Being Between Dreams with Actress, Director and Reiki Practitioner, Leslie Meisel

Welcome to diner jocks with James, slide into the booth and let's have conversations we never want to end with friends. We never want to leave over food we probably shouldn't be.

My friends, welcome to another episode of diner talks with James. I'm James and I'm super pumped to be here with you all back in the diner, y'all. I'm excited. I'm talking to a friend of mine from New York who currently lives on Long Island. So when we talk in diners, we actually talk in diners. This is so exciting how many mirrors you got in your establishment. If it's not all of the walls, you're not a New York diner, okay, if you don't have dry cake spinning and some sort of spinny contraption semi refrigerated mechanism, it's not a New York diner, okay, if you don't randomly have a selection of alcohol that no one's touched in years. It's not a New York diner, my friends. But Lesley Mizel knows what a New York Diner is. And I'm excited for you to get to know her. Let me tell you about her. She is a certified Reiki practitioner. I have no idea what that means. But I'm excited to learn. Also, she is an actor, a writer, director, teacher, and in college worked at a bowling alley thinking you would be exactly like grease to it wasn't. Lesley has been doing Reiki for a number of years throughout her own healing journey about 10 years of working with Joan. Shout out to Joe. And that's all the information I have about Joan, I love that she's just kind of an ambiguous figure in the middle of the bio. But either way, I'm excited to learn about how these she's found the benefits of Reiki and how it's so much so that she wanted to pass on that knowledge and healing to others. Leslie and I met while she was working, not working, excuse me writing, directing, performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater while I was taking classes and desperately trying to get those people to think I was funny. Okay, let's keep moving. But I have worked alongside with her aside of her very random job that we can't wait to talk to you about. And she is just one of the most genuine souls that I know. I was immediately drawn to her energy to her essence, to her humor to her love. And I'm just excited to get to hang out with my friend with you in the diner. So grab a milkshake because here comes Lesley Mizel

Oh, cool. How are you? Hi. Cool. I did your voice your I just could listen to you talk the whole time. I mean, this the musicality of your voice is crazy. Awesome. Is that weird? Is that weird to start off that way?

One of the compliments that I get when I'm giving speeches. Afterwards, people come up to me and asked me if I do slam poetry. Yes. It's just a really, it's cool, right? I intentionally tried to speak with cadence especially in in my rehearse speeches. Because we all have a vocal fingerprint. It's another way to add intrigue and so so I'll take that compliment to the bank. Leslie, thank you.

Oh, do I cash it see what you get? Because well, I It's probably already coming back to you and priceless amounts of

I hope so. No. Sure. Yeah. Lovely. I'm stoked to be here with you. Now you you live on Long Island where I grew up. You live about maybe 2030 minutes from where I grew up. And so I know you're no stranger to New York diner. You also lived in the city for quite some time. Yeah. So I'm wondering shows called diner talks with James because I think the best conversations happen late at night. But the friends you never want to leave over the food who shouldn't be eating.

Amen. Amen. A late night guilty pleasure food for you. If you were to go to a diner late at night, what would you order?

So it's interesting. So a typic okay, I always got an omelet. I always got an omelet with like fetta cheese and spinach and then you had to get the hashbrowns or like the potatoes on the side. But I would tell him like cook it really good. Like get it crispy and nice. So I probably stick with that maybe no cheese because I'm that gluten free, dairy free person at the moment. So it's late night. Maybe I'll just live it up and not care. Just get that cheese

poppin lactates denied baby.

Hey, that's the extent of my partying. Boy, it's Like, I'm gonna go crazy. I'm gonna go dairy. So I would do that. But there's also nothing like a tuna melts at a diner. That's also so maybe I do both because it's been a while. I'll just go nuts.

Yeah, I think I agree the tuna melts great, especially if they do it on an English muffin that always makes me happy for an English for a tuna melt.

Okay, what's your go to? Does it change?

It does, I would say I have like a handful of things in rotation. I do a grilled cheese with bacon, french fries on the side. Or I'll do a stack of pancakes. Hollow bread, French toast, of course. Yeah, I'm doing a waffle with whipped cream instead of butter. Because you know, it's late at night. It's dessert.

Would you ever order a steak at a diner? No. Okay,

I would I would Oh, I would. I would 100% never order a steak. And I would have 100% always judge someone who did

perfect, because when you see your like steak and eggs, and someone's eating it, you just hope they're gonna make it through the day. You hope that like there's another day tomorrow for them?

Yeah, exactly. I mean, everybody's got a thing. I suppose. I'm someone who is when it comes to my meat, especially like burgers, steaks and stuff like that. This is bougie. And that's fine. I can own it. We all got our little things. But if you don't ask me what temperature I want it cooked. I'm probably not ordering it.

Oh, that's fair. Yeah. Like how would you like it? Yeah, that's okay.

It's just coming out what's coming out. If you order a steak at a diner, you know, it's coming out. Well done.

Yeah. Oh, easily.

He's not more.

Well, I think it's like, where's that meat from? So let's just cook it all away, just in case.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I get the health concerns. But no,

no judgments.

You know, here's one thing that I love about you, you know, I send out a little bit of a questionnaire to anybody who's gonna be on the show, I asked her, you know, things like a bio, headshot, whatnot, all the all the kinds of things you need to get going now. And then I also just kind of give people some questions just to get their brain churning about stuff that we may talk about. And I love this because you actually sent me your answers. And that rarely happens. And it makes me very happy when it does happen. And so I want to share, I want to share one with you. I asked her to please think of three random facts or quirks about yourself. And the two that you shared, the two that you shared, are also two that I share. And so that's why that's why I bring them up. While we're on the topic. He said burgers has made me think about it. I also eat all of my fries before the burger.

Oh, yes.

Because no one. Oh, wait, hang on a second. Yeah, you didn't write that down? That's mine. I read read my own. Did you like I was just like, about myself, just so you all know.

Wait, did you read this before we spoke?

I didn't read it carefully, though. Because literacy is hard. And

I was like, I wrote that I thought I read something different. But you know, it was late

or on a no, that's incredible that I just did that. I love it. So the examples that I give, and I'm now going to ask you for your three quirks and put myself out there. But the examples I give are, for example, three chords that I personally have. I've never seen the movie Titanic. I eat all my fries before my burger. And I think I play with my belly button more than most people do. So those are my random quirks that I now had to out myself about. And that's fine. Do you have any fun quirks? Leslie, maybe any foods that you eat in a unique way or like or things like that?

Yeah, you're well, reading yours made me think of one thing about a burger, which I thought you were going to go into. But I was like, Oh, I didn't write that. And that could be true. So it kind of goes back to my grease to obsession. And I don't know if how well you know, the movie. This is very specific. But there's Michelle Pfeiffer is in the diner in a diner eating a burger and fries. And she puts mounds of ketchup on each bite and she's like talking and beautiful and the way she's talking makes it look amazing. So my cork is every time I eat a burger and fries. I think it Michelle Pfeiffer and a few bites. I tried to eat it. Like she doesn't seem so I think very odd. I think that's an odd thing. That's delightful.

I just picked you getting this sparkle in your eye at one point like a few bites into the burger and like all of a sudden like snap into character.

A little bit but What's odd is like in the scene she's talking about With a mouthful, so when I kind of tried to do it and the way that she does it, which is like so cute, I think I'm like, I'm being disgusting. Like no one, no one understands the context that I'm doing it like, Hey, do you know this? They're just like I'm talking with a mouthful of food. So I tried to be a little bit more aware of that cork.

Yeah, that's yeah, that's a weird one, maybe a role model for your son, you know, you know, these matters.

The manners the eating with your mouth closed is a huge one. I think it's because I grew up with that. But um, but with my dad, like, that was a main thing, eating with your like manners at the table. And I get it like, I'm doing the same thing. I'm literally a robot because of my parents, which we can get into other things. But I think that's a positive one.

Sure, sure. Yeah. My dad on the other hand, Tina is someone who can't stand when people are loud chewers, um, so she like she always has music on during dinner. And like, intentionally, so to help to spare herself from whatever sounds are emanating from people's faces. And my dad is the opposite of your dad. My dad's allowed sure a lot of smacking a lot of it's a lot of moisture. I don't understand where it comes from. But so, and that, unfortunately, at that moment, typically, we're at their house, because we've traveled the Long Island to see them. And we can't be like, we put some music on. And just I just look at her face, and she just gives me that.

But you know, what's beautiful is that you're still together. She accepts it. And she still goes,

Yeah, exactly. Not. Yeah. For sure how to heal that she dies on.

No, not a hill that she dies on. I might use that at some point. That's a good one. I mean, it's a scary one, but it's a good one.

Yeah. You're right. You're right. Yeah. So Leslie, where? You know, we're talking about growing up a little bit. Where did you grow up? And what did what did young Lesley want to do when she grew up?

Oh, okay. So born in Philly, raised in Florida. I probably could skip the Philly part. But I felt like there's part of my blood that still wants to own the that north part of me. So I grew up in Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. And with a little less lease, so when you ask that question the first thing that popped up in my mind so I think I always wanted to acting lawyer or doctor like it was just those three or psychologist it was like all those always came up. But there was a moment in my life where little Leslie wanted to be on Star Search so badly. I mean, beyond and I don't know if anyone remembers Star Search. I'm sure you've heard of it. But or if you watch it, like Bobby Brown one every and Bobby Brown, the model one like every model thing, but they started to have scenes. So the daughter could do a scene with the mom, your mom or your dad. And I begged my parents to submit because my dad always wanted to be an entertainment and they didn't and I think I think I'm still working that trauma

so I think it was always acting I think I think it was always some sort of performance because if you think about it like a lawyer is performing in a sense like convincing someone they have an action they have a one they come up with a speech they're putting themselves out there the jury like you want them to believe you and there there are a lot of connections I think to that profession in that way comes with passion very clear goals like all of that the doctor I'm not sure about which is interesting because at one point I played an actor for like real medical students because I don't know if you've ever heard of this James but like some medical schools will hire actors to be patients so that the medical student can like get experience working on different kinds of patients. So they would give you a little bit of a character thing like be this way be that way and then they would work it out. So anyway, um, so yeah,

they gave you a temperament essentially like be a be a like it'd be a difficult patient via this kind of patient.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. fascinate I did one for I get I was supposed to play. I was playing a smoker. I didn't want to quit cigarettes. And I felt really strongly about that. And so the student would have to figure out how to convince me of that. And I remember this one guy was just total deck. And I think I was like an asshole on the room. I was like, offended. Like, I think this is the last time actually.

That's all I remember from that part. But I send him love. I send them love. I'm sure he's great now.

Yeah, so I guess, always in the acting and when I was little somewhere in that realm, or like or, or which section so maybe, maybe this makes sense now.

Between the actor and the psychology, and yeah, the lawyer and the witch. Yeah, I think I think Yeah.

I think we found it. Oh, my God.

Sorry, gram of that. I think you'd be in the middle.

Thank you. God, I'm rambling. I'm going to take a sip of coffee, diner coffee. Oh, that

sounds good. The idea of wanting to be an actor when you're young? Is is beautiful. Was there? Did you remember watching something that was like, oh, I want to do that. Like, was it? Was it Greece? I want it also and why why it's Greece to and not Greece one. But was it? Was it grease to that did that for you? Or was watching something to be like, This is what I want to do?

That's such a great question. And he comes to mind. You know, I would do like dance classes. I think I just I think it was just my imagination. I wanted to if I had to, like, really, really think about it, I think it was the play playing. I think it was playing using your imagination playing I used to love crying on cue and like pretending I was sad. I loved singing and dancing. And you can just get lost in someone else's world in a way that was really playful. So I think as a kid, it was that. And then even when I was young, this is interesting. I haven't thought about this in a while. And this is going to sound so crazy. But you know what we're going for it. I used I remember seeing something Janet Jackson. And she was like, at a kid's hospital. Helping people. And I thought, okay, okay, so if I make it in the business, and I become really famous, I can help people on a really big scale. And for a very long time, that was part of what I thought would just be the natural steps, like, I'd be acting or singing or dancing or something in the entertainment fields. And I'd be able to, on a very powerful level, have doors open for me in that way to be able to help like sick kids, or, you know, like, give a wish to somebody. But I think I married those two things together. I needed that kind of opening. On some level of entertainment. I can't think of the word exposure. I guess I needed that level of exposure to be able to help on the scale that I wanted to when I was a kid. Yeah,

I totally you. It's funny, I totally get that. When I was taking classes at UCB and doing stand up comedy around New York and getting in the improv scene and trying to figure out how I could get in front of more cameras. The goal was yes, to be on camera and demand a show or get casted commercials or whatever. SNL was the dream at the time. Yes. Right. And so, but it was always in the back of my head, it was like, I want to get to this point. So that I can help people do X, Y, or Z, or I can have a platform to talk about things that I thought that mattered in a way that people might listen or, you know, is interested, there's still, there's always been an innate educator inside of me. And so acting was the way that I thought I could get to a place where my education would reach the most people. Now, so So yeah, so I totally hear what you're saying in that way.

Do you find yourself missing any part of that world? Or do you dip into it a little bit, or any part of that world or does this the work that you're doing now, which is so profound? I mean, it's so beyond inspiring and amazing and beautiful and coming from your heart. Do you find that that you are creatively and spiritually satisfied in that way that you thought the other or do you so long for some of those other creative opportunities in that way? In that acting or performing way? Yeah, for sure.

Well, I mean, like Hamilton, I will never be satisfied. And the oldest Skyler sister, but but still? So yeah, I mean, I would say that what you just said is something that's a constant struggle for me. And I was actually just talking about it last night with some friends and my wife about like, what is enough? How do you know when you have made enough money, especially, you know, as an entrepreneur, it's not like I have a set salary, right, and so fortunate enough to have built a business to the place where it is stable, and I know I'll be able to make a living wage, and so I'm good there. But then like, Okay, so after that, what's enough? And that's an interesting concept to think about. And one that I frequently struggle with so much so that it's what I teach, right? Like, I teach people what I'm currently working on, around, you know, sections, knowing that, you know, how do you know when you're enough? And things like that? And so, so yeah, but But, yes, in a certain way, that's what I love about being a professional speaker is that it is melded those two worlds together, right? Like, I'm able to be on stage. And it's definitely pouring into people trying to get them to pause and think and be like, Oh, where do what matters to me? Or oh, I never thought about it that way, right? kind of shift perspective. But at the same time, I'm getting the fulfillment of laughter. I'm getting the fulfillment, right? Feeling impact, right? And so, so yeah, so it is, it's, it's been a cool way to kind of still scratch that itch.

Yeah, I can see that I can I that makes sense to me, because I feel the same way. In the healing work that I do, honestly, it's, it's interesting. And I read this, I read the creative of the artists way, maybe it's the artists way. I didn't do the whole thing. But um, it has a quote in there that says, creativity is a spiritual issue. Hmm. And I understand that now connecting to my spirituality. But I'm sure when you're doing the work that you do, it's coming from an in alignment with some sort of spirituality, which connects to your creativity, which is what you're doing when you're speaking. So it feeds that same watch, or that that same feeling, whether you're doing it in front of a camera in front of an audience. And I would think that even the work, like when we would do stuff at the ride, as I can remember, like that is speaking to people, they're feeling something they're healing, they're feeling good. They're present in the moment. And whatever it is, you were still, you were doing the same thing in a different way. Which I think is cool. Yeah,

that's real. That's real real. I don't know if I connected those dots in the moment because I working at that I worked at the ride. A is initially it was just a little side money. But then it became the only money because I left a job because I didn't feel value there. I didn't think their values were in line with what I thought should be happening in an educational institution. Then I applied to a whole bunch of other jobs and was told just not quite the right fit. And I was like, Well, I'm leaving this job. And I'm a fingered out. And so I paid my rent up in Harlem for almost a year by freestyle rapping for a random tour bus company around Times Square. Nature, the ride, Leslie, which is you and I met

and I don't know if you would remember this because now this will make you uncomfortable. But that's fine. But like, I always saw you as a big deal at the Upright Citizens Brigade. As someone who is very established, someone who is very highly respected. And I mean, you're doing great work. And just so freakin funny. And at, you know, what, the top level of improv and sketch

Isn't it interesting how sometimes we don't see ourselves in that same way?

Absolutely. I

mean, that's, that's very kind. It's it was a journey at UCB and I love every minute of it. But I went from finding myself losing myself wondering things but it challenged me looking back it challenged me in a way to force me to like who am I what do I really want and, you know, what do I who am I? But I was also young. I was You know, I mean, I'm so young now, but I was younger than Yeah, fact back. But those are really kind words. Thank you. I mean, that's yeah, for sure.

In our in our attempt to figure out how to make it, whatever that meant, right? Yes. We always say in the acting world, we got to make it.

What? Enough. So never enough.

Never enough. Never. So, but we we both find you before me find this company called the ride. Can you tell people what the ride was and how you got involved in it?

Oh, yeah. Okay, so the ride, how did I get involved? There was an ad out. I saw somewhere I really can't remember where. But I knew that a lot of UCB people were involved. Darcy Darcy was involved at the time. I think Tim was Tim Dunn was involved and a few other people. And they're like, there's a simple, you can get paid doing improv. And I was doing improv. And I was like, what is the this is happening? You know, like, I just couldn't believe it. I was shocked. And I'm like, This is crazy. I'll audition for it. And I did not feel like the strongest improviser in in the UCB way in the Herald way. Me and Harold form are have a very tough relationship. So I was like, well, let's see what it is. So the ad was in the paper. I did a scene. There weren't enough people in my group, I think for that are the callback. So I did the scene was one of the writers. And it was this weird scene in a restaurant or like a couple was having a date. And it was the weirdest scene. But thank goodness, they were weird. And cut to getting cast as a host. So I get cast as a host. So that's sort of how it started. For me. I think that was in Gosh, October of 2010. No, is that possible? Yeah. 2010. So it's possible. Yeah. Yeah. So So that was it. So it was a host for them? And then we had so did when you were there? Were we there at the same time when they were building like with Dan with the director? Danny was the director at the time, right. Yeah. So I guess so that was the new rendition of of the ride, but they had previous version of it. But that was the version and then I that's how I started. Yeah. As a host. And then.

So the ride is this immersive, interactive.

I didn't even explain that part. Yeah. I'm not supposed to

know the word you're supposed to use.

Thank you. You're right. You're right. Don't show it on me. Okay, great advisors.

We don't make mistakes.

But I saw your face. I was like, Wait, should I cut this? And am I going too long about

like the burger moment earlier? Where you were like, I'm sure I can play along. Yeah, eat my fries. First jam. Don't make you look bad.

I don't want to I was like, Well,

no, but so the ride is basically what they did is they took this giant tour bus. They chopped half of it off, and they made it all glass. And they took all the seats and pointed them at that side of the bus. So you rode down the street sideways. There were two hosts on there wearing lab jackets, who were conducting a scientific experiment on how what makes you New Yorkers unique. And so you'd pull up to these seemingly random New Yorkers walking in the street. And they would bust into song or bust into dance like there was a a UPS person that wasn't a UPS person, just someone wearing it happened to be wearing a brown jumpsuit holding a box. And all of a sudden they put down the box into a breakdance. And there was a ballerina in Columbus Circle. And so I was a freestyle rapper where they would pull down 42nd Street, I would have been texted the name and one fact about somebody on board or a couple people on board. And then the bus pulls up a hip hop beat drops, and I jumped out. I jumped out from behind a corner or something like that. And I'm starting I have a microphone and I'm rapping across the street to the bus. They can hear me inside of it. No one on the street with me knows what the hell is happening. I'm walking into a gap and wrapping. I'm jumping into puddles. I'm doing everything I can for either anywhere from 60 seconds to during the holidays. Season Five. It's so rapid.

Yes. Yeah. I mean, that was brilliant. And you were so funny. I mean, every time we would come to, which is the great part about the right is like, at that time, when we were all together, we all come came from the same spirit of improv, we all knew each other. So we would be able to, like, make each other laugh and really have some fun interactions. And I guess that's where the, I mean, can you refresh my memory? Really? On the seat wiggle if it came from over the rehearsal, which I also also remember Doug being like pistachio over doesn't mind I forgot his nickname. But when we would have did it come from a rehearsal, was it something that you threw in there and I just loved it so much.

That was it. That was like, there was one time where I did the first time where the bus came out, and I was like, everybody do the seat. Seat, go to seat wiggle, and then I would start rapping. And and I remember, I mean, you know, as an improviser, if the audience laughs then you're supposed to repeat that again. Right? That was hysterical. And it really worked. And so that became my, my, one of my signature things.

Yes. It just had a group. It was like, I don't know. It was like if I was almost gonna say Barry Manilow, but I meant Barry White. It was like a very white is being silly. Yeah, but it had that groove to it. It's like Who else could make do this seat wiggle? Feel like so. So groovy? I don't know. Yeah, it was like seat wiggle. I can't I whatever you'd it's just it was cool. It was cool. And tic tac that seat wiggle

put some stank on it Leslie people people became that I began to know it was known on the ride is Jimmy puddles because I would always if it was it was raining I was jumping in bottles I think the the costume people were not happy with me

know what that is gonna do? Really well. That's what's so interesting about the the ride and when it works is like you go for it. You're not half asking it but you're not putting yourself in danger. But you you're doing what you think is fun in a safe way for like, the entertainment part of it without being like unsafe or whatever. Like I said in that way. And as the time went on at the right I felt like that started to be lost but it also I think there were a lot of things were that were happening within that company at that time. But the spirit of that time with those people. It was just I think we were all maybe you tell me so excited to get paid for the fun we were having it was like Do these people know what they're doing? Like? I just it was like we fell into Candyland. It was incredible.

There were two buses an hour and I was on 42nd Street between sixth and Broadway. And then I would wrap for like I said either a minute for bus up to four minutes during December. And and then I would go sit in Bryant Park and have a cup of coffee with Patrick Lovejoy and talk about dear life stuff and I got paid $25 an hour to work for five minutes and you made more than that as a host I know because I was trying to get in that building but but still like

why didn't you so go ahead finish your thought and then okay, go ahead exactly we're

making and just to have the fun that we were having as friends like it was really cool like we're all winning right now.

Yeah

right and that was such a fun energy and it was a it's a good product right it's a good product so

yes yes brought so much joy the rapper role all the rules are really hard. I still for the year so that I was at the ride. Also the rapper role. There's you guys brought with you and Patrick. And the rappers that were there just mentioned Doug brought not only the linguistic proficiency of rapping, but the humor and the comedy that came with it. I mean, I don't know if people understand mind blowing the Talon and the way I mean like I am still in awe of of that because As you know, you're editing you have things that are happening on New York streets. You can't really it's a family show, think of Disney or whatever you can't comment. But like, what do you comment on where your head I mean, your, your brain must be working in different compartments. While you're doing it, it's really mind blowing. I mean, I was, but also what

it was, what it was lezzy for us was, it was an opportunity to keep working towards our goal and our dream of being on bigger stages. Bigger, bigger cameras, that's not a sense. I can't

wait to work with a camera the size of a house.

I don't care. On the other side. I want it to be a big camera big. Yes. Exactly. And so that was the beauty of it. Because I mean, the acting, the acting career, directing like you do as well, like, it's not, it's not for the faint of heart. And I'm wondering, you know, from the ride moving on to, you know, almost where you are today, because, like you mentioned that goes back, you know, 2010 2011 That whole that whole era? You know, we're 10 years later from that, you know, how has the hustle the acting grind, the directing grind to kind of played with you has it? Is it something that is something that you are still chasing nom and still after? Or is it something where it's like ever comes up and people think I'm a good fit for a project? I'll do it, but it's not my main thing anymore. Like, you know, what's your relationship with that? That field right now?

I'm it's working through it. I have to say, I think I'm potentially half mourning that side of my life. It feels like I'm living a different life. But yes, like if someone were to connect with me about a project, and I felt very passionate about it, connected to it in some way. Do I feel like it's my voice? So I feel like with my heart that I want to put my heart and my energy into this project? Who is it with? Where is it? Is it taking time away from my family, like all those things. I would 100% Consider it. But I hustled for things that I recognized that I didn't really want. I hustled for things. And I self sabotage quite a bit like I don't know, because I think on a spiritual soul level, I didn't like the hustle that I felt like we had a struggle to make it. I mean, I moved out to Long Island, we had one car, and I could remember taking my husband to work this 530 In the morning waking up my son take him to work coming home full day as a mom, then go taking my son sometimes middle of the day into the city for an audition, almost hoping I didn't get a call back. Because I knew that that meant I'm going to do the same thing later in the week, come home, then around 530 At night, go pick up my husband come back home and then sometimes head back in the city at night to do the ride or do a show. And I was physically mentally, spiritually emotionally breaking down from that, which was the only time it made me think what am I doing? And why do I feel the need to say yes to everything. And I think it was just out of fear. It was out of fear. This is the one that's gonna, this is the one that will give me my dream. And if I don't do it, it's not going to happen. So I'm working spiritually. And I I'm still digging into this, but it's if everything comes from your heart, and I know that I'm putting my heart and everything, then is it for the love of it or for the longing of it. So that's where I am now. Is it longing, that I want that job that I feel out of fear that it's giving me something I can't give to myself or something like that? Or is it really for the love of it? If it's a love, it's a non issue. It's like I'll write you'd love something you'll do whatever it is to make it happen. And I think a lot of times it was for the longing it was for the outside the outside world to give me some validation that I couldn't give myself. I mean for that toilet bowl commercial or like that toilet bowl commercial. Right? So I'll just segue into that because I couldn't recognize that okay, this is this is for the money. Like it could change my life. If I booked this national commercial, but I did that without recognizing that for myself because I felt selfish it didn't feel like it was for The bigger picture, but also the pressure. Because in my mind, I wanted to book that. So I can take care of my family. So just a lot of stuff I was putting on myself. So when you take a moment with the way the world is now and it forces you, because you know, everything stopped to just sit for a minute, I was like, Well, what is it that I want to do? And that's when I created my, the, the show that, like I wrote a pilot, I made a sizzle of it. And it's like a heightened version of that time in my life where I was going through all that. And that was so cathartic. And then when I was done, I was like, Well, I guess if I want to stay in this world, maybe I just do things my way on my terms the way I want to the way I want to do it. So I'm so obviously like working through it. But I think there are deeper things to work out and recognizing that my energy that I put my heart into is, is very precious. So I want to have discernment when it comes to what I'm doing. Yeah. Yeah. Does that make sense?

It does, it does make a lot of sense. It's really powerfully put as well, it speaks to some of the manipulation that happens within the within the acting field, right, the things that you're told that you have to do that you should do that you whatever, and you're oh my gosh, right. Like, there's so much pressure. But I think it also, at the same time, I think and the acting field and modeling, suppose places it's heightened. But the same time, what you just spoke to, is also something that people can be going through and just their regular day to day jobs of like, well, I got to do this. So I can do this. And I gotta you know, this is I gotta, I gotta figure it out. And like we're not, we're not necessarily making decisions, because it's like, this is what I want to do in my heart. And I also recognize that there's a privilege to being able to say, well do what's in your heart right now, not everybody has the life that they can do that with whether, you know, because of where they how they started, where they grew up, how they were raised, or systemic oppression, right. Like that's, that's, that's a beautiful sentiment, but not everybody gets to just do that. And so, but no matter what, what you said, still speaks to this broader picture of, you know, how do we find things that in our heart make sense, as opposed to chasing something that maybe isn't real?

Yes. And, and even to what you're saying, I think like if you're in a place where you're doing a job, and like you're saying, you might not have a choice to like have this job because it's from your heart, I still think the only thing I want to say about that is like to be conscious of it, recognize it, but how can you balance that out in any particular way, which I think we all can do spiritually in, in sort of bringing back to that work to the self because we are born with everything we need. And I feel like we spend our life reminding ourselves who we were when we were born, and what we were born with. And I'm not talking material things I'm not talking about because they're I guess in my world, right there's what's Earth offered and what's heaven sent in way so the earth offered is the material plane and the heaven sent is the the spiritual place where what we can see a still exists and energy and things like that. But to clarify, even connecting it, I couldn't say to myself, it is okay that I'm doing these auditions, I don't like them. But I really recognize I'm doing them because it's literally to make money for my family because we need money. Like I can't not work I this is what I'm doing. This is what and I recognize the the privilege I have by even saying that, but it also came from I mean, I worked in a restaurant and bartending and busting my ass for a really long time. And then I finally was like, I'm gonna just take this risk. But even then I just sort of hid that reality. I don't know, I don't know if it was like shame or it was just like, I couldn't recognize that I couldn't just say to myself, you're doing something you don't like, but you're doing it because you have these goals. So if you're in a job that you don't like, but you're like, but I'm doing it because I want to provide for my family I have to provide for my family, then where can the love of providing for your family start to enter in. So we just see things just slightly different. It doesn't even have to be a huge change. But then everyday is not miserable, then you're not out of alignment with your truth and your honesty and your core. And I think I missed that for a very long time because it was very much fear based.

Yeah makes sense.

It does make a lot of sense. And I think you know, there's settling is something that something I've always feared, right, like I've ever had to come up with a password phrase for some account that I created a while ago. And my phrase was never settle. And and that's

nice solid. Sorry. Just to have that password somewhere.

Yeah, yeah, look it up. Yeah, that's everywhere. Yeah, I would never settle one. Oh,

sorry, go ahead, we're in it

the but you know, and like, there's something to be said for that right that you're an entrepreneur. And so there's an entrepreneurs mindset and that there's something in there. You know, I always told myself, you have to earn the right to say no. And I think actors tell themselves that as well. Right, you have to earn the right to be able to turn down a role, as opposed to right and and, and that's not always the case. And so that's why I love I love the way that you're speaking about it. And I'm wondering for you, Lesley, why this didn't come up? Well, you know, while you were rolling by the bus, and I was rapping. So maybe maybe it was around then but what do you what was your journey with your spirituality? Was that something that's kind of always inside of you? Or is it something that you know, once you moved to Long Island and created a little taste? Right co Long Island brings out you gotta you got to find spirituality out there. Otherwise you flip everybody off. But you know what, once you created a little bit of space, from it's such, it is such a powerful move. For someone who wants to be an actor to move just outside of the city. It doesn't feel that long, far, but it is it feels like you literally just put this giant gap between you and your dreams. Every I moved to Jersey City at one point, and I was like, I think I just gave up. Literally just across the river. Yes. Yeah. Right. And so anyway, that's why I bring that up is you know, I don't know if that's what it happened for you. Were you when you created a little bit that space. Was there someone was able to fill it or what you what's your How did you find your spirituality? Or when did it come to you?

Yeah, so um, you know, just cut me off for as many questions as I go. So I think it's always been been within me in a weird way. When I was a kid, I would sit outside and I would like talk to the waves, but I thought I was pretending right, that's where the witch came in. And I'd be like, winds from the east and winds from the west and then the wind would blow and I'd be like, Oh my god, I just do that. I'd freak I'm freaking out. So and then I was sort of into tarot cards. Cut to I used to do this, which I wouldn't probably do today, but forgive me. I did this like Bulgarian gypsy lady. Her name is Leila is a character? And she would I would do that game that improv game of like psychic, like, is that a bee in your name? A B, A D? Could it be an F? Maybe a Z? Like she wasn't really? Right. Yeah. Very fun. Glad I just did that voice for you. Do Yeah, thanks. Um, so one time I did it at a friend's bar. And I started picking up like actual facts about somebody. And they were names involves, and so much so that the friend that I read for, was very pissed off at a mutual friend thinking they told me information about their life. And I didn't know anything. So So I started tapping into that, then acting got in the way and I kind of left that spiritual place. And then we will cut to you know, my journey getting pregnant, having my son was a long one. And I worked with a shaman. And once that happened, I had some spiritual moments. And my son, you know, got pregnant and my son was born and I kept with working with the shaman. And we kept going back to spirituality but because of the acting, I guess I never like like if I gave room for the spirituality, I'm taking away from the actor that I want to be or, you know, whatever issues I was working through, cut to moving to Brooklyn. My husband's dad passed away and the house got too much for his mom. So we bought the house that my husband grew up in. And I'm on the stairs. Very odd. So I had this in 2016. And so we spent about I'm gonna say I was somewhere we may be like, actually, no, I remember I fell on December 4, because it's my niece's birthday. So I think we were there for Not that long, I guess. And I fell on the stairs. And when I fell, I fell like straight that no must have been longer. Mind you the hustle to the city didn't, I did not want to think I was giving up. So I hustled even more. And I mean, like, I was so skinny and I was running around, I wasn't taking care of myself boppity boops, I fell on the stairs. And in the moment I fell straight down, it went black, I saw a little bit of a light. But my voice said I don't want to die like this. And then somehow I landed in a very odd position over the balcony of the stairs, not we're talking like on carpet, I wasn't like smashed, or anything like that. But there were like five stairs, which I should have, in theory, if I fell straight down would have gone straight down the stairs. But somehow I like fell down, went over the balcony and landed just odd. Didn't know how badly I was hurt, went to an audition for oranges, the new black the next day, I had a hobby holding a baby having a panic attack. But the way that I was feeling I booked it, I think because I was living through it from the feeling. So it turned out I like dis aligned my pelvis and broke my coccyx bone. And I was a mess. I thought that I was dying, because my body was doing something from the shock of it's like getting in an accident. So I really thought I was dying. And I was so losing myself. So I met with my shaman, I went it was Mother's Day weekend.

This can, I might get a little emotional on this. Because I said to my husband, I was like, I need to do this, I need to go for four days. And I need to find myself again. So he did. And then when I came back, I said I found myself. And then I knew that my bigger purpose was spiritual work. And then ever since them, I have done physical healing on myself and seen what has happened in my sessions with people that it is an unmistakable, proven fact how powerful this work is. And I have physically seeing the results. And it's like, how do you how do you go back? How do you go back from that, but I, I don't see it any different than the healing one would do on stage. And that date of like improv moment when you're doing a scene with someone. And this other energy is in the room like speaking and you're both connecting. Because at the end of the day, we are all connected, like we are all connected. I don't care where you're from what you're going through, there's a part of you that if I'm healing, there's a part of me, that's healing as well. And that energy is just, from my perspective, undeniable. And the moments of forgiveness I can give for myself when I have hurt somebody, I realized was all out of fear. And just not coming from the heart and not coming from that place of trust and realizing we're not alone. Like we have a whole spiritual team for us. And you know, I didn't grow up this way this was in any temple that I attended. But I can see signs has been undeniable in my journey, which is probably had to happen for a reason to wake me up for the other part of my life. Yeah, yeah.

Journey is the right word, my friend. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for sharing it and open it up to us. I don't know why I thought you were going to tell me that you fell down the stairs and therefore there was like bad energy in the house and we got to get out of the house because the stairs. Yeah, that's why I fell a certain way. And I thought that's where we were going and then we went to Subway, which is great place to

live in the house. Like I just staged it. I just staged it. Yeah, exactly. You know, it's funny when I fell I was like, Oh my God, I need to I need to think the fall let me think the Fallen advance. But I thanked it at a fear because I'm like, oh shit, something's come in something. Some shift is happening. But I was so scared of it. And I was like, Thank you for Thank you. Paul will stay here. I'll say to you. No, but now it's a beautiful it was a beautiful gift that I can think now from my heart. But yeah, no, we're still here. We've all fallen on the same stairs. I don't know. Maybe we should leave me

no crack pelvises Hey, wait, literally the stairs are a pain in the ass. Hi. Oh. Come on the episode. The whole thing built to that joke? Yeah, So Allah is that's beautiful. The journey to it. And it's so funny I love I love the idea of young Leslie literally doing witchery of like I just started the wind.

Right? Oh my god. Yeah. And then I get scared. That's and that still happens now when I'm doing some spiritual I was like, oh my god, I asked for that what was that? I don't know. Yeah,

right yeah to the story of that to the story of, of reading that individual and then thinking that they were a plant or something like that or there was a plant that told them all you told you all the information now through you know through this moment in the house, then what? Yeah, what a fascinating What a fascinating journey. You know, it's, it's funny. You are now the second person I've had on dimer diner talks that has been to a shaman and I'm over here like, a we on Yelp looking for Shaman. Like Google reviews, like where like where's one like? I would assume if the shaman is right for you, then the energy draws you to the shaman, right? You're like, this is it as eco? You're the one. Right?

This is Joan, by the way. That's true. That's the Jonas Jonas, the Shaman.

Joan from the bio, sir. Our own healing January 10 years ago and working with Joan period, period. I've got a Joan, everyone's got a Joan, you're right, whether we know it or not. So So you find Reiki and tell us a little bit about what Reiki is because it's no, it's I played a little dumb in the bio just for the joke, but I know it's about moving energy. Right? Well, it's not necessarily if I if I know correctly, I want you to correct me but it but it's kind of like your hands are above the person, you're not actually touching them, but you're moving energy in them. That's, that's my extremely naive knowledge of what Reiki is. And now you're going to tell me what it actually is.

Sure, that's pretty close. Probably each Reiki practitioner works differently, I would think because me being trained by a Reiki Master or tuned by Reiki master and also a shaman. I think my way may be different than others. But yeah, she would be on above them or you do a light touch on them. So I do a mixture of both those things, and you are moving energy. But the idea is that we have typically everyone knows we have seven chakras. So if you think of a chakra as like a portal in certain parts of your body, so you have it, sort of the root chakra is between your legs, your sacral chakra is a little bit below your belly button, your solar plexus chakra is a little bit above, then you have your heart, your throat, your third eye, which is between your eyes and then your higher self. I also work with the chakra of your ears, because what are you telling yourself? What stories are you listening to? What are you believing other people are saying or what are you believing that you're telling yourself and the feet. And then there are other higher ones, some people say you have an eighth ninth chakra sort of above your higher self, they go from the front into the back. And typically if they're balanced, they all work in clockwise motion. And then on top of that there are different planes of energy within those portals. So you have your physical plane. And then right above that sort of sits on that as the etheric plane. And then above that you have the emotional plane which bridge bridges the next to the mental and the spiritual. So what we want to do is we want to work with all those and see where there's any density or any clogging or any issues to work out. And typically, most of them are in the emotional and mental plane. Because if you think about it, you have thoughts where you then feel something emotionally and if we don't deal with it, we start to feel physical symptoms. So Eastern medicine is a lot of what because outside of us is affecting us on the inside. Western medicine comes from what's on the inside is affecting us on the outside. And I believe in the balance of both those things. Yeah. When we ruminate on things. And we don't release or let go or have compassion in certain areas than their issues. And then the first three chakras can in the shaman world ish or the energy medicine world connect with different stages of our life from zero to 10. Likes sort of get split up within that time. So yeah, it's, it's and it's all energy. It's the same thing as when someone walks into the room and like you feel a vibe about them. That's the energy that you're feeling. You might not know why or you know, all that it could be karma could be spiritual, they could be feeling something emotionally and then you're sensitive to that. So that's what I work with, you know, with different tools. And yeah, you've never done it.

Okay? I have not, no, I'm not I've done acupuncture. That's a new thing for me. Meditation, as well, a little bit of that, I need to get back into it. But it worked while it did it, just on a practice I kept up with. So but but I definitely saw the benefits of it. And so yeah, but, you know, I'm wondering, a lot of this stuff falls into the woowoo. Category side feels like it falls into the woowoo side of things, right, like, the next thing, you're gonna have me hold a, I don't know, a piece of Rose Quartz. And, and tell me, you know, whatever, I will get into the crystals. And we'll do like, like, we can go as far as we want. Right? And there are points where that we've talked about this in another episode with Dr. Jennifer Mullen, where psychology and astrology, you know, find each other now and, and so, but I'm wondering for you, or advice that you would have as far as when, when should someone seek out Reiki right, like, I think a lot of people are like, Well, my stomach hurts a lot. So I'm gonna go to the doctor, and I'm like, you know, like, I'm gonna get the stomach pills, and I'm gonna do it right. And but there's a chance that, you know, your stomach is in, you know, your sacral chakra, and there's maybe something going on there. And it's different, right, or the the tenseness that you're feeling up here. Now, is it maybe just maybe if you keep having it over and over again, you know, in your neck, it's not, it's not just that you need a new pillow, or something else, it's that you're carrying something right. Like, there's the and so I'm wondering for you, you know, when do you? When do you suggest someone seek out a Reiki Master to be like, maybe there's something else going on here?

Uh, yeah, it's a great question. So Reiki, you know, should never take place of a medical diagnosis. Or if you think that you need to see a doctor, you know, do it. The thing about Reiki is two things, it can look like it does support any sort of medical physical ailment or treatment that one is going through, because it can connect on a deeper level, what also needs to be released. So you're doing something physical for your body with perhaps medicine or seeing a doctor and making sure everything's okay. At the same time, there might be stuff in your mental and physical place, or in those chakras to release. So one could be you're going, you're having that neck pain. You've seen all these doctors, all these you've gotten all these tests, you have no answers, none whatsoever. Maybe you try acupuncture and Reiki, see what happens. The other is you feel off balance, you don't feel like yourself. Maybe there's something physically wrong, but you just feel something and you're not quite sure, then I think you can entertain Reiki. The other is if you're already thinking about it, it's already in your world, and maybe you're being called to it. Yeah. The thing is, with Reiki, it's not like the Reiki practitioner is doing anything so low, you have to be a participant within the healing. So that means believing in it being open to it and receiving it. Because all a healer is which we all have the capacity to do is bridging between matter and spirit. So if that if you're someone who believes that that is potentially possible, then walk into that room with that Reiki practitioner. And the hope is, is that if that Reiki practitioner is coming from the place of the heart with the intention to heal and what's in the highest and best Good of you, then that can occur then the release can occur within that session. So, so I always find if it calls to you, that's a great place to you. There's no harm in it, like there's no if you're seeing one that you feel connected to. There's it's can support any means of anybody. So I think it's great for physical issues for mental issues, you know, it's not therapy. But just for for that peeling, and you're literally carving out that time with the intention to heal yourself. So that alone is beneficial. Yeah,

yeah, Paul. for a second. Yeah, recognizing that you deserve healing, you deserve peace. Yeah, is a powerful sentiment on its own. And also, another powerful symptom is that I don't have to do it alone. Right. And so, yeah, so that's right. Yeah, that's beautiful. I think what you just said is, is is important, because I think that's where a lot of people get hung up on it. And I would, I would even say that there's places where I get hung up on it now, because right now, we're a little skeptical. But I have some great humans in my life that are like, James, this is the shit you write. And so it's like, why I freakin love that person. I trust that person. So like, ask me what's going on? That's why That's why did acupuncture. And Dorothy, tell me about it? And I'm having a lot of back issues and

remote session

or remote a remote Reiki? Yes. Fascinating.

Oh, think about it, I open to it, I would be an energy of love, just for connecting and the work that you do to connect, if you wanted, I could do a remote Reiki with you on the phone. If you give me permission, I could just work on you. And you don't have to do anything. And we might pick a time where I know you're not running around. And we don't even have to talk you just give me permission to check in with your energy. And I can just see if I pick up anything and then I'll tell you what, I feel what I see what what comes up for me. I'll let you know if it resonates awesome. If it doesn't take it with a grain of salt and call it a day. And if you feel differently, you know, we check in with each other.

Fascinating. You have done. I remember you offered a free Tarot reading or something like that to people and I got I mean, you pulled the card for me. I remember that.

How did that resonate? Do you remember?

I remember Yeah, I remember it hit okay. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think yeah, I don't remember what it was, like a year ago. But

oh, sorry. Okay, nevermind, I put you on the spot.

To remember the card. Yeah, no. Burger fries and burgers. I can go through my Instagram DMS. I can message you later.

Right. Perfect. Yeah.

So Leslie, it's so cool talking to you. And just and just learning about this and learning about your all the journeys that you have been on. And there's a lot to talk about too. But, you know, I want to be mindful of your time and mindful of the listeners time. And so I guess I'm curious. You know, you get your web website here. Let's see myself calm, but like, how can people get in touch with you for some of the healing work and things like that? As we learned, you don't just have to be on Long Island, apparently.

But I love that you were like, Yes, I'm in no, I'm not just fascinating. Let me process a lot. It is a lot. It is a lot. It does work remotely. Well on my websites, you know, because I'm still in between worlds. I'll say there's the acting stuff. But I have a page of Reiki and a form there where you can fill out and we can talk if you have questions for me or want to book an appointment. So that's one way I'm also on Instagram. So sometimes I do healing sessions. Or tarot card reading or like group small intimate sessions like a pick me up. Just an energy. So that's I think it's at Mizel Ellis. I should know that. Oh, there it is at Mizel. Leslie. Oh, good to know. Okay. I'm really good at that. Mark. Is that No, I think it's Yeah, yeah. That's it. It's my cell. Leslie. This. Oh, nice. Okay, there you go. Perfect. Okay. Oh, it is good. Okay. So thank you for that. So yeah, that would be the two ways my emails also on my websites pretty much everything but my phone number but you know, we can get there. You'll get there

go baby. Oh, yeah. Out here. Lesley. It's such a damn pleasure. owe you a friend to hang out with you. I'm thankful. You know a lot of my friends have left Long Island. And so I'll say this publicly and then you can be accountable to it. But since most of my great friends have left Long Island when I come back to Long Island there for my family, but we got to get together.

Ah, that would be a dream. I just respect you so highly. James. I think you are a beast of a person inside and out. Just free. So much joy. You're just incredible. So thank you. I'm really honored and grateful to have spent this time with you. Thank you.

Thank you, friend. I appreciate you. You've been on the list since the beginning. And we made it happen. Yeah. Thank you so much for being a badass human that you are in the badass mom. That you are. And thank you for spending this time in the diner. And I hope you crush the rest of your day, Lesley.

Thank you. And you're picking up the check, right? Yeah, no