Season 3, Episode 77: The Secret to a Balanced Life

Season 3, Episode 77

Nicole:

Friends, friends, friends. Now I know, every week I tell you, I am excited about what we’re going to chat about. But this chat is going to be one that I think is really going to resonate with all of you because how many of you have said to me, Nicole, I have known you for, you know, virtually known, right? But like, we’re friends, you get it. I’ve known you for 10 years, I saw you have your quit day live online in front of 10,000 people. I’ve seen the littles grow up, I have watched you have a relationship, get out of a relationship, find a new relationship.

I mean, you have seen me through my wigs, you know, from synthetic to high quality custom made. Okay, we have been through it. And what’s great is that the number one thing I always hear from you is Nicole, like, I want to make my own changes. You know, I want to make sure that I’m keeping balance in my life, that I am prioritizing what matters to me, but I also want to feel like I am stepping into my calling and that I am fully allowing myself to be all the things and I’m taking my tiny steps.

But Nicole, you just kind of jump out there. Well, today, I get to have a chat with someone who is just brilliant. And you all may know her already if you listen to good podcasts like this one, you know, she is the host, creator, founder of Balanced Black Girl, Les Alfred. Now you follow her online. You keep up with her incredible interviews where she brings some of the most generous, smart, wise women of color, to have conversations on how they are healing and growing and balancing. But what’s incredible about the chat we’re about to have today is it’s rare that you get to talk to someone who is willing to show that they’re on a journey of their own, and is willing to meet you where you are. And what I love about her is that she really is an open book. And more so than any chat we’ve ever had before. I’m sure you can hear it in my tone right now lean in, we’re going to have a conversation about where you are. And we’re going to do it by being transparent about where we are. And I think that this is going to literally change your life. Les. Thank you so much for being here.

Les:

Nicole, thank you for having me. And for that beautiful introduction.

Nicole:

Oh, it’s true. It’s true. People can’t even see right now. Y’all go to my social at Nicole Walters, I have a social media clip of this posted. I rarely post to my feed about my podcast interviews, but you are so gorgeous, that it is literally your face is walking clickbait. Like, I know, I’m gonna get more views just because of the way you look. So I’m like, it’s gonna be like freeze frame. Right here, viral status thank you for letting me leverage your eyebrows for my own success.

Les:

That’s the ultimate compliment coming from you because I know you don’t play about a your eyebrows.

Nicole:

I do not, I would not leave my child with someone with bad eyebrows. I have actually walked out of medical procedures, I was going in to get Botox… maybe like, I think it was like two months ago. And when I went to this facility, it was a brand new facility. And the lady at the front register had just atrocious eyebrows. When I say they were eyebrows from like 1992. You know, they were shaded in with black eyeliner. You know, it was the universal like, what are you doing? Right? And I left? I just left she was like, Oh, what about your appointment? And I was like, I don’t need it. You know what I mean? She wasn’t even gonna do my eyebrows. But I was like anyone who hires someone at the front, with eyebrows like that so casually, you know, is just not it’s not a facility I can trust.

Les:

Yeah. Where’s the attention to detail? Where’s the needle in your face?

Nicole:

I left. I was like, no, you are not stabbing with needles. I will rather I would rather look like what I’m going through. risk having this happened to me. So. But this is all a tangent. Although I feel like there was a lot of value right up front of you right up front. You’re like, good, good, good to know. But I’m so excited that you’re here, because we’ve just been catching up. And I definitely want to get right into it. But for those who don’t know you, let’s just give them a little background. Yes, you started this podcast and it has taken off. Can you tell us a little bit about why you started? And then go into your favorite interview? And like how that kind of encompasses the Balanced Black Girl podcast.

Les:

Yes. So I’ll take it back a little bit. Because I first started my content creation journey in 2014., 

Nicole:

Which is what you do for a living!

Les:

Yes.

Nicole:

Like you’re a professional content marketer for corporations. So you know what you’re doing. It’s so good, your content, so good. I’m like, come do my stuff.

Les:

Lots of practice, lots of practice. I started off as a blogger in 2014. At the time, I was working in corporate comms and I was a personal trainer on the side and I got burnt out of fitness. I was overdoing it on fitness, I needed to find…

Nicole:

Never my problem. <laughs>

Les:

Yeah, it can happen, it can happen. And I just needed to scale back a little bit and find my own balance in terms of like, not being super hyper focused on fitness, looking for other positive outlets in my life. So I started a blog and started sharing what I was doing to try and be healthy, but not too healthy and not go too far. Because back in the 2010s, it was a little…

Nicole:

Listen, it got stuck for a while, you know, like and I mean, honestly, it always is in some pocket of the Internet where people are sharing things. They’re like, I don’t know if that science, you know…

Les:

I’m not sure if that’s healthy.

Nicole:
Yeah it might be working but I don’t know if that’s science.

Les:

Right. Right. And so I felt myself going towards that rabbit hole and I had to pull myself back.

Nicole:

That’s good. Was there anything that triggered that for you?

Les:
You know, for a while I had been living alone. And I was in the deepest like, over exercising, not nourishing myself, binge eating. And then I ended up moving in with a friend from college, we became roommates. I wanted to save some money. And she had a very like normal, healthy relationship with food, and her body and so forth. And so when I was around her, I was like, Oh, you’re not measuring everything you eat. Oh, you don’t have like a meltdown if you can’t make it to the gym that day. I was like, that sounds nice. Yeah, maybe I’ll take a page out of your book. 

And so it was being out of isolation and being around other people who had healthy relationships with fitness, food, their bodies that really helped.

Nicole:

So this is actually really powerful, I think in multiple lessons here. And y’all I think you’re seeing the power of this, especially because a lot of my listeners are, you know, moms, you know, who are saying for the first time like I feel an isolation, right, you know, just not intentionally, but it’s just the circumstances of the moment or they’re entrepreneurs who are like, you know, you work in a bubble or just you know, a lot of us find ourselves especially I think once you kind of crossed that 30 mark, where you’re in isolation unless you seek out community.

And one of the things that I don’t think a lot of us realize that you just called out here is that it’s when you enter community that you can really start examining, is the way that I’m living making sense? And what could I learn from seeing other people? Now, when you set up the Balanced Black Girl podcast, I mean, you essentially are bringing community to people, you know, by letting them see from where they are right? Because right here, this is my community. Hey, y’all, I love y’all, you know, like if this were a thing, you know, so you get it. So where did this tie in after you started seeing like, Okay, what am I doing? Then what happened?

Les:
Yeah, so I got very immersed in the wellness content world. And I did that for about four years creating fitness content, creating recipes and doing the whole Instagram fitness, wellness 2016 girl thing. I ended up getting really burnt out because I’ve been side hustling, you know, working multiple jobs, doing all of the things and I just took a break from it from content all together.

Nicole:
You should just shut down.

Les:
I did.

Nicole:

That’s a thing. That’s a category, right? Where people on social media will be like, I’m taking a break, then they just ghost and then like, I come back and start over with something new, you know?

Les:
Pretty much. Yeah. And while I was gone, I would have some people who followed me be like, hey, Les, I know you’re taking a break. But when I don’t see you posting, I don’t see other black girls talking about wellness in my feed. Like you were the only person I saw who looked like me who talked about fitness in this way.

Nicole:
Isn’t it crazy to think 2014 makes you an OG blogger? Right? You know, right, because I’ve been on the internet since I think 2009. And that is like, first early adopter. So you get it.

Les:
Yeah, it’s a different world.

Nicole:

It was very different.

Les:

It was, it was a lot more siloed.

It was siloed. But it was also social media was still social. So I feel like a lot of the relationships had a depth and organic thing where they would send you messages and say, hey, you know, where are you? I’m thinking, I noticed you’re gone, right? Because we’re doing this thing together. You know, it really did feel more like without the presence of lives, you know, FaceTiming a friend or texting a friend. So I can see how you’d already started building community but it wasn’t the type of community that you wanted.

Les:
Exactly.

Nicole:
You know, so you were figuring that out? Exactly. And so y’all I hope you’re hearing you know, sort of kind of where we’re going with this because we’re about to get to, I would hate to call it the tea because it’s not tea. It’s like our real life, you know what I mean? But not understanding and figuring out what you want is a very normal part of the journey. So if you are in a place right now, where you’re saying to yourself, I don’t know if I like what I’ve built, whether it’s in your marriage, your career, your friendships, your body, or you are trying to figure out where you’re supposed to be because you’re called for more, it is not weird to take a break. It is not weird to figure that out, which is exactly what you did. And so when you came back, what did that look like?

Les:

Yeah, so I could see that there was a need. My audience wanted to see other black women in wellness who they could learn from. So I thought, okay, I can introduce my audience to other black women in wellness, and maybe a podcast would be a good way to do that, because it’s a little more intimate. It’s a conversation, they can learn a little bit more about their stories. And I got the idea for the podcast and launched it 10 days later, which is like a story in and of itself. 

Nicole:

No, I mean, that is like so I think a lot of people don’t understand that. That is also a thing that’s very common with entrepreneurs, you know, where, once you kind of land on the field, like where you’re like, Okay, this is the thing.

Les:
Yeah, you go.

Nicole:
You have to do it without even thinking about it on some levels. Like, you still plan on some Oh, what do I need, whatever. But then it’s like, we just gotta go before I think about it too much. Exactly. I do it. So my podcast launched it, $25 mic, yeah, in between sweaters in a closet, you know, debuted at number six in the world. You know what I mean? Just because I just did it. Yep. So inspiration hit. You did that. What happened?

Les:
Yep. So I launched it in October 2018. Started off with some solo episodes and started off by just interviewing my other friends who were black women in wellness. Trainers that I knew, other black women.

Nicole:

You knew people though.

Les:
I did yeah.

Nicole:
You’re making it seem like you interviewed. Like, you know, Tanya, who ran the dry cleaners, you know, down the street. It wasn’t like that necessarily. It was also like you knew some heavy hitters, which was great because you built that network.

Les:

Yeah. And we were all able to kind of grow and kind of glow up professionally together. And so once it it hit back in 2018 it’s just been going ever since.

Nicole:

I love that, I love that. Consistency y’all if you’re if you’re listening you know a lot of it is that if you have that thing that really is on your heart stick with it. Yeah, you know and it’ll keep growing. So okay, y’all got the background, let’s talk about the real. So you’ve built this incredible thing you know and I understand it because I have done the same you know in building Inherit Learning company and you know, writing my book but the truth is, we all enter a season of starting over fresh starts, which is something I’ve really been talking about a lot this year, you know, post my divorce and moving to LA and my book, Nothing is Missing, which y’all on shelves October 10. You know, I want to know, where are YOU now? Because you have spent so much time giving everyone else on this journey, the tools you have collected a lot.

Do you feel like you’re finally settling into how you want to show up in this world both professionally and personally?

Les:
I think I’ve spent a lot of time putting other people on, which I’m honored to do. I think it’s one of my gifts is to be able to connect people and to shine a light on others. And now I’m kind of ready to put myself on a bit more and invest in myself more.

Nicole:

Yeah, listen, y’all. I mean, I’m telling you, I love this, because I think that so many of us spend a very long time in that “putting other people on” season. And we don’t recognize when it’s our turn. And it’s because we do live in a society that glorifies heavily, you know, the giving, the sharing, the setting yourself on fire to keep others warm, like, that’s the thing, and there’s nothing wrong with being of service. But within that you learned so much like, I look at the people you have interviewed, the companies you built, you know, incorporate, and it’s like, you’re right, you have all the tools.

So then I have to ask, you know, because I think a lot of us, especially as black women, you know, and within marginalized communities, you know, and as women, right? Because I have, you know, listeners here who are just my lighter brighters, you know, we’re women to write, you know, that are listening, and they’re like, look like, I am capable, and I know that. But why haven’t I started to really put myself on like, why haven’t I taken my turn? You know, I can feel that it’s my, me season. Do you know why that is for you? If indeed, you feel that to be true? 

Les:
Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of it is fear, which I think a lot of people can relate to whether that’s fear of success, fear of being seen, and what that means when you open yourself up to being seen, and that unknown, can be exciting, but it can also be scary.

Nicole:

Yeah, I love the honesty in that. And I think that it’s so powerful and necessary for women like us who other people from the outside are like you have it together, your skin is clear. Are you wearing Spanx? You know like they look at us and they think these women are just all around, right? And the answer y’all is yes I’m wearing Spanx. Always, you know what I mean? Always wearing Spanx. But being fearful is something that we’re going to continuously encounter because if we’re doing it right, we’re gonna keep starting over. Yeah, we’re gonna keep having fresh starts. And what is the big thing? The big leap right now you think you have in this season that you’re most afraid of?

Les:

Yeah, I think it would be going all in on my podcast and going all in on my content, is a big leap.

Nicole:

Yeah, it is a big leap. But it feels like the next leap?

Les:
I think so.

Nicole:
So everyone, I want you to listen, right now, we all have a thing like that. We all have a thing like that. I’m gonna share mine. I’m not gonna put you out there and not put myself out there too. I’m not gonna leave you on a limb.

Les:
I appreciate that. <laughs>

Nicole:
So you know, everyone right now, I would love for you to, you know, just in your mind’s eye and your heart of hearts privately by yourself in your car. If there is something that you want to articulate, you know, to yourself, what is your big leap that you’re afraid of? You know, what is the thing that you know, will be your up level? You know that it makes sense even if it doesn’t make sense, you know? Say it to yourself out loud, because then we’re gonna get into it. So my big leap right now is that I’m in a season of needing to ask for help. Heavily. Yeah, I have done a lot of the things that I need to do. I’ve hit professional milestones and accomplishments. And I literally cannot get where I need to go without asking people for help. And accepting it.

When I tell you, even saying it out loud right now makes me want to tear up because it is the most uncomfortable thing for me to believe that it isn’t just doing it myself. You know, we talked about being the eldest child, how many siblings do you have?

Les:
I have a younger brother.

Nicole:
I only have one. I also have a younger sister. So it’s just like, aren’t you far apart? I’m seven years apart.

Les:
Yeah. Eight years apart.

Nicole:
There you go. Yeah. But same, same. Are you a Scorpio?

Les:

No, I’m a Leo.

Nicole:
Oh, okay. I was gonna say get out of my life. <laughs> But it’s true. Like, when you have that older kid, maternal, corporate background, you know, you’re just used to getting it done. And there is something deeply uncomfortable about recognizing that. There’s an element of letting go and surrender. Yeah. You know, in this world. So did you echo that? Do you feel that? Or is it like, have you identified what it is? It’s kind of surrounding the fear around making this leap? Like, what it’s going to mean about you?

Les:
Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of it kind of related to what we were just saying about being an eldest daughter, first gen, in many ways is how many things we’ve had to figure out on our own. And I’m like, I’m tired of figuring stuff out on my own.

Nicole:

She’s exhausted and she’s exhausted. There’s a lot of celebration, and I’m hoping you all here, this is a lot of celebration around figuring out on your own right. Like in our society, I feel like there’s so much like, oh, wow, she built it. She did this, you know what it’s like, but also she didn’t want to, right? Like she had to, right? She’s tired, you know, and, and I gotta tell you that I can feel myself growing in this season, every time I ask because it is always meant affirmatively. 

And so if there’s anything I can say to you, it’s that I don’t, I can’t see you making a leap and not being caught by so many people. I would catch you, I would help you because you small and light.

Les:
Girl…

Nicole:
You fit, I feel like you’d balanced yourself, you know, I feel like no, I will catch you because like one you’re worthy and deserving of being caught. Two, I don’t even think you’re gonna need it because you’re doing such incredible work, you know? So let’s talk about painting a vision. It sounds cheesy, but what do you think it would look like if you made the leap? Let’s do, best case, worst case, right? Yeah. So what do you think best case scenario, what do you see for the balanced black girl podcast as the thing you know, is established and then from then on?

Les:

Okay, I love that you said this, because I have this practice that I call best case scenario journaling. So usually my daily journaling, yes, is scripting out the best case scenario of how I want the day to go or whatever it is that I’m thinking about at that time, I will write out like the best case scenario in detail.

Nicole:

I love that y’all write that down. Because how often do we only catastrophize? And say, What is the worst thing that happened? How does that even serve us? Right? Tell me more about this, do you do this daily?

Les:
Most days. Yeah. In the morning for my journaling practice, I was having a hard time journaling. 

Nicole:
I just like same.

Les:
So I was having a hard time getting stuff in my head. Right. And so what was helpful was I just described things that are kind of on my mind, things that I was struggling with, what would happen in the best case scenario, how would it go and I started writing in vivid detail, and I found it was easier to fill pages when I thought about it that way, because we do often prepare for the worst.

Nicole:
Yes we do.

Les:

But it also helps to prepare for the best. It’s a 50/50 shot of going either way.

Nicole:

Tell the truth, y’all. Do you hear that? How often and this is also part of the problem of being both a woman and marginalized. We are hardwired, I think to always plan for the worst, partly because we’re always so responsible for others, right? So we’re trying to figure out where to stand in the gap to protect even just our babies, you know? Like before we leave the house we’re packing 15 snacks just because what if they get hungry? You know, like we’re living in the what if and that’s anxiety driven, that is worried driven. But this idea of even starting our day, or recalibrating our brands with this best case scenario, journaling, you know, really does remind us that just as easily as we worry about it going wrong. It could easily go very, very right. Right. So what would very right look like for you, you know, with balanced black girl podcast. And honestly, I want to hear more about like, outside of that too. What would that look like?

Les:

Yeah, I mean, I think best case scenario for me would be the podcast reaching the people that it’s meant to help. I think, I’m really grateful that I have an engaged community and that it has helped a lot of people and I think it could help more people. I want it to be bigger so that it can help more people and reach who it’s meant to help. And then I also like want to be rewarded for that work that I do as well.

Nicole:

Yeah, you want to be financial, I mean, there’s nothing wrong I’m and everyone who knows me knows this. I am really big on money being with people who are good, yeah. And deserve it and are going to do good things because I also know people who are not good have no problem making money. Especially when you know that money is a tool. Yeah, you know, when you know that it just allows you to have the… Listen, Beyonce can’t be sitting next to somebody and coach when she’s got to get on stage and perform right you’re not gonna be raspy when I pay all that money for my ticket says because somebody want to talk your ear off. You need a private jet so I can so you can be napped, well rested, well moisturized and get up on that stage. You know, so yeah, that cost you don’t I mean, so I fully understand and appreciate that. Yeah. What does it look like outside of the business and I’ve started asking this because I think that so many chats that people listen to on these podcasts are very like well, what are the three things you’ll do in your business to grow blah, blah, blah, but it’s like as you’re doing this because you know, we’re not 20 You know, we’re not young young ones anymore. I don’t care what you look like okay, I’m just saying right now, okay? You’re not sure to have me out here so low okay with my middle forehead wrinkle. You know, talking about like, you look 20, I just want to be very clear.

Les:
I got botox too. So it’s okay.

Nicole:
Oh, yes. You know, everyone black girls get Botox.

Les:
Yes.

Nicole:
Okay. And we do that because Black don’t crack but understand why wouldn’t I shave off an extra 10 years if I can? I’m trying to be out here making people reconsider everything so yes, I support but that said, best case scenario outside of business. You know, what does life look like? I know you say like, richly rewarded but is it you showing up on stages? Is it you hosting events? Is it you having a business that’s running on there’s no such thing as autopilot y’all ignore the internet but essentially autopilot where you’re, you know, traveling, you know, living in Bali? What does it look like? Do you have a cat?

Les:

I’ll be so real. I’m not a worker bee girl, okay.

Nicole:
Good for you!

Les:
There’s some people who like love to work. And I’m like, it’s aight. Yeah, I love freedom and flexibility and free time. And so I think for me, best case scenario is showing up in my gifts and having support to handle the rest so that I can have spaciousness outside of that, because I love to travel, I would love to have a beautiful, comfortable home. I would love to entertain, like, I would love a lot of fullness in life outside of work.

Nicole:

Oh, I’m just sitting in the vision with you right now. And I love it so much. And one of the things that’s such a blessing for me in this moment is you’re seeing it here first.

Les:
Yeah.

Nicole:
I cannot wait. And friends. I know y’all are listening right now saying Yes, me too. Me, too. How excited are we to be on the front end of this journey? Because when you come back, and it’s like, so girl, I know that you tried to act brand new right now. But I saw you on your yacht. And so you know, I’m just trying, I’m just trying to figure out first, thanks for being on the podcast again. But also what gives, you have my number? Why are you on that yacht by yourself? You know, that’s what it’s gonna be. Right? So I say three to five years, we’ll be back talking about that, you know, and you’ll be like, I know, I can’t believe I said that. It’s so good. So I’m excited about it.

Les:
I’m looking forward to it.

Nicole:
It’s gonna happen. It’s gonna listen, I received that for you. So okay, no, I think that’s wonderful. I think that’s very real. But I also think one of the learnings here that I am also embracing, and it took me a while to get there, I want fullness. Yes, I am entitled to and I desire a full life. And that includes rest and peace. And do you think this comes back to your many conversations around balance? Do you think that that’s helped inform where you are now?

Les:

It does. Yeah. Because I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about balance. I think what balance is marketed to, especially as women is give 100% in 27 different categories.

Nicole:
Whoo.

Les:
And so when people say balance doesn’t exist, yeah, that doesn’t exist, because that’s not possible. That’s not possible for any human. It’s not mathematically possible. Nobody can do that. And I think that as women, we are sold that so that we constantly feel like we need to be catching up and doing more and giving to everybody else. I think balance is understanding what your needs are and getting them met, whether that is needing to dial in with your self care, whether that’s needing to ask for help, whether that’s leaning into a season of hobbies and doing things purely because they give you joy, it’s being a well rounded person. And so that’s something that’s really really important to me.

Nicole:
Y’all. I hope you’re absorbing this because you’re a professional on balance, you know, as I mean, literally, you have interviewed and researched so many people, you could have your doctorate in balance, you know, and that’s the truth. You know, I think that as much as we can challenge this perception, like my big pillar around perceptions is like, Look, you don’t have to be perfect in order to be impactful. Like you can literally show up as a hot mess and still make a difference in this world and have a meaningful life. The number one question, I get girl is balance, how do you do it on a call? I don’t may not hear my message. I was eating cheese five minutes ago, you know, like while waiting for this because I was hungry. And that was breakfast, because I’m a mess today. You know what I mean? Like, this is so powerful and letting people know, let’s redefine that. We don’t even need it affirmed externally. Let’s redefine it for ourselves. Right? Well rounded, fullness. Oh, so good.

So you just joined, in case y’all don’t know, Les just joined the Dear Media network team, shout out to Dear Media. We are both here together. We’re representing Team Brown over here. And we’re very excited about it. And I’m just grateful to have you here hanging out and doing all the cool stuff. It’s great. I love Dear Media. It’s been really great being here.

Les:

I’m excited to be here. I’ve been doing the podcasts independently for the past five years, so.

Nicole:
I understand I started that way for two years. So you know, and, you know, and again, just y’all if you’re listening in terms of milestones, like this is what it looks like. I hope you’re hearing that none of this happened overnight. We said 2014, 2009, you know, getting to this point, but consistency and evolution within that. Yep. It’s part of how we’re here.

Les:
Yes.

Nicole:
So we’ve so we’ve known each other from well known each other like internet known each other from way back when how do we first meet each other? How did you first find me?

Les:

I think I found you through Chalene.

Nicole:
Oh, that makes sense, work out world!

Les:
I think she mentioned you and I started watching your periscopes back in the day.

Nicole:

Oh my wigs were not good then. I’ll just own it. Wigs have evolved as a concept right now. They’re like much better in general for the masses, but they were not doing what they needed to do. I look back on that sometimes and I’m like the content rock solid still. Absolutely. Man the hairline. I mean, I was like, I thought I had friends, y’all. I love y’all but y’all could have said something, you know.

Les:
But I think the 2010s, now that I look back on it, I’m like, what we’re doing with our hair, or the makeup thing, it was the blind leading the blind.

Nicole:
Blind leading the blind, nobody knew. We didn’t know, we didn’t know, I’d like to think I was in the upper echelon of bad wigs, though, which. I appreciate that. Well, thank you so much for still being here. And thinking kindly of me knowing what I was, I was living in experience. You see, that’s grace y’all. <laughs> Oh, my goodness, I love and adore you. And I’m so excited for what comes next. So let’s talk about what comes next. Now you’re at Dear Media. And this is where you know is hosting the Balanced Black Girl podcast, which means you are on the cusp of the biggest thing.

So y’all, if you’re not listening, do it now. You don’t I mean before so you’re the cool person who’s talking about like, I’ve been listening or I knew her back when, now’s the time, like be on it. Right. But we’ve got new episodes coming.

Les:
Yes.

Nicole:
Which is very exciting. Because you’ve been on summer hiatus?

Les:
Yes. I took a little break while I was kind of working on the transition to Dear Media.

Nicole:

Tell me more about that. Because I don’t take breaks. My producer is really amazing. He’s listening to this right now. And he’s awesome. He is like the most generous, talented, even keeled guy, shout out Josh. He’s really great. But he also doesn’t let me take breaks when I tell you, Okay, I’m like, Josh, I don’t want to do this anymore. And he’s like, your contract says, right? Well, he’s always really nice. He was like, look, you could do this, you could do that. But the truth is, I put that pressure on myself. So tell me about taking a summer hiatus because I need to learn how to work this into my life.

Les:

Definitely. Well, that was part of it was I knew once I signed that contract that every week yeah, for that year, you know, so I was like, let me take a break while I can.

Nicole:

You smarter than I. <laughs> I just signed.

Les:

And I also wanted to kind of rebrand the podcast and upgrade a little bit.

Nicole:
So it’s about that, what can we expect?

Les:
Yeah, so some new artwork, which is very exciting. Because the older artworks were just older versions of myself, previous versions. Sure. I was different. It was a little more fitness, see. And I’m leaning kind of out of talking about fitness and more of getting into the lifestyle. Less girl, more woman and I needed to kind of take a little bit of time to really center myself on what that look like and what that felt like and what I want the podcast to be.

Nicole:
Oh, I love that. Y’all to hear all this goodness, is Les not are people? Like oh my gosh, because I mean literally and she’s like the best version of us because I’m still using my old pictures because I was thinner than but look at you. You know what I mean? People are gonna I’m gonna be 65 and people were looking at photos of me at 25. I’m not rebranding anybody’s artwork, okay? Because I looked good in those photos. Okay, jawline was getting jawline, we will continue to see Nicole from 2014, you know, minus the wigs, photoshop. So Les thank you so much for coming on, for chatting, for sharing with us about your organic evolution, but also being so open and vulnerable about what’s to come and the fact that you’re still on that journey, but we get to join you for it.

Les:

Thank you so much for having me. And just for like, being a sounding board being like a big sister. I’m always a big sister. So I appreciate it.

Nicole:

We get it and you know what I mean? But it’s also unsolicited advice. Like, listen, I tell people, I’m like, Just tell me to mind my business. It doesn’t even hurt my feelings. You know, I just know, look, I’m the issue. I’m the problem. I know that you don’t really so you can give it to me. But no, I appreciate this. And I’m so excited to be on this journey with you. You have my full-on entire support. You know, whatever you need. I am here for you and mostly so that you can come back and I can be like, yes girl and we can all celebrate you because I hope you know it, me and all the internet aunties, my Internet Cousins, my internet sisters are all here and we are cheering you on.

Les:

Thank you so much. I receive it and appreciate it.

Nicole:
You deserve it, y’all. Please listen to the Balanced Black Girl podcast. She’s here at Dear Media as well. Follow us everywhere you go because she’s going to be doing incredible, huge things. And, of course, I am on tour right now. So I hope I get to see you. I will be in New York on October 9, then DC, Atlanta, Houston, Chicago and LA over the entire month of October on the Nothing is Missing book tour. So I hope I get to see you and it’s going to be incredible and y’all you’re just the greatest please step into all of your goodness, grant yourself some grace and get out there and just honor who you are.