Don't Deny Your Greatness - Leslie Battle

Hosts Lala and Brian welcome the incredibly multi-hyphenate artist Leslie Battle to the show. Leslie, a comedian, dancer, writer, and poet, discusses her diverse career journey, from singing at a Bengals game during her 26 years in the US Army to her latest creative endeavors. She shares insights on overcoming her tendency to bury the lead about her accomplishments, the power of embracing new skills through just following directions, and the importance of grace and healing in an increasingly tumultuous world. Leslie also details her exciting Five for 55 birthday showcase, which blended all her talents, and gives a sneak peek into her upcoming poetry book, Caution: Reconstruction Zone, which explores themes of grief and trauma to help others feel less alone. 

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Transcript

Everything's Not Black & White

Don't Deny Your Greatness - Leslie Battle

Episode Transcript

Intro Announcement: Welcome to Everything's Not Black and White with your hosts, Lala and Brian.

Lala: What's up, everybody? It's been a minute! How y'all doing? We've missed you and we're so glad you're still with us. Welcome to today's new episode of ENBW.

We are super excited! We have a multi-hyphenate guest here today—a comedian, dancer, writer, poet, and an overall amazing human being that I've had the pleasure of getting to know over many years through creative adventures and all things entertainment. Please give a big ENBW welcome to Leslie Battle!

Leslie: What up, what up, what up! How we doing? Welcome to the show, whichever day you're listening to this!

Lala: Yes, we're so glad you're here! You are probably one of the most multifaceted, interesting people I know. Every time we spend time together, we go on so many tangents of wonderful stories because you have so many complex, beautiful levels.

Leslie: I have quite a few! What's really exciting for me right now is that I'm actually stepping into it. I spent a lot of time denying it. I spent a lot of time downplaying things—there were people who knew me for years who didn't know that I sang the national anthem at a Cincinnati Bengals game!

They were like, "How did you not lead with that?!" I bury the lead a lot, but the lead shifts! Whatever is a priority for me in that moment tends to be what I lead with.

I really got into this thought pattern that once I accomplished something, it was over and done, so I didn't talk about it. That was coupled with a desire to not seem conceited—I was confusing talking about things I had actually done with being boastful! But if you did it, you've got receipts! I earned it. Now I'm in a "pics or it didn't happen" phase, and I have so many pics!

Lala: I love when my cloud storage pops up with memories from 10 years ago!

Leslie: Although the cloud creeps me out a little bit! Sometimes it'll send me a picture and I'm like, "I kind of remember this, but who was this person next to me?" I am terrible with names!

Lala: That's the beautiful thing about being Southern, though—you can just give a lovely little moniker like, "Oh hey, sugar, how you doing?" and people think it's just your warm personality when really you just don't remember their name!

Leslie: My brain doesn't let me do that! I give myself 10 seconds. If I haven't figured out their name, I just say, "I'm so sorry, I don't remember your name!" And usually they'll say, "That's okay, I don't remember yours either!" So we're good!

Brian: Whenever Lala can't remember a name, she walks up to me and whispers, "I don't remember her name, can you ask them?" So I'm the one who looks clueless!

Lala: We can also blame it on my chemo brain! But how many people do you meet in a week? It's forever! Plus, I have multiple friends with the same first name, so Brian is always asking, "Is this Columbus Sue or Dayton Sue? Is this belly dance Maria or sweet Maria?"

Brian: Which one is it?!

Leslie: It's a whole thing!

Lala: Take us back to little Leslie! Tell us where you grew up and a little bit about your upbringing. I know you served in the military—and thank you for your service—but take us back to the beginning.

Leslie: Little Leslie was born in Houston on July 31st, 1970. I was a gifted kid coming from a family of educators, so instead of "Go outside and play," it was "Oh Leslie, come read this book to the adults!" They could all read, but they just wanted to show off how well I could read! And I was just thinking, "I want to go pick berries! What are we doing?!"

My mom had significant psychiatric issues and was in and out of inpatient care for the majority of my childhood, so my grandmother raised me and my older brother in Tyler, Texas. I was kind of nerdy. We didn't have cable—cable was for rich folks!

I graduated high school in 1988 and went to Army basic training ten days after my 18th birthday.

Lala: What made you decide to join the military? Was it a dream of yours?

Leslie: I didn't want my grandmother to have to pay for me to go to college on her fixed income. She had raised her kids, and then she raised her kids' kids. I had the academics, but I felt like joining the Army would let me sow my wild oats, see the world, and earn my college money.

I ended up staying for 26 years because I didn't know how to do a Midwest goodbye! I did 13 years of active duty as a medical lab technician, then transferred to the Ohio National Guard literally the day before 9/11 happened.

After 9/11, I went back to school, got my degree, and earned a commission as a communications officer. I finally retired from the Guard in 2015.

Lala: What was your biggest takeaway or lesson from serving 26 years in the military?

Leslie: It serves me now. Throughout my life, I would try something new and people would ask, "How long have you been doing that?" And I'd say, "I just started today, I'm just following directions!" But people would say, "You're a natural at this, you're a natural at that."

One of my coaches told me, "Leslie, your problem is that whenever you try a new artistic discipline, you're actually good at it! Most people try something, suck at it, and stick to one thing. But you try singing, dancing, acting, comedy, and poetry, and you can do them all!" But really, I just follow directions well!

Lala: Practice makes better, and the more you do something, the better you get—provided you give yourself grace in the process.

Leslie: Yes! You have to give yourself patience, especially when learning something new as an adult.

I was listening to a masterclass on brain health this morning, and the science shows that the more you challenge yourself with new skills as you age, the more neuroplasticity you build by creating new neural pathways. So look at me—I'm going to live to be 100 and remember all this stuff!

Lala: I'm on a self-care and healing journey right now, and I tell people that if it's not about peace, joy, and healing, I don't want to do it. There's enough hardship in the world; I only want to cultivate positivity and peace.

Leslie: What I would give for everyone to spend just a day or two acknowledging their own trauma! So many people are hell-bent on terrorizing others simply because they refuse to acknowledge their own unhealed trauma. If you can face your past, acknowledge where you were, and give yourself grace for what you didn't know then, you can actually be kind to people! If you see the humanity in other human beings, you wouldn't want to hurt them.

Lala: Speaking of doing new things that bring joy, you started belly dancing a couple of years ago!

Leslie: Yes! At the end of a multi-number belly dance show, we have a pretty bow routine. The count goes: "Step, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... Bow, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... Up, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... GTFO, 5, 6!"

Lala: I love it! GTFO on 6!

You started doing stand-up comedy in 2011 after your second divorce. When did you realize you had a gift for performing?

Leslie: My talents never really got to hide as a kid because I was the church girl who could memorize all the play lines!

In middle school, I tried playing the flute and hyperventilated. Then I tried clarinet, but everyone played clarinet. In sixth grade, I sang Irene Cara's "Fame" at the school talent show and practically ate the microphone because I was so intense!

Then, as a freshman in high school, I did a stand-up set wearing my older brother's stolen pink cable-knit sweater, making jokes about Richard Simmons! I buried that memory for years until long after I started doing stand-up professionally in 2011, and then I suddenly remembered: "Wait a minute, I did stand-up in 9th grade!"

Over the years, I kept seeking out creative outlets. When I was stationed in Germany in the late '90s, I played Puck in a Shakespeare production of A Midsummer Night's Dream set in the 1960s where the fairies were bikers and flower children!

For a long time, I minimized my creative work because it wasn't my primary paycheck. But when the opportunity came to sing the national anthem at the Bengals game in front of 60,000 people, I stepped right up!

Brian: A lot of people have social anxiety or fear of trying new things. What gives you the courage to take that step without worrying about failure?

Leslie: FOMO is a hell of a drug! So many times in my life, I've asked myself: "When I'm 80 years old in a rocking chair looking back at this moment, will I regret not doing it?"

That mindset led me to try comedy, acting, dancing, and even led me to my current marriage. My husband told me early on, "You need to be in an environment where you can flourish." That statement blew me away! We've been together 17 years now.

Lala: When something is truly meant for you, it will keep coming back to find you.

Now, you turned 55 this year and put together an incredible milestone show called "5 for 55." Tell our audience about that!

Leslie: When I turned 50, COVID hit, so I couldn't celebrate. So when 55 came around, I realized that over the previous five years I had done a podcast, acted in three plays, started belly dancing, started African drumming, and written poetry.

I thought, "What if I put together a 55th birthday show showcasing five distinct artistic disciplines that bring me joy?"

We opened with singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," performed a short play, did poetry readings, belly danced, performed stand-up comedy, and closed with a live drum circle!

It brought together people from every area of my life—drummers, dancers, comedy fans, and friends. It was an incredible celebration of community, creativity, and living life out loud.

Lala: That is so inspiring! Speaking of poetry, you are currently getting ready to publish your first poetry book!

Leslie: Yes! The working title is Caution Reconstruction Zone.

I've been part of a poetry incubator program through Streetlight Guild here in Columbus, facilitated by Sayuri Ayers and Scott Woods. The collection features poems—some a decade old—that I wrote while recovering from the aftermath of my second divorce.

The chapters are loosely based on the stages of grief:

1. Surviving: Directly recounting traumatic events.
2. Righteous Anger: Processing all the feelings of wanting to punch someone in the neck, but choosing peace instead!
3. Processing: Navigating depression, healing, and growth.

My goal as a poet is for people to read my work and feel less alone in their own healing.

Lala: If you can lead with humility, vulnerability, and authenticity, you can change lives. Your work gives people space and grace to heal.

Leslie, how can people connect with you, catch your upcoming shows, or get updates on your book?

Leslie: Visit my website at LeslieBattle.com! You can read my bio, check out my upcoming comedy and performance dates, and contact me directly there.

You can also check out streetlightguild.org for details on our cohort's upcoming public poetry readings!

Lala: All of those links will be available in our show notes!

Plus, a quick announcement for our listeners: Leslie and I will be collaborating on a brand new joint podcast coming out in the new year called All Over the Place, where two Gen X women navigate life, culture, and wisdom!

Brian, how can people stay in touch with us here at ENBW?

Brian: You can email us at embwpodcast@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Lala: Leslie, thank you so much for bringing your wit, wisdom, and light to our show today!

Leslie: Thank you so much for having me!

Lala: Thank you all for listening to Everything's Not Black & White. We'll see you next time!

Brian: See ya! Bye!