Coaching with Leslie

About Leslie      Apply      All the world’s a stage (to me)      Writing for laughs

 My coaching journey     What this means for you     Coaching and you


"Leslie has the wonderful ability to listen deeply to her client's needs and deliver her wisdom in exactly the right way."

- Veronica P.
Actress and writer


About Leslie

 Hi there! 

 

I’m Leslie, and I’m a performer, writer, and coach. 

 

Over the course of my career I’ve played top theatrical roles in shows like Evita, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, and many others. On the writing side of things, my work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Washington Post, Jim Henson Co., and BuzzFeed. 

 

For me, art is more than just a passion- it’s who I am! 

 

If you’re a creative who is ready for a big change and committed to making it happen, we should talk

 

Or if you’re a professional in another field who wants to be a more effective public speaker or communicator- I can help

 

Click here to apply for coaching with me, and I’ll review it and respond shortly. 

 

Want to know more about my journey as a creative and coach? Read on!

 

All the world’s a stage (to me)

My first performance was at the age of five, when I was chosen to have my feet washed as part of a ritual during chapel. Even at that age, I knew an audience when I saw one, and I was not missing my opportunity to shine in front of the whole school. 

I milked my time on stage- er, at the altar- taking my time as I put my shoes back on and smiled at everyone. The pastor actually had to pause the service because I was taking so long.

It was heaven.

I started taking ballet soon after, and I was hooked from day one. At 7, I had my first performance on an actual stage. At 12, I told my math teacher mom I was done with algebra because all I’d need to know as a grown-up was how to sign autographs. 

By college, I was ready to branch out and try other performance types. My dance training had given me a lot, (discipline, precision, funky toes), but it had also instilled a nearly-crippling sense of perfectionism in me. After all, in ballet a few degrees difference in positioning is the difference between doing a step correctly or not. 

Exploring musical theatre, where I often got to improvise dialogue and sing bawdy songs, helped me start to loosen the strings that bound me. I began to see the value in embracing the moment, rather than trying to craft it. 

Years later I would go further, taking a jackhammer to my perfectionism by studying and performing improv. It’s a skill that transformed me not only as a performer, but as a writer.

Performing continues to be a huge part of my life. I’ve been lucky enough to work with and receive instruction from everyone from Broadway performers to American Ballet Theatre dancers to world-renowned singers. 

I’ve performed on stage as well as on film and in print campaigns. Along the way, I’ve played top roles in shows like Evita, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, and many others. 

I’m a long way from that little girl hamming it up in chapel, but I still thrill every time I’m in front of an audience. The stage will always feel like home to me.

Writing for laughs

Writing has also been a part of my life since a young age. Whether I was scribbling my grievances into a journal or taking notes on my unsuspecting neighbors as I played undercover detective, I frequently turned to writing for comfort and entertainment. 

At sixteen, I wrote an article for my school newspaper detailing my misadventures as a grocery sacker, including the time I grabbed a badly-closed bottle of cleaner and squirted bleach all over my jacket. 

A visiting college professor praised my work, saying it was the best feature of the year. Classmates stopped me in the hall to tell me I was funny- something that had never happened before. For the first time I saw how humor could help me deal with life’s assorted bleach catastrophes. It’s still what drives me to write humor.

Years later, after my youngest was born, I started blogging with the idea that I would write about very serious, important topics. And then I started writing, and what came out was much closer to that grocery sacking essay from years before than the think pieces I’d hoped for. 

Because, as it turns out, when you have 5-year-old twins and a newborn, you need lots of therapy in the form of laughing at the ridiculous. 

Before long, I had accumulated a following with readers from all over the world, like some super-sized version of all those classmates high fiving me in the hall! I gained confidence and started submitting to publications and was thrilled to have a piece accepted almost immediately by the parenting website juggernaut, Scary Mommy. 

Almost 10 years later, my writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Jim Henson Co., BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, and in You Do You, a book in the New York Times bestselling I Just Want To Pee Alone series, among other places.

My coaching journey

My journey into coaching started in 2012 somewhat as an accident. I had recently left the classroom to stay at home with my newborn twins, and I was hired by an education service center to coach new and struggling early childhood teachers.  

I had taught for years, but I was nervous to take on this unfamiliar new role. But it didn’t take long to realize that even though I’d never done it formally, I was a natural coach. 

I had garnered lots of wisdom from teaching as well as from my creative experience, and I found it incredibly satisfying to share this knowledge with my clients. Beyond that, it made me believe in the power of coaching.

Since then, I’ve shifted my coaching practice to focus on creatives and professionals.

Creatives often struggle to find someone who speaks their language and understands their career path looks different from a more traditional one. They may need help handling rejection, taming their inner critic, or juggling the demands of their work.

Professionals in other areas can feel intimidated by public speaking or presentations. Improving their communication skills and learning how to translate their authentic selves into their work and personal lives can be a game changer.

That’s where I come in as a creative coach. 

My clients choose to work with me because I understand where they are coming from. 

I know firsthand what it means to stumble, to get rejected, to fall down and get back up again. 

As a busy mom of three, I get the need to balance creativity and practicality. 

I help my clients break through blocks, dig into what they really want, and empower them to go after it. 

I push and support my clients, and above all…

I help them do the damn thing.


"Leslie's coaching is sincere and heartfelt."

- Preston P.
Dancer and writer


What this means for you

Throughout my creative path I’ve picked up lots of tools, skills, and hard-won wisdom, all of which I now pass on to my clients. 

From auditioning and performing, I’ve learned how to communicate with confidence, how to roll with the punches, and the importance of practice and preparation- it only takes forgetting your lines in front of a huge audience once before you become a disciple of muscle memory! 

Writing has taught me that my voice and tone are what make my work unique and entertaining, to persevere in the face of obstacles, the need for consistency and drive, and to always go for the long shot.

And from over a decade of coaching professionals of all kinds, I’ve experienced the difference support makes to people’s success, the magic that unfolds from saying your goals out loud, and the transformation that comes from doing something like you mean it. 

Coaching and you

And that leads me to you.

Are you a creative who is ready for change? Click here to learn more about how I help my creative clients. If you’re ready to talk, answer the questions on this page and I’ll be in touch shortly.

Are you a professional in another area who could use some help with your presentational skills? Click here to learn more about how I help my professional clients. If you’re ready to move forward, answer the questions on this page and I’ll get back to you soon.