Meet Leslie Garcia | Writer & Motivational Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is an important part of life. Many people don’t understand this. But if we don’t take risks, we might miss great opportunities. We cannot stay still. I personally am a risk taker. If you ask anyone that knows me they’ll tell you that I always have these crazy ideas in my head and I’m not scared to execute. Sure, I’ve failed and I’ve taken steps back but if I never tried I would never know the outcome. I wouldn’t want to be on my death bed asking myself what if I would’ve done this or that? Now, I can tell myself I tried my best. But taking risks has made me a wise woman at a very young age. It has also helped me accomplish things I would’ve never thought I would’ve. Like my book for example.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is writing. I call myself fearless poet. My whole life I told myself that I was fearless because fear is not of God and if I walk with God and God walks with me then no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I even have the word “fearless” tattooed on my right rib. So when I created my Instagram I named it “ShesFearless.” And when I started my writing instagram, it was a no brainer. I am a Fearless Poet. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. I must’ve been like 11 or 12 when I started my first poetry book. I never thought of it as a career. Always a hobby. But it was because I never understood how I could make money from my writing. And you know how everyone thinks of art careers. “There’s no money in it.” So I never thought of myself as a writer (even though I was and am) until recently. Honestly, until I self published my first poetry book: BLUNT. That was in November of 2019 I believe. Self publishing the book was not hard, just time consuming. What was difficult was deciding. Deciding that I am a writer and I am going to be a writer no matter what anyone says. When you’re young, you want to be cool and you care a lot of what people think of you. When you get to a certain age, you realize that nobody else really cares so do what you want to do! You stop caring about what people think. I love writing what I like to call “modern poetry.” It’s not like Shakespeare where you have to figure out what he’s trying to say… it’s straight to the point, it rhymes most of the time and it’s relatable. I like to write about my past experiences and I do it very bluntly. Hence the title to my book “Blunt.” I like to say that I like to write about raw feelings. It can be about relationships, family, friends, sex, childhood, abuse, adultery, sin, depression… I don’t have a specific topic but I want people to FEEL my words when they read them. I want them to read and think back to a memory where they can relate to what I’m saying. I want my poetry/writing to touch peoples souls. I want to reach people around the world that are going through rough times and I want them to know they are not alone. That I went through it too. That it’s not the end of the world. And if my book or writing can help anyone just by reading it, then I’ll feel accomplished in my career. When I die, I want to be leave behind a footprint, a legacy. It’s not about the money or fame for me. It’s about helping people that feel like they have nobody. Some lessons I learned was one to never give up on your passion and two anything is possible. Literally. We can all do the impossible as long as we have our minds right, a will to do it and we have faith it’s going to happen.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This kinda depends on which best friend. Because I can enjoy going to the museum but also VIP at a club. Haha. But if they’ve never been here before I would take them to downtown Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I live in South Florida so the beach is must. Once we’re done we can get some drinks and eat at one of the restaurants by the beach. They always have 2 for 1 giant margaritas. I would take them to Wynwood during the day to see all the graffiti and just enjoy being in a different environment. I would take them to brickell bayside… a bunch of places!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shout-out to my mother, Gilda Pineda. Growing up we didn’t have a great relationship because I didn’t understand why she did certain things but now that I’m older, I can see that the only reason I’m this strong and independent was because of her. Today, she is my best friend and I can’t wait to be successful so I can somehow repay her. I love you mami.

Website: Www.fearlesspoet.webnode.com

Instagram: _fearlesspoet

Image Credits
People in images: Jaybelle Lora Alex Perez Pamela Delgado