.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Every everyone else knows what the topic is. Oh don't
but you have to pretend that you know.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
I'm not good.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
You're not.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Yeah, I have I know, I learned a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
No, you don't, and people know you. Okay, loves it,
give rid it up. You got to look, I don't
have you have the love. I was got an event
and I was talking to the people that had put
the event on, and they asked me what was my opinion,
and I gave it. In my opinion, I get constructive,
you know, criticism, and they asked me, I'm gonna tell you.
(37:05):
And so he was asking about one of the people
that was there, and then when they did their presentation,
and so he said, so, what did you think of
the presentation? I want? I don't even know what the
look was.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
And he looked at me.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
He said that my mother love. I said, what do
you mean I want? And he said, you done gave
me the look. I said, I didn't do anything, and yes,
you did, so asked me. And you know, what do
you like surprises?
Speaker 3 (37:36):
If it's a good surprise.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
It's hard to me.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I can only think about maybe one pice in my
life I have, okay, still still the t one was
by one of my babys hours. I had to feel
it that it was that it was that, Yeah, I
(38:01):
don't know.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
I feel like I haven't been there has not been
too much.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Now I feel like I'm saying this and now people
will pride. But yeah, it's fun. I feel like I
haven't really been too surprised.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I don't want. I don't like surprises. You wanted to
be a surprise? Everybody else tell me and and I'm
and they were like, you know, didn't it. I'm like,
don't be trying to put my husband is good at that, okay,
and at fifty two years and you still thinks she's
good at that. But he is. But I said, don't
(38:36):
surprise me. Listen, I'm a season siizen. I mean had
a heart attack. If I didn't know what was going on,
I'm just gonna was going at all. But you could
drop any time. I said, I'm gonna down this, I'm
down the keyboard, hella, but you're gonna know I had
a good time. He said, you like traveling. What is
your favorite place that you've been that you could go
back again?
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Let's see last year Morocco and lived in.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Travel. Yes, And he said off across the street. The
next time, you ain't say none about world travel. You
gotta have your international passports. You've been Milwaukee, the Miwaukoe
And if I didn't love you, I would be like
this much together. That's one of the people. And he said,
you've been living.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Yeah, you've been to a few places. That's just like
I said, I love I will plan and see for me.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
I like to I like the challenge of planning a
trip on a budget, so like I will find a
way to make it work.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I'm totally we like to say let two sorts. We
could say more, but why right?
Speaker 3 (39:43):
So to me, I like the challenge. If there's some
place that we want to go in the world, I
will do some research. I will find you know, a
police that's nice to say.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
I will look up their transportation system, you know, take
the train, you know travel you know.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I there was some real those are some really good
travel tips. And a lot of people to this day
have no idea how to pack a suitcase.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
M oh let me tell you.
Speaker 5 (40:10):
Okay, you did a ten days trip, said Europe, and
I just had a no, actually Morocco. I just saw
a backpack and her when we went together, I have
I feel.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Like I'm pretty good at being a character.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Okay, so a ten days in a backpack, Listen, I
learned how to. I learned how to better pack and
be a better traveler. Because when we were growing up,
you know, we went to camp and that was enough
vacation for me, and our mother would say, it's not
a vacation for you, it's a vacation for me. Cause
(40:49):
she would send us out. It was six of us,
she would send us out like all four of the girls.
We would be in a different camp. Brothers, they'd be
in the camp and she was like, oh, peace be still.
And I didn't understand that. I do understand that now,
And that's why it's so important to have that that
you time, it's so important to take care of Leslie.
You know, sometimes sometimes you might not need your husband there.
(41:12):
You might just need to get you know, just do Leslie.
Because when you married and you got kids, they do
they're doing you. I told you kids, and you said
your youngest son is eleven.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Well I haven't.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Oh, oh that's a daughter. So you got a daughter
son daughter?
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yes, sixteen year old, twenty one year old sign, twenty four.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Year old daughter.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Oh I could see that.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Well, how I love my baby.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
They always be my babies.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
I don't care how old they are.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
They didn't know that, right I got and I keep
I'm like, where did the time go? God? I'm like,
this year just seemed like it. This We walked out
the front door, walked around the block, and came in
the side door and it's twenty twenty four. Oh kay,
and we got crazy town. What do you what kind
(42:02):
of advice do you give, especially to your younger daughter
with all the chaos that's going on, and we we
have to tell our daughters things, and my h the
men gotta tell our son's things. Because for as great
a mommy as we are, and we are I we you,
we could be on the front page of the mommy books.
I put my tea son how to be a man,
and not how to be a black I mean have
(42:23):
to be a man, how to be a black man
and be how successful in this racist country where we are,
and I just call it like a wall to be
And the only reason why they still being racist cause
they see us comments. I told y'all to be quiet, okay,
but now I see and they can't put that genie
back in the bottle. They can't. So it's if you know,
you know who's gonna say the world, don't it. It's
(42:44):
gonna be us. It's gonna be the women. It's gonna
be the women. See. I think that's what they're scared of.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
M So lessons that I really tie and really loves
and see the beauty of themselves. I think as a woman,
as a black.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Woman, you have to fully embrace and know and be
confident and who you are and who you are, because if.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
You have that down, if you know who you are
and you have accepted.
Speaker 5 (43:11):
Yourself, it is gonna be very difficult for the world
to tear you down.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
So that is one of you know, yes, you know obviously.
Speaker 5 (43:20):
You know you want there safe and the ability to
believe and the hope to be there. But I feel
like that's all one and the same is have to
know who you are and love yourself.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
You know, even that commandment it says love your neighbor
and age.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
You love yourself.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
You love yourself.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Exactly, and you won't feel intimidated by anybody else. You know,
you can see that. And people used to tell me,
I don't know, I don't know fat behind kind of
hoods and whoel she thinks? She makes everybody laugh all
just getting up and standing up for her when she
come in she ha g okay, And I was like,
you really don't know who I am and whose I am.
(44:00):
So when you get back together, then Sney won't even
have any room to criticize me or anybody else because
God and Shun I always know when you God's child.
I always know when I'm around God hearing people, and
that the the oh I'm telling you two, I'm scared
of God and I'm scared of my mama. God is alive,
and well, my mama left the planet a long time ago,
(44:21):
and I'm still scared of this woman because she pulled
no punsios. She lets you know straight up. And when
she started talking real slow like this, you know it's
being ready to be a problem. Can you do? Did
you give your kids the eye and they have to
talk to them? You know how they could do and
(44:41):
they can make you feel like that's a hole in
your neck, you know, and you just and then he
started shaking. I used to hate with my mother and said, oh,
wait till your daddy get home. Helpful. I'm like, wow,
he's I gotta wait for him because he's gonna be
mad at you, because if I hear it, I'm a kid.
And so when my daddy walk in the door, she
was a whoop up behind and he don't know what
he whooping me for. He just grabbed me, put me down.
(45:02):
I'm crying, he said, Now what does she do? And
they would be in tandem, kept us in order, kept
us straight, and that's not an easy thing to do,
especially now with so many outside forces and so much
white noise around them, and this computer, this, this them
just really wouldn't if I asked you earlier, do you
long hand or or type of the uh type? Or
(45:24):
do you do it on the computer.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
So actually it's easier for me to type out the story.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
I don't know what it is about.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
When I thought V John Wing, I will be wrong
hand if I just if I just need to pour
out personal reflection. So there's nothing. I have so many
notebooks here Pivably I probably could start a store with
all the.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
People thought it was mean, that's what I have. I
had a scrap player about this big and I had
to write they right here on my gas They're in
my bedroom. Next up. If my son asked me one day,
he said he don't go, He says, mother, mother, why
do you have a no inking in the bathroom? I said,
because this is where I get my greatest work from.
I haven't I know the you know, and you heard
(46:09):
that because I knew my best work in the bathroom.
They said some some expert claims and said you should
not sit on the toilet longer than ten minutes. I
heard that the other ting I'm like, well that's just
SOUPID Why would you want together? I'm like, what ten
minutes should I ain't even send it, you know, doing
(46:30):
my birdsiness and ten minutes are you kidding me? And
I said, some of the stuff they give us, Uh,
it's just insane. Now are you a are you a hoarder?
Semi hoarder?
Speaker 3 (46:43):
I probably hold on a little bit longer then I
need a suit.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
I'm trying to let it go.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
I'm trying.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Okay, I got invite for you because I'm like that.
I was like that when I'm still like that, uh
you have if I haven't said, if you haven't used it,
seen it break, you don't need it.
Speaker 5 (47:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
And then I found out I didn't need a whole
close or full of clothes and I went, I'm not
giving up these clothes. And he's my husbands said he
can't wear none of them clothes anymore, like one hundred
eleven pounds. I'm like my big girl clothes. He was like, look,
I've had it on one of the shirts the other
day and it literally fell off of me. He was like, okay,
that's going in the bend. Just forget it. Just I
told you he needs a hobby. So now have you
(47:26):
trouble with you with your children?
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Do they go and you're trying.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
I do like actually like that.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
I do like that when if we can take them
with us, we will. So they're like young adults. And
she saying that we my husband and I do have
a trip next year, Well it would be just us
and like you know, some friends or whatever. That's a
big trip to next seat.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
That's a big trip.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
That's a big trip.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
So and kind of like the fact that you said,
do the research. See, I would have never thought about that,
do the research. Dy else was doing it for me,
you know. So I'm like, Okay, long as I get
get there, get on the plane, I'm safe, get off
the plane. I'm something. Everybody's good and so and and
people don't tell you these little things about packing. I
(48:13):
am just fascinated that you could as a woman, you
could packard y'all say in a while you had a
backpack and your purse.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Yeah, so basically what I do?
Speaker 4 (48:22):
I think of a color? Right?
Speaker 3 (48:26):
So, and then do you have a lot of pieces
that you can together your accessories. I'm very particular about
my feet hurt a lot, so I will get a
good parentcy hair sandals, you know what. I mean like,
I'll figure that out.
Speaker 5 (48:43):
But if I have a scene in mind, then all
my soundings for that tip schools around that team and easier.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
And it really does, it really does. And I and
I learned this the hard way. You don't pack. And
this was before they were weighing her suitcases to find out,
you know, and you couldn't go over a certain certain
way and what have you. And I was like, I'll
take ten pairs of shoes with me. I'm a shoe fan.
I don't take two pairs of shoes. But I've learned
not to do that. You need black shoes, you need
(49:12):
a flat, you need a pump, and maybe you need
a sling bag. That's it. And you wear your tennis
shoes or whatever you're wearing. And you talk about a
color shop. I'm doing some stuff, right, colored thing, my
colored thing for travelers, red, black and white, the air.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Yeah, you know, if you're gonna bring the war, those
so those in the bag. But yeah, I have a
bunch of little you thought about trying to do like
a little travel blow. I think love. I love playing
the strips my friends. Like you ever talk about having
a girl's trip, I.
Speaker 4 (49:44):
Will have like a little mini power points.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
This is where you can save. These are the activities like, yeah,
I'm that person.
Speaker 1 (49:53):
Oh no, you are great traveling companion. And I love
to travel. I used to be terrified to fly. And
my husband had said to me, as long as I
am with you, you're not gonna die in the plane crash.
I said, but what if we can mangled up, It's
not gonna happen another day. And he would say, you know,
you can't. Being in the cars more dangerous than being
(50:14):
on an aircraft. And I was like, why do you
say that? He said, you don't hear it? My airplanes
crashing two and thirty times a day, and they took
off on thousands of planes. I'm just fascinated with that.
But now I and I like to travel, and I
don't wanna go to the country or the city like
a traveler. I'll go I'll get there dead ahead of time,
just so I could get the field for it. And see,
(50:35):
you added another little nuggets of me. Get all the
weather reports. Get how long is think you get to Morocco? Oh?
Speaker 3 (50:41):
Well, so we flew to live and then from listening
it was like maybe an hour or so. It's like
from there but like that that was another.
Speaker 5 (50:48):
Little tips because it's kind of like if you find
the air the airlines that travel over there, get.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
Around trip there, and it was it was a seaper
to just fly to Lisbon. I mean some rasco's back
to Lisbon. So yeah, that that burns out that so well.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Most most countries acknowledge the American dollar, and it just
seems like we went to Africa once and the guy said,
you don't even need to bring about two hundred dollars
to convert. And so we get there and they gave
us a stack of money, like I was like, is
this real much? She said, this is what the currency
is here in this part in this country. And I
(51:28):
was like, well, what happened? They and they only want
American dollars for you. They want you to tip them
in the American dollars and we had a stack like
this and they were like, oh, give us, you don't
need you don't need to give them back to us,
and then they go do it again to the next
plane coming down. If they had a racket going on, right,
and you have to be mindfuls of that too, you
know that be careful because you don't know these people.
(51:49):
You know some of them could be very, very violent.
And I remember one of the guys on on our trip,
he had his baby at his his wife would he
would hang and his wife are holding hands, and somebody
up to him and cut his sandy pack off of him.
He spent the whole trip trying to get his passport.
It was awful. Now, where where else have you been?
(52:10):
Bet Momacle, you've been? Then we're going to We're going
to tie.
Speaker 5 (52:15):
We took when we when we did our Europe trip,
we took overnight train from Germany to Italy. And when
you talk about the passport, I had done my research
and I had read that you had to keep your
passports on you because it was an overnight train, he said,
because someone might try and take it in the middle
of the night.
Speaker 3 (52:33):
Heard us knock at the door, and then yeah, I
was like, wait a minute, what is happening.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
So you know again, I do as like as possible
to find out, you know, safety tips, what you need
to do and where do you change your currency?
Speaker 3 (52:53):
Like the airport's gonna be the most expensive place. Oh
they are.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Whether when you go to do into the neighborhood, you
can get a bottle of water for a dollar, get
it at the airport five hours. Been are different places.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
When do you ever we went to Costa Rica.
Speaker 1 (53:12):
I wanna go. The pandemic just jecked everybody up, you know,
and I, I don't know he'd not remember when the
first president Bush said, you know, after they found the
guy found his uh, I don't know what he did.
And he said, it's not gonna change. You know, our
lifestyle is not gonna change. I never would have thought
I would have almost had the strict to get through
(53:33):
the airport's security. I'm one of the things I learned,
don't wear a lot of jewel through the airport, you know,
and there and people think it's really really explicive when
you say Mowaco. If you don't know where it is,
maybe you don't need to know.
Speaker 3 (53:46):
I will find a way.
Speaker 4 (53:48):
So like that, that to me has been challenge.
Speaker 5 (53:53):
Finding a place set is affordable. Finding deals on flight
is the coump me.
Speaker 1 (53:59):
We're and you know, people think you are you know,
people think you are all I have. I have this thing.
I tell you nothing like flying and well and I said,
and they always put me up. I was always in
first class. And so because I have to get on
the plane, sit out. That's when I got I gotta
get on the plane and sit out. And that's it.
(54:20):
I don't want to look at people, you know, from
the back, cause they don't tell them what's gonna happen.
So I have to be one time. Then I used
to have to take a happy pill. I'm trying to
think what the name of it was, but anyway, they
had to take a twenty minutes before I got on
the plane because I would be just and they told me,
and my my psychologist told me the same thing. You
know why you're nervous month at eleven, I said, no,
(54:40):
I'm nervous. He goes because you don't have controls. M
that that is.
Speaker 3 (54:46):
That's that's a good thing. That's a good thing to recognize.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
And I will tell you as much as I travel,
I'm still terrified to fly. I have to calm myself down.
Speaker 1 (54:55):
I have to do so calm I. I have to
do that. But yeah, you know, I have not let
that fear.
Speaker 4 (55:07):
Like I said, when I tell you, we will find
a deal.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
If we have to apply economy, maybe I finally have
I just.
Speaker 1 (55:21):
Oh see, oh see, And I'm so specific. I want
to sit in front of class. And if I gotta
sit in coach, don't put me by the wing.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Do not put me by the wing.
Speaker 1 (55:29):
And I'm like, uh I, no, you at people. The
safest plane in the on the plane, it's the seats
where the rightness to the right behind the toilet. Oh really,
you see plane crafts most of the time, the end
of the back of the plane is not as mangled
as the front of the plane. So I'm like, oh yeah,
that's real comforting. I find go sit in the back.
(55:50):
I'm like, no, don't want to do it, but I'm
just I'm just surprised a woman could take a back plane.
But if with the it's with the thing.
Speaker 3 (56:01):
I will find a way.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
So because I do that, and my theme is red,
black and white. Take a couple of play of black pants.
It takes maybe a skirt or two, a black dress,
you know, put this. I put all of my jewelry
in my purse because they're not gonna weave that. And
black shoes. I have two. I used to take ten
twelve pair of shoes for four their trips. I know
it sounds crazy because you never know. I never knew
(56:23):
what I was gonna wear that's why I took all
the clothes. But then when one of the people that
I worked with before, uh, Peter Greenberg, he's a he's
an he's an international Uh, I don't know what a
travel expert. He's a travel expert. And he showed me
how to travel. Like you said, see either we're both
crazy for that was a really smart movie. And you
don't fold your clothes, you roll them.
Speaker 4 (56:48):
And with the what what that way?
Speaker 1 (56:53):
You said, some place with a washing machine. Okay had
a wash and the scene and they had you had
to you know, that's to the closure.
Speaker 3 (57:05):
They had this clothes line right outside the window. I didn't.
My husband had to figure out how to work it,
but he did.
Speaker 1 (57:15):
As if there.
Speaker 3 (57:17):
Is if there's my lesson in life, what's that. If
there's somewhere do you want to go research, there's way
to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (57:27):
And I like that, particularly I go on somebody else's die,
you know, which is really cool. I need to grow
up and be like you don't grow up there, do
not grown up. Don't blow up. They take like too serious.
They don't see the beauty in it. They don't see
(57:47):
the beauty in every day. Uh. I'm trying to think
of who made this song and said go with the
child's card, and they don't worry about the day. I mean,
what you're gonna do about yesterday? On import to keep,
you know, beating itself over that? Let me do I
get to say myself my luck. I get to tell
in December fifth, twenty twenty four, I got to meet
(58:07):
and chat with them very lovely. Do you know when
anybody asks you nothing, lady? Why am I talking to
the ancom system like a crazy person? It has been
such a joy. Okay, we got ninety seconds. Where is
your favorite place to travel besides Morocco and Elizabeth A Beach?
Speaker 4 (58:26):
I will I am there and I don't even know.
I just need to see it.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
I just need I'm here if it on the East
Ocean city.
Speaker 1 (58:36):
Or I mean, we went to a Ruba and I
didn't want to leave. I found out and I A
ruber is where God goes to vacation.
Speaker 3 (58:49):
I could believe that A.
Speaker 1 (58:52):
Yeah, breath taking, I told I don't want to leave,
and they have the prettiest jewelry there.
Speaker 3 (58:58):
So so now what what pleased to be here?
Speaker 1 (59:00):
Next week?
Speaker 3 (59:02):
I'm still determined to keep writing that you know.
Speaker 1 (59:11):
Would you ever think about writing and autobiography.
Speaker 4 (59:17):
I have to think about that.
Speaker 3 (59:18):
I have thought about some self help books.
Speaker 5 (59:21):
Character, so you know that that is I.
Speaker 3 (59:23):
You know I I I feel like my story is
still being written.
Speaker 1 (59:27):
So I'll be part two of the net. That's well,
that'll be. It has been my distinct honor and pleasure.
Know that you always as long as I got breath.
You have a place to land to shamelessly promote your
book and they can get it. Tell them where they
can get to that cookie.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
Go to my website, Leslie, Amazon and online bunch of places.
Speaker 1 (59:51):
But if you go to my website.
Speaker 3 (59:52):
You'll you'll see all the link.
Speaker 1 (59:55):
Thank you very much, it has been my pleasure. You
enjoy your Christmas holiday. Just give your husband a kiss
for us, and you know other things, because you know,
when you get to be seasoned, just the idea of
I'll make you hurt yourself. And baby, don't forget this.
No matter how big or small, short or tall thick
of thing, it matters. Now what end you're end. Everybody
needs the mother left now and there. I love it, Yes, ma'am,
(01:00:19):
thank you so much,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!