Meet Lesly Pyle

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lesly Pyle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lesly, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Cut to 2014.

My grandmother asked me to write a memory about her. She had dementia and wanted to hold onto every bit she could. My grandmother was onto something.

That’s how the “Pyle of Memories” social media series was born. I started jotting down personal stories and posting them as they came to me. Every post was tagged with this call to action for dementia awareness: “Write the good stuff down before it’s lost forever.”

Cut to 2021.

Some friends suggested I turn my short stories into a full-length book. Maybe they were onto something? I agreed to do it as long as it could do some good in the world — as a fundraiser for dementia. And for the best shot of putting a dent in this disease, I got 35 other incredible writers to pen chapters too. Many of whom have much bigger names in the ad biz than little ol’ me. This extended the book’s reach tremendously. And within three days, it was in Amazon’s top ten along with titles by Tina Fey, Nick Offerman, and Bill Bryson. It may tackle a serious subject, but most of the stories have a sense of humor. Such is life.

Cut to 2024.

Proceeds from “Pyle of Memories” funded two grants for comedian Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller’s dementia foundation, “Hilarity for Charity.” And we’re not done yet. Hint. Hint.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Welllll, I wish I had a different answer for this one. Like “A Second Pyle of Memories” was on its way to publishing. Or I was on my way to the Cannes advertising festival in France. But this is really what’s going on in my head right now…

Cut to May 16, 2025.

I got the call no happily employed copywriter wants to hear, especially in this job market:

“You’re being laid off as part of a reduction in force.”

My only solace is knowing that it wasn’t a performance thing. And the letters of solidarity I received from so many shocked co-workers really softened the blow. It’s like attending your own funeral and hearing all the nice things people say. Of course, when you’re pushing up daisies, you’re not worried about paying your bills.

So right now, my full-time job is finding a full-time job. If you happen to be looking for someone like me, or know someone who is, please pop over to my LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/friscomoon/. Even if you don’t need writing help, I love meeting fellow creative people. So please stop on by anyway.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Curiosity, curiosity, curiosity.

I never stop asking questions and wondering how to connect seemingly random dots. You just never know what interesting territories this simple act will lead you to.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Confidence.

I’ve struggled with this my whole career. But there’s an easy hack I learned way too late in life. Simply surround yourself with the people who make you feel big, and that little voice that says you’re not good enough will fade to a whisper.

So find the tribe that holds you up. And your head will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pyleofwords.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/friscomoon/
• Other: https://www.pyleofmemories.com