Meet Paul Leslie

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

Hi Paul, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
It’s a pleasure to be interviewed. Thank you, and also my heartfelt
gratitude to anyone who is reading this.

My interviewing career began on the radio, when I would interview guests: people that usually that had to do with music. This led to podcasts. Increasingly I started to feel like I was supposed to interview all types of people.

I found my purpose when I realized that I could find out exactly who was the best person to tell a certain story. Even if the individual I was welcoming had given many interviews, I would come to understand the exact questions they should be asked in order to get the “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey famously called it. I instinctively knew that people would care about all of the people I chose to interview sooner or later.

Sometimes the stories I would want to hear someone tell didn’t seem to have immediate relevance. However, years later people would listen to that interview and tell me how glad they were that I recorded it.

I started to realize that one of my purposes is to preserve the voices and stories of people who have done remarkable things. I help tell the human story and don’t take that lightly, although I certainly have a lot of fun.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’ve had the pleasure and honor to interview people for an interview show called “The Paul Leslie Hour.” People can listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio. I’m switching over completely to video interviews so am trying to grow a YouTube presence. It’s fascinating to communicate with exceptional people. Over this last year I’ve been able to speak with two United States Presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy, music legend Aaron Neville, as well as Hall of Fame songwriters, authors and a wonderful comedian. I just have that certain gene of wanting to know. I never stop wondering.

The other half of what I do? I write and produce audio/visual reviews also. I review albums, books, movies and concerts. For example, I’m planning to see Bob Dylan this Spring. I write reviews about what I experience in my life. The reviews have become especially exciting for me because of the emotional and personal responses they get. I’m just an everyday guy giving my heartfelt takes. I tend to review things I care about. This year I’d actually like to do more reviews than interviews.

I’d really like to write something lengthy too. I’ve got two book ideas.

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?
What has kept me on this journey and contributed to some of the success? It comes down to three important things:

Stubbornness. I am stubborn. When a publicist or manager said “no,” to me – I’d find a different approach and ask them again. I would never give up the fight. Some would call it persistence. You have to be stubborn to do anything related to the media.

Lack of ego. On most things I don’t really have an ego. So let’s say someone I’m interviewing starts saying something that a lot of people would be offended by. Chances are it doesn’t offend me. Or suppose an artist I want to interview has a handler who brushes me off. My attitude is that it’s okay. Their job isn’t to be nice to me. This egoless mindset works well for me because I don’t take things personally.

Listening. Whether you’re doing an interview or writing a review, you should be listening and looking far more than you are talking. Observe everything around you. Don’t feel compelled to speak. When I’m doing an interview, I am able to ramp up my focus. It’s helped me pay close attention to what people are saying or how they are reacting to the subjects I bring up.

All of these things are actually connected to having control over your impulses. My only advice to someone struggling with any of these three things is to try to mentally step out of your body at times. Observe yourself witnessing things almost as if it’s another person experiencing it.

If you’re listening to music, try to forget yourself. If someone says something insulting or condescending, try to detach from your ego. Allowing yourself a few seconds or even a minute is a great way to get into this mode. When you feel that you want to step outside of yourself, you can give yourself a moment to do that.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
When it came to who my parents are, I really lucked out. It’s another reason to be happy. The most substantial thing my parents did for me, and my siblings as well, was raised us to be fairly independent. They didn’t hover over us and in many respects let us experience what it is to win or lose on our own, but no matter what – it was up to us. I think that we ended up with a rugged individualism and even though there are four of us in total, we’re all pretty different as a result.

I can see how self-reliance has helped me with what I do. If I want to book a certain guest, I do it myself. Then, I do the research about them, the scheduling of the interview and the recording as well as the production. The other value in self-reliance is that you learn a lot of skills. The Paul Leslie Hour has taught me a lot about writing, but also communication, audio engineering. The next thing I want to get very good at is cinematography and video production. I’m leaning more into being independent and self-reliant. “If it is to be, it is up to me.” I think that all goes back to my parents.

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