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The Influencer

Each week LeslieWrites.com will feature an interview with some of America’s influencers. You know, people who are making incredible things happen. People who have a vision and understand what it means to be a leader in today’s world. People who are creating their legacy whether it’s in the world of fashion, politics, film, writing, music, education, art, graphic or web design, advertising, media, publishing, sports or philanthropy. I’m talking to people who aren’t afraid, people who are exceptional (there’s that word again), people who are unapologetically at the top of their game and will tell us why and how they got there.

3 comments Nov 28, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Darryl Cobbin on Marriage, Family & His Beautiful Daughters

“There are no perfect marriages, only married people loving and growing together in spite of their imperfections.” Author, Darryl Cobbin Recently I witnessed a married couple beating the crap out of each other in the streets of one of the most posh areas of Michigan. I could not believe my eyes. The wife, with long ...

4 comments Sep 22, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Young Influencers: Bardo & Robles Levine of Allied Forces

What would you and your best friend do if you were young, talented music producers with the whole world in front of you? Why yes, you’d drop a bangin’ mixtape, make some smart business decisions, create a groundswell and wait for the industry to come calling. Allied Forces is an up and coming music production ...

11 comments Aug 1, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Actor, James Lesure

James Lesure If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that we’ve been watching and quietly cheering for this confident, poised, influential actor for years because, well, there’s just something about him. That something is actually several things. It’s the class and style he exudes minus the bravado. It’s the fact that he is a ...

15 comments May 25, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Isaiah Washington, A Man From Another Land

Isaiah Washington: Award-Winning Actor, Father, Philanthropist and Author of A Man From Another Land While fans, friends and Hollywood insiders alike have been waiting for Isaiah Washington to once again bring his brand of charisma, confidence and good looks to television in his next hit drama series or to the big screen in his next film, ...

14 comments May 14, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Defining Delicious: Ayala Donchin, Owner of Evelyn’s Kitchen

Ayala Donchin is one of the finest chefs this side of Southern France. Try her red velvet cupcakes, blueberry morning cake, garlic rosemary rack of lamb, shrimp scampi, chili lime crab cakes, carrot cake sandwich cookies or fried chicken and you’ll find yourself sitting outside of her kitchen before sunrise the next morning praying that ...

12 comments Apr 27, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A With The Incomparable Angela Bassett

We know her. We love her. We relish in her on-screen success as if it were our own. We’re proud of her many accomplishments as a seasoned actress, producer, director, wife and mother. We stop dead in our tracks the moment she lights up the big screen with such elegance and grace because she makes ...

5 comments Apr 15, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Journalist, Kelley L. Carter

Writer’s Note: Want to know how to achieve rock star status as an Emmy Award-winning journalist while remaining incredibly humble and focused on being exceptional? I turned the mic on entertainment reporter, Kelley L. Carter to find out. This superstar is used to being the interviewer but this time she is the subject who shares ...

5 comments Apr 3, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Kenny Allen

Writer’s Note: Musician, songwriter and producer, Kenny Allen, also known to his many, many fans and friends in the United States as K’Alyn, is an extraordinary talent living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia since 2005. Our Ethiopian brothers and sisters are blessed to have such a talented musician performing and creating music in their land. I ...

6 comments Mar 25, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Cookie Johnson

Writer’s Note: I really respect and admire Cookie Johnson. As a businesswoman, mother, philanthropist, wife of NBA legend turned businessman, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and advocate for women in the fight against HIV & AIDS, Cookie is creating a legacy and leaving her mark on this world. Many people will tell you that life is all ...

21 comments Mar 18, 2011 | Posted by Leslie in Influencer

Q & A with Jalen Rose

Writer’s note: For the record, I am a Big Ten fan. As a proud graduate of the University of Illinois, I bleed orange and blue and my allegiance is with the Fighting Illini. That said, the University of Michigan basketball team and the Fab Five were a cultural phenomenon. They captured the hearts and attention ...