About Leslie

Leslie M. Gordon is a believer. She believes in the power of the human spirit. She believes that surrounding oneself with smart, vibrant people provides opportunities for growth, encouragement and uplift at every turn. She believes that through her writing, she is but a vessel from which inspiration flows. In 2013, Leslie wrote a non-fiction book entitled, Dare to be Extraordinary: A Collection of Life Lessons From African American Fathers, featuring some of the country’s most successful men and women—from broadcast journalist, Robin Roberts to Starbucks COO, Rosalind Brewer; from the first African American female kidney transplant surgeon, Dr. Velma Scantlebury to philanthropist and New York Knicks assistant general manager, Allan Houston. Leslie believes without question that the opportunity to write the very personal, poignant stories of twenty extraordinary people and the lessons they learned from their fathers is, in a word, divine. 

Raised in Chicago and on the Big Island of Hawaii, Leslie has long been an accomplished writer, and marketing and communications strategist. She currently writes feature articles for Essence.com, theGrio and Get Your Sol. Get Your Sol is a lifestyle, wellness and mindfulness platform she created in 2015 for women chasing the sun (i.e. personal and professional goals and dreams, and health and wellness-focused pursuits). The digital platform features people who illumine the lives of others and encourages women to live healthy, mindful lives and love themselves with reckless abandon. She has interviewed many fascinating people including actress, producer and director, Angela Bassett, actor, Isaiah Washington, and philanthropist and former NBA champion, Alonzo Mourning. Leslie also writes speeches for corporate executives and powerful female entrepreneurs.

Leslie has years of experience working in for-profit and non-profit environments and as an entrepreneur. For two years, she led diversity communications for General Motors’ North American brands (Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick & GMC), focusing primarily on Women, Hispanic, African American, Asian and LGBT consumer segments. Today, she owns LeslieWrites, LLC, providing strategic marketing, communications, and business development services for clients with a unique focus on people and purpose. Her clients include women-owned businesses and professional athletes. She has worked with Fortune 500 brands including Toyota, NBC Universal, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, American Family Insurance, Allstate, Bayer Health, Home Depot, Korbel Champagne, Brown-Forman and Walt Disney World. Prior to forming LeslieWrites, LLC, she led the external affairs practice for the Chicago Urban League as senior vice president. Leslie also served as vice president and group director for Burrell Communications. She has always excelled at creating emotional connections to drive loyalty and advocacy between brands and their customers.

Leslie earned a master’s degree in humanities from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Illinois. She has lived in Fabriano, Italy, Barcelona, Spain and Tokyo, Japan. She is a member of The Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She’s an avid runner having completed 11 marathons (26.2 miles) and 15 half-marathons (13.1 miles). She loves to spend time with her family and when she’s not with them you can find her at the gym lifting weights, doing yoga or meditating. Or you can find her outside running, thinking and believing she can accomplish anything in this lifetime—with common sense, solid relationships and a deep sense of gratitude.